Best Of Atlanta 2010 Main Header Large

2010 Index of Winners

Best intown hipster hootenanny BOA Award Winner

Cabbagetown Park

Cold draft beer, live bluegrass and all the chili you can eat (until it runs out). What's not to love about Cabbagetown's annual CHOMP AND STOMP festival? Held the first Saturday in November, the day kicks off with a 5K run, but most folks come to get samples from the chili cook-off, have a few beers and rub shoulders with pretty much every cool kid residing south of Ponce de Leon Avenue. There are also a few booths selling crafts, as well as a variety of food from local restaurants and vendors, including an entire slow-roasted hog. But possibly the most welcoming feature of the C&S is its laid-back Cabbagetown vibe; it's like one giant, day-long block party. Cabbagetown Park, Tye Street and Kirkwood Avenue. www.chompandstomp.com. less...

Best landmark BOA Award Winner

Stone Mountain Park (Featured)

Runner-up: Fox Theatre

660 Peachtree St., 404-881-2100, www.foxtheatre.org

Best local blogger BOA Award Winner

Lindsay Roberts and Lauren Kraselsky

www.thequickanddirtydirty.com

Runner-up: Jennifer Zyman

www.blissfulglutton.com

Best local celebrity BOA Award Winner

Ludacris

Runner-up: Usher

Best local hero BOA Award Winner

Clark Howard

clarkhoward.com

Runner-up: Jimmy Carter

Best local sports team BOA Award Winner

Turner Field (Permanently Closed)

Runner-up: Atlanta Falcons

www.atlantafalcons.com

Best local TV anchor BOA Award Winner

Monica Pearson

www.wsbtv.com

Runner-up: Brenda Wood

www.11alive.com

Best local TV, magazine, or newspaper reporter BOA Award Winner

Doug Richards

www.11alive.com

Runners-up:

Thomas Wheatley

www.clatl.com

AND

Chad Radford

www.clatl.com

Best neighborhood for after-hours BOA Award Winner

Buford Highway

Atlanta's "last call" doesn't have to mean "good night." Just outside the city limits, late-night carousers and party animals flock to BUFORD HIGHWAY to seek the boompf boompf of Club Miami, the Latin rhythms of La Rumba and the drunken revelry of Karaoke Medley. (Don't forget the slender strippers of Pink Pony.) Top it off with 4:30 a.m. carne asada at any of the late-night authentic taquerias and you can see why Buford Highway beckons. less...

Best neighborhood for nightlife BOA Award Winner

East Atlanta

www.eastatlantavillage.net

Runner-up: Virginia-Highland

www.virginiahighland.com

Best neighborhood for yard sales BOA Award Winner

Virginia-Highland

www.virginiahighland.com

Runners-up:

Candler Park

www.candlerpark.org

AND

Decatur

www.decaturga.com

Best new park for catching air BOA Award Winner

Best organic farm BOA Award Winner

Love is Love Farm

Best overall neighborhood BOA Award Winner

Poncey-Highland

Best person you love to hate BOA Award Winner

Sonny Perdue

www.gov.georgia.gov

Runner-up: John Oxendine

www.johnoxendine.com

Best picnic spot BOA Award Winner

Piedmont Park (Featured)

Runner-up: Stone Mountain Park

1000 Robert E. Lee Drive, 770-498-5690, www.stonemountainpark.com

Best place to people-watch BOA Award Winner

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport

Best public tennis court BOA Award Winner

Piedmont Park (Featured)

Runner-up: Candler Park

585 Candler Park Drive, www.candlerpark.org

Best radio DJ BOA Award Winner

Bert Weiss

Q100

thebertshow.com

Runner-up: Mara Davis

www.929dave.radio.com

Best volunteer program BOA Award Winner

Hands On Atlanta (Featured)

Runner-up: Habitat for Humanity

519 Memorial Drive S.E., 404-223-5180, and other metro Atlanta locations. www.habitat.org.

Best antique store BOA Award Winner

Kudzu Antiques + Modern (Featured)

Runner-up: Highland Row Antiques

628 N. Highland Ave., 404-815-8830, www.highlandrowantiques.com

Best bag for a last-minute trip BOA Award Winner

Leather and Luggage Depot (Permanently Closed)

Best bike shop BOA Award Winner

Outback Bikes (Featured)

Runner-up: Peachtree Bikes

2825 Peachtree Road, 404-262-9853, www.peachtreebikes.com

Best clothes you can't afford BOA Award Winner

Phipps Plaza

Runner-up: Neiman Marcus

Lenox Square Mall, 3393 Peachtree Road, 404-266-8200, www.neimanmarcus.com

Best comic bookstore BOA Award Winner

Criminal Records

Runner-up: Oxford Comics, Games & More

2855 Piedmont Road, 404-233-8682, www.realpagessites.com/oxfordcomics

Best doggie day care BOA Award Winner

Pet's Playhouse on Ponce

Runner-up: Barking Hound Village

1918 Cheshire Bridge Road, 404-897-3422, and other metro Atlanta locations. www.barkinghoundvillage.com.

Best florist BOA Award Winner

Candler Park Flower Mart

Runner-up: Foxgloves & Ivy

563 Memorial Drive, 404-892-7272, www.foxgloves.biz

Best health club BOA Award Winner

LA Fitness Ansley Mall (Featured)

And other metro Atlanta locations.

