BEST ASIAN FOODBEST SUSHIBEST MARTINI NAMEBEST PLACE FOR A FIRST DATEOsaka1665 Wabash Ave., 726-8037Osaka sure does a lot of things right. First things first, let’s start with the cocktails. We ]]> Welcome to BOSOften the news business takes us to the worst of Springfield, so we look forward every year to this edition, which brings you the best. In these pages, 72 of them this week, we celebrate]]> BEST ANIMAL RESCUE ORGANIZATIONAnimal Protective League1001 Taintor Road, 544-7387Springfield has at least five places where you can adopt an unwanted dog or cat, but Animal Protective League is, by f]]> BEST BAND WITHOUT A CATEGORY Still Kick’nOh my goodness, the bull ran loose when no category for country band appeared in the 2011 Best of Springfield list. Immediately fans of Still Kick’]]> BEST BARBERCraig JonesUnique Blendz Barbershop, 2917 S. MacArthur Blvd., 528-4245If you’ve got to put your head in the hands of a guy with some seriously sharp blades, Craig Jones is the kind of]]> BEST BAR FOODBrickhouse Grill & Pub3136 W. Iles Ave., 546-2745219 S. Fifth St., (downtown), 679-1500 OK, you’ve got your cheeseburgers, your horseshoes, your nachos, your chicken wings, your]]> BEST-KEPT SECRETFree knife sharpening at Schnuck’s1911 Sangamon Ave. E., 744-20122801 Chatham Road, 698-2980Sorry, dear readers, but perhaps you did not understand the question. Much as we loved]]> BEST BAR FOR SPORTSBEST CHICKEN WINGSBuffalo Wild Wings2808 N. Dirksen Parkway, 670-00484420 Wabash Avenue, 546-9453Walk into Buffalo Wild Wings and there’s not a seat in the house from which yo]]> BEST NEW BAND 2012BrushfireOur voters had impeccable taste in choosing this intensely hot country band, as this summer the group finished first in a national contest judged by country music industry h]]> Brewhaus617 E. Washington St., 525-6399BEST BARTENDERBrewhaus owner Mike Parkes, a perennial favorite in the best bartender category, seems to have trained his bar staff well. This count boiled down t]]> RIP, CAITIE GIRLBest downtown dining. Most original menu. Best chef. Best-kept secret.And all gone.If there was a landslide winner in this year’s Best Of competition, it was Caitie Girl’s,]]> BEST REAL-LIFE SUPERHEROTracey Sims – TurnOut Movement Art Studio6100 S Second St., Suite C, 816-3888It’s no surprise that voters named Abe Lincoln “best real-life superhero” i]]> Food and dining May we serve you? Arts and entertainment People and places Biz Bests Off the grid]]> BEST DOWNTOWN FESTIVALOld Capitol Blues and BBQs5th and Washington streetsAnn Frescura, Downtown Springfield, Inc.’s promotion and event director believes changes introduced to the sixth annual ]]> BEST BANK OR CREDIT UNIONHeartland Credit Union2213 W. White Oaks Drive, 726-8877720 S. Grand Ave. West, 726-88772717 Sangamon Ave., 726-8877701 N. First St., Room C18, 726-8877Bank like you own the p]]> More than 2,300 individuals participated in this year’s BEST OF survey, significantly more than in any prior year. We hope some of that interest came from a desire to answer the few curve-ball q]]> BEST OUTDOOR DININGPanera3019 S. Dirksen Pkwy., 529-6200 3101 W. White Oaks Dr., 726-5070With more than a handful of restaurants offering outdoor dining experiences, we were initially a bit surprised ]]>