Overwhelming response as usual to this category, more evidence of what our readers do when given lots of choices. (Perhaps this is why the local politics categories get less traffic?)

Sometimes it seems the more things change, the more they stay the same, with Kuni’s back on the list for best sushi, despite having closed and reopened in a different location, alongside Kibarashi, which took over at Kuni’s old spot.

Best new restaurant finalists include the revamped (Bistro Europa was previously a small retail venue), the restored (North reopened the dining room in the classic Lenox Hotel) and the reimagined (Stillwater makes use of the glorious space that was Lord Chumley’s).

Empire Grill and the Chocolate Bar bring exciting brand new builds to different sides of the city: The Chocolate Bar’s downtown digs in the Hampton Inn showcase skilled metalwork, a decadent chocolate fountain and a continuous screening of Charlie & the Chocolate Factory (original version) playing on monitors in both bathrooms. The ambitious Empire Grill is a huge, multi-level place with an atrium and modern, open-air feeling—all light and air as opposed to the Chocolate Bar’s more sensual atmosphere.

The most genre-busting responses to our poll were found in the categories of best bar food, best Chinese, best late-night eats, best service and best steak.

For instance, the best bar food category takes us from the venerable Old Pink, with its famous steak sandwiches smothered in peppers and onions, to one of Buffalo’s best-loved gay bars, Buddies II, which may be the only dance club to serve food and do a helluva job of it, to the cavernous Pearl St. Grill & Brewery, which also boasts a full menu and table service to boot.

Best steak sees the popular take-out joint Jim’s Steak Out on the same list with one of the city’s high-roller destinations, Buffalo Chophouse.

Equally incongruent are the nominees for best Chinese, from the Elmwood Village/Buff State area take-out favorite Great Wall to the one-time Michelin-rated Ontario establishment Ming Teh, whose escargots in black bean sauce and reputation for authentic, gourmet Chinese food make it a destination restaurant for many on this side of the border.

Best late-night eats, if you follow our readers’ recommendations, could land you at the considerably upscale Mother’s, where you can usually order from both the dinner menu (think soft-shell crabs in season, filet mignon, smoked trout salad) and the bar menu (quesadillas, French fries, meatloaf sandwiches) until the wee hours; on the flip side, Buffalo’s own local Tex-Mex chain Mighty Taco is nominated in the same category.

Finally, the finalists for best service prove that interpretation is everything, with the always bustling and super-efficient Pano’s neck-and-neck with the sophisticated and sublimely elegant Rue Franklin.

Makes you wonder if it all depends on what the definition of “best” is after all.

—k o’day

The Chocolate Bar

best new restaurant

Bistro Europa

Stillwater

North

Chocolate Bar

Empire Grill

most romantic

restaurant

Salvatore’s

Mother’s

Hutch’s

Left Bank

Shango

best place for a

cheap date

Pano’s

Mighty Taco

Amy’s Place

Jim’s Steakout

Louie’s

best cheap breakfast

Pano’s

Towne

Amy’s Place

Bertha’s

Betty’s

best waterfront

restaurant

The Hatch

Harry’s

Root 5

Shanghai Red’s

Dock at the Bay

best late-night eats

Pano’s

Jim’s Steakout

Mother’s

Mighty Taco

Towne

best diner

Lake Effect

Pano’s

Amy’s Place

Towne

Kosta’s

best patio

Cozumel

Pano’s

Mother’s

Cecelia’s

Shanghai Red’s

best service

Shango

Hutch’s

Pano’s

Left Bank

Salvatore’s

best takeout/delivery

Kuni’s

Just Pizza

La Nova

Jim’s Steakout

Casa Di Pizza

best brunch

Off the Wall

Betty’s

Left Bank

Shango

Cole’s

best dessert

Sweet Tooth

Butterwood

Dessert Deli

Chocolate Bar

Delish

best deli

Globe Market

Marco’s

Guercio & Sons

Joe’s Deli

X-cel Produce

best bagel

Bagel Jay’s

Wegman’s

Elmwood Bagel

Spot

Amy’s Place

Kentucky Greg's

best barbecue

BW

Kentucky Greg’s

Buffalo BBQ and Brew

Fat Bob’s

Donnie’s Smokehouse

best beef on weck

The Bar Bill

Charlie the Butcher

Anderson’s

Schwabl’s

Swiston’s

best wings

La Nova

Gabriel’s Gate

The Bar Bill

Anchor Bar

Duff’s

best fish fry

Hamlin House

Papa Jake’s

Hoak’s

Gabriel’s Gate

McPartlan’s

best ice cream/

frozen yogurt

Anderson’s

Sweet Tooth

Antoinette’s

Fowler’s

Hannah’s

best burger

Grover’s

Jim’s

Sterling Place

Jimmie Mac’s

K. Gallagher’s

best hot dog

Street vendors

Taffy’s

Ted’s

Louie’s

Connor’s

best french fries

Ted’s

Jim’s Steakout

Louie’s

Papa Jake’s

Duff’s

best pasta

Chef’s

Frank’s Sunny Italy

Santasiero’s

La Bella Sicilia

Carmine’s

best pizza

La Nova

Mr. Pizza

Bocce

Casa Di Pizza

Franco’s

best salad

Globe Market

Le Metro

Pano’s

Shango

Brodo

best sub

Jim’s Steakout

Wegman’s

Mike’s

DiBella’s

John & Mary’s

best steak

Hutch’s

Buffalo Chophouse

E.B. Green’s

Fiamma

Jim’s Steakout

best sausage

Spar’s

Mineo & Sapio

Scime’s

Johnny’s

Erie County Fair

best seafood

Boston Hotel

Harry’s

La Marina

Hutch’s

Hayes Fish Company

best chinese

Great Wall

Taste Good

Chang’s

May Jen

Ming Teh

best japanese/sushi

O

Kuni’s

Kibarashi

Fuji Grill

Shogun

best thai/vietnamese

Saigon Bangkok

Saigon Cafe

Taste of Thai

King and I

Papaya

best french

Coda

Rue Franklin

Le Metro

Left Bank

Bacchus

best greek

Towne

Kosta’s

Ambrosia

Pano’s

Mythos

best indian

Taste of India

India Gate

Tandoori

Star of India

Kebab and Curry

Broadway Market

best polish

Polish Villa

Bistro Europa

Broadway Market

Peter K’s

Ray’s Lounge

“My grandmother”

best italian

Frank’s Sunny Italy

Santasiero’s

Chef’s

John’s Italian Village

La Bella Sicilia

best mexican/tex-mex

Cozumel

Gramma Mora’s

Cinco de Mayo

El Canelo

Mighty Taco

best middle eastern

Falafel Bar

Sahara Grill

Amy’s Place

Teta’s

Byblos

best vegetarian

Betty’s

Amy’s Place

Falafel Bar

Off the Wall

Lexington Co-op

best bar food

Buddies II

Gabriel’s Gate

Cole’s

The Old Pink

Pearl Street Grill & Brewery