Rochester took it to the mat.

Over the last two months, CITY Newspaper's Best of Rochester readers' poll has asked for your opinion: What are the best people, places, and things in Rochester? We set the poll at 100 categories — down from almost 140 in previous years — and let you make the call. More than 12,000 people took this year's final readers' poll.

Each week, CITY tells you what we think about the Flower City, and this is a chance for you to add your voice to the conversation. But we hope that discussion doesn't stop with this special issue. Rochester is a big city waiting to be explored, and sitting right here is a guide to close to 400 recommendations — for everything from the best Mediterranean restaurants to the best places to get tattooed — offered up by your fellow Rochesterians.

In the first round of this Best of Rochester poll, we asked what it is in this city that makes you excited, and to give them a nomination in our open primary. Then, in our final round, we hoped that you would take some time to explore and consider the suggestions in the final four before casting your final vote and awarding the title belt.

Hold on to this issue. Pull it out when you're looking for a new restaurant for date night; or use it during the summer when you want to soak up some sun during an outdoor festival. We are all guilty of sticking to our favorites, but we hope you'll find something in these results that might make you want to try something new.

In addition to the Readers Poll, this Best of issue also contains a collection of our readers' funnier answers to the Primary Ballot as well as our annual Critics' Picks. This year, Frank De Blase, Dave Budgar, Katie Libby, Tim Macaluso, Jeremy Moule, Rebecca Rafferty, David Raymond, and Leah Stacy their opinions.

If you would like to sound off on our readers' poll, have a good idea for a category, or have any feedback at all, comment below this article, email us at themail@rochester-citynews.com, or find us on Twitter (@roccitynews) and Facebook (facebook.com/CityNewspaper).