Staff Pick, Charleston City Paper

Best Larger-Than-Life Portrait

Erica Jackson Curran — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 04:00:00 -0500

With its Pepto-pink cinder block exterior, Martha Lou’s has always stood out from its NoMo surroundings — which is nice when we have to give people directions to the City Paper offices, because the restaurant is right across the street.

Best Winter Warmer

Chris Haire — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 04:00:00 -0500

We love going to Madra Rua for its perfectly poured pints of Guinness, the stellar fish and chips, and the cozy chat-friendly nooks.

Best Cozy Corner

Susan Cohen — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 04:00:00 -0500

If you’re in the mood for a mature drinking establishment in Charleston’s trendiest borough, then make your way to the corner of Bogard and Percy streets. Elliotborough Mini Bar is a bar for people who prefer to drink in their living room but are in need of a night out. The space is cozy, the lighting is warm, and the chalkboard is updated daily with the beer and wine offerings (including $1.50 mini beers). Stop by for an intimate drink before dinner at Lucca or after a D’Allesandro’s pizza. The bar also hosts guest chefs for special a la carte dinners, and they recently held a jerky contest (aptly named the Jerky Off). We hope they’re in the neighborhood for a long time.

Best Place to Bring Your Classy Pooch

Elizabeth Pandolfi — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 04:00:00 -0500

White Point Garden before 9 a.m. or after 5 p.m.

Best Place to Get Your Kicks

Susan Cohen — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 04:00:00 -0500

There are a ton of shoe stores on King Street. You can’t throw a stone without hitting one (although we don’t suggest it, because you’d break a window). We have big chains and decades-old local businesses, but in this oversaturated market, it takes a lot to stand out. One thing Sneaker has going for it is that it’s sort of not even on King Street. You’ll spot their cool red sign from the road, but you have to veer down a small alley to get there. Once inside, you’ll find old-school Saucony Jazz, Del Toro slippers and chukkas, and Reebok pumps, plus clothing, hats, and other products, all set up in impossibly cool digs. This is where you buy sneakers if your sneakers make your outfit. The name says it all.

Best Go for the Gold

Susan Cohen — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 04:00:00 -0500

There were 45 brown porters in competition for the gold medal at the 31st Great American Beer Festival, held in October in Denver, Colo. And of those 45 porters from around the country, including big-name breweries like SweetWater, Holy City Brewing’s Pluff Mud Porter came out on top. We couldn’t be more proud of these local brewers, who’ve only been in business since 2011, and we’re glad that we can get this gold-winning beer at plenty of spots around town.

Best Day to Eat a Salad

Susan Cohen — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 04:00:00 -0500

As soon as word got out that Verde would be selling their signature wraps and salads for $3.65 on their one-year anniversary in October, we knew there would be a line down King Street.

Best Local Comic Who’s Ready to Go National

Elizabeth Pandolfi — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 04:00:00 -0500

When Dusty Slay won the Charleston Stand-Up Competition for the second time in a row last year, it just confirmed what most of us already knew. This guy’s ready for the big time. Slay’s perfected his deadpan, drawling delivery, and his jokes seem to land with nearly every demographic — tourist, local, young, old, dog-lover, dog-hater.

Best New Online Ordering

Chris Haire — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 04:00:00 -0500

Like many of you, we try to bring our lunch to work. It’s better on the pocketbook and, more often than not, it’s better for the waistline too. But sometimes we have to let somebody else do the lunchtime cooking for us.

Best Use for the Old IMAX Theater

Chris Haire — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 04:00:00 -0500

We don't know

Best Film Fest Award Winner

Susan Cohen — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 04:00:00 -0500

The world knows a little more about Wadmalaw Island thanks to Grainger David. The Princeton and NYU-educated filmmaker got a lot of international attention last year with his short film The Chair, about a scary sci-fi outbreak of poisonous mold on a Lowcountry island. David wrote the screenplay while living on Wadmalaw after grad school, and its people and landscapes heavily influenced the project.

Best Place to Buy Reversible Skinny Jeans

Emily Taylor — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 04:00:00 -0500

Sam’s Closet is a small boutique on Wentworth Street, and if you blink, you’ll miss it — along with their reversible skinny jeans and tons of other nifty items. The jeans are pricey, but they’re essentially two outfits in one, so it’s excusable. One side is a dark wash to complete the perfect evening outfit. The flip side is a lighter (but not too light) wash to wear during the day. They’re stretchy and so comfortable you don’t even know they’re inside out. If you’re not in the market for reversible jeans, check out the gold hammered earrings, or better yet, the neon leather cuff bracelets made from stingray skin. Yes, you read that correctly. They also have work-appropriate neutral colors, but that’s not much fun, is it?

Best Place to Order a White Russian

Eric Doksa — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 04:00:00 -0500

The Dude likes White Russians, and so do we. We can’t think of a better way to enjoy the chocolate milk-like cocktail than while wearing fancy bowling shoes and knocking down some pins. Might as well do it in style at The Alley.

