Chef's Restaurant

291 Seneca Street, Buffalo

If you ask five people for recommendations for Italian food in Buffalo, chances are three will say Chef's. If you make the trip downtown, you'll notice there isn't much else nearby that is open during dinner hours- or much else in general. While not far from Coca-cola field and the First Niagara center (making it a popular pre-game dinner place), it's just outside the heart of downtown. The restaurant recently expanded the front entryway, renovated the kitchen, and added a drive-thru window and did so with the re-use of marble from the old Aud (the Sabre's old arena) as the new bar top. While the front still doesn't have a lot of room to wait around to be seated (and it's needed- wait times can be over an hour on weekends), it does have much more than they formerly did. Additionally, the drive-thru window eliminated most of the people passing in and out for take out. Luckily when we went there the wait was under 10 minutes, which was good as it was a last minute decision and we were both hungry. A new room to the side was also added which would be ideal for parties or other small events, and is used as general seating when not reserved. The rest of the restaurant remains mostly unchanged and is a bit outdated at this point. Coincidentally, I've been to Chef's probably 6 times in the past 4 years and it seems that each time I end up at the same two tables.

The server quickly greeted us, brought over our drink orders (Peroni- good beer!) and bread with olive oil & seasonings. Glancing over the menu, we decided to order fried calamari. Usually I don't order fried seafood (save for fish-fry) as it tends to be over breaded and overcooked. Being an Italian restaurant, I expected genuine fried calamari, made on site and with fresh seafood, however, that is not what they served (or at least didn't taste it). Brought out with a side of their famous sauce, the calamari was exactly what I was hoping to avoid. Mostly breading and on the "rubbery" side, the calamari had the taste of something you would get out of the frozen food section of Tops. Much disappointed, we ate it more out of sheer hunger than enjoyment.

For dinner I ordered chicken parm with a side of spaghetti parmesan (the reason we came here to start). The girl ordered a big ol' plate of spaghetti parm. The chicken parmesan is alright, not exceptional. Served with their sweeter-than-usual sauce, the chicken is still a little dry and a little bland but otherwise ok. The redeeming portion of the dish really is the pasta sauce, which helps to add some flavor and moisture back to the chicken. I order the chicken parm more as a side to the spaghetti parm, which is awesome. The best way to describe spaghetti parm is cheese with cheese and spaghetti and more cheese. You'll need the knife on the table to get to the lightly sauced pasta underneath the layer of cheese but dive in. Don't underestimate the size of the dish either, what appears on the menu as small is still a good pile of pasta and cheese. I don't think I could eat the entire bowl in one sitting. It can be a bit heavy on the oil- mostly from the cheese, but they make drugs to combat high cholesterol (Lipitor for dessert anyone?) The dish is basically an excuse to eat a pile of melted mozzarella with a bit of pasta- and who doesn't like melted mozzarella?

From past experience and this visit, Chef's is alright Italian food, but certainly not the best you'll find. I think I could name about 4 others that offer better food at the same price point. The food is nothing really special and almost sub-par. If you like a sweeter red sauce, you'll probably love their sauce, and if you like lots of melted cheese on a plate of pasta, you'll be set with the spaghetti parmesan. That's the only reason I'll keep going back.

Chefs: nom nom nom (only because of the spaghetti parm)

Ebenezer Ale House

4348 Seneca Street, West Seneca


Ohh! A new place to check out!

After being recommended by two co-workers, the gf and I took a journey (around the block from her house) to the newly reopened Ebenezer Ale House. I had high hopes for this place as I was told the food was really good and it was a block away from where she lives which would make a perfect spot to visit frequently.

For a night that had a sabre's game, the parking lot had many cars but the inside had less people than expected. Inside a few people were seated at the bar, a few small groups at tables. There were two, maybe three, members of the waitstaff floating around the room.

