As you probably know, the 2008 Dining & Entertainment All Star contest came to a close this month. It was a well fought contest too, with The Fireplace Restaurant in Brookline fighting it out with Lilly’s Gourmet Pasta Express in Boston’s Fenway neighborhood literally to the final hour! It’s so great to see such good-spirited competitiveness among neighborhood businesses. This is what we really want the All Star contest to do! So far, so good.

CitySquares is delighted to announce the winners of the Dining & Entertainment All Star Contest.

In first place we have Lilly’s Gourmet Pasta Express! They are the official first place winner of the 2008 Dining & Entertainment All Stars! They racked up a record 103 votes from their customers. They were so actively engaged in the contest that when they answered their phone they’d say, “Thank you for calling Lilly’s Gourmet Pasta Express. Please be sure to vote for us on CitySquares.com! Can I take your order?” That’s just fantastic pride and spirit! A great example for other contestants. We’re proud to see Lilly’s win this summer’s contest! Congratulations Lilly’s!

We have 10 other winners, and they include:

The Fireplace Restaurant – Most Romantic Restaurant

Something Savory – Best Catering Service

Sevan Bakery – Best Bakery

Bobby C’s Ristorante – Best Dinner

J.J. Foley’s – Best Bar

Mystery Cafe Dinner Theatre – Best Entertainment

The Red Fez – Best Cocktails

The Samuel Adams Brewery Tour – Best Weekend Activity

The Winery – Best Wine Selection

Strip T’s – Best Sandwiches

Schoolhouse Pizza – Best Pizza

Congratulations to all the winners, and to all the businesses who competed in this summer’s campaign! It was a success in so many ways.

We’d also like to announce our next All Star campaign, the Shopping All Star Contest! It starts in October and we’ll ask you, our community, to get out there and vote for your favorite shopping destinations. The contest will close at the end of the holiday season. We’ll announce the launch of the contest on the blog and in our newsletter, and once we do all you have to do to nominate a business as an All Star is just log on to CitySquares.com and either search for the business or browse to any retail business and just click on button. Also be sure to visit the All Star page for the vote tallies and top 10 leaders!

Do you have any ideas for the All Star Contest? Or would you like to see something changed? We’re totally open to your suggestions so please feel free to comment below.

– Ben

Ben Saren is Co-Founder and CEO of CitySquares.com, the premier hyper-local search site for small businesses nationwide. Ben is also a guest writer on Local Search News and a a regular at industry conferences and within the Boston high-tech and entrepreneurial scene. Ben's actively blogs at Your Suspect, where he writes about his experiences and perspectives as an entrepreneur. Email this author | See all posts by Ben Saren

Tags | all star, Boston, lilly's gourmet pasta, the fireplace restaurant