Best of Las Vegas 2011: Best Eat & Drink and Best Locations

Some of the Best of Las Vegas categories can be tricky. There are bound to be readers who think, "Gee, I don't know who to pick for Most Generous Las Vegan. No one's done anything for me lately."

We hear you. We don't get out that much to meet and greet either. In fact, we have to send reporters nosing around to investigate some of these categories. But let's not get into how the sausage is made here, but where the best place is to get sausage, maybe with some scrambled eggs and whole wheat toast.

That's right, dear readers, we guarantee there will be things on this ballot you can fill out, probably many things. Because, we've saved the easiest categories for last: Best Eat & Drink and Best Locations.

But before we build up an appetite to go out for breakfast, no, burgers, or maybe something Chinese -- we get so easily distracted when it comes to food -- we need to bring you up to date.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Las Vegas Review-Journal readers' poll. We opened with Best Hotels and Best Entertainment on Jan. 9, followed by Best Shopping, Best Sports Spots, Best People and Best of the Worst on Jan. 16. Voting has ended on the first ballot, but the deadline for newspaper entries of the second ballot is 5 p.m. today (because of a technical glitch, online voters will have until 5 p.m. Tuesday on the second ballot).

Today's ballot, which appears on Pages 8 and 9, will repeat on Monday and Thursday. Voting on it will cease at 5 p.m. Jan. 31, ending the whole shebang. If you prefer, you can vote online at bestoflasvegas.com/vote2011.

If you have been filling out the ballots with us -- and we thank you -- then you will end up with a total of three ballots cast in eight categories. And, if you filled out everything, that would be 195 decisions. Why, you should win a prize for that (more on those possibilities later).

But back to today's ballot. Three new subcategories have been added to Eat & Drink: Best Tapas, Best Cupcakes and Best Food Truck. We hope these give you something fun to chew on. In all, there are 37 choices to make, from Best Diner to Best Doughnuts, Best Microbrewery to Best Meal for Less Than $10, Best New Restaurant that opened in 2010 to Best Restaurant With a View. Feel free to savor your options.

While it's not as tasty, Best Locations should leave you with a sense of satisfaction just the same. Everyone has a favorite park, a place for picnicking and a place to hide out from tourists. Admit it, you love to spot celebrities and people-watch as much as we do. You probably will be able to fill out all 17 categories or close to it. And think of the fun you will have!

We'll just wrap up the rules, and then you can get at it. First and foremost, absolutely no stuffing. This isn't a scientific poll by any means, but we want to give everyone a fair chance. Those caught stuffing will be banished to the land of poor losers. Also, if you're filling out a paper ballot, be sure to write legibly. We accept only real newspaper ballots, no photocopies.

That takes care of that. Now, about those prizes. We do have a random drawing of ballots submitted in the poll. Prizes include two tickets to see the Best All-Around Performer; two tickets for the Best Show; dinner for two at the Best Gourmet Restaurant in a hotel; dinner for two in the Best Gourmet Restaurant not in a hotel; lunch for two at the Best Place for a Power Lunch; a gift certificate to the Best Mall; and a grand prize of a night on the town, including dinner, a show and an overnight stay at a local hotel.

We'll announce the prize winners along with everything else on March 27.

Contact Patricia Morgan at pmorgan@reviewjournal. com or 702-383-0267.