Best New Addition to the Morning Airwaves

Chris Haire — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 04:00:00 -0500

When Richard Todd left 1250 WTMA last year, the Holy City lost an institution. For two decades, Todd had been one of the Lowcountry’s favorite DJs, first at the long-gone 96 Wave and later as the host of TMA’s morning talker, The Morning Buzz with Richard Todd.

Best Day to Pray to be Healed

Paul Bowers — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 04:00:00 -0500

Marcus Lattimore Day

Best Fake Military Base

Davin Turkewitz — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 04:00:00 -0500

After years of bitter competition between Fort Sumter and the Charleston Air Force Base for the title of Best Military Base, we decided to switch things up. There’s a new contender in the ring, and that’s the Army Wives set on Upper King Street. “Fort Marshall” took to the Neck to film its (highly-anticipated-by-females-over-40) seventh season.

Best Sign That Joe Riley Has Become an African-Style Tyrant and May Be Going Insane

Stratton Lawrence — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 04:00:00 -0500

Most of Africa’s worst dictators began as benevolent saviors. From Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe to Idi Amin in Uganda, the leaders with the worst records came to power with zealous popular support. Now, Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr. is no tyrant, and the tribes warring over roads and development on Johns Island are not at risk of falling victim to genocide, but Riley’s recent willingness to throw his powerful shoulder around is disconcerting. When he wasn’t getting his way on I-526, he made the unprecedented move of trying to assert City of Charleston’s power over the project. He’s pushed to give cruise lines free rein along our shores, despite increasing evidence that their economic impact is exaggerated and the potential negative effect to the peninsula’s historic aura and our air and water quality could be damaging. Finally, he pushed through a $142 million “renovation” of the Gaillard Auditorium that resulted in pretty much the entire building being leveled to the ground (for a rebuild that will accommodate 900 fewer patrons than before). When aghast preservationists questioned the mayor’s definition of renovation, he shrugged them away, while the Gaillard’s nearby neighbors had to deal with a thick layer of dust on their cars, homes, and yards as the building was reduced to rubble. Sure, maybe the new Gaillard will be a point of pride for the city, and with construction scheduled for a late 2014 completion, it should be finished with plenty of time to plan a grandiose farewell ball for our career mayor after four decades in power. Unless, of course, he just can’t let go.

Best Fireplace

Stephanie Barna — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 04:00:00 -0500

This hidden little Italian restaurant on lower King Street has a bustling bar that opens onto the sidewalk, but it also has cozy dining rooms in the back. The best one features a giant fireplace, which they keep stoked during the cool days of winter.

Best Soda Fountain

Susan Cohen — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 04:00:00 -0500

We don’t feel too guilty getting refills from the fountain if it’s Boylan soda, one of the country’s best cane sugar-based soft drink companies. You can find one of their fountains at Verde, King Street’s salad bar. And yes, they have black cherry — in regular and diet.

Best Recovery

Susan Cohen — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 04:00:00 -0500

Seven months ago, Nick Collins was in a medically induced coma. The Fowler’s Moustache guitarist was run over by an 18-wheeler in August after he was ejected from a friend’s car. Soon thereafter, his leg was amputated. But in the months since, Collins has made a spectacular recovery. By December he was getting out of bed, and in January he was well enough to move back home, weeks before a self-imposed deadline. It’s hard to watch his interviews with ABC News 4 without (happily) tearing up — Collins’ positivity is an inspiration to us all. His band and family never gave up hope either, and his friends have helped raise tens of thousands of dollars to offset his medical expenses. We’re sure there’s still a lot of work in store for Collins, but a guy this brave should have no trouble tackling it.

Best Indoor Carousel

Erica Jackson Curran — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 04:00:00 -0500

With all of its bars and fancy boutiques, Upper King Street is a bit of a wonderland for the grown-up set, but now it’s also a haven for all of the tykes tagging along. After months of teasing us with brown paper-covered windows with child-sized peek-a-boo cutouts, the Magnifilous Toy Emporium opened on King Street just in time for the holidays. It’s hard to miss the working carousel sitting right in the front window, causing kids to tug their parents in for a quick ride. The shop is stocked with everything from educational toys to giant giraffes, making it an attraction for the young and young-at-heart.

Best Sunday Morning Stroll

Chris Haire — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 04:00:00 -0500

Shem Creek Park

Best Left-Wing Champion to Give Up the Good Fight

Chris Haire — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 04:00:00 -0500

We don’t know about you, but for us it’s still strange to pick up a copy of the City Paper and not see Will Moredock’s mug on the leadoff page for our Views section.

Best Bowling Alley Couches

Chris Haire — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 04:00:00 -0500

Sparians at River Bowl Charleston

Best Comic Book Store in Summerville

Paul Bowers — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 04:00:00 -0500

Local comic illustrator Melanie Florencio would never have met Christine Brunson, co-creator of the zombies-á-la-Mike-Judge series Undead Norm, if it weren’t for Soundwave. The two crossed paths at one of the store’s Halloween parties, and they’ve been cranking out comics for web and print together ever since. Soundwave is our favorite kind of store, because they realize that part of the joy of a bricks-and-mortar storefront is the ability to create a real community — in this case, a community of people who love to talk about (and buy) movies, music, comic books, and action figures. Freak out with your geek out.