Best of JH 2010: People, Places & Trends

Thursday, March 11, 2010

By JH Weekly Staff

Jackson Hole, Wyoming - It was exciting to see our voter numbers really grow in this, our second annual Best of Jackson Hole readers poll.

I was told not to reveal all the magic by disclosing exactly how many voters we had, but I can say it was not very far under 1,000. Not bad for a community with an esimated 20,000 full-time residents!Also, voters were all ages. The majority were under 50 and the biggest block identified themselves as 26 to 35, though there were enough voters over the age of 66 to field a seniors’ soccer team.
And voters were affluent. About a fifth of them reported annual incomes of more than $100,000. But mostly they were middle classy, with half reporting incomes of $20 thousand to $60 thousand.

We saw a few surprises, some of them nice (the locally-owned Trio edging out McDonald’s for Best French Fries), and one that will probably ensure this publication is never again allowed inside the Cowboy Bar, which was voted Best Gay Hangout for the second year. But hey, Cowboy Bar, we didn’t say you were the best gay hangout. The voters decided, so take it up with them. And embrace diversity.
Sadly, a few Best Of winners now exist only in memory. The many, many friends of the late Mark Wolling, some of whom only became acquainted with “Big Wally” after his death, honored the man by overwhelmingly naming him Best Ski Patroller. 

At least a couple of winners were businesses that are now gone. Both Lyndsay McCandless Contemporary and Oswald Gallery, which took gold and silver respectively for Best Contemporary Art Gallery, have closed their doors for good.
We’ll let the rest of the results speak for themselves; you decide what to make of them.

Herewith, the Best of Jackson Hole 2010. – Ben Cannon




READERS' CHOICE AWARDS

Best real estate agent
GOLD:     Mack Mendenhall
SILVER:     Christy & Garth Gillespie
BRONZE:     Bob Graham
 
Best athlete
GOLD:     Travis Rice
SILVER:     Resi Stiegler
BRONZE:     Crystal Wright

Best elected official
GOLD:     Mark Barron
SILVER:    Andy Schwartz
BRONZE:    Scott Fitzgerald

Best Democrat
GOLD:    Andy Schwartz
SILVER:    Gary Trauner
BRONZE:    Mark Barron
 
Best Republican
GOLD:    Captain Bob Morris
SILVER:    Leland Christensen
BRONZE:    Keith Gingery

Best politician that
doesn’t hold an office
GOLD:    Captain Bob Morris
SILVER:    Gary Trauner
BRONZE:    Jim Stanford
 
Best boss
GOLD:    Bob Arndt
SILVER:    Joe Rice
BRONZE:    Bruce Grosbety
 
Best activist
GOLD:    Captain Bob Morris
SILVER:    Tatiana Maxwell
BRONZE:    Jim Stanford
 
Best nonprofit
GOLD:    PAWS
SILVER:    Habitat For Humanity
BRONZE:    Animal Adoption Center
 
Best charity event
GOLD:    Old Bill’s Fun Run
SILVER:    PAWS Fur Ball
BRONZE:    Fireman’s Ball

Best lawyer
GOLD:    David DeFazio
SILVER:    Gerry Spence
BRONZE:    Clay Geittmann
 
Best dentist
GOLD:    Scott Larsen
SILVER:    Tyler Bergien
BRONZE:    Cary Smith

Best nurse
GOLD:    Mary Ness
SILVER:    Sally Luke
BRONZE:    Keegan Pfeil

Best knee doctor
GOLD:    Peter Rork
SILVER:    Bill Neal
BRONZE:    Jim Champa

Best yoga instructor
GOLD:    Neesha Zollinger
SILVER:    Adi Amar
BRONZE:    Angela Tong

Best massage therapist
GOLD:    Rena Trail
SILVER:    Tina Seay
BRONZE:    Gary Kolenich
BRONZE:    Terri Eaton
 
Best veterinarian
GOLD:    Ernie Patterson
SILVER:    Spring Creek Animal
    Hospital
BRONZE:    Theo Schuff
 
Best entrepenuer
GOLD:    Gavin Fine
SILVER:    Bob Arndt
BRONZE:    Joe Rice
 
Best mechanic
GOLD:    Roy at Roy’s Auto Repair
SILVER:    Able Auto 
BRONZE:    Jerry Vroman
 