We sat ourselves (at direction of the sign at the entrance) and were greeted by the server. She left us to look over the menu and tap list...and disappeared. A second server then came over to take drink orders about 10 minutes later. (Where'd the first one go?!) She took our selections and came back a few minutes later, with drinks, to take our dinner orders. No appetizers today, just dinner. The GF ordered the crab cake po-boy added a side of macaroni (no substitutions for the chips, $1.49 extra- so be it), while I ordered the "Flying Bison Aviator Red Battered Fish Fry." Off she goes, and like a boomerang...right back. They're out of fish fry. All good- it's still a new restaurant (only open 2 months or so?) so I'll let it slide...all places run out of everything at one point or another. Looking over the menu again, now hurried...the first waitress appears. Now there are two at the table, which creates some confusion. I reverted to my second choice (which I debated about for a few minutes initially) and selected the Ale House burger medium rare, add a side of broccoli (for $1.49..) since they wouldn't substitute.

And we wait...

and wait....

and wait...

and wait...

Eventually 40 minutes pass and food arrives. What happened between orders and food? I don't know, but it certainly wasn't busy in the restaurant to warrant that length of time. I'm not a chef, but getting a burger and a po-boy sandwich out of the kitchen is a 20 minute ordeal, especially on a "slow" night. Burger comes with the broccoli, as expected. No fries. Her first bite yields a "Is that shrimp!?!" Luckily, the waitress happened to stop back (which was good because they were otherwise not very attentive) and she apologized and took the plate back. I was a few bites into my burger (described on the menu as a 10oz burger, with stout caramelized onions, mushrooms, bacon, and cheddar), expecting copious amounts of stout-sauteed onions. With none noted, I pop the top, poke around a bit and see mushrooms with cheddar. Mushrooms? I don't have anything against mushrooms, in fact I like them on a burger. I was expecting more emphasis on the onions. If you're going to call something the "Ale House Burger" with emphasis on the stout caramelized onions, shouldn't they be there? And as another note....where's the bacon? It wasn't until I reviewed the menu online while writing this that I saw any mention of bacon. (Recall I made the decision rather quickly with two servers waiting for my selection)

In summary, what I did get: A medium well burger (not medium rare), with cheddar (as expected), mushroom (not expected, but correctly there), no onions? (they're supposed to be there, but I didn't taste any caramelized onions, no bacon (wasn't expecting it though). hmm...I feel a philosophical question arising: If bacon is missing, but wasn't expected, is it really missing then?
Yes, I argue. Bacon is important.
No chips (where'd they go!?), broccoli (as expected). Now...if you won't let me substitute, why would you take away the chips? If I could substitute, why would you charge me for the broccoli? I'm confused. Another note on the broccoli.... using frozen broccoli and then microwaving the crap out of it and throwing salt on it doesn't count as a side dish. Sorry. Either bury the freezer broccoli in cheese to mask the limpness or use fresh broccoli, steamed, with a dash of salt.

Now, I'll give the waitress credit for coming back and saying that it was her fault (not pushing blame on the kitchen, which is easy to do) and that she entered in the shrimp po-boy accidentally. The corrected sandwich came out in about 10 minutes, just as I was finishing (how was it that much faster than before?) and she had finished her mac & cheese side.

As for the food: Most everything I was served was pretty good, except for the broccoli....and if you change the "Ale House Burger" to "Mushroom Cheddar Burger." The mac and cheese was flavorful and cheesy, pasta wasn't soggy. The po-boy was nice and crispy on the outside, bread fresh, remoulade was nicely spicy. The chips with the po-boy were home made and nice and crispy- the way chipped fries should be. The burger was large and tasty, with fresh lettuce, tomato, and onion.

Besides the misstep with the food, the entire ordeal could have been redeemed quickly by the waitress. Comping the side dishes or a pint would have probably salvaged the evening. Being a newly opened place, I'm trying to cut them some room to get their feet under them. Now, as a general rule I don't ask for things to be removed (except when there in obvious error) or for free handouts. Let the chips fall where they may. She flopped- nothing removed. The mac & cheese side, initially described as $1.49, became $2.49. The [awful excuse for] broccoli was tagged at $1.49, but the chips were gone. Paying was another exercise involving more waiting...and waiting. We didn't approach 30 minutes, but they could speed things up greatly.

Overall, I tried to like this place. The restaurant business is very competitive and it's easy to see why some places fail. The service was a mess. The missteps that occurred could have been somewhat cleared up with a $4 pint. Getting orders in and out correctly is essential to the success of the restaurant. I was tempted to leave a list of everything on the back of the tab, in hopes that maybe some of it would be put to use. The potential is there but will have numerous hurtles for Ebenezer's Ale House to overcome to succeed.

