What CRL Says About Our Best

The detractors may be right. The more I start looking at all of the Best of the Capital Region poll results, the more ridiculous it all seems. When the Times Union results come out over the summer, part of me wants to compile a weighted average meta list based on all reported findings across all media.

But by then, I’m sure I’ll be sick of it all. Presumably, you will be too. Heck, I’m just about sick of it now.

As with previous polls, like the one from Metroland and the one from the Troy Record, now that the results are published for Capital Region Living, I’ll run down the picks that I made and share how those played out against the actual results.

This poll had so many categories, I’m really finding it hard to get worked up about many of them. But the ones I feel strongly about, either positively or negatively, I’ve highlighted in bold for your convenience. In case you haven’t seen this grid before on the FLB, the list below gives the category, my pick, how it did, and in parentheses the category winner.

Just tell me this. When I keel over from an aneurism, who is going to take over this blog? Okay. Here we go.

American – The City Beer Hall – DENIED (New World Bistro Bar)
Cajun – Hattie’s – #2 (behind Cafe Nola)
Caribbean – Orchid’s – DENIED (First Choice)
Chinese – Ala Shanghai – #2 (behind Plum Blossom)
French – None – (Garden Bistro 24 took the win)
Greek – Anton’s – #2 (behind Athos)

I like New World Bistro Bar. I’ve thrown my support behind them for Best Restaurant in the Capital Region. But they are NOT an American restaurant. That is unless you call any international restaurant an American restaurant. But I think that’s cheating. Especially when at one point there was an “International” category. Except where that went, I do not know.

However, I’m thrilled that Ala Shanghai is on the map. Plum Blossom is just one example of those old line Capital Region places that have been considered The Best for such a long time, that people stop thinking critically about them. This list is full of such examples.

Indian – Parivar – DENIED (Karavalli)
Indonesian – Yono’s – NAILED IT (duh)
Italian – Cafe Capriccio – DENIED (D’Raymonds)
Japanese – Sushi Tei – DENIED (Koto)
Lebanese – ? – (Phoenicians)

Parivar continues to fall below people’s radar. As does Sushi Tei. This is tragic, and it’s another good reminder about why you should consider joining those concerned about such things in supporting the FUSSYlittleBALLOT 4.0.

Mediterranean – Manama Grille – DENIED (Risotto)
Mexican – La Mexicana Restaurant and Market – DENIED (El Mariachi)
Seafood – Gene’s Fish Fry – DENIED (Reel)
Thai – Sweet Basil – DENIED (Sushi Tai)
Vegetarian – All Good Bakers – #2 (behind Antipasto’s)

Someone needs to tell this magazine’s readers that the Mediterranean is bigger than just Italy and Greece. And since those categories were already covered elsewhere, perhaps some other Mediterranean cuisine should take this spot. Seriously.

As far as Mexican food goes, we only have one Mexican restaurant. And that is La Mex in Schenectady. If you haven’t been, go. Then help me tell other people about it. Because they actually make tacos made of tongue that are the real deal and totally delicious.

And while I’m thrilled about seeing AGB on this list, I wonder what Antipasto’s has to do to get kicked off its number one perch. The last time I had their food, the pizza tasted like burning tires. And that was the good one. The bad one had vegetarian sausage that I honestly thought could have been dog food.

Vietnamese – None – (Van’s)
Polish – Muza – NAILED IT
Spanish – Mr. Pio Pio – #2 (behind Barcelona)

Mr. Pio Pio is the little Latin restaurant that could. I suppose the choices for Spanish are limited. But Barcelona? I guess I understand. It’s named after a major city in Spain, but their paella is a joke. I wish I could say their Jack Daniels’ chicken was a joke too, however that’s actually a real thing. As are their eggplant parm, blackened tilapia and hummus wrap. I think the owners may speak Spanish, but that doesn’t make it a Spanish restaurant.

