Best of Augusta 2012 - Best Dining

Asian Restaurant
The panacea of all Asian eateries is Shangri-La Asian Cuisine, according to voters. Mai Thai is in that real estate sector known as “panacea-adjacent.” P.F. Chang’s Chinese Bistro is the bronze medalist.

Japanese Restaurant
You like Miyabi Kyoto Japanese Steak House in first. Miyabi means “refinement,” so you chose well. Second and third place? Toki Japanese Steakhouse and Sushi Bar, and Kyoto Japanese Cuisine.

Thai Restaurant
Before we proceed, the word is not pronounced “thigh,” so we had to discount all the votes for WifeSaver and KFC. Please, people. After the dust settled, Mai Thai was sitting upon the royal throne. Thai Kitchen and Thai Jong complete the top three.

Mexican Restaurant
Readers say their favorite place to order salsa is, well, Salsa’s Bar and Grill. Seems perfectly logical. In second, Monterrey Mexican Restaurant and, with locations on both sides of the river, no border crossings are necessary. Poblano’s Mexican Grill takes second runner-up.

Italian Restaurant
Want to live a very long time? The Mediterranean diet is rumored to be just the ticket, what with all the olive oil and heavy pasta and olive oil and bread and olive oil and wine and spicy sausages and meats—and olive oil. Did we mention that olive oil is practically the elixir of youth? True. Ask them all about it at Luigi’s, downtown Augusta’s classic Italian eatery. Readers also suggest Guiseppe’s Pizza and Italian Specialities and the Garlic Clove.

Downtown Restaurant
As long as we’re already downtown at Luigi’s, let’s also mention they won best downtown restaurant. Congratulations! The Bee’s Knees wins silver; Frog Hollow Tavern gets the bronze.

Neighborhood Restaurant
Not every neighborhood has a restaurant, but we know a village that does: Daniel Village, wherein lies the reader favorite: Village Deli. Nearby Sheehan’s Irish Pub also fits the description and, in third, Rae’s Coastal Café is actually pictured in most dictionaries next to the definition of “neighborhood restaurant.”

Special Occasion Restaurant
Sometimes a special meal can create memories that will last a lifetime. You’d hate to have those memories include fluorescent lighting and food on a tray, right? Then listen to the voters and head for Calvert’s. They also recommend La Maison on Telfair and Frog Hollow Tavern.

Elegant Dining Restaurant
There should be no losers here. And fortunately, there aren’t. Readers send Calvert’s back for another gold medal. The second first place goes to La Maison on Telfair and the third first place goes to Bistro 491.

Outdoor Restaurant
And now for something completely different. Think of the most inelegant, un-Calvert-like restaurant in our fair city. Inside: bare concrete block walls. Cement floors. Rampant graffiti. People eating food with their fingers. That’s the inside. Outside, it’s the winner of this category: Rhinehart’s Oyster Bar. Pizza Joint also welcomes people who enjoy dining in the great outdoors. Readers also suggest Crum’s on Central.

Sunday Brunch
Crum’s on Central is the kind of place that (with a few loaves and fishes and perhaps several other delicacies) would feed the multitudes. Show up some Sunday and see for yourself. In second the Partridge Inn stages a regal Sunday Brunch and Casa Blanca Cafe downtown might be more intimate, but no less tasty. Go, ye.

Breakfast
If you like syrup on your pancakes and ketchup on your eggs—or ketchup on your pancakes and syrup on your eggs, either way—your place to begin your day is Sunrise Grill. Heck, they’ll let you order breakfast for lunch if you ask real nice. Waffle House and Ruth’s complete the holy triad in second and third.

New Restaurant
Don’t let outside appearances be deceiving. Kitchen 1454 on Walton Way is no diner and, in fact, it’s five-star, say the ballots. Taste in North Augusta’s quaint little riverside village (a.k.a Hammond’s Ferry) is another welcome newcomer. Laziza Mediterranean Grill takes third.

