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Best of D.C. 2009
America loves a winner, goes the cliché. But here's the corollary: America hates a bad runner-up.
In this spirit, Washington City Paper hands over its second best-of issue since the 1980s. In it, picks from our staff and contributors celebrate the second-best finishers in categories from Restaurant to Media Business Model. Underlying all the choices is our contention that in a region as cutthroat as Washington—where tryouts for summer camp can't be far off—there's absolutely no shame in second place.
Our readers—more than 30,000 of them who voted online—had other ideas. Their picks cater to No. 1, as well as to No. 2 and, in many cases, No. 3. Because in a region as cutthroat as Washington, why not spread the superlatives around?
Food & Drink
Readers Picks
- Best African Restaurant
- Best American Restaurant
- Best Asian Restaurant
- Best Bagel
- Best Bakery
- Best BBQ
- Best Burger
- Best Caribbean Restaurant
- Best Coffee Shop
- Best Cupcake
- Best Dive Bar
- Best Draft Beer Selection
- Best Drunk Eats
- Best Ethiopian Restaurant
- Best European Restaurant
- Best Greasy Spoon
- Best Guacamole
- Best Happy Hour
- Best Indian Restaurant
- Best Italian Restaurant
- Best Latin American
- Best Margarita
- Best Martini
- Best Middle Eastern Restaurant
- Best Mussels
- Best Neighborhood Bar (DC)
- Best Neighborhood Bar (MD)
- Best Neighborhood Bar (VA)
- Best New Restaurant
- Best Peruvian Chicken
- Best Pho
- Best Pizza
- Best Place for the Obamas' Date Night
- Best Restaurant When Someone Else Pays
- Best Restaurant When You Pay
- Best Salad
- Best Seafood
- Best Steakhouse
- Best Sushi
- Best Thai Restaurant
- Best Vegan Restaurant
- Best Vegetarian Restaurant
- Best Wine Bar
- Best Wings
Staff Picks
- Best Bakery
- Best Barbecue
- Best Bar to Hear Yourself Think
- Best Bartender
- Best Beer Menu
- Best Boutique Pizza
- Best Burger
- Best Butcher
- Best Charcuterie
- Best Cheese Plate
- Best Cheese Shop
- Best Chocolate Shop
- Best Cocktail Menu
- Best Coffee Shop That's Not Starbucks
- Best Comfort Food
- Best Cooking Class
- Best Deal in Adams Morgan
- Best Deli
- Best Designer Cocktail
- Best Ethiopian
- Best Fish Market
- Best Farmers Market
- Best French Fries
- Best Fried Pork Chop
- Best Frozen Yogurt
- Best Gastropub
- Best Indian
- Best Ironically Named Dish
- Best Local Sausage
- Best Meal Deal
- Best Mussels
- Best New American Cuisine
- Best Obama-Themed Drink
- Best Oysters
- Best Pho
- Best Pickle
- Best Place to Go at 2 a.m. When There's Still a G-D Line at Ben's
- Best Pollo a La Brasa
- Best Reason to Drive South on I-95
- Best Salad
- Best Salt Bagel
- Best Salty Oat Cookie
- Best Steakhouse
- Best Street Food
- Best Tex-Mex
- Best Thai
- Best Use of Infused Liquor
- Best Vegetarian Happy Hour
- Best Vegetarian Sandwich
- Best Way to Pick Someone Up
- Best Whiskey Sour
- Best Wine Bar
- Best Wine List
Arts & Entertainment
Readers Picks
- Best Art Gallery
- Best Billiards
- Best Dance Club
- Best Dance Company
- Best DJ
- Best Exhibit
- Best Festival
- Best Gay Bar/Club
- Best Jazz/Blues Venue
- Best Karaoke
- Best Local Band
- Best Local Hip-Hop Artist
- Best Lounge
- Best Museum
- Best Music Venue
- Best Outdoor Venue
- Best Parade
- Best Place to See a Movie
- Best Place to See Local Music
- Best Public Art
- Best Strip Club
- Best Theater Company
Staff Picks
- Best Bar You Didn't Know Had Live Music
- Best Book Festival
- Best Cameo
- Best Concert Series
- Best Fringe Show That Didn’t Win a Fringe Award
- Best Gallery Opening-Night Party Hosts
- Best Gallery Relocation
- Best 2009 Hip-Hop Grammy Moment
- Best Independent Bookstore
- Best Jazz Venue
- Best Legendary Go-Go Act
- Best Metal Scene
- Best Museum Acquisition
- Best Nostalgic CD-Rs
- Best Novelist
- Best Old-School Go-Go Venue
- Best Open Mic
- Best Place for Readings
- Best Place to Catch Action Both Onstage and Off
- Best Place to Sell Music Equipment/Dreams
- Best Reason to Claim a Pew
- Best Record Store Marketing Strategy
- Best Second-Hand Vinyl
- Best Small Art Gallery
- Best Unknown Musical Genius
- Best Use of Air Pressure
- Best Use of the Postcard
- Best Way to Enjoy the Intersection of Film and Hip-Hop
