Bill Rapaport's Buffalo Restaurant Guide

Alphabetical Listing of Restaurants: C

[—] Chef's

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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Cabaret.
490 Pearl St. (downtown), Buffalo.
842-4181.

[CFe, 1/07] says: "My girlfriend and I dined at Cabaret last night, and, because you are yet to feature a review here, I figured I'd offer some insight. The review is not as positive as others that I have read about the restaurant, but I figured I'd submit it anyway. We stopped in for a quick meal before the Sabres game, were seated promptly, and greeted by a very friendly waitress. She proficiently rattled off the list of specials, which was quite extensive and sounded delicious. After taking a glance at the menu—which was rather small but contained a decent variety of delicious sounding meals as well as lighter fare accented nicely by the specials—we decided to go simple due to the rushed nature of our visit. My girlfriend ordered a salad of mixed greens topped with salmon and a poppyseed dressing (the salad ended up being mostly iceberg, and she was not impressed). I ordered linguine with clam sauce, which was not the best I've had, but was passing. The atmosphere inside the restaurant was extremly loud, with no separation between bar and dining area. I was rather impressed with the bar; seems like a nice place downtown to grab a drink after a performance at Shea's, but some separation is needed from the dining area. Overall, I don't think Cabaret is any place I will be back to any time soon for dinner, but I do anticipate stopping in for a nightcap in the future!"

Café GarAngelo.
1197 Hertel Ave., Buffalo.
862-9949.

[JGM, 3/01] says: "I ate there last night and had a decent dinner, nothing special, but I would go again if I were going to the North Park cinema."

[MEL, 3/99] says: "An ordinary, reasonably good, reasonably priced Italian restaurant."

[AL, 7/95] says: "I have eaten twice at Café GarAngelo, an Italian restaurant on Hertel that I think is the best food deal in Buffalo. Complete meals for less than $10, fairly good wine for less than $15 per bottle; I've liked everything I had there, but thought the veal GarAngelo was terrific."

[am] Café in the Square.
4476 Main St. (Snyder Square Shopping Plaza), Snyder.
839-5330.

Excellent gourmet lunches and dinners. Outdoor dining in summer. Jazz and dinner theater on weekends. The best chocolate-chip ("chocolate chunk") cookies around. They do great catering, too. ([MER] and I speak from experience: This is where we had our wedding reception! Ask for Joe.) Our most recent visit here was 4/00 after a long hiatus; if anything, the food has improved: [MER] and I shared a vegetable strudel appetizer, chock full of carrots, mushrooms, tomatoes, and a wonderfully smooth, creamy feta cheese. [MER] thought that her chicken marsala was even better than the marsala at Carmine's, her previous gold standard. I had a tasty grilled salmon with an orange-lemon sauce. Both dishes were accompanied by grilled vegetables and delicious mashed red potatoes with a tiny bit of sour cream mixed in. Our waitress was nice, but generally unhelpful with respect to describing the food: She told us that there were strawberries with cream for dessert; but when it came, it turned out to be merely a strawberry layer cake—very good, but not what I expected. However, I must add that the meal, no matter how good, was overshadowed by our treatment upon leaving. The restaurant has two rooms: A small one in the front, and a larger one in the back. To get to the back room, you must go through the front room; and to leave the back room (or to pay at the counter), you must go through the front room. The night we were there, there was a private lecture being given in the front room. As we passed through it to leave, we were given dirty stares and made to feel quite foolish by those in attendance. If we were supposed to leave by some other entrance, no one told us. In any case, private parties should be in the back room, not the front!

Our first review for 2008 brings the reviews for this restaurant forward nearly a decade! [WHN, 1/08] says: "We decided to try Café in the Square for lunch last weekend. We all had New England clam chowder to start, which was very good. I had a smoked turkey sandwich with cranberry mayonnaise and lettuce on house-made sunflower bread, accompanied by potato chips, cole slaw, some wilted lettuce, and slices of orange and pineapple. The smoked turkey was tasty, but the cranberry mayo had little flavor, and the accompaniments were unappetizing. My wife had a daily special—bacon and cheddar quiche, also accompanied by cole slaw, lettuce, and slices of orange and pineapple. Our dining companions had chicken pot pie, served over puff pastry. The food was good. The service was fine. The plastic-coated floral table cloths are a bit tacky, and the decor needs to be updated. Overall, OK, but nothing special."

[MEL, 3/98] says: "I like it too—but be forewarned that they usually don't have their famed chocoloate chip cookies by dinnertime."

[] Caffe Espresso.
4401 Transit Rd. (near Main St., in the Clarence Mall, south of Eastern Hills Mall), Clarence.
626-CAFE (626-2233).

Italian; coffee and wine bar. Besides their regular menu of appetizers, soups, salads, and sandwiches, they also have a specials menu of various pastas. And desserts. Outdoor dining in good weather.

[MER, 6/02] discovered this place for lunch, and loved it. We went there for dinner, and both loved it. I normally don't think that the decor or atmosphere of a restaurant is all that important (a restaurant-critic friend of mine once formulated a law that the quality of food was usually inversely proportional to the number of hanging plants). But this place is certainly an exception: It has one of the most distinctive decors I've seen, and it added greatly to the enjoyment of our meal. It was hot, so we opted for salads: bruschetta, caprese (tomato, mozzarella, and basil), and chicken pesto; and I also had the La Pizzetta sandwich: tomatoes, romano cheese, hot soprasata, marinated mushrooms, artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella in a panini. For dessert (which we had to eat, since we were seated next to the display case, which kept tempting us all during the meal), we shared a wonderful strawberry cake. The only thing that slightly marred our enjoyment was somewhat slow service, but since we weren't in a hurry, and the atmosphere was much like sitting in an outdoor café somewhere in Europe, we didn't mind. We definitely planned to come back, and we did, for dinner [8/02]. We began with 2 of the 3 special soups they had that evening; both [MER]'s French onion soup and my creamy porcini mushroom soup were wonderfully scrumptious. We shared the tasty bruschetta (though we had to ask for small plates to put the slices on), and we both had our own chicken pesto over mixed greens with a deliciously mustardy-tasting balsamic vinaigrette. For dessert, we shared a chocolate-strawberry tart that was light and flaky and had been staring longingly at us from the dessert display all through dinner. What a shame that the place was practically empty. The only downsides were that there were no pasta specials that evening, and the service was a bit on the slow side, but those are extremely minor "complaints".

[KKr, 10/07] says: "I just ate lunch at the Caffe Espresso with my sister. It was the second time I had been there, and we decided to go there because we enjoyed it the first time. We sat at a table in the back where you can see people preparing the food. I sat and watched our waitress prepare our food with her bare hands. She did not put any gloves on. She touched each part of my sister's salad in between waiting on tables, taking money from customers, and going in and out of the kitchen. There was a sink right next to the area, but she did not wash or even rinse her hands once. My sister told her that she could not eat it, because she saw her make it with no gloves on. She was obviously very upset, because she never came back to our table again. We flagged her down for the check and then waited 20 minutes for her to take our money. We finally had to leave and left enough money on the table for the bill but no tip. We will never go to this restaurant again, and we will be telling everyone about our experience. And I should also mention that the manager knew of the situation and never came to our table, either. Terrible!!!!"

On the other hand, [SMD, 1/04] says: "What a gem this place is, tucked away in a strip mall at the Main and Transit intersection. A friend and I enjoyed a very delicious lunch here recently. I opted for the chicken pesto pannini with a side salad. The paninni (an Italian grilled sandwich) was delicious, as was the salad with a terrific, house balsamic dressing. My dining companion had the roast beef paninni with a cup of the day's homemade vegetable rice soup. He reported that the vegetable rice soup was as delicious as it looked and was loaded with veggies and rice. We splurged on a dessert of filled-to-order canolli's, which were also excellent. This spot also has "dinner" selections on the menu and an extensive coffee menu. Our server was friendly and knowledgeable, and the restaurant was clean and nicely decorated. I can't wait to return, as this was one of the most pleasant dining experiences I have had in a long time."