Romantic Restaurant
The definitive answer is wherever you’re dining with your one and only. Unfortunately, that wasn’t one of the choices. Going with what they had available, voters still had excellent options. They assigned the top spot to Calvert’s. Once again, La Maison on Telfair takes the silver. Readers voted Cadwallader’s and Villa Europa into a third-place tie.

Overall Restaurant
Think about how many restaurants over the years have opened to great fanfare and then disappeared and it makes you realize what an accomplishment it is to climb to the top of the mountain. The honor this year goes to Frog Hollow Tavern. Readers award first runner-up status to French Market Grille. Calvert’s completes the Top Three. Congratulations to all!

Business Lunch
Granted, Augustino’s may not be able to compete with your usual peanut butter and jelly served on a bed of desktop paper towel, but it’s still good enough to score the gold medal. Next up: the aerie better known as the Pinnacle Club. From there, movers and shakers can gaze down upon their minions. The always-popular French Market Grille scoops up third.

Friendly Service
This is a highly coveted award and, when we counted up all the tips at the end of the shift, the tip-top restaurant is French Market Grille. Village Deli gets second, Rae’s Coastal Café third.

Best Place To Go When Someone Else is Paying
The first item of business: Find that someone else. Then convince them to take you to the reader favorite, Calvert’s. Just as a time-saving suggestion, you might want to paint a small sign—“Will eat on your tab at Calvert’s,” for example —and stand around at intersections. Or at Calvert’s front door. Second and third: Frog Hollow Tavern and La Maison on Telfair.

Dinner Special
What’s better than excellent food, great atmosphere and sterling service? All of the above for less money. Readers say that very combination is offered at its best at the following dining establishments. French Market Grille West, Calvert’s and Rhinehart’s/Villa Europa (tie).

Chef/Caterer
Looking for someone to cater to your every whim? Get married. Oh, wait. That was decades ago. In 2012, the answer to that question is Jennifer Shuford of Tastefully Yours. Readers say she is Augusta’s caterer par excellence. Be My Guest and Roux’s Catering battle to a two-all tie. Very Vera could have been Ultra Vera if she had won, but this time she’ll have to settle for third.

Appetizer
In this category, the Bee’s Knees is exactly that. (Helpful explanatory note: “The bee’s knees” is an idiomatic expression meaning “the cat’s pajamas.”) Voters also say you can get your appetite on at Bonefish Grill. And P.F. Chang’s Chinese Bistro wins the bronze.

Barbecue
If the pharaohs were still alive today, barbecue would be at the top of their food pyramid, rest assured. If would be worth traveling to Egypt for this stuff, but with Sconyers Bar-B-Que in town we don’t have to, say our all-knowing voters. They also install Mot’s Pit Cooked Barbeque and North Augusta’s BBQ Barn to the pyramid. Near the top, but not quite at the top.

Ribs
No other restaurant in town can say this: Go to Sticky Fingers; get same. A moist towelette comes with every Best Ribs trophy. We’re heading back to Sconyers for seconds. Need a third helping? Loosen your belt and visit Shane’s Rib Shack.

Wings
Augusta Regional Airport mounted a write-in campaign, but we were going for wings of the edible variety. The top-flight wings in town are found at Wild Wing Café. They have tamed the wing, just for you. Wing Stop and new kid Buffalo Wild Wing win second and third, respectively.

Seafood
Their slogan at T’s Restaurant isn’t “Seafood better,” but it could be. At least that’s what the ballots we looked at said. Rhinehart’s Oyster Bar sets the silver hook in their environmentally friendly “catch-and-serve” program, while Bonefish Grill completes the top trio.

Sushi
Try this at home: Say “Takosushi sells sushi by the seashore” as fast as you can 10 times. Then be glad they’re in the CSRA, far from the seashore. Matsu Sige Japanese Cuisine slices and dices their way to second place; Kinja Sushi Express scores third.

Steak
We have it on good authority that TBonz doesn’t just serve the finest steaks known to man. All those doggie bags—even if they’re just bones—go home to another fan base entirely. No wonder they win this thing every year. The Snug takes second; the Chop House takes third.

