Best Ice Cream

Kilwin's

Finalists: Ben & Jerry's, Big Olaf Creamery

Its homemade fudge made it famous, but Kilwin's could just as easily trade on the taste and reputation of its ice cream. Soul-satisfyingly delicious. Ben & Jerry serves up quality cream with flavor names that make you smile (Cherry Garcia, Chunky Monkey), and who could resist the waffle cones and fat chunks of hand-cut chocolate chips at Big Olaf?

Best Caterer

Michael's On East

Finalists: Morton's Catering, Nellie's Deli

More than a caterer, Phil Mancini at Michael's On East is a social force in this town. The MOE Ballroom has become the town's center stage for charity events, wedding receptions, bar mitzvah celebrations, you name it. Morton's Market and Nellie's Deli brilliantly fulfill an ever growing demand for high quality meals served at private parties or in reserved ballrooms.

Best Deli

Nellie's Deli

Finalists: Morton's Market, Publix

They call themselves a dilly of a deli, and the folks at Nellie's are absolutely right. Take home a party platter, a sandwich or salad for a light meal, or a hearty entrée. Everything is fresh and tempting- looking. Morton's Market and Publix have elevated expectations of busy non-cookers with their astonishing and tasty variety.

Best Gourmet Market

Morton's Market

Finalists: Granary, Publix

Morton's provides the gastronomic esoteric as well as the gourmand basics: boutique cheese, interesting crackers, strange imported olives. The Granary has a healthy, veggie attitude, with liquid echinacea as well as bean sprouts, vitamins, protein bean salad and blue corn chips. Publix keeps expanding its imported and domestic specialty products for the thrill-seeking palates of international residents and visitors.

Best Birthday Cakes

Publix

Finalists: Beautiful Cakes by Ron and Pastry Art (tie), Morton's Market

Ice-cream or whipped cream between the layers, purple roses, even a photographic reproduction of the honoree on the top of the cake. You want it, just ask Publix. Those ladies in the bakery aim to please, and they're always so nice. For something more haute cuisine, our sophisticated finalists excel in specialty eatable sculptures. You want to take lots of pictures of these custom beauties before you slice into them.

Best Martini

Espresso martini at Silver Cricket

Finalists: Espresso martini at Fred's, Espresso martini at The Tasting Room

The fact that there is even a category for best martini tells you something about this town. The fact that all three winners combine extra strong black coffee with alcohol must mean we intend to stay up all night. Which means some of the bars and restaurants ought to respond by maybe extending their hours a wee bit. Just a thought.

Best Beer

The Ale House

Finalists: Cock & Bull, Sarasota Brewing Company

Beers from around the world draw legions of adventurers to these temples of hops and yeast. Some say sipping global beers offers an insight into other cultures and stimulates our thirst for a better understanding of geography, international politics, world peace. Yeah, yeah, nice try. The brewskis just taste goodski. And frankly, that ought to be enough.

Best Arts, Entertainment and Sports

Best Performing Arts Group

Asolo Theatre

Finalists: Florida Studio Theatre, Sarasota Ballet of Florida

These three duke it out every year, but the Asolo comes out on top this round with a season that offered a sumptuously mounted American classic ("Born Yesterday"), Shakespearean romance ("Twelfth Night") and two comedies ("Fully Committed" and "The Tale of the Allergist's Wife"). The ballet wowed 'em with "Carmina Burana," and FST made "Dinner with Friends" an experience worth sharing.

Best Local Actor or Actress

Carolyn Michel

Finalists: Roberta MacDonald, Sharon Scott

Michel repeats last year's win, as she headed into a season that gave her a great new role as a New York matron on the verge of a breakdown in "The Tale of the Allergist's Wife." Scott's powerhouse vocals are always popular with audiences, and MacDonald demonstrated she's still superior (Mother Superior, that is) in "Nunsense."

Best Black-Tie Event

UnGala Gala

Finalists: Mistletoe Ball and Florida Winefest & Auction (tie), Out-of-Door Extravaganza

Whether it's a glamour war (UnGala Gala, Mistletoe) or a bidding war (Winefest, Extravaganza), these events bring out all the beautiful people who like to make a splash while supporting a host of worthy causes. Meanwhile, the Extravaganza's return to campus proved you can go home again.

Best Place to Work Out

YMCA

Finalists: Gold's Gym, Shapes

In the land of year-round swimsuits, we can't afford to get flabby. Fortunately, our array of fitness facilities makes it impossible to slack off. The Y, with three facilities (including the just-remodeled Berlin Branch), aerobics classes and swim areas, gets the gold, but lots of fitness buffs liked Gold's and Shapes, too.