"Bar Month" at OnMilwaukee.com – brought to you by Hornitos, OR-G, Party Armor, Red Stag, Absolut, Fireball and Malibu – is back for another round! The whole month of February, we're serving up intoxicatingly fun articles on bars and clubs – including guides, the latest trends, bar reviews and more. Grab a designated driver and dive in!

The votes are in and the winners have been selected for OnMilwaukee's Best: Bars & Clubs, 2012. Find readers' results in 50 categories, including an editors' pick, in this series of articles that run daily in the Bars and Clubs section of OnMilwaukee.com.

Balzac, 1716 N. Arlington Pl., is a fine dining experience. The knowledgeable staff seems unfailingly happy to see you, and is helpful in offering suggestions for wine or menu items. But that's not why they won this category. The readers of OnMilwaukee.com said they'd also like to visit Balzac on a first date, narrowly beating out Bryant's for what would be a very different kind of romantic experience.

But romantic is the name of the game at Balzac, with its vast, five-page wine list offering selections from the new world and the old.

The small plate dining choices won't break the bank (which is good if you're on a first date; no need to commit to an expensive meal, right?) Their seasonal menu concentrates on house favorites like duck nachos, tuna tartare, firecracker shrimp and mushroom Napoleon. Most items between cost between $6 and $11.

Late-night dining runs to 11 p.m. on weekdays, and midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. That should give you plenty of time to figure out if your first date should lead to a second.

OnMilwaukee.com editors' pick: Firefly

Runners-up: Bryant's
3. At Random
4. Nessun Dorma
5. County Clare
6. The Hotel Foster
7. Sugar Maple
8. Blu
9. Mo's Irish Pub
10. Swig
11. The Jazz Estate
12. Firefly
13. Trinity Three Irish Pub
14. Branded
15. Cuvee