Articles

• Best Asian food - 11/7/2009
  

  Silver Dragon offers family meal deals and large portion sizes, which likely helped the popular Asian eatery win another title in the Readers' Choice...

• Best attorney - 11/1/2009
  

  Readers tapped David Smith of Paraclete Estate Planning LLC as the best lawyer in the Rogue Valley.

• Best auto service - 11/1/2009
  

  For everything from oil changes to repair and diagnostic services, readers chose Bob Thomas Automotive as Best Auto Service two years' running.

• Best bakery - 11/1/2009
  

  More than the aroma of fresh-baked bread awaits customers at Medford's Great Harvest Bread Co.

• Best bar, pub or lounge - 11/1/2009
  

  According to staff at 4 Daughters Irish Pub, the live music, competent and friendly service and diverse beer selection are the reasons why it was...

• Best bartender - 11/1/2009
  

  Even though Gino Sieg switched bars, he continues to be the Rogue Valley's favorite bartender, according to the 2009 Readers' Choice survey.

• Best breakfast - 11/1/2009
  

  It's been more than 50 years since Elmer's was founded, and the Medford location of the popular chain is still a consistent pick for Readers Choice...

• Best burger - 11/1/2009
  

  With more than 30 burgers on the menu and a knack for offering both classic and unusual renditions of the American favorite, Red Robin at Biddle Road...

• Best campground - 11/1/2009
  

  Lake of the Woods has been a frequent pick in the annual Readers' Choice survey, and 2009 is no exception.

• Best cell service - 11/1/2009
  

  Readers dependent on their mobile phones chose the nation's sixth largest cellular service company, U.S.

• Best civic organization - 11/1/2009
  

  Readers chose the Rogue Valley's 11 Rotary clubs as their favorite civic organizations.

• Best coffee place - 11/1/2009
  

  Readers overwhelmingly decided that if they need a coffee fix, they're heading to a Human Bean in the morning.

• Best contractor - 11/1/2009
  

  This hasn't been the best of times for contractors, but beloved homebuilders such as Elden Smith have a way of landing the next job.

• Best deli - 11/1/2009
  

  Deli Down is tops with local deli fans.

• Best desserts - 11/1/2009
  

  With all things dessert on the menu, from sundaes and cakes to shakes and cones, Dairy Queen locations in the Rogue Valley repeated as the best...

• Best family entertainment - 11/1/2009
  

  The Rogue Valley Family Fun Center held fast to its distinction as best family entertainment in town.

• Best financial institution - 11/1/2009
  

  Judging by the increasing number of new accounts at Rogue Federal Credit Union, customers likely have a healthy amount of confidence in this year's...

• Best fishing spot - 11/1/2009
  

  The Rogue Valley is an internationally known haven for sport-angling, and local residents' favorite fishing place is the river that runs through it.

• Best gardening/ landscape store - 11/1/2009
  

  Celebrating 75 years this year, and yet another year among the ranks of Readers' Choice favorites, Grange Co-Op maintained the title for best garden...

• Best golf course - 11/1/2009
  

  Readers' Choice voters named Centennial Golf Club their favorite course to play for the second year in a row.

• Best grocery store - 11/1/2009
  

  Owned and operated by a family of grocers with more than 50 years' experience, Sherm's Food 4 Less was deemed the Rogue Valley's best grocery store...

• Best gym - 11/1/2009
  

  With three locations in the Rogue Valley, Superior Athletic Club held fast to the distinction of Best Gym for the second year in a row.

• Best hair stylist - 11/1/2009
  

  A DJ turned hair stylist received yet another encore by Readers' Choice voters.

• Best hiking trail - 11/1/2009
  

  With hundreds of trails to choose from, readers time and again choose a route close to home, or should we say routes — the trails on Upper and...

• Best home improvement store - 11/1/2009
  

  Asked where they go for home improvement supplies — from lumber to landscaping — Readers' Choice voters remained loyal this year to...

• Best insurance agent - 11/1/2009
  

  When it comes to insurance, from life and auto to home and business, the distinction of "best insurance agent" was bestowed upon, for a second year...

• Best Italian - 11/1/2009
  

  Vinny's Italian Kitchen was chosen the best Italian restaurant for the ninth time, continuing a streak that started in 2001.

• Best lake - 11/1/2009
  

  Lake of the Woods is once again the Readers' Choice selection for the best swimming, fishing and boating lake in the region.

• Best landscaper - 11/1/2009
  

  The owners of Carol's Colors of Phoenix, voted Best Landscaper two years' running, say the key to keeping customers happy is good, old-fashioned,...

• Best live music venue - 11/1/2009
  

  In what's become an annual tradition, readers by an overwhelming margin chose the Britt Festivals in Jacksonville as their favorite venue for live...

• Best live theater - 11/1/2009
  

  Readers again acknowledged the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, naming it their favorite place to see live theater.

• Best local TV personality - 11/1/2009
  

  For the sixth year, KDRV Channel 12 meteorologist Scott Lewis is readers' favorite local TV personality.