Score: nom nom (get it together! and some new broccoli!)

PS: In the mass chaos of the food mistakes coming/going, I didn't get to take a picture. Just picture crappy broccoli and a decent burger. Sorry fans of the pictures...

Oops...lost some time

Yeah. All the photos I hoped to keep- Gone!
Combine work + house projects + gf on clinicals= no restaurants & no time!

I did make a few stops here and there in the past few months, but for one reason or another I never got around to either taking pics or writing about them, so I'll just chalk up those places in the loss column for now. I hope to be back on track, finally, and get this going again. Chef's and Ebenezer's Ale House are the two next write ups (landing as soon as I get the pics off the phone...) hopefully in the next day or two.

A month passed!

Yikes..I'm more behind than I thought. A month went past with a trip to NYC as well as friends coming up from Long Island and touring around the WNY area. I'm all set to get all my photos and start writing...and it broke (both screens). I'm hoping to recover it all in the next few days. I'm way behind too!

All waiting to go, just short of photos:
Earl's in Chaffee,
NYC noms,
the first post of my cooking (finally),
Coyote Cafe,
ZJ's revisit,
Mammoser's (if I took a pic)
Charlies in East Aurora,
Mississippi Mudd's,

I think that's it. Like I said, just a few...

Buffalo Brew Pub

6861 Main St, Williamsville, NY

Buffalo Brew Pub is one of my favorite spots in the WNY area for a beer and burger, or for this...a fish fry. Plus they toss in all the peanuts you can eat and popcorn ..can't go wrong with food designed to sell beer.

Brew pub has 30+ taps as well as some bottles if interested. Last I checked they didn't have Bud..a sign of a place that knows what it's doing. I went on down for lunch to grab a fish fry, which is one of the best in Buffalo in my opinion. Its a big ol' hunk of fish, beer battered and fried up nice and crispy on the outside. Some cole slaw, fries, and mac salad are thrown on the plate for good measure and a couple slices of rye (seedless...booooo. I want my caraway!).

No complaints from me, but it can be a bit pricey for a fish fry and pint. The fry was maybe 10-11 bucks, so it's not the cheapest you'll find, but worth it. A pint of good beer runs around 4-6 as well.

nom nom nom

Random Notes

So I'm getting caught up again, as the semester kicked me a couple writeups behind. I also haven't been going out much- money, time, school, work, etc have prevented it.

Spring might be starting soon...hopefully. I have a few places in the southern tier to head out to on the motorcycle. The snow/rain must stop already! I think everyone in the area has had enough of it.

Hopefully this summer will bring new places/food/beer and time to write it all up (for the non existent audience so far)

BW's Smokin' Barrels Barbecue

5007 Lake Avenue, Blasdell, NY

BW's Barrels is only a few miles from home. I've driven past them numerous times, I've eaten some samples at Taste of Buffalo each year. I finally made it inside 2+ years later. I should have went sooner. It's some seriously good 'cue.

Walking in, it has the usual bbq/western theme going on, and inside is really nothing special...except for the food. I had read the menu over before we went there for dinner and pretty much had the main course all sorted out before I even hit the door. Ordered was:

1 pint Dogfish Head ApriHop
1 cup Brunswick stew (I had no idea what it was beforehand. This was an addition)
1 Barbecue Platter- all the offerin's comin' straight outta the pit.

First, the beer. Prior to their show Brewmasters, I hadn't tried much from Dogfish Head, as I used to hate hate hate hate IPA's. That has since changed and their 60 minute is one of my favorites. Their ApriHop is also really good, with a nice apricot taste to it....get it...it's April which brings apricots and spring which brings easter and rabbits that hop with hops because its an IPA..clever marketing.


The brunswick stew...I had no idea what it was prior. The waitress described it as a "thick tomato meat stew." Well sign me up for a 55 gallon drum delivered to my house! I have no idea what animals were in the stew...but they were all good. I'll say that there was the usual 'cue animals of chicken, pork and beef in there and no extras sometimes found in good southern bbq. It was slightly tangy, very thick, pretty filling, and did I mention really good? A good bowl in the winter (or spring, since it won't stop snowing...) will keep you fed for a bit.


