Media | Food | Music | Clubs & Bars
Arts & Entertainment | Goods & Services | Sports & Leisure

Media
Best local news: WIS-TV
Best local TV personality: Joe Pinner
Best local TV anchorperson: Susan Audé Fisher
Best weatherperson: Joe Pinner
Best sportscaster (tie): Bob Shields, Terry Chick, Joe Daggett
Best hair (tie): Terry Chick, Jeffrey Day, Dawn Mercer
Best local radio personality: John Millender
Best radio station: WARQ-FM
Best local writer: Michael Graham
Best local politician (tie): Carroll Campbell, Bubba Cromer

Food
Best new restaurant (tie): Caffe Espresso, River City Cafe
Best overall dining experience: Al’s Upstairs Italian
Best 24-hour restaurant: Waffle House
Best drive-thru: Rush’s
Best quick lunch: Caffe Espresso
Best take-out food: Groucho’s
Best Sunday Brunch: The Marriott
Best service: Caffe Espresso
Best wine list: Al’s Upstairs Italian
Best cup of coffee: Caffe Espresso
Best breakfast: Waffle House
Best subs (tie): Groucho’s, Subway
Best vegetable plate: Lizard’s Thicket
Best soul food: The Back Porch
Best barbecue: Maurice’s Piggie Park
Best pizza: Papa John’s, Pizza Hut
Best deli: Groucho’s
Best chicken wings: D’s Wings
Best hot dog: Sandy’s Hot Dogs
Best hamburger (tie): River City Café, Rush’s
Best onion rings: River City Cafe
Best french fries: McDonald’s
Best salad bar: Ryan’s
Best steakhouse: Longhorn Steakhouse
Best Mexican restaurant: Monterrey
Best Italian restaurant: Olive Garden
Best Chinese restaurant: Egg Roll Station
Best French restaurant: Le Petit Chateau
Best Japanese restaurant: Kyoto
Best restaurant for non-smokers: Basil Pot
Best place for dessert: Caffe Espresso
Best ice cream: Sandy’s Hot Dogs

Music - National Performers
Best new artist (tie): Blind Melon, Pearl Jam
Best live performance (tie): Aerosmith, Metallica
Best male vocalist: Eddie Vedder
Best female vocalist: Mariah CArey
Best LP: Pearl Jam, Ten
Best single: "Jeremy", Pearl Jam
Best music video: "Livin’ On The Edge", Aerosmith
Best pop/rock band: Pearl Jam
Best rap band (tie): Cypress Hill, Arrested Development
Best jazz group: Phish
Best blues/R&B band: En Vogue
Best country band: Alabama
Best band to damage your eardrums: Metallica
Best local band: Hootie and the Blowfish
Best local musician (tie): Danielle Howle, Drink Small
Best record/tape/CD store: Manifest Discs & Tapes
Best used record store: Papa Jazz Record Shop
Best musical instrument store: Pecknel Music Co.

Clubs & Bars
Best new club: Art Bar
Best bartender: Robert Rhames (Art Bar)
Best rock n’ roll club: Rockafella’s
Best jazz club (tie): Beulah’s, Art Bar, Decision, Pug’s
Best C&W bar: Bubba ‘n’ Buck
Best college bar: Group Therapy
Best gay bar: The Edge
Best neighborhood pub: The Publick House
Best rave: Rockafella’s
Best karaoke bar: i.b.’s Sports Bar
Best people-watching bar: Group Therapy
Best club DJ: David Riddle (The Edge)
Best jukebox (tie): Martin’s EATS, Waffle House
Best happy hour buffet: Village Idiot
Best pitcher cocktail: Monterrey
Best sports bar: i.b.’s Sports Bar
Best pool hall: Opening Break
Best place to dance: Nightworks
Best bottled beer selection: Monterrey Jack’s
Best draft beer selection: The Publick House
Best drink selection: Monterrey Jack’s

Arts & Entertainment
Best art gallery (tie): Columbia Museum of Art, Lewis & Clark
Best local artist: Blue Sky
Best annual indoor event: Circus
Best annual outdoor event: St. Patrick’s Day in Five Points
Best place to take children: Riverbanks Zoo
Best free entertainment: Sunsets at Sidney Park
Best movie: Jurassic Park
Best movie theater: Litchfield Cinemas
Best movie rental selection: Blockbuster Video
Best local actor/actress: Scott Blanks
Best local theater production: "A...My Name is Alice" (Trustus)
Best current TV show: "Seinfeld"
Favorite cable channel: MTV
Best book: The Bridges of Madison County, Robert Waller
Best play: Falsettos
Best magazine (tie): Rolling Stone, Cosmopolitan, Free Times

Goods & Services
Best bakery: Cribb’s Bakery
Best place for fresh seafood: Fresh Market
Best place for fresh produce: Fresh Market
Best natural food store: Rosewood Market
Best bookstore (new): Happy Bookseller
Best bookstore (used): Book Dispensary
Best thrift store: OEO
Best Gamecock store: Addam’s
Best Clemson: store: Jewelry Warehouse
Best new age store: Joyful Alternative
Best audio equipment store: Upstairs Audio
Best hospital to have a baby: Baptist Medical Center
Best activist group (tie): Greenpeace, NORML
Most important event: Bill Clinton’s Inauguration

Sports & Leisure
Best public golf course (tie): Linrick, Sedgewood
Best public tennis: USC
Best public basketball: USC
Best fitness center/health club: New Life Fitness
Best bowling alley: Brunswick Capitol Lanes
Best pro athlete: Michael Jordon
Best day trip from Columbia: Charleston
Favorite park: Sidney Park
Best SC beach: Edisto Beach
Best swimming pool: USC