2007 Mad Diner Awards Winners are Announced!
After months of nominations and final voting, we’re please to announce the winners of the 1st Annual Mad Diner Awards. Before we do that, we’ll explain the process that we went through to find the winners.
First, we opened the awards up for viewer nominations. We here at Madison Dining have our own opinions about The Best of the Best, but these awards are about what you, the collective Madison Diners, think. And so, free format, we asked you all for your opinions. And an incredibly large number of you told us!
Once the nominations had closed, we tallied up the votes and submitted the top 5 nominees in each category for final voting. We once again opened the voting up to our viewers and let it run for nearly 3 months. Again, the votes came pouring in.
Along the way, we got some interesting comments. Some people expressed displeasure with the finalist that were presented for the final voting. Others couldn’t believe that their favorite restaurants weren’t included (they were able to write their favorites in). One or two people asked us how much money we charged the restaurants to be on the list (none, of course!). But overall, the voting took place with great enthusiasm.
We’ll create a post for each individual category, with the top three vote-getters listed, and our commentary as appropriate. This will also allow you to weigh in with your thoughts by adding comments.
And so, without further ado, the complete list of the 2007 Mad Diner Winners:
Best Ethnic Cuisine: Laredo’s (See entire category results)
Best Family Dining Spot: Ella’s Deli and Ice Cream Parlor (See entire category results)
Best Fine Dining Experience: L’Etoile (See entire category results)
Best Cheap Eats: Tex Tubb’s Taco Palace (See entire category results)
Best Special Occasion Spot: Quivey’s Grove (See entire category results)
Best New Restaurant: Sardine (See entire category results)
Best Madison Tradition: Avenue Bar (See entire category results)
Best Wine List: Eno Vino (See entire category results)
Best Beer Selection: Essen Haus (See entire category results)
Best Bar Staff: Great Dane Brewpub (Downtown) (See entire category results)
Best After Work Watering Hole: Great Dane Brewpub (All locations) (See entire category results)
Best Late Night Dining: Ian’s Pizza (See entire category results)
Best People Watching Venue: State Street Brats (See entire category results)
Best Outdoor Seating: Great Dane Brewpub (Downtown) (See entire category results)
Favorite Lakefront Dining: Mariner’s Inn (See entire category results)
Best Business Dinner: Tornado Steakhouse (See entire category results)
Best Waitstaff: Tornado Steakhouse (See entire category results)
Best Dessert: Hubbard Avenue Diner (See entire category results)
Best Appetizers: Restaurant Muramoto (See entire category results)
Best Breakfast: Marigold Kitchen (See entire category results)
Best Lunch Spot: Dotty Dumplings Dowry (See entire category results)
Best Pub Grub: Weary Traveler (See entire category results)
Best Takeout/Delivery: Glass Nickel (See entire category results)
Best Place to See and be Seen: Madison’s (See entire category results)
Overall Favorite Restaurant: The Old Fashioned (See entire category results)
And so there you have it. Again, we’ll post each category individually with full results.
Where is the award for Best Vegetarian Fare?
Are you giving the winner’s a certificate or prize of some sort? How can they show that they won??
Thank you,
Kate
I second the question about vegetarian/vegan options. Madison is one of the top-10 veg friendly towns and restaurants should be recognized for keeping it that way!
No Category for Best Steak?
I too question why there is not an award for best vegetarian/vegan restaurants? I’m from out of town and would very much like to know where I can enjoy a wonderful vegan meal.