Top Tuesdays Originally uploaded by AccessWinnipeg
Top Tuesdays is a weekly AccessWinnipeg.com exclusive column that will feature Winnipeg’s top 5 or 10 places, things, people, and everything else. If you have any suggestions for a Top Tuesday feature, please send it to us in the submit news page.
UPTOWN MAGAZINE BEST OF 2008
This weeks Top Tuesday is an AMAZING article I read on Uptown Magazine Online. If you haven’t read it yet then you are missing out on a great review! In this article they feature Winnipeg’s best of the best in 2008. I definitely agree with many of their choices!
Our staff will surely be revisiting many of these categories in the near future to put our own personal reviews and photos on the various categories!
Hit the jump to read some highlights from UPTOWN MAGAZINES: WINNIPEG’S BEST OF 2008!
From UPTOWN MAGAZINE ONLINE:
Contributors: Marlo Campbell, John Kendle, Mike Sherby and Jen Zoratti
4. Best Restaurant Atmosphere
1) Earls Restaurant
Several Winnipeg locations
Here’s hoping you Uptown readers weren’t just thinking about the famous Earls Girls when you voted for this one. Earl’s has renovated and come up with a décor worthy of this award. The restaurant and lounge have gone classy and upscale. If you’re looking for somewhere nice to chill out and have a drink, and maybe some food, Earls is it.
2) Ichiban
189 Carlton Street, 925-7400
3) Tie: The Keg Steakhouse & Bar/Moxie’s Classic Grill
Several Winnipeg locations
5. Best Place to Take a Date
1) Wasabi
105-131 Osborne St., 474-2332
If you’re looking to spice things up with your prospective mate, according to Uptown readers, your best bet is to take them to Wasabi. Nothing will get your date more in the mood than a spicy Prairie Fire roll. Seriously though, this sushi kingpin of the city has the atmosphere that will have your date begging to go back to your place for some sake. And with Wasabi’s extensive menu, you won’t have to work very hard to impress him or her – unless you ask for a fork instead of chopsticks. You’re own your own there.
2) Step N Out
157 Provencher Blvd. 956-STEP
3) Hy’s Steakhouse & Cocktail Bar
1 Lombard Place, 942-1000
8. Best Burger
1) VJs Drive Inn
170 Main St. 943-2655
There is truly nothing like chomping down on a double VJs special with fries. Sure, it’s greasier than a night in Transcona, but like so many things that are bad for you, it feels so good. Apparently Winnipeggers agree, since this is the seventh year in a row VJs has won top honours for Best Burger. The fries are cooked perfectly, the burgers are phenomenal, and VJs only accepts cash, so you don’t have to wait behind the dude who takes six tries to remember his PIN.
2) Daly Burger
619 Corydon Avenue, 284-4944
3) Tie: Burger Factory/Johnny G’s
Several Winnipeg Locations
9. Best Local Pizza Restaurant
1) Santa Lucia Pizza
Several Winnipeg locations
Delicious and affordable, this family-owned and operated establishment (now with six convenient locations across town) has been pumping out the pies since 1971. According to the menu, the Santa Lucia Special – that’s pepperoni, bacon, mushroom, onion and green pepper for the uninitiated – is “everyone’s favourite” pizza, but clearly, when it comes to serving up mouth-watering pizza in a more general sense, Santa Lucia is everyone’s favourite pizza, period.
2) Gondola Pizza
Several Winnipeg locations
3) Tie: Pizza Hotline/Gorilla Pizza
Several Winnipeg locations/300 St. Anne’s, 777-6363
13. Best Ice Cream/Gelato
1) Nucci’s Gelati
643 Corydon Ave., 475-8765
On warm summer evenings, Winnipeg’s Little Italy literally teems with people. So much so on weekends that traffic slows to a crawl as drivers people-watch and sidewalk crowds spill onto the streets. One of the most happening spots on the Corydon strip is Nucci’s – most Winnipeggers’ favourite after-dinner stop for fresh ices and gelati.
2) Bridge Drive-In
766 Jubilee Ave., 475-6850
3) G.G. Gelati
705 Corydon Ave., 453-5710
15. Best Patio
1) Saffron’s
681 Corydon Ave., 284-2602
Snagging the title from serial winner Bar Italia, Uptown readers are giving a little love to the patio up the street. Sure, this may have something to do with the nubile young hostesses strategically stationed outside the front doors, but Saffron’s spacious, sunny patio is great place to sit, have a drink and see and be seen.
2) Bar Italia
737 Corydon Ave., 452-1929
3) Tavern United Powerhouse
260 Hargrave Street, 944-0022
20. Best Sports Bar
1) Boston Pizza
Several Winnipeg locations
Team pitcher-and-pizza specials for soccer and baseball teams in uniform. Boston Bucks coupons that can be redeemed at the end of your rec slo-pitch season. Need we say more about Boston Pizza’s rep for being the best sports bars in town? There are also large-screen televisions visible from just about every nook and cranny of each BP location., so even after your game, you can still catch the end of the playoff game – which is important at this time of year.
2) Tavern United
Several Winnipeg locations
3) Confusion Corner Bar & Grill
500 Corydon Ave., 284-6666
25. Best Sushi Restaurant
1) Wasabi
588 Broadway Ave., 774-4328; 105-121 Osborne St., 474-2332
They say you eat with your eyes as much as with your mouth, which could explain why Wasabi’s sushi tastes so good: its beautiful rolls are nothing less than edible art pieces, and its primary location – an old house that’s been converted into a cool-yet-intimate hipster hang-out – turns dining into a distinctly unique experience. As an added bonus, Wasabi On Broadway is quickly developing a reputation for being the place where out-of-town celebrities go to eat after the shoot, which means you never know who you might be sharing a room with…
2) Sushi Train
Several Winnipeg locations
3) Meiji Sushi Japanese Restaurant & Martini Bar
454 River Ave., 284-3996; 10-1875 Pembina Hwy, 453-1120
27. Best Dance Club
1) Blush Ultraclub
323 Portage Ave.
Sexy and sophisticated, the new Blush Ultraclub is one of the ‘Peg’s biggest and busiest night clubs. At 19,000 square feet, this chic new joint boasts four bars and plenty of room to shake it on the dance floor. Speaking of shaking, resident DJ Miss M works her magic at the decks every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night, mixing up the usual Top 40 fare with mash-ups, house, and electronica. Our advice? Go early if you want to get in. Navigating monster lines in stilettos is never fun – especially in January.
2) Club Desire
441 Main St., 956-5544
3) Tie: Alive in the District/ Tijuana Yacht Club
140 Bannatyne Ave., 989-8080/1405 St. Matthews Ave., 775-8791
34. Best Exotic Dance Venue
1) Teaser’s Burlesque Cabaret
611 Archibald Ave., 237-8901
Have you ever fantasized about a woman disrobing to Who Let The Dogs Out? Well, unless your girlfriend is super cool, the only place you’re going to get to see that is at Teaser’s. This St. Boniface club has all the nudity your heart – and loins – desire, and is open seven days a week. The erection section has a seat waiting for you.
2) The Gentleman’s Club
216 Notre Dame St., 942-6712
3) Sin City
Click HERE to read the full article via UPTOWN MAGAZINE ONLINE.
