Bill Rapaport's Buffalo Restaurant Guide

Alphabetical Listing of Restaurants: B

Bacchus
Bandana's Bar and Grill
Bar Bill Tavern
Barton Hill Hotel & Spa
The Basket Factory
The Beach House
Bella Pizza
[m] La Bella Sicilia
Benjamin's
Oh Bento
Betty's
[am] Big John's Submarine and Pizza
Bing's
Bistro Europa
[a] Black and Blue Steak and Crab
Black Forest Inn
Blackthorn
The Blue Wall
[m] Bob & John's La Hacienda
Bob Sharky's Saloon
[am] Bocce Club
Bogey's Grillhouse
[a] Bonefish Grill
Boomerang's
Borders Books, Music, Café
Boston Hotel
[am] Boston Market
Boulevard Family Restaurant
Bova's Deli
Bravo Cafe
Bravo Cucina Italiano
Brennan's Bowery Bar
Brickyard Pub & BBQ
Broadway Hotel
Brodo
Buffalo Bean and Leaf
Buffalo Brew Pub
Buffalo Pizza Co.
Buffalo Smokehouse
Buffalo Wild Wings
[a+] Burger King
Burger Town
Burgundy Room
[a] Burrito Bay
Buzzy's New York Style Pizza & Restaurant
BW's BBQ
[a] Byblos

Key:

[—], , ,	Bill's rankings
[XXX]	recommendation from contributor whose initials are XXX
[a+]	on UB Amherst Campus (in the UB Commons)
[a]	near UB Amherst Campus (within 2 miles)
[m]	near UB Main St. Campus (within 2 miles)

(For more info on locations, see Geography)

All phone numbers are in area code 716, unless otherwise indicated.

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Bacchus. —WARNING: The website is accompanied by loud music!
54 W. Chippewa St. (at Franklin St., downtown), Buffalo.
854-9463.

Wine bar and restaurant. Online reservations available via OpenTable.com.

[3/06] Given 3½ (out of 4) stars by Janice Okun, Buffalo News restaurant reviewer.

[CK, 8/09] says: "Review: Positive. This was our second time to Bacchus this year. The first time was Winter 2009 with 2 other couples. It was a busy Friday night, and the food and service were very good. Our most recent trip was a Tuesday evening. The weather was nice, so we sat in the courtyard. The food was absolutely delicious. We started with an appetizer of an artisan cheese plate. We selected 4 cheeses, which were presented nicely on a platter with cherries and pan-crusted, caramelized walnuts: fantastic. I selected a dry sherry recommended as an appertif with the cheese platter, which complemented the flavors of the cheese, cherries, and nuts very well. The artisan cheese list was made up of about 18–20 different cheeses, some more exotic than others. The cost is $2–$4/ounce, depending on the selection. My wife and I shared 4 1-ounce selections, and that seemed just right. Our dinner was great! My wife had the pecan-crusted salmon over vegetables; I had one of the specials, a pan-seared grouper served over polenta in a fennel broth. It was absolutely delicious. We declined dessert, because we were full. Our server was helpful with the menu and very attentive. The service was excellent. Cost for meal, which included 2 cocktails at the bar beforehand, 2 glasses of wine with dinner, and 20% tip, was $125. It was well worth it."

[ZR, 3/09] said: "[1½ stars out of 4] We had been anticipating our dinner reservation at Bacchus this past Saturday night, because my mom and I had a light dinner of mussels at Bacchus last summer, which were excellent. We were told that they had nothing available until after 8:30, so we made our reservation for 8:45. We began with the crispy calamari and rock shrimp with the sweet and spicy glaze and seared scallops with apple hash and onion marmalade with chili oil. These starters were disappointing. The calamari was not crispy, and they were slightly cold. We sent them back, and, although they replenished our order, the taste was bland. The rock shrimp were unpleasant because they felt out of place with the calamari. We would have been better off skipping starters altogether. The scallops were mediocre. The chili oil was out of place, and the apple and onion marmalade hash did not compliment the scallops favorably. As far as our entrées, we ordered the rack of lamb with butternut squash risotto, duck confit and reggiano cheese pepitas, and the free-range chicken with caramelized onion, mashed potatoes, and baby spinach, and heirloom tomato salad with buttermilk drizzle. The chicken was delicious, and the tomato salad was one of the best I have ever had! Unfortunately, the lamb was overcooked, because, although it was ordered well done, the lamb arrived medium rare, so they cooked the lamb again, which ruined the meat, resulting in a tough, cardboard-like taste. We could not eat the lamb [$34]. The risotto was better, but, unfortunately, we had issues with three-fourths of our dinner. I was disappointed to learn that the executive chef, Brian Mietus, had left the restaurant on a Saturday night by 9 pm. I believe that if he had been in the kitchen, our orders would have at least been cooked correctly. Also, the moment our appetizers were cleared, our entrées arrived, and they were cold, as if they had been sitting in the kitchen waiting for us to finish our apps. Additionally, the service was rushed. We were handed a dessert menu the moment our entrées were removed from the table. I like Bacchus because of the atmosphere, minus the carpeting, but we will be less likely to return for dinner because of our below-stellar experience."

[CP, 11/07] said: "Six friends and I had dinner here last Friday. The Mahi Mahi special I ordered was out of this world. Another friend agreed she would lick the plate if she were home :o) The only complaint was that the filet was served a little rare for having ordered it medium. It was delicious, though."

Bill said: [12/06] [MER] and I stopped here to pass some time with other parents while our son was at the Maria Love Charity Ball. I tried the seared scallops with apple hash, onion marmalade, and chili oil, while [MER] had the grilled pizzetti with wild mushroom, proscuitto, reggiano cheese, arugula, and truffle oil; both appetizers were scrumptious. But the restaurant is almost unbearably noisy.

[PMR, 2/03] said: "We dined at Bacchus in January 2003. We found the restaurant to be almost empty; it was a Tuesday evening, so that may have been the reason. Our waiter was very knowledgeable about the food and the wine. The food is served in smaller portions, meant for ordering a couple dishes and sharing amongst the dinner guests. The food was of excellent quality, and they were more than willing to adapt the menu, which is slightly limited but had enough choices to please all four of us. They gladly altered a couple dishes to be vegetarian friendly. The wine list is exhaustive. The prices for the wine are very fair; we liked one of the wines our waiter recommended, and, at a later date, we purchased a bottle at a local store and found the price to be only slightly less than what we were charged at the restaurant. Our waiter made excellent wine suggestions, and we enjoyed 3 different bottles of wine over the course of our meal and desserts. The waiter was non-intrusive and allowed us dine and converse at our leisure."

Bagel Jay's.
[a] 100 Plaza Dr. (in Dash's Plaza at Hopkins Rd. and W. Klein Rd.), Williamsville. 639-1000.
2730 Delaware Ave. (near Amherst St., in North Buffalo), Buffalo. 874-1800.
[a] 2206 Millersport Hwy. (in the Mobil station at the corner of N. Forest), Getzville. 204-0001.

Reviews of the Williamsville & North Buffalo locations:
[WHN] says:
[5/09] "We have a new favorite lunch sandwich from Bagel Jay's: roast turkey on an asiago bagel. It's more like a roll than a bagel, but—whatever—it's delicious, with a nice cheese flavor."

[2/07] "In addition to excellent bagels in about twenty varieties, they serve a wide choice of sandwiches, either on bagels, rolls, or in wraps (but a very limited choice of rolls and wraps). The roast turkey is excellent, especially on a jalapeno-cheddar bagel. I wish they had pastrami, but the closest they have to that is corned beef. For those who have been in the area for a while, this restaurant is owned by one of the Bagel Brothers, who sold their local chain to Manhattan Bagel years ago. Open for breakfast and lunch; eat in or take out."

[HPK, 9/07] said: "It is strange to me that in this day and age there are still places that have no idea what customer service is. My family and I have always been fans of Bagel Jay's. Recently though things have been "weird" at the Hopkins Rd. branch. The last two visits, the order has been wrong. The wrong bagels, smears, coffee, etc. The 1st time we let it pass, thinking mistakes happen. The last time, though, we called them up once we realized that our order was wrong again. Wrong bagels, smears, and the coffee had the wrong items in it. Upon calling, this was their response: "Bring them back and we will fix it; we can put your bagels back and give you new ones." Put them back??? Yuck. I would not want to get someone's else's bagels. We explained that we could not come back at the moment but would be more than willing to come back in a couple of hours. Making a special trip would not be worth the gas money, and we did not have the time. They said, "unless you bring them back now, there is nothing we can do for you." What??? We questioned this only to be told the same thing again. We were not rude; in fact, when placing the call, we said, "We want you to know so the mistakes don't keep happening." If this was my place, I would have said to my customer, "Please keep what you have now; enjoy them. We have written your name down, and, when you can come back in, we will make it right. Any day." I hope whatever is going on gets better; we do like the place."

[Bill, 2/07] said: "The best bagels in the area. My 11-year-old son insists on stopping off at the Williamsville location after school every day for a plain, untoasted bagel with butter, a bag of chips, and chocolate milk. When the servers see him coming, they ask him if he wants his "usual":-) We've been to both the Williamsville and the North Buffalo locations, which are equally good."

Bandana's Bar and Grill.
930 Lake Rd., Youngstown.
745-1010.

[AG, 3/05] says: "Inside what looks like a scruffy country bar is a chef serving unusually artful comfort food. We loved the jerk chicken sandwich, topped with Swiss cheese, grilled pineapple, and red onion, and banana aioli. Great chili cheese fries. We wished we had more room, because there were more things on this menu that deserved investigation. Blackened chicken chili? Red potato bacon salad? Steak quesadilla? The Friday catfish po' boy sandwich special?"

Bar Bill Tavern
185 Main St., E. Aurora.
652-7959.

[JFG, 3/09] says: "Well, I guess it's time to share instead of keeping it secret! If you want a place that does what is, arguably, one of the best places for beef on kimmelweck in Western New York, this is the place. And if you want what is the equal of any wings I've had in Western New York, this is also that place. Serendipitously, it just so happens that both of these Buffalo classic foods are prepared, and prepared well here and, certainly in the case of the Beef on Weck, better than any place else. They know what makes an excellent beef: slow roasted and medium rare (but you can get it done to order most times), and they've paired it with a true kimmelweck roll, not like that abomination Charlie thinks is the real thing. (Sorry, Charlie!) The wings are meaty, moist, and delivered to your specification—from mild to suicide. Me, I cannot take 'em any hotter that "hot", and they'll ask you if you've ever had their "hot" for that reason. And that's not all they have that's good. Several varieties of wings are on the menu, and they're all good. And you don't have to settle for only wings or weck—there's variety, and I've never been disappointed. When the snow flies, the soups are great. You'll hear a lot about wings or weck served elsewhere. Most of the hype comes from college students who haven't gone anywhere but Duff's or Anchor or somewhere else that's near a campus. Meanwhile, the natives who grew up with the cuisine are happily, and quietly, munching wings and weck here or the beef at Schwabl's.

[DwH, 3/08] said: "Has become a favorite place when I get to visit Buffalo. Great wings and wonderful beef on 'weck. The beef on 'weck is carved right there behind the bar—the small size is adequate; the large size is downright necessary for a sandwich this good. Damn the calories! Full speed ahead! So-so beer selection but always friendly staff and enough large-screen TVs to microwave you. Busy, but the food is so good that it's worth either waiting or going at off-times. No credit cards, but there is an ATM."

[KAS, 3/06] said: "Having recently moved to East Aurora (from another Western New York town), my husband and I were in search of new restaurants/bars/cafes to explore. After several circuits of the village, we finally settled on the Bar Bill Restaurant right near the circle. It was very crowded, very friendly, and very fun! Since it is a very small place in ratio to the number of customers who congregate there, getting a table on a Friday or Saturday night takes time and patience, but it is worth the wait! We ordered their famous beef on weck sandwiches and an order of their Sicilian chicken wings. We were absolutely delighted! I have to say, the best I've ever had. We told family members from surrounding towns, and the Bar Bill is now one of their favorite places to eat as well. My parents' favorite wings to order are the wasabi/barbeque ones. Talk about something different! On busy nights like Fridays and Saturdays, your best bet is to come early if you want to eat right away, or be willing to have a drink or two at the bar and wait. The wait staff, for the most part, also tends the bar, so they are busy folks, but very friendly. Other nights during the week, when not as busy, you are able ask the bartenders if a table is available, and they will point you in the right direction. It is best to ask, rather than just seat yourself, as there are probably hungry people ahead of you waiting for the table. It's a very casual atmosphere, and no one ever seems to be in a hurry (except the people carrying food to the tables!). Some nights, when it's not so busy, the cooks will send out chicken wings to the bar so you can try out a "new recipe". Just a note, they do not accept credit cards, so be prepared with cash! We ran up a hefty bill one night for 6 people (drinks, dinner, and generous tip) and presented a credit card only to be informed, very apologetically, that they don't accept credit cards. Fortunately, we had the cash, but be forewarned or they'll have you washing dishes in the back! We have been very happy with the Bar Bill and feel as though we have found our watering hole away from home. We hope you enjoy it as well."

[JSt, 4/00] said: "I now reside in Weatherford, Texas, where Beef on Weck is unheard of, but grew up in East Aurora. You need to go to the Bar Bill on Main St near the traffic circle there for the best beef on weck in WNY (even better than Schwabl's)."

Barton Hill Hotel & Spa.
100 Center St., Lewiston.
754-9070, 1-800-718-1812.

[PT, 5/09] says: "We attended a group dinner at Barton Hill, overlooking the Lewiston waterfront park and Niagara River last weekend. There were about 120 people at the event. In advance of the dinner, we were offered a choice of beef Wellington or roast halibut with tomato and garlic chutney. We both chose the beef and were asked at the table how we wanted it cooked. Ours were perfectly cooked to medium rare, and the crust was flaky and tender, but it didn't have any of the foie gras that we expected, just a mushroom duxelles. Nevertheless, the main course was very good. The salad was not-too-exciting iceberg lettuce and cheese with artichoke dressing. For dessert, small chocolate sundaes were presented. The wines were a chardonnay and merlot from the nearby Niagara, NY, escarpment region. They were surprisingly good. For the size of the group, the food, presentation, and service were first rate. Someone at our table said it was ‘better than Niagara-on-the-Lake’. I don't know which Niagara-on-the-Lake restaurants they've dined at, but I wouldn't go that far. The only large group dinner I've been to there was a wedding reception at Queen's Landing, which was extraordinary. Still, we will probably go back for dinner if we're in Lewiston for an Artpark show."

The Basket Factory.
2 Watson Ave., Middleport, NY.
735-9260.

[WHN, 8/06] says: "I was introduced to The Basket Factory several years ago, when I did business with a company in Middleport. More recently, my wife and I had lunch on their outdoor deck overlooking the Erie Canal. At lunch time, they have good, basic food—burgers, wings, sandwiches, pasta dishes, salads, etc.—and good service—at very reasonable prices. Their dinner menu sounds much more ambitious, with a variety of seafood, chicken and duck, steaks, veal, and more."

The Beach House.
5584 E. River Rd., Grand Island.
773-7119.

[SAS, 9/08] says of the first and only Grand Island restaurant to be listed in this guide(!): "Positive—we have enjoyed this casual restaurant for years; last night's late dinner was two of their sandwiches off the menu: My wife had the tuna melt, and I had a roast-beef club sandwich on sourdough bread, both delicious. We each added a chef salad to our meal, mostly iceberg lettuce with a few add-ons; my wife was unhappy about the rust edges on her lettuce, but otherwise it was fine. I thought that the fries accompanying my sandwich were a bit bland, but I learned that I can request them extra crispy next time (which I will). The Beach House serves beer and wine, and offers its tasty fish fry from 11am on Wed, Thurs, and Fri. (Thanks for maintaining this valuable local asset, Bill!)" [And thank *you* for the kind words :-)]

Bella Pizza.
3330 South Park Ave. (1 mile north of Ilio DiPaolo's), Lackawanna.
822-6242.

[DE, 12/05] says: "Bella is by far the best pizza in WNY."

[m] La Bella Sicilia.
2909 Genesee St. (east of Harlem Rd.), Cheektowaga. 896-6692.

Italian.

[CWi, 10/09] says: "Thanks so much for your awesome site. I use it all the time and have found many great restaurants I would have never known about. [Thanks for the kind words!] My husband and I recently had a disappointing dinner experience at La Bella Sicilia. I had the spaghetti and meatballs, which were fine: nothing spectacular, but definitely acceptable. The side salad, which was not included, was quite lame: just iceberg lettuce with some tomato, chickpeas, and green olives. My husband had ordered the sausage cacciatore; however, they brought him the chicken cacciatore. When he very politely told the waitress of the mix-up, she adamantly said "No; you ordered the chicken cacciatore." We again politely stated that he did indeed order the sausage and asked if it would be possible to switch. She then continued with the whole "This is what you ordered, and it would take over twenty minutes to get the sausage." She had major attitude going on and not once ever apologized for the error; in fact, she made us feel like we had done something wrong by even suggesting there had been a problem. We aren't ones to make a scene, plus we had no desire to prolong this awkwardness any longer, so he just stuck with the chicken and made the best of it. I certainly understand that mix-ups occur and am more than willing to compromise, but I don't expect to have to deal with rude, borderline-nasty service. Needless to say, we will not be returning."

[TCJ, 8/08] said: "Have visited this establishment many, many times and usually great food, amazing prices, and OK service, not always very friendly but you overlook that sometimes when the food is as good as it is. I have had the chicken wings: crispy, great sauce and enough bleu cheese for dipping. Subs are tasty and always made fresh. Sauce is wonderful; being Italian myself, I am accustomed to a specific kind of sauce and am particular about my choice of restaurant to order such a meal. They have always come through. However, on this one particular night, 3 of us went: 1 ordered wings, 1 ordered a sub, and I ordered a calzone. We waited and waited for our bread (I use the term loosely, since it is just a sub roll); the bread never came, so I asked the waitress. She said, "You do not get bread with what you ordered"?!!?! I was very confused, as I have been coming here for years, and this has never, ever happened. I asked; she said, "The girls should not be giving you bread unless you order a dinner". I was very upset with this, since, again, it is just a sub roll. On to the food: Like I said, I had been there previously and ordered the calzone, only to be severely disappointed. Knowing full well it will take longer to make, I am fine with that, but when it comes to the table, and the cheese in the middle is still cold, it is unacceptable. After 3 separate attempts, I will never order a calzone from there again."

