Is There ANYTHING Salvageable from the Weekly's Best of OC Reader's Poll Food Winners?

​Fair is fair, folks. A couple of weeks ago, I blasted the Orange County Register's "Best of Orange County" for the horrible selections readers picked as the best representation of a culinary category (Peppino's as best Italian! Subway as best Sandwich! Daphne's as best Greek!). Our Best of OC issue is out this week, with Edwin and I taking responsibility for virtually all the picks. But one part that we completely wipe our hands of is our Reader's Poll, and I'll repeat the same point I made with the Reg readers: WTF?

Gentle readers: are you marginally better than the Reg's collection of coffin-dodgers and Mexican-bashers? Javier's as the BEST FOOKIN' RESTAURANT?!?! If you want to snatch some siliconed hag, perhaps. Panama Joe's as best Mexican restaurant? ¿Qué chingada 'tan tomando? Best late-night dining being Denny's? Not even Norm's? Have my years of reviewing restaurants taught ustedes NOTHING? And Chipotle has the best burrito in OC the way I'm a CCIR supporter. And guess what? Both Weekly and Reg readers picked P.F. Chang's as best Chinese restaurant. I might as well take over Yvette Cabrera's job.

Best dessert at Cheesecake Factory? Kill me.
Geez, are these picks horrid. So few rightful choices. Kean as best coffeehouse, though I'm still trying to reconcile how readers picked them but gave the best coffee choice to Starbucks. Las Brisas does have a killer view, though the food sucks. And I have little argument against Pizzeria Ortica, Victory Bakery, and Jerry's Wood-Fired Dogs as best Italian, Middle Eastern, and Hot Dog, respectively, even if I don't agree with them. I'll also give a pass to Wahoo's as best seafood and Pho 99 for best pho, only because they're O.C. legends.

I'll assume the best of our readers: that ustedes didn't bother to vote, that most of the winners engaged in ballot stuffing. I have to, I have to make up excuses to cope. Javier's as best restaurant? Shit, people: if this is what our readers choose after nearly 15 years of the best restaurant coverage in Orange County, we might as well close shop.