Midtown District

Editors’ choices
Best way to take a trip without ever leaving town

The 168 Asian Market, 3090 S. Virginia St., has been hiding in plain sight for a while now, but when you’re looking for frozen Makrut leaves, lemon grass or dried Laos root, where are you going to go? The fact that the store had all these ingredients on the shelf is a small wonder, but it’s the overall total sensory overload that makes new visitors feel like they’ve fallen into some kind of a temporal and spatial fold that has dropped them into Beijing or Seoul or even Bangkok. It’s easy to spend hours wandering the filled-to-bursting shelves. How many kinds of dried mushrooms might you need? There are more kinds of ramen here than you can shake a college student at. Frozen mussels in the shell at $7.99 for two pounds. Desserts, cookware, fresh duck eggs, toys, candy—stuff you don’t even recognize. Take a vacation here, and you’ll make it a regular destination—and you can leave the passport at home.

Best treasure not to keep in a box

At the Committee to Aid Abused Women (CAAW), then at the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, and now back at CAAW, Amy Saathoff is a Nevada treasure. She worked on family violence as a college project and never really left the field. She has worked on family issues and domestic violence in ways that enriched us. She has held the hands of battery victims, raised money to fuel CAAW’s mission, helped shape public policy on family violence, raised public awareness of the problem. Even now, when her responsibilities have mostly taken her away from working directly with victims, she says that’s what gave her the most satisfaction. “I loved that. That’s the best job.” One formerly abused mother aided by Saathoff recognized her great qualities and named her daughter Amy.

Readers’ choices

Best Midtown tattoo parlor

1. Aces Tattoo

681 S. Virginia St., 333-0915

2. Nightmare Studios Tattoo

888 S. Virginia St., 324-0666

3. Evolution Tattoo

1092 S. Virginia St., 786-3865

Best new Midtown business

1. Midtown Eats Restaurant

719 S. Virginia St., 324-3287

2. Reno Public House

33 Saint Lawrence Ave., 657-8449

3. Caliber Salon & Spa

141 E. Pueblo St., 284-8620

Best Midtown architecture

1. Stremmel Gallery

1400 S. Virginia St., 786-0558

2. 8 on Center

Center Street

3. Junkee Clothing Exchange

960 S. Virginia St., 322-5865

Best Midtown bar

1. Reno Public House

33 Saint Lawrence Ave., 657-8449

2. Chapel Tavern

1495 S. Virginia St., 324-2244

3. Craft Wine-N-Beer

22 Martin St., 622-4333

Best Midtown business

1. Süp Restaurant

669 S. Virginia St., 324-4787

2. Midtown Eats Restaurant

719 S. Virginia St., 324-3287

3. Junkee Clothing Exchange

960 S. Virginia St., 322-5865

Best Midtown clothing store

1. Junkee Clothing Exchange

960 S. Virginia St., 322-5865

2. Plato’s Closet

1535 S. Virginia St., 322-0110

2. Dressed Like That!

711 S. Virginia St., 742-2931

Best Midtown cultural amenity

1. Terry Lee Wells Nevada Discovery Museum

490 S. Center St., 786-1000

2. Holland Project

140 Vesta St., 742-1858

3. Nevada Museum of Art

160 W. Liberty St., 329-3333

Best Midtown massage

1. Caliber Salon & Spa

141 E. Pueblo St., 284-8620

2. Lime Spa

895 S. Center St., 825-5463

3. Aric Shapiro at the Art of Massage

712 S. Center St., 378-5559

Best Midtown mural

1. Junkee Clothing Exchange by Joe C. Rock

960 S. Virginia St., 322-5865

2. Craft Wine-N-Beer by Matt McDowell

22 Martin St., 622-4333

2. Lulu's Chic Boutique by Joe C. Rock

1298 S.Virginia St., 622-8009

Best Midtown personality

1. Jessica Schneider Troy, Junkee Clothing Exchange

960 S. Virginia St., 322-5865

2. Chris Costa, Reno Public House

33 Saint Lawrence Ave., 657-8449

3. Angela Watson, Black Hole Body Piercing

912 S. Virginia St., 329-6010

Best Midtown body piercing

1. Black Hole Body Piercing

912 S. Virginia St., 329-6010

2. Lotus Body Piercing

677 S. Virginia St., 323-6266

3. Evolution Tattoo

1092 S. Virginia St., 786-3865

Best Midtown restaurant

1. Midtown Eats Restaurant

719 S. Virginia St., 324-3287

2. Süp Restaurant

669 S. Virginia St., 324-4787

3. Creme

25 Saint Lawrence Ave., 348-0571

Best Midtown retail

1. Junkee Clothing Exchange

960 S. Virginia St., 322-5865

2. Melting Pot World Emporium

1049 S. Virginia St., 322-9445

3. Dressed Like That!

711 S. Virginia St., 742-2931

Best Midtown spa/salon

1. Caliber Salon & Spa

141 E. Pueblo St., 284-8620

2. Lime Spa

895 S. Center St., 825-5463

3. Spa of the West

1545 S. Virginia St., 322-7777