Café 59.
59 Allen St. (in Allentown, between Main St. & Delaware Ave.), Buffalo.
883-1880.

Internet café.

[AMSo, 9/07] says: "K. and I went to Café 59 last week before grocery shopping and, as usual, had a wonderful experience! We both ordered the roasted vegetable sandwich and also had sides of the tricolor pasta salad w/ olives. We also ordered two soy mochas and some of the apricot-walnut scones to take home. The scones are the only vegan baked good that Café 59 sells, but they are so yummy! I love how they marinate the roasted veggies. It's always such a hearty sandwich! Other great picks are the soups—the corn & curry is a favorite of mine, and, the 2nd last time we were there, I got this wonderful white bean soup with dill. It was so good, and we're going to attempt to replicate it tonite! They've also got some very good hummus, warm pockety pitas, and lots of salad options. Always a good choice."

[RTC, 1/06] says: "Wonderful coffee shop with great food. Every item on the menu is amazing to eat. In the winter, they have a great variety of exceptional soups to choose from. Prices are not bad at all, definitely better than other coffee shops. Atmosphere is very relaxed; they have Internet available for anyone who needs it. My favorite items are the eggplant sandwich, the corn and curry soup, and the bow-tie with broccoli salad."

[KC, 2/03] says: "Excellent creamy tomato soup with large chunks of tomato, onion, garlic, and basil (among other things)!!! My favorite lunchtime spot in the area."

[m] Calamita's Take Out Deli and Pizzeria.
3173 Main St., Buffalo.
836-5946.

Recommended by [LIN, 4/96].

Calvaneso's Cosmopolitan Grille.—WARNING: WEBSITE PLAYS LOUD MUSIC!
5185 Transit Rd. (in the same plaza as Kabab and Curry), Clarence.
633-6683.

[11/05] Given 3½ (out of 4) stars by Janice Okun, Buffalo News restaurant reviewer.

This is an excellent restaurant. Many appetizers, fancy sandwiches, pastas, pork, salmon, steak, chicken, lamb, etc., plus side dishes, and daily specials. There are two rooms; the front room is for walk-ins, and can be noisy (because of the proximity of the very active bar); there was also a strong odor of what seemed like frying grease the first time I was there, but I didn't notice it the next time. The back room is a bit more quiet and much more elegant and comfortable, but is for reservations only, so I urge you to make them (the night I ate in this room, it was full, and this was mid-week)! Both rooms have nice fireplaces. I ate here with [MER] and my father (3/00), and we thoroughly enjoyed it. The meal began with bread served with a tasty garlic-bean dip. My garlic and onion soup (with grated mozzarella) was tasty and smooth (that's the only way I can think of describing it); [MER]'s marinated mozzarella with bruschetta and sweet peppers was heavenly. My father and I both had the salmon with arugula pesto, garlic roast potatoes, and zucchini, which we enjoyed, and [MER] had a filet mignon with green peppercorn glaze and garlic mashed potatoes (do you detect a pattern of garlic here?) that she has not yet stopped raving about. Coffee was excellent, as were desserts (my father had a key lime pie that he liked, while I had a delicious apple caramel crisp; [MER] elected to take home her chocolate cake, which we enjoyed later on). Our waiter (Rob) was quite helpful and knowledgeable. I returned with some colleagues and a job candidate (also 3/00) and had yet another excellent meal. This time, I began with a delicious, huge, mixed baby greens salad with just the right amount (not overwhelming) of a honey Dijon dressing. One of my dinner companions had a grilled portobello mushroom salad with balsamic onions and gorgonzola cheese, which he pronounced "excellent"; another dinner companion had a risotto, which he liked. For the main course, I had a cornmeal-breaded catfish special with an asiago-cheese sauce, accompanied by crispy string beans, which was heavenly. Most recently [6/00], we partook of a pan-roasted red snapper with black olive tapenade and lemon butter sauce, an exquisite filet mignon with sweet sauteed onions, a porterhouse steak, and French breast of chicken with gorgonzola and red peppers; my 4-year-old son had grilled chicken with ketchup and a salad. The meal wa accompanied by a bread basket with a variety of interesting breads (cornbread, sourdough, baguettes with red pepper and cheese) and a garlic bean spread. Desserts were a white chocolate satin cake better even than the famous one at Just Pasta and a chocolate-chocolate cake.

Bacchus, Calvaneso, and City Grill have the same owner.

[WHN] says:

[3/08] "We went to Calvaneso's on Saturday, 3/29, with two other couples. None of our friends had been there before. I was glad to see that the narrow windows on the back wall now have shades, so the rear parking lot and garbage dumpster are no longer visible. To start, five of us had Caesar salads, which have always been excellent at Calvaneso's. One friend had a house green salad, which she thought had way too much balsamic vinegar. She said next time she would ask for the salad dressing on the side. Our meals were excellent: Five of us had grilled sirloin steak with French fries and vegetables (zucchini and broccoli). All were perfectly cooked, as ordered. One friend had an evening special feature of chicken and sausage in penne pasta. He also said his meal was delicious. The service was very good, although a little slow because there was a very large group taking up most of the table in the back room of the restaurant. Our server warned us that we might want to order right away because of the group slowing down the kitchen, but we weren't in a hurry. Also, two of our friends had been drinking the house Merlot&151;Norton Bodega from Argentina. Their second glasses tasted different, so they told our server they thought it wasn't Merlot. She said they had just opened a new bottle, but brought two more glasses, which they also said tasted funny. I sniffed the wine and told her the wine was "corked". She had another new bottle opened, which was fine. There was no argument from any of the staff about the quality of the wine, which was clearly "off". It should be noted that many of the prices shown on their website's menu are totally obsolete. The grilled sirloin, for example, is shown at $13, but is actually $18 now&151;a hefty increase, but still a fairly reasonable price. Our friends all loved Calvaneso's and their meals, and were glad we recommended it."

[12/06] "It's only been a few months since our last visit to Calvaneso's, but a lot has changed. On the positive side, the prices of most entrees have been cut in half to the $12-$14 range. On the negative side, there are a lot fewer dinner choices than there used to be. However, there are now a lot of sandwiches on the menu, which suggests they're targeting a different audience—perhaps more casual, less interested in gourmet dining, looking for a less expensive meal. At first, we thought we had been given lunch menus, but remembered that Calvaneso's isn't open for lunch. Anyway, the food (salads and steaks) was very good. There has also been some redecorating in the last few weeks—a few narrow vertical windows have been added to the back wall, providing a view of the parking lot, two dumpsters, and (in the distance) the front wall of BJ's Wholesale. Fortunately, only two or three tables have a window view. Unfortunately, our table was one of them. Our waiter said the windows were put in just six weeks ago. We asked why they would do such a thing since the view, especially of the garbage dumpsters, was not very appetizing. He said some people didn't like the lack of windows and that you can't please everyone. Correct."

