Bagel: Brueggers

    San Diego’s about 3,500 miles away from the bagel's birthcoast, but we’re no NASA when it comes to these tasty, healthful O-rings. Downtown’s hottest bagel spot, according to our wheat poll, is Brueggers, in the historic U.S. Grant Hotel. What’s so special? First, the obvious.

    "They're baked fresh throughout the day," reports Patty Molloy, the g.m. But more importantly, this corporate chain is surprisingly nimble, constantly coming up with new twists. Just this July, Brueggers rolled out a new cranberry granola bagel. "They're a big hit, a smashing success," reports Molloy, a P.R. natural. Einstein's and Samsons tied for second.

    Power Lunch: Dobson's

    Norman Mailer pondered his Newts here during the Republican National Convention, as did just about every other media wheel and right-minded bigwig. Perhaps Paul Dobson, who owns this winning place, was a mafia don in another life. Compact, suave, and slightly mysterious, Dobson uses his considerable charisma and impeccable taste to create the place for lunchtime people-watching Downtown. The food ain't bad either, but you may not notice.

    Martini: Blue Point

    Well, how the hell can you screw up something that’s pure liquor? Easy. Cheap vodka, warm glass, stirred, not shaken, bitter olive, too much vermouth. Now that lounging is hip and it’s OK to love Burt Bacharach again, martinis are the essential Happy Hour libation. "I serve more martinis than Karl Strauss beer," says Blue Point bartender Howard, "between 50 and 75 easily in a four-hour shift." Ketle One from the Netherlands is the most requested brand of vodka. Any mixing secrets? "Gosh, we just make sure we shake 'em real good." Bitter End finished a bitter second - should have added some vermouth.

    Microbrewery: Karl Strauss

    Howard at Blue Point may pour more martinis than custom Karl's, but Karl Strauss's Old Columbia Brewery got twice as many votes as its seven competitors combined in this category. And at a time when more and more young families are moving Downtown, it is reassuring to note that some midwives recommend moderate amounts of fresh brew for nursing mothers.

    Chinese: Panda Inn

    That America's Cup eatery ported for a while at Horton's food court before sailing away, and even architect Tom Grondona's hip Boardwalk Fries was eventually lost to sea, but the Panda Inn has proudly plied Horton Plaza Shopping Center since it opened in 1984. Elegantly decorated, with skyline views and food served fresh-hot from the wok, this place doesn’t feel like part of a chain (the others are in L.A.). Chef Phat Vuong is the Panda's present Papa Bear, and he has preserved its reputation for spicy heat, tender beef, and noodles that are never gummy. No other place came close enough to earn second place.

    Steak House: Ruth's Chris

    In the 1980s, fat juicy steaks weren’t hip. The coked-out nouveau riche could only stomach small, chi-chi California cuisine. Now that big beef is back in vogue, no one does it better - or bigger - than Ruth's Chris. These are the sort of monster slabs that would do John Wayne proud, partnuh...if he were still alive and San Diego was somewhere nearer Monument Valley, where those famous westerns were filmed. Rainwater's and Morton's tied for second.

    Barbecue: Kansas City

    Market Street shuffled over a notch, a trolley trampled through, and landscape gurus Peter Walker and Martha Schwartz added a funky new strip called a "linear park." And when the redevelopment "thang" down there was all done, about the only authentic item left was the K.C. BBQ. Even development-prone CCDC types knew they could never get away with leveling this hallowed hall of black southern BBQ genius. I asked them once about the secret of their sauce, and they wouldn't fess up, but I can tell you that the ribs, smothered in this rich red elixir, served next to an obscene pile of curly fried onions, are the kind of soul food that made cats like T-Bone Walker sing their bestest blues.

    Hamburger: Downtown Johnny Brown's

    Winner by default, since the biggest vote getter was Corvette Diner. Too bad it’s in Hillcrest, which doesn’t qualify as Downtown even by a stretch. Johnny's edged out a second place group including the Grand Central Cafe (favored by the Downtown YMCA constituency), Buffalo Joe's and Dick's Last Resort - particularly popular with the college crowd.

    Tacos: Rubio's

    You gotta have tender fish fried to a crisp, fresh tortillas, crisp green cabbage, distinctive salsa (in this case distinguished by a slightly singed taste)...and some tangy white secret sauce to glue the whole mess together. Sounds simple enough, but go fish taco tasting Downtown - or anywhere else in San Diego for that matter - and you'll find that our native Rubio's chain serves the consistently best fish tacos. Their lard-free peppery refrieds are first-rate too, and if you’re a health fanatic, you can order fish tacos with grilled mahi mahi. Rubio's edged Santa Fe by a tortilla-thin two votes.

    Sandwich: Symphony Cafe

    You've probably forgotten the Earl who allegedly invented this highly portable source of sustenance (according to "Saturday Night Live," he slapped one together for a late-night snack), but for many it remains the fast-lunch food of choice. Downtown has many a sandwich emporium, but the Symphony Cafe is by far your favorite. The "Symphony Club" (turkey-bacon-avo) is its most popular sandwich, but options such as the "Cajun Chicken Salad Sandwich" and the "Hot Seafood Cheddar Melt" also would impress the Earl. Mimo's and the Cheese Shop sliced through to split second place.

    Pizza: Sammy's

    Not only are they pioneering pizza players, but the people at Sammy's were elemental in the redevelopment effort, holding down the Fourth Avenue retail side of Horton Plaza as this street came alive. Sammy's wood-firing method and gourmet ingredients give these pies a fresh, gourmet touch. If it’s more traditional Italian pie you’re after, visit second place Filippi's on India Street in Little Italy.