[AFN, 3/06] said: "Six friends and I returned on 3/22. I had a delicious dish called "Chicken Margarite"—sauteed chicken topped with sauteed eggplant, cheese, and a lemony sauce. Everyone else thought their choices were excellent as well. A friend who also ordered the chicken asked for red sauce, which they brought to her on the side. A choice of salad or pasta comes with each entree. My dinner cost $14, including two soft drinks, tax, and tip. Very economical and very good."

[DWS, 5/95] said that he was taken here "when we first came to Buffalo and it is still excellent. They have great linguine and red clam sauce and their pizza is excellent. I still eat there. Also their antipasto is great."

Benjamin's Restaurant and Inn.
430 King St. N., St. Jacobs, ON, CANADA.
519-664-3731.

[WHN, 10/06] says: "The town of St. Jacobs is close to Stratford and is the center of the Mennonite community in Canada, so you're likely to see quite a few horse and buggy conveyances. We had lunch at Benjamin's over the Canadian Thanksgiving/Columbus Day weekend. Most Canadian restaurants seem to have their regular menus, as well as the traditional turkey feast, which is much better than the limited menus or buffets that most Buffalo area restaurants seem to serve on holidays. (We gave up eating out on holidays or holiday eves years ago, but that's another story.) That said, I had an excellent turkey wrap with cheese and cranberry mayonnaise, and my wife had a seafood crepe that she said was absolutely delicious. Other menu items included burgers, Reubens, chicken and pasta dishes, and a couple of vegetarian choices, as well as a turkey dinner with all the trimmings."

Betty's.
370 Virginia St. (in Allentown, west of Elmwood Ave.), Buffalo.
362-0633.

[KE, 11/08] says: "Betty's should definitely be added to the vegi-friendly list."

[AFN] said:

[9/08] "While on the Secrets of Allentown Walking Tour today, my sister and I stopped for brunch at Betty's. We have both been there before, but I have not had brunch, only lunch. It was very crowded, but the service was quite prompt and efficient. I choose a breakfast burrito, which my sister recommended. I thought it was OK, but somewhat bland—it could have used more spiciness. My sister had eggs Benedict, which she said were delicious. They looked good. I probably should have had those, too."

[5/06] "What a great place! Two friends and I had lunch here today (5/3). They had both been to Betty's before, but I had not. Since it was a beautiful day, we opted to eat at the "sidewalk cafe", but the restaurant looked nice inside, too. The first thing our waitress asked was how much time we had, because, she said, some people want a leisurely lunch and others need to get back to work quickly, which was our situation. My grilled chicken with red pepper sauce was perfect, and the salad with house miso dressing was terrific, too. One of my friends ordered coconut cream pie, which she said was the best she ever had, for dessert. Excellent (and fast, as we asked) service, also."

[JJa, 2/08] said: "I've been to Betty's for brunch 2 weekends in a row. Waited about 10-15 minutes for table first time, 25 minutes second time, but it was close to noon. Our waiter was friendly, staff kept us refilled with water and (great!) coffee. Coffee is deep, dark roasted, and rich. I had "Smothered Cornbread", light cornbread topped with scrambled eggs and black beans and fresh salsa, with a dollop of sour cream, side of home fries, and garnish of fruit. Divine!!!! I splashed a little of the Frank's hot sauce that is on every table, but didn't need it. My companions both had tofu hash, with sweet potatoes, onions, eggs, and homefries. The "hash" was well seasoned and very good. Second trip, I asked the server's advice; thought I might try something new. He steered me back to smothered cornbread. Friend had Smoked Salmon Benedict, and was very pleased. Good refills on coffee and water. Will have brunch here often, but I can't wait to try dinner some night after work."

[ASe, 2/08] said: "Recent visit for Sunday Brunch—12/2007. Formerly one of our favorite brunch stops—Betty's had great food, friendly (if very slow) service, and a relatively kid-friendly atmosphere (we have a newborn and a two-year-old). Terrific omelettes, good coffee, fresh fruit and vegetables, nice decor, skilled chefs, but slow waitstaff. Not a cheap breakfast—usually north of $30 for two, including coffee and juice. After two incidents of very slow service (following very long waits for tables), we've decided to cross Betty's off our list. One waitress in particular would ignore us almost completely, and the very apologetic manager's response (1/2 off the bill and a free dessert) was nice but not quite enough for us to chance it again. Food was often served lukewarm to nearly cold (not very appetizing for eggs Benedict), table waits were way too long, waitstaff could be inattentive to the degree of being rude. A pretty place and a clearly talented kitchen—but often way overbooked and with some very poor servers."

[BMcWS, 1/08] said: "We had never heard of Betty's until we heard it advertised on NPR's Morning Edition. One cold winter night, we decided to give it a try. Betty's was welcoming from the moment we pulled up. Somehow, it just glowed in a welcoming way as we walked to it through the snow in the dark and cold. The inside was just as welcoming—cozy little kitchen-style tables made the place feel very homey. We were pleased with the menu selections as well. There were a lot of things that were comfort food—meatloaf and pot pies and soups—but there were exciting and adventurous things too: an Asian vegetable soup, for example. We started with the dinner salad, which was a breath of fresh air. No white lettuce and pink tomato awaited us here. Instead, we got a bowl with green lettuce and other greens, radish, cucumber, red tomato, sunflower seeds, and sprouts. It was a welcome sight. All dressings are homemade, and both the ranch and lemon garlic herb were delicious. Our entrees were delayed a long, long time—over 45 min. Our server was friendly but subdued, and we didn't quite understand his mumbled apology about something getting mixed up. Once the food came, it was delicious. I had a special—boneless chicken breast stuffed with brie and blueberries with a vanilla cream sauce, accompanied by a pear risotto. The chicken wasn't quite cooked all the way through, but most was, and it was tasty, although there was little flavor provided by the brie. The risotto was wonderful. My husband had the meatloaf and mashed potatoes, which was hearty and wonderful. Our son ordered the children's buttered pasta, which was a tad greasy, but came with fresh apple slices, so that was a definite plus. We will definitely go back to Betty's."

[RRo, 11/06] said: "I've been to Betty's several times. Fresh iced tea, amazing lunches, and they are "kid friendly"—my 3.5 YO daughter had a blast playing with their abacus while awaiting our meal. I agree with all the other reviewers but need to add a word of caution: If you need to wait for a table, consider leaving. Last time we went, we had a slightly bigger group (7 of us). They said it'd be a little bit, but made no effort to keep us informed or even move tables to accomodate our group; after over an hour waiting and the curly-haired guy-owner/mgr just watching our frustration grow, we left very disgruntled, hungry, and disappointed. ARGH...not a nice way to treat your customers, guys."

[RTC, 1/06] said: "A lovely restaurant within the bounds of Allentown. Art pieces are displayed on the colorful walls, most of which have been created by employees of the restaurant, who are all too eager to show them off. It is easy to see that everyone at the restaurant cares about the food and providing good service. Waitresses seem to enjoy their jobs. The menu contains a creative variety of modern American foods, all of which look delicious. I've not had a complaint about any item I've had there. Every visit there has been thoroughly enjoyable."

[BL, 12/05] said: "Baked goods, soups, salads, hot plates, desserts. Allentown addition to the quality restaurants in the city. Restored building with a bright and friendly atmosphere and very good food. We had lunch, but popular for brunch, breakfast, dinners, desserts. Delicious scones (we bought some and took home). Suggest a roll or some kind of bread to go with the lunch salads. My husband's jerk grilled chicken with pineapple and banana mayo was excellent and filling. Good soups also. Popular by the number of people arriving. We will definitely come again. Not sure of the hours, but believe they are open daily except Mondays."

[am] Big John's Submarine and Pizza.
546 Niagara Falls Boulevard (at Decatur, between Kenmore Ave. and Eggert Rd.), Tonawanda.
836-4881.

[MZ, 3/07] says: "I was pleased to see the Big John's review; it is my favorite pizza (of its kind) from anyplace I've lived in the U.S. (NYC, Chicago, Boston, or other "travel" cities in the US), though I'm sure Italy has its great ones. Perfect, yeasty, fresh dough, a very slightly-sweet sauce, the perfect amount of mozzarella cheese (too much is like a used-car salesman, overbearing and greasy), and fabulous pepperoni, which I don't typically like in other pizzerias (this is high quality; no red filler, which is so common). Caveat: Get the large size, even if you are alone. The ovens don't do the right job on the small. Another caveat: Don't reheat; let it get back to room temp if you have leftovers...which, done that way, are as good as the original and still better than anything you've ever had elsewhere. Been going there my whole long life. I save up my pizza chits for Big John's."

[MEL, 10/99] says: "A good little neighborhood restaurant. I had some moist, delicious baked haddock here one Friday night, as well as acceptable pasta."

Bijou Grille.
643 Main St. (downtown, next to Market Arcade Cinema, across from Theater Place), Buffalo.
847-1512.

Once self-described as "California-style bistro dining." Informal, nice place to eat downtown. Also, good desserts; wine by the glass. Outdoor dining in summer (downtown Buffalo really looks good from here). I had not been here in a long time, but MER and I found ourselves downtown on a Friday evening [12/07] and stopped in here for a light dinner. It was warm and welcoming. I had the seared scallops in olive oil and tomato beurre blanc with spinach, risotto, and green beans (the beans were a pleasant surprise, not listed on the menu); the meal was excellent. MER had a pecan-crusted chicken salad, which normally comes with goat cheese, though she requested that it be omitted; it also comes with red onion, tomatoes, and honey mustard vinaigrette; she pronounced it delicious, very light, and very nice. For dessert, we shared a warmed apple cobbler with ice cream. Bijou is definitely still worth its two stars. Now if only more people came downtown in the evenings!

Had no one eaten here in nearly 10 years? It would seem so, but here's a more recent review from [LS, 4/07], who says: "I had a fine, pre-theater dinner here in January. I must note that the servers are laid-back, yet friendly and professional. The bartender (I need to get his name) is a gem and lightens the mood on a cold winter's night, and not just by the booze he pours. My guest enjoyed his cioppino, and I had a grilled vegetable pizza. I recommend the Bijou for its great location, good food, and excellent ambience and service."

[MEL, 4/98] says: "A yuppie-oriented Theater District bar; worse than most of its ilk. Ordinary (not bad, not great) food, lousy service, high prices."

[MLS, 1/98] says: "Besides the excellent food, the service is friendly."

[J&AD, 1993] say: "This 50s' style popular downtown night spot features sandwiches, salads, a few entrees, and flavorful single-serving pizzas."

Bing's.
1952 Kensington Ave. (near Harlem Rd.), Amherst.
839-5788.

[KFr, 6/08] says: "My husband and I went there one evening to celebrate our anniversary. What a huge disappointment! We had reservations and were seated late. Our table was next to the bar, and it still took the server ten minutes to wait on us for our drink order. She then returned another ten minutes later with our drinks. We waited over 45 minutes for appetizers, which we simply walked out on. The restaurant wasn't even busy that evening, and it was clear the reputation of this retaurant was anything but upscale or professional. I hope it closes, because what should have been a night to remember in a happy way clearly became one we soon forget."

[PZT, 3/08] said: "My husband and I went to Bing's this past December for dinner. The service was very slow, the portions were small for the price, and the food was mediocre. I had a chicken dish; he had stuffed shells. The waitress never refilled our water glasses despite being asked twice, and when we ordered soda we received them in small rocks glasses filled to the brim with ice (very little soda). We couldn't help but notice that we received our meals before the people at the next table had even received their bread&151;and they had arrived before us. We had an Entertainment coupon, and, when we received the bill, it didn't appear that the discount had been applied. I mentioned it to our waitress, and she pointed out to me that she had seen the coupon, and that I had not looked at the back of our bill. When I did, I was shocked to find that we were charged $12 for 6 sodas. We had only ordered 4, and the only reason for that is that nobody ever brought us any more water. She did correct the bill, but I was still pretty annoyed. I wonder if we would have received "free refills" had we not had a coupon, since it was obvious that the drinks had been added to the back of the bill at the last minute. I waited for a few minutes, planning on asking to speak to the manager or owner, but we finally gave up & left when the waitress never came back. We won't be returning to Bing's."

[ALJ, 8/07] said: "We recently found a great restaurant—Bing's Restaurant & Catering—and have enjoyed two meals there over the past couple of months. The first time we ate here, 7/07, I enjoyed their house salad with a garlic vinaigrette, and my fiancé had the Caesar, which was a little heavy on the cheese but otherwise tasted good. We shared the risotto appetizer, which was phenomenal. I had a chicken scallopini entree, which is not on the menu but, upon request, was prepared for me and was very flavorful and served with linguini. My fiancé had their chicken parmesan and said it was the best he's had in Buffalo. They have a nice wine list, which we ordered from. The service was great—our waitress was very attentive and pleasant. We returned again 8/07 with my fiancé's parents and again had a wonderful meal. We started with house salads, which were very garlicky but nonetheless delicious. We shared two appetizers; one was a special baked polenta topped with marinara and artichoke hearts, which was very good, and the other was a fried calamari, which was tough and chewy. The entrees were again wonderful; both my fiancé and his father ordered the chicken parmesan; I had pasta primavera, which again was not on the menu, but the kitchen was happy to accommodate my request, and my entree came chock full of vegetables cooked to perfection atop linguini, with a chunky marinara sauce. My fiancé's mother had a penne dish with broccoli, spinach, and roasted red peppers in garlic and oil, which she enjoyed as well. We ordered drinks to start, and I have to say that Bing's martinis leave something to be desired—my chocolate martini was overly sweet and syrupy and had to be sent back. However, our waitress was very nice about it and, after having the bartender make another one for me, removed it from the bill and offered us a coupon at the end of the meal for a free entree when we returned, which we certainly will! Bing's really aims to please their customers! Additionally, this is the first Italian restaurant we've found in Buffalo where I actually like their red sauce. Being Italian myself, I am extremely picky about red sauces and usually stay away from them at restaurants, because I am usually disappointed. However, at Bing's, I can order whatever I want off the menu, knowing I will be pleased! We can't wait to go back this weekend! Note: Reservations recommended, especially on weekends, because the restaurant is fairly small and does not have a lot of tables."

[WHN, 8/07] said: "We've only been to Bing's twice. Several years ago, we sat at a table in the bar area, which was very quiet that night, and had an excellent meal. So we told some friends about Bing's and went there with them on Saturday night. We all had very good Caesar salads to start. For my entree, I had Osso Bucco, which was delicious, although I would have preferred that the accompanying risotto parmesan had been served on the side, instead of underneath the meat and broth, so the flavor was more distinct. My wife had veal Marsala, which she said was very good, and our friends had steaks, which they also said were very good. The only negative note was the high noise level in the main dining room, which made it nearly impossible to carry on a conversation. If you want a fairly quiet meal, I would recommend sitting in the bar area (and hoping it's not a busy night at the bar)."

Bistro Europa.
484 Elmwood Ave. (at Hodge, just north of Allentown), Buffalo.
884-1100.

[JCr, 10/09] says: "Last evening, 10/28, my wife and I met a friend of ours for an unforgettable meal at Bistro Europa. We arrived to this quaint restaurant, situated in the heart of the Elmwood Village, about 8 P.M. and took a seat at the bar, which is where we chose to enjoy our meal. We quickly received menus, were told the nightly specials, and our drink orders were taken by the friendly and knowledgeable bartender/server. To start, the three of us chose to share a few specials of the night: a steak tartare with marrow, truffle gribiche, and parsley root puree, and the other, a roasted pear salad with Marcona almonds, arugula, and goat cheese truffles, and a liver pate served with sausage, spicy mustard, gherkins, and a warm crusty French bread. I have enjoyed steak tartare at many great restaurants, and none have even compared to this; it was above and beyond the best I have had prior. For our entrees, I chose off the specials list, a roasted Cornish game hen with a carrot-ginger puree, sautéed chard, and natural jus. This was a perfectly cooked bird; crispy skin; moist, tender meat; and a wonderful entree all around. My wife and our friend both chose the golabki, which is cabbage stuffed with pork, beef, and rice, in a warm tomato broth. This was a well-received dish by both guests, and I would imagine it is one of the best sellers. Other specials on the menu last evening included a roasted tomato soup, duck pierogie with sweet chili sauce, farmer's cheese and potato pierogie, and homemade spaghetti carbonara alla chitarra. There is a nice selection of desserts as well, all made in house, and my wife thoroughly enjoyed her pear tart. As noted previously in a review below, they have a nice selection of wine and beer, although now they do have quite a nice selection of Polish beers. Prices are extremely reasonable, great service, and comfortable ambience. Bistro Europa will now enter into my regular restaurant rotation, and I recommend you stop in and see first hand why."

I had been told that this was formerly known as "Europa Bistro" and formerly located a few doors away. But… …[RL, 7/09] says: "I've been a longtime reader of your restaurant guide, though as of yet I haven't contributed any reviews. It's really an excellent resource, [Thanks!] and I consult it frequently. As a resident of the Elmwood Village area, I thought I would offer an update on one of the restaurants in my neighborhood. Bistro Europa/Europa Bistro: There's always been some confusion over what this place is called ever since it opened, and I'm not sure there was ever an official name change. Your guide notes that this restaurant was formerly located a few doors away, but I can assure you that it's always been in the same spot."

[ECB, 4/09] said: "Very small and a bit cramped, but comfortable. The food was a bit slow coming out, and the service could have been more attentive. Otherwise, a very nice dining experience. [AAB] and I tried the fries with garlic aoili and meat/cheese/fruit/bread plate, which were both quite good. We also tried the roasted, seasoned almond that the couple we were dining with got, and it was excellent and addictive. Our entrees of Chicken Paprikash and Cassoulet were quite satisfying in a home-style, old-school food way. We ended the meal with a dessert special whose name escapes me; it was rum-soaked bread dipped in egg and fried like French toast served with gelato, which was excellent. Definitely will return."