[9/06] "We went to Calvaneso's with friends on a Saturday night. We have been there a number of times, and it has always been excellent. As appetizers, two of us had Caesar salads with anchovies (no extra charge); our wives had mixed green salads. The salads are almost large enough to be a meal by themselves. My wife and I both had strip steaks with Gorgonzola. One of our friends had a filet with peppercorn sauce. Our other friend had an evening special, grilled swordfish. The steaks were excellent—cooked as ordered, and very tender, with a choice of garlic mashed potatoes, paprika fries, risotto, or a bean stew. I chose the fries, which, although I'm sure they're not very healthful, were spicy and delicious. However, our friend said his swordfish tasted "fishy". He complained to the waiter, who offered to replace it with something else, so he ordered a steak instead. (It seems like almost everywhere we go, he has a bad meal, while everyone else's is fine. Perhaps there's a dark cloud following him from restaurant to restaurant.) There's a good, reasonably priced wine list, although it isn't as expansive as its sister restaurant's, City Grill. Except for the problematic swordfish, the food was excellent, and the service was as well."

[SFi, 2/08] says: "Dined there on a weeknight, 11/1, using our last remaining Simply Certificate. Initially, we hesitated going to Calvaneso's, because we thought it was too "uppity" and didn't think our infant son and 3-year-old daughter would be welcome. My 3-year-old daughter had a very large Peanut Butter & Jelly sandwich from the kids' menu. Husband had Carved to Order Roast Beef on Kimmelweck Roll with chips ($8). I chose Grilled Chicken sandwich, which came with Pancetta, Fontina Cheese, Plum Tomato, and Basil Mayo ($8). My chicken sandwich came with fries, which were coated in paprika. It was an interesting change from the usual fries. Husband's chips were homemade and delicious. The Roast Beef rivaled our favorite, Schwabl's. We arrived close to 5 pm and were seated in the rear room immediately. By the time the back started filling up, we were done with our meal. There was another customer, who apparently had reservations, and we had been seated at "her table". Our dinners had been brought out when she arrived. She spent close to 20 minutes complaining to any staff that came near her. All staff apologized to her and noted her reservation had been in the book but no table location. For the record, we were in a corner table furthest from the other diners. I knew the hostess put us there because, in the event the children were loud, it would be least disruptive to other diners. We plan to return (without the kids)."

[MTe, 12/03] says: "We had eaten at Calvaneso's previously, and we loved it so much we recommended it to others. However, on our recent visit, we had an absolutely terrible experience, which was a terrible disappointment. Granted, it was a Saturday night (Nov 1) and busy, but it took way too long to get menus, have our order taken, get bread. They were out of 2 of the 3 specials by 8:30. We constantly had to ask for water to be refilled. Waiter at one point took the (still partially filled) bread basket to refill it and then didn't return until we were done with our salads. At these prices, service should be much better. Finally, after 2 hours, our entrees arrived—my requested medium-well tenderloin was red inside, and the sauce was terribly salty. Another waiter was flagged down (ours disappeared), and, in a rude manner, he insisted on taking it back to be recooked. When my husband was done eating, the meat returned—now burnt black on the outside and still red in the middle. After complaining, they did not charge us for my meal. We left without dessert or coffee. Our waiter never said a word. I would never go back."

[JC, 4/01] says: "I went to Calvaneso with [BJ] and a faculty candidate. The front room was busy and noisy, but we were seated in the back room, which remained mostly empty throughout the evening. The table was rather small and the light very dim, so reading the menu was hard on my middle-aged eyes. The entire menu fit on a single page, indicating that this must be a very good or a very bad restaurant. For appetizers, [BJ] ordered a plate of quesadillas (plentiful and tasty), the visitor a potato pancake with smoked salmon and a bit of caviar (delicious but skimpy for its $9 price tag), and I ordered breaded deep-fried calamari (chewy, with a sauce that was not really good). The main courses were better: spinach fettucini, sea bass with clams and white wine sauce, and mahi-mahi. The fish was prepared very well: delicate but succulent. The wine sauce was also excellent. However, we were all served the same undercooked vegetables: zucchini, green beans etc., which is really disappointing for a restaurant of this class. I tried to order a local (Finger Lakes) wine, but they didn't have it, so I had to settle for a California Chardonnay (R.H. Phillips), which was OK, except that it should have been chilled a little bit more. Incidentally, the wine selection is decent and the markup less than extravagant. For dessert, they didn't have the cakes raved over by the previous reviewers. The visitor had a small slice of tasty apple tart, and I a little bit of a humongous serving of English toffee cake. Surprisingly, both were priced the same. The meal took over two hours and left us all in a good mood, even though the back parking lot where we left our cars looks like industrial wasteland, so it is hard to imagine anyone going there for a stroll after the meal."

Cambria's Restaurant.
6354 Transit Rd., Depew.
683-8843.

Takeout available from Takeout Taxi, 631-2222.

[MEL, 8/99] says (based on his visit to the Taste of Lancaster): "A soft, good, gooey eggplant parmesan. My tongue was smiling after I ate it."

[AK, 1/97] says: "I [used to] eat there once a month or so [about a year ago], and the food [was] always of good quality and inexpensive. Portions [were] generous."

[m] Cameo's.
482 Niagara Falls Blvd. (near Kenmore Ave.), Tonawanda.
832-2790.

Continental cuisine. Takeout available from Takeout Taxi, 631-2222.

[SSh, 11/06] says: "I have had many visits at Cameos, but they are now a thing of the past. I ate there on a Saturday evening in October, with a reservation for a party of 4. They were not at all busy, but we were not seated in the main room. The bread plates, which were on the table when we arrived, were greasy, and the silverware caked with food. We asked for clean, and got a few, but not as many as we sent back. We ordered wine, and got wine glasses with lipstick marks and had to send them back as well. We took what clean place settings we could find off other tables. The dishes were not removed from our table, so we piled them on an empty table, which was also never bussed. I wondered if the plate under my entree was washed! Throughout the meal, there was an intermittent slamming sound from someplace—the door closing? I did complain in writing to the management, who told me that the waitstaff was spoken to, and begging me to send my address and to return. I did send the address, and never heard back, and 6 weeks has passed. I will not return, and advise others to find someplace else to eat."

Cammarata's Restaurant.
6336 Robinson Rd., Lockport.
433-5353.

[WHN, 7/07] says: "We met some friends from Lockport at Cammarata's for dinner on Friday night. Based on their recommendation, my wife and I both had one of their Friday night specials, Italian broiled fish, which the server said was haddock topped with tomatoes and peppers. Actually, the fish was covered by a thick tomato sauce with a few chunks of canned tomato and one or two pieces of green pepper—the same sauce used on the accompanying side of spaghetti. The salads were OK, but nothing special. However, the New England clam chowder was very good. Far from the best Italian food we've eaten, but not the worst either."

Campobello's Cucina Italiana.
9334 Transit Rd. (at Casey, in Transit-Casey Plaza), E. Amherst.
636-8770.

Good Italian cuisine. Informal. Huge portions. Good desserts. Inexpensive. They also do takeout and delivery, which [5/08] we take advantage of at least twice a week. [7/01]: Although we've had some bad experiences here with service, the food has always been good, and some recent menu additions have made it even more interesting: I am thinking in particular of their pasta giardino (pasta in garlic and oil, with veggies) and a recent special: gnocchi with artichokes in a tomato cream sauce. Another new addition [8/01] to their specials menu (though it seems now to be available every day) is pasta Giovanni: pasta with lots of artichokes and lots of sun-dried tomatoes in a creamy pesto sauce (almost like an Alfredo sauce)—scrumptious! We also like their wings. [7/04] Just had a scrumptious special here last night; they really should add it to their daily menu: chicken romana—a boneless breast of chicken grilled with herbs, served over pasta with tomatoes in a garlic and oil sauce with pine nuts.

[WHN, 10/05] says: "We tried to eat here, but after being seated by the hostess...we waited...and waited...and waited...nearly half an hour...for someone to acknowledge our presence, bring water, take a drink order, or something. Anything! It was mid-week, and there were only a few tables occupied, so they weren't at all busy. The only waitress walked by our booth several times, but ignored us. We left. No one noticed."

