The Bestestes – Glossy Mag Edition

Raf told me once that the Recommendations tab on the top of my blog was really lame. What I need, he said, is something that tells people where to go.

“But that’s what Yelp’s does,” I responded.

Not everybody uses Yelp, For that matter, not everyone looks at the Reader’s Choice polls from the major newspaper in the area either. But the issue of polls comes up every year around this time as a heap of local media outlets decide to compile their list of the best of the best.

Honestly, I’m not sure what I’m doing about the FUSSYlittleBALLOT this year. Last year the changes the Times Union made to the questionnaire really went a long way in righting the ship. Now all we need to do is get them to separate out some of the ethnic restaurants so all of the cuisines of Asia aren’t in competition with Yono’s locally beloved Indonesian cuisine.

Part of me kind of wants to just let it go. Let me stew on it a little bit longer. Today, I have something different along similar lines.

Have you taken the latest poll from Capital Region Living magazine? I’m not going to push the issue or keep on reminding you to email your friends, or annoy them on facebook. But there is a section all the way on the bottom for Best Blogger.

However, I’m mostly concerned about the food questions. And there are a lot of them. Your answers to these questions may vary. But I thought it would be fun to share my own. If you wanted to use this as a launching off point for your own ballot, please be my guest. If you want to support my selections, thank you very kindly.

There were some categories that were slam dunks. Those are highlighted below in bold. Others I had no idea, so I simply submitted a question mark. In those categories where I feel our available options aren’t worthy of note, I answered, “none.” I understand that some people really like Van’s. I’m not one of them.

Hopefully this proves to be at least moderately entertaining. Maybe for some it will reveal great dining choices that have been off your radar. And if there are any restaurants you would like to learn more about, I would suggest you check them out on Yelp.

Appetizers – Charles F. Lucas Confectionery & Wine Bar
Bagels – Price Chopper’s Kosher Chopper – Central Avenue in Colonie
Bakery – Mrs. London’s
Beer Selection – Hoosick Street Beverage
Cakes – Crisan
Bistro – Garden Bistro 24
Bread – Placid Baker
Breakfast – All Good Bakers
Burger – City Beer Hall
Chicken wings – The Ruck
Chili – ?
Coffee – Caffe Vero
Deli – Ben & Bill’s in Slingerlands
Dessert – The Chocolate Mill
Diner – Dan’s Place Two
Dining on a budget – Famous Lunch
Fine dining – Basement Bistro
Fish fry – Gene’s
French fries – Prime Bar & Grill
Happy Hour – ?
Ice cream stand – The Ice Cream Man
Kid-friendly dining – Jumpin’ Jacks
Late-night dining – Bob’s Diner
Lunch spot – All Good Bakers
Martini – dp Brasserie
Outdoor dining – The Olde English
Pizza – DeFazio’s (eat in only)
Pub – The Ruck
Ribs – Dinosaur Bar-B-Que
Romantic dining – The Wine Bar (Albany)
Sandwich/Sub – Andy’s and Sons
Soup – Taiwan Noodle
Sports bar – ?
Steak – The Bears
Sushi – Mizu
Takeout – Mr. Pio Pio
Tapas/small plate – Boca Bistro
Wine list – Charles F. Lucas Confectionery and Wine Bar
New restaurant within past 12 months – Tara Kitchen
Meatballs – Roma
Best Wait Staff – ?
Pulled Pork – Capital Q
Cider Donuts – Indian Ladder
Mac & Cheese – ? Nighthawk’s Kitchen [note: I was just reminded of this by the Mac & Cheese Bowl]
Cupcakes – Fluffalicious
Best Burrito – La Mexicana Restaurant and Grocery
Comfort Food – Comfort Kitchen
Frozen Yogurt – Dantes
Pasta Sauce – Cafe Capriccio
German Food – Rolf’s Pork Store

American – The City Beer Hall
Cajun – Hattie’s
Caribbean – Orchid’s
Chinese – Ala Shanghai
French – None
Greek – Anton’s
Indian – Parivar
Indonesian – Yono’s
Italian – Cafe Capriccio
Japanese – Sushi Tei
Lebanese – ?
Mediterranean – Manama Grille
Mexican – La Mexicana Restaurant and Market
Seafood – Gene’s Fish Fry
Thai – Sweet Basil
Vegetarian – All Good Bakers
Vietnamese – None
Polish – Muza
Spanish – Mr. Pio Pio
Steakhouse – The Bears

Shopping
Apple orchard – Indian Ladder
Chocolate shop/Candy Store – The Chocolate Mill
Farmer’s market – Schenectady Greenmarket
Health food store – Honest Weight Food Co-op
Liquor / Wine store – All Star
Supermarket – Slingerlands Price Chopper

Local People and Media
Blog – FUSSYlittleBLOG

Places
Local wine/winery – Hudson-Chatham Winery

So what are you waiting for? Go vote! Or, you know, try to convince me I’m wrong on one of the picks above in the comments below.