Around Town

Best Auto Dealership: Lawrence Volvo in Walnut Creek. An experienced sales staff exudes enthusiasm and encourages residents to browse their online inventory and schedule a test drive. They even help find the best financing option.

Best Kept Secret Treasure of San Ramon: The Glass House. Step back in time and visit the elaborately decorated home of David and Eliza Glass, built in 1877. The San Ramon Historic Foundation offers tours on the second Saturday of every month.

Best Senior Living Facility: Villa San Ramon. The friendly, flexible environment offers tailored solutions to varied resident needs. Villa San Ramon offers three chef-prepared meals daily, scheduled transportation and access to nearby parks, restaurants and shopping.

Best Travel Agency: AAA Travel. Whether you're planning a family vacation to Disneyland or need a map of Memphis, friendly staff will take care of all your travel needs. This location also offers DMV services to AAA members.

Health and Beauty

Best Day Spa: Ma Jolie Salon and Spa. Designed to be the ultimate destination for pampering, owner Karen Phillips and staff offer the latest trends and artistic techniques to transform mind, body and soul.

Best Fitness Club: ClubSport of San Ramon. Pump iron, shoot hoops and cardio kick your way to peak levels of fitness at this luxurious club. Amenities include a pool, spa services and personal training.

Best Hair Salon for Men: Sport Clips. Specializing in only men and boy's hair, staff at sport clips will give you the MVP treatment. Watch sports on television while receiving a neck massage and steamed towel treatment -- all in about 20 minutes.

Best Hair Salon for Women: Ma Jolie Salon and Spa. Reasonably priced haircuts in a luxurious setting as well as hair repair services and styling for all occasions.

Best Manicure/Pedicure: Bollinger Nail Salon. Get your nails buffed, scrubbed and polished at this relaxing, brightly lit salon. Manis and pedis are relaxing treatments that you continue to enjoy with every glance at your hands and feet.

Best Martial Arts Studio: Tao Sports in Danville. Master Rick Kemsley has been taking Taekwondo since 1978 and opened this studio with the intention of building student's self-esteem through fitness and character development.

Best Place to Walk, Jog or Bike: Iron Horse Trail. Skate, walk, bike or run the right of way of the former Southern Pacific Railroad, established in 1891 and abandoned in 1971. Stretching across several counties, this multi-use trail is the most fun you'll have for 33 straight miles.

Best Yoga/Pilates: FIT Personal Fitness Studio. Staff at this Danville downtown studio provides much-needed relief from "warehouse" gyms with personal training with the most technologically advanced cardio and resistance machines.

Shopping

Best Art Gallery: Lindsay Dirkx Brown. See what local artists have to offer at this gallery run by the city of San Ramon. It's at the city's community center, 12501 Alcosta Boulevard, and has a different gallery exhibit each month.

Best Athletic Apparel Store: Tennis Trophies & Tee Time in Danville. Frank and Linda Haswell have put together a great staff, trained to make sure your shoes, clothing and equipment all fit perfectly. Big children's selection, too.

Best Bicycle Shop: Performance Bike in Dublin. Offering a great selection of bikes, bike parts, helmets, shoes, jerseys and shorts at the best prices, a low-price guarantee and the Spin Doctors to repair and customize all brands of bikes.

Best Bookstore: Bay Books. This family-owned shop has a great selection of books that changes daily, with half new and half used and rare, and a staff happy to make suggestions on something new to read.

Best Discount Store: Tuesday Morning in Danville. Name brand merchandise -- the same stuff you'd find at upscale department stores -- with "legendary savings" for your kitchen, bedroom, bath, home, toys, kids and pets. New merchandise arrives every week and special deals, you guessed it, on Tuesday mornings.

Best Florist: Crow Canyon Florist. A family owned and operated business committed to offering the finest floral arrangements and gifts and dedicated to making your experience pleasant.
Best Grocery Store -- Whole Foods. Half the fun of shopping at Whole Foods is checking out the free samples. We may stop by to pick up something fresh for dinner but somehow always manage to drop $10 at the immense salad bar.

Best Hobby/Craft Store: Tie: Richard's Arts & Crafts in Alamo and Michaels in Dublin. Guys' names are usually more associated with power tools than crafts, but our readers trust the homegrown Richard's, with two local stores and its bigger cousin, Michaels, the Wal-Mart of crafts stores.

Best Home Accessories: Home Consignment Center. Begun in Danville in 1994, Home Consignment Center had a simple business plan: great stuff at great prices and a fun place to shop. The company has become huge, but still remains a two-family business.

Best Men's Clothing Store: Patrick James of Danville. There's something James Bondish about the name Patrick James, but look for West Coast Classic styles here as well as English tweeds. Patrick and his sons Mike, Patrick Jr. and Clay are building a clothing empire based on quality clothing.