[DJZ, 10/03] says: "I recently visited Campobello's Cucina Italiana. The food was fantastic. Their baked haddock was out of this world. My wife enjoyed the chicken parmesan. She allowed me to taste it. As much as I loved my meal, I secretly wished I too had ordered the chicken parmesan. The staff was helpful and courteous. The portion sizes were very large. Neither I nor my wife were able to finish it. The prices were very reasonable. Campobello's was such a pleasant experience. I would highly recommend this restaurant. Five Stars!!!"

[GCR, 11/02] says: "What happened!!!!! I have been a long time patron. We do not live close, although just in Tonawanda; we only eat at Campobello's 3-4 times a year, but have been going there since they were around the corner at the end of the plaza. I dined there with another follower on October 30, 2002. Our hostess was very pleasant and made sure we were happy with our seating. The restaurant wasn't too busy, but the table next to us were having a conversation about the poor service. Our waiter was very pleasant also. He took our order: We decided on seafood bisque for my friend, and I ordered minestrone. We waited and waited. So did the table next to us. Finally, the waiter reported to us that there were no clean bowls. I thought he should have washed some, but, hey, maybe they are union. We finally got our soup; it was good. We ate it slowly, because we were given teaspoons; the soup spoons were dirty, too, we were told. I ordered an appetizer: artichokes. I got a good-sized portion of canned artichokes with Italian dressing on top. Oh well, wrong choice, I guess. I decided to eat them with my bread, just to make the best of it. The bread was stale, very stale. The waiter, when asked, told me it was the only bread in the house. Wrong choice again. I ordered brocciole. It was very good; it was served with ziti, pasta of my choice. My friend was eating very, very slowly. I asked her if she didn't like her dinner. She said she couldn't eat it by twirling it on her spoon because it was a teaspoon. Larger spoons must be dirty, too! After a few minutes, she said it didn't matter because the spaghetti was cut into small pieces. If this is to be what the restaurant has become, we won't dine there any longer. Quantity is not the question; we always look for quality. They should look for it, too, because it certainly was[n't] there that night."

[RM, 5/00] says: "Consistently good, basic Italian food at a moderate price. Ideal for take-out/delivery. Pizza is just fair. Service for sit down can be very slow."

[a+] Campus Café.
UB Commons.
639-7821.

Deli sandwiches, bagels, ice cream.

[a+] Campus Pizza.
UB Commons. They deliver.
639-0111.

El Canelo.
431 Dingens St. (north of the I-190, Ogden St. Exit 53), Cheektowaga.
897-1195.

[ASh, 7/04] says: "Just wanted to say that El Canelo is by far an excellent and very authentic Mexican restaurant. I wish it was located closer to my home...but nonetheless I enjoy the food. The waiters/waitresses are courteous, the food is prepared quickly and accurately, and the hot sauce is fantastically hot!!!! If you crave Mexican...this is not a chain like the now defunct Chi-Chi's or the very commercial Don Pablo's....El Canelo is authentic in every way!"

[DaS, 3/04] says: "This is no chain joint; those are real Mexican cooks and waiters and Spanglish grammar in the menu. Lots of authentic Mexican dishes, including tamales, fajitas, crab quesadillas, and stuffed poblano peppers. They have steaks, seafood, vegetarian entrees, and a children's menu. My wife raved about her chicken and chorizo (Mexican sausage) fajitas. I had the "chile verde" beef tips in green sauce, also exquisite. The entrees came with hot flour tortillas, rice and beans, and guacamole salad. The homemade salsa and chips you get while waiting for your food are great. Most entrees are from $6 to $10. The lunch menu is cheaper. A drawback for some people, they don't have their liquor license yet, but the service was great, and the food was memorable. Yuppies and families with children seemed comfortable with the ambience, somewhere between Tijuana and a truck stop on Route 66. There were plenty of delicacies on the menu that we're eager to try next time, so we'll definitely be back. Adios Don Pablo!"

[KAP, 2/04] says: "Still no license to serve alcohol, decor not so pretty, but mighty fine alternative to what passes for Mex in these parts! Salsa with real cilantro (not like the Prego-style Gramma Mora's still uses). Prices great; food choices plentiful. 3 folks, 3 full dinners, plenty of sodas (including some Mex ones), and sopapilla's (OK, but they were not the puffy doughy concoctions I was hoping for)—all for under 40 bucks!"

[MBu, 12/03] says: "I have been enjoying this gem of a restaurant for a few weeks now.... "El Canello" is on the site of the old Nickel City Cafe at Exit 53 Dingens St. and is the first Mexican restaurant I've found locally that suggests real Mexican cafe food, that is, un-Americanized, tavern-style, very authentic. Shredded beef, catfish, unusual cheeses, real tortillas, tacky decor (I love it). They'll spice the food to your request, but don't challenge them on that. They have bottles of hot green sauces from the Yucatan that will kill you. I spent months in Mexico City on a too-low per diem budget, eating and enjoying street-corner food, and this brought it all back. I can't stay away. And it's pretty much at street-corner prices. We've never left hungry, and haven't spent more than $25 (!). Two negatives: beer license still pending (as of 12/16), and no mole sauce. Went there again last night. Filled with truckers off the Thruway, and one grammy-nominated musician (got his autograph, a whole 'nother story)."

Cannery and Carriages Dining Room.
48 John St. (in the Pillar and Post Inn), Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON, CANADA.
905-468-2123; 1-888-669-5566.

[JCr, 1/06] says: "On 1/28, my fiancée and I stayed up in NOTL and dined at the Cannery and Carriages restaurant located at the Pillar and Post. As far as the restaurant itself goes, the atmosphere and ambience are very good, as well as the service. For our meal, she started with a simple greens salad with a sun-dried tomato vinaigrette, and I had a Caesar salad. Our salads were both very good; however, I was not big on the bacon bits that were in my salad. For our entrees, she had the pork medallions served with asparagus and chivie mashed potato. She said that this was good overall, but the pork could have been more tender and moist. I chose the 8oz. filet mignon, accompanied with green beans, mashed potato, and a five-onion ragout for the filet. The filet itself was one of the smaller 8oz. filets I have seen, looked about half the size of Fiamma Steak's filet. The filet did have a funny taste about it, though I couldn't tell if it was because of the five-onion ragout or because it was Canadian beef; if the taste was from the ragout, it surely didn't go well with the steak. We split the creme brulee dessert, which was very good, and also had a couple glasses of wine as well. Overall, it was a pleasant experience but certainly not worth the $145 Canadian after tax and tip, at least in comparison to a dinner for two you can have in Buffalo for the same amount of money."

Canyon Creek Chophouse.—WARNING: WEBSITE PLAYS LOUD MUSIC!
6380 Fallsview Blvd., Niagara Falls, ON, CANADA.
905-354-0030.

[SAS, 4/07] says: "Hours: 11:30 A.M.—2:00 a.m., 7 days a week. My wife and I had a delicious meal here last Friday. We squeaked in without a reservation at 5 P.M., but it was very crowded by the time our salads arrived. Reservations are recommended. My Caesar salad was tasty, arriving with a few anchovies on top, as I had requested. My wife had a toasted goat-cheese appetizer, which I tasted and enjoyed much more than any warmed brie any day (but that's just me). My surf and turf (sirloin and 1/4 lb. of king crab legs) was cooked to perfection. My wife was very pleased with her salad with cooked salmon. Our bill came to CDN$100 with tip and tax. Our only complaint was with the music volume, which seemed to rise as the dinner progressed. Management addressed our concern, however, and "Old Blue Eyes" crooned at a normal level for the rest of the evening."