[AAB, 3/09] said: "To enter this tiny restaurant, you pass through a green curtain that, although it is new and well maintained, still gives the impression of being worn and threadbare. This impression is followed through to the entire restaurant, with its tiny, warped tables; low lighting; and photographic decor. This is not to say that the restaurant is dirty, as it is not; it is simply moody. This restaurant is about the size of my kitchen, not counting the bar. We were forced to sit at one of the elevated side tables, as I did not feel comfortable taking the only table with four chairs. The whole restaurant is served by only one person, including the bar, so service was spotty and disjointed at best. The menu was small and simple, something which I appreciate, and divided in ‘large dishes’ and ‘small dishes’. Neither of us had a ‘large’ dish, but the small dishes were just on the other side of ‘enough’, with an appetizer. I had the Chicken Piri Piri, and my companion had the Potato Pancakes with apples. We also had the fondue plate to share. The fondue plate was a tasty cheese and a seemingly random group of other ingredients to dip. We dipped thick pieces of bread, apples, tomatoes, bell peppers, grapes, breadsticks, and zucchini. While the selection of things to dip seemed odd, it was all fresh and complemented the cheese well. The breadsticks were also very good, and I wondered if they made them fresh on site. They also had a very large beer and wine list, which I found intriguing. The next course was also tasty. The chicken Piri Piri (named for a hot pepper, although I do not think that was the pepper used in this dish), was spicy in a mild and pleasant way. It came plated on top of some large cut fries, which were extremely tasty. The chicken was all dark meat, which I was happy about, as it is the tastiest part of the chicken, but may have surprised other diners. I tasted my companion's meal, and the potato pancakes were very tasty and crunchy. I cannot wait to come back to this restaurant and try some new dishes. I also was intrigued by the extra ‘bar food’-type menu stuck to the wall with a tack. It included marinated olives and liver pate, amongst other things. Despite the crowded conditions, this place is lovely. Just come during an off day, early, or late, so that you can get a table."

[WHN, 7/08] said: "Our son recommended Bistro Europa, where he had what he says was the best cassoulet he's ever eaten. So we went there last night, Saturday, July 12th. They don't take reservations, so we went fairly early, thinking we might have a long wait for a table. Fortunately, our party of five was seated at the last available table. For those who haven't been there, the restaurant is really tiny, with table seating for, I would say, 20 people max, plus a few tall, cocktail-type tables and stools along one wall and seating at the bar. The menu has much more than Eastern European choices. We all ordered house salads to start, which had a delicious dressing seasoned with dill, among other spices. My wife had Hungarian chicken paprikash, served with potato dumplings, while our daughter and I had spicy Portuguese chicken pirri-pirri with roasted potatoes. The serving sizes were very large, and the meals were excellent. My son had cassoulet, which he said was different than the last time he had it—not as heavy, but still very good. We speculated that they use a lighter-style cassoulet recipe during the summer months than in winter, when he last had it. Our grandson had a more-or-less plain chicken cutlet. He apparently enjoyed it, too. We were going to go to Sweet Tooth next door for dessert, so passed on some very tempting offerings, including Black Forest cheesecake, with fresh blueberries, sweet cherries, and raspberries. Unfortunately, Sweet Tooth has moved. (We learned later that it's now at 94 Elmwood near Allen)."

Of its previous incarnation under its previous name at its previous location...

[BL, 1/07] said: "We went to Europa Bistro on a Friday, 1/5/07. The food is good, but some items are overpriced. The best thing they have going is well-prepared food and good service. The cons are a chilly room, because the tables are near the front door, which opens directly to the outside. Too bad the huge bar could not be put in the front so diners could sit more warmly and more relaxed in the back. We might accept the tight quarters, but a cold room has to be fixed. (We have visited three restaurants lately, and all have been chilly or had drafty windows or doors. Please make our dining comfortable. Maybe heat costs are influencing this, but a cold restaurant is not fun.) Additional concerns are small portions and high prices. One example is pierogis, which appear to be becoming an expensive delicacy around here. For the amount and size, they were priced pretty high. (Note: They were also priced high on our recent visit to Prosit in Williamsville, so we did not bother trying them.) Service was quite good considering the congestion. There were some delays around the room, but our hostess was gracious, and so were the customers. We were told the help was ill. The restaurant has good food overall but needs some room upgrades, and we observed prices were higher than we expected."

[JGM, 12/06] said: "I've been reluctant to send in a review of Europa Bistro, because this tiny place in a former Subway sandwich shop has quickly become my favorite Buffalo restaurant, and I want to continue to be able to find a seat there, but it's unfair not to share it. The menu features a wide variety of cuisines from western and central Europe, with a focus on Polish dishes, but includes a lot more. The Chicken Paprikash with liver dumplings is delicious, and the cassoulet is the best I've ever had. Each night, there are also a number of specials, including a nightly risotto, an entree, and usually several soups. I've been there four times, and everything I've had there has been wonderful. As I said, it's a very small place, with eight or nine tables, but my favorite seat is at the bar. There is also a good wine list and a pretty good selection of beers (although no Polish beer). Prices are very reasonable, ranging from potato pancakes for around $7 up to $13 or so for the specialties. And the atmosphere is cozy and warm, with the walls painted in rich reds and blues, and gypsy jazz playing in the background."

[a] Black and Blue Steak and Crab.
5493 Sheridan Dr. (in Williamsville Place plaza), Amherst.
839-2525.

Online reservations available via OpenTable.com.

[1/08] Given 3½ (out of 4) stars by Janice Okun, Buffalo News restaurant reviewer.

[WHN] says:

[9/09] "We met friends at Black & Blue on Friday night (9/25/09) for their 3-course ‘Local Restaurant Week’ special. The starter was a house salad of mixed greens with white balsamic vinaigrette dressing. For the main course, we all chose grilled top sirloin steak topped with lobster butter sauce, with a caramelized onion-potato cake. (Maple glazed salmon was the other entree choice.) The sirloin steaks were excellent—very tender, cooked perfectly, and a more than ample portion—and the sauce was delicious. The potatoes were very good, as well. A vegetable would have been a nice addition, and there are numerous choices on the ‘sides’ menu, but our friends didn't want any. The dessert was apple spice cake with a dollop of whipped cream. The service was good, but the ‘helper’ reversed the seating vs. serving pattern, so there had to be some swapping of medium steak for medium rare; not a big deal. There was a sign at the hostess's desk saying that Black & Blue will be extending their restaurant-week specials through Thursday, October 1."

[7/09] "On Sunday night, we dined at Black and Blue for the first time since our visit shortly after they opened a year and a half ago. The popovers and rolls were hot and fresh. Our son, daughter, and I started with she-crab soup, which was excellent, with sherry drizzled across it. It's more like low-country she-crab soup than Maryland (per the menu) crab soup, but perhaps they mean that the crab is from Maryland, not the soup recipe. Our daughter said it reminded her of she-crab soup served in Charleston when she lived there. I agree it's the best I've had outside of South Carolina. My wife had a chop salad, which was also delicious. It was large enough that she shared some of it with each of us. The sweet and sour dressing with bleu cheese was reminiscent of that served by David's Grille in Orchard Park, and toasted garbanzos added a flavorful, crunchy element. For entrees, my son and I had steaks. My strip steak, topped with truffle butter, was nicely cooked to medium rare, but his, also ordered medium rare, was more medium well. The horseradish cream sauce he ordered on the side made it palatable. My wife had king crab legs, served with lemon butter, which she said were excellent. She had the meat removed from the shells in the kitchen, which was nice. Our daughter had grilled trout with crab and avocado salad, topped by crispy tempura onions, and served over lemon risotto. She thought it was very good, but found the risotto to be overly lemony for her taste, but probably fine for people who enjoy more citrus flavor. Unlike our first visit, when we were overwhelmed by three orders of cheese fries, we ordered three different sides, included with the steak and crab entrees, to share. They were very good and more than enough for four people. Overall, the meal was very good, and the service was first rate, too."

[1/08] "My son took us to the new Black and Blue Steak and Crab restaurant for my birthday. It was Monday night, but the place was very busy, maybe as a result of Janice Okun's 3-1/2 star review last Saturday, January 5. The cheese-flavored rolls offered after we were seated were hot and very flavorful. For an appetizer, I had she-crab soup, which was excellent. Other appetizers ordered were crab cakes and an evening special of fried calamari with a chili/tomato sauce. Both were said to be very good, although my wife said her crab cakes (made with back-fin lump crab meat) are better. The steaks—one filet, the rest, rib steaks—were very good, cooked medium rare as ordered. The truffle butter and wine sauces were quite tasty. For sides, the server said the cheddar fries were delicious, so we all ordered them. They were good, but after a few fries, the cheddar flavor (sort of like on cheese-flavored popcorn) got to be a bit much. I would say that the included side dishes are large enough to share among two to four people, depending on how hungry they are, so suggest ordering different sides and sharing them, rather than getting all the same one. The service was excellent. There is a decent selection of wines by the glass, and a large by-the-bottle wine list. When visiting their website, use the Rochester link to check out the menu, as the Buffalo one is not online yet. But, note that the prices in Buffalo are $1 or so higher than indicated on the website."

[DHe, 3/09] says: "We use your review site quite often and thought it would be nice to contribute. Thank you for providing the service! [You're welcome!] My wife and I recently visited Black and Blue Steak and Crab for the first time after hearing a few positive comments. Well, let us say that we're not surprised to see several mediocre/negative comments on this site. To begin, the atmosphere is outstanding, and the service we received was appropriate for a restaurant of this caliber. Our waiter (Brian), along with assistant (Alison), were each professional servers and maintained a perfect pace of delivery, water top-offs, etc. We each ordered the chop salad to start, which Jen loved, but I found to be a bit overpowered by the dressing and onions. For the main course, I ordered the filet mignon with a side of port-wine mashed potatoes. Jen ordered the New York Strip topped with crab, with a side of creamed spinach. My filet was perfect (as it should be at a steakhouse); however, the New York Strip was very much overdone. Jen had ordered medium and received well-done, so we grabbed Brian's attention and sent the steak back. The manager came over and apologized. This was followed by another steak being delivered that was extremely underdone (raw in the center to the point of being difficult to cut). Even your average chain restaurant can usually manage to hit "medium", but a so-called steakhouse can't manage the same after multiple attempts? In any event, the steak was returned, which obviously angered the chef. The same steak was re-broiled to medium but was now very dry due to being cut in several sections in the raw state. In addition, the black truffle butter must have remained on the plate when the steak was tossed into the broiler, because it was completely melted. This combination resulted in a dried-up steak with no complementary sauce. The manager did waive the cost of the steak, but we were still charged for the topping of crab! In contrast, the side dishes were outstanding. Overall, I would rate our experience as disappointing. We won't be returning."

[CDeL, 11/08] said: "My husband and I returned to Black and Blue on Saturday evening for the first time since celebrating our 35th wedding anniversary there in September. That night was so wonderful, and I've been telling my husband we simply must go back ever since. To our disappoinment, the waiter on our anniversary, Chris, we were informed, is no longer there. I was so looking forward to seeing him. Such a nice young man and so knowledgeable. He made wonderful suggestions and made us feel like we were special on our special night. Nonetheless, we once again had a truly enjoyable meal. Our previous visit had been on a weeknight and wasn't quite as crowded and noisy, but we sat tucked away in a cozy booth against the wall and felt very comfortable. We aren't normally creatures of habit, but we loved our meals from our anniversary so much that we ordered the exaxt same things right down to the dessert: an absolutely delicious banana cream pie made of caramelized bananas and custard with an Oreo-cookie crust. Not like any banana cream pie I've ever had before, but now the best I've had. To start, my husband ordered a sampler plate of oysters: 4 varieties. The oysters were accompanied by wasabi tobiko roe, a spicy cocktail sauce, and a pink peppercorn mignonette, and all were excellent. I had the crab cakes served with a lobster and corn cream sauce. They were out of this world. For his entree, my husband had the 8-ounce filet mignon prepared a perfect medium rare with the red wine demi-glace that Chris had raved about. He chose the grilled asparagus as his side dish and loved it. I, once again, ordered the pan-seared sea scallops brushed with a pomegranate glaze and served with a vegetable risotto. The risotto wasn't prepared as well this time (a little undercooked and firm) as the last, but still was very enjoyable. The pacing of the courses was perfect: not too fast, which allowed us to relax, enjoy ourselves, and digest a little to make room for the next course. We've had two very nice nights out at Black and Blue and recommend it highly."

[GOw, 8/08] said: "We went to the Black & Blue last night for dinner. I made 6:30 reservations; unfortunately, I got caught up in a combination of rush hour and pre-season Bills traffic and was late. No matter; my wife made it on time and explained, and they were able to accommodate us. This was our first time here, and we were impressed with the interior. Amazing fireplace; awesome bar with huge wine racks. Very upscale and modern. The place was slamming busy. 2-deep at the bar. We figured that they must be doing something right to be so busy on a week night. We were right. We had a good meal with professional service. I was a bit frazzled after the rush hour commute and required a cocktail quickly. That was the only downside to our meal. As is our usual, we had Beefeater martinis on the rocks with olives. The drinks were served in generous-sized glasses, but tasted weak and cost $8.50. This is higher than some of the other fine dining restaurants that we have been to. Oh well; we just had two, and that did the trick. We were quickly brought some rolls and water, and our server then came by to tell us about the specials. We really liked our server. She was pleasant, attentive, and willing to accommodate. Her accent intrigued us, and we were way off in thinking she was Eastern European when she was in fact from Quebec City. We went ahead and ordered an appetizer while we looked over the menu. The crab & lobster fondue came and was deadly good: sweet crab & Maine lobster baked in a parmigiano-reggiano sauce with caramelized leeks and buttered breadcrumbs, served with crispy pita chips and a mascarpone popover. The pita chips are soft, buttery, and warm: excellent. We ordered more. Talk about rich. I probably would not order this again, but only because there are lots of other interesting choices. The steaks are served with their signature rub of spices and your choice of house-made sauces: red wine demiglace, horseradish crème, Gorgonzola cream, b&b steak sauce, béarnaise, or black truffle butter. Jan went with the Gorgonzola and a 12 oz. rib-eye and enjoyed it. If anything, it was cooked just a shade past medium. I had the rest with eggs this morning. You also get your choice of one side. Jan chose the creamed spinach; she liked it, I wouldn't touch it if you paid me, too. I went with the paella. This was my first time ever ordering this dish. I enjoyed this very much. It is described as grilled lobster tail, split crab leg, scallops, chorizo, and chicken served over steamed saffron rice with peas and oven0dried tomatoes. Delicious. The lobster was a bit chintzy, but the crab made up for it. The scallops were grilled and very good. All was fresh and well cooked. The rice was the only thing I left. It was fine, but did not inspire me to stuff myself any further. We decided to forgo dessert and coffee. Our server did bring us 4 little chocolate truffles. Nice touch. The bill was $120 with tip. We would definitely go back."

[PMa, 6/08] said: "My friend and self tried B&B about two weeks ago and had a great evening. We enjoyed everything from appetizers to our glass of Port and the bittersweet chocolate after our meal. Drinks from the bar were watered down, but the food and service we received made up for that. I was so delighted by B&B that I chose to bring my parents there for their 58th anniversary dinner last night [6/16]. There were six of us in the dinner party. Upon arrival, we were escorted to the second level and seated. We all felt a little packed in, because the table is small and seating is a little awkward. We decided to make the best of it, and so we settled in as our waiter approached. He seemed like an amateur who was uncomfortable performing in his title role of waiter...ugh, we hoped the evening would perk up. The house salad I had so enjoyed the week or so before was just OK, with the cornbread croutons being soggy instead of crunchy. The salad "special" was not so special. Only one of the five appetizers we ordered is worth mentioning and that is the crab and lobster fondue served with fried pita and topped off by a lovely muffin made of mascarpone cheese. Unfortunately, our evening continued on a downward spiral from there. The waiter and entrees (steak special, fish special, bone-in filet, crab, and lobster) were nothing more than you would expect from a local diner. Presentation was nice, but the taste couldn't meet the expectation: mediocre to poor at best throughout our meal. For dessert, we ordered the banana cream pie, apple crisp, and molten chocolate cake. The pie was bland; the warm cinnamon apple crisp, which is described as "crisp served warm with a caramel sauce and vanilla bean ice cream", had barely any topping; the apples were hard enough to make you wonder if they were cooked at all; and the ice cream was lacking in size compared to the dessert itself. Highlight of the evening was the warm chocolate bomb cake shared by three people in our party. It was good enough to make a chocolate lover out of anyone. The consensus was 1 out of 5 stars."

[NMJ, 5/08] said: "Dined on May 28, 08. Reservations for two at 5:30, and was promptly seated. The atmosphere almost reminded me of a restaurant set in NYC. Upscale with casual fine-dining. Huge wine racks to the right as you walk in that sort of sections off the bar part of the restaurant. A cool, see-through "fireplace" to the left of what appeared to be a smaller scaled private banquet room. I felt the hostesses should've worn stockings and closed toed shoes and possibly a tasteful uniform. Last thing I'd like to see is a girl in mini-dress, pasty with unfinished toes as I'm being seated to a $100 meal. This sort of "cheapened" up the place. Even at T.G.I. Friday's the girls wear hosiery. Waitress was attentive and friendly. Fresh warm rolls served with butter were immediately served. The first round were a little stale and luke warm. Asked for more rolls, and they were warm and fresh. I probably could've just eaten those and been just as full. My mother and I ordered a Caesar salad, and we split it. I was not impressed. Was too "fishy", and not enough parm cheese or croutons. I ordered the 8oz filet with a side of garlic mashed potatoes. Served in an oval, hot, iron dish with handles. My steak was edible, but too overcooked. I asked for medium well (slight pink inside), and it was clearly well. I opted not to have the signature "rub" (seasoning). Instead, had the side of B&B steak sauce. Bland, to say the least. Any filet that isn't seasoned shouldn't taste any less. Honestly, it wasn't worth the $26. The garlic mashed potatoes were amazing ($5.95)! Nice helping. My mother also ordered the 8oz filet with a half lobster and side of garlic green beans. Her steak was also ordered medium well, and was brought out well done. For dessert, the sorbet was good. The waitress realized it was my birthday and gave me the chocolate lava cake, nicely decorated and topped with a single strawberry, on the house. This was fabulous. I would probably dine again, if someone I went with hasn't dined there before. The food presentation was nice. The staff were polite and pleasant. I'd order my steak differently next time, and possibly with the signature seasoning. Forgo the Caesar salad and opt for another appetizer instead. I'd probably also order the 12 oz filet, forgetting it is weighed prior to cooking. Total bill $106. This included one salad, two 8 oz filets, one-half lobster, three glasses of wine, diet Pepsi, lemon sorbet, and a complimentary chocolate lava cake. Actually a lot less expensive than anticipated."

