Look at all the Winners
Since the dawn of time, the electric city and diamond city Best Of Awards have highlighted the fantastic people, places and things we love in northeastern Pennsylvania. Alright — maybe the dawn of time is stretching it quite a bit, but the frigid holiday season has once again arrived at our doorsteps and that means it’s time to announce the Best Of 2013 winners.
Online voting kicked off in early October and the votes kept flooding in until the November 1 deadline arrived. Voters cast their ballots for favorites within nine specific categories: Love and Romance, Eats and Drinks, Goods and Services, Arts and Entertainment, Nightlife, Media, Health and Recreation and Superstars. We also included a short Survey Says category to further pick the brains of our loyal readers (as it turns out, you’re really anti-twerking, which is quite a relief). With thousands of submissions to rifle through, our brilliant tech team worked day and night before submitting the final list of Best Of winners. These lucky winners will now have their names forever etched in stone (or a fancy framed certificate) as being at the top of their game throughout 2013.
This year, we here at electric city and diamond city have gone through an extensive redesign ourselves, thus giving us a new and exciting way to deliver the Best Of results to you. Beginning on page 29, you can find all the 2013 winners and a little bit about what makes them the best in their respected categories. This year’s Best Of list features a healthy mix of repeat winners and new kids on the block. We’ve said goodbye to a number of local historic buildings and businesses, but at the same time have witnessed the birth of new restaurants, storefronts, and the controversial arrival of, gasp, food trucks.
So keep on reading every week and we hope to see you at our annual Best Of Party, Jan. 22, 2014 at 7 p.m. in Breakers at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs — It’s always a legendary party with a room packed full of personalities celebrating the Best Of the best our area has to offer. — tom graham
Hollywood’s put out its share of Cinderella stories in which the hapless heroine is whisked off her feet by a worldly knight in three-piece Armani. But it’s got just as many tearjerkers where the happiest ending of all is found between a couple of kids don’t have two dimes to rub together, yet still make more than enough love to withstand all those hardships they write wedding vows about. Here’s where those in the first camp spend their pretty pennies.
Love & Romance
Best Adult Toy Store Adult World
Best Flower Shop Carol Floral and Gifts
Best Limo Service Arrive in Style Limousines Inc.
Best Place for a Bachelor Party Gentlemen’s Club 10
Best Place for a Bachelorette Party Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs
Best Place for a First Date The Tomato Bar and Bistro
Best Place to Buy an Engagement Ring Valentine’s
Best Place to Buy Lingerie Mr. Fashion’s
Best Wedding Gowns David’s Bridal
Best Wedding Registry Bed, Bath & Beyond
Best Wedding Venue Newberry Estates
Eats & Drinks
Bottlenecks Saloon and Eatery took home top honors of Best Hamburger in the diamond city. Located at 2 S. Broad Street in Wilkes-Barre, Bottlenecks also boasts live music nights with musicians from all over the region making the trek to deliver some tasty tunes.
Best Ambience Oyster Seafood and Steakhouse
Best Bagels Bakery Delight!
Best Bakery Purple Squirrel Pastry Company
Best Beer Menu Arena Bar & Grill
Best Boneless Wings The Tipsy Turtle Pub
Best Breakfast Perkins
Best Brunch Southside Bistro
Best Cheesesteak Dagwoods
Best Chinese Restaurant Asian Kitchen
Best Chocolate Gertrude Hawk
Best Coffee Shop IBOP
Best Cup of Coffee Coffee’s Coffee
Best Deli Pierce Street Deli
Best Desserts Purple Squirrel Pastry Company
Best Diner S & W Restaurant
Best Doughnuts Krispy Kreme
You know how you like them. Moist and juicy on the inside, just a flash of fry — not cooked to a harsh crisp — and slathered with coats of sticky, tangy buffalo sauce that’s spicy enough to make you sweat, but not so hot you can’t taste the rest of your meal or (gasp!) your expensive seasonal micro brew. You know, the way The Tipsy Turtle does them. That’s how you like your boneless wings.
