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BEST LOCAL BAND

The gritty rave-ups of the Black Lips got national exposure through a deal with hipster label Vice Recordings. The quartet's first release for the label, "Los Valientes del Mundo Nuevo," was a spring-issued live album recorded in Tijuana — and the album displays all the dissipation and grit that locale suggests. It smokes. www.myspace.com/theblacklips

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BEST MUSICIAN ON THE RISE

Acoustic guitar wizard Shaun Hopper is an unassuming presence on stage, but his playing has star power to spare. The young man from Adel (in south Georgia near Albany) is also the bass player in a rock quartet called Wilson Empire.

BEST LOCAL INDIE RELEASE

"Anti-Anti," the debut CD from Atlanta quartet Snowden, is a cyclonic swirl of guitars approximating jet-engine drones, brackish cascades of water emanating from the bottom of a dank cave and shards of tuned barbed-wire. www.snowden.info.

BEST SHINING STAR

Clifford "Tip" Harris Jr. is better known to the world as T.I. Despite dire predictions about rap's waning power, the Atlanta sensation's latest album, "T.I. vs. T.I.P," had the second-best debut sales week this year (bested only by Linkin Park's "Minutes to Midnight), according to Billboard magazine.

BEST CONCERT VENUE

It's tie between Variety Playhouse and Center Stage, two mid-sized venues that offer that perfect combination of intimacy and the communal vibe. And they both book adventurous acts. Center Stage, 1374 W. Peachtree St., 404-885-1365, www.centerstage-atlanta.com. Variety Playhouse, 1099 Euclid Ave., (404) 524-7354, www.variety-playhouse.com.

BEST MALL FOR ENTERTAINMENT

Discover Mills not only has more than 200 stores and restaurants, but it boasts three major entertainment destinations. Jillian's offers arcade and carnival games, billiards and bowling, while the local AMC theater offers a whopping 18 movie screens. Then there's Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament. 5900 Sugarloaf Parkway, Lawrenceville. 678-847-5000, www.discovermills.com.

BEST CUBAN SANDWICH

If you're a fan of Kool Korners grocery near the Tech campus, Palomilla's in Norcross will have you going OTP for this mix of pork, pickles and pulchritude. May as well enjoy some masas de cerdo, too — chunks of pork marinated just enough to give flavor and juiciness, then deep-fried and served with a Cuban mojo sauce and lime. Palomilla's Cuban Grill House, 6470 Spalding Drive, Suite B, Norcross, 866-379-6158, www.palomillasatlanta.com.

BEST MOJITO

Eclipse di Luna is a funky destination in Miami Circle keeps packing 'em in. Maybe it's the mojitos, but truth be told, there's a darned good authentic tapas menu lurking beneath that cocktail napkin. But if it's rum, mint and sugar you're after, few places muddle 'em up better than here. 764 Miami Circle N.E. 404-846-0449, www.eclipsediluna.com.

BEST STEAKS

Every time one of the steaks on Bones' menu arrives at the table, you'll want to shout, "Hello, gorgeous." The best? Bones' bone-in ribeye: 22 ounces of pure, unadulterated meat, with gobs of butter and seasonings smeared all over its beautifully charred exterior. This is what God wanted steak to taste like. 3130 Piedmont Road N.E. Atlanta, 404-237-2663, www.bonesrestaurant.com.

BEST PASTRIES

The kind of pastry shop you'd find in Paris, Chocolate Pink Pastry Cafe has all the little frangipane-and-chocolate-laden goodies you could possibly want, baked beautifully by pastry chef Christian Balbierer. In addition to the house-made cakes, tarts and petit fours, the shop serves and sells illy coffee. 905 Juniper St. N.E., Unit 108, Atlanta. 404-745-9292, www.chocolatepinkcafe.com.