Best eccentric
GOLD:    Captain Bob Morris
SILVER:    Ms. Hill
BRONZE:    Andrew Wyatt 
BRONZE:    Carin Blatt
BRONZE:    Crazy Tom
 
Best contributor to the
Latino community
GOLD:    Carmina Oaks
SILVER:    Teton Literacy Program
SILVER:    Vida Day
BRONZE:    Latino Resource Center

Best radio personality
GOLD:    Fish
SILVER:    Tom Haigh/Crazy Tom
BRONZE:    Holly Danner

Best hair stylist
GOLD:    Rob Hollis at Frost
SILVER:    Lela Hebard at Frost
BRONZE:    Renae Murray
    at The Hair Place
 
Best tattoo
GOLD:    22 Tattoo
SILVER:    Crissy Waters
SILVER:    Dave Johnson
SILVER:    Talia Smith
BRONZE:    Sub Urban Tattoo

Best blog
GOLD:    JH Underground
SILVER:    Delight By Design
BRONZE:    Teton AT
 
Best full service spa
GOLD:    Snake River Lodge & Spa
SILVER:    Solitude Spa
    in Teton Mountain Lodge
BRONZE:    Four Seasons Resort
 
Best pet supplies
GOLD:    Teton Tails
SILVER:    Pets Place Plus
BRONZE:    Rally’s Pet Garage
 
Best neighborhood
GOLD:    East Jackson
SILVER:    Westbank
BRONZE:    Wilson

Best reason to drive to
Drictor
GOLD:    Huckleberry Shakes
    at the Victor Emporium
SILVER:    Music/skiing at
    Grand Targhee Resort
BRONZE:    Music at The Knotty Pine

Best restaurant
GOLD:    Snake River Grill
SILVER:    Rendezvous Bistro
BRONZE:    Trio

Best chef
GOLD:    Kevin Humphreys at Cascade
SILVER:    Jeff Drew at Snake River Grill
BRONZE:    Roger Freedman at Rendezvous Bistro

Best Chinese restaurant
GOLD:    Chinatown
SILVER:    Ocean City
BRONZE:    Hong Kong Buffet

Best Mexican restaurant
GOLD:    Pica’s Mexican Taqueria
SILVER:    Merry Piglets
BRONZE:    El Abuelito’s

Best Thai restaurant
GOLD:    Teton Thai
SILVER:    Thai Me Up
BRONZE:    Bon Appe Thai

Best Italian restaurant
GOLD:    Osteria
SILVER:    Nani’s Genuine
    Pasta House
BRONZE:    Giovanni’s

Best “under the radar” restaurant
GOLD:    Lotus Cafe
SILVER:    Cafe Ponza
BRONZE:    Down on Glen
BRONZE:    Momo Shack

Best restaurant/bar with a view
GOLD:    Dornan’s
SILVER:    The Granary
BRONZE:    Couloir

Best breakfast joint
GOLD:    Nora’s Fish Creek Inn
SILVER:    Virginian Restaurant
BRONZE:    Bubba’s Bar-B-Que

Best coffee shop
GOLD:    Pearl Street Bagels
SILVER:    Hard Drive Cafe
BRONZE:    Jackson Hole Roasters

Best take-out
GOLD:    Teton Thai
SILVER:    Chinatown
BRONZE:    Down on Glen
BRONZE:    Jackson Whole Grocer

Best outdoor dining
GOLD:    Dornan’s
SILVER:    Teton Thai
BRONZE:    Sweetwater Restaurant

Best vegetarian offerings
GOLD:    Lotus Cafe
SILVER:    Jackson Whole Grocer
BRONZE:    Teton Thai

Best breakfast burrito
GOLD:    Down on Glen
SILVER:    Terra Cafe
BRONZE:    Nora’s Fish Creek Inn

Best burger
GOLD:    Billy’s Giant Hamburgers
SILVER:    Million Dollar
    Cowboy Steakhouse
BRONZE:    Stiegler’s

Best French fries
GOLD:    Trio
SILVER:    McDonald’s
BRONZE:    Billy’s Giant Hamburgers

