The Best Dozen of 2017

Give me this one. One listicle to end the year. Because while there have been good things that happened over the past twelve months, 2017 was a stinker. So who can blame me for wanting to look back at the posts that people enjoyed the most?

Heck. It’s a good exercise for me too. Maybe by writing today’s post, I might remember what it’s like to write stories that people actually want to read.

What I’m going to leave out of the rankings are the Fussy Little Tour announcements, nominations, and results posts. Because those always get a lot of attention. And I’m also going to leave out those evergreen posts that continue to get read years and years after they’ve been written.

This is all about the content from 2017 that connected. Are you a FLB super fan? How many of these posts did you read when they were first published? I’m sure even my own mother hasn’t read them all.

Okay. Let’s see.

12. The Capital Region’s Most Entrenched
The 2017 Times Union’s Best of the Capital Region poll came out, and I went through the list and pulled out some thoughts. There were definitely some upsides, but there is also definitely still room for improvement.

11. A Little Drunk in Albany
It doesn’t happen that often, but I went out drinking on a Friday night. Then I hired an Albany taxi to take me home. It could have gone much much worse. Instead, it was just sketchy and expensive.

10. On Burgers and Not Burgers
In which I suggest that the rising prices of burgers is based in part on their popularity. So I say, even though burgers are delicious, let’s make them less popular. It’s a challenging argument to ask people not to buy fancy burgers at nice restaurants. But I went for it.

9. Office Hours
I had a big question to ask about the workplace culture of the Capital Region, and shared two stories for context. But it’s shocking to see amazing coffee shops with fast and free wifi go unused throughout the day. And it’s sad that more people can’t enjoy a civilized lunch out.

8. Cheating on Uncle Lanny
There’s a new Shanghaiese restaurant open in Albany. However, it was hard to go without feeling like I was being unfaithful to Ala Shanghai. To make matters worse, I roped Albany Jane into the outing, and she’s the one who considers Uncle Lanny to be like family.

7. Secrets, Tomatoes, and Patience
What’s the secret? DeFazio’s not only has opened a backyard patio for private dining, but during tomato season, you can also order a tray of their homegrown tomatoes for the table. Make a mental note of this, and don’t forget to send an invitation to the Profussor after you make your ressie in August of 2018.

6. In Memory of a Local Chef
The only time I met Jackie Baldwin was when I returned from New Jersey and reconnected with the Chefs’ Consortium at an Albany Distilling Company event, but I still remember what she made. She touched a lot of people, and when she died earlier this year, a benefit was planned in her memory.

5. Big Movies Little City
There is literally a big hole in downtown Troy on what should be the city’s most desirable piece of land. I saw both sides of the argument about putting a movie theater there instead. But mostly, I was glad that I didn’t have to make that decision.

4. In Defense of Red Sauce Restaurants
People in most of the country would kill to have chicken parm as good as we’ve got it here. Yes, it’s ubiquitous. Yes, a lot of it isn’t great. But let’s appreciate the bounty that surrounds us.

3. Close Reading & Crazy People
Timmy’s. I went there based on the great reviews of people who I trusted, and almost made my kids cry. Here’s the trick. Read the Yelp reviews closely. Also, don’t listen to recommendations from the crazy person slurping noodles in the corner of the restaurant.

2. The Great Chef Shuffle of 2017
Chefs. They move around from restaurant to restaurant. Sometimes it’s hard to follow. But the movement of a talented chef can really have great repercussions. Especially when Guilderland is getting two great talents from further afield, and one Saratoga chef moves from a management position into creating a menu of foods that he loves.

1. Wonderful Watervliet
Everyone gushes about Troy. But where’s the love for Watervliet? Right here, baby! I do love this little, and often forgotten hamlet across the river from the much more precious Collar City. And holy moly, the people of Watervliet were so thrilled that someone was paying attention to the good things in their community, they shared this story for weeks. Seriously, this got almost five times the views of the next most popular post.

Thank you. Thank you all for reading. Some of you come back almost every day for more Fussy. Others will pop in only once in a while, and that’s okay too.

I’m resolved to keep on writing this thing. Hopefully you will keep on reading it.

If you like what’s going on here, please tell your friends to read it too, or share it on your social media feeds. Because more than anything, I’m continually amazed at how many people are missing some of the better things that we now have in the Capital Region to eat, drink, and enjoy. The best part is, the more informed people are about their choices, the better the area is going to get.

Have a blast saying goodbye to 2017, and I’ll see you in the new year! Cheers!