It’s that time of year again, folks. It’s time to furrow your brow and shake your fist and cluck incredulously at how the public in Salem so often gets many of its own Best-of’s wrong. Say what you will, James Surowiecki, about the Wisdom of Crowds, but there are areas in our lives where it really helps to have a real taste maker tell you where to go and what to eat, what to see and what to do. Otherwise you might just end up eating your Cheap Eats in the charming digs of Costco instead of at La Perla downtown.
Some categories of the Statesman Journal’s annual best-of’s are obviously spot-on. Word of Mouth wins Best Breakfast? Yeah, I’ll agree with that one.
But man, are there some hilarious entries and hilarious winners in this year’s poll.
Best Place to Give Birth:
1. Silverton Hospital
2. Salem Hospital
3. At-home with midwife
What’s number 4? In the the back of your Subaru on the way to the hospital? Under the rotunda at the State Capitol building? Spontaneously in line at Fred Meyer?
Best Hot Dog
1. Casey’s
2. Costco
3. Mt. Angel Sausage Co.
I love a hot dog, but does the hot dog really warrant its own category? A better bet would be best grilled cheese. Casey’s would win that, too.
Best Coffee Shop
1. Dutch Bros.
2. The Grind
3. Starbucks
Love me some Dutch Bros. on the way down to Eugene to work sometimes, but people people PLEASE!, Dutch Bros. is not a coffee shop, unless you consider sitting outside on a lawn chair next to the water feature a coffee shop experience. Best coffee shop is the Beanery downtown. Best coffee SHACK is Salem’s Latte.
Best Food Cart
1. Casey’s Cafe
2. Capitol Dog
3. Adam’s Rib Smokhouse
Do these restaurants really have food carts or are they just selling food cart food? Someone please enlighten me. Where are the Salem food carts? I know there are a few on Silverton, and there’s a Latino fruit cart that parks sometimes on Savage Road. Can we count Canby Asparagus Farms at the Chemeketa St. Farmer’s Market as being a food cart? If so, they win.
Best Bookstore
1. Borders
2. Book Bin
3. Tea Party Bookstore
I’m done talking about how much Borders sucks. But here’s a note in case you’ve forgotten. My friend and I meet often at Borders for our Bored Meetings. Can’t find a book there because they never have what I want or need. I heard they carry Twilight, though.
Best Adult-related Business
1. Santiam Wine Co.
2. Enigma Adult Toy Boutique
3. Eve’s Boutique
That’s not a best-of list, that’s a recipe for a kinky Saturday night!
Ah, best-of’s. You say so much about Salem. I’m nominating this mobile from our nursery for Best Sculpture AND Best Zoo.
I almost rolled my eyes backwards in my head when I flipped through this year’s Best Of, um competition? The part that really got me was the best schools category. I was really suspicious when I saw only one public institution (OSU bronze for colleges). My conspiracy gene suspects private schools floated to the top of each category because they would be more likely to place an ad in the statesman. My wife assured me that can’t be so, or can it?
First of all, let me preface this by saying congratulations to any of your readers who may have won. But this is the most asinine ‘Best Of’ around. You can vote multiple times, multiple days, actually. They may restrict you to one vote a day, but you are eligible to vote the next day.
I know how difficult it is to track and restrict votes, but come on. It should be one vote per computer, period.
But, again, congrats if you may have won.
That sounds like a crappy system where the businesses that unleash their monkeys get the most votes. What’s the point?
As for the advertising issue, I often wonder about these things but suspect that the winners are more a result of concerted marketing team efforts than stacking the deck in any one business’s favor. I have major suspicions about the relationship between advertisers and print media in a town as small as Salem, but I really don’t think the Statesman has any horse in this game when most of the winners aren’t that surprising. I think the paper’s interest is in having lots of participants — read: look how many people voted on all of these days! look how many page hits! — information that the ad dept. can take to advertisers togenerate ad sales. Kind of brilliant actually, as it pleases both the contestants in the competition AND the advertisers, who want quantifiable readership information. The only people this doesn’t please? Readers!
As a former employee of the paper, I can tell you that in the past they worked to sell ads to all the winners and runners-up, and the ad department encourages its clients to heavily influence the voting so they can then sell that business even more ads. A fact. As for food carts, there are just a few: El Turbo has one outside the Capital Market, and there is a hot dog cart downtown. Other than that, the food carts at the farmer’s markets would count I guess. And Casey’s is always at the fairs and festivals, but to me a food cart should be a regular presence somewhere…
I agree with you Angela. I don’t think restaurants that sets up a cart every once in a while should count. I’ve eaten at the downtown hot dog cart, and they’re phenomenal. I think it’s called Doqzookie, or something like that.
Well there you have it! Thanks, Angela, for the insider info. And for the first-time ever, this blog beomes a vehicle of major reporting. All of those speeches I have made to UO undergraduates now ring true.
This thing gets me riled up every year. It’s such a scam. Boo.
Orchard Heights Winery taking that many wins in that many categories? As a bit of a foodie here in Salem, I smell a rigging…. so wrong..
I’m always sad to see national restaurant chains win (Red Robin, Applebee’s, etc.) I’m surprised that fact wasn’t part of your rant. If it were up to me, I would make the contest open to locally owned businesses only. These national companies don’t need the publicity but the little guys do.
Yes, I’ve ranted about that fact before; gotta keep things fresh!
Oh my gosh you crack me up. But it does sound like one sorry list, doesn’t it. La Perla for Tacos is always number one in my book. Kudos to that too!
About the food cart category. . . I work concessions and caterings through Adam’s Rib Smokehouse. I grew up with the owners’ daughter and I worked for them about ten years ago at Salem Saturday Market when they still had Trump’s Dog house. They had a food cart long before they established the restaurant and they continue to do special events through-out summer. Some of the events include The Bite of Salem, The Bite of Oregon, Night of Fire, car shows, Civil War re-enactments. . . this year they are even going to have a space at the fair.
I can also vouch for Casey’s and Capitol Dog…I’ve seen them around at events. Of course I’m completely bias in thinking Adam’s should’ve been first but we always have the longest lines that move the quickest. I think the terminology is what throws people off. They might not have a food cart that is in a designated area daily but more or less at special events.
Thanks for the insider info! My husband, Adam, likes to get the ribs at Adam’s Rib (obvious choice…). It’s our go-to place for BBQ.
P. S.
I’m going to have to try La Perla…I looooooooooooooooooooove Mexican food!! I think I’ll even go there today for lunch. . . I get to pick the restaurant for today’s lunch date with my best friend.