Best of DeKalb 2008 Results

Tapping into the infamous 1980s rock scene, Hairbangers Ball is a band that covers monster rock bands of the 80s, according to its official MySpace site. Complete with leopard spandex and outrageous hair, Hairbangers Ball brings a truly unique show to DeKalb though the band claims their shows are more like parties.

In October 2006, Reilly’s opened up along Blackhawk Rd, giving students and residents a new watering hole. Mark Robison, assistant manager of Reilly’s, attributes their Best Bar win to the bar’s environment and staff. “The bartenders, the waitresses-- everyone’s just top notch,” Robison said. General manager, Ryan O’Malley adds the bar’s recent success is due to the bar’s ability to book big name deejays from Chicago, such as DJ Markski. Robison also commends the bar on its versatility throughout the week. “We try to vary,” Robison said. “We have a Tuesday pub theme and Thursday, Friday, Saturday we have a niteclub atmoshpere-- a Chicago type lounge.”

Mary Jo Orbegoso of Starbusters was served with Best Bartender of DeKalb by voters. Orbegoso has worked at Starbusters for about one year. Manager Matt McIntire said he is happy for Orbegoso and the bar. “Her personality makes her stand out,” McIntire said. “She’s a very nice person without a mean bone in her body.”

When it comes to a relaxing night sleep in an unfamiliar town, nothing beats Best Western. Voted best hotel in DeKalb, general manager Vicky Torres credits her win to her staff and their relationship with NIU. “Best Western has elevated itself in the past few years to compete with other brand hotels,” Torres said, who added that in the past couple of years, the hotel has made several additions and “upgrades.” The victory only adds to Torres’ many achievements; the owners of the chain that onws the Best Western in DeKalb awarded Torres “Manager of the Year” for her work.

For years the Paperback Grotto with its blacked-out windows has taken in curious stares from passing onlookers. Located at the not-so-secret location on the main street drag in downtown DeKalb, the Grotto has been rated as the town’s Best Kept Secret. Labeled as a “bookstore” the Grotto deals in adult paraphernalia and DVDs and occasionally hosts events like “Ladies’ Night” with chances to meet people with particular interests and win prizes.

Located just north of campus, Greek Row, the area located east of Annie Glidden Rd on Hillcrest, is a residential community dubbed for its large Greek presence. In addition to rows of Greek houses, however, the area also houses a large number of NIU’s student population who are not affiliated with the Greek System. Greek Row is connected to campus via the Huskie Bus.

Egg Haven was voted to have the best breakfast for “Best of DeKalb.” The restaurant has a 1950s model juicer to make juice on the spot, according to the DeKalb Daily Chronicle. A 14-ounce glass uses 10 to 12 oranges, according to the DeKalb Daily Chronicle. Also, Huskie Bucks can be used at Egg Haven according to NIU.

A good black angus burger can be a beautiful thing, and Fatty’s Pub & Grille was voted Best Burger in DeKalb. “They’re really good. They’re juicy burgers,” says General Manager Jennifer White. “It’s a great place to come for students and staff. We have a great college atmosphere.”

Located right off the NIU campus on Lincoln Highway, Happy Wok has been chosen by the NIU students to be the best Chinese restaurant in DeKalb. The restaurant has been serving the DeKalb community for 13 years. “We’re always friendly, we always keep everything clean, everything is freshly cooked and we always adjust orders for the customers,” restaurant manager Christine Wong said.

With two locations in the DeKalb area, Starbucks has been serving coffee to students and resident alike since 2005. “We serve very good coffee,” said Sam Hastings, store manager of the Lincoln Hwy location. “We take a lot of care to do that.” Hastings said Starbucks success however, relies on more than just good coffee. “The students appreciate our environment we provide as much as the coffee,” Hastings said. “We’re not in the coffee business serving people, we’re in the people business serving coffee.”

For the last 13 years, Applebee’s has served the DeKalb community. This year it was recognized as Best Date Restaurant.

