Ken's Buffalo Food Blog: April 2011

Friday, April 22, 2011

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

The "nom nom nom" ranking system

At the end of each review will be a certain number of noms, 0-5, correlating to my overall opinion and thoughts. The ratings take into account the service, overall feel, and most importantly the quality of the food. Since there are many factors that go into the rating, the written review will give a more through explanation for each stop.

[Zero]- I might as well have gone outside and picked through the garbage to find a meal. I really don't expect to find a place like this, and hope I never do.

Nom [1]- While not exactly garbage, really awful in one form or another. I will never set foot in here again, and hopefully it will close quickly. Hopefully this is another rare ranking.

Nom Nom [2]- While not totally awful, it was particularly bad in one area or another. I would consider going to places here again, but only with much protest to head elsewhere.

Nom Nom Nom [3]- Most places will fall into this category. Overall it's "as expected" with nothing being extraordinarily amazing or awful. These places are stops I willingly go to again, but I won't travel ridiculous lengths to get to.

Nom Nom Nom Nom [4]- Congrats. A 4-nom ranking means that it's a personal favorite for one reason or another. Expect a consistently great meal and overall a good experience. Few places will be in this category, but those that are should be considered even if it's not right around the block.

NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM [5]- The full 5! Rarely will something land in this category. For a full 5, the expectations are high and the food is in the tier of "best thing I ever ate."At this moment, there are few overall places (written about here or not) that I can think of that fall into this category. By few, I'm talking less than 10. Don't expect it much, but when one comes along it's by far worth a drive or to make a destination spot.