Captain's Cove.
829 Dick Rd. (between Genesee St. and George Urban Blvd.), Cheektowaga.
632-4810.

[WHN, 1/07] says: "If you like deep fried fish and seafood, this is the place to go. The Admiral's Platter ($20), with fried fish (perch, I think), fried scallops, fried shrimp, fried clam strips, and French fries, plus cole slaw, is way too much for two people, and will provide enough artery-clogging grease to last for months. The food is good as this sort of "cuisine" goes, but a little goes a long way. They also offer non-seafood items, such as steak and fried chicken, as well as additional seafood items like fried oysters, crab cakes, lobster, and crab legs. Eat in or take out."

Carbone's Pizza and Subs.
1113 Lovejoy (in the East Lovejoy area, near the Marine Midland Bank), Buffalo.
897-5098.
568 S. Park Ave., Buffalo.
855-1749.

Of the South Park location, [MEL, 1/99] says: "Thoroughly mediocre pizza, in that large gray zone between tasty and downright bad. But I had tacos here that were pretty good."

But of the Lovejoy location, [MEL, 8/98] says: "Ordinary, edible pizza. No worse than average, and would probably be considered good in some cities (though thankfully not in Buffalo)."

[m?] Caribbean Experience.
2897 Bailey Ave., Buffalo.
838-5131.

[MEL, 7/98] says: "I ate at their booth at the Friendship Festival, so this may be cheating. But this is a pretty good place. I had wonderfully tender jerk chicken (which was a bit milder than normal for a Jamaican restaurant—something I personally don't mind) and OK curried chicken (which was, however, infested with carrots, not something I enjoy)."

Casa Antica.
490 Center St., Lewiston.
754-2581.

[WHN, 3/07] says: "My sister- and brother-in-law invited us to Casa Antica to celebrate my wife's birthday. My wife [AFN] had been there for lunch last summer, but it was my first visit. We were both delighted by the excellence of the meal. Along with the bread course—good Italian bread, garlic rolls, and thick pizza with just a light tomato topping—we were served pesto, a spicy bean salad, and caponata. My brother-in-law ordered antipasto platters for our group, with baked clams, fried calamari strips, stuffed mushrooms, and fried mozzarella. There was a whole menu page of other antipasto choices, plus soups and salads, and a few evening appetizer specials from the verbal menu. We skipped the soup or salad course. (I had ordered a house salad, but cancelled it after seeing the size of the antipasto platters.) The primi (pasta) course also occupies an entire page of the menu, but all of us opted for veal. Veal Marsala and Veal Milanese for my sister- and brother-in-law, respectively. For my wife and I, evening specials from the verbal menu: Osso Bucco with risotto for her, and a rib Veal Chop with prosciutto, fontina cheese, and portobello mushrooms for me. The others' dinners were accompanied by asparagus and oven roasted potatoes, while mine was served on a bed of spinach, with oven roasted potatoes, plus a side order of rigatoni in a light tomato sauce. Although we didn't need them, we split some delicious chocolate Cannoli for dessert. The service was as excellent as the meal."

[AFN, 7/06] says: "My sister and I had lunch (Thursday, 7/20/06) at Casa Antica, which opened in April, and is run by one of the former owners of Villa Fortunata, which had occupied the same building. It's one of my sister's favorite restaurants. She said they were very accommodating and would cook anything we wanted. We both ordered Zuppa di Pesce, which was on the menu, but apparently not prepared, because the waiter/chef/owner(?) said he could make it for us, but it would take a while. (We weren't in a hurry.) It was good, but not great, with lots of mussels, some clams, scallops, and shrimp, but the broth was not very flavorful."

Carmelo's Restaurant.
425 Center St., Lewiston.
754-2311.

[9/07] Given 3½ (out of 4) stars by Janice Okun, Buffalo News restaurant reviewer.

[WHN] says:

[11/07] "On Saturday night, we returned to Carmelo's with my sister- and brother-in-law, and had another exceptionally good meal. The complimentary olive and celery salad in olive oil and balsamic vinegar, along with Italian breads, was excellent. To start, we shared an appetizer of mussels in white wine. Then, I had the Carmelo salad described above, while the others had the Tiki salad—greens with mandarin oranges, cashews, and bleu cheese with a honey-mustard vinaigrette. My wife and I, along with her sister, had the same main course we had had in August: the delicious filet mignon with blueberry-balsamic glaze, served over roasted red pepper polenta. My brother-in-law had shrimp and scallops marinara over penne pasta. For dessert, my wife and I shared a puff pastry with cookie-dough ice cream, whipped cream, and chocolate sauce. My in-laws shared an order of gelato misto with three flavors of ice cream, and biscotti. All the food was delicious, and the service was excellent as well."

[9/07] "It's been about a year since we had a mediocre "family-style" dinner at Carmelo's, as reviewed by [AFN] above. Until that meal, we had always had excellent food and service, so we made dinner reservations for Saturday, 8/11, prior to attending Aida at Artpark. A couple of months ago, there was a review of the restaurant in Artvoice that raved about the meal they had. We started with the same Carmelo Salad of mixed greens and yam sticks with maple-basil balsamic vinaigrette and Gorgonzola cheese that one of the Artvoice reviewers had had. It was delicious, with the sweetness of the maple offset by the tartness of the balsamic vinaigrette. The filet mignon with blueberry-balsamic glaze that Artvoice had raved about was on the nightly specials menu. It sounds a bit unusual, but we both ordered it. It was fantastic. I don't usually associate fruit sauces with beef dishes, but the combination of flavors was remarkable, and the beef was cooked to medium-rare perfection. For dessert, my wife had tiramisu, and I had puff pastry with cookie-dough ice cream, whipped cream, and chocolate sauce. It was a huge portion that would have been enough for two to share, but I dutifully finished it, not wanting to insult the chef by leaving any. Both desserts were excellent. Even though the restaurant was packed (it was the day of the Lewiston Art Festival as well as the show at Artpark), and people without reservations were being told there would be a 1-1/2-to-2 hour wait, they didn't try to rush us through our meal to make room for others. We had told them we were going to Artpark's 8 o'clock performance, and the service was perfectly paced accordingly, so that we were able to leave with just enough time to make the curtain call. I would rate Carmelo's very highly and would dine there whenever we have a reason to be in Lewiston. Too bad it's not closer to home."

[AFN] says:

[9/06] On Saturday, 9/23, we went to a family dinner at Carmello's Coat of Arms attended by 10 people. My nephew pre-ordered the dinner, which was served family style. A bottle of champagne was served to toast the anniversary celebrants. The appetizers included an antipasto, fried calamari with honey garlic mayonnaise, and caramelized onion pizza. This was followed by Caesar salad. The entrees were seafood marinara—scallops and shrimp over penne pasta—and chicken parmigiana. For dessert, Italian ice cream with a sweet balsamic vinegar topping. The dinner was good, but not as good as other meals we've had here, and awfully pricy—$600 for ten people, with tax and gratuity—compared to other meals we've had both at Carmello's and elsewhere, especially since three people drank only water (granted, it was Pellegrino bottled water), and the rest had, at most, two glasses of wine or beer, besides the champagne toast."