Catfish
Sometimes when you put opposites together, it works: sweet and sour, for example. Cats and fish are usually hunter and prey, but put them into one word on one plate and voila! A fan favorite, especially when T’s Restaurant does the combining. Old McDonald Fish Camp and Sheehan’s Irish Pub round out the winners.

Fried Chicken
Next time your deep fat fryer is on the fritz, here’s your backup plan. Two words: WifeSaver. There’s one nearby right now waiting to serve you. Or save you. Maryland Fried Chicken was up at dawn crowing about its second-place finish. Honey From the Rock Café gets the bronze.

Soup
Soup: It’s not just for breakfast anymore. If you don’t believe us, ask the experts at Sunshine Bakery, the best soup seller in town according to our panel of experts. California Dreaming and Panera Bread in second and third also get bowls of votes.

Pizza/Dine In
What does it take to win here: good pizza, sure. But also prime service and high marks in that intangible category called “atmosphere.” Mellow Mushroom has the complete package, say the ballots. Pizza Joint claims second place, Yo Pizza third.

Pizza/Delivered
In this category it’s all about the pizza. It’s gotta be good and it needs to show up quickly. And when you open the box, there better not be one slice missing. By all those measures, Pizza Hut is a slam dunk (figuratively, not literally). Papa Johns is first runner-up (literally, not figuratively). Marco’s Pizza makes a big splash (figuratively, not literally) in third.

Hot Dog
Whether you want a Chicago Dog, a New York Dog or some other dog, like maybe a Hephzibah Dog, readers recommend Sonic. Of course, food snobs will usually refuse to eat a hot dog. That’s why God made frankfurters. Second place winner, in fact, is Nathan’s Famous Frankfurters, available at your local Bruster’s. Third place: Papa N Sons. R.I.P.

Burrito
They can roll a fattie without equal at Nacho Mama’s, say our readers. Moe’s Southwest Grill places second; Barberito’s wraps up third.

Sandwich
You searched your memory bank of dining experiences for a place of which the Earl of Sandwich himself could be proud. You came up with Village Deli. Well done. Sandwiches are pretty much all they do at Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches, your second-place choice. DiChicko’s Peri-Peri Cafe wins the bronze.

Hamburger
Think of the hamburger as a highly evolved steak between dinner rolls. Then think of Five Guys Burgers and Fries. Yum. Sports Center is a worthy silver medalist for sure. Another local takes second runner-up: Gary’s Hamburgers.

Bread
That victory smirk on the staff at Manuel’s Bread Café isn’t a wry grin; it’s a rye grin. Well deserved. After all, bread is their middle name. Panera Bread is another good place to trade bread for bread. California Dreaming completes the top three.

Salad
Speaking of trades, readers say California Dreaming is the best place to trade green for greens. More bunny food of distinction is offered at Rae’s Coastal Café. French Market Grille takes third, serving salads that are anything but garden variety. Even though they are. Know what we’re saying?

Dessert
Your top choice, Boll Weevil, is at the front lines of the battle against America’s growing obesity epidemic. They keep telling people, skip the fattening meals and just have dessert. But do people listen? Sometimes. Delightful Bites takes second. French Market Grille wins third, easy as pie. Peanut butter pie to be specific.

Pastries/Cookies
We’re not looking for cookie-cutter-ordinary. We asked for the best and readers went out in search of the best. They never came back. But they were kind enough to log on and e-vote from Lil’ Dutch Bakery. Two Moms’ Cookies are all sugar and spice and everything nice in second. Delightful Bites earns third.

Special Occasion Cakes
When you want to make a special occasion even more specialer, call or visit A Piece of Cake Bakery. They frost the competition. Publix is a perennial fave and this year is no exception. In third, Delightful Bites.

Donuts
Here’s a subject that, when you get right to the heart of it, amounts to nothing. Empty space. Ah, but around that empty space! Krispy Kreme is there. In first, no less. So is Dunkin Donuts. In second, no less. Care to guess who’s in third? Pineland Bakery in Waynesboro. If they get enough votes to appear here, you know they gotta be tasty.

