Best of Lake Oswego and West Linn

“Voted Best Real Estate Broker”

By Lake Oswego Review & West Linn Tidings Readers

Yvonne Blewett

Luxury is an experience, not a price point. Every moment has been a milestone, from the growth of my business to the cherished friendships forged while helping others buy and sell real estate. I am so grateful for your continued support.

What Yvonne’s clients are saying...

“

As out-of-state buyers, Yvonne turned out to be the ideal real estate agent for us. She has a deep understanding of the local market. She quickly focused on what we were after and discerned the tradeoffs we would be willing to make in a property purchase. Her fiscal skills are very strong and helpful in any property purchase. She is well-connected and was able to get definitive answers to our questions quickly.Her attention to detail and her follow-through are both excellent. She is easy to contact, responds rapidly, and is a strong communicator.

Yvonne Blewett makes things happen! She is fierce in her approach and makes her clients her number 1 focus. Yvonne follows through and follows up every time! Thanks to Yvonne we are moving into our forever home this week.

“ “

The votes are in.

How did your favorite do?

Because it’s been 20 years since we did a “Best of” contest, we didn’t know how our readers would respond. But this is Lake Oswego and West Linn, and as usual, our readers responded above and beyond.

In fact, Lake Oswego Review and West Linn Tidings readers made 5,791 nominations and cast 19,973 votes for their favorite businesses. Pretty amazing for our first effort in two decades.

If you’ve lived in Lake Oswego

or West Linn for any length of time, chances are good that you have your own a list of your favorite businesses.

We hope our “Best of Lake Oswego & West Linn” will help you add a few more local businesses to your list.

As voted by our readers, you’ll find their local favorites in the following pages. We expect many to be familiar, but we hope you’ll also find a few surprises here. We sure did.

THE PUBLISHER

As a local business ourselves, we are fierce advocates for shopping

locally. And with the winter doldrums in full force, we hope we’ve offered a few more excuses to get out of the house and discover some amazing local businesses in your own backyard.

FROM Arigato, West Linn & Lake Oswego! Your Votes Have Crowned Us #1! Thanks to your overwhelming support, Sushi Kuni is honored to be voted the Best Sushi in West Linn & Lake Oswego. We’re thrilled to receive this recognition in the very first year of the Best of LO and WL Voting and look forward to continuing our tradition of excellence.

And even though we have listed winners as gold, silver, bronze and honorable mention, the reality is that all these local businesses are winners and deserve your patronage.

Please help us create a stronger Lake Oswego and West Linn by shopping locally and supporting the businesses that help to make our community special.

The VOTES are in How did your favorite do?

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

BEST ART STUDIO GALLERY

■World HeARTs Fair Trade — Gold

■The Perfect Piece — Gallery & Gift Shop — Silver

■Arts Council of Lake Oswego — Bronze

BEST FESTIVAL or ANNUAL EVENT

■Wednesdays In Willamette Summer Street Market — Gold

■Festival of the Arts — Silver

■Lake Oswego Wine Walk — Lake Oswego Chamber of Commerce — Bronze

BEST LIVE MUSIC or PERFORMANCE VENUE

■Willamette Garage — Gold

■Youth Music Project — Silver

■Lakewood Center for the Arts –Bronze

COMMUNITY

BEST EVENT CENTER

■Ale & Cider House. — Gold

■IRONLIGHT — Silver

■Tumwater Vineyard — Bronze

■Lakewood Center for the Arts — Honorable Mention

BEST LOCAL CAUSE

■West Linn Food Pantry — Gold

■Lake Oswego Meals on Wheels — Silver

■Hunger Fighters Oregon — Bronze

Continued on page 8

Best pizza

Pizzeria sul Lago, located in the Lake View Village development in downtown Lake Oswego, edged out an impressive array of pizza shops in the area to earn the best pizza award.

The pizzeria cooks up Napolitan-style pizza with its wood-fired oven including the tried-and-true Margharita pizza as well as more novel offerings like a sweet and spicy kale pizza and the pineapple express. Pizzeria sul Lago also purchases its ingredients from local growers and updates its menu depending on the season.

Along with pizza, the restaurant has pasta, soups, salads, appetizers, desserts and more.

Chuckie Pies took silver in this category, while Deno’s Pizza earned bronze.

Best beer selection

Totaling nearly 100 votes, Ale & Cider House was voted as boasting the best beer selection in the area.

In a building that was renovated in 2018, and accompanied by local food cart vendors, the local watering hole located on Willamette Falls Drive offers craft beer and cider from around the world.

Additionally, Ale & Cider House has specials like seasonal cider four-packs customers can take home, novelty drinks like Italian hard cider and fun events like open mic night and vinyl night.

As for the beer, the location has a bottleshop and a rotating selection of craft beers on tap such as a Christmas ale from Pfriem, a red ale from Via Rosso and a solar ships IPA from Ruse Brewing.

Silver in this category went to Hop N Cork, while bronze was awarded to Duke’s Public House.

BEST LOCAL HERO or COMMUNITY VOLUNTEER

■Mike Watters — Gold

■Tom Loun, Lions Foundation of West Linn — Silver

■Madsene Mboup — Bronze

■Liz Hartman — Honorable Mention

■Maury Morse and Debbie Myers, West Linn Food Pantry — Honorable Mention

BEST PLACE OF WORSHIP

■Community of Faith Church — Gold

■Our Lady of the Lake Parish — Silver

■Lake Grove Presbyterian Church — Bronze

BEST PLACE TO WORK

■World HeARTs Fair Trade — Gold

■Maxem Health Urgent Care — Silver

■City of Lake Oswego — Bronze

Continued on page 10

Readers love: Nicoletta’s Table and Marketplace

Nicoletta’s Table and Marketplace earned the coveted title of Best Italian Restaurant after garnering 90 votes. It also took silver in the “Best Outdoor Patio” category and bronze in “Best Place for a Date.”