[11/05] "First, in the interest of full disclosure: the owners are related to my niece through marriage. We have been here many times by ourselves, with my sister and brother-in-law, and, most recently, for a family dinner with 12 people. The food is consistently of excellent quality, and the service is very good, even for such a large group. To start, there is a complimentary appetizer of olives and celery in olive oil and balsamic vinegar, along with excellent Italian breads. This time, my husband and I had pepper-encrusted, soy glazed ahi tuna ($19), served with wasabi-flavored mashed potatoes, and pickled ginger and wasabi on the side. It is seared and served rare, but will be cooked more thoroughly on request, as I prefer. My sister and her husband both had their favorite, broiled haddock with andouille sausage coating ($16). Everyone in our group enjoyed their meals. There are many Italian dishes on the menu, including penne pasta in a flavorful creamy tomato/vodka sauce ($15), as well as a variety of red- and white-sauced pastas. The lamb chops and beef entrees we've tried in the past have also been excellent. All dinners include a choice of soup or one of four salads: Caesar, mixed greens, tomatoes and fresh mozzarella, or mixed greens with mandarin oranges and cashews—my personal favorite. There is a fairly extensive, reasonably priced wine list. The two rooms are fairly small, so reservations are essential on weekends and when there are events like the Lewiston Jazz Festival or art show, or if dining before an Artpark show. The main dining room is in the same room as the bar, so the side room is less noisy.

[SMG, 3/04] says: "It's been a long time since I've been here, but the restaurant has been redecorated and the menu has been redone. Many more contemporary dishes have been added to complement the Italian fare. I had a very tasty apple-coconut-curry chicken dish, and the seafood and sausage risotto sounded very good. The wine list has been expanded (although still not very large). Overall, a good experience; one of the better restaurants in Lewiston, in my opinion. Reservations recommended on the weekends."

Carmine's.
4715 Transit Rd. (at Sheridan, near Eastern Hills Mall), Williamsville.
632-2318.

Italian. They also do takeout and lunch delivery. Takeout also available from Takeout Taxi, 631-2222.

[12/04] Had an almond-crusted marlin steak with raspberry butter sauce—never ate marlin before: It's a bit like swordfish. If this preparation is typical of marlin, I'll order it again and again—this was delicious: tender, juicy, with wonderful overtones supplied by the almonds and the raspberry butter. And have I ever mentioned that their balsamic vinaigrette is among the best I've ever tasted?

[7/99] Had a sole stuffed with crab and lobster, in an asiago cream sauce, with pasta alio e oglio: heavenly!! And had a Caribbean swordfish, with a fruit chutney: good, but not heavenly.

[6/99] I had the salmon: not so good (a bit dry, with a "sauce" that consisted of a frozen lump of some butter-like substance on top of the fish).

[5/99] I had an amazing strawberry macademia halibut: halibut with a macademia-nut coating in a sweet strawberry sauce; it was like having dessert for the main course—out of this world! And the garlicky mixed-vegetable side dish I ordered complemented it wonderfully. But in

[12/98] I had a scallop bisque of perfect consistency, with tiny scallops, and a haddock that was lightly breaded in a red pepper sauce with squash and asparagus, nicely presented; the fish was light and moist.

[MER, 10/98] had an out-of-this-world chicken pesto over pasta; she and I firmly believe that this place never disappoints. (Well, almost never.)

[7/97] Had one of my most memorable meals: Neptune Bisque soup (a bit too thick for my tastes, but very tasty indeed) and fresh sea bass, charbroiled with an absolutely marvelous Italian salsa of plum tomatoes, red onion, and fresh basil, with a side of fusilli primavera. This was one of their daily specials, unfortunately not on the regular menu.

[4/97]: I had virtually the same meal as one I had had at Ciao (now closed), but far, far superior, and far far cheaper: wonderfully moist and well-prepared haddock with pasta in a butter and parsely sauce, great bruschetta with 2 different toppings.

[6/96] Varied and interesting menu (e.g., artichoke fritti, calamari fritti, tripe, etc.); slightly more varied than, say, Campobellos, but also a bit more expensive. They have a Thursday "fiesta" family-style special (in the "Chinese" mode: two from column A and one from column B), including a great antipasto bar. [MER] and I have been here numerous times; it's now our favorite Italian restaurant near us for informal meals. Their specials are always good.

[MM, 1/07] says: "I recently ate at a great place called Carmine's. I was very happy with our meal along with the bartender; great Cosmos! The bar area has very low lighting, great for a date. It was my second time there, and I loved it. I had the pasta Jacobbi with shrimp; so good. I found it through your website, so I thought I would just thank you for the recommendation. It was very easy to find. I was able to make my flight with no delay."

[JSG, 1/06] says: "I wanted to take a friend visiting from Boston out for a nice weeknight dinner, and was asked that it be in close proximity to UB North campus, where we would be meeting another dinner guest. Carmine's was delicious, and I'm very fussy about Italian, which I find to be hit or miss in Buffalo. Tasty vodka sauce, and a nice well-rounded menu. I enjoyed the create your own pasta entree option, and thought that the prices were really fair. I'd guess that this option would likely benefit families with picky eaters. I'd also recommend the spinach bread appetizer, which was excellent. Portions were huge; I had enough for dinner the next night! Try to avoid being seated near the bar, as that negatively impacted what was otherwise a nice ambience. Service was just OK; our waitress seemed a bit disinterested (that, or overly busy), but we were served promptly. Needless to say, I was pleased, and so was my out of town guest. I look forward to a return visit."

[SMG, 6/96] says: "The brick-oven pizza was very good—an excellent crust. I had the pink vodka sauce, which was tasty, but the standard red sauce needed a bit of work. It tasted like sugary tomatoes. The pasta primavera was on the bland side, but the vegetables were cooked very well, not at all mushy."

[a] Carrabba's Italian Grill.
1645 Niagara Falls Blvd. (near Best Buy), Amherst.
833-5003 .

Part of the chain.

[GMK, 6/07] says: "I can't understand how this restaurant can survive in this area cluttered with good, cheap places to eat. The food is all "different", with signature flavors, etc., but fails to satisfy. They are child friendly, with pizza dough play dough (they'll bake it for you) and a full magazine for children to play with, and the Sangria is acceptable. The food is all, as [ARo] said, salty, buttery, and garlicy. Customer service is great—they have no problem changing menu items to leave out something or double something, and they are very friendly. However, I never eat there without feeling that I would have paid less for a better meal at Hutch's."

[ARo, 11/05] says: "We had gone to Carrabba's on the recommendations of the previous reviews as well as from the great things our friends told us about the restaurant. Since it was 6:00 on a Tuesday, we only waited 5 or 6 minutes for a table. Because it was our first time eating there, the waitress offered to give us a "tour" of the menu. After five minutes of watching the girl point out the most expensive dishes on the menu, as well as her explanation of her "favorites" (which seemingly happened to be the entire menu), we were ready to order. My wife had the Rigatoni Martino, which was rigatoni and chicken with sun dried tomatoes in a really good tomato cream sauce. Her dish was excellent. From the Specials menu, I ordered "Pasta Rambo", which was linguine with shrimp tossed in a lemon butter sauce with tomatoes, spinach, sautéed mushrooms and fresh basil. I also ordered the spicy sausage and lentil soup. My soup was very, very salty and not flavorful at all. Our waitress was apologetic and offered an alternative soup or a salad, which I declined. When I got my entree, it just wasn't what I expected. The shrimp were a nice size, and there was a generous amount of linguine and mushrooms, but I literally counted 15 small pieces of diced tomato, and there was so little spinach, I thought it was parsley. I didn't see or taste any fresh basil, so I would venture to say that they probably forgot to include it. The dish overall was very bland. About 7 minutes into our entrees, the manager (owner?) came over and asked why I didn't like the soup. I explained to him that the soup was salty and that my entree was bland, and he proceeded to question my description of the food, and openly wondered how a person could think one thing was bland and another salty. He also pointed out that he didn't know how the soup could have been salty because he tasted it earlier and it was "spot on". He also explained that it was a strongly flavored soup, and surmised that that was why I didn't like it. Being a very big fan of Indian food, I can say that that was hardly the reason. I'm sure his intentions were good, but he really came off as pompous. Our bill (without the soup!) was $40. This restaurant is basically an overpriced Olive Garden with a smaller selection and even less atmosphere. Carrabba's tries to be a "nice" place but is just too loud, and its menu is dominated by entrees that use a lot of garlic and butter to hide the lack of any other flavor. Needless to say, we will not be returning."

