Katherine’s in the CasaBlanca, 950 W. Mesquite Blvd., and Gregory’s in the Eureka, 275 Mesa Blvd., fight it out tooth and nail, or maybe knife and fork, in the “Fine Dining” and “Best Restaurant” categories of the annual Best of Mesquite contest, sponsored by the Mesquite Local News.
Katherine’s edged out Gregory’s in both categories in the 2011 Best of Mesquite balloting. And the CasaBlanca also topped the Eureka as the best lounge or nightclub in the community during 2011.
But this year, Mesquite’s two casino giants would have faced two new players in the bragging-rights contest.
There’s a new lounge in Mesquite’s night scene. Envy is located at 792 W. Pioneer Blvd. And we’ve heard some good things about the place. Of course we also heard good things about its neighbor, The Press Box, and expected it to do well in the balloting this year. But it’s a tough market and The Press Box didn’t survive.
There’s also a new dining experience in Mesquite – Cucina Italiana at 471 W. Mesquite Blvd. We didn’t have an Italian restaurant category last year, so I thought Cucina Italiana would be competing against the big guys this year.
But, no. “Italian restaurants” was one of the nine new categories that were added for 2012. So it’ll a rematch between the Behemoths of the Boulevards; the Cream of the Casinos; Gregory’s and Katherine’s.
Of course, another new category pits all of Mesquite’s businesses against each other: Customer Service.
We’ll have to see how the voting goes. And voting began yesterday, Aug. 1.
The Best of Mesquite depends upon the honor system. So don’t be like those people who watch PBS but never donate to the station. Just vote once; don’t bribe people to vote for you and kidnapping or hostage taking to secure additional votes is highly frowned upon.
Balloting runs through Sept. 3 at 3 p.m. Any ballots received after that time will not be counted. Begging will get you nowhere. Vote by the deadline.
Among the categories again this year is a wild card reader’s choice for businesses that just don’t fit into a designated category or maybe are located a tad outside of city limits or in Arizona. Altogether there’re 50 categories.
To vote you must be 13 years of age or older by Sept. 3. Let’s face it, 12-year-olds don’t have the judgment of a 13-year-old, and we had to set some kind of limits on age because who wants to count ballots written in Crayolas.
Only four people per household are allowed to cast ballots, and since the kids under 13 can’t vote anyway, that’s not too unreasonable.
You can submit your vote online at www.mesquitelocalnews.com, but if you do, your IP address will be noted and only one vote per IP address will be allowed.
And if you vote online, you may not submit a written ballot. If it’s determined you do, both ballots will be discarded. It’s the honor system, remember.
You can mail your ballots to: Mesquite Local News, PO Box 1320, Mesquite, NV 89024, or you can drop them off at our office at 114 N. Sandhill Blvd. Suite C.
In case you show up while the office is closed, there is a drop box in the wall to the right of the door.
And submit an actual ballot clipped out of the newspaper. No photocopies will be allowed. And don’t even think about voting by e-mail or sending a fax.
It is the honor system, and that means if you cheat and send in multiple ballots with identical or similar choices, they’ll likely be disqualified. We’re not saying we’ve hired a professional hand-writing expert, but you never know.
For your ballot to be counted, you must register and write in your votes in at least 15 categories.
We might well contact some of you to verify that your vote hasn’t been usurped by someone else, like one of those PBS freeloaders.
And any false information given during registration will void that ballot. The actual winners will be announced Sept. 20, so anything you hear before then is pure balderdash.
The Mesquite Local News reserves the right to change the rules at any time. That’s why no purchase is necessary to vote: you won’t get your money back.
This contest is officially sponsored by Mesquite Local News.
This year's categories include: Best Athletic Center; Best Auto Repair; Best Bank; Best Breakfast; Best Buffet; Best Burger; Best Casino; Best Cellular Company; Best Chiropractor; Best Clothing Store; Best Commercial Landscaping; Best Computer Repair; Best Consignment Shop; Best Dentist; Best Doctor; Best Entertainment; Best Family Restaurant; Best Fast Food; Best Fine Dining; Best Gas Station; Best Golf Course; Best Grocery Store; Best Hair Salon; Best Handyman; Best Hotel/Motel; Best Insurance Agent; Best Italian Restaurant; Best Mexican Food; Best Movie Theater; Best Nail Salon; Best Night Spot; Best Oil Change; Best Oriental Food; Best Pest Control; Best Pharmacy; Best Pizza; Best Prime Rib; Best Real Estate Agent; Best Real Estate Office; Best Residential Lawn & Tree Care; Best Restaurant; Best Seafood; Best Skin Care; Best Slots; Best Spa; Best Table Gaming; Best Tax Prep & Bookkeeping; Best Video Poker; Reader’s Choice (Choose a business not qualified or included in the above categories); and, of course, that new one “Best Customer Service.”
I hope that one gets the most interest. It’s more positive than starting a Mesquite Worst Customer Service contest.