- Best Way to Get Drenched in Stale Beer at a Rock Concert
- Best Way to Hear Jazz
- Best Way to Spend a Responsible Monday Night
In Depth
Goods & Services
Readers Picks
- Best Adult Novelty Shop
- Best Barbershop
- Best Beer & Wine Selection
- Best Bike Shop
- Best Bookstore
- Best Clothing Boutique
- Best Contractor
- Best Doggie Daycare
- Best Eco Friendly Store
- Best Electronics
- Best Farmer's Market
- Best Florist
- Best Garden Store
- Best Gym
- Best Hair Salon
- Best Home Goods Shop
- Best Liquor Store
- Best Mani/Pedi
- Best Med Spa
- Best Optician
- Best Pet Shop
- Best Place for Nips and Tucks
- Best Place to Buy Home Furnishings
- Best Place to Buy Shoes
- Best Place to Buy Vinyl
- Best Public Wifi
- Best Spa
- Best Specialty Food Market
- Best Sporting Goods Store
- Best Tattoo Parlor
- Best Vet
- Best Vintage Clothing Store
- Best Yoga Studio
Staff Picks
- Best Absurd Window Displays
- Best Congressional Vending Machines
- Best D.C. Safeway
- Best Dog
- Best DURKL Brother
- Best Framer
- Best Knife-sharpening
- Best Last-Minute Gifts
- Best Mini Golf Course
- Best Newsstand
- Best Novelty Wig shop
- Best Origin for Your Type 2 Diabetes
- Best Place to Buy Clothing that Will Make You Look Like a Cupcake
- Best Place to Buy a TV Stand
- Best Place to Ignore the Recession
- Best Rapture-Preparedness Program
- Best Spiritual Hedge-Bet
- Best Strip Club Excuse
- Best Turntable Mechanic
- Best Washington Sports Club Locker Room
- Best Way to Keep Dead Loved Ones Close
- Best Way to Prepare for the Upcoming Apocalypse
- Best Way to Promote Physical Well-Being
In Depth
People & Places
Readers Picks
- Best Bartender - Female
- Best Bartender - Male
- Best Caps Player
- Best Chef
- Best Designed Residential Development
- Best Designed Retail Space
- Best Designed Storefront
- Best Hair Stylist
- Best Local Blog/Blogger
- Best Local College or University
- Best Local Columnist
- Best Local Crafter
- Best Local Fashion Designer
- Best Local Scandal
- Best Metro Stop
- Best Museum to Take an Out-of-Towner
- Best Nationals Player
- Best Neighborhood for Nightlife
- Best Neighborhood for Shopping
- Best Personal Trainer
- Best Place to Smoke Weed
- Best Place to Volunteer
- Best Playground
- Best Property Management Company
- Best Public Pool
- Best Radio Personality
- Best Real Estate Agent
- Best Reason for DC to be a state
- Best Redskins Player
- Best Rooftop Bar
- Best Singles Bar
- Best Sports Bar
- Best Up and Coming Neighborhood
- Best Weather Person
- Best Weekend Getaway
- Best Wizards Player
Staff Picks
- Best Band Photo-Shoot Locale
- Best Bank Robber Wardrobe Malfunction
- Best Breakdown of Cartesian Geometry
- Best Camping Within an Hour of D.C.
- Best Celebrity-Watching With Side of Half-Smoke
- Best Condo Building
- Best Cultural Cross-Pollination
- Best Dan Snyder Trademark Registration
- Best D.C. Voting Rights Advocate
- Best Departed Coach
- Best Dude Blogger
- Best Editor
- Best Ethnic Reporter
- Best Flack
- Best George Mason Personality
- Best Giant Panda
- Best Item of Clothing to Remove at a Gay Bar
- Best Local Bike Blog
- Best Local Politics
- Best Local Twitterer
- Best Local Web Site
- Best Media Happy Hour
- Best Media Struggle
- Best Name in Publishing
- Best National Cemetery
- Best Neighborhood Listserv
- Best North-South Artery
- Best Place to Look at Airplanes
- Best Place to Relieve Yourself
- Best Place To View Cherry Blossoms
- Best Local Political Party
- Best Preppie Basketball Rivalry
- Best Real Estate/Development Blog
- Best Ridiculous Prince of Petworth Feature
- Best Skating Rink
- Best Sports Owner
- Best Surprisingly Romantic Date Locale
- Best Unsponsored Stadium
- Best Watchdogs
- Best Youth Footballers
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- Crafty Bastards!
Blog
- Win Tickets to Matisyahu
- Win Passes to an Advance Screening of Armored
- Win Tickets to See Broken Lizard LIVE
- Win Tickets to See Saving Abel
- Win Tickets to see Dan Auerbach
- Win Passes to an Advance Screening of Pirate Radio
- Win passes to advance screening of BAD LIEUTENANT
- Win a Copy of Food Inc on DVD
- Win Tickets to Peaches
- Win A $50 Gift Certificate to Policy Restaurant!
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