Runner-up: BTB CrossFit

3209-R Maple Drive, 404-688-0100, and other metro Atlanta locations. www.btbfitness.com.

Best health food store BOA Award Winner

Sevananda Natural Foods Market (Featured)

Runner-up: Whole Foods Market

650 Ponce de Leon Ave. N.E., 404-853-1681, and other metro Atlanta locations. www.wholefoodsmarket.com.

Best Latino food market BOA Award Winner

Buford Highway Farmers Market

Runner-up: Supermarket Chicago

5263 Buford Highway, 770-452-1361

Best local boutique BOA Award Winner

Squash Blossom Boutique

Runner-up: Sage

37 W. Paces Ferry Road, 404-233-8280, www.sageclothing.com

Best martial arts studio BOA Award Winner

Atlanta Kick

Runner-up: Unit 2 Fitness

240 Ponce de Leon Ave., 404-745-3019, www.unit2fitness.com

Best nail salon BOA Award Winner

Salon Five Nails & Spa

And other metro Atlanta locations.

Runner-up: Passion Nails

245 N. Highland Ave., 404-688-2599

Best outdoor farmers' market BOA Award Winner

Peachtree Road Farmers Market

Best outdoor farmers market BOA Award Winner

East Atlanta Village Farmers Market

Runners-up

Your DeKalb Farmers Market

3000 Ponce de Leon Ave., Decatur, 404-377-6400. www.dekalbfarmersmarket.com

AND

Morningside Farmers Market

1393 N. Highland Ave., 404-313-5784. www.morningsidemarket.com

Best Pilates studio BOA Award Winner

Activcore Physical Therapy & Performance

Runner-up: Intown Pilates Atlanta

500 Amsterdam Ave., 404-575-2333, www.intownpilatesatlanta.com

Best place to make yourself look fancy for less BOA Award Winner

H & M

And other metro Atlanta locations.

Runner-up: T.J. Maxx

1801 Howell Mill Road, 404-355-2581, and other metro Atlanta locations. www.tjmaxx.com.

Best shop to go nuts for candy BOA Award Winner

Greene

Is it just us, or is everything cuter in Decatur? In the fall of 2008, the Brothers Greene (that would be Tommy and Phil Greene of Augusta) dreamed of opening a candy shop to supply Atlanta with the tastiest pecans and fudge. Lo and behold, GREENE'S FINE FOODS has been pumping out deliciousness ever since. The stand-alone marble building in downtown Decatur houses an insanely quaint shop specializing in homemade chocolate pecan clusters, chocolate-covered potato chips, and chocolate-raspberry swirl fudge. Greene's also sells fresh Georgia pecans, harvested in the fall, as well as board games and aromatic candles. Kids will love the sweet treats, and parents will love relaxing on the couches by the fireplace ... with some sweet treats of their own. 141 E. Trinity Place, Decatur. 404-378-2001. www.greenesfinefoods.com. less...

Best sneaker store BOA Award Winner

Walter's Clothing

Best used bookstore BOA Award Winner

Book Nook (Featured)

Runner-up: Bound to Be Read Books

481-B Flat Shoals Ave., 404-522-0877, www.boundtobereadbooks.com

Best vintage clothing BOA Award Winner

Stefan's Vintage Clothing (Permanently Closed)

Runner-up: Rag-o-Rama

1111 Euclid Ave., 404-658-1988, www.ragorama.com

Best chef BOA Award Winner

Woodfire Grill (Permanently Closed)

Runner-up: Kevin Rathbun

www.rathbunsrestaurant.com

Best dining deal BOA Award Winner

BLT Steak (Permanently Closed)

Best evolution of farm-to-table dining BOA Award Winner

Home Grown

For years, organics, slow food and locavorism have been struggling with their identity as a movement confined to high-end restaurants and high-priced marketplaces. But this summer, HOME GROWN opened, proving that fresh, local produce can be translated to affordable, neighborhood dining. Classic Southern dishes, fluffy biscuits, and the creamiest local creamed corn around make dining here special, as does the diverse clientele, which reflects the families, workers, hippies and hipsters of this changing neighborhood. 968 Memorial Drive. 404-222-0455. www.homegrownga.com. less...

Best food event BOA Award Winner

Atlanta's Urban Picnic

The cry to "legalize Atlanta street food!" spread across the interwebs this year with surprising enthusiasm. The folks behind the Atlanta Street Food Coalition took this directive to heart and created ATLANTA'S URBAN PICNIC, one of the coolest events our city has seen in years. Restaurants and new vendors jumped up to support the cause and feed our hunger for something new. Mobile wood-fired pizzas, gourmet burritos and more littered the sidewalks of the historic Sweet Auburn Curb Market on select Fridays to provide "safe, affordable, and legal access to street food in Atlanta." Even better, the effort seems to have paid off, with Atlanta's first food truck getting its license in August. 404-585-1496. www.atlantastreetfood.com. less...