Best Place to Buy a Gift: Just a Little Something Gift Shop in Danville. The name says it all. There's something for everyone and every occasion and it offers complimentary gift wrapping.

Best Shoe Store: Hartz & Soles. When you feel like a heel, you can pick up a little sole at this Danville shoe shop. It has a great selection of stylish shoes and sandals from around $50 to $300. Customers rave about its service, too.

Best Women's Clothing Store: Loehmann's in San Ramon. With designer fashion at 30 percent to 65 percent less than department stores. Any given day you'll find names like Calvin Klein, Diane Von Furstenberg or Dolce & Gabbana.

Epicure

Best American Food Restaurant: Brass Door. Established in 1955 when the total population was a little over 100, the Brass Door has been around since before San Ramon was San Ramon. Great steaks, fresh fish and salads, but no one can remember why it was called the Brass Door, except that it has one.

Best Bakery: City of D'lights. Now at a larger location in San Ramon Square, with a new look, new menu and a new name -- Cafe Attila. It's now named for Chef Attila Gogos, the creative force behind the beauty and flavor of this Readers Choice favorite for cakes and pastries. Don't forget its wedding cakes.

Best Breakfast: Ruggie's Restaurant. Gotta love a place that serves breakfast all day. Patrons love the service, the fresh food and the large portions. The folks here don't take themselves too seriously, either: You can order "one measly egg" or a "slightly deformed waffle" off the kid's menu.

Best Burger: In-N-Out Burger. One food critic called In-N-Out Burger the "burger of burgers," and burgers are all they do. The long lines just make finally getting that Double Double with cheese and onions all the sweeter.

Best California Cuisine/Innovative Dining: Esin Restaurant & Bar. Café Esin is consistently named our Readers Choice. Kudos to husband and wife chef team Curtis and Esin deCarion, their inventive use of fresh ingredients and their six dessert specials a day (on top of the regular choices on the menu).

Best Chinese Restaurant: Uncle Yu's. Traditional Chinese cuisine melded with modern styles, so you can get anything from hot and sour soup and Mongolian beef to contemporary specials like smoked salmon on a bed of cucumber noodle, baby spinach, and sautéed with a shitake mushroom soy vinaigrette. Uncle Yu's had been our Readers Choice for years.

Best Deli: Erik's Deli. Erik's relies on the same keys to success it did when it started in 1973: a warm atmosphere, fast, friendly service, and quality food. Slow-simmered soups, fresh salads and bakery goods are made from scratch using family recipes and only the freshest ingredients.

Best Dessert: City of D'lights. People will drive out of their way to stop at City of D'lights (now Cafe Attila and at a new, larger location) for an applewood bacon and cheese scone, the rum- and espresso-soaked ladyfingers or the cappuccino, lemon poppyseed, blueberry or almond muffins.

Best Ice Cream/Yogurt Shop: Cold Stone Creamery. Nobody serves up the ultimate indulgence like Cold Stone: the highest quality ingredients all blended on a frozen granite stone. Founders Donald and Susan Sutherland were driven by their passion to create the world's best ice cream.

Best Italian Restaurant: Giuseppe's. Giuseppe's was established in 1998, and owner Joseph Marra has a passion for great food and a degree in enology, the study of wines. A popular favorite for early 13 years, plus, it's housed in an old bank, which makes for great conversation.

Best Independent Coffeehouse: Has Beans. This mom and pop coffee house has been around for 25 years, and the owners take a special pride in personal customer service. People love the prices, too.

Best Mexican Restaurant: Casa Orozco in Dublin. Hard work and Mama's recipes have made this place a popular favorite since it opened in 1984. It's no wonder our readers take the drive from San Ramon to Dublin for the food here. Me gusta Casa Orozco.

Best Outdoor Dining: Fat Cactus. A great place for a freshly made strawberry margarita on the outdoor patio next to the fountains and enjoy some music and food. Two things you need to know about Fat Cactus: It's never too crowded during lunch, and it has a bottomless mimosa brunch.

Best Pizza: Zachary's. With over 150 best pizza awards since it was established in 1993, it's easy to understand why Zachary's is our Readers Choice for best pizza. Zachary's offers two styles of pizza, a Chicago-style stuffed pizza and a traditional thin crust pizza. Plus, it's employee owned.

Best Place for a Business Lunch: Giuseppe's. Linen napkins and tablecloths, fantastic food and a great lineup of wines make Giuseppe's a great place to impress a client. Food always tastes better when someone else is paying.

Best Romantic Restaurant: Incontro. In Italian, incontro means encounter, or the coming together -- not a bad start for a romantic night. In this case, though, it means the coming together of the cuisine from northern and southern Italy. While you're there, try a flirtini!

