The fifth annual Best of West Hartford took place at Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar on Monday, Nov. 4, and winners were announced by guest hosts WFSB’s Kara Sundlun and Dennis House.

By Joy Taylor

On Monday night, Fleming’s main dining room in Blue Back Square was transformed to accommodate a full house of smiling, cheering, local business owners who celebrated the 50 winners and 100 finalists in the fifth Annual Best of West Hartford, presented by EDENS, hosted by Fleming’s, and produced by WHMedia.

The jaw-dropping decorations included an ice luge by Ice Matters that was sponsored by UBERDOG, Companions for Living, and Daley Moving & Storage. The luge was the vehicle to serve the Prosecco provided by West Side Wines. An amazing, three-tiered, custom cake was created by Carol Murdock of Classic Cakes and sponsored by Northwest Catholic High School and Sheehan Hilborn Breen Funeral Home. Gorgeous flowers were arranged by A Special Place Floral Studio.

Of course, countless hours by an outstanding committee, staff, and volunteers held the event together, but now the moment you’ve all waited for … the winners of the 2019 Best of West Hartford (make sure you scroll to the end to see the top 5 vote getters and a few photos from the evening by Todd Fairchild):

Best Bakery
1st Donut Crazy
2nd Hartford Baking Company
3rd Classic Cakes

Best Breakfast
1st Effie’s Place
2nd Blue Plate Kitchen
3rd Quaker Diner

Best Tea
1st Green Tea House
2nd Tea Break
3rd Cafe Sofia/Tisane

Best Coffee
1st J.Rene Coffee Roasters
2nd Cafe Sofia
3rd SPoT

Best Brunch
1st Pond House
2nd Artisan
3rd Ávert

Best Family Restaurant
1st Corner Pug
2nd A.C. Petersen Farms
3rd Effie’s Place

Best Fine Dining
1st Fleming’s
2nd Treva
3rd Max’s Oyster Bar

Best Grocery Store
1st Hall’s Market
2nd Crown Market
3rd ShopRite

Best Ice Cream
1st A.C. Petersen Farms
2nd Abby Dabby
3rd Milkcraft

Best Pizza
1st Harry’s Bishops Corner
2nd Savoy
3rd Jimmie’s Pizza

Best Business Lunch
1st Restaurant Bricco
2nd Max’s Oyster Bar
3rd Park & Oak

Best Wine Shop
1st The Wise Old Dog
2nd Harvest Wine & Spirits
3rd West Side Wines

Best Burger Restaurant
1st Rockledge Grille
2nd Max Burger
3rd Plan B

Best Ethnic Restaurant
1st Black Bamboo
2nd Zohara
3rd Bombay Olive

Best Food Truck
1st Craftbird
2nd Iron & Grain
3rd The Liquorist

Best Preschool/Daycare
1st Mandell JCC, Beatrice Fox Auerbach ECC
2nd St. Joseph School for Young Children
3rd Lollipop Tree Nursery School

Best Camp
1st Renbrook School Summer Adventure
2nd Camp Shalom
3rd Camp KO

Best Eyewear
1st Harvey and Lewis
2nd Central Optica
3rd Sight

Best Specialty Retail
1st Toy Chest
2nd Penzey’s Spices
3rd Cookshop Plus

Best Fine Jewelry
1st Lux Bond & Green
2nd Becker’s Fine Jewelry
3rd DeRobertis Jewelers

Favorite Non-Profit
1st Ron’s Run for the Roses
2nd Children’s Charity Ball
3rd Visions/Voices

Best Sports Retail
1st Fleet Feet Sports
2nd Play It Again Sports
3rd REI

Best Men’s Local
1st Daswani Clothiers
2nd CT Custom Clothing
3rd Jos. A. Bank

Best Women’s Local
1st BK&Co
2nd Kimberly Boutique
3rd Hope & Stetson

Best Home Decor
1st Larsen’s ACE Hardware
2nd John Boyle Home Decorating
3rd Kaoud Oriental Rugs

Best Exercise/Fitness
1st WIP Fitness
2nd Mandell JCC Greater Hartford
3rd Orangetheory Fitness

Best Hair Salon
1st Salon Medusa
2nd Off Center Salon & Spa
3rd Matthew Philips

Best Barber Shop
1st Bristle & Blade Barberia
2nd Final Cuts Sports Barber Shop
3rd Degras Barber Shop

Best Spa
1st Body and Sole Spa Therapies
2nd Touch of Bliss
3rd Face Rx Medspa

Best Yoga
1st West Hartford Yoga
2nd Mandell JCC Greater Hartford
3rd Yoga Shop

Best Home Health Care
1st Companions for Living
2nd JFS Care At Home
3rd Juniper Homecare

Best Assisted Living
1st The McAuley
2nd Hoffman Summerwood
3rd Chatfield

Best Entertainment
1st Cinepolis Cinema
2nd Playhouse on Park
3rd West Hartford Symphony Orchestra

Best Happy Hour
1st Treva
2nd World of Beer
3rd Ocho Cafe

Best Late Night Spot
1st Barcelona West Hartford
2nd Vinted Wine Bar & Kitchen
3rd Elbow Room

Best Lawn/Landscaping Contractor
1st Trout Brook Landscaping
2nd Chenail Lawn Care
3rd Begley Landscaping

Best Pet Services
1st Woof Gang
2nd Pet Supplies Plus
3rd Dogology

Best Veterinarian
1st Vet Specialists of CT
2nd Petcare Veterinary Services
3rd CT Veterinary Center

Best Real Estate Company – Commercial
1st Udolf
2nd RLM
3rd Figure Eight

Best Real Estate Company-Residential
1st William Raveis Real Estate
2nd Coldwell Banker
3rd HART Real Estate Group

Best Real Estate Agent
1st Kara Flanagan
2nd Kevin Eagan
3rd Robin Gebrian

Best Wealth Management/Financial Planning Firm
1st Charles Schwab
2nd Northstar Wealth Partners
3rd Valerie Thomas

Best Wealth Management/Financial Planning Individual
1st Martin Coursey
2nd Whitney Burr
3rd Robert Laraia

Best Home Improvement Contractor
1st Bartlett Brainard
2nd McNally Home Improvement
3rd Magee Companies

Best Bank/Financial Institution
1st People’s Bank
2nd Simsbury Bank
3rd Key Bank

Best Garden/Florist
1st Moscarillo’s Garden Shoppe
2nd Lane & Lenge
3rd Butler Florist

Best Law Firm
1st Eagan, Donahue, Van Dyke & Falsey
2nd Weinstein & Wisser
3rd Stanger Stanfield Law

Best Event Venue
1st Delamar
2nd University of St. Joseph
3rd Mandell JCC

Best New Business
1st The Fix
2nd Float Forty One
3rd Essential Health

Write In
1st Tagliarini Chiropractic
2nd Fifth State Barber Company
3rd Sally & Bob’s

Top 5, Most Votes
1st AC Petersen Farms
2nd Harry’s Bishops Corner
3rd Bartlett Brainard
4th Mandell JCC /Beatrice Fox Auerbach ECC
5th Lux, Bond & Green