Though Toppers’ presence in DeKalb has been limited to the last six months, it has won two Best of DeKalb awards-- Best Pizza and now Best Delivery. “I think we’re open later than everyone here,” said assistant manager Chris Tomaras. “Our drivers are still out at 4:30 in the morning.” Tomaras adds that the success of Toppers’ delivery service has much to do with the skill of their delivery drivers. “We have the fastest drivers and they know the area pretty well,” Tomaras said. According to Tomaras, Toppers takes their last order at 3:30 a.m. and the drivers are out until the last pizza is delivered.

Pi Kappa Alpha, more popularly known as the Pikes, has been a part of the NIU Greek System since 1972. “We strive to be the best,” said Jason Garcia, president and junior accounting major. “We keep good relationships within the Greek community.” As a fraternity, Garcia said the Pikes work on community service projects throughout the year and were recently named All Sports Champs. “It’s good to know that other people appreciate us and know we’re here,” Garcia said.

Old Navy, 2347 Sycamore Rd, has been serving fashion trends to DeKalb and Sycamore residents since 2001. According to customer service supervisor Shawn Deatherage, Old Navy is the number one place for womens shopping in DeKalb because of its constant influx of new fashions and customer repoire. “We have new product coming in quicker and a new theme every month,” she said. “Our product is awesome this season and our customer service is top notch.”

Spring is right around the corner, and Old Navy has the latest spring styles. The nation-wide clothing chain has been voted best guys’ shopping in DeKalb. “We have the best selection in town,” says Customer Service Supervisor Shawn Datherage. “Our men’s department has really stepped it up a notch.” Datherage says Old Navy has been in DeKalb for six years, adding “We have a great teamworking staff.”

Schnucks Markets opened it’s DeKalb location in December and managed to be voted the best grocery store in DeKalb in its first year in the competition. Store co-manager Ammar Mahmood said he feels the store’s efforts catering to the needs of customers helped Schnucks win. “We have a very clean store,” Mahmood said. Schnucks offers brand name products at reasonable prices and was built differently for the area, he said. Several departments in the store can cook food for customers while they shop, he said. Additionally, Mahmood said customers tell him the grocery store offers the best organic variety.

Need a good haircut without paying an arm and a leg? Hair Cuttery has been voted best haircut in DeKalb. “We’re closest to campus, we have reasonable prices and we’re fast,” says salon leader Tara Grommes. “We’re a full-service salon, so we do everything involving hair and waxing.” Hair Cuttery has been in DeKalb for nine years and has 11 stylists on staff. Grommes adds, “We definitely support NIU.”

Huskie’s Pizza has the vote for best late night eatery in DeKalb. Open until 3 a.m. Thursday thru Friday, Huskie’s Pizza welcomes late night hungry eaters. “We got a very clean place here,” said Craig Bernacki, Managing Owner of Huskie’s Pizza. “We make our ingredients fresh on site every day. I believe we have the biggest slice in DeKalb.” Bernacki adds that for an extra dollar, patrons can design their own slice a pizza.

Near the corner or First Ave and Lincoln Hwy, Otto’s Niteclub and Underground has featured live music for many years. “I believe it has been here since 1985 as Otto’s,” said venue manager, Jessica Quinn. Quinn says part of Otto’s success is due to their variety of live shows. “Sometimes we have tribute bands, sometimes we have obscure music, it all gives flavor to the town,” Quinn said. “We try to give a good mix of touring bands, bands that are local and bands from across the country. It gives people a chance to check out original music.”

Have a craving for a good taco, burrito, or tamale? According to the NIU students, Los Rancheros is the place to go in the DeKalb area for the best Mexican food. Located at 2350A Sycamore Rd., the restaurant has been open for only seven months and is already regarded as having the best Mexican food. “We have good food, good prices and good service and I would absolutely recommend anyone to come check us out,” restaurant manager José Lopez said.

One of the basic needs for any NIU driver is the periodic oil change. According to NIU students, the best place in DeKalb for oil change service is the Wal-Mart off Sycamore Rd. Wal-Mart’s automotive department has serviced DeKalb for about ten years and has been rated as the number one oil change service for its third year in a row. “It makes sense because we have the lowest prices in town, we have the best service and it’s convenient because it’s close by,” manager May Ladson said.

