Also this issue: Food and Drink Fishing Expedition A Brit and a Yank seek the city’s best version of a U.K. staple. -Juliet Fletcher and Frank Lewis Critics Choice Highs and lows in the restaurant biz, as chosen by CP food writers Maxine Keyser and Elisa Ludwig. Past, Present, Future Restauranting trends and troubles. -Maxine Keyser City Life Cynic’s Choice -Frank Lewis ICE STORM 2002 -A.D. Amorosi Arts & Entertainment

October 24-30, 2002

cover story

CP Choice Awards 2002

Choosing the best (or worst) of anything is a dicey proposition. Ask the Pulitzer Prize jury. Ask the Barrymore voters. Hell, ask Simon Cowell. Granted, it didn’t seem to cause him much apparent internal conflict to make pronouncements on who was and who wasn’t American Idol material, but you know it was just tearing him up inside.

This year, City Paper's intrepid team of choosers, listed below, have once again taken on the challenge of declaring what's the best, what's the worst, what's inadequately heralded and what's unnecessarily hyped in the city of Philadelphia. And OK, we fudge a little: Since it would be well nigh impossible to decide who is, for instance, the city's best painter, we give you the Best Local Painter of Topless Women in Kilts. On the other hand, we declare unconditionally for the city's Best Burger and Best Margarita -- both at the same place, yet! -- and we have the argument to back it up.

And so it goes: Some of the choices come unadorned and unapologetic (Best Guacamole! Biggest Waste of Bronze!), and some are so specific as to be awardable to only one winner and one winner alone (Best Church to Throw a Fastball In; Best Places to Have Sex in City Hall). Howard Altman wrote those last two; he admits to throwing the fastball, but swears he did not get his info for the latter award from personal experience.

For me, re-entering the world of CP Choice after being away from the paper for a year is both illuminating and reassuring. Illuminating, because as is always the case with CP Choice, I learned a lot. (Who knew that there was such a thing as an Atlantic City Chicken Challenge?) And reassuring, because it's good to read that the stalwarts of the city, from Henri and Paul to Bob and Barbara, are percolating along as briskly as ever. And throughout, from Sam Adams' Hack attack to Frank Lewis' screed against SEPTA, there's ample evidence that one thing has remained constant, and that's the entertaining opinionatedness of the people who write for City Paper.

I think we chose well. Hope you agree. --David Warner

CP CHOICE CONTRIBUTORS’ KEY

SA: Sam Adams

HA: Howard Altman

ADA: A. D. Amorosi

JA: Janet Anderson

MA: Mary Armstrong

NA: Nancy Armstrong

DA: Debra Auspitz

DBo: Deborah Bolling

DBr: Daniel Brook

MB: Meredith Broussard

PB: Peter Burwasser

JC: Jenn Carbin

NC: Nate Chinen

CC: Chris Cummins

RD: Rosemary Darigo

MJF: M.J. Fine

JF: Juliet Fletcher

RF: Rachel Furman

DG: Daryl Gale

SH: Susan Hagen

LH: Lori Hill

HK: Hamida Kinge

JL: Josh Levandoski

FL: Frank Lewis

EL: Elisa Ludwig

SM: Shivani Mahendroo

AM: Andrew Milner

SO: Sean O’Neal

MP: Mary Patel

NP: Nicole Pensiero

AR: Alex Richmond

HT: Helen Thompson

JV: John Vettese

DW: David Warner

Additional features by Toby Zinman, David Anthony Fox and Maxine Keyser.