The Intelligence of Experience

The Best of Tallahassee is our one-stop search engine

Allow me to touch on a cliché subject here: AI. You may love or hate its array of possibilities. I lean toward the anti-AI camp but recognize one of its particularly useful (and less controversial) applications: our new, advanced search engines that have the power to remove indecision, insecurity, and frustration from some of our most important day-to-day quandaries. Where should I take my friends for a birthday dinner or brewery hang? Who might give me a fair price for that weird leak in my kitchen? How about a new favorite dessert, boutique, or gym?

AI search engines comb the web and package the chorus of online voices into a succinct and gently authoritative response. This is exactly what I love about the Best of Tallahassee issue. Our titular feature hears the voices of everyone who calls Tallahassee home, hand-tallies the votes for each of our 123 categories, and compiles a comprehensive guide. These are the best businesses, meals, service providers, entertainers, and shopping destinations across Tallahassee, all found in one place. Using this roadmap to better living is even simpler than asking ChatGPT. No prompt required—just flip through to find the best of what you’re looking for. You might need to open a note on your phone to keep track of all the places you’ll want to try.

Of course, this issue has plenty more stories that demonstrate the best of the best in our city. Addison Delgado takes us behind the scenes at the totally refreshed Fire Betty’s. Tallahassee’s first-ever Michelin nods are reviewed by Michael Merlo—I certainly have a few more dishes to look forward to trying this fall. Sarah Morrison, a gem of Tallahassee’s music scene, sits down with Savannah Evanoff about her deep well of influences in our Expressions section.

I hope to see many of you at our smashing annual soiree on November 11; this year’s theme for the Best of Tallahassee event is “Capital Couture,” hosted by The Moon. It’s the Best Party you’ll go to all year.

With love, 

Olivia Sokolowski, Editor

osokolowski@tallahasseemagazine.com