So after getting the cup out of the way, dinner showed up. I found myself with a big ol' pile of meat and a few sides to work through. A quarter chicken next to the beef brisket, next to the ribs, next to the pulled pork in a counter clockwise circle. Mashed sweet potatoes (with cinnamon and butter) and macaroni and cheese (a previous Taste of Buffalo offering) are centered. While again, I'm working with a crappy cell phone photo and poor lighting, the food was done as bbq should be (and not charcoaled as it looks in a way). Best thing on the plate? The ribs- they dropped right off the bone as they should and were not dry in the least. The 'cue sauce on the table was pretty good too. I wouldn't be surprised if people have swiped a squeeze bottle or two for the road.... Worst? There wasn't anything on there that I would call bad, awful or even ok. It was all tasty. Neither the brisket and pulled pork were dry, but both were helped out a bit with a good slathering of sauce.

After putting up a decent fight, I caved in a boxed half the chicken, half the brisket and a bit of pulled pork to go. I have to say that I was slightly disappointed that I couldn't manage to eat the entire plate...I was off my game I guess...as usually I could chow down and eat all that and then some. The only benefit was that I had a really good lunch the next day.

Overall if you're looking for some tasty 'cue in the southtowns area, give BW's a shot.

Nom Nom Nom

Chick-n-Pizza Works

129 Abbott Road, Buffalo

Being in healthcare, I know the affects of bad eating habits. We all should at this point, as the obesity epidemic in the country is out of control, always in the media's attention, and certainly increases medical costs for everyone in the country.

That said, I usually try to eat well, but sometimes you just need some good ol' fried chicken. While far from healthy, Chick-n-Pizza works is conveniently located near South Buffalo Mercy Hospital which has a cardiac care center, should it be too much for your heart to take.

Ordering a 3 piece dinner, the meal comes with a roll and small sides of mashed potatoes and coleslaw in addition to the chicken. The chicken is really good, with crispy skin and not too much breading. It's somewhere between a crossup of naked-chicken wing style fried chicken and southern fried chicken with heavy breading. It basically falls off the bone into your mouth- what else can you ask for from fried chicken. The coleslaw is a good generic slaw, but nothing outstanding. The potatoes taste like box-mash flakes to me, but I don't care- it's about the chicken here.

If you head down, don't expect a spot to eat- the inside area is probably 8ftx4ft - and make sure you ask for plastic utensils unless you're headed home. For 5-6 bucks, if you want some good fried chicken, head on over.

nom nom nom

Paczki Day!

[I'm a bit behind on my writeups here...I usually writeup places same or next day, but I've been busy. This is from Mardi Gras, March 8, 2011]

Fat Tuesday/Mardi Gras/Paczki Day around Buffalo means eating and drinking for most. One of the best parts of that is that if you head down to Eileen's Bakery on Center Road in West Seneca you can pick up some paczki's.




While they look much like donuts, they're a bit different. They're a bit heavier and more rich than your traditional jelly donut, these were filled with black raspberry filling. Entering into the PACKED bakery, the wait wasn't long to order. I ordered both varieties available- glazed and powdered sugar, paid my three bucks and headed out.

Getting home, I cleared a bit of counterspace, knowing that I was about to make a total mess. First up was the glazed version which I ate rather quickly (I didn't eat breakfast before class). The powdered sugar paczki was awesome. The powdered sugar was thickly coated on there and basically exploded all over when I bit it- a sign of goodness IMO.

After wolfing down both and cleaning up, I realized that I should have ordered about a half dozen more for the coming days. They're only offered up on Mardi Gras (as far as I know) and when they run out, they're gone for a year. I'll have to make a trip back to Eileen's for a true writeup on the place- they had quite a bit from what I could see (people were EVERYWHERE!)

So next year-get out there and pick some up from Eileen's. It's worth the trip

nom nom nom nom

ZJ's Family Restaurant

140 Pine St, Hamburg

Looking for breakfast, we headed over a few blocks to make the second stop on the breakfast tour in Hamburg. ZJ's was suggested to me by multiple people, all saying the food was a good place to grab up an inexpensive breakfast.

We headed over and grabbed an open table. The waitress came by promptly with coffee and menus in hand. A quick scan yields traditional breakfast fare of pancakes, omelettes, waffles, etc. With many different omelette options for breakfast, I ultimately chose the chicken souvlaki omelette.

