Every time I read one of those newspaper best-of polls and find that the readers have chosen Olive Garden for Best Mexican Food, I want to eat my own angrily flailing hands. That said, there is a place for a little populist crowdsourcing when it comes to ferreting out the finest that Las Vegas has to offer, right? In this age of Yelp and Urban Spoon, word-of-mouth still means something.

And we want YOUR word-of-mouth for our upcoming Best of the City issue -- in judicious and selective fashion. Are you a Desert Companion reader who has a favorite restaurant, bar, shop, service, amenity or even person whose excellence you want to shout from the rooftops or, er, the pages of Desert Companion? You can be featured in our Reader's Choice section! You'll get a byline, a tiny but addictive dose of microfame and possibly a few bucks!

It's fun and easy. Simply email your nominations to me at andrew@desertcompanion.com, or just post it on the wall of our Facebook page, or just leave it in the comments section below. Hurry! The deadline is Friday, January 6.

Make your nominations fun, vivid, engaging and lively. Show us how well you know Vegas; share a hidden gem that truly deserves praise. After you email me or post on our Facebook wall or in the comments below, I'll follow up with you one-on-one to make sure you're not a secret ballot-stuffer shilling for Joe's House of Pimento Loaf or whatever you nominated.

Don't miss out. Deadline is Friday, January 6. Help make this year's Best of the City the best Best of the City in the city ever!