Best of 2012 (Part 1)

Welcome to BOSOften the news business takes us to the worst of Springfield, so we look forward every year to this edition, which brings you the best. In these pages, 72 of them this week, we celebrate

Best of 2012 (Part 2)

BEST NEW BAND 2012BrushfireOur voters had impeccable taste in choosing this intensely hot country band, as this summer the group finished first in a national contest judged by country music industry h

The best dining experience

RIP, CAITIE GIRLBest downtown dining. Most original menu. Best chef. Best-kept secret.And all gone.If there was a landslide winner in this year’s Best Of competition, it was Caitie Girl’s,

Food, glorious food

BEST ASIAN FOODBEST SUSHIBEST MARTINI NAMEBEST PLACE FOR A FIRST DATEOsaka1665 Wabash Ave., 726-8037Osaka sure does a lot of things right. First things first, let’s start with the cocktails. We

Are you being served?

BEST BAR FOODBrickhouse Grill & Pub3136 W. Iles Ave., 546-2745219 S. Fifth St., (downtown), 679-1500 OK, you’ve got your cheeseburgers, your horseshoes, your nachos, your chicken wings, your

Imbibe me

BEST BAR FOR SPORTSBEST CHICKEN WINGSBuffalo Wild Wings2808 N. Dirksen Parkway, 670-00484420 Wabash Avenue, 546-9453Walk into Buffalo Wild Wings and there’s not a seat in the house from which yo

Entertainment & nightlife

BEST BAND WITHOUT A CATEGORY Still Kick’nOh my goodness, the bull ran loose when no category for country band appeared in the 2011 Best of Springfield list. Immediately fans of Still Kick’

Capital city people & places

BEST ANIMAL RESCUE ORGANIZATIONAnimal Protective League1001 Taintor Road, 544-7387Springfield has at least five places where you can adopt an unwanted dog or cat, but Animal Protective League is, by f

Capital city biz bests

BEST BARBERCraig JonesUnique Blendz Barbershop, 2917 S. MacArthur Blvd., 528-4245If you’ve got to put your head in the hands of a guy with some seriously sharp blades, Craig Jones is the kind of

Off the grid

BEST-KEPT SECRETFree knife sharpening at Schnuck’s1911 Sangamon Ave. E., 744-20122801 Chatham Road, 698-2980Sorry, dear readers, but perhaps you did not understand the question. Much as we loved

Best of Springfield 2007

The best of the city

Untitled Document THE MISSION We’ve been engaged in “Operation Best of Springfield” for more years than we can remember, and though we’ve been forc

Best of Arts & Entertainment

The best of the city

Untitled Document BEST ARTIST Ryan ThompsonA few of the messages posted on his MySpace page suggest that young Ryan Thompson may have undertaken a campaign to win this cat

Best of Food & Drink

The best of the city

Untitled Document EATING & DRINKING BEST ORGANIC BESTORGANICFOOD SELECTION Food Fantasies 1512 W. Wabash Ave., 217-793-8009Anybody c

Best of Goods & Services

The best of the city

Untitled Document BEST PET GROOMER Bob Hofstetter, PetSmart3183 S. Veterans Parkway, 217-698-3094Bob Hofstetter can train people to groom dogs. According to his

Best of People & Places

The best of the city

Untitled Document BEST PLACE FOR A WEDDING RECEPTION BEST BED & BREAKFAST The Inn at 835 835 S. Second St., 217-523-4466 The predict

Best of Sports & Recreation

The best of the city

Untitled Document BEST POOL HALL Mowie’s Cue 1277 Toronto Rd., 217-529-7616 Mowie’s Cue isn’t your daddy’s billiard hall. Instead of being

Best of Springfield 2009

The BEST OF SPRINGFIELD was a fresh idea in 1982 when we first asked our readers to identify the best burger in town. In the 27 editions since then we’ve worked to keep it fresh by shaking up categories, asking different questions. As you’ll see over the next 30 pages, there’s plenty to celebrate about the individuals and businesses that call central Illinois home. How we do it: The ballot was available online and in print for two full weeks. There were 2,500 voters who participated but fewer than 100 used the paper ballot. The best thing about the online balloting is the votes are tallied automatically – and we’re able to confirm one vote per e-mail address – so no one is able to stack the deck for any nominee.

Best of Springfield 2009 continued

The BEST OF SPRINGFIELD was a fresh idea in 1982 when we first asked our readers to identify the best burger in town. In the 27 editions since then we’ve worked to keep it fresh by shaking up categories, asking different questions. As you’ll see over the next 30 pages, there’s plenty to celebrate about the individuals and businesses that call central Illinois home. How we do it: The ballot was available online and in print for two full weeks. There were 2,500 voters who participated but fewer than 100 used the paper ballot. The best thing about the online balloting is the votes are tallied automatically – and we’re able to confirm one vote per e-mail address – so no one is able to stack the deck for any nominee.