Arriving quickly, the omelette was good but a bit salty (maybe due to the seasoning for the chicken). The homefries were good as well, with a good pile of onions on them. Tossing on a dash of franks hot sauce, it was a good start to the day.

Overall ZJ's was as expected, traditional diner fare and atmosphere for a good price. The staff was friendly and coffee was plenty. Putting ZJ's head to head with Heidi's, I think I would probably head over to ZJ's first, as it has plenty of seating and the traditional diner atmosphere that I associate with breakfast. Looking for breakfast in Hamburg? Head on down to ZJ's.

nom nom nom

India Gate

1116 Elmwood Ave, Buffalo

In the mood for something other than burgers and wings, we settled on heading down to India Gate for dinner on a Thursday night. Located just a few blocks from Buff State College, India Gate sits right near Pano's, Cole's, and Mr Goodbar. Luckily we found parking right across the street and headed into the restaurant where we were quickly sat at a table. Overall the restaurant wasn't empty, but they had plenty of seating available.

We ordered Kingfisher Beer as we read over the menu which had plenty of vegetarian options as well as many dishes for the carnivores. Unable to decide on which appetizers we wanted, we settled on the Mixed Platter which came with a large assortment of the appetizers on the menu. Unfortunately, I don't think I could name everything on the plate but I can tell you what I am pretty certain was there. (I'm rather quickly learning a lot about Indian food, both at restaurants and how to cook it in my kitchen)

What I am certain was there is: alu mater samosa (potato pastry), alu tikki (potato pastry, similar to a knish), gobi pakora (cauliflower fritters), beef samosa (beef pastry), paneer pakora (breaded fried cheese), chicken tikka (pieces of grilled chicken). The potato pastry and beef pastry were large and flaky and quickly favorites of both. The paneer was really good too, espeically with a bit of the green chutney on it. The chicken was only ok, it seemed a bit dry to both of us.

For dinner we ordered lamb jalfraize (at the suggestion of the server) and lamb curry with orders of keema naan (ground lamb stuffed bread) and onion kulcha (baked pita bread with onion) on the side. When the food arrived, we realized we had enough food for probably a group of four and we dug in.

The curry was excellent, but not spicy enough for my taste (my friend ordered his mild). A bit more red chili powder would have helped it out a bit. My lamb jalfraize was really good and perfectly spicy for me. One of the many things I love about Indian food is the blend of so many spices and flavors coming together to form the dish. These certainly did not disappoint and there was plenty left over for lunch the next day.

If you can find a group of people willing give it a shot (for some reason Indian food seems to scare many people I talk to) head down to India Gate and order a mix of food from the menu. The dishes are all served separate from the plates, which really encourages sharing. Mix it up and I'm certain everyone will find something they like.

One final note is that India Gate is owned by the same people that own Taste of India on Sheridan Drive. While I have not been to the restaurant on Sheridan, it shares the same menu. My friend (from India) says that Taste of India is the most authentic and best Indian food around here. I'll say that the same should apply to India Gate (he hasn't been there).

Overall: nom nom nom

Heidi's Hideaway

5833 Camp Road, Hamburg, NY

The breakfast tour of Hamburg visited two spots in two days. While I'm certain there are other breakfast joints around the village, I went for two most frequently mentioned by others. First stop was Heidi's Hideaway, a place I pass daily on my way to work. The building placement is odd...diagonal to both Camp Road and the intersecting side street. My friend and I headed down for a late breakfast at about 11am, rather hungry after a late night at O'Daniels.

Inside the place is small and had a few other people in there at the time. Quickly greeted, the waitress brought menus and said coffee would be a few minutes as a new pot was brewing. Looking over the menu, it had the typical breakfast fare at good prices. I settled on what was probably the most expensive thing on the menu...the breakfast skillet with bacon, cheddar and sourdough toast (~$8).

A cup of coffee later and breakfast came out of the kitchen. It was a plate of a giant egg, potato, bacon, cheddar, onion, and pepper conglomerate, and was exactly what I was hoping for. The toast was buttered and crispy. My friend had a very similar breakfast, just substituting ham for bacon and rye for sourdough toast. Finishing breakfast, we contemplated ordering a slice or two of pie from the list of 8 or so options, but passed that up since we were full from breakfast.