Best sammy
GOLD:    Backcountry Provisions
SILVER:    Creekside Market
BRONZE:    New York City Sub Shop

Best salsa
GOLD:    Merry Piglets
SILVER:    Pica’s Mexican Taqueria
BRONZE:    El Abuelito’s

Best sushi
GOLD:    Nikai
SILVER:    Masa Sushi
BRONZE:    Sudachi

Best pizza
GOLD:    Café Ponza
SILVER:    Mountain High Pizza Pie
BRONZE:    Village Cafe

Best server
GOLD:    Cindy Huhn at the Virginian Restaurant
SILVER:    Chrissy Stretton at Rendezvous Bistro
BRONZE:    Danny Felice at Rendezvous Bistro

Best bartender
GOLD:    Jeff Handi at Cadillac Grille
SILVER:    Rasta Kris Scholer at Koshu Wine Bar
BRONZE:    David Johnson at Q Roadhouse

Best place to get a martini
GOLD:    Cadillac Grille
SILVER:    Koshu Wine Bar
BRONZE:    Ignight

Best place to get a margarita
GOLD:    El Abuelito’s
SILVER:    Pica’s Mexican Taqueria
BRONZE:    Merry Piglets

Best pint of locally
brewed beer
GOLD:    Snake River Brewery OB1
SILVER:    Snake River Brewery Pale Ale
BRONZE:    Snake River Brewery Lager

Best skate/snowboarD
ski shop
GOLD:    Boardroom
SILVER:    Hoback Sports
BRONZE:    Teton Village Sports

Best bike shop
GOLD:    Fitzgerald’s Bicycles
SILVER:    Hoback Sports
BRONZE:    Wilson Backcountry Sports

Best outdoor gear store
GOLD:    Teton Mountaineering
SILVER:    Skinny Skis
BRONZE:    Hoback Sports

Best produce
GOLD:    Jackson Whole Grocer
SILVER:    Smith’s Food and Drug
BRONZE:    Jackson Hole Farmers Market

Best “green” business
GOLD:    Jackson Whole Grocer
SILVER:    Terra Resort Group
BRONZE:    Herb Store and Living Green

Best hardware store
GOLD:    Ace Hardware
SILVER:    Sunrise Lumber
BRONZE:    Wilson Hardware

Best florist
GOLD:    Lily and Co.
SILVER:    Char-Ral Floral
BRONZE:    Inner Forest

Best bank
GOLD:    Bank of Jackson Hole
SILVER:    First Interstate Bank
BRONZE:    Wells Fargo

Best place to buy drugs
GOLD:    Stone Drug
SILVER:    Smith’s Food & Drug Store
BRONZE:    Alberstons Sav-on

Best locally roasted beans
GOLD:    Jackson Hole Roasters
SILVER:    Snake River Roasting
BRONZE:    Great Northern Roasting

Best band
GOLD:    Mandatory Air
SILVER:    Rotating Superstructure
BRONZE:    Steam Powered Airplane

Best musician
GOLD:    Anne and Pete Sibley
SILVER:    Peter Chandler
BRONZE:    Judd Grossman

Best club DJ
GOLD:    Rocky Vertone
SILVER:    Cutter
BRONZE:    Mikey Thunder

Best live music venue
GOLD:    Mangy Moose
SILVER:    Knotty Pine
BRONZE:    Silver Dollar Bar

Best western art gallery
GOLD:    Trailside Gallery
SILVER:    West Lives on Gallery
BRONZE:    Legacy Gallery

Best contemporary art gallery
GOLD:    Lyndsey McCandless Contemporary Gallery
SILVER:    Oswald Gallery
BRONZE:    Tayloe Piggott Gallery

Best emerging artist
GOLD:    John Frechette
SILVER:    Amy Ringholz
BRONZE:    Ryan Haworth

Best established artist
GOLD:    Amy Ringholz
SILVER:    Tom Mangelsen
BRONZE:    September Vhay

