Welcome to Scott Joseph's Foodster Awards for Independent Restaurants.
Pig Floyd's Urban Barbakoa has been voted Best Barbecue in Scott Joseph's Foodster Awards for Independent Restaurants. Porkie's Original BBQ of Apopka was second, and write-in candidate Ellie Lou's Brews and BBQ was third.
"Very tough choice," wrote John Frost. "In the end I voted for Pig Floyd's not just for the portions and flavors, but for the diversity of BBQ options from around the globe." Pig Floyd's is at 1326 N. Mills Ave., Orlando, and recently opened a second location in Lake Nona at 9680 N. Narcoossee Road, Orlando. If it keeps growing, it won't be eligible for a Foodster Award -- only non-chains with three or fewer locations may be nominated.
David Waits enthusiastically filled out his ballot and said, "Porkie's Original BBQ in Apopka can't be beat!"
Ellie Lou's had many voters but few commenters. Shane Crain wrote in the comment section, "Where is Ellie Lou's?" It's unclear if Shane was wondering why Ellie Lou's wasn't in the original list of nominees or if he didn't know where Ellie Lou's is located. If it's the latter, I have to admit I didn't know either. But I know now that it is in Ocoee, and it's on my list of places to check out.
Congratulations to the winners and to all the nominees. As John Frost said, very tough choice.
The restaurants listed here have been nominate in the Best Barbecue category of our Foodster Awards for Independent Restaurants.
To vote for your favorite, check the box next to the name and then click the VOTE button at the bottom of the list of nominees. You may vote for only one nominee and you may vote only once. After you have voted, the VOTE button will no longer appear on the page.
You may write in the name of a restaurant that you'd like to nominate. But remember: The Foodster Awards are exclusively for independent businesses, defined as having three or fewer locations -- no chains. Any write-in nominees that don't meet that definition will be removed from the list. Also, do not write in the name of a restaurant or lounge that is already named in the list -- by doing so you may actually reduce the number of votes that restaurant might receive because only the votes on the first listing will be counted.
To learn about some of the candidates and to get a coupon, click on a Campaign Button on the right side of the page.
After voting, leave a comment below telling us who you voted for and why. We may use your comment if your favorite is the winner.
Voting ends at midnight on July 19. The winner will be announced in the July 20 edition of Scott Joseph's weekly e-letter.