Overall, Heidi's Hideaway is a good place to grab some breakfast at a reasonable price. Closing the tab out we were given a card stamped for 10% off our next visit, which will probably get used. My only negative was that at times it was awkwardly quiet, even with the radio on. It wasn't really a big deal, but we found ourselves holding conversation off at times, just because it seemed like we were the rowdy ones there. Maybe knocking the radio volume up a notch or two would help, but it doesn't make-or-break the place.

In the end, if you're in the area and looking for a decent, inexpensive breakfast, Heidi's Hideaway is a good spot to get just that.

nom nom nom

O'Daniels Gin Mill & Grill (Revisit)

1305 Abbott Road, South Buffalo

Where better to do a birthday bash than O'Daniels? The food is always great, the bar is always well stocked and it's a great place to spend a couple hours...or six.

A few friends and I met up there about 8p for some dinner and drinks. They still had Sam Winter Ale on tap and that was my default beer for the night. We started with their awesome stuffed banana peppers, which are one of my favorite things on the menu. Tonight they were out of yellow banana peppers, but the chefs switched to red peppers for the night.

In past visits, the peppers can be hit or miss on the "spicy" level. Sometimes the peppers are comfortably spicy, others unbearable, so you've warned in advance that they can be blazing hot. Packed with ricotta, a bit of mozzarella, bacon and spices, the peppers are one of the best items on the menu. O'Daniels isn't brightly lit, so photos from a phone without a flash are tough. This one worked out, but it does not do the peppers justice.

Soup was included with dinner and I selected the Cajun Chicken Vegetable. It was a good chicken veggie soup with a nice cajun flavor. For dinner I had the Cajun Dusted Fish, with roasted red potatoes and vegetables (zucchini, yellow squash, carrots, broccoli). Unfortunately, the picture of dinner didn't turn out as expected, so I don't have it for this outing. The fish was nicely spicy and the accompaniments were done perfectly as well.

The night continued after dinner with more friends joining late into the night. It was about 5 pints, 2 shots and some time later that we all left (~2am) and the place still had quite a few people coming in and out. [No I didn't drive home...] As always, O'Daniels is a great place to land for a few hours.

---

Previous, and still at 4: nom nom nom nom

Tantalus Restaurant, Bar & Cafe

634 Main St, East Aurora

The greek mythology story of Tantalus is one of a thief and a cannibal. The mythological Tantalus offers up stolen nectars and ambrosia, as well as parts of his boiled son. While the restaurant Tantalus doesn't offer up humans for food, they have plenty to offer to those looking for good food in East Aurora. Located on Main street, the restaurant is just a short walk down from the famous Vidler's 5 & 10. Inside it has a rather large seating capacity, divided into two basic sections. Expect a few minute wait on a busy Friday or Saturday evening (20 minutes tops from prior visits). On this encounter, lunch had plenty of open spaces and were greeted by friendly staff telling us to sit anywhere we liked.

The waitress came over carrying an abundance of reading material. The menu is also comparable to Homer's Odyssey, if only in size. The multi-page, multi-section menu is a bit overwhelming for newcomers and those returning because of the number of selections to read through. The menu can seem a bit repetitive at times, with some items being very similar or made their way into both the lunch and dinner section. Expect to tell the staff "ehhh not done reading yet" a few times on your first few outings there. Other than the main menu, expect a mini clipboard with the daily tap selections, another bottled beer list, and a wine list. So much material, but unlike high school English class, there is no exam.

Having already decided what I wanted before I walked in, I didn't even open it to browse the lunchtime selections. Pointing my buddy to the burger selection, he browsed through that while I read over the rather extensive menu of beers on tap. Settling on an IPA, the waitress came back to tell me that keg just kicked. Switching to a different IPA the waitress came back saying that keg was also out. No worries though, with an easy 12-15 taps, I had plenty to choose from (provided they weren't all out) and went to the third IPA on the list. That one ended in success.

Food order was placed....the Bleu insider for me and CB insider for my friend. Both are their specialty burgers, with the usual toppings inside a monster burger. Bleu cheese inside and mushrooms on top on the mine, while the CB insider has cheddar and bacon inside. Fries, lettuce, tomato and a pickle accompany it on the plate.