[AF, 5/05] says: "I recently ate at Carrabba's and loved it. The wait for a table is generally an hour to hour and a half on a Friday or Saturday night, but it's worth the wait. I had the chicken parmesian, and my husband had the lasagna. Both were excellent and reasonably priced for the quantity of food we got. Both meals came with bread and soup or salad. The chicken parmesian came with 2 large pieces of chicken and a side of spaghetti, fettucini alfredo, or vegetable. We were both extremely full from all the food. The lasagna was huge and very good too."

[REV, 5/05] says: "The best steak I've had thus far was surprisingly at Carrabba's in Amherst."

Carters' on Downie.
116 Downie St., Stratford, ON, CANADA.
519-271-9200.

[WHN, 5/06] says: "We made our first-ever trip to Stratford, Ontario, over Memorial Day weekend. We had originally reserved a table at Rundles for Saturday night, but couldn't get in until 8:30 PM, so, when we came across Carters' while walking around town, we checked out their menu and atmosphere, and changed our plans. (Of course, we called Rundles to cancel.) Since we weren't going to the theatre, we reserved a table for 7:00 PM. There were only a few people in the restaurant when we arrived, since theater-goers had all left by then. The food, service, and ambiance were excellent. We both had Caesar salads to start, then strip steaks in a red wine sauce, with horseradish mashed potatoes and roasted onions. Appetizers range from C$8—C$13. Entrees are C$15—C$30. Instead of dessert, we shared an assortment of cheeses (C$14). They have a nice selection of mostly Canadian wines by the glass or bottle, too. Reservations are absolutely essential, if dining pre-theater."

Casa-Di-Pizza.
477 Elmwood Ave. (just north of Allentown), Buffalo.
883-8200.

[WHN, 1/08] brings us 10 years up to date: "When I worked in the area a long time ago, I attended a number of farewell events for departing staff members here. Last night, Saturday, 1/26/08, a family group went here for a casual dinner. Of all the restaurants in downtown Buffalo, I'm not sure why this one was chosen, but I have to say that the antipasto and assorted pizzas (just cheese, cheese and pepperoni, and sausage and sweet green peppers) were very good, with just the right amount of sauce and a better crust than I remember from earlier visits."

[MEL, 3/98] says: "Second best in town. Usually, sweet and salty and greasy, and wonderful in every way. However, quality isn't quite as consistent as at the very best—once I went there and it was a little blander than usual."

Casa Nova.
3041 Military Rd., Niagara Falls, NY.
297-9544.

[AG, 3/05] says: "Italian-American favorites, including pizzas, pastas, chicken wings, and dinner entrees. In addition to the usual veal Parmesan, there's tripe and steaks. The small antipasto ($5.95) is a steal, with a little of a lot of good things: ham, salami, cappocollo, hard-boiled egg, marinated eggplant, excellent roasted red peppers, provolone, a couple of olives, and a cherry pepper stuffed with anchovies, all on a bed of lettuce, with a zesty dressing. A grilled lamb chop dinner featured three loin chops, cooked precisely. When we visited, the white pizza was overly salty and garlicky, and we like garlic."

La Cascata.
310 Fourth St. (in the Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel), Niagara Falls, NY.
299-1100.

Italian.

[3/07] Given 3½ (out of 4) stars by Janice Okun, Buffalo News restaurant reviewer.

La Castelana Pizzeria and Restaurant.
5176 Transit Rd., Depew.
681-1913.

[J&NS, 5/06] says: "Thanks to the latest critique [JSG, 3/06], we went back to this place and enjoyed a very good meal!!! We live around the corner from this Italian restaurant that is very underrated. The sauce is excellent. The eggplant is very good. You have two choices with the eggplant. With sausage (eggplant La Castellana) or meatless (eggplant Parmesan). On a busy Saturday night, we were served promptly and had drinks and bread in a very short tme. A decent-size salad came with our order and was tasty, to prep us for the main event. I don't think I'll get an argument with anyone that the main key to success for an Italian restaurant is its sauce. This restaurant has excellent sauce. The eggplant was very good. We followed it with a tiramisu that we split, to cap off a very excellent dinner. Total price for drinks, dinner, 1 dessert, and coffee, with no coupons, came to $48.00 including tip (16%). They are closed on Mondays. We've had their lasagna and spaghetti Parmesan in previous visits. Three stars!! Coming back!"

[JSG, 3/06] says: "Although I enjoy eating out at the Italian restaurants in this area, I have had a hard time finding one that measures up to what I'm used to, having grown up in heavily Italian Utica, NY. I have to say that this place has become my new favorite for Italian. The prices are incredibly low for such good food and large portions. I don't necessarily think a large portion makes an order great, if the food itself is just so-so. This place has excellent sauce and the best meatball I have ever had in a restaurant, ever. I've also enjoyed their chicken Parmesan, which is hand breaded, which sets it apart from others I have had. I enjoy their antipasto as well: nice fresh vegetables, no rusty lettuce, and they don't skip on the extras. The service was pleasant, and food and drinks came to us quickly. The atmosphere is family-oriented and fairly consistent with other restaurants in the area in that people are pleasant and not pretentious. A good bet for just about anyone."

[EC, 7/03] says: "I have driven by the place many times, and always wanted to try it. Judging by the lines that were (literally) out the door, I figured that the locals had to be on to something. At first, I was a bit put off that they did not accept credit cards (only cash & checks). The decor was interesting, an eclectic mix of old-country Italian art and knight-related items! The service was friendly, but nothing spectacular. The menu was good. While everything else was just OK, the food was very nice. I had simple spaghetti & meatballs, and it was delicious! The sauce was a little on the sweet side, but still good. The meatballs were baseball-sized, the best I've had in Buffalo. My wife had the eggplant parmagiana, with which she was very happy. One thing I didn't like was the drinks, however. We ordered soft drinks. They were served in 10- or 11-ounce plastic cups (at $1.25 a pop!), and even though there was ice in the cups, the drinks would not get cold! I think I'll have to contact the physics department about that. All in all, it was a good experience."

Cecilia's Ristorante.
716 Elmwood Ave. (near Ferry, between Allentown and Buff State), Buffalo.
883-8066.

Italian. Specializing in martinis. (See their menu in the Verizon Superpages for Erie County, p. 760 of the 2001-2002 issue.)

I was here with colleagues from the linguistics department [2/02]. My meal began with Italian wedding soup and was followed by salmon with fruit and chutney; others had soft-shell crab "critters", a 3-cheese risotto, chicken with penne, mashed potatoes with red pepper and artichoke hearts. My companions like their meals. I did, too, but I've had good or better, for less money, at Carmine's.

Century Grill.
320 Pearl St. (downtown), Buffalo.
853-6322.

[JOK, 9/06] says: "I would never go back here again. The owner of the restaurant actually came to my table and had the audacity to tell me to "keep my kids at the table". My two nephews, ages 14 and 12, were only looking around the place for 15 seconds as encouraged by me. If the owner of this establishment does not want to attract people downtown to spend money and fill a half-empty restaurant in an already-depressed city, then perhaps she should find other employment. Actually, that will take care of itself, anyway."