[CP, 3/08] said: "Mostly negative review: I dined here 3/14/08 with 9 friends. First the positive: 7 of our party ordered steak. I believe all were filet; I heard no complaints and some positive comments. I personally feel a good tenderloin is one of the simplest meals to make, and make good. So, giving the restaurant credit for a good steak doesn't mean much in my book. Negative: A friend and I shared the "black and blue" salad described on the menu as baby spinach and bleu cheese in warm bacon shallot vinaigrette, topped with blackened seared tenderloin tips. Not only was there no bleu cheese to be found, but the tips, which I ordered medium rare, came out well done. No pink whatsoever. The dressing was incredibly salty, and the pieces of bacon did not look or taste like bacon. I actually couldn't identify what the crunchy salty bits were until I went back & looked at the menu again. It was absolutely not worth $14.00. For my entrée, I ordered tilapia over a crab couscous and garlic greens. Generally, I wouldn't order tilapia at a "fine dining" restaurant, but the description was enticing. Because it was a special, we weren't told the price. Even if it was $25.00, which it was, I thought the amount of crab served with it would make up for the very inexpensive fish. Wrong! I found the tiniest piece of crab in the cold (not even room-temp) couscous. Lastly, 2 girls at our table had the macaroni and cheese during their last visit. They raved about it and ordered it again. They both agreed it was very dry this time and couldn't finish it. Overall, I wouldn't recommend eating here."

[SC&PM, 2/08] say: "Thank you very much for your website. We refer to it regularly for new restaurant reviews as well as all other reviews. Here is our experience (very recent) from Black & Blue restaurant. (Monday, February 11th, 2008 8:20pm) I made reservations for my sister's birthday. We were there for a nice evening dinner celebration on her birthday. We were seated promptly after our 8.15pm reservation. We started with a bottle of German Weber Riesling. Bread and butter was brought to our table before the wine arrived. After 10 minutes, the waiter returned with our bottle (uncorked) of Riesling, only to have him place it on our table for him to return because he had to deliver another bottle of wine to the table behind us and to take orders at another table. We ordered the Grilled Trout, special of the day Beef Medallions with Portabello and Grilled Asparagus, Lump Jonah Crab, and the 20oz Porter House with Lump crab with Red wine demi-glaze served with a side of sweet potato dumplings. Before our entrees arrived, a waitress simply leaned in to us to retrieve our salad forks (seeing that none of us were having salad) without a mere "excuse me". We thought that was rather rude and unrefined, seeing that she simply reached across us to retrieve the fork. Our entrees arrived, and the Lump Jonah Crab as well as crab on the Porter house was fresh and delicious. The grilled trout served on a bed of lemon risotto topped with fried onions was not bad. The lemon risotto was rather bland, but the grilled flavors of the trout somewhat compensated for the unflavored risotto. The Beef Medallions were decent—the side of asparagus was nicely grilled, but the asparagus was rather old. Service for the rest of the evening went downhill from here. The waitress who reached in for the fork came back to refill our water glasses, clumsily hitting our plates loudly, and appeared to be in a rush to just clear whatever she could while we were in the midst of eating. The waiter who took our orders stopped by very shortly to check on us and moved to the table next to us to "chat". The same goes with the "clumsy" waitress, who came later to clear our plates. My sister, who ordered the Beef Medallions, had only managed to finish half her meal. As the waitress was clearing all our plates, my sister requested that her unfinished portion be packed up. Without asking or anything, the waitress simply stacked on our side plates onto her unfinished portion and cleared our table leaving our water glasses behind. We were in utter shock!! If the waitress had not heard my sister's request, she could have also inquired if the unfinished portion was to be packed up. Instead, she took it upon herself to just clear everything up. Again, the waitress cleared our table in such a fast and clumsy manner as if she was in a rush to get out of what she was doing. We asked for our check; it came some time later, and I left zero tip. I asked to speak to the manager and relayed to him our bad experience. Before I was done complaining of our service, he interrupted me to go retrieve our check. He returned with our check and with our waiter. Now I have the manager and waiter in front of me, and I had to repeat my complaints. The manager had me fill in a comment card. As I was filling the card, our waitress stormed up to confront us. She claimed she did not hear the request to pack up the unfinished portion of the meal. Offers from the manager, waiter, and waitress to recook the unfinished portion of meal was made, to which we declined. We were already on our way out the door, and there was no point waiting for the chefs to recook the discarded meal. The waitress was unapologetic over her actions and was very confrontational about what had happened. Another shocker was that we felt the manager could have handled the communication portion of this bit with his serving staff instead of having us explaining again and again what had gone wrong. We were assured that our complaints will reach management of Black & Blue, but I doubt that a small comment card coud have documented all that went wrong. I commented what I could on the few measly lines provided and hope that no one else will receive such bad experience as we did."

[ECB, 1/08] said: "My wife took me here for my birthday. The evening didn't start out well. With an 8pm reservation, we weren't seated until after 9pm, though they were very apologetic and treated us very well once we were in the dining room. My wife and I shared the Small Oyster Sampler, which was a variety of raw oysters with a number of sauces. Eschewing the condiments, we thoroughly enjoyed the oysters, vowing next time to get the large one. My Crab Cakes were delicate and succulent, melting in my mouth, with just the right amount of sauce, while my wife's She Crab Soup was rich and flavorful. My wife got the Porterhouse with Truffle Butter and Vidalia onion rings. The steak was fantastic, so much so that the sauce was a distraction, and she ended up not using it. The onion rings were fairly mediocre. I got the Lump Jonah Crab, which was luxurious and decadent. It came with drawn butter, garlic aioli, and a drizzle of spicy pepper sauce. I found the latter to be particularly nice. I got the Orzo "Mac and Cheese" that Janice Okun recommended, and it lived up to the praise. We were offered dessert for free, because of our wait, and enjoyed the Chocolate Creme Brulee and Banana Cream Pie with coffee. Overall, the food and service were wonderful and made up for the irritation of the long wait, which we were assured was uncharacteristic. We intend to visit again next month for my wife's birthday."

[KPa, 12/07] said: "Thanks again for your fantastic website. I utilize your it religiously, and it has been a while since I have sent in a review. That being said, I will give one good (Black and Blue) and one bad (800 Maple). Now let's get to a great restaurant: My wife and I went to Black and Blue for our Christmas Eve dinner, and we both thought it was fabulous. The atmosphere is very nice, and everything is aesthetically pleasing. We were greeted by a very friendly hostess and opted to sit right down at our table. It was not the most inexpensive restaurant I have ever eaten at, but the food was worth every penny. My wife ordered the Beefsteak Tomato w/ Mozz for her appetizer, and she loved it. She is picky about her salads, and she is still talking about that salad a week later. I had a shrimp cocktail that was very good, along with their pretzel rolls, which are delicious. They have a pretty impressive menu and a very extensive wine list. My wife ordered the Jonah Crab Entree ($26) with a side of asparagus (included). I ordered the 8 oz Filet ($25) with a side of Jonah Crab ($7) and their orzo Mac and Cheese (included). I also went with the red wine demiglace, which was out of this world. You can also order a 1/2 lobster tail with any meal, for $12, and a side of blue crab for $6. I suggest the Jonah crab, because it is very, very tasty. Both of our meals were phenomenal, and we can't wait to go back again. We are very psyched to have a restaurant like this right in Williamsville. Great ambience, good service, and great food. The only negative thing to say is that they served their red wine in white-wine glasses."

[KBr, 12/07] said: "It just opened. My husband and I went there for dinner this past Saturday (Dec. 22) and it is wonderful. Try it out."

Black Forest Inn.
255 King Street E., Hamilton, ON, CANADA.
905-528-3538.

[BL, 12/06] says: "We highly recommend this German restaurant with its comfortable European atmosphere and well-flavored foods. Detailed web site includes recipes. We have been going to the Black Forest over the years whenever we drive to Hamilton. Reservations are not needed. We were there Friday afternoon and enjoyed two of their favorites, Vienna Schnitzel (Wiener Schnitzel) with spaetzle, and Roast Pork with Potatoes and Sauerkraut. Pork is in a wonderful gravy. Good flavor to the kraut. Choose German potato salad, home fries, or rice for spaetzle. Soup or salad accompany both meals. (Salad includes delicious carrots and cucumbers. House dressing is creamy herb.) The portion of Wiener Schnitzel is very large. Only recommendation would be slightly smaller size and add red cabbage similar to how Scharf's Schiller Park does it. There are no potato pancakes (husband's favorite), but the menu is extensive with German favorites. We have never been disappointed. You can practice your German with the owners. With a beer and soda for drinks and two desserts (hazeltorte and apple strudel), our meal was $38 (32.60USD) before taxes; $43.75 (37.50USD) with tax. Afterwards, we walked across the street to Denninger's to explore all their worldly foods. It is similar to Premier Liquor Food/Gift store on Delaware. Parking is on street or in public lots and metered but will accept US coins ($1.00 = 2 hours of parking)."

Blackthorn Restaurant and Pub.
2134 Seneca St. (South Buffalo), Buffalo.
825-9327.

[DAR, 2/09] says: "Visiting my college kids at UB on Feb 7, 2009, and decided on Blackthorn for a late lunch. Seated promptly—not busy and wanted to order entrees, but told that entrees are not served till after 3pm. I considered corned beef sandwich or roasted bologna sandwich, and asked server for advice, which he indicated that the corned beef is fresh vs. the bologna, and corned beef is a favorite. Ordered the corned beef, and I got small slices of rye bread with thinly sliced, dry corned beef. Hardly enough meat for one sandwich and dried out to boot, while the description said "piled high"! This is a supposed favorite [in March], and yet for me it was the puniest corned-beef sandwich I had at a pub. It would probably be acceptable at Friendly's and cost a lot less. Wife ordered Rippers Wrap, and she judged it acceptable but nothing more. Kid ordered Kev's favorite, and I can only assume Kev is on a diet because again small portions. Son got an open-faced roast beef with a good amount of beef, but the beef was bland. Service was slow, but they told us after we had ordered and waited for 20 minutes that a large party was being served upstairs. Did not charge for drinks due to the slow service. Overall, the food was disappointing, and I do not plan on returning."

[HPK, 4/08] said: "I visit this restaurant often; always great food at a good price. Really friendly people. For those who think a local pub may not have a large choice of foods—wrong. Salads, sandwiches, clams, hot food. I highly suggest this place."

[JJa, 3/08] said: "I'll start by confessing that 25 yrs. ago I worked at the Early Times Tavern, the previous incarnation of The Blackthorn Pub; some of the current employees are friends; and I have a certain sentimental attachment to the spot. But I had not been here for quite a while. Small parking lot adjacent to the building is often full, but plenty of parking in lots across the street. The owners have just laid the base for an outdoor patio that rocked on St. Patty's Day and should be a hot spot this summer! As in any good pub, the owners and waitstaff present smiling friendly faces (I was even offered my old job back!). A nice variety of draft beers, and they make a great Manhattan, compete with "sidecar", so it's almost like 2 for 1. Since it was Friday, I opted for a traditional fish fry, as did my companion. Crunchy beer-batter (breaded and Cajun-broiled are other options), fish hanging off the plate, surrounded by crispy French fries, homemade cole slaw and macaroni salad. A personal disappointment was that the bread was not rye, but I quibble. Evening specials included more sophisticated swordfish and salmon entrees. Of course, wings and sandwiches are also on the menu. Bottom line: friendly service, good food and drink, and a soon-to-be-opened outdoor patio."

[DCa, 1/05] said: "Buffalo has many, many wonderful restaurants, and I am determined to try them all! The Blackthorn Restaurant and Pub was recommended by a co-worker. The beer and cheese soup is delicious. They also have a wonderful fish fry. It gets very busy and noisy on a Friday night, so be prepared to wait if you don't have reservations. I have been there on several occasions now, and they are very consistent...and the servers are very friendly and knowledgable. I highly recommend it for a casual dining experience at reasonable prices. Dinner for two, including soup, drinks, and appetizer, usually runs us about $50.00."

[MEL, 6/98] said: "It is probably about as close to a `nice' restaraunt as South Buffalo has (dinner entrees around $10). It's a mix of generic American food and a few Irish specialties. I had a beer and cheese soup that was quite tasty, and some rather ordinary french fries."

The Blue Wall.
2720 Seneca St. (near the I-90 Thruway), W. Seneca.
822-2205.

[AJT, 1/09] says: "Another Buffalo (OK, West Seneca) ginmill with a good Friday haddock fish fry. There are two batters available, and I always select "beer battered". In fact, I don't even know what they call the other batter. It's served with French fries, coleslaw, potato salad, and a side of rye bread and butter. The batter and the time in the fryer have been consistent. It's crunchy on the outside and moist inside. Portions are adequate. There is a remarkable "twofer" deal on Fridays. Two fish fry dinners for $11.50! The catch is that you have to order a drink or a beer. This requirement should pose no problem for most, unless you are related to Carrie Nation. The dining area is in a back room, with seating for about 30. It is possible to eat at the bar, but the room gets rather crowded. There are rarely waits for booths or tables, but I suspect that I may have blown that now. Service is prompt, accurate, and friendly. The waitresses earn their tips. While there are a couple large-screen TVs in the dining area, they are usually off or muted. There's a small parking lot right next to the building, so the odds of finding a convenient spot are pretty good. The rest of the menu is limited. I've tried their burgers, which were large, had decent meat, and were cooked to order. There's also a few other "twofer" specials, which depend on the day of the week. In short, good comfort food, cheap. Two stars."

[m] Bob & John's La Hacienda.
1545 Hertel Ave., Buffalo.
836-5411.

[LCo, 7/07] says: "Bob & John's is a casual restaurant that offers American and Italian cuisine; it's a great place to eat if you just want a quick, simple, and relatively inexpensive meal. On Tuesdays, they have all-you-can-eat spaghetti for $2.25 after 4 p.m. It's a great deal even if it's not the most mind-blowing plate of pasta with marinara sauce that you've ever had. I recently tried the portabella sub, which is sliced portabella mushrooms and red peppers, sautéed in oil that is seasoned with balsamic vinegar and Italian spices and served on a 12" toasted sub roll. I'm not sure what comes on the sub, but I had it without any cheese or mayo (the menu says that these are standard on the subs) and added shredded lettuce and tomato. Overall, the sub tasted great, and at about $5 I would definitely order it again."

[MEL, 2/98] says: "Pizza and pasta place; good, but uneven. Loved their pepperoni, but thought their specialty pizzas (e.g., white pizza) were drab."

Bob Sharky's Saloon.
105 Kennedy Rd. S., Brampton, ON, CANADA.
905-453-7117.

[TR, 6/05] says: "It is a surprise to me that this is a bar, because I had the best noodle dish (Asian fusion) prepared so deliciously and included many different fresh veggies on a cold wintery afternoon. While there, I noticed a multi-level deck overlooking a marina or river or?, which would be delightful on the warm days of summer with a cold drink in hand. The interior is slick and modern—very nice."

[am] Bocce Club Pizzeria.
4174 Bailey Ave. (north of UB Main St. Campus), Eggertsville. 833-1344.
1614 Hopkins Rd., Williamsville, 689-2345.
8214 Transit Rd., Williamsville, 689-6662.
630 Clinton St. (South Buffalo), Buffalo, 856-7023.

A long, long time ago, I used to consider this [i.e., the old Bailey and the new Transit locations] the best pizza in Buffalo, but no longer. Their pizza is thick and soggy.

[WHN, 1/06] says: "Apparently the owners of the "original" Bocce Club on Bailey Ave., now on Transit Rd., are not connected to the other locations, that go by the name Dino's Bocce Club. The Transit Road location was recommended by friends. We've now had their pizzas several times, and they have been consistently quite good; better than the Bailey or Hopkins locations with (almost) the same name."

Bogey's Grillhouse.
4 Windward Dr. (in the Casablanca Winery Inn), Grimsby, ON, CANADA.
905-309-7171; toll free: 877-446-574.

[WHN, 5/07] says: "Based on the recommendation of friends, we had lunch at this casual restaurant in a hotel off the QEW. The sandwiches—my wife had a chicken Caesar wrap, and I had smoked turkey with jalapeno cheese and spicy mayonnaise on ciabatta bread—were fine, but the house Chardonnay and Merlot from nearby Kittling Ridge Winery both had a strange taste, unlike any Chardonnay or Merlot we've had. In fairness, our friends stayed overnight and may have eaten in their Casablanca Steak & Seafood restaurant, which is only open for dinner; and they do have other wines that are probably better. Nevertheless, once was more than enough for us."

[a+] [] Bollywood Bistro.
UB Commons (520 Lee Entrance), UB North Campus, Amherst.

Indian cuisine.

[MEP, 11/09 says: "I get takeout from here at least once a week. It's a little more expensive than your standard fare from [other campus dining places such as] Bert's or Putnam's, but the quality is more than worth it. I usually get a 2-item combo of dal makhni (lentils in a sort of tangy sauce) and kofta masala (turkey meatballs in curry sauce). The food comes served with a fair amount of basmati rice and a large piece of naan (both help offset the spiciness of the food!). Their 2-item combos are $6.99 + tax, and they also have some à la carte entrees you can order if you wish. The service there is always quick and friendly. Also, they always have some sort of Indian music video playing, which can be both annoying and amusing at the same time. Overall, a great place to expand your culinary horizons!"

[AMSo, 2/09] said: "K. and I happened to discover the Bollywood Bistro on Saturday, when we hoped to get some Korean food @ UB. Initially, we weren't planning to stay there, but we are both happy that we did! We both got the chana masala (chickpea dish) and a cauliflower & potato dish, served with basmati rice and naan. The food was aromatic & delicious, and the portions were more than enough. The decorations are cheerful, and the view of the lake was great. We'll definitely be back (and we aren't even UB students any more)! I would list this under vegan/vegetarian, because there are several options."

One of 2 new restaurants at the Commons (the other is Oh Bento) with a great view of Lake LaSalle. I've been here twice [4/08], and each time had a very good meal. The food is served cafeteria/food-court style, and you can get two dishes with rice and a beverage for around $8 and change. A welcome addition to campus cuisine.

[ECB, 4/08] concurred: "I was excited to discover that they'd added a couple new restaurants to the Commons while I wasn't paying attention. A huge fan of Indian food, I had to give Bollywood a try. I was cautiously optimistic but prepared to be disappointed. Turns out, I was pleasantly surprised. The food wasn't bad at all. I had rice, aloo biryani, aloo gobi, and roti, and all were quite serviceable. My companion tried the palak paneer, which she spoke well of. All in all, an excellent option on campus."

[a] Bonefish Grill.
1247 Niagara Falls Blvd. (attached to Boulevard Mall), Amherst.
833-6106.

Part of the chain, with a name and logo guaranteed to turn off fish-haters and even some fish-lovers.

