You and We Make Our Picks
EVER SINCE OUR FIRST BEST OF SEATTLE™ in 1986 (remember the cute slugs on the cover?), Seattle Weekly readers and staff have worked together to annually identify those parts of our much-vaunted lifestyle that "best" reflect our collective tastes. Some choices are familiarlike a kind of civic comfort food; but others are totally unexpected. In addition to Readers' Picks, derived from the Best of Seattle ballots you sent in, we've included our staff's Critics' Picks, focusing on "bests" that are a little too specific or obscure to be put up for a vote. We've also polled well-known locals for their Celebrity Picks, ranging from Ichiro's favorite sushi bar to who J.P. Patches thinks is the funniest Seattleite outside the City Dump. In addition, we've dug up some under-the-radar stories, Discoveries that remind us that the "best" isn't always the obvious. Seattle has so many subcultures and layers that it would take more than our collective lifetimes to penetrate them all (and certainly more than 18 years of Best of Seattle). Which is why this issue is a perennial favorite: It's a once-a-year starting point for launching your own personal exploration of the city. Enjoy. Knute Berger
CONTRIBUTORS: Rick Anderson, Knute Berger, Andrew Bonazelli, Gavin Borchert, Laura Cassidy, Frank Catalano, Janna Chan, Philip Dawdy, Roger Downey, Andrew Engelson, Mark D. Fefer, Mike Henderson, George Howland Jr., Brandon Ivey, Sandra Kurtz, Michaelangelo Matos, Katie Millbauer, Brian Miller, Neal Schindler, Nina Shapiro, David Stoesz, Chuck Taylor, Steve Wiecking
People and Politics
READERS' PICKS
CRITICS' PICKS
CELEBRITY PICKS
Tim Ceis
Rick Steves
J.P. Patches
Cab Elvis
DISCOVERIES
Neighborhood newspaper
Local hero
Arts & Entertainment
READERS' PICKS
CRITICS' PICKS
CELEBRITY PICKS
Donald Byrd
Karen Moskowitz
James Keblas and Shannon Stewart
Tina Bueche
Nick Garrison
DISCOVERIES
Hip hip-hop patrons
Amazing set designers
Required Web site for gamers
Food & Drink
READERS' PICKS
CRITICS' PICKS
CELEBRITY PICKS
Danielle Custer
Brad Johnson
M's: Olerud, Willie, and Ichiro
DISCOVERIES
Tango town
Napa Northwest
Turf: Urban Living
READERS' PICKS
CRITICS' PICKS
CELEBRITY PICKS
Linda Derschang
Mark and Michael Klebeck
Peter Shmock
DISCOVERIES
Sweet boutique
Rockin' and rollin' party place
Great new gadget
READERS' DISCOVERIES
READERS' OFFBEAT
2003 BEST OF SEATTLE PRIZE WINNERS
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