Y"all have a lot of opinions. This is the main thing I learned while evaluating the more than 126,000 votes for our 2016 Best Of list. Whether it was something as simple as a car wash, or impassioned as a restaurant, you Fort Worth faithful turned out in droves.
But, one thing you should know: We have a lot of opinions too. That's part of the territory when you work at a city magazine. So, when you turn to page 50, you'll find the reader picks for each of the 142 categories, as well as our staff picks. Sometimes, you'll even find a tie. That usually means that two of us here in the office butted heads and refused to back down on one of our favorites. For example, I think the windows, pond and minimalist vibe of Café Modern can't be beat in the category of "Best Atmosphere," while FW Inc. executive editor Scott Nishimura, a Mistletoe Heights resident, prefers the laid-back, writer-friendly feel inside Magnolia's Brewed. So, we were stubborn and they tied.
When you make your way down to the category of "Best Athlete," you might expect to find the likes of TCU athletes like Josh Doctson or Luken Baker. But, instead, you'll find Elizabeth Eder Northern. If you don't know her, you should, and Scott Nishimura tells you exactly why. Her athletic success led us to two other Fort Worth female athletes – Esmeralda Gonzales and Patricia Loredo. Writer Gail Bennison highlights their parallel stories as athletes at South Hills High School in the feature story, Esmie and Paty, on page 104.
Finally, June marks the second consecutive issue where a story on animals has brought me to tears. To be fair, that is not hard to do, but Jennifer Casseday-Blair writes the perfectly sweet, scary, maddening and hopeful account of TCU professor Dr. Michael Slattery and his journey to save the African rhino in the story, Horned Alliance, on page 98.
He might just be the best of the best.
Happy reading,
Kendall Louis
Executive Editor