    Italian: Mama Gucci's

    Jeez, don’t tell co-owner and publicist Jack Berkman that it wasn’t his beloved Fio's that won this category. No, the Northern Italian eatery came in second to Mama Gucci's on Sixth Avenue between C and B streets. Gucci's, which topped this field of 25 eateries, obviously has a lot of lunch time fans who read Metropolitan, since it closes at 3 p.m. each day. Curious employees, who trekked over for lunch after the results came in, now understand why Gucci's scored so high: good food, prices and ambiance.

    Sports Bar: Jewel Box

    Dennis Rodman's rainbow dome looks better on big TV after a few brews. Hell, watching Da Bulls is almost like going to a Kiss concert, and if you want to get rowdy while you do it - or you want to catch The Worm in his off-season gig with World Wide Wrestling -what better place than a sports bar? The Jewel Box, located in Centre City East on F Street where Highway 94 dumps commuters into Downtown, got the nod over 10 others, although Johnny Brown's was a close runner-up.

    Smoothie: Mr. Juice

    Sprinting across Downtown during lunch hour errands, you don’t have time to eat. Better quaff one of these frozen, blended, fortified, carbo-laden liquid lunches whipped up by Top Smoothie Man, Mr. Juice. Situated down Broadway, the Juice Man (not to be confused with the other "Juice") faced stiff competition here, but nothing as stiff as Marcia Clarke. Runners-up were La Fresqueria and Pure Juice, in the thick of it for second.

    Health Food: La Fresqueria

    Ever since she opened her first La Fresqueria on Seventh Avenue in the early 1980s, owner Celeste Dominguez has displayed her impressive gift for combining fresh, fresh ingredients in provocative new ways. A tuna torta with a peanut butter smoothie has long been my personal favorite, but she offers many other tantalizing concoctions. Anyway, I still have a massive crush on her, and you can tell her I said so. Kung Food finished a distant (and bland) second.

    Delivered Lunch: A Tie Paradise Bakery & Cafe
    The Cheese Shop

    Everything’s so fast nowadays, we don’t even have time to leave our desks for lunch. Witness the 17 mobile contenders in this category, which resulted in our only draw. Paradise came out swinging with its zucchini muffins, turkey sandwiches, and chicken-with-wild rice soup, but those heavyweight cheese-laden sandwiches lend the Cheese Shop a solid foundation. These two slugged it out to a standstill.

    Coffee House: Starbuck's

    A travesty to those purple-haired Gen X-ers who staff the existential espresso dives, and to longtime fans of Bob Sinclair's Pannikin, corporate giant Starbuck's nonetheless serves several great species of coffee, as well as an array of pastries, including the maple scone, that offer a change of pace from the standard-brand muffins and scones delivered daily to most of Starbuck's competitors. Starbuck's is also the only place that comprehends proper portions, when it comes to caffeine. Its "grandes" are Downtown’s most devastating doses of the legal drug.

    Happy Hour: Santa Fe

    It’s Friday, you’re tired, and you want to hoist a cerveza or margarita while kicking back to watch a cross-cultural trolley-station crowd. Santa Fe bested 31 other contenders in this category, and it’s bound to become even more popular when the new main library opens nearby sometime around the year 2000.

    Mud Pie: Chart house

    Ever tried to trounce one of these weighty wedges single-handedly, following a seafood lunch or dinner? Not only is the ice cream excellent and the chocolate so gooey it’s obscene. These monstrous icebergs are so big, it takes three "waitrons" to carry them, a concrete-reinforced table to support them, and at least four fierce folks with electric knives to carve them. In case you wondered, no one else even slid close.

    Fitness Club: YMCA

    Fancy-pants places woo executives with the promise of chrome, high-fashion, and Kenny G's pathetic wail in the background, but the YMCA bested the West Side Athletic Club by three votes, with the other four contenders mopping up the sweat. YMCA supporters were a resilient bunch, submitting the most ballots of anyone, all signed, thank you, although many had only this category filled in.

    Art Gallery: San Diego Museum of Art

    Well, technically, Balboa Park is Downtown, so we’ve got to go with the readers here. And the wisely chosen shows certainly do keep the San Diego Art Museum's turnstyles turning. But we can’t go any further without acknowledging that some of you did vote for some innovators operating on shoestring budgets, including Debi Owen's Dos Damas and David Zapf's continually provocative place on Kettner. The Museum of Contemporary Art came in a close second.

    Place to Buy A Tie: Nordstrom

She runs her nylons, he spills guacamole on his red tie. Apparently, they both end up at Nordstrom, where he can choose from one of the county's most impressive collections of elegant neckware, at fairly reasonable prices. Macy's cinched second place.

    Place to Buy Pantyhose: Nordstrom

    How they bested second place Victoria's Secret (whose star model, Stephanie Seymour, went to high school in Poway, wore swimwear in San Diego Home/Garden, and married and divorced Axl Rose), we’re not sure, but maybe a lot of guys and girls are intimidated by crotchless panties. Or maybe Nordstrom gains cross-sales from its legendary shoe department. Regardless, when a Down-town girl's nylons run, she's most likely to hit Nordstrom. Only a sheer step behind these two were Thrifty, Mervyn's, Ralph's, Longs - and last place F Street Bookstore.

    Movie Theater:United Artists Horton Plaza

    It’s a sign of the times when a mega-plex beats the big old-fashioned theaters in Hillcrest. Downtown’s glorious movie palaces are long gone now (I fondly recall the day I covered the closing of the Pussycat), but even if these glitzy new entertainment meccas don’t offer glamour, they do have really comfy seats and first-rate sound systems. (With OliverMcMillan's 15-plex Pacific Theatres opening in the Gaslamp Quarter in a few months, this category should be a bit more competitive next year.)