FEBRUARY 15, 2018 // 3
Readers’ Choice Awards
SCRATCHPAD
2017
And the Readers’ Choice winners are...
runners-up and honorable
mentions.)
More than 2,000 people
voted online, while dozens
upon dozens of folks turned in
paper ballots.
A handful of first-place
winners held onto their titles.
Some victories, however,
were utterly unexpected.
Reach Break Brewing, for
example, was voted Best Bar
— and the Astoria watering
hole opened in early 2017!
In our two new categories,
the Illahee Apartments won
By ERICK BENGEL
COAST WEEKEND
M
an alive, this is a
big Coast Weekend!
Thirty-two pages!?
Full color!? Jeepers!
In this special issue, we
reveal the results of the 2017
Readers’ Choice Awards, our
annual contest honoring ex-
cellence in Columbia-Pacific
business, dining and activi-
ties — as chosen by you, our
discerning readers. (Turn the
page for a full list of winners,
coast
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
weekend
arts & entertainment
BUSINESS
BEST APARTMENT COMPLEX ..... 12
BEST ART GALLERY ........................ 10
BEST BARBERSHOP ........................ 11
BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE ..............8
BEST DANCE STUDIO .................... 10
BEST FLORIST ................................... 13
BEST GARDEN CENTER ................. 13
BEST GIFT SHOP .................................9
BEST HAIR SALON ........................... 11
BEST LOCAL PHYSICIAN ............... 15
BEST REAL ESTATE .......................... 12
DINING
BEST BAR ...............................................6
BEST BARISTA ......................................5
BEST BARTENDER ..............................6
BEST BREAKFAST SPOT ....................8
BEST BREWPUB ...................................7
BEST BURGER ................................... 16
BEST CATERING ..................................8
BEST CHEF ......................................... 16
BEST CLAM CHOWDER ................. 16
BEST DESSERT .....................................8
BEST FINE DINING .......................... 16
BEST PIZZA ...........................................7
BEST RESTAURANT FOR KIDS........9
BEST SERVER ........................................5
BEST WINE SHOP................................7
ACTIVITIES
BEST GOLF COURSE ....................... 14
BEST HIKING TRAIL ......................... 14
BEST LIVE THEATER ........................ 17
BEST LOCAL SPORTS TEAM ........ 15
BEST MUSIC VENUE ....................... 17
ON THE COVER
Photos by Dwight Caswell, Robert Hilson, Colin Murphey,
Patrick Webb
FURTHER ENJOYMENT
FULL LIST OF WINNERS .......... 4
CW MARKETPLACE..........24, 25
MUSIC CALENDAR ..................26
CROSSWORD ............................27
SEE + DO .............................28, 29
Find it all online!
CoastWeekend.com
features full calendar listings,
keyword search and easy
sharing on social media.
Best Apartment Complex, and
Dr. Angela Stock Narin, of
Pacific Family Medicine, won
Best Local Physician.
Although our online
ballot drew a lot of eyeballs,
sometimes the paper ballots
made the biggest difference
(and justified our decision
not to go online-only this
year). The people who took
the time to cut out and mail
in their ballots broke ties and,
in several categories, flipped
around first-, second- and
third-place winners. They
COAST WEEKEND EDITOR
ERICK BENGEL
CALENDAR COORDINATOR
REBECCA HERREN
CONTRIBUTORS
DWIGHT CASWELL
KATIE FRANKOWICZ
JACK HEFFERNAN
GARY HENLEY
RYAN HUME
KATHERINE LACAZE
EDWARD STRATTON
BRENNA VISSER
PATRICK WEBB
To advertise in Coast Weekend,
call 503-325-3211 or contact
your local sales representative.
© 2018 COAST WEEKEND
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were a powerful force in this
year’s Readers’ Choice.
While we celebrate the
winners’ achievements, let’s
keep in mind that such con-
tests are inherently subjective,
and that they frequently de-
pend on voters’ routines and
peer groups — factors that
influence our tastes and voting
habits. What does it mean,
really, to say that one business
or restaurant “beat” another,
especially when so many
nominees landed but a few
votes apart? If a handful of
people had chosen to vote, or
not, we’d be looking at a very
different list of winners. Any-
one who finds the strength in
this wackadoo world to get
out of bed and put in a good-
faith effort at improving their
community … those people
are winners, straight-up.
But, though Readers’
Choice participants cast their
votes for personal reasons,
these votes are not arbitrary.
In the aggregate, they offer
an objective look at what our
region happens to prize at
this moment in history. Like
elections, these contests are
snapshots of our values —
social, economic, aesthetic,
even spiritual.
And these Readers’
Choice special issues are
time capsules, bearing out
the journalist’s imperative
to gather news and report
it to those who can use the
information.
Here’s to the contest
winners, the voters and our
readers, who take first place in
our hearts. CW