[LHu, 6/09] says: "Negative Review: I had dinner at a Bonefish Grill in Panama City, FL, last September, and it was very good, so a friend and I decided to try the BFG at Boulevard Mall last night (June 17th, 2009). I made reservations for 7:00, and we were greeted and seated upon arrival. The restaurant looks pleasant, it's loud, the booth was comfortable. Our waitress was prompt; she took drink orders, brought four small slices of a blah warm bread that is "made in house", with a saucer of herbed olive oil. She took our dinner orders; I requested two selections of side order vegetables—green beans and then a mixed vegetable medley, one in place of the daily special, succotash. The dinners were served; the mixed vegetables were cold and raw, and they were supposed to be cooked: Several pieces of the broccoli had brown, rotten spots on it, and the others were yellow; the carrot stick had a black rotted end; the peppers were raw; the green beans were cold and were as hard and tough as a bean off the vine. The Grilled Cedar Plank Arctic Charr "special" I ordered was soft and "gushy", with a slimy, thick, fat-covered skin on the bottom it; it was drenched in a tasteless, herbed butter sauce; the fish was less than a quarter inch thick, probably about two ounces of edible fish, and the price was $26. When I've ordered Arctic Charr before, it was a firm fish with substance and flavor similar to salmon; this was tasteless mush. My friend had Tilapia and was served two very small pieces of dry fish, four, barely-cooked, gray-green colored, cigar-sized asparagus spears (extra 50-cent charge for asparagus), a very small scoop of bland, barely warm, au gratin potatoes, and that was $22.50. I explained the problems to the waitress, and she brought out a new dish of green beans that were microwaved to burned, shriveled sticks with the comment "Maybe you'll like these better". The manager came over, and I told her what the problems were; she asked if I wanted anything else. I asked for a Caesar salad. The "Caesar salad" I was served was comprised of the yellow hearts of romaine with a great deal of white stems, no dark leafy greens; it was engulfed in a very dry, Parmesan-type of finely ground cheese—like the stuff that comes out of the green can—so much cheese that the salad was inedible. It was bizarre and the worst restaurant meal I've had in a very long time. I talked to my friend this morning, and she ended up getting stomach problems when she got home last night. The manager was professional, but the problems are in the kitchen; no rotted vegetable should ever be plated and served, and, while vegetables with firmness are wonderful, they need to actually be cooked, or the menu should state that the vegetables are blanched and raw. A seafood restaurant should serve wonderful fish, not OK fish or fish that is borderline on its freshness, and it needs to be cooked correctly. The manager removed the charges for my dinner and beverage, but they also took the dinner back to the kitchen without a replacement meal. I'll never consider eating at Bonefish Grill again. The entire experience was a disappointment, and it was expensive for the very poor quality and very small portions; but I suppose the small quantity of food is a good thing when the quality is so very poor."

[AFN, 8/08] said: "I met some friends from my former school at Bonefish Grill for dinner last night, Monday, 8/11. I had not been there before, although some of the others had been. To start, I had the corn and crab chowder, which was exquisite—rich and creamy, one of the best soups I've ever had. Instead of an entree, I chose two appetizers—crab cakes with two sauces—remoulade and tartar, and coconut shrimp with a sweet, Asian-style sauce. Both appetizers were delicious. Among my friends' dinner choices were the scallops and shrimp combo, grouper, and steak topped with shrimp. Everyone seemed to enjoy their meals, and the service was fine. I would go back again."

[ABi, 2/07] said: "They may as well go a step further and call it the Heimlich Cafe. Or they could reinforce other negative fish stereotypes and name their business the Stinkfish Grill or the Not As Good As Steak House. Any of these names, the real off-putting one or otherwise, would reflect the fact that dinner at the Bonefish Grill wasn't great. The first thing one notices upon entering the restaurant is that, oddly, the servers and bartenders all wear chef's coats, and, considering that dinner dragged on for one hour and forty-five minutes, perhaps our dawdling waitress was also prepping and cooking our food. We had an interminable wait to order, an epochal phase before our entrees arrived, and a third eternity waiting for our check. While pleasant, she did everything in her power to prolong our meal, such as reciting the side dishes and sauces that were listed right on the menu, a practice traditionally limited to unlisted specials; we had already read what she said, and her redundant listing added a few minutes to the marathon. For some baffling reason, this particular seafood establishment doesn't offer clams or oysters, so we got slightly underdone mussels and overbreaded, excessively crunchy calamari as appetizers. Both were preferable to my mahi mahi dinner. It was seared well, almost like a steak, but it was barely a bait-sized portion, and the flavor of the meat was somewhere between bland and bitter. The lemon butter sauce doused over the top was as plain as vanilla ice cream served on Wonder Bread, a sentiment echoed by the forgettable scoop of garlic mashed potatoes neighboring the fish. Maybe I'm just a yokel who usually orders fish fried, not by species, but the Bonefish was at best unremarkable. They have a limited menu, and, based on what I tried, fewer choices doesn't mean better quality. If I get dragged back here, I'm ordering the token sirloin and one of their fruity, girly martinis (they offer a dozen of the latter, and the drinks list takes up about a third of the menu, space that could have been used to offer more, you know, seafood). That way, if I'm stuck in their blandly generic space seated immediately adjacent to the restrooms as we were (thanks, hostess), I'll at least have beef and booze to pass some of the 105 minutes."

[JAd, 1/07] said: "Positive review: New chain restaurant (same company as Carraba's and Outback). Nice atmosphere, sort of loud but OK. Good service. Menu mostly seafood, grilled fish. Full bar with special martinis, several beer varieties. We had the calamari appetizer served with marinara and a Thai sauce—it was served fast and really good—crisp and fresh—we liked the Thai sauce a lot—sweet but with a bit of spiciness. We had the corn chowder with lump crap—also good and rich—needed some salt, but tasted fresh and not from a bag like most chains. Served with warm bread and a pesto olive oil dip. I got the Chilean Sea Bass with lemon butter sauce (each fish offered comes 4 ways—with a lime tomato garlic sauce, pan Asian style, with warm mango salsa, or lemon butter). The fish was fantastic—buttery and cooked to perfection—large portion, too—I'd guess 8oz. The sauce did not overwhelm and was a nice compliment. The Au Gratin Potatoes served on the side were great, too—rich and cheesy. My date had the single lobster tail. Though it seemed small, it was enough to fill him, and tasted really good—the butter served with it was perfect, and the texture of the lobster was good, too. The entrees being served around us looked inviting. The prices were reasonable for the quality of food—two beverages, an appetizer, soup, and two higher-priced entrees ($22 for the lobster and $23 for the sea bass) brought the bill to just under $65—we thought it was a good deal."

Boomerang's Bar and Grill.
995 Niagara St., Buffalo.
883-0408.

[BL, 10/09] says: "Two years after MMo's review, we went to Boomerang's and agree it is a pleasure to dine there. I was in a fish-fry mood. [Thank you, Bill, for the cuisine headings on this site, for you got us focused quickly.] [You're welcome! And my thanks, again, to EN for the original suggestion.] Off-street city parking; a nice, cozy restaurant during a cold October; and a great meal with good service made our day. I had the standard Fish Fry ($9), and my spouse the Meatloaf plate ($10). Everything has gone up by one dollar since the prior review. Not bad, and we felt comfortable that menu prices read a single number instead of $8.95, $9.95. Boomerang's has a large menu with seafood entrees, pasta dinners, and interesting standards like grilled porkchops with bleu cheese and raspberry sauce. Hmm—a possibility for a return visit. The strip sirloin is up to $14, but all other items are $10 and lower. There are salad choices and sandwiches, too. Senior prices ($7) are offered weekdays between 3–7 P.M.. This is a local place to go for a meal made by a good cook. My spouse took extra note of delicious, sweet, mashed potatoes, and I the light batter on the fish and good fries. (Note: We think the cole slaw is fine and maybe they have improved it since the prior review. Only concern would be the macaroni salad with the fish, which was adequate but lacking some salt.) Our total for two dinners, two soft drinks was $25 including tax. Boomerang's keeps the prices moderate, while serving a very satisfying meal."

[MMo, 9/07] said: "Recently, my brother and I had the pleasure of dining at Boomerang's. The restaurant came highly recommended to us by two of our "foodie" friends, and with the two of us being 20+-year veterans of the restaurant trade, we are always game for new dining experiences. The restaurant sits on the old site of the Port of Call restaurant, Niagara Street, downtown near the Peace Bridge. Although off the beaten path for us, we made the extra 3-minute trip from the Elmwood Village last Saturday for lunch. We were overwhelmingly surprised and delighted at the meal that was to follow!! The place was pretty busy; we caught the tail end of the lunch rush. Despite this, we were seated promptly and given menus; a couple of minutes later we ordered our drinks. I was sticking with pop, but my brother had a "drink of the day", which was a passion-fruit martini. Oooohs and aahs from the other side of the table tempted me into a taste...oooh, if only I wasn't nursing a hangover, I would have ordered a couple myself. Delicious. Our waitress, Jen, returned, and we asked our usual slew of questions about the menu. She was very informative and knew everything we asked and then some. We loved her immediately, as we could tell she was a lifer like the two of us. Completely professional and efficient, but completely full of personality and an obvious love for her profession. With questions answered and food ordered, we settled in for our "dining experience". The decor was clean and minimal, overall very comfortable. The lighting was nice and subtle. No bright fluorescents blinding me, thank goodness!! Our appetizers came, and we were immediately awed by the size of my stuffed mushrooms. Four huge caps of white mushrooms (the kind you would use at home to stuff) stuffed with spinach and artichoke and baked in a white wine and lemon butter sauce. Amazing!!! The mushrooms were cooked perfectly, not mushy, not raw, piping hot, and just right! Did I mention they were $5? The portion would have been plenty for a meal itself (well, for someone who delights in only one course. Me and the bro tend to be multi-course diners!). My brother ordered the clams casino elegante, which were a wonderful twist on a classic favorite. Littleneck (I think; small, tender) clams stuffed with homemade stuffing (but not too much), baby shrimp, and topped with melted, bubbly provolone cheese. The menu description didn't really pique my interest, but the dish was absolutely delicious. Clams were cooked perfectly; stuffing had just the right amount of flavor without overwhelming the delicate flavor of the clams. Again, the price was right at $7!! Are you noticing a theme? Well, that is Boomerang's intention: nothing on the menu higher than $10!! One exception: The 14-oz. black Angus strip steak is, gulp, $12!! And it is actually served with a potato. Where am I??!?! I cannot recall the last time I saw prices like this, unless you count Jim's SteakOut. Anyway, entrees were next, and I had the fish fry. On a Saturday. Leftovers, you may ask? Nope; fish fry served fresh every day. A beautiful thing, if I do say so myself. The fish was huge, beer-battered, and flash-fried to absolute perfection! It was accompanied by a huge pile of piping hot crispy fries. Cole slaw finished off the plate and was OK. Nothing spectacular. Fish fry was $8. Brother had shrimp scampi: 6 or 7 large shrimp on a bed of pasta with a creamy version of a scampi sauce. Not quite as lemony or winey as we may have liked, but delicious nonetheless. The scampi was $10. Our service was flawless. Refills (free) for my pop came without asking for them, extra napkins at the quick, to-go boxes appeared when it was obvious we could not eat one more bite. All in all, an incredibly pleasant experience. We have already planned to take Mom and Dad for their anniversary instead of one of the pricier places we usually frequent. As you can tell, we have nothing but good things to say (and lots of 'em) about Boomerang's! Please give them a try, ask for Jen to wait on you, and tell her Maria and Kevin sent you. You will not be disappointed!! PS: Monday Madness is their Monday special that includes $5 dozens of steamed clams, clams casino, or lobster dainties; what a deal!!!"

Borders Books, Music, Café.
2015 Walden Ave. (near Walden Galleria Mall), Cheektowaga. 685-2844.

Sandwiches, coffees, desserts, occasional entertainment, in one of the more interesting chain bookstores in the area.

Boston Hotel.
9373 Boston State Rd., Boston, NY.
941-5271.

[JR, 6/07] says: "My family and I recently visited the Boston Hotel in Boston, NY. It was my daughter's birthday, and she wanted seafood. I had heard about the Boston Hotel being known for their seafood, so we decided to try it. I can't say enough about the excellent service, food, and low prices. I was very impressed. The place was busy, but the waitress was on top of things constantly. All the extras—things we usually need to ask for in a restaurant such as extra napkins, coffee refills, etc.—were given to us before we had to ask. The food was out of this world! Everything tasted so fresh, and the portions were big. The prices were very reasonable. It's not a fancy place, but usually the non-fancy places have the best food. It was a very clean and comfortable place for our family to gather and enjoy our food and enjoy each other's company. I highly recommend the Boston Hotel for high-quality service, food, and reasonable prices."

[am] Boston Market.
4185 Maple Rd. (next to Pizzeria Uno, across from the University Cinema), Amherst. 834-2320.

Part of the chain.

[DN, 8/96] says: "Better than average food, heavily leaning towards roasted chicken (you get to choose from a wide variety of side dishes), but now also offering a variety of sandwiches. A good break from regular burger-type fast food."

Boulevard Family Restaurant.
2455 Niagara Falls Blvd. (near Ellicott Creek Rd.), Amherst.
564-2025.

[AH, 6/04] says: "When we lived out in Amherst, we ate here quite regularly. While it gets no (or negative) points for ambiance, the food is actually quite good. It falls into the "hole in the wall" category, but their beef souvlaki is very good, and the prices are very reasonable. A great place for above-average American Greek food. I like their food better than Salonika's or Spilios, and their prices are better. I haven't tried that much of their menu, because when I got to the beef souvlaki, I stopped, but their chicken souvlaki is also tasty. One star."

Bova's Deli.
7th and Philadelphia [?!], Buffalo.
884-1506.

[JAZ, 7/07] says: "Just wanted to comment on a local gem I found here in Buffalo: Bova's Deli. As a U.S. sailor from San Diego now serving in Buffalo, New York, I found that I wanted to get to know some great places to eat in Buffalo, already having fallen in love with the wings. I was introduced to a little place on 7th and Pennsylvania called Bova's Deli. I went to Bova's Deli and found the owner, Mark Manzella, making the seasoning for his deli sandwiches. On his menu, you'll find that "All have special seasoning", and it is usually a good sign when you find someone making it themselves. He wouldn't tell me what was in it, but I wanted to try it. I got the same thing my buddy got: cappocola and provolone with extra onion, extra seasoning, and light dressing. Not only was the sandwich huge (and delicious), but it came with a bag of chips and cost a mere $5. I was very impressed. Everyone here at the Navy/Marine Corps Reserve Center gets it...including seasoning. Some light, some heavy. I would wholeheartedly recommend Bova's deli sandwiches, but that is an unfair statement: I wholeheartedly recommend Bova's Cap & Provolone sandwich, because it is so good that I haven't even tried any of the other sandwiches Mark Manzella makes, even though my commanding officer swears by the roast beef!"

Bravo Cafe & Catering.
5781 Seneca St. (near Transit Rd.), Elma.
677-4003.

[BL, 7/07] says: "Quality food, good cookin'!, at reasonable prices. From the salad dressings to the main entrees. Nice atmosphere, excellent ingredients, excellent presentation, good service, and, as noted earlier, decent prices. Extensive menu selections. Works well for a casual Friday evening or more special event. We will return!"

[ARo, 12/06] writes to tell us that they have: "Bravo has moved to its new location on Seneca St. near Transit Rd. Still the same fantastic food and great service. Really nice atmosphere, but they should really think about opening up their banquet room to regular restaurant patrons. Because the food is so good, the restaurant fills up quickly, and there's not much room to wait around for a table."

[DLB, 1/06] says: "One of the best-priced restaurants around! I took a friend there for dinner, and she has not stopped going back! The specials are always excellent, the service great, and the portions perfect. I can't believe the price of their desserts! The ice cream sundae is the best value around. I would recommend this place to anyone."

[ARo, 10/05] says: "My wife and I have gone to Bravo several times since it opened. It's a very small restaurant with limited seating and no waiting area. Every time we've gone there, the place is packed, because the food is really good. I have had several different items on the menu—Fucilli with pesto, chicken, and sundried tomatoes; a chicken sandwich with gorgonzola cheese; assorted soups; etc. Everything has been consistently good—the quality and flavor of the food, the service, and the atmosphere. They also make their own potato chips that are perfectly fried and salted. We buy a bag to take home each time. Overall, an excellent restaurant with excellent prices. I hope they move into a bigger space, though, because they really could use a waiting area."

Bravo Cucina Italiano—WARNING: WEBSITE HAS LOUD MUSIC!
1 Walden Galleria (next to Cheesecake Factory), Cheektowaga.
684-4595.

Part of the chain.

[SM, 8/08] says: "I just had to write after reading the negative review of Bravo. To each their own, but for my taste, Bravo is fantastic. Their Eggplant Parmesan is the best I have had in the area—crispy and flavorful, though I do recommend requesting an extra side of sauce. My wife absolutely loves it. Neither of us has had a bad meal yet. You can't go there without ordering the house salad! My only complaint is that they do not offer a variety of bread. Their only offering is an Italian bread with oregano and other spices baked into it. A bit too spicy, particularly when dipped in their oil. It would be nice if they offered a plain Italian bread with butter."

[PT, 1/08] said: "Hated it! The sauce reminded me of Chef-Boy-Ar-Dee."

[HPK, 11/07] said: "I was nicely surprised by this restaurant. I am not at all a fan of its neighbor Cheesecake Factory and had not eaten here, thinking it must be the same, boring, expensive thing. It is not. Plus, comparably, it's cheap! Wait...I should take that out of here. A cheap, good restaurant at the mall? Stay away! Anyway, I also do not like malls, so getting me to come here was a big deal. The food is very good. This is not "fancy fancy" Italian, rather some traditional servings such as lasagna (huge serving) and chicken Marsala, all types of pastas, etc. Nothing is over-spiced. We had an appetizer of the bruschetta, which was just terrific! Three adults and three kids; many, many drinks; $120."

Brennan's Bowery Bar and Restaurant.
4401 Transit Rd. (in the Shops at Main & Transit Plaza, next to Eastern Hills Mall), Clarence.
933-9630.

[AFN, 9/09] says: "My sister and I had lunch at Brennan's on 9/25/09. I had New England clam chowder and a fish sandwich. She had clam chowder and a small fish fry. A very good lunch."

[WHN] said:

[12/08] "Last night, Friday, 12/5/08, we met another couple at Brennan's for fish fries. We haven't gone out for Friday night fish fries in a long time, because the restaurants are always crowded and noisy, and the wait times are long for me. After a twenty-minute wait, we were seated, and two of us ordered regular fish fries, and two ordered broiled fish, along with New England clam chowder, which is included with the fish fry. Three of us thought the clam chowder was overly salty, but my wife, who is usually sensitive to excess saltiness, didn't think it was. When the server brought the food, she reversed the order and gave my wife the broiled fish and the other woman the fried fish. They simply switched. She then brought us one fried and one broiled fish and again reversed the servings, but, before we could switch, she returned and took away the broiled fish, before we could say anything, and replaced it, incorrectly, with a fish fry. We decided not to bother correcting her mistake. All the fish dinners except mine had a large piece of fish. Mine was broken up into three small pieces. I asked her if it was a small fish fry, rather than a large one as we had all ordered, but she assured me it was right, just broken up into pieces. Aside from the ditzy waitress, the fish was dry, probably overcooked, and just not very good."