The votes are in and Toppers Pizza tops the rest by winning Best Pizza in DeKalb. Toppers’ DeKalb location has only been in existence for six months and with competition from many other pizza restaurants in town, Assistant Manager Chris Tomaras is proud of Toppers’ victory. “It’s pretty awesome that we’ve only been opened for six months and beat the competition,” Tomaras said. “I think the fact that we make homemade ingredients, have great variety and dedicated employees makes our pizza stand out.”

Sigma Kappa sorority, on campus since 1954, has long been a part of the NIU Greek system. “What’s really cool is we try to get involved with other Greeks on campus and the DeKalb and Sycamore community,” said Kelly Smith, public relations chair and sophomore special education major. Smith attributes the Sigma Kappa’s win to their sorority’s personality. “We’re your classy, girl next door, studious, hardworking and dedicated girls,” Smith said. “Since we uphold ourselves in a great way, other people see that too. When we wear our letters we have this presence.”

Yet again, the Founder’s Memorial Library was voted best place to study by the NIU community. “It’s aways nice to hear,” said Byron Anderson, interim dean of university libraries. “It says we’re doing something right. The library has added more comfortable furniture in selected locations throughout the building, according to Anderson. “It won’t be obvious where they are at,” Anderson said. “It can be a talking environment and they can ask where they are at the information desk.” The Founder’s Cafe, a new coffee shop which will reside in the building, is scheduled to open the Monday after spring break. “We try our best to be very student oriented,” he said. “The library really tries to keep student needs in mind.” Anderson says the library will continue to experiment in the upcoming months for what students would like to see.

With 17 beds, 1 Mystic Tan booth and Lumiere facial rejuvenation services, owners Teresa Lynch and Norm Adshade have been satisfying the needs of customers since they opened Dynamic Tanning four years ago. Lynch attributes her salon’s success to its clean environment, quality beds and educated staff. “I receive so many compliments about my staff in regards to that,” Lynch said. “My staff undergoes thorough customer service training and tanning education. We also try to give a little bit more of a personal touch.”

Molly’s Eatery and Drinkery, 1022 W. Lincoln Hwy, not only offers food and drinks, but according to DeKalb, a great wait staff as well. “All of us have a lot of experience,” Cole said. “We’re all very friendly. All of us act like family.” In addition to experience, Cole attributes the wait staff’s success to the change in Molly’s owners. “With our new owners, they really know what they’re doing and they know who they’re hiring,” Cole said. “They train us really well.”

Fatty’s Pub & Grille, 1312 W. Lincoln Highway, has been serving the DeKalb community for 10 years. “It’s a great place to go watch a game, have a drink and have a great meal,” said Jeff Dobie, owner of Fatty’s Pub & Grille. “The whole fact that we are all sports fans and it’s real,” Dobie said. “We attract a lot of knowledgeable sports fans.” Dobie said he thought the reason why they won was the great atmosphere of watching games with the sound on with friends and lots of cheering.

Out on a Whim, 127 E. Lincoln Highway, has done over 20,000 piercings over the six years that it has been established. “When it comes to customers we are number one,” said Kenneth Weinstock, owner of Out on a Whim. “If someone has a problem or question with a piercing whether we pierced them are not, they’re welcomed to come in.” Weinstock also said the store has an extensive selection of body jewelry at wholesale prices and a Web site whimbodyjewelry.com for better convenience. Recently Out on Whim has been doing educational seminars and talks at the dorms.

The DeKalb Community was first introduced to Mango’s Frozen Custard and Smoothie Bar, 890 Pappas Dr. and their ice cream seven years ago. Stassa Whitman, manager of Mango’s Frozen Custard and Smoothie Bar, said she thought the store had won because of its environment and selection. “I think it’s a really good environment,” Whitman said.” “We are known for our smoothies, and we have over 50 flavors of custard.” The store will soon be expanding its services by delivering, Whitman said.

Sweet Dreams Desserts and Catering Inc., 1969B DeKalb Ave, has been providing the community with tasty treats for about two years. The bakery offers three main types of services including a bakery, an eat-in-cafe and full-service catering. Deanna Watkins, owner of Sweet Dreams Desserts and Catering Inc., said that she hoped the reason why people voted them best bakery was because people would say they have great service and a quality bakery. “It’s a great honor to be the best bakery and we hope to keep that up for years to come,” Watkins said.