Appetizers – Charles F. Lucas Confectionery & Wine Bar – DENIED (The Standard)
Bagels – Price Chopper’s Kosher Chopper – DENIED (Uncommon Grounds)
Bakery – Mrs. London’s – DENIED (Bella Napoli)
Beer Selection – Hoosick Street Beverage – DENIED (Wolff’s & Brown’s tied it)
Cakes – Crisan – DENIED (Bella Napoli)

On one hand, The Standard has fanciful egg rolls filled with things like loaded baked potato toppings and deconstructed Buffalo chicken wings. They aren’t bad. On the other hand, The Charles F. Lucas Confectionery serves some of the finest meats and cheeses available anywhere. I could see why they might lose.

And once again Mrs. London’s and Crisan don’t even get a mention. Both were outshined by Bella Napoli, which makes fantastic donuts and a whole colorful array of Italian cookies. But even this Italian bakery doesn’t care enough about its products to stuff cannoli shells to order. This drives me batty. I love Bella Napoli for what they are. They are great. I’ll go so far as to say they are a regional treasure. But they are far from the best. So, so, so far. Like the distance between Flo Rida and the EGOT.

Bistro – Garden Bistro 24 – NAILED IT
Bread – Placid Baker – #3 (behind Perreca’s and Bella Napoli)
Breakfast – All Good Bakers – DENIED (Latham ‘76 and Top’s American tied it)
Burger – City Beer Hall – DENIED (Juicy Burgers & More)
Chicken wings – The Ruck – DENIED (Ale House)

I’ve got to slow down. I’m losing my grip. Sure, the Ale House has really great wings. I know some people think they are the best, and we’ll let them go on thinking that. It keeps The Ruck less crowded on Wing Night. But for The Ruck to not even get mentioned in the top three is mind blowing.

Chili – ? – (The Hungry Fish Cafe)
Coffee – Caffe Vero – DENIED (Stewart’s)
Deli – Ben & Bill’s in Slingerlands – DENIED (Gershon’s)
Dessert – The Chocolate Mill – DENIED (Villa Italia)

Stewart’s has coffee. It’s hot and it’s caffeinated. But it’s also often scalded from the glass pots and hot plates if it has been sitting around for any amount of time. Caffe Vero has espresso. And they roast their own beans. Their machine has special custom-made parts. And they filter their water for optimal coffee extraction. Seriously. If you haven’t been, you have to go.

And dammit, at least the donuts are good at Bella Napoli. I keep going to Villa Italia, and I keep coming up with blanks. What on Earth is there that people think is worth the calories? It’s not like it’s actively nasty (aside from the pre-filled cannoli). But I just don’t get it.

Diner – Dan’s Place Two – DENIED (Latham ‘76)
Dining on a budget – Famous Lunch – DENIED (Kay’s Pizza)
Fine dining – Basement Bistro – DENIED (677 Prime)
Fish fry – Gene’s – #3 (behind Ted’s and Bob & Ron’s)

Thank God for a piece of good news. Little old Gene’s. My favorite seasonal fish fry place to date with some truly interesting and inspired takes on the classic sauces. I am tickled that you got some ink in this poll. It’s a small miracle, and I don’t quite know how it happened.

French fries – Prime Bar & Grill – DENIED (Garden Bistro 24)
Happy Hour – ? – (The City Beer Hall)
Ice cream stand – The Ice Cream Man – DENIED (Guptil’s)
Kid-friendly dining – Jumpin’ Jacks – NAILED IT
Late-night dining – Bob’s Diner – #3 (behind Brown Bag and Latham ‘76)

Yay! The City Beer Hall found a way on here. And the voters in this poll saw beyond Friendly’s and Red Robin as choices for kids. So what if they also chose to prefer a chemical goo extruded through a potentially bacteria-infested machine, managed, operated, and maintained by high school kids, instead of the amazing homemade hard ice cream a bit further north at the Ice Cream Man.