Best Salad: Saladz n' More. Now Fresh Millions, this place is committed to serving organic, sustainably grown ingredients whenever possible. Made to order, hand tossed salads, with organic lettuces, housemade dressings, shrimp or bacon, with freshly baked bread on the side.

Best Sushi/Japanese Restaurant: Little Madfish. This Japanese restaurant is taking the East Bay by storm. Recently opened in San Ramon, Little Madfish offers 55 different rolls and sashimi but it also has Japanese noodle soups, charbroiled dishes, Japanese curry, rice bowls and Bento boxes.

Best Take-out Restaurant: Ha's. Clean, modern and cozy, Ha's offers great food in the $10 range. Great potstickers and honey walnut prawns and a lunch special even on weekends. Get there early, though -- the kitchen closes at 9 most nights.

Best Thai Restaurant: Thai Café. Tasty food at reasonable prices and a friendly staff, which is why Thai Café is a consistent Readers Choice. Thai one on.

Kids and Pets

Best Pet Groomer: Shampooches. "Tails are waggin' and pets are braggin'" at this competitively priced cat and dog salon. Pamper your pet with a custom cut from experienced, professional groomers.

Best Pet Sitter: Paws and Claws Pet Sitting. This independent owner provides sitting services as well as dog walking and a pet taxi.

Best Store for Pets: Pet Care Depot. Specializing in dog, cat, bird and small animal products, the Depot has the largest selection of veterinarian prescription diets in the Tri-Valley.

Best Tutoring School: Tutoring Club. Whether your child is falling behind or trying to get ahead, staff promise results in just 32 hours of work.

Best Veterinarian: Bishop Ranch Veterinary Center. Featuring primary care, emergency services, boarding, grooming and much more, Valley residents and their furry friends are in good hands -- or paws.

Home and Vehicle Maintenance

Best Car Repair: Autowerks European. Whether you drive a Mini or a Maserati, Autowerks European can save you big bucks over the dealer. Owner Paul C has been working on European cars since 1995.

Best Car Wash: Sponges Car Wash & Detail Center. Sponges has been tops in the car wash category for years. With a gift shop and café, you can relax while your car gets clean, plus Sponges is a big supporter of local charities, including San Ramon schools.

Best Flooring Store: Carpet One. Locally owned and operated, Carpet One has a 100 percent guarantee that you'll love your floor, and a Healthier Living Carpet Installation System to minimize allergens, mold, mildew and dust.

Best Hardware Store: Ace Hardware. John Madden aside, Ace Hardware in Danville is probably the closest thing to those old fashioned hardware stores where the guys knew every widget they had in stock.

Best Home Consignment Store: Home Consignment Center. If you selling, they sell fast and pay fast and no one has to come to your home. If you're buying, they got truckloads of high quality furniture arriving daily.

Best Home Furnishings: Home Consignment Center. As Home Consignment Center's sales have grown, furniture factories have started to consign their samples, closeouts, overruns or other products directly to the stores, meaning great deals on new furniture, too.

Best Nursery/Garden Center: Navlet's in Danville. Navlet's has been a local institution for more than 100 years. They're experts in the Bay Area's micro-climates and they offer classes and online how-to guides, too.

Out and About

Best Golf Course: San Ramon Golf Club. This is an excellent public course where you can play a round for as little as $17 on a weekday evening. San Ramon Golf Club is known for its meticulous greens and its 9th hole island green. Tee up and let it fly, and if can find your ball, do it again.

Best Happy Hour: Izzy's Steakhouse and Chops. San Ramon's secret happy hour, with pork sliders, grilled asparagus and breaded shrimp among the items on the menu for $4 to $6 and well drinks on the cheap. Feeling brave? Try the cucumber martini.

Best Place for a Picnic: Central Park. Sundays in Central Park in July mean simple pleasures: great music, dancing on the grass and chatting with friends. On other nights, just enjoy the well-groomed lawns and the laughter of kids and parents playing together.

Best Place for Dancing: ShBoom. This place draws a more mature crowd and is great for old school soul, with bachata classes the second Wednesday of the month. Just remember, when you "get down" you gotta be able to get back up!

Best Place to Get Together With Friends: HopYard Alehouse and Grill. An amazing selection of beer, great burgers, garlic fries and a patio. No wonder the Hopyard has been our Readers Choice for years.

Best Place to Have a First Date: Mt. Diablo State Park. The views make this a great place for a date, and the sunsets are breathtaking. '

Best Public Event: Art & Wind Festival. Hot air balloons, kites, dancing and vendors, this festival includes over 200 arts and crafts booths and entertainment on three stages. The perfect cure for the kids' complaint: "I'm bored."

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