Inspiration for the restaurant, located on State Street in Lake Oswego, derives from Cortona, Italy and the restaurant aims to provide fresh ingredients, some of which are sourced from Italy.

The dinner menu features lamb ragu pasta, fettuccine with scallops, chicken parmesan, linguini with clams and more.

Along with the restaurant, Nicoletta’s Table sells scrumptious goodies like gelato, paninis, charcuterie and fresh pasta.

BEST PRESCHOOL

■Lily Pond Pre School — Gold

■International Leadership Academy — Silver

■Triskelee Sprouts Farm School — Bronze

BEST PRIVATE SCHOOL

■International Leadership Academy — Gold

■Our Lady of the Lake School — Silver

■Three Rivers Charter School — Bronze

BEST PUBLIC SCHOOL

■West Linn High School — Gold

■Lakeridge High School — Silver

■Lake Oswego High School –Bronze

FOOD & DRINK

BEST ASIAN RESTAURANT

■The Essence of China — Gold

■Dang’s Thai Kitchen — Silver

■Aji Tram — Bronze

BEST BAKERY

■St. Honoré Bakery Lake Oswego — Gold

■Nineteen33 — Silver

■La Provence Boulangerie & Patisserie — Bronze

■Kyra’s Bake Shop — Honorable Mention

BEST BAR or PUB

■Nineteen33 — Gold

■Ale and Cider House — Silver

■Duke’s Public House — Bronze

■Willamette Garage — Honorable Mention

BEST BEER SELECTION

■Ale & Cider House — Gold

■Hop N Cork — Silver

■Dukes Public House — Bronze

Best Place for a Date

Continued on page 12

Five Spice Seafood & Wine Bar, with its romantic upstairs patio overlooking downtown Lake Oswego in the Lake View Village development, was named the best place for a date, narrowly edging out Sushi Kuni & Izakaya West Linn (silver) and Nicoletta’s Table and Marketplace (bronze).

Five Spice was one of the first businesses to open in Lake View Village in 2004 and has held on strong since then by catering to customers and providing fresh Pacific Northwest dishes. The dinner menu includes a variety of seafood dishes from salmon to scallops, sturgeon and lobster tail as well as steak, duck and chicken. The restaurant has a cozy downstairs dining area as well as an upstairs patio that is especially enjoyable during the summer months.

Readers love: Babica Hen

Receiving a whopping 112 votes, Babica Hen was named the best breakfast spot in the Lake Oswego and West Linn area.

The restaurant, inspired by owner and Lake Oswego Mayor Joe Buck’s grandmother’s ornamental hen and located on Boones Ferry Road, offers an array of waffle options like the chocolate berry dream and chicken on a waffle, omelets, benedicts and more.

For lunch, they offer waffle sandwiches — ranging from the Babica Burger to Quesadilla Oaxaca — and salads.

Babica Hen also dominated the Best Sunday Brunch category, receiving 150 votes.

BEST OUTDOOR PATIO

■Willamette Garage — Gold

■Holy Taco — Silver

■Nicoletta’s Table and Marketplace — Silver

■Lola’s Cafe Bar — Bronze

BEST PLACE FOR A DATE

■Five Spice Seafood + Wine Bar

— Gold

■Sushi Kuni & Izakaya West Linn

— Silver

■Nicoletta’s Table and Marketplace — Bronze

■Riccardo’s Ristorante — Honorable Mention

BEST TAKE OUT or FOOD TO GO

■Willamette Garage — Gold

■Holy Taco — Silver

■Dang’s Thai Kitchen — Bronze

■Adisaya Thai — Honorable Mention

Continued on page 14

Readers love:

Holy Taco

Holy Taco took home a total of five awards in this year’s competition including silver for best patio, silver for best take out, silver for best happy hour, silver for best Mexican restaurant and gold in the best catering category. The trendy taco bar serves up crafty cocktails and Mexican eats with a funky flair. Holy Taco opened on Avenue, just yards away from Oswego Lake in 2016 hoping to fill a void of Mexican food in downtown Lake Oswego.

Customers love the “dirty bird” taco with fried chicken, slaw, chipotle aioli, pico de gallo, chili honey and queso fresco and cocktails like the holy water or holy margarita.

We are truly grateful and overjoyed to be recognized as the #1 rated Italian Restaurant, #2 best outdoor patio, and #3 best date night spot in Lake Oswego, OR, and it’s all thanks to you! Your unwavering support, patronage, and positive reviews have propelled us to this incredible milestone. We extend our heartfelt appreciation to each and every one of you for making Nicoletta’s Table a cherished dining destination. Your loyalty and enthusiasm have been the driving force behind our success, and we are truly honored to have such an amazing community surrounding us. We look forward to continuing to serve you with passion, dedication, and the authentic flavors of Italy. Grazie mille for being a part of our Nicoletta’s Table family!

