By Joel Magalnick, Editor, JTNews
What more can we say than thanks? We got hundreds of responses on your favorites in our Jewish community, from pizza to ketubot to diamond rings. So to all of you tastemakers out there, here’s what you picked:
Party Time!
Best Place for a Bar or Bat Mitzvah Party
Woodmark Hotel, with its adjoining yacht club and spa, is located on the edge of the world, more or less, at Carillon Point in Kirkland.
Best Place for a Wedding Reception
You can’t get any grander in this town than the downtown Seattle Fairmount Olympic.
Best Local Party Band or DJ
Whether it’s hip hop, swing, polka or the inescapable “˜80s, Premier Entertainment, starring DJ Kevin Howard spins — or is it clicks? — ‘em like no other.
Best Place to Buy an Engagement Ring
Hometown jeweler Ben Bridge has made it big — most likely because they were chosen as hometown favorite.
Best Ketubah Artist
Seattle artist Joan Lite Miller, with her Onionskin Design Studio, has made a career of collage-style works of art-as-marriage-contract.
Best Event Photographer
Year in and year out, veteran shutterbug Dani Weiss keeps snap, snap, snapping her way to best lens in the land.
Best Videographer
Aaron Horton gets the angles and the sound to make sure your event doesn’t look like it was recorded on your Uncle Jerry’s smartphone.
Best Florist
Located, of course, as close as possible to the delivery rooms at Swedish Hospital, Ballard Blossom will provide awesome flower arrangements for any event.
Best Hotel for a Simcha
Seattle Sheraton is big, kosher (if need be) and right downtown if you like your events to be big, kosher, downtown, and provided with service with just the right touch.
Best Extreme Party Space
While the Sky Church isn’t exactly a synagogue, the Experience Music Project provides venue space that’s nothing if not extreme. Thanks, Jimi!
Best Caterer
They’re attentive, tasty, friendly and kosher. Nosh Away provides catering for events of any size.
Best Wedding Cake Baker
And, just in case that kosher catered event happens to involve the recitation of some seven blessings, you can enlist those same folks at Nosh Away to make the cake since, after all, they take the cake.
Our Community
Best Youth Organization
United Synagogue Youth takes the prize for a safe, fun place for teens to gather and learn about themselves and their history, with the National Federation of Temple Youth nipping at the teenagers’ heels.
Best Jewish Camp
One word: Matisyahu. Any camp that can get the world-famous beat boxer to come back year after year, not to mention the hundreds of kids who come home each summer with life skills such as lanyard-making, is tops in our book. Camp Solomon Schechter takes it!
Jewish Family Service CEO Ken Weinberg, in his agency’s newly opened building.
Best Local Jewish Organization, School or Agency
This year’s repeat winner, Jewish Family Service, has been there through thick and thin, and whatever the state of the economy, they will offer emergency help, food, counseling, parenting classes, senior services, and so much more — now from their newly completed headquarters!
Best Jewish Website
The one that provides the information to provide crucial community services, Jewish Family Service’s jfsseattle.org, takes it.
Best Place to Volunteer, Best Local Food Bank, Best Counseling Services
In the interest of space and our fingers getting numb from continually typing Jewish Family Service, we’ll reiterate that the important work this organization does for our community wouldn’t be possible without its army of volunteers.
Best Congregation
Congregation Beth Shalom’s member are proud, active and overwhelmingly in favor of going the distance to be labeled Number One. They also, incidentally, took the prize for Best Jewish Supplemental School and Best Adult Education Program.
Best Mohel
For a practice under fire of late, longtime mohel Rabbi Simon Benzaquen proudly pushes the naysayers aside and circumcises our region’s little boys with a steady hand and a light touch.
Best Local Jewish Hero
As one respondent said of Seattle Hebrew Academy’s head of school and JTNews columnist Rivy Poupko Kletenik, “Her spirit and education are unparalleled.”
Deli-cious!
Best Corned Beef Sandwich
Here’s an interesting tidbit: Corned beef doesn’t contain any actual corn. Who knew? Factoria mainstay Goldberg’s Delicatessen’s piles up best on the light rye. Newcomer Stopsky’s takes a close second with its own interpretation.
Best Smoked Fish
Surprise, surprise! Great things came in small packages. In this case, that’s Port Chatham’s smoked seafood.
Best Rugelach
Get ‘em while they’re hot! Or at least fresh out of the oven, ‘cause Nosh Away’s got ‘em hot and yummy.