[7/06] "We went to Brennan's for the first time in ages on Friday, 7/7/06. My daughter was visiting from Phoenix and wanted to have a traditional Buffalo fish fry. The fish fries were very good, as was the New England clam chowder."

[UL, 7/07] said: "I recently went to Brennan's Bowery Bar and Restaurant to celebrate a friend's birthday. All of the food was quite good. Portions were generous, so that five of the six of us brought home leftovers for lunch the next day. We ordered Irish Potato Skins and Classic Calamari as appetizers to share, and both were quite good. I had the "Clancy" sandwich, which is a French-dip roast beef with provolone. The meat was tender and delicious, and it was served on garlic bread rather than a plain roll, which was delicious. We had bought a little birthday cake and were able to eat it there without them charging a plate fee. There was a magician who was going from table to table, performing tricks and making balloon animals, something I've never seen before at a restaurant that caters to an adult crowd. [Editor's Note: The late, lamented Dakota Grill had a magician, too, as did Forks a long time ago.] It was a nice, fun touch. Service was good, and there was no problem when we had to move our reservation back by an hour at the last minute. Also, one of our party uses a wheelchair, and this was one of the better restaurants for accessibility that I've been to. Completely flat, a fairly open layout for easy maneuvering, wide doors at the restroom, and a good size handicapped stall (at least in the women's restroom.)"

[MPM, 10/05] said: "I attended dinner at Brennan's on 10/04/05, and it was without a doubt one of the worst dining experiences I have ever had. I was there with about 10 out-of-town guests to introduce them to some Buffalo cuisine, as we were all going to the Bills game the next day. Every single order was burnt, overcooked, or unappealing. My wife got a beef on weck, and it was so well done and tough looking she didn't want it. Kids' grilled cheese were so overdone they would not eat them. We were served about 90 minutes after the waitress took the order. It was so apparent that they had way too many customers and not enough staff. If they cannot accommodate serving a quality product to all of the restaurant guests, then they should limit their seating."

[MEL, 8/99] said, after visiting the Taste of Williamsville: "Pretty good BBQ and jerk wings, which appeared to have been baked or broiled rather than fried. Of course, with skins on, they still aren't heart healthy."

Brickyard Pub & BBQ.
432 Center St., Lewiston.
754-7227.

[AFN, 6/09] says: "My sister, our daughters, and I went to the Lewiston Region Tour of Kitchens on Saturday, 6/13. Seven restaurants from Lewiston, Niagara Falls, and Youngstown offered samples of their cuisine at the various houses on the tour. My personal favorite from The Brickyard Pub & BBQ was "Louisiana shells" stuffed with Andouille sausage and chicken, topped by cheddar mornay sauce. Overall, the tour was like a multi-course tasting menu experience. Excellent! We have never been to The Brickyard Pub. I told my husband we'll have to try it this summer."

[CO'C, 7/08] says: "A 3-hr. break between a wedding & the reception left us with nothing to do at 3 pm. on a Sat. in Lewiston. The 6 out of town guests & the 2 of us were feeling a little hungry, so I suggested the Brickyard Pub. What a mistake!!! 5 minutes standing at the door, no one paid the least attention to us. (We were sort of hard to miss.) The sign said to "let us seat you". Finally, we were told to pick a table. We did, &, 10 minutes later, I had to ask for service. The place was half empty. We got menus, ordered drinks (a combination of wine, coffees, & soft drinks; nothing difficult) & snacks (all ordered at the same time!). 10 minutes later, we got the requested drinks. Note we are up to 25+ minutes here. 40 minutes after that, we asked for the check, since our orders of 5 appetizers still hadn't shown up. We were told that there were still orders ahead of us. No apologies, etc. Staffing wasn't a problem, since they were all over, chatting to each other, & we could see into the kitchen: There were people standing & chatting in there. At least there was service at the bakery we popped into. It was too late to try another place. Granted, we really weren't in a hurry, but over an hour wait to get 5 appetizers? And we were still waiting. I will spread the word. I also sent [this review] to the management of the place, & the person responding said that no way could the wait have been that long—completely dismissive of what occurred. Since we were on a deadline & had two people who had worked in the industry with us, it became a game to see what was causing the delays & what the response would be. The manager's final response was to include the web address of the most recent review from The Buffalo News."

[HHFK, 7/07] said: "Finding ourselves in Lewiston at dinnertime, my companion, our son, and I decided to try the Brickyard Pub & BBQ. First, let me say that the name does justice to the establishment. The draft beer spans from local micro-brews (including their own Brickyard Brown Ale and a seasonal pick) to the commercial standbys. They also have an outstanding stock of bottled beer and bourbons (more on that in a moment). The first good sign we had was the trickle of smoke coming from the back of the building and the scent of BBQ. My companion had the traditional platter (pulled pork, sliced brisket, St. Louis ribs) with sides of mac & cheese and coleslaw along with the seasonal pomegranate wheat beer. All of the meats were, in my companion's wording, "brilliant". The coleslaw had a lot of paprika, which was different, but good. The mac and cheese was typical, not great—as such, it was probably the low point of the entire meal. I had the Big Blue Plate Special of brisket with sides of sweet potato fries and the house bourbon along with a glass of the Blue Moon ale. That's right, one of the choices for sides is a shot of Evan Williams' bourbon. The brisket's initial rub was very mild, so it wasn't very salty. It was also done to perfection, tender and juicy. The additional barbeque sauce was a wonderful blend of sweet and spicy that didn't overpower the flavor of the beef. The sweet potato fries were soft and tender inside and firm but not crisp on the outside. Servers were pleasant and attentive, and the building itself was clean and pleasant. Overall, this was a great restaurant experience that's got us looking for reasons to find ourselves back in Lewiston."

[PT, 12/06] said: "Their combo platter—a small rack of ribs, pulled pork, and beef brisket—is excellent. You get plenty of meat, corn bread, and a choice of two side dishes for $12.99. The ribs are meaty, moist, and very flavorful. Much better than Kentucky Greg's, where I found the ribs had very little meat and were extremely dry."

Broadway Hotel.
158 Main St., N. Tonawanda.
692-9810.

[CEP, 8/08] says: "I was reading your list of fish fry places and was sorely disappointed to see Broadway Hotel, my favorite place, not on the list, so I figured I'd send in a review. On the outside, the Broadway Hotel looks likes any other neighborhood bar. Seeing as we make a point to bring all of our out-of-town guests there and any other first-time friends, I'm frequently warning that "the place looks like a dive, but the fish fry is the best in town". After dinner, no one has ever disagreed with our assessment of the food, and we've even swayed over some loyal fans of other fish fries. What is a Broadway Hotel fish fry? They start you off with the typical bread and butter, but also two dishes of appetizers: one of delicious, warm German potato salad (better than some homemade, I've had!) and one of a sweet-and-sour cabbage salad (refreshing, sweet, and tangy). When they bring your main dinner, you have a choice of battered, breaded, or broiled fish. The battered fish is always lightly coated and never too greasy, and the Cajun broiled option is just as tasty. Either way, the pieces of fish are mammoth sized. With your fish, you also get your choice of potato, and sides of macaroni salad and coleslaw. Very satisfying meal for only $7.95. We've never been disappointed, and if you go, it's well worth the wait. However, if you get a group together, they'll take reservations for 5 or more."

Brodo Soup and Wine Bar.
765 Elmwood Ave. (near Ferry, between Allentown and Buff State), Buffalo. 881-1117.
Also at: 4548 Main St. (east of Harlem Rd.), Snyder; 635-1117.

[KATS, 5/06] says: "My review of Brodo in the suburbs should read like my thoughts on Brodo-Elmwood: slow service, mediocre food, always rushed in and out (even with the slow service). My experience at suburban Brodo was a nice surprise. First off, excellent, prompt service. I have walked out of Brodo Elmwood because the servers were too busy chatting at the bar to even come over and ask me if I wanted a drink. I've timed on my watch and sat for 10 minutes between being seated and being asked if I wanted a beverage—on an empty Tuesday night. Wait, I forgot I was reviewing suburban Brodo and not bashing Brodo Elmwood. Food was great at suburban Brodo, too (though those window seats looked mighty uncomfortable)!! Pretty much the same menu as downtown, as far as I could tell. I'm in walking distance, so I'll definitely be back!"

[WHN, 3/06] says: "Stopped for lunch at their location on Main St. in Snyder. The turkey Reuben was different from the usual corned beef, but very good."

[SMD, 11/04] says: "What a great little spot! Stopped by there for lunch on a Friday afternoon. The noon crowd was just starting to clear out, and we were seated pretty quickly. All meals include some nice sesame bread and olive oil for dipping. Yum! I opted for the pumpkin soup with walnuts, and a chicken salad panini with basil aioli. My date had a roast beef panini. All of the food was of excellent quality, and the service was attentive and efficient. We finished our meal by sharing a slice of the ricotta cheesecake, which was light and smooth, just as it should be. If you're on Elmwood, I strongly suggest you stop in and treat yourself. Delish!"

[MRT, 9/04] says: "Brodo is owned by the same people who [used to] own Just Pasta. [Note from Bill, added [11/04]: [AD] tells me that it is really owned by the fellow who founded Just Pasta, as well as the Garden Restaurant at the Albright Knox.] It is a small restaurant just across the street from my favorite Globe Market. Their menu is divided into appetizers, salads, pannini, focaccia & combos, entrees, and desserts. From their menu, I have enjoyed their soups (excellent!), their panko crab cake, avocado and tomato-basil corn sala cruda (excellent!), their warm breaded goat cheese over arugla, field greens, and tomato, aged balsamic vinegar (exellent!), their roasted marinated vegetables, feta, tapenade on pita (excellent!), their salmon, sweet pea risotto, chive beuerre blanc (excellent!) and the most amazing old fashioned dark chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. I want the recipe for this cake, it was so incredibly good. The restaurant does have a wine list. They do not take reservations. We are blessed to have two restaurants with great food, Brodo and the Globe Market right across the street from each other."

Buffalo Bean and Leaf.
1300 Hertel Ave., Buffalo.
875-3510.

[LCo, 10/07] says: "A friend and I went to Buffalo Bean and Leaf on a Saturday morning. The only thing that really drew us to it was that they offer Tofutti soy cream cheese and soy margarine as bagel toppings. I ordered a sesame bagel with soy cream cheese and a coffee. My friend had some type of hemp poppy seed bagel, also with soy cream cheese, and a soy mocha. Being able to get soy cream cheese at a place other than home was probably more appealing than the bagels themselves. I didn't really notice anything so remarkable about my coffee. The soy mocha could have used an extra pump of syrup, but other than that it was pretty standard."

[AMSo, 9/07] says: "Current hours: M-F 7am-7pm and Saturday 9am-4pm. We stopped @ Buffalo Bean & Leaf last night. I wanted to surprise Kim with a new place to "get her java on". We stopped in around 6:15 or so, and found parking easily on Hertel, but we crossed @ Colvin, because Hertel is too busy, and you really risk your life trying to cross anywhere but a stoplight! We both chose to get an espresso drink—a mocha made with almond milk and poured over ice. It was really good. I asked the barista, Amanda, if the white mocha was vegan, and she knew that it wasn't, and showed us the Ghirardelli bottle that mentioned milk in the natural flavor. She herself is an aspiring vegan, having been vegetarian for a while, and it was cool to have someone as a server who understood us. :) When we got there, there were no longer any bagels, but they did still have some slices of homemade breads available for toasting. For toppings on breads or bagels, they have soy margarine, garlic hummus, and tofutti soy cream cheese. They also have vegan cookies, French twist pastries, and some other vegan prepackaged treats available. Amanda echoed what the owner had told me about the future change to vegan scones and banana bread but was unsure when that change would take place. Along with espresso drinks, they had multiple brewed teas and coffees available, as well as some soda-type beverages. What was more impressive was the "wall of coffee"—lots of coffee beans available for purchase. We purchased two 1/2-pound bags of coffee that's actually grown on a volcano. It had a wonderful deep aroma. The coffee is moderately priced—about $5-$6 for a 1/2 pound, which is similar to what I've paid @ Buffalo Coffee Roasters in the Main Place Mall downtown."

Buffalo Brew Pub.
6861 Main Street (near Transit), Williamsville.
632-0552.

[DwH, 3/07] says: "Travelling to Buffalo almost weekly since February and wanted to pass along some impressions: For what it is—it's just fine. Lots of great beers and free popcorn and peanuts. Food is classic and pretty tasty bar food. Staff makes you feel as if you are a regular "Norm!" "

[DY, 9/02] says: "Not just famous for their microbrewery, they have a fine selection of pub-style foods. Their wings are meaty and tasty, and some of the best I've had outside of the Shannon Pub (which they own, also). They have a good beef on weck (the beef is basted in their own beers), and meat pies, sausages, and other items you might find at English or Irish pubs. Oh, their burgers are very good, also."

[] Buffalo Chop House.—WARNING: WEBSITE LOADS SLOWLY AND HAS LOUD MUSIC!
282 Franklin St. (downtown), Buffalo.
842-6900.

Same owner as D'Arcy McGee's Irish Pub, and Laughlin's Beef and Barrel. Online reservations available via OpenTable.com.

[12/08] Given 4 (out of 4) stars by Janice Okun, Buffalo News restaurant reviewer.

[4/07] Listed as one of Buffalo's "27 Best Restaurants" by Buffalo Spree magazine.

[EMW, 6/09] says: "My fiancé and I received a gift certificate for Buffalo Chop House that was about to expire, so we had an early dinner there last Sunday. We had no reservations, but the restaurant was nearly empty, so we were promptly seated at a nice table in the front room with the bar. Our waiter was very nice and attentive, and he brought our drinks out quickly: a glass of Riesling for me, and an iced tea for my fiancé, which the waiter continually refilled throughout dinner. We split the Flying Shrimp appetizer, which the menu describes as "10 Tempura Battered Shrimp Served with Cocktail and Royal Sauces". The presentation was very impressive, and the breading on the very large shrimp was light and flaky, very delicious—but very expensive at $26 a pop! We split a Caesar salad, which was good but not outstanding. For entrees, I ordered the Grilled Salmon Filet (which comes with baby vegetables and a dill cream sauce) and my fiancé ordered the 14 oz. Filet Mignon (medium rare) and added that night's special: to have his meal "Oscared". This meant that they added jumbo lump crab meat, asparagus, and a bearnaise sauce to your cut of meat. Our waiter did not indicate the cost, and we did not ask. We also ordered a side of home-fried potatoes to split. The entrees arrived, and everything looked great, but they had neglected to "Oscar" the filet. So the waiter promptly returned the fliet to the kitchen. When the steak came back, it was topped with a huge amount of real, succulent crab meat—it was really amazing how much crab was actually on this plate and how big the lumps were. However, upon cutting into the filet, it was definitely cooked to medium—there was barely any pink in the center at all, and this was a very thick cut of meat. When the waiter asked how our meals were, my fiancé mentioned that the steak was really too well done for his taste, and the waiter agreed it definitely was not medium rare. He graciously offered us complimentary desserts for our trouble, and we accepted. My salmon dish was very good. For dessert, we had the bananas Foster and the creme brulee, which were both delicious (although in looking at the prices on the menu, I'm not sure that we would have ordered them had they not been free). Overall, we enjoyed the meal. Then the bill came! I want to preface this by saying that I absolutely don't mind paying a lot for a great meal. But the cost of this meal was almost shocking to us: $175 for two people (and remember, this didn't include dessert, which would have been an additional $20 or so). Remember that "Oscar"? It was $20 in addition to the cost of the filet, but honestly, it was so good that I felt it was probably the most valuable thing we ordered all night! Also, we realized that we were charged for every single refill of iced tea that my fiancé consumed! $15 for iced tea when we are clearly not skimping on the meal? I thought that was a little crass for such an upscale establishment. So, looking back on the overall experience, we enjoyed our meal, but with so many steak houses popping up around Buffalo that are (1) less expensive and (2) can cook a eut of meat to the ordered temperature, we probably won't be back any time soon."

[Bill, 1/09] said: MER, my 13-year-old son, and I ate here on a Tuesday evening, primarily because we had received a gift certificate as a Christmas present and we had to be downtown at dinner time. For her appetizer, MER had the beefsteak tomato and Maine onion salad with buffalo mozzarella (another option was Roquefort); I had a taste, and we both liked it, especially the vinaigrette dressing. MER and my son had 10-oz. filets mignon, which they liked very much. MER thought hers the equivalent of that at La Scala, which has always been her favorite. However, this one came out piping hot; indeed, it continued cooking while on the plate! I, following my rule of eating that which I normally do not cook at home, had the catch of the day, which was a Szechuan-glazed red snapper with udon noodles and Asian vegetables in broth. It was tender, just very mildly spicy-hot (a good thing, in my opinion: I'm not overly fond of spicy-hot food), but a bit salty. Coffee was hot and good. MER ordered two side dishes: asparagus and sauteed onions. Both were excellent (though I didn't need them, because of the veggies that came with my meal; as others have noted, everything is à la carte: the steaks come unadorned on a huge plate). For dessert, my son had the "volcanic" chocolate cake, and I had the "American" apple pie with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce; both were accompanied by fresh berries and fruit. Service, by Chris, was friendly, efficient, and professional. But: The portions (and prices) are obscenely huge. A healthful portion of steak is a quarter pound, roughly half of the smallest portion served here. I had fully two servings of snapper. You can't order a single portion of a side dish; there were enough asparagus and onions to serve at least three of us, which is fine because there were, indeed, three of us, but had there only been one, there would have been the same amount. As for the desserts: What we believed to be the "volcanic" chocolate cake, which is what we ordered, I have since found out (from re-reading Janice Okun's review) was actually the "nine-layer" chocolate cake for two (made off-premises by Carriage Trade Pastries): a "slice" that seemed to be 10 layers, 8" high, about 4" in radius, and about 4" in circumference; we took pictures so that friends wouldn't think we were boasting. Needless to say, we took most of it home; Chris—our otherwise excellent waiter who seemed to have misunderstood our dessert order—admitted that no one had ever finished it. The apple pie was a full pie, about 8" in diameter; I could only eat about ½ of it, but we didn't take it home, because of the (now melted) ice cream. They do a nice job of boxing your leftovers and putting them in a shopping bag. But you pay for this. Our meal, with 2 glasses of wine, came to over $200 before the tip. I'll give it one star, which it clearly deserves, but I'd prefer trying some of the other excellent downtown restaurants before returning.