Warm regards,

The Nicoletta’s Table Team

BEST BREAKFAST

■Babica Hen Café — Gold

■Lark Café — Silver

■La Provence Boulangerie & Patisserie — Bronze

■Lola’s Cafe Bar — Honorable Mention

BEST CATERING

■Elephants Lake Oswego — Gold

■Field & Vine — Silver

■Holy Taco — Bronze

■Allium Bistro & Bar — Honorable Mention

BEST COFFEE SHOP

■Lark Café — Gold

■Willamette Coffee House — Silver

■Morse Coffee Company — Bronze

■Lola’s Cafe Bar — Honorable Mention

■Ovation Coffee & Tea — Honorable Mention

BEST DESSERT

■Market of Choice West Linn — Gold

■La Provence Boulangerie & Patisserie — Silver

■Five Spice Seafood + Wine Bar — Bronze

■Kyra’s Bake Shop — Honorable Mention

BEST FOOD TRUCK

■The Electric Slider Company — Gold

■The Chop Spot — Silver

■Pinto Thai Kitchen(West Linn) — Bronze

■Street Heat Food Cart — Bronze

BEST HAMBURGER

■Nineteen33 — Gold

■The Electric Slider Company — Silver

■Killer Burger — Bronze

■Gubanc’s Restaurant — Honorable Mention

Continued on page 16

Best Hamburger

In this year’s contest, the people of West Linn and Lake Oswego gave the award for best hamburger to Ninteen33 Taproom, in West Linn’s Historic Willamette Business District. The menu at Nineteen33 has six different burgers raging from a classic patty with lettuce, tomato onion and house sauce on a seeded bun to the Willamette (same as above but with grilled crimini mushrooms and Swiss cheese) or the Portlander (same but with bacon, avocado and Swiss cheese). Burgers can be adapted with a black bean patty or lettuce wrap and pair nicely with golden parmesan garlic fries or potato salad.

Just down the road from Nineteen33, the Willamette Garage food cart pod’s Electric Slider Company took silver in the best hamburger category. Killer Burger took bronze.

Readers love: Lark Cafe

West Linn’s Lark Cafe took home the gold as best coffee shop in West Linn and Lake Oswego, as well as silver for best breakfast spot. The homey coffee shop, adorned with unique work by local artists and staffed by friendly workers, is located on Willamette Drive in the heart of the Historic Willamette Business District. Lark offers artisanal coffee and teas, as well as breakfast and lunch staples like breakfast burritos, breakfast sandwiches, bagels and pastries. Lark is the perfect spot to catch up on reading, catch up with a friend or simply grab a coffee and bagel for the road.

BEST HAPPY HOUR

■Jefe | Mexican Restaurant — Gold

■Holy Taco — Silver

■Oswego Grill- Lake Oswego — Bronze

■Duke’s Public House — Honorable Mention

BEST ITALIAN RESTAURANT

■Nicoletta’s Table and Marketplace — Gold

■Allium Bistro & Bar — Silver

■Riccardo’s Ristorante — Bronze

■Tucci Restaurant — Honorable Mention

■Bugatti’s Ristorante — Honorable Mention

BEST KID FRIENDLY RESTAURANT

■Lil’ Cooperstown Bar & Grill — Gold

■Pizzeria sul Lago — Silver

■Duke’s Public House — Bronze

■Deno’s Pizzeria — Bronze

Continued on page 18

Best Local Cause

In a category with stiff competition, the West Linn Food Pantry stood out to readers in West Linn and Lake Oswego. The pantry is a nonprofit organization that provides emergency food services in Lake Oswego and West Linn. The West Linn Food Pantry’s doors have been open to those in need since 2007. Last year, the pantry served 2,086 families.

Fellow honorees in the category include Lake Oswego Meals on Wheels, an organization that provides meals to seniors and people with disabilities, and Hunger Fighters Oregon, which strives to provide Lake Oswego residents with reliable access to food and hygiene items.

BEST MEXICAN RESTAURANT

■La Fiesta Mexican Kitchen — Gold

■Holy Taco — Silver

■Jefe | Mexican Restaurant — Bronze

BEST PIZZA

■Pizzeria Sul Lago — Gold

■Chuckie Pies — Silver

■Deno’s Pizzeria — Bronze

■Oven and Shaker Lake Oswego — Honorable Mention

BEST SUNDAY BRUNCH

■Babica Hen Café — Gold

■La Provence Boulangerie & Patisserie — Silver

■Jefe | Mexican Restaurant — Bronze

■Tavern on Kruse — Honorable Mention

■Lola’s Cafe Bar — Honorable Mention

BEST SUSHI

■Sushi Kuni & Izakaya West Linn — Gold

■Bamboo Sushi — Silver

■Sushi Bomb — Bronze

BEST STAFF, BARISTA or BARTENDER

■Matt Couper, Holy Taco — Gold

■Kyan Roberts, Dukes Public House — Silver

■Jackson Ryan, Chuckie pies — Bronze

■Kayla Smith, Lola’s Cafe Bar — Honorable Mention

BEST WINERY or TASTING ROOM

■Pete’s Mountain Vineyard and Winery — Gold

■Five Spice Seafood + Wine Bar — Silver

■Tumwater Vineyard — Bronze

■Domaine Serene Wine Lounge Lake Oswego — Honorable Mention

Business Person of the Year

By a landslide, 2024’s Business Person of the Year is local entrepreneur and co-founder of World HeARTs Fair Trade Boutique Robin May. May opened World HeARTs with her husband Curtis after traveling around the world and seeing the wonderful handmade work made by artisans in every corner of the globe. “I am absolutely humbled and floored and amazed because every other businessperson I saw out there in West Linn and Lake Oswego works so hard at keeping their businesses alive today,” said May. May added that World HeARTs is about putting “people and the planet before profits,” a sentiment echoed by the support shown to May and World HeARTs by the community. Other local business leaders recognized by reader nominations were Brianne Whitney of Maxem Health Urgent Care in Lake Oswego (silver) and Liz Hartman of the Lake Oswego Chamber of Commerce (bronze).