Best French Fries Hops and Barley
Best Frozen Yogurt Sweet Frog
Best Hamburger Bottleneck’s Saloon and Eatery
Best Hoagie Vino’s
Best Hot Dogs Abe’s Hot Dog
Best Ice Cream Hillside Farms
Best Italian Food Vino Dolche Italian Restaurant
Best Italian Ice The Snack Shack
Best Japanese Restaurant Mizu Sushi & Hibachi
Best Liquid Lunch Madison’s Vodka Bar and Steakhouse
Best Long Lunch Canteen 900
Best Lunch on a Budget Crown Fried Chicken
Best Lunch on the Go The Backdoor Take Out
Best Mexican Southwestern Restaurant La Tolteca Mexican Restaurant
Best New Restaurant Southside Bistro
Best Patio Dining Cork Bar and Restaurant
Best Pierogies Mom and Pops Pierogies
Best Potato Pancakes John’s Harvey’s Lake
Best Restaurant Cork Bar & Restaurant
Best Romantic Restaurant Fire and Ice on Toby Creek
Best Round Pizza Grotto Pizza
Best Salads River Grille
Best Sandwiches Circles on the Square
Best Seafood Coopers, Pittston
Best Service Four Seasons Asian Bistro
Best Soup The Soupchic
Best Square Pizza Pizza L’oven
Best Steakhouse Logan’s Roadhouse
Best Stromboli Tommy’s Pizza Corner Kingston
Best Sushi Katana
Best Thai Restaurant Thai Thai
Best Wine Menu Cork Bar & Restaurant
Best Wings Pizza Perfect
Goods & Services
Want to turn your body into a full-fledged canvas of self-expression? The crew at Marc’s tattooing, Wilkes-Barre have got you covered — literally if that’s what you want. Stop in for some fresh ink or rebel against the folks and get those nipple pierced just in time for the holiday season.
Best Animal Hospital Veterinarian Valley View veterinary Clinic, Dr. Fine
Best Barber Shop Lyons Barber Shop
Best Bicycle Shop Main Bike World
Best Boutique Francis Rose
Best Car Dealership Motorworld
Best Car Wash Mr. Kleen Kar Wash
Best Cigar Shop City Tobacco
Best Comic Book Store Rubber Mallet Comics
Best Day Spa Woodhouse Day Spa
Best Dry Cleaner Easy Clean Laundry
Best Farmers Market Wilkes Barre Public Square
Best Garden Store Dundee Gardens
Best Hair Salon Eclectic Hair Salon
The mighty Susquehanna Brewing Co. is diamond city’s Best Local Brewery, proving yet again, our area not only loves beer, but we can make our beer too and it’s damn good.
Best Health Food Store House of Nutrition
Best Jewelry Tovon & Co
Best Local Brewery Susquehanna Brewing Co
Best Massage Woodhouse Day Spa
Best Mens Clothing Store Men’s Warehouse
Best Mom Pop Grocery Store Malacari’s
Best Pet Supply Store Village Pet Supplies
Best Pipe Shop Headdies
Best Place to Buy Beer Krugel’s Georgetown Deli
Best Place To Buy Music Gallery Of Sound
Best Shoe Store DSW
Best Ski Shop Top of the Slope
Best Store For Music Equipment Rock Street Music
Best Tanning Salon Bloom Again
Best Tattoo Parlor Marc’s Tattooing Wilkes-Barre
Best Unique Gifts 3 Sisters
Best Winery Nimble Hill
Best Womens Clothing Store Kohls
Arts & Entertainment
Best All Ages Venue F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts
Best Art Venue Arts Seen Gallery
Best Casino Mohegan Sun
Best Concert Venue F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts
Best Dance Company Dave Ragnacci School of Dance
Best Local Band Name The Mercury Display
Winner of Best Place To Hear Live Music, River Street Jazz Cafe, Plains has been bringing in all sorts of touring act for years — 20 years to be almost exact. Cheers to the local club that has not only embraced and nurtured local acts, but keeps giving local music fans a place to go see more established acts bring down the house. Here’s to 20 more…
Best Local Festival Fine Arts Fiesta, Wilkes-Barre
Best Movie Theater R/C 14
Best Museum Luzerne County Historical Society
Best New Event Third Friday
Best New Local CD Binary Me, The Mercury Display
Best Ongoing Cultural Event Third Friday
Best Open Mic River Street Jazz Cafe
Best Original Band The Mercury Display
Best Party Cover Band Flaxy Morgan
Best Place to Shoot Pool Guys and Dolls, Kingston
Best Theater Production Annie Get Your Gun, Grove Theatre
