Best of Portland 2013: The Best Year

Best American Light Beer: 

Miller 64, "the light version of MGD, a scant 64 calories and 2.4 percent alcohol by volume so you can easily pound a sixer all by yourself, just as George Washington intended." ("Lite-N Up," July 3, 2013)

Best Pizza Sauce: 

Lonesome's "bright and very herbal marinara." ("Lonesome Hearts Club," Jan. 2, 2013)

Best Free Tea Served at a Portland Asian Restaurant: 

Yen Ha's blend, which "smells like oatmeal." ("Teatime for Tightwads," Feb. 27, 2013)

Best New Band: 

Shy Girls, a "chilled-out, swollen-hearted retro-R&B project." ("Best New Band," May 1, 2013)

Best Damn Rock Album Matthew Korfhage Expects to Hear All Year: 

Sun Angle's Diamond Junk, which "harks back to the harsh intensities of 1978-era New York City no wave and post-punk." ("Best New Band," May 1, 2013)

Best Time to Show Up at the Lumberyard: 

8:15 pm on Tuesday, "when riders at the weekly BMX session are warmed up enough to try challenging tricks that will occasionally force them from their frames at this indoor mountain-bike park, located inside a converted bowling alley.” (“Do the Brew,” Jan. 23, 2013) 

Best Dried Ramen:

(As determined by surprisingly picky summer interns): Wai Wai Brand Oriental Style, praised because a "strange spicy aftertaste won't leave your mouth." ("Instant Karma," June 26, 2013)

Best Bagel:

(As determined by five local rabbis): Bowery Bagels' plain bagel, identified as "the only real water bagel" offered. ("Keeping It Kosher," April 17, 2013)

Best Tamales: 

Casa de Tamales, filled with beef that is "pot-roasty and great." ("Christmas Style," Dec. 19, 2012)

Best Regional Diner Chain in America:

Shari's, which is extraordinary among "24-hour diners found mostly near freeway exits—places like Denny's, IHOP, Waffle House." ("Gold Chain," June 19, 2013)

Best Oregon Mustard: 

Monastery Mustard Deli Original: "Divine inspiration. A gospel mustard." ("Yellow Bellies," May 15, 2013)

Best Cafe Mocha: 

Coffeehouse Northwest's mocha, "nutty espresso made rich with an herbal, high-cacao chocolate and a perfect head of chocolate-dusted cream." ("Daft Dunk," Nov. 21, 2012)

Best Food Product Made With Hemp: 

SortaSausage hemp burger, though "the best part of the hemp plant is definitely not its seeds." ("Pot Meet Kettle," Feb. 20, 2013)

Best Chili Beer Ever: 

Barley Brown's Citra Hot Blonde. ("It List," Sept. 24, 2012)

Best Beer Selection of Any American Grocery Store That Also Cuts House Keys, Employs an In-House Chocolatier and Sells Camcorders: 

Fred Meyer on Hawthorne. (Beer Guide, March 20, 2013)

Best Thing in the World When You're High: 

Portland City Grill's kung pao calamari ("You're Not High in Portland Until..." Feb. 20, 2013)

Best Thing Matthew Singer Ate Last Year: 

La Sirenita's Special Burrito, which "falls apart with one bite, splattering globs of meat, onions, beans, cheese and ranchero sauce on the tray below." ("The Best Thing I Ate," Dec. 26, 2012)

Best Coffee City in the Country: 

Portland, where "it's easy to become complacent about…swinging by the cafe down the street for a single-origin cold-brew sweetened with agave nectar and served in a biodegradable cup alongside a laundry list of tasting notes." ("The Caffeinator," Nov. 21, 2012)

Best Beef Jerky: 

Western Meat Market Hot Peppered, "the standard bearer of Portland jerkydom." ("Jerk-Off," Aug. 15, 2012)

Best Coffee Beer Available in Oregon: 

AleSmith's Speedway Stout, "coal black with a strong anise flavor and deep caramel head. Dripping with fudge and coffee, it's as rich and strong as a digestif." ("Double-Brewed," Nov. 21, 2012)

Best Hard Apple Cider Made Within an Hour of Portland: 

Anthem Traditionally Fermented Cider. (“Pickin’ Apples,” May 8, 2013) 

Best Kielbasa Plate Matthew Korfhage Has Had This Side of Chicago: 

Bar Dobre's plate, which, for only $12, "will serve two, and includes spicy house-stuffed sausage, seared kale ensconced in plentiful bacon, a fluffy potato pancake and warmly brined sauerkraut." ("Pole Position," Feb. 20, 2013)

Best Dolphin Tattoo You'll See All Day: 

A tattoo photographed at the Body Art Expo in Vancouver. ("The Best Dolphin Tattoo You'll See All Day," April 17, 2013)

Best Type of Kitschy: 

The kind at the Alibi, which is "entertaining and not too self-important." (Bar Guide, April 24, 2013)

Best Fish and Chips: 

Frying Scotsman's "huge planks of tender, flaky white cod in a light batter that's golden like the sun and gets better with vinegar." ("Cod Save the Queen," July 25, 2012)

Best Chance of Breaking the City's Addiction to Grandiose Flailing: 

Political candidates endorsed by WW in the November 2012 election. ("Risky Business," Oct. 17, 2012)

WWeek 2015