The bleu cheese inside the burger was nice and melted and had a good "snap" to it. Biting into the burger, the cheese oozes out and makes a decent mess around the area. Luckily the crispy fries are there to clean it up. The burgers are rather big too. I planned on eating the whole thing, but my friend here decided to cut it in half and potentially save some for later.

The cheddar of the CB insider had less lava flow action than the bleu cheese but the bacon helps retaining it. The burgers were cooked as ordered (medium-well) and the kitchen had them out quickly. The real merit is in the rest of their food. Although it's been awhile since I have eaten dinner there (I keep getting snagged up on the burger page...they're GOOD burgers) in the few instances I have, the food was always great. Personal suggestion for an appetizer is the mussels with sea salt if you head there for dinner.

Overall, for the 9 bucks or so for the burgers you can't go wrong. The burgers were a large lunch size and the amount of fries was perfect as well. I haven't had anything there that I would not eat again, which makes return trips a battle between "things you know are good" and "things that sound good." With a seemingly never-ending menu, there are plenty of selections to try out and my guess is that if you actually could make it to the end of the menu, it will have new offerings by the time you reach it.

Oh and one more point: right next door is Taste, the EA coffee spot. It's a nice place to wander over to after a dinner for a change of scenery on a night out.

nom nom nom nom

[As an aside, using "blue cheese" vs "bleu cheese" is interchangeable. However, being in Buffalo, "Blue cheese" typically implies the dressing form. Therefore "bleu"=real bleu cheese and "blue"=dressing to me, just for simplicity.]

Mulberry Italian Restaurant

64 Jackson Avenue, Lackawanna

[A long post, for reason]

After many coworkers, friends, & tv shows (Guy Fieri) continued to give high ratings to Mulberry's I decided to check it out on a Saturday night with my girlfriend. I knew the place was popular, read up a bit on it, and knowing that they didn't take reservations after 6pm for a party under 4, called them up. I told the hostess I wanted to sit around 7-730 and asked what time I should arrive. 6pm was her response. "This better be some damn good food" was my thought.

Getting there promptly at 6pm, we were met to a PACKED bar and an hour and a half wait. With hardly enough room to stand, the two of us crammed into a space barely comfortable enough for one. And then we waited....and waited.... and waited. An hour and fifteen minutes later, we were seated. My thoughts on this are: That's ballsy. To tell customers that basically your food is so good, you can stand, cramped and on top of other for over an hour to sit takes guts. I guess people enjoy it. Even if the rest of my experience had been absolutely amazing, I don't see myself standing around an hour to get a table. Take reservations like 99.9% of every other restaurant. On the plus side (a minor one), the place did have cool decorations hanging from the ceiling and plenty of famous peoples pictures on the walls to look at. Not an hour+ of entertainment though...

The waitress greeted us rather promptly and asked what we would like to drink. Asking what beer they had (bottles only), she asked for ID. I gave it to her. Her reply, in a rather snarky attitude was..."Soooo you were born in 85?...How old are you then?" Correctly answering her math quiz, her next answer was "eh I don't know...Bud, bud light, blue, blue light" and then drifted off without even finishing. So be it. Sam Adams for me (after noticing someone at the bar holding a bottle of it). I understand carding and fully agree with it, but the attitude should go. First, I don't look 18. Second...no I'm not here with my girlfriend handing off fakes. Third...even if I was, lose the tone. Forth (and final)...if my ID meets your criteria, answer the question or go find out if you don't know. Regardless of how old/young you think I am, I still believe I'm entitled to some form of answer.

Food came out at a rather slow pace. Ok, I'll overlook it as it was really busy. The meatball, which everyone was so excited about, came first first. Nothing all that special- It was good, but not the best thing ever.

Dinner was Pollo Saltimbocca for me, Ravioli di Carciofo for her. The ravioli was pretty good, I actually liked it more than my chicken. My dinner was ok, and would have been much better had it not had the texture of chicken that was sitting in a sterno heated pan all day. It was rather tough, which is a difficult thing to do to chicken.