Bagels
Bagels are ready to serve you. They’ll sacrifice themselves to your appetite in plain Jane mode, or they’ll carry cream cheese, ham, sliced turkey, chicken salad and a few dozen other things to you. Try—in this order—Einstein Bros. Bagels, Panera Bread and Dunkin Donuts. So speak the ballots.

Ice Cream/Yogurt
Remember when choosing Neapolitan was living on the edge? No? Well anyway, these days you can even find bacon ice cream. And gone are the days when you have to scream for ice cream. Just walk up to the window at Bruster’s Real Ice Cream and tell them what you want. Presto. Tutti Frutti, meanwhile, has elevated yogurt delivery to a high-tech art form. Then there’s Yotopia, a smooth and creamy blend of yogurt and utopia. Works for us.

Wine Merchant
As long as we’re talking utopia, let’s talk wine. The top purveyor in the entire metro area is Toast, say your fellow oenophiles. Wine World wins the silver cork, but readers can’t decide between White Horse and Vineyard Wine Market for third.

Wine Menu
Nothing complements a fine meal like fine wine and both are in evidence at your top pick, Calvert’s. The ballots also compliment the wine list at Cadwallader’s in second and the Bee’s Knees in third.

Wine by the Glass
House wines are considered to be best at the Bee’s Knees. Savor the fine wine at Calvert’s also and Crum’s on Central gets your third-place vote.

Beer Menu
When we say menu, we’re talking about in a dining establishment. Readers lift their steins to Rooster’s Beak. Their “righteous grub revolution” extends to their lengthy beer menu. The Beak is best in beer. Pizza Joint gets your secondary suds vote; Stillwater Tap Room in third by a head.

Beer Selection
When we say beer selection, we’re talking about to-go offerings. Beer you buy and then avoid drinking all the way home—well, most of the way. The voice of the people says the best selection may be found at Toast. Little-known fact: They specialize in domestic and imported beers. If it doesn’t fit in one of those two categories, they may have to special order it. Second place: Harvard Wine & Beverage. Third place: Wine World.

Margarita
With our plethora of Mexican restaurants, the competition is fierce. When the tequila settled, Teresa’s Mexican Restaurant took top honors. If you’re on a salt-restricted diet, they’ll put Mrs. Dash on the rim of your glass. Just ask. Vallarta Mexican Restaurant gets second place; Salsa’s wins third. Bottoms up!

Martini
There is a theory that martini is actually a shortened version of the original name for this cocktail, which was The Martinez. True. You can look it up. As for the best martini available in Augusta (and Martinez), head to the French Market Grille. Readers say Bonefish Grill martinis deserve first runner-up, followed by Calvert’s.

Iced Tea
If you had invented and patented iced tea, you would have more money than Bill Gates and Bernie Madoff combined. Instead, you’re stuck paying for the stuff, but the votes say it’s money well spent at WifeSaver. The tea served at Be My Guest events won second place. Sunshine Bakery comes in third.

Coffee
Artisan roaster Buona Caffé, supplier of java to places like La Maison on Telfair, got the most votes. New Moon Café (downtown Aiken and Augusta and inside University Hospital Heart and Vascular) is next on the ballots. Starbucks may be everywhere, but here they are in just one place: third.

Dinner Special
What’s better than excellent food, great atmosphere and sterling service? All of the above for less money. Readers say that very combination is offered at its best at the following dining establishments. French Market Grille West, Calvert’s and Rhinehart’s/Villa Europa (tie).

Undiscovered Restaurant
DiChicko’s Peri-Peri Café is tucked away inside New Life Natural Foods, which might help explain its undiscovered status. Readers say seek and ye shall dine. Another place inside a place: the café inside the Kroc Center. Ray and Joan recommend it. Keeping the theme going, in third it’s Manuel’s Bread Café, inside Hammonds Ferry in North Augusta.

Indian Restaurant
Do they even serve food at the Taj Mahal? No. But they do at Taj of India. The best, say our readers. India Cafe places second and the Curry Pot gets third.

Down-Home Cooking
In theory (and in practice) if granny wouldn’t have served it, Goolsby’s doesn’t either. So don’t even ask for their list of French wines. Honey From the Rock miraculously wins second place. WifeSaver does its thing in third.