Best thespian
GOLD:    Jeff Bratz
SILVER:    Bob Berky
BRONZE:    Jamie Reilly

Best hike
GOLD:    Snow King
SILVER:    Phelps Lake
BRONZE:    Teton Crest Trail


EDITOR'S CHOICE AWARDS

Here are some words to preface more words related to the Best of Jackson Hole, provided in a whimsical and somewhat useful order, so as to give you some idea what to expect from Editorial Picks. In some instances, poll results didn’t reflect our personal favorites – nor do we all agree on “the best,” or even the usefulness of superlatives, among the editorial staff, but that’s why we all get to write something about the people, food, to-dos, etc. that define Jackson for each of us. In other cases, categories just don’t exist for the things we like about Jackson, so we made custom categories. We also tried to step outside of ourselves for a minute to understand some of the things our oft-underrepresented readership, tourists, enjoy that do not involve the outdoors, but we couldn’t help being a little snarky about those things.  We hope that you enjoy our picks or at least find them amusing, and at any rate, we look forward to hearing from those of you who don’t appreciate JH Weekly’s Best Of issue in our online reader comments.  – Matthew Irwin


BEST SUNDAY DRIVE
The Gros Ventre
The first time I drove from Kelly to Upper Slide Lake in the Gros Ventre Wilderness, I was blown away by the topographical diversity. But to turn around and discover the Teton view on the stretch from Lower Slide Lake to Kelly Warm Springs—Gros Ventre River in the foreground—was epic. To this day, it’s my favorite Sunday drive, recommended to countless tourists over the years. It helps remind one that wealth is subjective, and making a virtue of necessity is always easier with accessibility.
– Aaron Davis

BEST TOWN PARK
Mike Yokel Park
I remember getting lost trying to find it on our bikes. We must have been nine or 10, just old enough to bike into town unsupervised without having our moms freak out. Mike Yokel Park was my favorite park growing up, even though Powderhorn Park was closer to my house. Not only does Mike Yokel have a bridge and awesome equipment, but it has a spacious field too (at Powderhorn, it’s hard to play Frisbee without running into the chain link baseball fence). The fact that most people don’t even know where it is helps lower its populous.
During the summer, I enjoy getting together with buddies for some volleyball, and I even head out there alone to do some writing on a picnic bench. There’s a small creek that runs by the park which adds extra ambiance. A patch of grass surrounded by willows serves as my favorite spot to sit while watching the water. Not much traffic buzzes on the road either, so there is indeed a constant sense of calm, even when the playing activity is high.
Miller Park is another great one, but my loyalty lies with Mike Yokel.
– Andrew Munz

WORST BLING
Bluetooth Headset
In the bathroom, airports, the grocery store, on street corners – you’ve seen strangers seemingly talking to themselves in the oddest of places. Using a Bluetooth headset in the car might be a way around some of the hands-free legislation across the country, but using one as an “accessory” when it’s not in use? Uh, what has “bling” come to? What happened to a good tat, or piercing? There’s even a product called Loud ’N Clear—discovered from a hilarious infomercial—that poses a hearing aid as a fake Bluetooth headset. The advertisement makes grandpa look hip and cool by fooling people into thinking he is wearing one of “those blue-teeth portable car phone ear thingies.” Thankfully, I’ve seen fewer headsets in Teton County than anywhere else. Just another reason it feels good to call this place home. – Aaron Davis

WORST REASON TO BE MALE IN JACKSON
Bathroom Lines
In any other town, a line for the men’s bathroom is like a straight man in San Francisco, practically unheard of. In Jackson, owing to the disproportionate male-to-female ratio, which is especially prominent during the winter season (hence January’s nickname, “man-uary”) men are often found waiting in line to pee. Unlike in other towns where women regularly stand in long bathroom bar queues, while men breeze in and out, bathroom wait times, and bathroom behavior, are often reversed. “I have snuck into a women’s bathroom in this town more than once,” said 27-year-old Jackson male, Nick Staron.  – Christie Koriakin

BEST REASON TO NOT BE DRUNK IN PUBLIC
Teton County Fair
Teton County Fair, overall, seems like a halfway decent playground for the inebriated, right? But if you decide to take your stammering, swaying self to the fair’s demolition derby – an alleged family event (since violent, destructive behavior is better for the kids than say, naked dudes), beware: your drunken body best remain clothed and in the stands. In 2005, a Jackson man, armed with a fire hydrant made his naked debut on the derby grounds, only to be shot with a taser dart that shelled out 50,000 electrical volts. Then in 2006, another ballsy streaker almost narrowly escaped the cops after parading his full monty for the crowd.  He was then apprehended and sustained injuries after a scuffle with police. Both men have taught us that the demolition derby, where impressionable children learn modes of destruction, is the worst place to be drunk in public. 
– Robyn Vincent

