Local Media

Best Local TV News
WIS-TV 10
Runner-up: WLTX-TV 19

Best TV Anchorperson
Dawn Mercer, WIS
Runner-up: Craig Melvin, WIS

Best TV Weatherperson
Ben Tanner, WIS
Runner-up: Jim Gandy, WLTX

Best TV Sportscaster
Rick Henry, WIS
Runner-up: Brian McConchie, WACH

Best Talk Radio Station
560 AM WVOC
Runner-up: SCERN/NPR

Best Music Radio Station
93.5 FM WARQ
Runner-up: 104.7 WNOK

Best Local Talk Radio Host
Kevin Cohen, WVOC

Best Local Radio Personality
Jonathan Rush, WNOK
Runner-up: Afternoon Dave, WARQ

Best Local Writer
Otis R. Taylor Jr.
Runners-up: William Price Fox, Sarah Sabalos

Best Media Hog
Bob Coble
Runner-up: Joe Pinner

Politics and City Life

Best Use of Public Funds
Five Points Beautification
Runner-up: Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center

Biggest Waste of Public Funds
I-277 pedestrian overpass
Runners-up: 3 Rivers Music Festival, Trolleys

Best Local Politician
Bob Coble
Runner-up: Inez Tenenbaum

Scariest Politician
Bob Coble

Best Effort to Improve Columbia
Five Points Beautification
Runner-up: Riverfront Development

Best Thing About Columbia
People

Biggest Gripe About Columbia
Heat
Runner-up: Traffic

Best Thing to Happen to Columbia in 2004
Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center

Biggest Columbia Eyesore
Busted Plug Plaza
Runner-up: Five Points Beautification

Best Corporate Monopoly
SCE&G
Runner-up: Time Warner Cable

Most Annoying Billboard
Maurice's Barbecue
Runner-up: HomeVesters' "Ug Buys Ugly Houses"

Worst Traffic Nuisance
Malfunction Junction
Runner-up: Railroad Crossings

Best Political Stunt
Gov. Sanford's Pigs
in the State House

Best Activist Group
Midlands NORML

Best Individual Activist (tie)
Brett Bursey, S.C. Progressive Network
Hank Koch, Midlands NORML
Runner-up: Johnny Gardner, Voice of the Unborn

Biggest Political Faux Pas
Gov. Sanford's Pigs in the State House
Runner-up: Confederate Flag

Best Neighborhood
Shandon
Runner-up: Rosewood

Best Place to Smoke Pot
At Home

Best Place for Public Sex
Finlay Park

Arts and Entertainment

Best Annual Event
3 Rivers Music Festival
Runner-up: St. Patrick's Day in Five Points

Best Art Gallery (tie)
City Art
Purple Alley
Runner-up: Blue Sky Gallery

Best Local Artist
Blue Sky
Runner-up: Ryan August

Best Dance Company
Columbia City Ballet

Best Movie Theatre
Columbiana Grande Cinemas
Runner-up: AMC Dutch Square 14

Best Local Theatre Production
Bat Boy: The Musical, Trustus Theatre
Runner-up: Jesus Christ Superstar, Workshop Theatre

Food

Best New Restaurant
Que Syrah
Runner-up: Moe's

Best Overall Dining Experience (tie)
Hampton Street Vineyard Pasta Fresca
Runner-up: Mr. Friendly's

Best Place for A First Date
The Melting Pot
Runners-up: Rust, California Dreaming, Hampton St. Vineyard