Continued on page 20

Robin May, Gold winner

Brianne Whitney, Silver winner

Liz Hartman, Bronze winner

HEALTH & FITNESS

BEST ACCUPUNCTURE

■Point of Action Physical Medicine LLC — Gold

■Sachi Wellness Center — Silver

■Keahi Health Acupuncture & Herbal Clinic — Bronze

BEST AESTHETIC MEDICINE

■West Linn Aesthetics — Gold

■Meraki Medical Aesthetics — Silver

■SkinSpirit Lake Oswego — Bronze

BEST CHIROPRACTOR

■Maximum Health Clinic LLC — Gold

■100% Chiropractic — Lake Oswego — Silver

■Kruse Park Chiropractic Clinic — Bronze

■Asula Wellness Center — Honorable Mention

■Milan Center Chiropractic — Honorable Mention

Continued on page 22

Readers love: Youth Music Project

Readers of the West Linn Tidings and Lake Oswego Review honored Youth Music Project with three awards. The nonprofit music school in West Linn took home the top prize in the “youth arts activities” category and silver for live music/ performance venue and youth classes and camps.

“Youth Music Project is a band of inspired, engaged and encouraging educators, musicians, administrators, board members and volunteers who believe that every student deserves access to exceptional music education, regardless of family income,” YMP’s website states. “Youth Music Project is a nonprofit organization that offers outstanding rock, pop, and country music education through Group and Private music lessons, and provides students with exceptional, state-of-the-art performance and recording opportunities.” The music school offers tuition assistance for any students who qualify for their school’s free and reduced lunch program. About 40% of Youth Music Project’s students attend thanks to the donation-based tuition assistance program.

Megan Tucker, Owner Renewal Spa & Beauty

BEST DENTIST

■Lake Grove Dental — Gold

■Westover DMD — Silver

■The Dentist on Boones Ferry — Bronze

BEST GYM or FITNESS CLUB

■EPICenter Fitness — Gold

■Pure Barre — Silver

■PDX Fitness — Bronze

BEST MESSAGE THERAPIST

■The Treatment Room — Kendel Bratcher — Gold

■Elements Massage — Silver

■Emiley Pogioli, Balance Kneads Massage — Bronze

■Hand and Stone Massage and Facial Spa — Bronze

■Trainer’s Club — Bronze

BEST MEDICAL CLINIC

■Maxem Health Urgent Care Lake Oswego — Gold

■First Nurses — Silver

■Olson Pediatric Clinic — Bronze

BEST ORTHODONTIST

■Delplanche Orthodontics — Gold

■Sierk Orthodontics: Sierk Christopher DDS — Silver

■Sessions Orthodontics — Bronze

BEST PERSONAL TRAINER

■PEAK Personal Training, LLC — Gold

■Active Edge Physical Therapy & Gym — Silver

■PDX Fitness – Bronze

Continued on page 24

Local Hero

Readers of the Lake Oswego Review and West Linn Tidings honored long-time West Linn resident Mike Watters as their local hero in this year’s Best of contest.

Watters has dedicated more than three decades of service to the community through organizations like the Friends of McLean House and Park, West Linn Lions Club, Willamette Falls Heritage Foundation, Bolton Neighborhood Association, Friends of Maddax Woods and the West Linn Historical Society. Other community members nominated for this award were Tom Loun of the Lions Foundation of West Linn (silver) and Lake Oswego City Councilor Massene Mboup (bronze).

Mike Watters, Gold winner

Tom Loun (right), Silver winner

Massene Mboup, Bronze winner

SERVICES

BEST ACCOUNTING FIRM

■Bray & Associates NW LLC, formerly C S Bray Accounting LLC

— Gold

■Aldrich CPAs + Advisors — Silver

■Sohler Law — Bronze

BEST AUTO REPAIR

■Les Schwab Tire Center 8th Avenue, West Linn, OR, USA — Gold

■Les Schwab Tire Center — Silver

■Vic’s Auto Center — Bronze

■Todd’s Automotive — Honorable Mention

BEST BANK or CREDIT UNION

■OnPoint Community Credit Union — Gold

■Pacific West Bank — Silver

■Banner Bank — Bronze

■Chase Bank — Bronze

Continued on page 26

Readers love: World HeARTS Fair Trade

World HeARTS Fair Trade took more awards than any other business in this year’s competition, claiming a whopping 10 gold prizes in various categories.

The shop, which is located in West Linn’s Historic Willamette area, nabbed the gold in best art studio gallery, best customer service, best place to work, best boutique store, best clothing store, best gift store, best home furnishing and best place to bring out-of-towners, as well as business person of the year for owner owner Robin May.

“Every one of our artisan partners that we deal with puts the people that they work with and the planet before profits,” May said. “That goes through from the artisans who make the product to us. And it’s something that’s important to our customers.”