For dessert we split Tiramisu, which I thought was really good. The only downside was that because the meal was moving along at a painfully slow pace, we had to flag the waitress down to 1) place the order so we could get out in a reasonable time and 2)request a glass of water for the second time. Ok, again its busy, I understand. But seriously...thats where your tip went. If the general attitude about the ID wasn't enough, she genuinely didn't seem to give a damn about anything there. Time from seating to out the door was just about 2 hours.

Cliffs:

Good- Ravioli, Tiramisu, decor

Bad- No reservations, long wait, bad waitress, rubberized chicken, slow service.

Egh...I've been neglecting writing this review, as it's to be the first place I really was not happy with in a long time. Maybe it was the hype? Maybe it was the wait? Maybe the bad service? I can't say for sure, but either way that's my thoughts on Mulberry's (probably much to the dislike of many others who have been there). I would go back, but never on a weekend and not without STRONG protest to head somewhere else. So be it- 2 noms (generously, for the tiramisu and ravioli)

nom nom

Paula's Donuts

380 Kenmore Avenue, Buffalo

Back in my undergrad days, I used to live a few blocks down from Paula's Donuts. Within walking distance to South campus, I used to pass it daily on the way to Dunkin Donuts before class.

Bad move on my part. I missed some valuable donut eating days there.

The shop is often overlooked, on the corner of a plaza. It's small and has the look one would associate with a donut shop that's "been around awhile and not going anywhere anytime soon". I quickly became a regular there, and the staff behind the counter knew the drill: Large coffee, milk, two sugars, a boston creme and a black forest donut. The Boston creme donuts beat anything I ate actually in Boston. Black forest is my personal favorite, although that's a tough pick between the two. (Both are shown below) I did change it up now and again, and have eaten most of the donuts they offer. All are beyond amazingly good.

Unlike your chain coffee/donut place, their donuts are BIG. Tall, fluffy, large perfectly cooked circles of doughnuty goodness. The prices also are basically what you'd pay at a DD or Timmy Ho's, but you will notice the difference in the first bite.

Coming from the kid who used to suck down Krispy Kreme donuts at 7am after being up all night, I'll tell you these beat anything from krispy kreme- with or without a "hot now" light. People say Dickies Donuts or Famous Donuts on main rival it. While I can't speak about Dickies Donuts (yet), I know that Famous Donuts was not even close.

The folks at Paula's donuts get highest honors, 5 noms

NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM

O'Daniels Gin Mill & Grill

1305 Abbott Road, South Buffalo

I've been going to O'Daniels for well over a year now. The food is always awesome and I've had a good bit on the menu already. Personal picks are the stuffed banana peppers and the wings. While the wings aren't my favorite, they're still damn good [that title goes to Mammoser's] and you can buy their wing sauce and throw it on chicken at home. Burgers and Crow (chicken) sandwich are consistently good. Friday brings the "other menu" which is mostly fish. I've only hit them on Friday once for fish. It's usually busy in there and I'm usually working, but its worth it. They usually have a pretty good beer lineup too [6 rotating taps, various bottles] and the bartenders are cool as well.

Pictured is their BBQ burger with swiss and crispy fries. Beer: Victory Donnybrook Stout

Burger was perfect, like always. I was hoping the beer would be a little closer to Guinness, but it was totally different and only ok in my opinion. Hah- come to think of it, this is all my opinion.

Overall: nom nom nom nom

Go there! You'll like it!

The Idea

Ah...yet another food blog on the web. Just what we all need to read.

Why another? Well...in short, why not?

However, the real reason is that while food is necessary for survival, it's also a means of exchange. Every culture, group, region, or family has its own way of preparing food and one of the best ways to learn about it all is through the basic necessities. Since we all MUST eat, we might as well find a way to enjoy it. Luckily, that is easily accomplished (most of the time).

The actual idea of this is just an extension of my facebook postings of food either I've prepared or had prepared for me (restaurants or friends), all followed with the internetz famous "nom nom nom." Recent trips to my family on Long Island generated quite a few photos and much interest from friends. Of them, no less than half a dozen wanted to know if/when I was starting a food blog. So here it is!

I cook quite a bit at home and head out often as well. I'll be posting photos and reviews of places mostly in and around the Buffalo, NY area (with addresses!). Others will be the food prepared in my functional-yet-ugly-looking kitchen without my address- I can't have people stealing my food.

Let the nom nom nom's start...