Best Place for a Last Date
McDonald's
Runner-up: Waffle House

Best Late Night Food
Waffle House
Runners-up: Five Points Diner, Wendy's

Best Greasy Spoon
Waffle House
Runner-up: Lizard's Thicket

Best Place to Dine Outdoors
Mangia! Mangia!
Runner-up: Harper's

Best Take Out
Pasta Fresca
Runner-up: Chick-fil-a

Best Bang for the Buck (tie)
Taco Bell
Wendy's

Best Wine List
Hampton Street Vineyard
Runner-up: Gervais and Vine

Best Coffeehouse
Starbucks
Runner-up: Courtyard Coffeehouse

Best Breakfast
IHOP
Runner-up: Original Pancake House

Best Sunday Brunch
Motor Supply Co.
Runner-up: Café Strudel

Best Subs
Jimmy John's
Runner-up: Subway

Best Sandwich Shop
Groucho's
Runner-up: Jimmy John's

Best Deli
Groucho's
Runner-up: DiPrato's Deli & Market

Best Vegetarian Menu
Earth Fare
Runners-up: Blue Cactus
Rosewood Market

Best Bagel
Carolina Bagel
Runner-up: Manhattan Bagel

Best Barbecue
Shealy's Barbecue
Runner-up: Maurice's Barbecue

Best Burrito
Moe's
Runner-up: El Burrito

Best Pizza
Za's
Runner-up: Mellow Mushroom

Best Chicken Wings
Carolina Wings and Ribs
Runner-up: Publick House

Best Ribs
Sticky Fingers
Runner-up: Carolina Wings and Ribs

Best Hot Dogs
Sandy's
Runner-up: Five Points Diner

Best Hamburgers
Five Points Diner
Runner-up: Rockaways

Best Onion Rings
Sonic

Best Salad
California Dreaming
Runner-up: Ruby Tuesday

Best Steakhouse
Longhorn Steakhouse
Runner-up: Outback Steakhouse

Best Mexican restaurant
San José
Runner-up: Monterrey Mexican Restaurant

Best Chinese restaurant
Miyo's
Runners-up: Eggroll Station, Eggroll Chen

Best Italian Restaurant
Pasta Fresca
Runner-up: Olive Garden

Best Greek restaurant
Zorba's
Runner-up: Grecian Gardens

Best Japanese restaurant
Yamato
Runners-up: Camon, Miyabi

Best Southern Restaurant
Lizard's Thicket
Runner-up: Mr. Friendly's

Best Indian restaurant
India Pavillion
Runner-up: Delhi Palace

Best Thai Restaurant
Thai Lotus
Runner-up: Golden Chopstix

Best Middle Eastern Restaurant
Al-Amir
Runner-up: Mediterranean Tea Room

Best Sushi
Inakaya
Runner-up: Camon

Best Seafood restaurant
Blue Marlin
Runner-up: Red Lobster

Best place for Dessert
Nonnah's
Runner-up: Goatfeathers

Best Ice Cream
Marble Slab Creamery
Runner-up: Ben and Jerry's

Best Waiter/Waitress
Cecille Wessinger, Golden Chopstix
Runners-up: Steve Conway, Hampton Street Vineyard; Abbie Jordan

Best Chef
Steve Crowe
Runner-up: Matt Gillespie, Hampton St. Vineyard

Music

Best Concert
Prince, Colonial Center
Runner-up: Jimmy Buffet, Colonial Center

Best Rock Club
New Brookland Tavern
Runner-up: Headliner's

Best Jazz Club
Mac's on Main
Runner-up: Blue Martini

Best Blues Club
Mac's on Main
Runner-up: Blue Martini

The "You're Still Around?" award
Hootie & the Blowfish
Runner-up: Hickr'y Hawkins

Best Karaoke
Vicki's Karaoke

Best New Local Band
Raven Cain
Runner-up: Crossfade

Best CD by Local Artist
Crossfade, Crossfade
(Originally Released as Cold)

Best Local Rock Band
Raven Cain
Runner-up: Mean Wiener

Best Local Solo Artist
Danielle Howle
Runner-up: David Adedokun

Best Local Jazz Artist
Rod Franco

Best Local Blues Band
J. Edwards Band
Runner-up: Elliott and the Untouchables

Best CD Store
Manifest
Runner-up: Papa Jazz

Best store for Used CDs
Papa Jazz
Runner-up: Manifest

Best store for Vinyl
Papa Jazz
Runner-up: Manifest

Best Musical Instrument Store
Sims
Runner-up: Pecknel

Best Recording Studio
The Jam Room
Runner-up: Strawberry Skies

Clubs and Bars

Best New Club
Rust

Best place to go with
only $10 to Your Name
Triple Crown
Runner-up: Uncle Louie's

Best Place to Pick Up Guys
Sharky's
Runner-up: Banana Joe's

Best Place to Pick up Girls
Banana Joe's
Runner-up: Meritage

Best Bathroom Wall Wisdom
Art Bar
Runner-up: Village Idiot

Best Bartender
Jason Bundrick, Publick House
Runner-up: Dave Stone

Best Brewpub
Hunter-Gatherer
Runner-up: Flying Saucer

BestHippie bar
Minglewood
Runner-up: The Tavern on Greene

Best College Bar
Group Therapy
Runner-up: Sharky's

Best Dance Club
Rio
Runner-up: The Knock Knock Club

Best Neighborhood Bar: the Vista/Downtown (tie)
Kelly's Deli & Pub
Liberty Tap Room
Runner-up: Uncle Louie's

