Because, why not? People love lists. And here are our choices for best of ‘09:
Best restaurant: Sante. I mean, really, they seemingly can do no wrong.
Best meal: The Latah Bistro vegetarian feast. We’re not vegetarians here (anymore, for some) but Latah Bistro hit a home run with their vegetarian six course dinner.
Best new restaurant: Agave Latin Bistro. Ian Wingate + De Leon = Awesomeness. Plus they’re affordable.
Best Mexican: De Leon. You knew that. Next.
Best pizza: South Perry Pizza. Well, hello. A new place snuck in and took the crown. And we’re OK with that.
Best grocery store: Rocket Market. Great layout and great selection, without being overwhelming.
Best beer store: JB’s Food. A tight competition here, but the selection of bombers and the price of them put JB’s on top.
Best subs: Sub Division. Simple subs are great. Sub Division gets that.
Best wine store: Bottles. Clean layout, great service, and free tastings. You can’t go wrong with that.
Best coffee roaster: DOMA. There are other good ones, but DOMA is just pure class.
Best coffee shop: Coffee Social. Good DOMA espresso drinks, good food, a good place to hang… In other words, it’s good, and we think that is good.
Best chocolate: OMO. OMO’s truffles are pure art. It’s as simple as that.
Best variety: One World. Their selection changes daily and holds a high standard. Plus, you know, it’s organic and you pay what you can for what you eat.
Best bar for beer: The Blue Spark. Others might have a larger selection, but the Blue Spark definitely has the most fun variety.
Best local libation blogs that are not this one: Drink Nectar and Spokane Dive Bars. Sure, we are obviously awesome, but Drink Nectar’s musings about wine are equally great. On the flip side, Spokane Dive Bars covers the dive bars in Spokane with great enthusiasm. And we like that.
Most Googled SFB posts: Post Street Ale House and Kirkland Signature Beer. Seriously, people still want COSTCO beer? And the abomination known as Post Street Ale House seems to be still doing well, despite Paul’s Voice’s opinions.