BEST INVENTIVE MECHANIC
Phil Bagley
Over on the West Bank, a mechanic is an old school recycler – that is, Phil Bagley does it himself. Like Mexican bottlers reuse bottles rather than send them to a recycling plant - sometimes the old label still shows through, Bagley takes all the oil from the cars he services and runs them through a machine that heats the shop, a machine that he invented. We don’t know if he does it to save money, to DIY or to be environmentally conscious, but we think its pretty cool. – Matthew Irwin

WORST VOTER CONFUSION
The Mayor’s Party Affiliation
We were a little perplexed about the results for Best Democrat. While those who made the list of most popular political representatives made perfect sense, there seems to be some confusion about the political affiliation of our mayor, Mark Barron. Barron was voted the third most popular Democrat in Jackson Hole, but the problem is he’s actually a registered Republican.
Sure, party affiliations don’t mean much at the local level, and Barron probably has a relatively centrist political outlook anyway. But we wondered why so many voters mistook him for a Democrat. Maybe Shannon McCormick, our ad sales dude, said it best: “Well, he seems like a pretty cool dude, so maybe a lot of people just assumed he’s a Democrat.” Works for us, but how will Barron feel about the confusion? – Ben Cannon

BEST COLUMNIST TO EDIT (Call it censorship if you will)
Aaron Wallis
Jackson Hole is not prepared for the opinions of artist Aaron Wallis. In a town of people perpetually tiptoeing around each other to avoid controversy, misunderstanding (another word for “neither one of us wants to admit we’re wrong”), and lash-back, Wallis calls things as he sees them. I respect the brutal sincerity in Wallis’ point-of-view. Though he is harder on our provincial town than he needs to be and though he really pisses us off sometimes, he challenges us to view ourselves in a bigger context. I’m still gonna edit him though. – Matthew Irwin

BEST SHOW OF FORCE
Jackson Cops
Some may disagree, but Jackson has the best cops. In New Orleans, the po-po are a bunch of hard-asses. The Riverton PD makes the Keystone Cops look like CSI Wyoming. I’ve seen local law enforcement work from both sides – as perp and complainant – and I have found them to be nothing but courteous and professional. Jackson presents unique problems for those who protect and serve. Our small town demeanor is giving way to big city riff-raff. Murder, arson, and drug crimes are now cropping up and officers never know whether they may be responding to a cat in a tree or a bank robbery on any given shift. Sheriff’s deputies will usually look the other way over a ‘spidered’ windshield – they know the drill. JPD has seen their share of drunks and still remain civil night after night. I sleep better knowing Johnny Law is on the job. – Jake Nichols

BEST AVALANCHE GEAR ACCOUTREMENT
Cholula Hot Sauce
When Josh Smith gets ready to ski in the morning he grabs his probe, shovel, beacon and a bottle of Cholula hot sauce. “I don’t have time to eat on a powder day,” said Smith, an employee at Nick Wilson’s. So he tucks a Nick’s breakfast burrito into his Flak Jacket to eat on the fly. “I’m not saying these burritos are the worst, but they are definitely not the best,” Smith said. Therein lies the necessity for a spicy condiment to add some oomph to his blasé breakfast. Smith nestles the entire glass bottle neatly into the upper left pocket of his avy vest, mixing taste, style and safety. – Christie Koriakin

BEST THING ABOUT LIVING IN A SMALL TOWN
Leaving your Doors Unlocked
I went out of town last year for Christmas. A couple of days later my roommate left town too. I returned home a couple of days before her only to find that she had locked the door. I realized I did not even own a key to my own house because we had never ever before locked the doors. I had to climb through the window to get back in, but it was a small price to pay for the feeling of well-being and safety that comes with living in a town where locking your doors is a choice. I’m not suggesting that there is no crime in Jackson. My jacket and my bike were both stolen last year. But they were both stolen from bars, later to be found around the corner the next day. In both cases, I’m pretty sure the perpetrator just needed to get home. And I am not suggesting that it’s a particularly good idea to leave your keys in the ignition like some people I know, but in comparison to a large city, the small town feeling of safety is completely liberating. Walking around town freely without fear and the freedom to place your purse down for a second at a bar creates an irreplaceable feeling of comfort that you just can’t find in some places. – Christie Koriakin