• Best medical office - 11/1/2009
  

  "Best" and "medical office" sounds like a contradiction in terms. Who wants to go to see the doctor, after all?

• Best Mexican - 11/1/2009
  

  Despite a long list of local places to go for tacos, burritos and other Mexican cuisine, Si Casa Flores held onto its distinction as a Readers'...

• Best micro brew - 11/1/2009
  

  As the seasons change, so do the micro brews poured at Standing Stone Brewing Co. in downtown Ashland.

• Best movie - 11/1/2009
  

  What happens in Vegas ... scores big with movie fans.

• Best new restaurant - 11/1/2009
  

  A break from typical burgers and tacos in the world of fast food, Pita Pit earned an instant following when it opened stores in Ashland and Medford...

• Best photographer - 11/1/2009
  

  For David Gibb, portrait photography is all about capturing who you are.

• Best pizza - 11/1/2009
  

  Co-owner Kristi Haavig says Kaleidoscope pizzas "stand alone" in a category of fresh and different, which may be why readers have chosen Kaleidoscope...

• Best place to buy a new car - 11/1/2009
  

  Whether locals prefer to buy a new car from a locally owned dealership or a company with national reach, Readers' Choice preference of Lithia Motors...

• Best place to buy a used car - 11/1/2009
  

  While purchasing a used car is less costly than purchasing new, pre-owned vehicles can come with unanticipated problems, so car buyers can be picky...

• Best place to buy shoes - 11/1/2009
  

  With the economy in a funk, Readers' Choice voters chose a new winner this year, Payless Shoe Source, which boasts three locations in the Rogue...

• Best place to buy tires - 11/1/2009
  

  Ranking No. 1 again this year, Les Schwab maintained loyalty with Readers' Choice voters this year as the go to place for new tires.

• Best place to purchase outdoor furniture/grills - 11/1/2009
  

  When it comes to outdoor furniture, Medford's Lowe's ranked first in this Readers' Choice new category.

• Best place to shop for clothes - 11/1/2009
  

  Opened in 1856 as a "fancy dry goods" store, Macy's is one of the country's longest-running suppliers of clothes, from work duds and casual to formal...

• Best place to shop for furniture - 11/1/2009
  

  Finding the necessary ingredients for creating a home is best done at Ashley Furniture in Medford, according to Readers' Choice voters.

• Best place to shop for jewelry - 11/1/2009
  

  Fred Meyer Jewelers maintained the title for Best Place to Shop for Jewelry for the seventh year in a row.

• Best real estate office - 11/1/2009
  

  Known for its popular red, white and blue balloon, RE/MAX boasts more than 100,000 agents in 60 countries and, in the Rogue Valley, a half-dozen...

• Best reporter - 11/1/2009
  

  For 17 years, Paul Fattig has written colorful, often self-deprecating columns about his life in rural Jackson County while managing to churn out...

• Best retirement residence - 11/1/2009
  

  A new category this year, Best Retirement Residence was bestowed on the Rogue Valley Manor, certainly the area's most visible retirement community as...

• Best river rafting guide - 11/1/2009
  

  Noah's River Adventures co-owners Bart Baldwin and Justin Wright say their friendly personalities and knowledge of the outdoors may be the reasons...

• Best scenic drive - 11/1/2009
  

  No question the road to Crater Lake National Park is one of the most beautiful in the nation, let alone Oregon.

• Best seafood - 11/1/2009
  

  McGrath's Fish House in Medford must have a set of winning recipes when it comes to wooing Readers' Choice voters.

• Best selection of movie rentals - 11/1/2009
  

  Offering the valley's "best selection" of movie rentals, both online, by mail and at retail locations, Blockbuster ranked ahead of other movie rental...

• Best spa - 11/1/2009
  

  Known for a statue of a blue giraffe at the center of its facility, a day spa in Ashland has also become known as the Readers' Choice for hair, nails...

• Best steak - 11/1/2009
  

  This year's readers' choice for best place to have a steak is known for its Australian outback-themed commercials and loaves of honeywheat Bushman...

• Best wine - 11/1/2009
  

  We only asked for a label.

• Favorite financial adviser - 11/1/2009
  

  Good financial advice is more important than ever, and readers chose Andrew Staley of Rogue Federal Credit Union as the one they turn to.

• Favorite radio personality - 11/1/2009
  

  Readers' favorite radio personality, Judi Austin of KRWQ, says she's "tall, skinny, young, wise and blond."

• Favorite Realtor - 11/1/2009
  

  For one of the more time consuming and confusing processes most families endure, home buying requires a qualified professional.

• Favorite retail staff - 11/1/2009
  

  With a team of more than 180 employees to serve customers, Macy's was recognized this year by Readers' Choice voters as having their "favorite retail...

• Favorite teacher - 11/1/2009
  

  Jim Schroeder, Scenic Middle School history teacher, and Susan Lightle, Jefferson Elementary School fifth-sixth-grade teacher, tied as Readers Choice...

• Favorite wait staff - 11/1/2009
  

  When it comes to serving breakfast and developing rapport with her many regulars at Rooster's restaurant, waitress Jammie Wyncoop has a special knack.