[CEP, 8/08] said: "As I'm browsing your site more, I think I'd like to put in my 2 cents for Buffalo Chop House, also: 1/1/08: Based on all the positive reviews, we made reservations at the Buffalo Chop House for New Year's Day for two (anniversary) and were very disappointed with the experience. When we arrived, the place was nearly empty, but we were given the worst seat in the house: a corner table on the ground floor, conveniently located 5 feet from the kitchen, bathroom, and coat closet. As the place was nearly empty, the corner wasn't highly trafficked, but we did endure the stares of kitchen staff leaning on the counter for the evening. On top of that, the water glasses were dirty. The food was good, but as a previous reviewer states, the steak comes alone. I wanted mushrooms with my steak, and had to order a side of them for $8—a dish big enough for 4 or 5 people to top their steaks with, even though there were only two of us, and only I wanted them. Also, an ordinary baked potato (the only side actually intended for only one or two people) ran the same price. The menu is not structured for couples, unless you want to just eat a steak or don't mind spending a fortune on large bowls of sides and having an entire bowl of sauteed mushrooms left over. We will not be returning here."

[AHa, 9/07] (of Raleigh, NC!) said: "I was in Buffalo for business, and 3 of us went to the Buffalo Chop House. We were there on Wednesday night, 9/5/07. No problem getting a seat (without reservations). Hostesses (2 of them) were nice, polite, and beautiful. Restaurant was nice, classy, and had a good atmosphere, with great music. Waiter was friendly, informative, and good. Best of all, the food was great. Lobster bisque soup was excellent, Caesar salad great, sides great; sides portions à la carte were hefty (can share) even though pricy (compare to a Ruth's Chris). Two of us shared Châteaubriand for two, and it was cooked perfectly. I was expecting some Bearnaise sauce with it or on the side, although it was excellent without it (and I didn't ask for it); it would have topped it off. Garlic mushrooms were great. The third person had a NY strip, and he commented it was very good, and big! We all had a couple of beers, a bottle of wine, and after-dinner drinks. Price out the door for 3 (guys) around $380. Not cheap, but I think the value was there, and will go back! I've been to several different chop houses around the country, and this one has probably been the best overall! Would recommend highly! Would rate it 5 out of 5!"

[AMS, 8/07] said: "The filet is to die for! The waiter said that they drop it in butter right before they serve it. This has to be the magic in their meat. It is not an exaggeration when the waiter says that one side feeds two people. It really does! Only I touched the plate of asparagus because my husband cowers away from veggies, so I had lots to take home. The hollandaise sauce was divine. The twice-baked potato (apparently not part of the regular menu) was delicious and as long as half of a computer keyboard. I didn't find anything overly salty. The meat was cooked as requested. Service was prompt and amiable. Maybe it was such a great night for diners and servers because it was a Monday. I will definitely seek out an excuse to go there again. It's worth every penny (or every Ben Franklin)."

[DwH, 3/07] said: "Travelling to Buffalo almost weekly since February and wanted to pass along some impressions: Buffalo Chop House is exactly what it claims to be: a temple to beef. Old-line barkeepers who know your drink after the first one on the first visit—immeidately making you feel like a member of the club. The sides (creamed spinach is a must) are well-done and match the steak thing flawlessly. Wine list is comprehensive, and you can bottom feed without compromising the quality of the evening. The cost is pretty hair-raising (expense account turf), but the service and the food are such that, for an evening anyway, you get to feel like Boss Tweed. Before he went to jail."

[MRT, 11/05] said: "On Saturday, November 5, my husband and I enjoyed dinner at the Buffalo Chop House. Because of this wonderful restaurant guide, I asked that no salt be added to my meal. When you first sit at your table, you are brought some olives, hot peppers, and feta cheese. Warm rolls and softened sweet butter are also brought to your table. My husband ordered their lobster bisque as an appetizer. He rated it 8.5 points out of 10. I ordered a plain field greens salad with no dressing, which made me happy. My husband suggested I order the 14-ounce filet mignon, and only eat some of it. This I did. I also ordered a side of spinach sauteed with garlic, and sauteed mushrooms. My husband ordered a rib-eye steak, baked potato, and asparagus. I will say that the asparagus was thick and not very tender. It was the only wrong note of the meal all evening long. My husband said he was disappointed with the presentation of the steak—it sat all alone on the plate. I was not disappointed. I emptied my plate of spinach and my plate of mushrooms right onto my steak plate. I ate approximately 4 ounces of the delicious filet. My husband enjoyed the rest of my filet today for lunch. For dessert, I ordered their apple pie and an espresso. It is a wonderful apple pie, with a delicious sauce, as well as a small fruit salad with kiwi, strawberry, raspberry, and cantaloupe. My husband ordered their chocolate cake and a cup of coffee. The service at the Buffalo Chop House is first rate. Water and wine glasses were always filled. Empty dishes were quickly removed. I will be very happy to return to the Buffalo Chop House."

[RTR, 10/05] said: "Recently visited Buffalo to see relatives and went to the Buffalo Chop House—our party was five, and reservations at 7:30. The place was mobbed and obviously overbooked, not to speak of the deafening decibel level. After being "stacked" at the bar, we were finally seated an hour later. A nice but rushed waiter took our orders, and, after the salad and appetizers, which were fair, we waited over an hour for our main course. All had meat dishes. After inquiring of the management where our food was, since we were going to "call the dining experience off", the waiter came running up the stairs with the food. As testimony to the evening, the table behind us, after waiting over one and one-half hours to be seated and not getting served anything but bread, got up and left . After our prolonged wait, we were amazed that the food was inedible. The had used so much of the meat rub that the pepper overload made it impossible to eat, let alone even attempt to swallow. All left their food. Living in a city of 5 million that prides itself on its steak houses, I have to say that this was the worst dining out I have experienced. It was terrible and inexcusable. Being popular and "in" is one thing; economic motives and overbooking are another."

[WHN, 8/05] said: "My wife and I, along with another couple, ate here on Saturday, 8/20/05. This was our second time and our friends' 3rd at this restaurant. We probably would not have gone back, but our friends really like it. While the service is indeed excellent, as [REV] said below, both my wife and I found the food to be incredibly salty—we all had filets ($32 for a 10 oz.; $36 for a 14 ounce), which were cooked perfectly, as ordered, but the salt content of a meal here must provide at least a week's worth of sodium. Likewise for the side-orders, especially the steak fries. I also object to having to pay $1 extra for anchovies on a $7.50 Caesar Salad. As far as I know, Caesar Salad is supposed to include anchovies. Restaurants should deduct $1 for those who don't want them, not add an extra buck. The wine prices are a little absurd—$40.00 for one of two "house" Chardonnays—a 2003 Sebastiani Sonoma County Chardonnay that I just paid $9.99 for at Premier—a 4-fold markup from retail. The waiter also said (incorrectly) that it was on Wine Spectator magazine's top 100 list. (It was rated 88 out of 100, and was designated a "Smart Buy"). On the other hand, they had a real "bargain"—relatively speaking—a 1999 Napa Valley Cabernet that retails for $95—$100, priced at $100. I won't say what it was just in case we go back and decide to blow $100 on a bottle of wine. I suspect they might triple or quadruple the price if they realize what they've done. I would say there are a lot better restaurants in the high priced category, including Hutch's, Rue Franklin West, and Oliver's. And there are a lot of places where the steaks are just as good, and definitely less salty, for half the price, including Calvaneso's, City Grill, McMahon's, and others."

[REV, 5/05] said: "I was there with my company for dinner on 4/25/05. I was impressed with the service. Never a glass was empty, nor were we waiting long. The appetizers were very good. Also, the presentation was pleasant, as well. The wine selection was good, and the one we received was in good form (bouquet, taste). I liked the fact you could get Pellegrino as your table water at no extra charge. My only complaint was the entrée portion of the evening. No one else had an issue, but since I do take my beef seriously, I was rather upset as to the condition of the meat. First, we were never presented our cuts of meat or seafood. This is usually standard at such a place, especially proclaiming themselves as the premier steak house. When it was served, it was à la carte, which is to be expected. The most attractive meat was their bone-in sirloin, which looked unique and very appetizing. I ordered my filet mignon medium rare, but more so on the rare side. Unfortunately, I received more of a medium well to well. The meat was on the verge of grey, with a little pink left. The cut was nice and thick, too. So you know the meat was not watched during the cooking. The searing was good, but the taste was a bit salty. I think it has to do with the rub/prep of the meat. I took the leftover home with me, and my girlfriend agreed. There was no problem with the quality of meat, or with the tenderness. The preparation was very much yet to be desired. Also, the sides we received were, for the most part, good. But again, the saltiness was a bit much. The most over-salted was the spinach, though the asparagus was prepared perfectly: not overdone & stringy, not underdone and hard. No problem with the quality of meat, or I'm glad I went with work, since I would have been upset for the price and preciseness of the cooking asked for, as well as the superfluous overly-salted foods. I may return, since it is a nice place, but I will definitely look around for better! The best steak I've had thus far was surprisingly at Carrabba's in Amherst. I suggest there until I find better! "

[MR, 9/03] said: "My wife and I ate there last evening. The food was excellent. The service was incredible. Put down your glass, and they would fill it for you. The atmosphere is beautiful—but you'll pay for it. Very pricy for what you're getting. Great food, but à la carte selection makes things add up quickly. 24 oz. Porterhouse = $33. They also have a 48 oz. version...for $66! Whew. The term "Chop House" denotes something of a "no-frills" variety steakhouse, but what you get is a first-class dining experience."

[DG, 6/03] said: "My wife, son, and I ate there last weekend. The food and service were excellent but a bit pricy for Buffalo. I would highly recommend for a special occasion and will be back again."

[FNN, 4/03] said: "My wife and I ate there last month and were very pleased. She had the filet and I had the sirloin. The sirloin was done to perfection as was the spinach. The filet was also excellent, a bit underdone for her taste."

Buffalo Pizza Co.
1769 Main St. (near Canisius College), Buffalo.
881-1111.

[MEL, 11/99] says: "One of my coworkers raved about this tiny restaurant near Canisius, but I found the pizza here to be pretty nondescript. I notice, however, that they pile on an unusual amount of cheese so I give them extra points for effort."

Buffalo Smokehouse.
257 Franklin St. (downtown, north of Chippewa St.), Buffalo.
853-3600.

[LS, 4/07] says: "Call me completely surprised. This place has the ambience of a dusty saloon and still bears all of its former D'Arcy McGee's trimmings. That being said, the food was really good! My guest and I had a very nice server for our pre-theater meal last week. Try the deep-fried dill pickle spears as an appetizer—I've had them other places, and they just didn't work. These are very good. I loved my portobello sandwich, though I couldn't figure out what gave it such delicious heat and spice. I was too busy eating to wonder. My guest had a neat twist on Shepherd's Pie—the topping was mashed potatoes, but the filling was pulled pork. He wasn't as thrilled with his appetizer: breaded catfish fingers. He loves catfish but said the breaded coating left him cold. We could not finish everything."

[TWa, 9/06] says: "I recently tried the new place in town, Buffalo Smokehouse, for dinner. I saw the place advertised on the local morning news program, and since I am passionate about barbeque, I had to try it right away. An interesting experience ensued. I was happy to find that a web site was already in place even if much of it is still under construction. The site came in very handy, since directory assistance didn't even have the phone number yet. I thought it very odd when I called, because the hostess seemed almost surprised to be getting a call for a reservation—something that I thought odd given a new restaurant on a Saturday night. We were greeted and seated promptly. The ambience was warm and rustic. I am told that it is not substantially changed from the prior inhabitant, Darcy McGee's. Next came our server. I hope that she is not typical of the rest of the staff. I've never met a more poorly prepared server. Our drink order was taken promptly. No wine list here. You get the beer list. I can't even begin to imitate her butchery of the pinot noir ordered by my guest. Our order was rushed—not a great idea when you're looking at a fairly extensive menu for the first time. We were there on only their third night in business not counting the opening-night gala. I was amazed at the number of items of which they were already out, like onion rings. Hello!! Do you think maybe someone could hop down to Wegman's and buy some onions? The server had very few suggestions on what to try, and I had to suggest to her that we choose sides, a fairly lengthy list from which we were to choose two. The food came very promptly. We each chose a combo platter. My guest chose the pulled pork and ribs, and I the beef brisket and ribs. The food was warm, certainly not hot. The pulled pork was the winner of the night, succulently tender with a sweet and tangy sauce that left you wanting more. The ribs were good, not great. They were rather chewy instead of fall-off-the-bone tender. They were dry-rubbed and looked delicious but were somewhat lacking in flavor. The predominant flavor, by far, was smoke. They were advertised as St. Louis ribs. I was under the impression that this was a Texas-style barbeque restaurant, and barbeque in Texas means beef. I was disappointed to see that there were no barbequed beef ribs on the menu. The brisket was slightly dry and could have benefited greatly from being served with some sauce. Again, the flavor was smoke, smoke, and more smoke. I usually associate an inherent sweetness from smoke, but this was slightly bitter, almost medicinal. The sides were generally forgettable. The cole slaw was dry and tasteless; the Cajun corn was made with corn right out of the can, another reason for the run to Wegman's. The corn was terribly under-seasoned. I probably should have known better, but, when they said Cajun corn, I was hoping for a version of corn mach choux. My guest had a cucumber, tomato, and onion salad, which she enjoyed very much, noting that it was very fresh. I enjoyed the small piece of accompanying corn bread very much, but would have enjoyed it even more had it been warm. It was a northern-style cornbread, which was deliciously sweet—a pleasant surprise, since I was expecting the more savory southern-style corn bread, given the Texas BBQ theme. From this point, things deteriorated. A second drink order was never taken. We were promptly brought our check without any query about dessert or coffee. As my guest savored her remaining glass of lemon water, the manager came over and asked us if we were finished, because he had two couples waiting at the bar for a table. Excuse me!! The total time from our reservation until we were fed, watered, and asked to get up and go was a leisurely one hour and ten minutes. I hate writing a review like this about such a new restaurant, and I certainly do not want to discourage anyone from trying something that could be really great, but there is a lot of work to be done, starting with staff training. I will definitely try it again, but if the experience is the same, there won't be third time, and, before long, I fear, there will be yet another failed business in downtown Buffalo."

Buffalo Wild Wings.
5433 Transit Rd. (in Valu Plaza, near Klein), Clarence. 636-6211.
Also: [a] 3035 Niagara Falls Blvd., Amherst, 691-5691.
Also: 2017 Elmwood Ave., Buffalo, 876-9464.

Part of the chain.

[JWa, 5/06] says: "I follow all your reports before I take my family to a place to eat, and we've never been let down yet. [Editor's note: Thanks!] My kids (ages 5 & 11) love Buffalo Wild Wings and made sure we read your review first."

[PH, 10/04] says: "The Buffalo Wild Wings on Elmwood was pretty great! Even though it is considered a bar, which is what the majority of it is, like [AJB] said, they do a fine job separating the bar area from the family dining area. A little loud, but we are anyway. Ordered 2 helpings of their awesome wings, which took a while to receive, but they came hot (knowing me, I won't eat it unless it burns the roof of my mouth off) and very good. The side, which was an order of their Sour Cream and Chive Potato Wedges (which in my opinion is the best part), was indeed also very good. The atmosphere is well put together, and friendly, with a lot of neon lights and TVs playing; there's definitely a lot to look at! I highly recommend trying this place out."

[AJB, 11/03] says: "I went to the Transit location on the Clarence side of the street, adjacent to Valu. I had no idea what to expect, and thought it was a bar, based on the neon & dark shades in the window. [Ed.'s note: It is a bar; at least, that's pretty much the only reason my stepdaughters used to go there! —Bill] Well, I picked wings up for take out one night and found a really nice family restaurant/sports bar atmosphere. They also did a great job of separating the bar area from the family restaurant area by way of a small arcade. The highlight here is the wings. They are very, very meaty, and although this is an Ohio-based chain (started by some Buffalo expats), the wings put most local places to shame. Well worth the visit. Also on the menu (although I didn't try them) are full-sized chicken drumsticks done à la Buffalo wings. I have to try those sometime. They also do burgers and appetizers. I don't know if this is heresy, but this place does wings better than Duff's and Anchor Bar."

[a] [] Butterwood Gourmet Desserts.
5409 Main St. (near Union Rd.), Williamsville.
204-0939.

[9/03] Given 3½ (out of 4) stars by Janice Okun, Buffalo News restaurant reviewer.

[SMD, 5/06] says: "Stopped here on a Friday night to satisfy my pesky sweet tooth. Located in an old home right in the village of Williamsville, the dining area is brick and wood with dim lighting to create a very relaxing and welcoming atmosphere. The restaurant serves nothing but desserts, which you can order from the menu or directly from the display case. We opted for the display case, selecting a sweet potato pecan pie and an apple almond tart. Both desserts were presented with garnishes of fresh whipped cream and tiny sugar cookies shaped like butterflies. In addition, my plate came with a mango-kiwi sauce and a petite cream puff with fresh raspberry cream filling. My companion's plate came garnished with a poached baby pear with cranberries and a petite cream puff with fresh vanilla cream filling. All of the desserts were impressively plated, and tasted every bit as good as they looked. I anticipate being a frequent visitor to Butterwood."

[MRT, 11/04] says: "We enjoyed dessert and coffee at Butterwood Gourmet Desserts, where the desserts are always wonderful. Even men should peak into their unique ladies room.:-)"

[RWi, 5/04] says: "I stopped at this dessert restaurant with clients in Williamsville NY, and I must tell you it was incredible! We were led into this gorgeous old Victorian mansion, seated, and provided a menu. We realized right away we were in for something special...and special it was! I travel all over the US and western Europe and am very familiar with great food, but this place was by far the most complete dessert experience I ever had. We were first offered our amuse bouche, which the Chef called a dessert sashimi. It was a beautiful dessert rendition of rice and cream. My entree was a strawberry cornmeal French toast with a rhubarb confit, maple brulée and Tasmanian honey ice cream. My guest ordered a Bosc pear with maytag bleu cheese; it consisted of a baked pear, cherry rugala, pine nut baklava, poached sekel (spelling?) pears with a maytag fondue topping—sounds strange, but it really worked: It was amazing. This was all paired with wonderful wines. How do they do it???? I had the opportunity to talk with the executive pastry chef (Paschal Gagnon); he is quite a unique individual. He told me they have plans on opening in Manhattan, hopefully this year. No doubt they will be the hottest place in NYC! I've dined at Daniel in NY City, Trotters in Chicago, French Laundry in CA, but this was the greatest dessert experience I have had. OUTSTANDING. I live in Chicago but travel to Buffalo/Toronto frequently and have found your guide very helpful (like Tsunami, Hutch's, Curly's, and now Butterwood). I am really impressed by some of the restaurants there—"big city food". Butterwood is a phenom in desserts."

