The 2012 About.com Readers' Choice voting period has started. Voting will take place from Feb. 22 through March 21 with winners announced March 30.
I'll be blogging about each category over the next few weeks. If you don't know who some of the nominees are, you can learn more about them and how to visit them.
There's no prize -- just the bragging rights that come with getting recognized by the readers of About.com, a leading website owned by The New York Times Company. If applicable, a mention of being "Readers' Choice" will be added to the organization or business' directory listings on this site.
To learn more, visit awards.about.com. You must be logged in to your About.com or Facebook account to vote.
1. Best Food Truck in Little Rock
About.com
The five nominees for food truck are Banana Leaf, The Food Truck LR, Green Cuisine, Hot Dog Mike and Taqueria Samantha. There's a wide variety of food in this competition: Banana Leaf is Indian, the Food Truck has sandwiches, Green Cuisine is vegetarian, Hot Dog Mike is a unique hot dog cart and the Taqueria has some great Mexican cuisine. Who will win the mobile food battle?
2. The Best Blog in Little Rock
About.com
The five nominees come from varied backgrounds. Arkansas Foodies is a blog about local food. They often do restaurant reviews. Arkansas Women Bloggers is a collective blog, with contributors from all over the state. Little Rock Mommy is a couponing blog. Move Arkansas is an interesting blog about cycling, transit, planning & design in Central Arkansas. Tie Dyed Travels is about food and more in Arkansas.
3. The Best Late Night Spot in Little Rock
About.com
The top five nominees in this category are mostly bars, but we have two clubs. The Afterthought, Discovery, the Electric Cowboy, The Flying Saucer and Midtown Billiards are all up for this award.
4. Best Places for Pets
About.com
If you're looking for fun places to shop for you pets, check out our top five nominees: Just Dogs Gourmet Bakery, Northside Aquatics, Premium Pet Products, Petco and Petsmart. This is the only award where the chains outnumber the local places.
5. Best New Thing in 2011
About.com
Little Rock had many new things in 2011. The top five nominees were Big Orange, Dempsey Bakery, Juanita's (new location), Museum of Discovery (remodeled) and the University Market at 4Corners. I was surprised the new Apple store didn't make the cut!
6. Best Little Rock Shops
About.com
Mostly clothing shops got the nod for this award. The top five nominees were B. Barnett, Barbara/Jean, Baumans, Box Turtle and Vesta's.
7. Best Local Secret
About.com
Who knew all the best local gems would be restaurants? I guess Little Rock residents like to eat. The top five nominees are Arkansas Burger Company, B-Side, HBs BBQ, Kitchen Express and Star of India.
8. Best Little Rock Restaurant
About.com
I'm a little surprised at some of the Nominees here, but I agree that they're all good. Nominees include 1620, Amruth Authentic Indian Cuisine, Ashley's at the Capital, Brave New Restaurant and Trio's.
9. Best Museum, Theater or Gallery
About.com
The top nominees for best museum theater or gallery are Arkansas Arts, Center Community Theatre of Little Rock, The Market Place Cinema, Museum of Discovery and The Rave.
10. Best Local Spas
About.com
The nominees for best local spas are Clinic and Day Spa, Indulgences Spa, Quy's Salon and Spa and Rose Spa.