BEST CONTRACTOR

■AFFINITY HOME & DESIGN — Gold

■Tri-Lee Homes, Inc. — Silver

■Renaissance Homes Design Studio — Bronze

BEST DAY SPA

■Renewal Spa & Beauty — Gold

■SkinSpirit Lake Oswego — Silver

■rumi simone spa salon & boutique — Bronze

■Luxe Atelier — Honorable Mention

BEST EVENT or MEETING PLACE

■Ale & Cider House — Gold

■IRONLIGHT — Silver

■The Foundry at Oswego Pointe –Bronze

BEST FINANCIAL ADVISOR

■Arch Bridge Financial Advisors

— Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC — Gold

■Morgan Stanley — Silver

■Edward Jones — Financial Advisor: Eric J Weberg, CFP®|AAMS™ — Bronze

■Oswego Wealth Advisors — Honorable Mention

BEST HAIR SALON

■Moonstone Salon — Gold

■Tousled Salon — Silver

■Maison de Burgundy — Bronze

■Annastasia Salon Lake Oswego — Honorable Mention

BEST HEATING & AIR CONDITIONING COMPANY

■Air Pride 72 Degrees Heating and Cooling — Gold

■Lakeside Heating & Cooling — Silver

■Bridge City HVAC — Bronze

Continued on page 28

Best Place to Take a Hike

Some of the best outdoor opportunities are right in West Linn and Lake Oswego’s backyard. From sprawling forests to the shore of the Willamette River, Oregonians are surrounded by nature. Readers chose Mary S. Young Park in West Linn as the Best Place to Take a Hike in West Linn and Lake Oswego. Close to 138 acres of forested land along the river, Mary S. Young Park is a beloved destination for bird watchers, dog walkers and kayakers. There are eight miles worth of winding trails for a quick hike right in West Linn. In a close second is Lake Oswego’s Tryon Creek State Park with its bike paths, horse trails and natural wetlands. In third place is Camassia Nature Preserve in West Linn, another favorite for hikers and animal lovers.

Mary S. Young Park, Gold winner

Campers head off on a hike in Tryon Creek State Park, Silver winner.

Camas Lily in bloom at Camassia Natural Area in West Linn, Bronze winner.

BEST INSURANCE AGENT

■Robin Byrd: Allstate Insurance

— Gold

■Lauri Alexander — State Farm Insurance Agent — Silver

■Farmers Insurance — Daniel Brown — Bronze

BEST LANDSCAPER

■Morton Tree and Landscape Maintenance, West Linn — Gold

■Jerry Jones Landscaping — Silver

■Precision Landscape — Bronze

■System Pavers — Bronze

BEST LAW FIRM

■Buckley Law P.C. — Gold

■D’Amore Law Group — Silver

■Sohler Law — Silver

■Bowersox Law — Honorable Mention

■Rose Elder Law LLC — Honorable Mention

Continued on page 30

Best Place That’s Great for the Whole Family

When locals want to lounge in the sun while the kids have room to play, they spend an afternoon at Fields Bridge Park in West Linn. Voted Great for the Whole Family, Fields Bridge Park is the perfect place for a baseball game, a playground trip or a dog walk. Located right along the Tualatin River, Fields Bridge Park spans 19 acres of walkways, playgrounds, shelters, baseball fields, basketball courts and community gardens. The array of activities makes it a perfect place to enjoy the great outdoors for the youngest and eldest members of the family. Other honorees included Triskelee Farm and Lake Oswego Farmers’ Market.

Best Aesthetic Medicine in Lake Oswego & West Linn

We are thrilled West Linn Aesthetics has been voted first-place in the Best of aesthetic medicine in Lake Oswego and West Linn! We are incredibly grateful to our loyal clients who have supported us on this journey and entrusted us with their skincare and wellness needs. It is because of you that we have achieved this recognition, and we are committed to continuing to exceed your expectations in every way possible!

Mention this ad and receive a special gift with purchase! -

Jerilyn Hanson, RN, Owner of West Linn Aesthetics

BEST LIFE & BUSINESS COACH

■Coach to Brilliance — Heather Graves Ramsey — Gold

■StoneWater Training — Silver

■Sohler Law – Bronze

BEST MORTGAGE BROKER

■Krystal Hanna — Churchill Mortgage — Gold

■Kevin Hanna & Chris Knouf — Lions Capital Mortgage — Silver

■The Irwin Team @ Directors Mortgage – Bronze

BEST MORTGAGE COMPANY

■Lions Capital Mortgage, Inc. –Gold

■Directors Mortgage — Silver

■Scott McCarty at CrossCountry Mortgage, LLC — Bronze

BEST NAIL SALON

■Lace Nails — Gold

■ANNIE NAILS & SPA — Silver

■Dipped Nail — Bronze

■LeVian Nails — Honorable Mention

BEST PET SERVICES

■Pawsitivity — Gold

■Mud Bay — Silver

■Healthy Pet — Bronze

■Lucid Dog Training — Honorable Mention

■Reynolds Dog Resort & Training Center — Honorable Mention

Readers Love: Willamette Garage

Our readers love a food truck and Willamette Garage in West Linn is home to eight! Willamette Garage won gold in Best Take Out/To-Go, Best Live Music/Performance Venue and Best Outdoor Patio, and bronze in Best Place to Take Out of Towners. Willamette Garage is a popular hotspot in the community with food trucks, live music and a rotating lineup of beer, cider, wine and cocktails. The Garage is currently home to the amazing trucks The Chop Spot, Platter Division, Four Corners, Pinto Thai Kitchen, The Sushi San, Electric Slider Company, Street Heat and Angelina’s Greek Gyros. The tap list includes microbrewed beer from Pfriem, Fort George, 10 Barrel Brewing, Sunriver Brewing and Gigantic Brewing Company.