BEST ADVERTISING BY MAKING LIGHT OF AWKWARD SUBJECT
Lisa Finkelstein
No one on our editorial staff, to my knowledge, has had to deal with health problems like urinary tract infections or the frequent urge to pee (though reporter Jake Nichols, who recently turned 46, is a good candidate). But if and when anyone ever needs the name of a good urologist, it’s likely that Dr. Lisa Finkelstein’s will come up. For years, Finkelstein’s practice has stood out in newspapers around the region for her humorous, often irreverent ads about the pitfalls and inconvenience of living with a urinary disorder. If we were smart and had gone into advertising instead of journalism, we could use some marketing terms about how the most ridiculous ads are often the most effective. Admit it, all those Finkelstein ads have left some sort of impression on you, too. – Ben Cannon

BEST OF THE WORST
Face-Crack
Remember when people used to write letters? Then email came along. Email is so 2005. Sparked by Friendster in ‘02, popularized with Myspace since ‘03, and surpassed by Facebook in the last couple of years, social networks were originally geared towards college students. With more than 200 million registered users, Facebook’s fastest growing demographic is now women, 55 and older! It’s a love-hate invention—a Petri dish for invasion of privacy, farming of users’ data to advertisers, an invitation to child predators and other criminals, and a general waste of time. True. But indulging for just a few minutes never hurt anybody, right? Frequent users are attracted by low cost, reviving old relationships, keeping in touch with friends, even as a business tool. But it goes beyond that. It has become a cultural addiction for some.  In what was really the first Internet decade, and with social networking coming along in the latter half, the greatest impact of these sites has yet to be seen.Remember when people used to talk to each other? That is so 2009. – Aaron Davis

WORST TREND FOR PUBLIC RELATIONS
Transparency
Journalists hate the word “undisclosed.” Now, so does the American public. Thanks to the ramped-up ‘Age of eCommunication,’ there is nowhere to hide if you are St. John’s Medical Center, the Community Housing Trust, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort or Grand Teton National Park. Transparency is the “in” thing now. Ask the brass at Toyota, who are scrambling to come clean in the wake of their recent safety recalls. Ask a certain golfer or politician or preacher who entered into a clandestine relationship, got caught, denied everything, and finally held the obligatory press conference where they begged for forgiveness. St. John’s recently received a ‘razzie’ of sorts from a newly formed advocacy group for their refusal to open certain surgery records to the News&Guide. The Community Housing Trust guards its QuickBooks files like they’re weapons of mass destruction. If something goes down at the Mountain, readers can expect to get the scoop when the resort is good and ready to release it – usually in a late afternoon press conference (though this year’s avalanche response was much better than in 2009). And GTNP is notoriously stingy with access to information. Though we received no recognition for it, in 2006 JH Weekly obtained records for a fatal raft accident only after invoking the Freedom of Information Act. – Jake Nichols

BEST PUBLIC RESTROOM
Amangani Lobby
It’s impossible to single out one public restroom in the valley as the best, being as this is a community so endowed with numerous terrific restrooms. Well, actually there’s probably nowhere better to relieve oneself than in the cavern of modern luxury and good taste that is the lobby restroom at Amangani atop Saddle Butte. But really, men, how often do you or I actually get to number-one into a deep stone trough designed by angels or number-two in something that looks like it could be Donald Trump’s private stall – if he had good taste. Very honorable mentions go to some potties along Pearl. The bathroom at Pearl Street Bagels in town, for one, boasts a whimsical mural and is a constant miracle of no one rushing you by knocking. The best newcomer bathroom, meanwhile, is just down the road, at Pearl Street Meat and Fish. That one’s everything a bathroom should be: clean, warm, softly-lit, and I think I even remember seeing a little end table in there. If there’s not an end table in there, there should be. – Ben Cannon




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Best of JH 2010: People, Places & Trends | Planet JH News Article: Cover Stories

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