Lunch spot – All Good Bakers – DENIED (Pepper Jack’s)
Martini – dp Brasserie – DENIED (Bangkok Bistro)
Outdoor dining – The Olde English – DENIED (The Water’s Edge)
Pizza – DeFazio’s – #3 (tied with Purple Pub & behind Kays, The Fountain & Romo’s)
Pub – The Ruck – DENIED (Purple Pub)
Ribs – Dinosaur Bar-B-Que – NAILED IT

I’d be surprised if you could actually get a classic martini at Bangkok Bistro. Just because they make cheap blue drinks in cocktail glasses, and put a -tini at the end of its name, doesn’t make it a GD MARTINI! Gah!

Romantic dining – The Wine Bar (Albany) – #2 (behind both Primes)
Sandwich/Sub – Andy’s and Sons – DENIED (Gershon’s)
Soup – Taiwan Noodle – DENIED (Garden Bistro 24)
Sports bar – ? – (Recovery Sports Grill)
Steak – The Bears – DENIED (677 Prime)
Sushi – Mizu – DENIED (Koto)
Takeout – Mr. Pio Pio – DENIED (Testo’s)
Tapas/small plate – Boca Bistro – #2 (behind Risotto)
Wine list – Charles F. Lucas Confectionery – #3 (behind Mio Vino & Lark St. Wine Bar)
New restaurant within past 12 months – Tara Kitchen – DENIED (Charles F. Lucas)

Ha! See what I did here. I made the same mistake as Jon in Albany. I thought Tara Kitchen was opened in the last 12 months. I was wrong. But even in this poll without my support the Charles F. Lucas Confectionery was cited as the best new restaurant. Even though it was completely dissed on the appetizer front (and their lack of traditional entrees).

Meatballs – Roma – DENIED (Testo’s)
Best Wait Staff – ? – WHERE DID THE ANSWER GO?
Pulled Pork – Capital Q – #2 (behind Dinosaur Bar-B-Que)
Cider Donuts – Indian Ladder – #2 (behind Golden Harvest)
Mac & Cheese – ? Nighthawk’s Kitchen [note: I was just reminded of this by the Mac & Cheese Bowl] – DENIED (tie Mingle & Druthers)
Cupcakes – Fluffalicious – #2 (behind Coccadotts)

Way to go Capital Q! Their Carolina-style pulled porks are amazing. You can’t go wrong. North or South, they are both tops. And it’s great to see them get some recognition. Dinosaur is a juggernaut, and they’ve been working to improve their pulled pork. But when it comes to pork shoulder in the Capital Region, Capital Q has my vote all the way.

Best Burrito – La Mexicana Restaurant and Grocery – DENIED (Bombers)
Comfort Food – Comfort Kitchen – #2 (behind Hattie’s)
Frozen Yogurt – Dante’s – #2 (behind Plum Dandy)
Pasta Sauce – Cafe Capriccio – DENIED (Testo’s)
German Food – Rolf’s Pork Store – DENIED (Wolff’s Biergarten)

AIYEEE! Okay. So nobody has heard of La Mex. Fine. Say the best burrito comes from Chipotle or El Mariachi. Anyplace other than Bombers. It’s not like everything at Bombers is bad. But those burritos need to go.

But at least we can end this on a positive note. Because Comfort Kitchen is great, and still relatively new. I guess they have comfort in their name, so that helps ‘em out a bit there. But even if they didn’t, they deserve the recognition. As of course does Dante’s, you know, now that they have better spoons.

Part of me would like to go about my mission by just simply highlighting all of these smaller truly excellent businesses. But looking at results like this make it painfully clear that there are plenty of legacy selections people make, based on a past culinary landscape that no longer exists. Bombers, Antipasto’s, Bella Napoli, El Mariachi, and more are all a part of this. So I think it’s also important to tell people that the emperor has no clothes.

The good news is that people are totally paying attention to some of the great new places that are operating in our area. But not enough. And these places need our support or they may go away.

With that said, I’d encourage you all to please take another look at this year’s slate on the FUSSYlittleBALLOT 4.0. If you’ve already voted, thank you. Now please try to recruit your friends. And if you haven’t voted, now’s as good a time as any. Then you too can move onto phase two.

As always, thanks for your consideration.