EVERYBODY'S A CRITIC
Much ado about Annie's: You are kidding, right ["Best Neighborhood Bar West County"]? Neighborhood bars are for the common folk. Although the food and scenery are great at Annie Gunn's, the prices are exorbitant, the service is generally slow and there is a too long of a wait. Someone gave me $100 worth of gift certificates for Annie Gunn's, and my wife and I burned through those halfway through the meal. It is not a best neighborhood bar; it is a best restaurant for the moderately well to do. C'mon Riverfront Times, go back to your roots of catering to the people who actually read your paper. Try a retraction and choose a real neighborhood bar. I see that the French Quarter was the readers' choice. Too chicken to pick that one?
Luke W., via the Internet
Readers get their guns: By your own wording, "Bite back any urge you might have to order a Bud Light Lime — seriously, what's wrong with you?" You have just proven why Annie Gunn's is not the best neighborhood bar in west county. It is a pretentious place to see and be seen. Neighborhood bars are the places to go to be comfortable, to hang out with your friends and most certainly not be judged by what beer I choose to order.
Maggy, via the Internet
With friends like these: Interesting that the first sentence, "Don't walk into Pudd'nhead Books looking for an indiscriminate hodgepodge of every book ever written on a particular subject, piled up like so many boxes of drill bits at the Home Depot," has been exactly my experience every time I've visited there ["Best Independent Book Store"]. Don't get me wrong: I love my indies, and I love that another one has popped up, but this feels like a bit of misinformation to me. In any case, congrats, Pudd'nhead!
Ab, via the Internet
A Pudd'nhead fires back: Nikki at Pudd'nhead Books is my book sherpa, helping me navigate through the overwhelming mountains of crappy fiction to bring me the books that will change my life. As for piles of books, it's a bookstore, people. How would you like the books arranged? On a sleek online Web page with lots of customer reviews to help you decide which book is best? Yeah, it's called Amazon, and you will never find a good book on there because all the reviewers are just frustrated housewives with no sense of style. That's why they live in Ballwin and have Labradoodles as pets.
The point is, the public is a horrible judge of character. From Bush I and II to Jay Leno to Justin Bieber, the list is endless. You don't want Stephenie Meyer groupies telling you which book is five stars. You want Nikki. She's the Tim Gunn of books. And all those "piles of books"? Yeah, they're her piles of books, and she put them there for a reason. Don't believe me? Just ask — and then prepare to give up your Amazon wish list. Because saving 50 percent off retail for the latest crappy Mormon vampire story is not a "good deal"; it's a sign that you've made some horrible mistakes in your life and ended up married to the wrong man. See Nikki, stat.
James Frears, via the Internet
Stick with tried and true: I've never heard of DJ Needles ["Best Club DJ"]. There are way more DJs out there who are known and could have won this title. Why choose someone no one knows?
Um, via the Internet
Hardball over pinball: Are you people on drugs ["Best Place to Play Pinball"]?! Silver Ballroom is a very nice place and all, but certainly not the Best Place to Play Pinball. Sorry, but that honor rightfully goes to CP Pinball! Come on, now! Silver Ballroom has maybe like one-tenth the machines that Chuck has over at CP, and $10 flat gets you free play for up to six hours. This decision is completely insane. But then again, last year you guys gave the honor to Apop Records, which made even less sense!
Arson Smith, via the Internet