[12/03] [MER] and I went here after theater recently and were thrilled. The building and interior are gorgeous, and the food is heavenly. There are display cases with rows and rows of tempting desserts, and there is a separate menu of specials that are made to order (about $13-$15 each). From that menu, I had a milk chocolate bisque: a bowl with a "soup" of warm milk chocolate, in which floated a pastry of flaky dough containing a milk chocolate ganache, upon which sat a cookie topped with slices of exotic fruits, with a lemon sorbet on the side—marvelous to look at as well as to eat. (Sorry, you can't eat your cake and have it, too:-) [MER] had a pumpkin torte from the display cabinet, also excellent. And before our "meals" arrived, we were offered an "amuse bouche" of blueberry sorbet. They serve wines, coffees, and teas in various flavors. On a down note, we bought some wonderful-looking cookies to take home: some were shaped and painted to look like apples, others like cows or pigs or Santas; disappointingly, they were pretty tasteless (we should have opted for "having", not "eating", these "cakes":-(

[AJB, 5/03] says: "Even though the West Falls location isn't listed in your reviews, probably most people know about this world-class, European-style patisserie. We headed down Main Street last night to see if the W'ville location had opened, and it had. On our way in, a polite waitress informed us that they were trying out a new concept after 5 p.m. at this new location. Apparently, their regular cakes and pastries are unavailable (at least for eat-in. Whether they allow take-out was unclear). Instead, Butterwood's executive pastry chef, Paschal Gagnon, is making delicious desserts intended to be served as entrees. There was a choice of about 10 items ranging from exotically flavored, homemade sorbets to a frozen milk chocolate Napoleon with banana fritters. It is quite pricy (about $10.00 per item) for dessert, but about average for an entrée. There is coffee, tea, espresso, & cappuccino available. Mr. Gagnon made a trip out to our table to see how we liked it. He made a special, homemade vanilla ice cream for our daughter, and we were served a delectable amuse-bouche before our entrées came out. This consisted of a strawberry on a succulent balsamic vinegar/fruit syrup reduction with a meringue with a hint of pepper on the side. As strange as it sounded, it was an unbelievably good combination of flavors. The desserts themselves were very inspired and delicious, using fresh and homemade ingredients and a great presentation. The service was a touch overinvolved, but competent. The owners, Bill & Carolyn Panzica were also on hand to make sure everything ran O.K. Coming soon, they will be adding a wine list to go with the dessert entrees. Apparently, this is only the third such exclusively-dessert restaurant in the country, the first two being in NY and Boston. The space itself has been transformed into a truly world-class, beautiful location. Lots of exposed wood, brushed steel, and exposed brick. This is as good a pastry shop as you might find in San Francisco or Boston. This enterprising business with good food, good ideas, and which is loyal to Western New York deserves support, as does this unique and tasty concept. From opening until 5 pm, the Williamsville location is operated as is its sister store in West Falls. Lots of pies, tarts, pastries and cakes at reasonable (about $5.00 per portion) prices."

[a+] Burger King.
UB Commons. 633-8700.

Part of the chain.

Burger Town.
Table Rock Food Court, Niagara Falls, ON, CANADA.
(no phone available)

[AFN, 8/08] says: "Last month, while waiting to take our grandchildren on the Falls newest attraction—the grossly over-hyped and over-rated Niagara's Fury (it's a simulation of how the falls evolved and is a waste of money—around C$70 per person)—they were hungry, even though it was only 11 am, so we had hamburgers at this so-called restaurant. Their burgers rank as the most disgusting, dried-out, overcooked hockey-puck-style I have ever eaten. Even the kids didn't finish them. Cold, undercooked French fries, too. Negative! Avoid at all costs."

Burgundy Room Restaurant & Lounge.
6354 Transit Rd., Depew.
684-4006.

[GOw, 6/09] says: "Nice, locally owned, predominantly Italian restaurant. I took two of my angels for a pre-middle school symphony dinner. I figured I needed sustenance before a 2-hour, all-district concert. I was right. The Burgundy Room is located in a little strip plaza on Transit in Depew. At 5:15 p.m. on a Wednesday, the place was empty. A few tables filled up before we left. We received a nice, warm loaf of bread with dipping oil. That was gone in a minute. We enjoyed good service. I ordered a rib eye with sweet mashed potatoes. Teen #1 had Chicken Parm and Teen #2 had ravioli with meatballs. No complaints. I had a cup of Italian wedding soup. Salty, but good. Girls had salads, which were a good size and fresh. My steak was a couple shades past medium rare, but fine. The meatballs were big and delicious. We ended with a cannoli to share. Nice place. Decent prices, good service."

[ALK, 12/06] said: "I had quite possibly the worst dining experience ever yesterday evening, December 3rd, at the Burgundy Room. We had never dined there before and decided to stop in solely based on the fact that they had chocolate cake on the dessert menu. I guess this is what you deserve when picking a restaurant basked on such simple criteria...but sometimes you just can't resist those chocolate cake cravings!! We were seated at a table next to a woman who couldn't stop coughing and hacking, and we politely asked the hostess if we could move to another table. The table we requested, we were told, was "reserved for regulars". That was fine with us, but the hostess and the server seemed absolutely perplexed with finding us another available table for two in the fairly uncrowded dining room! We were taken back out to the bar area, so they could figure out which server deserved another table at that present moment. We were finally seated, and drinks and an appetizer were ordered. The drinks arrived fairly promptly, but the appetizer took a half an hour. We ordered bruschetta, and, when it finally arrived, we were rather disappointed to say the least. I have ordered and even prepared at home this classic Italian dish, and what was served to us didn't resemble bruschetta at all. It looked more like a French bread pizza: baked bread topped with large slices of tomatoes, obscene amounts of dried basil (the basil was so thick that it completely covered the tomatoes so that you couldn't even distinguish that they were, in fact, tomatoes!), and melted mozzarella cheese. And to make matters even worse, the whole concoction was left under the broiler too long and was burnt. When our server came by to clear the plate, we told her that we were disappointed with it, and she said "oh, sorry". About 15 minutes after receiving our appetizer, our disappointing salads and bread basket arrived. My Caesar was sub-par and slightly soggy, and my date's house salad was a simple plate of pale iceberg lettuce that featured shredded carrots and red cabbage. At an hour and ten minutes after we had been seated, we were able to flag down our waitress and point out the extremely long wait for what basically amounted to baked bread and pre-prepared salads, yet still no dinner. Her response was that the last time she was in the kitchen "they were putting the food up" and that since we had ordered an appetizer, everything else "takes a lot longer". And yet it still took at least another 5 minutes for her to bring out our dinners (broiled scallops au gratin and spaghetti with meatballs), which supposedly had already been plated in the kitchen. She set our food down and asked if there was anything else that we needed, to which my date replied, "yes, a warm basket of bread". Before I had a chance to tell her that I lacked silverware (both my forks and knives were cleared away after the previous courses), she scampered off. By the way, I must mention that my overly well-done, twice-baked potato and vegetable side were quite cold upon their appearance at the table, but my scallops and my date's spaghetti and meatballs seemed OK enough. I sat for 5 minutes with no silverware, while she served a 5-top a couple of tables over. Our server came back out to the dining room with steak sauce, grated cheese, and crushed red pepper for the 5-top, but still no appearance at our table. She then returned to the 5-top with some drink refills. At this point, over 10 minutes had passed since we had been served, and I still hadn't touched my dinner. And I would have stopped another server to inquire about a new set of silverware, but they all seemed to be rushing by, averting their eyes from me. Our server eventually came by without the bread we asked for, and asked if everything was OK with our dinners. I replied very politely that I wouldn't know because I had no silverware. And she responded by telling me that I should have told her when she dropped off my food (obviously I would have, if she hadn't run away so quickly!). At this point, my date again requested fresh bread. She came back with a fork for me, but no knife, and still no bread basket! And I won't even get into the fact that no water refills or another glass of wine had been offered! Of course, when I finally was able to dig into my dinner, my scallops were cold, and I couldn't see sending them back to the kitchen, where I would have either been served microwaved scallops or been forced to wait another torturously long amount of time for a fresh dinner to be cooked. Another server came by after I pushed my dinner to the side and, with her hands on her hips and a snotty tone in here voice, asked if there was "a problem over here". I explained the story very politely in a reasonable tone of voice, and she said that she would send the hostess over. The hostess came by a few minutes later, and the first thing she said to me was "would you like me to wrap your scallops up in a doggy bag?" I told her no, most certainly not, and again, very politely, explained our situation. She said, repeating the sentiments of our server, that I needed to ask for silverware if I didn't have any. This absolutely baffles me for two reasons: first, because I am not a stupid person, and I certainly would have asked for silverware had anybody given me the chance to, or stopped by to inquire!! Secondly, I was a server for a few years a while back, and, as a server, it was my job to notice things such as silverware and drink refills: Anticipate the needs of the customers in order to make their dining experience as pleasurable as possible is a great thing to instill in a wait staff in order to have a successful restaurant!! Silly me to think things like this: The hostess explained that it was only our server's third day on the job, so this must have meant that I should have automatically accepted sub-par service. The hostess also went on to explain that she would be sure to take the scallop dinner off our "menu" (oh yes, it was getting quite entertaining at this point!). She asked if there was anything else she could do for us, and my date said yes, we would still like the bread that still hadn't arrived to accompany his spaghetti dinner, and that he would like chocolate cake eventually for dessert. The hostess promptly brought the bread around, and our server, who had been avoiding us, finally came by to clear the table and grabbed at my date's dinner plate that he still was eating from. She apologized and walked away. The hostess came over with the chocolate cake and the bill, again pointing out that she had taken the scallops off our "menu". As I checked the bill over and prepared to pay, I noticed that although the $19.95 dinner was taken off, I was charged $1.95 my for my salad that is normally included in the cost of the dinner!! I absolutely could not believe that after such a horrible experience, they had the audacity to charge for the salad! Oh, and should I mention the "regulars" that were sitting at the "reserved" table next to us? The male "regular" was classy enough to lean over towards me while telling their server as their check was brought out in a loud, obnoxious tone that "everything was perfect, no matter what anybody else says". Well, the moral of this dining story is as follows: If you enjoy over-priced, sub-par food in a tackily-decorated dining room with lousy service, by all means, go to the Burgundy Room! We, on the other hand, headed over to Toro on Elmwood Avenue in Buffalo, where I was able to enjoy a fantastic plate of calamari, an excellent martini, and a sinfully delicious chocolate cake to make up for my horribly lacking dinner at the Burgundy Room. Bravo to Toro, once again, for their perfect service and food."

[a] Burrito Bay.
2341 Millersport Hwy. (in the Getzville Plaza), Getzville.
688-6070.

[JMK, 11/09] says: "Walking into this place, you hear soft Mexican pop music playing on an outside speaker. The first thing you notice is the layout: Think of a Mexican Subway, but, instead of subs, you get burritos. We ordered a grilled chicken glutton burrito, and it was by far the greatest burrito I ever had. It weighed about 4 or 5 pounds and had more fixings than I can even begin to type. The salsa is made fresh there; I got the ‘hot’. There was indeed a lot of heat; there is an award hanging on the wall from some salsa contest they won, and I can see why they did. We also got an order of ultimate nachos. The chips were light and crispy; I would swear they were made that day. They were perfectly salted, with a hint of garlic. The toppings included beef, cheese, salsa, and I added sour cream. The line was out the door, but the staff kept it moving; it looked like Henry Ford's old production line. I give this place the highest rating. My only complaint is that there is only one location."

[WHN, 5/06] said: "Here's a better alternative to Mighty Taco or Taco Bell. They offer three sizes of burritos prepared to order with your choice of ground beef, pork, steak, chicken, bean, or vegetarian, plus a wide variety of additional ingredients to choose from, such as fat-free refried or black beans, rice, sweet or hot peppers, fresh cilantro, and more. Soft or hard-shell tacos, too, plus taco salads, nachos, etc. Twice as expensive as Mighty Taco, but even the small burritos are three times the size, with much more variety to choose from. Eat-in or take-out."

Buzzy's New York Style Pizza & Restaurant.
7677 Niagara Falls Blvd., Niagara Falls, NY.
283-5333.

[AG, 3/05] says: "Thinner than most WNY pies, crispy bottoms dusted with cornmeal, Buzzy's pizza stands out. A light hand with the cheese allows the ingredients to shine. Lunch specials under $5 pack in workers from nearby businesses."

BW's BBQ.
5007 Lake Ave., Blasdell.
824-7455.

[JCr, 1/08] says: "I visit this place probably a couple times a month, mostly Friday nights to watch the Sabres, have a few beers with friends, and eat the best BBQ wings around. Aside from the dining room, they have a good-sized separate bar area, with 3 TVs and a good amount of seating, as well. Usually, my fare here consists of a plethora of bbq wings and sweet-potato fries, both of which I would feel confident to state are my favorite of anywhere. I do have to say that a few weeks ago I purchased a bunch of take-out, chicken and ribs, and was quite disappointed. We spent about $80 to reward a few hard-working friends that helped with my kitchen demo, and I was surprised and disappointed; both the chicken and the ribs were dry/overcooked. I had great take-out experiences prior to this; it was just disappointing to spend a good amount of money on take-out and be totally disappointed like that. I will return for more great beer and wing specials, though, in the future."

[BL, 11/03] says: "Excellent BBQ. We can compare it with many we have had in Kansas City, Memphis, and other BBQ towns. It can hold its own. Menu offers much in terms of ribs and chicken bbq. Very tender, and we mean it. The pork ribs are moist, and melt in your mouth like butter. Sides are adequate, though we would suggest a larger portion of mashed potato: very small compared to the potato salad and beans. Fries and sweet potatoes are offered, too. Everything is flavorful. We went for dinner and spent $25.81 (before tip) for half rack ($12.95) and one quarter rack ribs with chicken ($8.95) and two soft drinks. Free refills on the soft drinks. Mixed drinks/beer are available. There are sandwich items (pulled pork, burgers) and enough variety. We hope one day they will offer a pulled-pork plate like Kentucky Greg's Hickory Pit does. We bet it would be a seller. Excellent service. Nice atmosphere. Clean, and just a nice Friday evening experience. Family atmosphere, too."

[a] Byblos.
270 Campbell Blvd. (near Dodge), Getzville.
636-3102.

Lebanese.

[SCS, 9/09] says that he had a very good "mezza" plate of 12 appetizers (1 order serves 2 people).

[NH, 6/08] said: "We went to Byblos Lebanese Restaurant on Campbell Blvd. as my daughter's birthday choice. Not being very adventurous about new foods, I was a little hesitant about this place. Well, I was so pleasantly surprised about everything there. First of all, the atmosphere is wonderful. Ethnic music played softly in the background, which was a plus, and the styling inside the roomy dining room was lovely. Our waitress, who was very knowledgeable about all the foods, couldn't have been more attentive. We all tried something different. I had the chicken and rice with vegetables, which was delicious and plentiful. The others had lamb with rice and vegetables, shish kabob with baba ganouj, and kibbi with baba ganouj. Everyone was very satisfied with their meal. I highly recommend this place and will be sure to go back to try something different."

[DRi, 2/08] said: "After driving by Byblos many a night, my girlfriend and I decided to try it. We went later on a Saturday night, a time when they were not terribly busy. We were greeted and shown to a our table promptly, and our server was with us shortly. I forget what we had for an appetizer, but it was delicious. As far as main courses, I ordered the falafel and fatoush combination platter, and my girlfriend had the chicken shawarma and parsly salad(?) combination platter. When the main dishes arrived, the first thing we noticed was that the portions were correct for one person, which is a plus. The second thing we noticed is that everything was delicious. The falafel was quite tasty, and the fatoush had a very nicely flavored dressing, with many different herbs and spices tasted. The shawarma was very good and not overdone, a feat given how thinly the chicken was cut. For dessert, we split a rice pudding. This was topped with quite a bit of cinnamon and powdered almonds at our request, and proved to be quite tasty. Our server was checking with us at appropriate intervals, and the restaurant itself was tastefully decorated. All in all, a place I want to visit again."

[RRo, 1/05] said: "Set in the charming old location of Port of Entry, this restaurant has a good balance of formal dining but with a quiet charm of a well-maintained countryside restaurant (which sometimes even has live Middle Eastern dance performances on Fri/Sat evenings!). Forget the regular side-salad—go for the Fatush; this unusual salad has the freshest of herbs, using fried pitas instead of croutons and a taste that awakens all your taste buds at once (yummy!). The beef and chicken shwarma are consistently good (I find the sandwich/wrap a better value than the "meal" that includes french fries), and if you like Rice Pudding, theirs has a hint of rosewater and sometimes is topped with pistachios. Together with Lebanese Coffee (warning: this stuff could put hair on your chest...very strong stuff with a slightly-sweet taste), it's a great ending to the meal. Many vegetarian-friendly choices, and even the Tuna Salad has an unusual and tasty preparation (includes raisins I believe) that distinguishes this restaurant from others. I've brought people to Byblos who are not usually the "daring" type (you know, stick to the basic "meat and potato"), and none of them ever left disappointed. Other worth mentionings—the large space may be suited for business meetings, too, and they have a full-service bar."

[SPH, 11/03] said: "Without a doubt, they have the best falafel in town. I went to Israel, and there were falafel stands on street corners that had the most amazing food. Byblos has that authentic middle-eastern taste. Their desserts are exquisite. The taste of their baklava explodes in your mouth, and their rice pudding has a hint of orange."

I finally ate here [11/03], with some colleagues from the Philosophy department and a visiting speaker. We began with the Mazza appetizer: a sampler of their appetizers, all of which were quite good, including falafel, shawarma, feta, hoummos, baba ganoush, fried kibbi, etc. For my main course (which was preceded by an undistinguished side salad with a house vinaigrette), I had baked kibbi, which can best be described as Lebanese meatloaf: a brick of ground beef combined with pine nuts and spices; tasty, but somewhat boring. Fortunately, I chose to have it accompanied by baba ganoush, and the combination was tasty. For dessert, I had rice pudding flavored with rose water. How would I compare it to Teta's? Byblos is a larger and more formal restaurant, with perhaps a larger menu; the food at both places seems to be about the same in quality. Note added [6/08]: Unfortunately, Teta's has closed.