Willamette Garage’s goal was to bring amazing food trucks to West Linn for the first time and after partnering with the city of West Linn, that dream became a reality. What else makes Willamette Garage special? A humongous outdoor patio with multiple fire pits so even on the chilliest Oregon evenings, friends can continue to gather for a meal and live music.

Continued on page 32

BEST REAL ESTATE COMPANY

■Cascade Hasson Sotheby’s International Realty — Gold

■Lisa Hanna Properties — Silver

■Harnish Properties — Bronze

BEST REALTOR

■Yvonne Blewett, Cascade Hasson Sothebys International Realty — Gold

■Lisa Hanna, Lisa Hanna Properties — Silver

■Susan Stohl — Windermere Realty Group, LLC — Bronze

■Terry Sprague — Luxe | Forbes Global Properties — Bronze

■Kevin Costello- Cascade Hasson Sotheby’s International Realty — Honorable Mention

Continued on page 34

Readers Love: Maxem Health

Urgent Care

Whether you need a physical, a blood test or answers to a medical question, Maxem Health Urgent Care in Lake Oswego has proved itself to be the go-to and much-loved health care provider for the community. Earning gold in Best Medical Clinic and silver in Best Place to Work and Business of the Year, Maxem Health Urgent Care is located right along Boones Ferry Road near Bridgeport Village. Open seven days a week, 365 days a year, Maxem Health provides walk-in medical services conveniently located right in Lake Oswego. The dedicated staff members at Maxem are qualified to provide medical intervention for some of the most persistent and bothersome health challenges such as allergies, ear aches and rashes or injuries such as sprains, scrapes, cuts and minor burns.

“Thank you to the community, they’ve always been so welcoming and nice,” said Brianne Whitney, Maxem Health president of operations. With the addition of primary care services, Maxem Health can also meet your needs for physicals and exams. Whitney was also voted as the silver medal recipient for Business Person of the Year.

lauri@laurialexander.com

lauri@laurialexander.com

BEST RETIREMENT COMMUNITY

■Mary’s Woods — Gold

■Tanner Spring Assisted Living & Memory Care — Gold

■The Stafford Retirement Community — Bronze

BEST TRAVEL AGENCY

■Global Travel Masters Luxury Travel — Loren Masters — Gold

■Travel & Cruise Desk — Silver

■Oregon Wine Maker Tours — Bronze

BEST TREE SERVICE

■ArborPro Tree Experts — Gold

■Morton Tree and Landscape Maintenance, West Linn — Silver

■Monkeyman’s Tree Service — Bronze

BEST TUTORING

■Sylvan Learning of West Linn — Gold

■Kumon Math and Reading Center of Lake Grove — Silver

■Kumon Math and Reading Center of Lake Oswego — Bronze

BEST VETERINARIAN

■Cascade Summit Animal Hospital — Gold

■Oswego Veterinary Hospital — Silver

■Animal Care Group of Lake Oswego — Bronze

■Lake Grove Veterinary Clinic — Honorable Mention

Readers Love: Jefe!

After more than a decade in business, Jefe has certainly left an impression on readers who gave the restaurant honors in three categories. Readers especially like Jefe’s daily happy hour specials, awarding the restaurant top honors in the category for its $5 beers and enchiladas. Jefe also brought home bronze awards for Best Mexican Restaurant and Best Sunday Brunch. The restaurant specializes in traditional Mexican cuisine and has a variety of Mexican beers as well as more than 60 tequilas and mezcals.

Continued on page 36

Readers love: LaProvence Boulangerie and Patisserie

Achieving honors for its baked goods, breakfast offerings, Sunday brunch and desserts, LaProvence Boulangerie and Patisserie wowed readers. There are eight locations scattered about the Portland metro area, but the Lake Oswego spot is the OG. It’s the place to be if you’re looking to start your day with French cooking and mimosas. If you’re out of time to sit and enjoy your croissant, or want a treat for tomorrow morning as well, stop by the Le Petit Market inside. There, you’ll find jams and U-Bake pastries to take on the road. While renowned for its brunch, the restaurant also has dinner service which often features live music alongside entrees like mushroom risotto and chicken soubise. Got a special occasion coming up? LaProvence also accepts orders for custom cakes and wholesale baked goods.

SHOPPING

BEST BOUTIQUE STORE

■World HeARTs Fair Trade — Gold

■Mapel Boutique — Silver

■Wyatt Moon Mercantile — Bronze

■Anna’s Bridal Boutique — Honorable Mention

■Grapevine — Honorable Mention

BEST CLOTHING or FASHION STORE

■World HeARTs Fair Trade — Gold

■Ozznek Shoes — Silver

■The House of Rose (THOR) — Silver

■Adorn — Bronze

■Anna’s Bridal Boutique — Honorable Mention

■Grapevine — Honorable Mention

BEST CONSIGNMENT STORE

■Simply Posh — Gold

■Consigning Women — Silver

■Oswego Trading Company — Bronze

■Re-Runs at Lakewood Center for the Arts — Honorable Mention

BEST FLORIST

■Morrow’s Flowers — Gold

■Zupan’s Markets — Lake Oswego — Silver

■R Bloom’s of Lake Oswego — Bronze

BEST GARDEN STORE or NURSERY

■Dennis’ 7 Dees Garden Center — Gold

■Stafford Ridge Nursery — Silver

■Bosky Dell Natives — Bronze

■Parkrose Hardware — Honorable Mention

■Lake Oswego Ace Hardware — Honorable Mention

Continued on page 38

Readers Love: International Leadership Academy

Since opening in 2011, the International Leadership Academy in Lake Oswego has established itself as a premier French immersion school in the Portland-Metro region. Located on Boones Ferry Road, ILA provides holistic education for kindergarten through fifth grade children. The Northwest Accreditation Commission and the Agency for French Education Abroad recognize ILA as a premier global educational institution. ILA also earned silver in Best Preschool for their ‘La Creche’ preschool offerings. Other private school honorees include Our Lady of the Lake Catholic School in Lake Oswego and Three Rivers Charter School in West Linn.

