After 15 restaurants, several cases of indigestion and dozens of reader complaints, the Daily’s dynamic dining duo is finally calling it quits. But in the grand scheme of things, which restaurant was the best of the best? For the last time (we promise), Aaron and Eric joined forces and picked the top contender for the best dining experience in Ames.

Atmosphere

3. Caf‚ Lovish

2. The Scallion

1. Maintenance Shop

Who needs 15 minutes of fame when you can dine on the legendary Maintenance Shop stage?

Compared to the homogenous atmosphere that permeates most Campustown restaurants, the M-Shop offers a dining experience unlike any other. If you want to eat like a rock star, don’t waste your time anywhere else.

Service

3. Maintenance Shop

2. The Grove

1. El Azteca

Six minutes. Goddamn, that was fast. Although several other restaurants — including The Grove and the M-Shop — were far from pokey, El Azteca set the bar pretty high in our first week of reviewing. Despite complaints from our girlfriends, we’re convinced that delivering the goods in just a few minutes isn’t a bad thing.

Quantity/Value

3. Hickory Park

2. El Azteca

1. ISU Dining Service

The food at Dining Service may be bad enough to actually make you enjoy eating at Le’s Vietnamese, but you can’t complain about any place that would probably let you use a bucket as a doggy bag.

It’s far from being a decent meal, but at $5.75 for unlimited seconds on everything, Iowa State’s dorm diet is still the best deal in town.

Quality/Taste

3. El Azteca

2. Chinese Homestyle Cooking

1. The Scallion

It only took one bite of the sumptuous Korean cuisine at The Scallion for both of us to know this restaurant would be the winner.

Hidden somewhere between a Dairy Queen and a pet store, it may not be the easiest restaurant to find. But once you’ve found your way inside this hidden gem, you’ll be blown away by all of the mouth-watering dishes. Even now, months after the review, we still find ourselves standing on The Scallion’s doorstep, waiting for it to open.

Overall

3. Chinese Homestyle Cooking

2. The Scallion

1. El Azteca

It wasn’t that hard to narrow the list down to three mind-blowing meals, but ranking the final choices was tough. Both CHC and The Scallion impressed us with interesting environments, prompt service and mounds of delicious food for a cheap price. But despite its distance from Campustown, El Azteca was still the clear winner in Ames. Where else can you get fresh, delicious Mexican food, served by a friendly staff, at a price and time that won’t break your budget or make you late for class?

Congratulations to El Azteca — you’ve successfully won over the hearts and stomachs of two of this paper’s pickiest eaters. If we could offer you any advice, it would be to build a second restaurant closer to our apartments.