Best Bagel
They’ve only been around for a year, but Capitol Hill’s Montreal-style Eltana Bagels rolled up to the front.
Best Challah
There must be some magic in that oven, because Nosh Away takes this prize too. But we want to give a shout out to Challahs for Justice, a program from Hillel at the University of Washington and Repair the World that sells $1 challahs on campus to give to different social justice projects; and Challahs for Hunger, a Whitman College project that sells challahs to help out a local homeless-aid organization.
Dining Out
Best Burger
Despite the proliferation of fancy burger joints, this one goes to an old standby. Those of you who want to maintain the illusion of kashrut should ignore the mountain of bacon on the grill at Red Mill Burgers. Don’t forget the onion rings.
Best Pizza
Once again, the kosher Italian vibes of Mercer Island’s Island Crust Café take the pie.
Best Sunday Brunch
My father-in-law makes a point of taking the family to Portage Bay Café whenever he comes to visit. Just thinking about the berry bar is making my mouth water.
Best New Foodie-Style Restaurant that Knocked Your Socks Off
Can’t argue with this one, either. I’d recommend the dessert thali on your next trip to Jerry Traunfeld’s Poppy on Capitol Hill.
Best Asian or Sushi
We had a tie! Symphony-goers love the varied countries highlighted by Wild Ginger while anyone in search of the freshest, most innovative sushi heads to Madison Park’s much-loved Nishino.
Best Romantic Dinner
That shining beacon atop the Aurora Bridge, Canlis, has not been satisfied to be the place your grandparents take you while the valet parks the Caddy. For generations this family-owned landmark has maintained its impeccable service while keeping its mouth-watering menu updated with the times.
Best Kid-Friendly Restaurant
Make sure you don’t step on any of those little kids while you head to the counter for another slice at Island Crust Café.
Best Mobile Lunch Truck
Another tie, but local mobile pioneers Marination Mobile and Skillet roll on up for the ribbon.
Best Middle Eastern
It’s just like the real thing, because Cedar’s is a trip to the Middle East, U District-style.
The Local Buzz
Best Wine List or Wine Bar
With three locations, in both Seattle and the Eastside, Purple and its column of wine can’t be beat.
Best Happy Hour
After a show at the Paramount or the Seattle Rep, or maybe for a pick-me-up after work, Dragonfish Asian Café has great specials.
Best Cocktail in Town
If you sneak out of line while you wait for your Red Mill burger, head two blocks north to Oliver’s Twist in Phinney Ridge. I hear they do amazing things with gin.
Best Place to Meet Friends or to Watch a Game
The Montlake Ale House was a nice destination to drown your sorrows after a Huskies loss, but with the stadium in pieces you’ll just have to meet your friends there all the time for a tall one.
Save Room for Dessert
Best Ice Cream, Gelato or FroYo
She’s been expanding faster than an ice cream lover’s waistline, and Molly Moon shows no sign of stopping with her sophisticated flavors and delicate (not to mention delicious) frozen yumminess.
Best Chocolatier
Oh! Chocolate, in Bellevue, Mercer Island and Madison Park, are the sweetest in town.
Best Pie
Nice Jewish girl Dani Cone started her pie empire with her mini-chain of Fuel coffee shops, and, using her grandmother’s delicious recipe, expanded her High 5 Pie to its own Capitol Hill location. Yum!
Best Bakery
Located right in West Seattle’s Alaskan Junction, Bakery Nouveau makes the most amazing pastries in a town that specializes in amazing pastries.
Shoppin’ and Relaxin’
Best Fitness Club
You can’t do better than the Bellevue Club, where the towels and the ellipticals always smell like roses.
Best Spa Experience
Sorry guys, but you’ll have to stay home and build birdhouses while the ladies head to Lynnwood or Tacoma for a day of absolute relaxation at Olympus Spa.
Best Gym
The Stroum Jewish Community Center’s gym is great for hoops, running, volleyball, carnivals, fairs and even concerts.
Best Destination When I’m Shopping for Clothes for Myself
If for no other reason than you can make a stop for salted caramels at Oh! Chocolate, Bellevue Square is the destination.
Best Kidswear
Fashion and simplicity rule the day with locally owned and made goods from Cotton Caboodle.
Best Independent Shoes & Accessories Shop
If you want to support your local economy, check out Strut in Seattle’s Greenwood neighborhood. They even carry Israeli brands.