Worst Local Band Name Ashlee and the Talents
Nightlife
Best Bar in a Restaurant Rodano’s
Best Bar Nobodys Heard Of Keats Pub
Best Bar You Can Smoke In Boozers Sports Bar
Best Bike Night Outsiders Bar and Restaurant
Best Cocktails Madison’s Vodka Bar & Steakhouse
Best College Bar Senunas Bar and Grill
Best Corner Bar Claire’s Bar
Best Drink Specials The Tomato Bar and Bistro
Best Gay Lesbian Friendly Bar Twist
Best Happy Hour Madison’s Vodka Bar & Steakhouse
Best Happy Hour Food Bart and Urby’s
Best Karaoke Old Tyme Charley’s
Best Looking Bar Crowd Woodlands Inn
Best Margaritas La Tolteca Mexican Restaurant
Best Martinis Madison’s Vodka Bar & Steakhouse
Best New Bar Club Duffys Draft House
Best Place to Shake It Gypsies
Best Pub Trivia Bart and Urby’s
Best Sports Bar Lucky’s Sporthouse
Best Strip Club Gentlemen’s Club 10
Best Venue to Hear Live Music River Street Jazz Cafe
Best Young Professionals Bar Cork Bar and Restaurant
Media
Best College Radio Station 88.5 WRKC King’s College
Best Local Website Film Buff Online by Rich Drees
Best Morning Radio Show Free Beer and Hot Wings Show
Best Radio Station 92.1 Fuzz
Health & Recreation
Best Bowling Alley Chacko’s
Best Gym Health Club FAME strength and conditioning
Best Pilates Rebecca Sitar
Best Place My Friends Make Me Go Again and Again Chili’s
Best Place to Go Camping Moon Lake
Best Place to Picnic Kirby Park
Best Skiing Montage
Best Trip Just An Hour Away Jim Thorpe
Best Yoga Melt yoga
Best Zumba SWEAT Fitness
If you like Robert May now, you’re going to be kissing his clapboard come February. The Dallas-based producer of The Station Agent and Fog of War has produced and directed what Variety has described as a “deeply shocking and continually surprising” documentary about Luzerne County’s Kids for Cash judicial scandal that “rocked the nation.”
Superstars
Rebecca Sitar of Bex Body Sculpting fame won your votes for Best Pilates but the tireless physical fitness promoter is also known for her healthy eating program. A Holistic Personal Trainer and Life Coach, Beckie holds fun social boot camps and designs non-judgemental plans customized to each individual’s personal challenges and goals. What’s not to like that?
Best Bartender Laurie Jones (Boozers)
Best Caterer Back door take out
Best Chef Jack Godwin
Best Dentist Dave Troynacki
Best DJ DJ MO
Best Doctor Toni Jo Parmelee
Best Local Actor John Sherrick
Best Local Actress Dawn Winarski
Best Local Author Brandon Halsey
Best Local Blogger Gort42
Best Local Comedian James “The Wingman” Holeva
Best Local Dancer Amber Kerestes
Best Local Filmmaker Robert May
Best Local Radio Personality Jumpin’ Jeff Walker
Best Local TV News Personality Candice Kelly
Best Local Visual Artist Curtis Salonick
Best Mechanic Joe Ferrick on w carey st plains
Best Newspaper Reporter Bill O’Boyle
Best Nip Tuck Dr. Speace
Best Pet Groomer Wags to Riches
Best Piercer Marc’s Tattooin
Best Solo Musician Ronnie Williams
Best Stylist April Campas
Best Tattoo Artist Steve Roberts Marcs
Best Travel Agent Candy Bednar
Best Wedding DJ Optimum Entertainment
Best Wedding Photographer Jim Gavenus
Best Wedding Planner Linday Bezick Genetti
The community continues to mourn the loss of Michael Onley, also known as DJ Mo, the 2013 Best DJ Winner. Onley was shot and killed in October near Outsiders Bar at 650 S. Main St. in Wilkes-Barre. A big part of northeastern Pennsylvania’s music scene, the man stood behind a positive message of non-violence and helping others within his beloved community. After graduating from Coughlin High School, Onley attended Wilkes University, where he became highly involved with the school’s radio station, WCLH 90.7 FM. Onley began producing rap and hip-hop segments which he continued the shows, often featuring local artists, years after his graduation from the school.
For more information about the life of Michael Onley, visit facebook.com/pages/Remembering-DJ-Mo.