All the Best
[8/1/13 – PLEASE NOTE, THIS POST IS OLD. FOR MY CURRENT PICKS PLEASE GO HERE.]
Many thanks to Mr. Marshall who alerted me to the fact that currently Metroland has opened their polls for a Best of the Capital Region list of their own. You can vote here through February 22.
Kevin has a few picks that he would like you to support. I see no harm in endorsing those except that his choice for Best Local Blog is his own and not your friendly neighborhood FLB.
It’s funny. Because while their list of categories isn’t nearly so constrained as the Times Union questionnaire, they still combine Vietnamese and Thai cuisines . Cheers to them, though, for breaking China out from Japan. But jeers for lumping in Mexican with Southwestern.
I’ve voted. And I thought I would take this opportunity to share with you my ballot. Not so much because I want you to vote the same slate, because I don’t. These are just my casual opinions. I’ll ask for your vote in April when the FUSSYlittleBALLOT 3.0 comes out for the Times Union poll, because those will not be my choices, but a synthesis from multiple sources, including reader input.
Hopefully sharing the below will help to show where those two lists overlap and where they converge. But it’s still early, as we’ve just begun to build the ballot.
1. Best American
Dinosaur Bar-B-Que
2. Best Italian
Cafe Capriccio
3. Best French/Continental
Garden Bistro 24
4. Best Seafood
Gene’s Fish Fry
5. Best Chinese (include address)
Ala Shanghai
6. Best Japanese/Sushi (include address)
Sushi Tei
7. Best Vietnamese/Thai
Kinnaree
8. Best Mexican/Southwestern
La Mexicana Restaurant & Grocery
9. Best Southern/Soul Food
Hatties
10. Best Caribbean
Orchids
11. Best Indian/Pakistani
Parivar
12. Best Greek
Anton’s
13. Best International
New World Bistro Bar
14. Best Vegetarian
Parivar
15. Best Steak House
Garden Bistro 24
16. Best BBQ
Capital Q
17. Best Brew Pub
Brown’s Brewing
18. Best Beer Selection
Mahar’s
19. Best Diner
Dewey’s
20. Best Deli
Ben & Bill’s (Slingerlands)
21. Best Brunch
Max London’s
22. Best Outdoor Dining
Wine Bar on Lark Street
23. Best Cheap Eats
Slices at Pizza King
24. Best Burger
Swifty’s Deep Fried Buffalo Burger
25. Best Wings
The Ruck
26. Best Pizza
DeFazio’s
27. Best Bagels
Kosher Chopper (Price Chopper @ Central & 155)
28. Best Sandwiches/Subs
Ragonese
29. Best Ice Cream
The Snowman
30. Best Coffee
Caffe Vero
31. Best Desserts
Augies
32. Best Wine List
dp brasserie
33. Best Bakery (desserts/pastries)
Crisan
34. Best Bakery (breads)
Mrs. London’s
35. Best Indian Buffet (include address)
Karavalli (Latham)
36. Best Restaurant to Take a Date
The Melting Pot
37. Best Restaurant to Take the Kids
Chipotle
38. Best Restaurant for a Power Lunch
Jack’s Oyster House
39. Best Tapas/Small Plates
Wine Bar on Lark Street
40. Best Place to Eat at 3am
The Brown Bag
41. Best Breakfast
The Hungry Fish Café
—-[page break or two in the survey]—-
10. Best Local non-fiction writer
Daniel B @ FUSSYlittleBLOG
18. Best Food Event
FUSSYlittleTOURS
—-[page break or two in the survey]—-
12. Best Local Website News
All Over Albany
13. Best Local Website Community
All Over Albany
17. Best Local Blog
FUSSYlittleBLOG
FUSSYlittleBLOG 
Isn’t it sorta cheating to have Dino’s as Best American and Cap Q as best barbecue? If you stray away from actual Q, Dino’s is not the best American!
It’s a bit more nuanced than that, as I don’t advise straying beyond BBQ at Dino. But at Dino they serve it on plates. And even though they go pit-to-plate that makes it American vs. Barbecue. Yes, it’s totally splitting hairs. But the best barbecue places don’t use plates. Wax paper. Styrofoam containers. But plates?
Really I struggled with American food as a category, and wasn’t too happy to lead with this pick. Out of curiosity, what would you pick as Best American?
That’s a tough one! Places such as Taste, Capital City Gastropub, Sperry’s, Jack’s, Justin’s, that sort of restaurant. . .
My preferred method for change is sabotage. I am going to advocate for putting McDonald’s for all categories, not just restaurants.
“Best Local Non-Fiction Writer”?… Come on now, that kind of casts a pale over the integrity of the rest of your recommendations, don’t you think?
I thought I made it clear that these were just my own personal and casual thoughts. Are they egocentric? Maybe a bit. Are some difficult to justify? Sure. But that is part of the difference between my votes in the Metroland poll and what I’ll be compiling for the FUSSYlittleBALLOT 3.0.
I’m not campaigning for these restaurants today. Certainly some of the names above will play a role in future conversations about The Best of the Capital Region. Really, I just thought I’d let you all take a peek at my ballot. If anything, I think exposing my biases in this way increases my integrity. At least that was the goal.
And for what it’s worth, I don’t write a lick of fiction. It’s more than I can say about that William Kennedy fellow.
I am disappointed this query was answered here and not in an “ask the profussor” feature :-)
“. . . and what if I did drink too much? Whose business is that? Who knows how much I didn’t drink?”
― William Kennedy, Ironweed
Best local writer about food & drink?
You might have to be more specific on Mahar’s now that there are two locations, even though anyone who has visited both will know which one you mean.
You really believe your own bs, don’t you?