For its mass appeal and its proximity to just about everyone, QFC ran away with this category. We've browsed their cherry tomatoes and tossed greens, and have on occasion been tempted to load up on croutons. The superstore branches (Broadway and Pine, University Village) offer the true salad bars in this town, complete with Sneez-Guard. Larry's Market slipped into second with their gourmet spin on help-yourself veggiedom. Whole Foods marked its debut in the Best of Seattle poll by coming in third. And they even have a cheese bar, an olive bar, a juice bar, and a soup bar—all potential categories for next year.
49. Best tofu dishes
Oy, soy! We may be reaching here, but we suspect that the reason you vaulted Bamboo Garden (364 Roy, 282-6616) to top honors is that they disguise their bean curd in meat's clothing—i.e., the sesame "chicken" isn't chicken at all, but rather a diabolically prepared ball of tofu that tastes exactly like chicken. No fooling! Thing is, they've mastered it. Vegetarians in the know enjoy their bok choy alongside their stewed "beef," sweet-and-sour "pork," or Kung Pao "chicken." Local health-food grocer PCC fell just shy of the first-place slot to capture second, and third went to Caf順lora, home away from home for visiting vegan celebrities (Alicia Silverstone munched on a cheeseless pizza from Flora's before her appearance at the SIFF gala in May).
50. Best place to order five-star spicy food
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When you say "five stars," Tup Tim Thai (118 W Mercer, 281-8833) apparently means it. We sincerely hope that your stomachs are up to the task, but who are we to question our readers? Siam, in both its Eastlake and Broadway incarnations, tied itself for second place in this category (has that ever happened before?), and Thai Tom landed in third. Three-star folks can only shake their heads in wonder at those brave, five-star souls who order food that clears the sinus passages, causes instant sweating, requires patrons to remove all their clothes, raises the room temperature by 20 degrees, and contributes to global warming.
51. Best corporate cafeteria
While many long to see Microsoft torn into five easy pieces, apparently our readers would exempt Chez Bill's scrumptious chicken-salad sandwiches (but you still can't order Office 2000 and hold the browser). No surprise there—when your workplace mess hall offers everything from smoked tofu to specialty lattes to shrimp salad, why would you go anywhere else? Throw in fancy ski-chalet architecture, outdoor seating, and Soviet-style subsidized prices (so that's why we sacrificed our firstborn children for a heavily wrapped cardboard box and a disc), and you're in tech heaven. Hell, Mr. G., forget the computer biz—you can use your business smarts to crush Orange Julius and TGI Friday's. Apparently Amazon's second-place canteen is not so free with the pop and milk. But Adobe's commissary? Well, they tied with Swedish Hospital's cafeteria for third. Better get on the stick, Adobe, before your stock takes a belly-flop in some lime Jell-O.
52. Best bartender
Rick Dahms |
You love Ben, we love Ben, everybody loves Ben Dougherty! Ben is funny, friendly, good-lookin', and pours a stand-up adult beverage—what more do you want in the person handing you drinks? The new bar in which Ben is a partner, Zig Zag Caf頨1501 Western on the Pike Place Hillclimb, 625-1146), is noted later as Best Place to Hide Out and Get Tanked (see Critics' Picks), and then you go and pick him as best bartender—crazy! (Though we suspect ballot-stuffing, we had nothing to do with it.) Anyhow, Ben used to tend bar at Machiavelli on Pine, and under his regime that tiny bar developed a happy, friendly, well-lubricated scene that had less to do with the great pasta on the restaurant side and more to do with Ben's fine pours and sage, bartenderly advice. With him at the helm, Machiavelli weathered the WTO as the eye of the storm; he'll keep mixing as the tear gas flies—something to bear in mind in the new millennium. Next time you're at the Zig Zag, ask him to make you his special with fresh mint. Can't quite remember what went in it, but boy is it good. Thanks, Ben.
53. Best dot-com delivery service
Of course it's HomeGrocer.com (soon to be absorbed into Webvan.com)—they have the best stuff, the clearest Web site, arrive obsessively on time, and employ the buffest, baddest, most bodaciously good-lookin' delivery men this side of UPS. (Tightest something-or-others in the shipping business.) In any case, don't think we don't know why you voted HomeGrocer top dog by a landslide. Albertsons.com has fine delivery men too, but apparently only 1/12 as many; its services drew third place. Perhaps you were also influenced by Albertson's weaker site and smaller selection; we don't know. We do know that Kozmo.com, they of the Starbucks lattes and videos and movie candy, whupped Albertson's handily and was inching up on HoGro to nab second place. Hmmm. Clearly you still prefer studs to Milk Duds, but thanks to Kozmo's brilliant niche exploitation, this may not last forever.