Best Consignment or Secondhand Clothing
Rather than give their mink stoles and Rolls Royces to the help, The Rock’s most fashionable pass them on to Mercer Island Thrift Shop. Thank you, dahling.
Best Independent Toy Shop
If you’re looking for electronics, guns, or Barbie, go elsewhere. Top Ten Toys in Greenwood and Pacific Place is picky about what it lets your kids play with.
Best Outdoor / Neighborhood Shopping
Indeed, University Village is outdoors. But a neighborhood? If it’s well-known, upscale shopping you need, the Village is the place.
Best Little, Local, Independent Shop
Located on Pine Street at the bottom of Capitol Hill, Cake Spy has fun, original paintings, tchotchkes, its own cake cookbook, and more whimsy than should be legal in 600 square feet.
Best Judaica
Bellevue Judaica shoppers with a discerning eye are (challah) covered at the Temple B’nai Torah Sisterhood Judaica Shop.
Best Independent Gift Shop
Whether it’s holiday-related Judaica or just a gift for a friend or loved one, Fireworks is a whimsical and creative resource.
Best Independent Bookshop
I spend a ton of time at Third Place Books, and judging from the number of people in our community I run into there, they too love the great selection of new and used books.
Best Theater Company
The 5th Avenue Theater is a Seattle institution by any measure. But we do want to give a shout out to the small theater company Rosenstock Productions, those nice Jewish boys who had us rolling in the aisles during their December production of Wisemen.
The Professional Life
Best Dentist
Smile big! A visit to Dr. David Isenberg’s practice in Renton will certainly help that grin.
Best Dermatologist
Dr. Elie Levy, with offices in South Seattle, is known for helping you have the smoothest skin.
Best Lawyer
If you need general business, real estate, trademark or employment representation, Louis Treiger is your man.
Best Accountant
Bellevue’s Dennis Goldstein keeps your books immaculate and your household tax documents in order, all with a smile on his face.
Best Real Estate Agent
You can’t trip in Seward Park without falling into a sign featuring John L. Scott broker Kent Swigard.
Best Car Dealership
If you want sleek, fast, and sculpted, BMW Bellevue is the place to go. Ask for Eric and tell him JTNews sent you.
Wherever You Go There’s Always Someone Jewish
Best Jewish-Themed or Israeli Film of 2011
The Debt, about a trio of Mossad agents whose tracking of a Nazi war criminal has unfortunate repercussions, didn’t get an Oscar nod, but it got ours.
Best Jewish Actor/Comedian of 2011
Okay. We admit it. The entire section that these questions are based on was named for a song by Adam Sandler. But the best of 2011? Really? What about Natalie Portman? Jon Stewart? Topol?
Best Jewish Book of 2011
No doubt about it. To the End of the Land, David Grossman’s sprawling, soul-tearing story of two emotionally battered ex-lovers who heal from their hike through an Israeli springtime is one of the most beautiful stories I’ve read in years.
Best Jewish Author of 2011
And, no surprise, Grossman gets the honor, but he shares it with Daniel Sharfstein, author of The Invisible Line: Three American Families and the Secret Journey from Black to White, a chronicle of 18th- and 19th-century light-skinned African-American families.
Out in the Community
Best Place to Hang Out and Meet Other Fun Jews
Latkepalooza, yoga class, Shabbat dinner — you name it — Jconnect is the place to go to meet your fellow members of the tribe.
Best Place to Meet a Nice Jewish Boy or Girl
The best thing about these Jconnect events is that there’s always the chance you’ll find the man or woman of your dreams. We’ve seen it.
Best Local Sports Team
The Seattle Superwho? They’re old news. The team to watch is the one with the boys in green: Seattle Sounders FC.
Best Online Dating Site
J-Date is no, ahem, match for any other online dating site to help you find a nice Jewish match.
Best (or Worst) Political Antic of 2011
You’d think they’d run out of things to bicker about, given that we’ve had more Republican candidate debates than episodes in the entire run of “The West Wing.” We’re not sure which have been more entertaining.
Most Important Political Issue of 2011
It’s here, and it’s not going away. What we’re talking about, of course, is the economy. Yay, economy! Get better! Please! Please.
The most stunning, amusing, thrilling, or otherwise superlative local news of 2011. And tell us how it relates Jewishly, if you can.
Of course it relates Jewishly. The ads critical of Israel that didn’t run on the sides of Seattle Metro buses resulted in anger, lawsuits, and more lawsuits. And it ain’t over yet.
But, finally, this year’s JTNews Reader’s Choice awards are.