The ballot is set

Nominations closed at midnight with a final count of 312 write-ins across all 29 categories, from Best Overall Restaurant down to Best Pet Groomer. The late surge was real: 27 nominations arrived in the final hours on Monday.

Here is how the next two weeks go: finalists are announced Wednesday, voting opens the same day and runs through Sunday, August 10, and winners are revealed in the August 16 issue. Fair warning, your favorite businesses may start campaigning. That is allowed, encouraged, and honestly kind of the point.