Best Neighborhood Bar: Five points/Shandon
Bar None
Runner-up: Publick House

Best Neighborhood Bar: St. Andrews/Irmo
Hemingway's
Runner-up: Corner Pocket

Best Neighborhood Bar: Northeast columbia
Icy's
Runner-up: McGregor's

Best Place to Drink Alone
At Home
Runner-up: Goatfeathers

Best Place Outdoor Deck
Jake's
Runner-up: Salty Nut Cafe

Best People-Watching Bar
Art Bar

Best Gay Hangout
Art Bar
Runner-up: P.T.'s Cabaret

Best Lesbian Hangout
Alley Café

Best Sports bar
Bailey's
Runners-up: Icy's, Jillian's

Best Pool Hall
Varsity
Runner-up: Jillian's

Best Happy hour
Minglewood
Runner-up: Goatfeathers

Best Bottled Beer selection
Flying Saucer
Runner-up: Speakeasy

Best Draft Beer selection
Flying Saucer
Runner-up: Jake's

Goods and Services

Best Car Dealership
Bob Bennett Ford
Runner-up: Love Chevrolet

Best Used Car Dealership (tie)
Ultimate Cars
Saturn of Columbia
Phillips

Best Motorcycle Dealership (tie)
Harley Haven
Capitol Thunder

Best Auto Repair
Kenny's Auto Supply

Best Bank
Wachovia
Runner-up: BB&T

Best Travel Agency
Wal-Mart Vacations
Runner-up: Forest Lake Travel

Best Newsstand
Capitol Newsstand
Runner-up: Barnes and Noble

Best Hardware Store
Ace Hardware
Runner-up: Hiller Hardware

Best Tanning Salon
Golden Coast Tanning and Mist
Runner-up: Bella Donna

Best Hair Salon
Logan Raye
Runner-up: Tillman Salon

Best Day Spa
Logan Raye
Runner-up: Carmen! Carmen!

Best Massage Therapist
Greg Shealy, Logan Raye
Runner-up: Michelle Crabtree, Carmen! Carmen!

Best Piercing Salon
Body Rites
Runner-up: VooDoo Den

Best Furniture Store
Whit Ash
Runner-up: Rhodes

Best Pet Shop
Petsmart
Runner-up: Forest Acres Pet Supply

Best Shoe Store
Kicks
Runner-up: Payless ShoeSource

Best Boutique
M
Runner-up: Godi

Best Alternative Clothing
Hip-Wa-Zee
Runner-up: Loose Lucy's

Best Jewelry Store
Handpicked
Runner-up: Jewelry Warehouse

Best Antique Store
Antiques on Meeting Street

Best Florist
Blossom Shop
Runner-up: Rosewood Florist

Best Bakery
Tiffany's
Runner-up: Publix

Best place for Fresh Seafood
Publix
Runner-up: Fresh Market, Clifton's

Best Fresh Produce (tie)
The Fresh Market
Publix

Best Natural Food Store
Earth Fare
Runner-up: Rosewood Market

Best Beer Store
Green's Beverage Warehouse
Runner-up: Morganelli's

Best Wine Store
Green's Beverage Warehouse
Runner-up: Total Wine & More

Best store for New Books
Barnes and Noble
Runner-up: Books-A-Million

Best store for Used Books
Ed's Editions
Runner-up: The Book Dispensary

Best Thrift Store
Goodwill
Runner-up: His House

Best Electronics Store
Best Buy
Runner-up: Circuit City

Best place to Buy a Cell Phone
Verizon
Runner-up: Sprint

Best Local Athlete
Stephen Davis, Carolina Panthers
Runner-up: Demetrius Summers, USC Gamecocks

Best Gamecock Store
Gamecock Country
Runner-up: Jewelry Warehouse

Best Park
Finlay Park
Runner-up: Riverfront Park

Best Bike Shop
Outspoken
Runner-up: Cycle Center

Best Outdoor/Camping Gear
The Backpacker
Runner-up: Dick's

Best Sporting Goods
Dick's
Runner-up: Todd and Moore

Best Golf Store
Dick's

Best Fitness Club
Columbia Athletic Club
Runner-up: Gold's Gym

Best Bowling Lanes
Anchor Lanes
Runner-up: Royal Z