International Leadership Academy, Gold winner

Our Lady of the Lake Parrish School, Silver winner

Three Rivers Charter School, Bronze winner

BEST GIFT STORE

■World HeARTs Fair Trade — Gold

■Wyatt Moon Mercantile — Silver

■Glow Gifts — Bronze

BEST GROCERY STORE

■Market of Choice West Linn — Gold

■Zupan’s Markets — Lake Oswego — Silver

■New Seasons Market –Palisades — Bronze

BEST HOME FURNISHINGS STORE

■World HeARTs Fair Trade — Gold

■City Home Lake Oswego Showroom — Silver

■Oswego Trading Company — Bronze

■Wishbone Home & Design — Bronze

■KEY Home Furnishings — Honorable Mention

BEST JEWELRY STORE

■World HeARTs Fair Trade — Gold

■Young’s Jewelers — Silver

■Dyke Vandenburgh Jewelers — Bronze

■Kassab Jewelers — Honorable Mention

BEST LIQOUR or WINE STORE

■Lake Grove Liquor — Gold

■Wizer’s Fine Wines — Silver

■Lake Oswego Liquor Store — Bronze

■Cascade Summit Liquor Store — Honorable Mention

■West Linn Liquor Store — Honorable Mention

BEST SHOPPING CENTER

■West Linn Central Village — Gold

■Lake View Village — Silver

■Kruse Village – Bronze

Continued on page 40

Readers Love: Market of Choice

Readers say Best Dessert in town can be found at the Best Grocer, and Market of Choice brought home the honors for both. The very first store opened in 1979, and since then, the chain has grown to 11 locations across the state. Market of Choice offers a wide selection of organic, fresh and health-conscious foods at affordable prices. Embracing its tagline, “food for the way you live,” Market of Choice aims to provide options for every lifestyle and dietary restriction, promising a unique and enjoyable shopping experience. The independently-owned grocer also carries more than 7,000 local products and promotes BIPOC, LGBTQ+ and women-owned brands.

Readers Love: Academy of Modern Martial Arts

The Academy of Modern Martial Arts in Lake Oswego was a hit among readers! The martial arts academy has been training students for more than 30 years. It offers an extensive course list to suit multiple fitness goals, with classes on self defense, Tai Chi, athletic conditioning and more. Readers highlighted the academy as the premier spot for martial arts instruction in town. Students of all ages can find a class at the Academy of Modern Martial Arts, earning the studio an honorable mention for the best classes geared toward adults. Students learn more than just the fundamentals of fighting as instructors push them to be the best they can be in every way.

THINGS TO DO

BEST ADULT CLASSES

■West Linn Adult Community Center — Gold

■Fred Astaire Dance Studios — Lake Oswego — Silver

■Academy of Modern Martial Arts

– Bronze

BEST PLACE TO BRING OUT-OFTOWNERS

■World HeARTs Fair Trade — Gold

■Lake Oswego Farmer’ Market — Silver

■Willamette Garage — Bronze

■George Rogers Park – Honorable Mention

■Lakewood Center for the Arts/ Lakewood Theatre Company — Honorable Mention

BEST COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION or SERVICE CLUB

■West Linn Lions Club — Gold

■West Linn Historical Society — Silver

■Lake Oswego Meals On Wheels — Bronze

■Lake Oswego Rotary Club — Honorable Mention

GREAT FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY

■Fields Bridge Park — Gold

■Triskelee Farm — Silver

■Lake Oswego Farmer’ Market — Bronze

■Summer Concerts — City of Lake Oswego — Honorable Mention

■Old Time Fair — City of West Linn

— Honorable Mention

Continued on page 42

Readers Love: Ironlight

Aiming to be a premier regional event center, Ironlight in downtown Lake Oswego opened in early 2020 — just as the COVID-19 pandemic began. The ensuing global shutdown meant that founders Taryn Hatchel (née Haladay), Carey Haladay and Sonal Haladay had to wait a bit for their vision to blossom, but Ironlight is now everything they hoped it would be — as is evidenced by its silver awards for Best Event Center and Best Event/Meeting Place. Seated atop the Beacon Building on B Avenue, Ironlight offers unmatched views of Lake Oswego and the surrounding area, along with an open and inviting space for events ranging from weddings to awards banquets.

A Major Shout Out And Thank You, To All Who Voted For The West Linn Lions Club As The Best “Service Club”

The West Linn Lions Club is one of 48,000 clubs serving over 200 countries with 1.4 millions members throughout the world. Our 56 West Linn members are honored to receive such an award from our communities. We do services for our community and encourage others to join us as a way of giving and making West Linn a better place to live.

Our club motto is ‘WE SERVE” and here are a few activities we’ve accomplished over our 71 years of service.

• Collecting thousands of local eyeglasses and hearing aids.

• Built and repaired numerous park shelters and garden areas for West Linn Parks and Rec.

• Sponsored 3 Scout troops and one Cub scout pack.

• Provided Shoes and Coats for school kids.

• Conducted Annual Easter Egg Hunt for 68 years.

• For 17 years, provided 5 senior scholarships for WL High School.

• Provided US flags and flag history for for 1st and 2nd graders.

• Contributed funds to WL High and Elementary Schools for all sports, music, robotics, equestrian, and mock trial.

• Donated to the West Linn Library’s reading & Dolly Parton reading programs.

• Support and donate to the Oregon Lions Sight and Hearing Fdn. and Diabetes program

BEST HOTEL

■Hilton Garden Inn Portland/ Lake Oswego — Gold

■Lakeshore Inn — Silver

■Crowne Plaza Portland-Lake Oswego, an IHG Hotel — Bronze

BEST LOCAL PARK

■Willamette Park — Gold

■Mary S. Young Park — Silver

■George Rogers Park — Bronze

BEST MARTIAL ARTS

■Academy of Modern Martial Arts — Gold

■Premier Martial Arts — West Linn — Silver

■World Champion Taekwondo — Bronze

BEST PLACE TO TAKE A HIKE

■Mary S. Young Park — Gold

■Tryon Creek, Lake Oswego — Silver

■Camassia Nature Preserve — Bronze

■Iron Mountain City Park — Honorable Mention

Readers Love:

Ale & Cider House

Located along historic and scenic Willamette Falls Drive in West Linn, the Ale & Cider House was a three-time gold winner among our readers: Best Event Center, Best Beer Selection and Best Event/Meeting Place. The family-owned business, which opened in 2018 at the property that formerly housed the Willamette General Store, also took home silver for Best Bar and Pub and bronze for Business of the Year. It has become a hub in the West Linn community and beyond over the years, taking part in events like the Ugly Sweater Dash and the Willamette Wine and Cider Walk.

Continued on page 44

Readers Love: Five Spice Seafood & Wine Bar

Our gold winner for Best Place for a Date, Five Spice Seafood & Wine Bar also earned silver for Best Winery and Tasting Room and bronze for Best Dessert. Located right along Oswego Lake and featuring an upstairs patio, Five Spice has been delighting customers since it was one of the first businesses to open at Lake View Village in 2004.

Lake

Kruse

West

BEST YOUTH ART ACTIVITIES

■Youth Music Project — Gold

■Lakewood Center for the Arts/ Lakewood Theatre Company — Silver

■One River School Lake Oswego

— Bronze

BEST YOUTH CLASSES & CAMPS

■Tutu School Lake Oswego — Gold

■Youth Music Project — Silver

■Lakewood Center for the Arts/ Lakewood Theatre Company —

Bronze

BEST YOUTH SPORTS CLUB

■Lake Oswego Water Polo (LOWPO) — Gold

■Willamette United Football Club

— Silver

■Lake Oswego Youth Lacrosse —

Bronze

■Oregon Premier FC — Honorable Mention

■West Linn Youth Football – TVYFL

— Honorable Mention

Readers

Love: Duke’s Public House

Nestled along A Avenue in downtown Lake Oswego, Duke’s Public House became a community favorite as soon as it opened in 2019. The business owned by Eric Mann — who also runs Lake Oswego’s Aji Tram and a soon-to-be-opened restaurant replacing Stickmen Brewing — took home four bronze awards from our readers in the categories of Best Customer Service of the Year, Best Bar and Pub, Best Kid-Friendly Restaurant and Best Beer Selection. It’s a perfect place to go watch a Trail Blazers game with the kids, or to stop in for a beer during happy hour (something the Lake Oswego Review staff has been known to do from time to time).

Continued on page 46

BEST OF THE YEAR

BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE

■World HeARTs Fair Trade — Gold

■SkinSpirit Lake Oswego — Silver

■Duke’s Public House — Bronze

■Babica Hen Café — Honorable Mention

BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

■World HeARTs Fair Trade — Gold

■Maxem Health Urgent Care Lake Oswego — Silver

■Ale and Cider House — Bronze

■Tucci Restaurant — Honorable Mention

BUSINESS PERSON OF THE YEAR

■Robin May — World HeARTs Fair Trade — Gold

■Brianne Whitney, Maxem Health Urgent Care Lake Oswego — Silver

■Liz Hartman, Lake Oswego Chamber — Bronze

■Shari Newman — Nicoletta’s Table — Honorable Mention

Readers Love: SkinSpirit of Lake

Oswego

It’s been just over a year since SkinSpirit opened in Lake Oswego, and it’s already made a name for itself. The location on A Avenue offers services ranging from Botox cosmetics to dermal fillers, hair restoration and more. With that in mind, our readers honored SkinSpirit with silver awards for Best Customer Service of the Year and Best Day Spa, along with a bronze for Best Business of the Year.

Readers

Love: Morton Tree and Landscape

If there’s one thing most Lake Oswego and West Linn residents can agree on, it’s the allure of the trees and landscapes that make the area so special. But these require upkeep, and our readers say that Morton Tree and Landscape is the place to go for that. Morton, which was founded in West Linn in 1979, offers everything from hedge pruning to stump grinding, landscape maintenance and — when necessary — tree removal. The company earned a gold award for Best Landscaper and a silver for Best Tree Service.



During very trying times, this company was quick to respond. All the people we encountered in our process of removing a tree that was leaning on our house threatening to fall into it, from the office staff to the clean up crew, were professional, compassionate, helpful and capable. I would trust them with any tree support and issues.

-Laura

They were so kind during the storm, willing to help us out as much as they could when they were swamped with work. Once they could send someone, he was professional and fast and talked us through the entire process and worked with us to fit our budget. Highly recommend these folks!

-Raina