[MDBr, 11/03] says: "I am in Buffalo on an extended offsite assignment and have practically lived at the Century Grill. I have eaten nearly everything on the menu and have to say that (1) their historic building is very cozy and wonderfully restored, (2) their menu is varied and fresh, (3) their prices are reasonable, and (4) their wings are better than the Anchor Bar. If you're looking for an elegant old bar that oozes with charm, you'll want to try the Century. I would give it 2 stars at least."

[JLW, 6/03] says: "I would like to tell you about a wonderful new restaurant in downtown Buffalo across the street from the Hyatt. My husband and I walked in there by chance and had a wonderful meal. We started with scallops in a spicy chili sauce and shrimp wrapped in prosciutto. I then had a grilled veal chop with mashed potatoes and grilled veggies. I swear the potatoes had melted brie on them. It was out of this world! My husband had a Delmonico with mashed potatoes and mixed veggies that he loved. My husband hates going into the city, but will make an exception for the Century Grill."

[a] Chang's Garden.
935 Maple Rd. (east of N. Forest, in Boardwalk Boutiques Plaza), Amherst.
689-3355.

TEMPORARILY CLOSED DUE TO FIRE.

Given 3 (out of 4) stars (a long time ago, when there was no 3.5-star rating) by Janice Okun, Buffalo News restaurant reviewer.

At one time, had a "northern China" menu in addition to their regular fare, but that was missing from my most recent visit (6/00). But my 6/00 visit was fine: We had Kung Pao Chicken and another, milder chicken dish, both of which were excellent. Before then, my meals (7/95, summer 1996) had been mixed: Some were quite good, but others have been absolutely tasteless and disappointing. In fact, I had one of the worst Chinese meals here ever when we took a visitor for dinner (9/96): soggy, greasy, fatty General Tso; shrimp that tasted like iodine, and an appetizer from the special menu (drunken chicken) that may have been what we deserved—slices of cold poached chicken in a wine sauce—but with the skin on and the bones intact; had the waiter been able to speak English and describe it accurately, I might not have ordered it.

[WHN, 1/06] says: "Horrible! A former favorite among Chinese restaurants has gone badly downhill. Their Orange Chicken and General Tso's Chicken are virtually indistinguishable and nearly inedible. Nothing but skin, fat, and dark meat. Disgusting!"

[ECB, 12/04] says: "Ever since I moved out to Williamsville and was introduced to Chang's by some friends in the area, it has been my favorite place for Chinese food. The service is very good, and the atmosphere classy despite being a casual establishment. The food is magnificent. The hot and sour soup is some of the best I've ever had, and the General Tso's Chicken is crisp and not overly sauced. The Delightful Three, a combination of green beans, snap peas, and snow peas in a garlic sauce is fantastic. Ingredients are fresh, and preparation is spot-on, with beautiful presentation. Also, in addition to the main menu with its more mainstream Chinese restaurant fare, there is a supplemental menu with more traditional items. Chang's does not deliver but does do orders for pick-up and, despite my laziness, I have taken to ordering from them just because the food is head-and-shoulders above any of the take-out available. Even if I do have to get my butt off the couch and go pick it up."

[RM, 5/00] says: "Much better than it was years ago. Great pu-pu platter and sesame chicken. I prefer the more traditional items at Golden Duck."

[GM, 10/96] says: "We had a great meal—tripe, leaf mustard with scallops, a chicken dish with ginger and a pork black bean sauce with green beans—oh yeah, and scallion pancakes. I have been really happy with the tripe and various bitter greens dishes at Chang's."

[DM, 7/95] "much prefers" Chang's Garden to Ming Teh.

And [MYW] said (and still [5/95] agrees): "It is a good Chinese restaurant in the Buffalo area. They did pretty nice work in food decoration. The food itself tasted good, although they put a little bit more sugar in every dish. And I recommend the Peking duck."

[JH, 6/94] says: "In my opinion, it's one of the best in Buffalo."

[BJ, 6/94] says: "Fairly good vegetarian food. I enjoyed their garlic eggplant."

[AN&BS, 5/94]'s favorite Chinese restaurant ("best dish: General Tso's Chicken").

Also highly recommended by [SNS].

Charlie the Butcher's Express.
Ellicott Square Lobby (downtown), Buffalo. 855-8646.
Charlie the Butcher's Catering.
10 Broadway Mkt. (east side), Buffalo. 893-4920.
Charlie the Butcher's Kitchen.
1065 Wehrle Dr. (at Cayuga, near the airport), Williamsville. 633-8330.
Charlie the Butcher in Wegman's.
601 Amherst St., Buffalo. 877-0500.

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

Although I [Bill] haven't eaten here, I must say that the building that Charlie the Butcher's Express is located in is worth a visit by itself; it was, when built, the largest office building in the world, and it is still magnificent.

[DwH, 3/08] says: "Went to the site out by the airport. Massive disappointment in my quest to find the best that Buffalo has to offer. No one else on line, yet we were completely ignored—purposely, as near as I could tellw—and even as Charlie himself stood behind the counter. After about five minutes standing there—even asked a question to get someone's attention—we just left. Apparently, he has more business than he needs. And the food that was being served didn't look all that swell."

[AFN, 1/07] says: "A group of us went to Charlie the Butcher's in Wegman's for lunch before heading back to school for afternoon meetings. Apparently, a lot of others had the same idea, because the service was extremely slow, and the woman working behind the counter was obviously feeling harassed by complaints about the poor service. When my turn came, she threw a thick slice of beef on a roll and handed it to me. I asked for some au jus, and she said "Where do you want it?", to which I replied on the roll. She dumped a ladle of gravy on the sandwich, drowning everything. Between the thick, thick beef, which was very tough, and the gravy-laden, soggy roll, the sandwich was inedible. I've been to Charlie the Butcher's before, and the beef has always been thin sliced, tender, and delicious. I don't know if this location is staffed by Wegmans' or Charlie the Butcher's personnel, but whichever had better do more training." However, [AFN, 3/07] reports that "A group of us returned to Charlie the Butcher's in the Wegmans on Amherst Street for lunch. This time, I asked the woman working the counter if the beef could be thinly sliced. She said it always was sliced very thinly. I told her about my previous experience. She said that should never have happened and apologized, although she was not there on my previous visit. This time, the thin-sliced beef on weck was tender and delicious. All is forgiven, although, if I ever encounter the first person again, I'll get Chinese."

Charlie's Diner.
510 Main St., E. Aurora.
655-0282.

[RDM, 7/06] says: "Charlie's Diner looks a bit strange, because it is set on the second story of a house on Main Street in East Aurora. Walking in, I really felt like I was going to eat in someone's living room. The diner couldn't feel homier. The food was excellent. My son enjoyed a hot dog and very crisp, tasty fries. My husband enjoyed his western omelet. I really enjoyed the Greek salad. The lettuce and tomatoes were fresh, and the char-broiled chicken was delicious. It was topped off with feta, side of pita, and an unusual but tasty Greek dressing. The dressing had a slight sweetness or other flavor I had never tasted before in a Greek vinaigrette. This restaurant is on the top of my list for diner fare."

[a] Cheeburger Cheeburger.
1593 Niagara Falls Blvd. (south of Ridge Lea Rd.), Amherst.
836-1002.

Part of the chain.

[MEP, 1/08] says: "Here's my breakdown of this 60s-style hamburger place, which I visited a couple weeks ago (on 1/11/2008): Milkshakes—This was probably the best part of my night there! They have close to 100 different flavors to choose from, including amaretto, orange, and even melon(!). I opted for the peanut butter banana shake, and it was excellent—there were actual chunks of fresh banana in the drink. "Frings"—This is what they called their basket of fries/onion rings. Supposedly, they are fried in trans-fat-free peanut oil, which makes them a bit healthier. Both the fries and onion rings had a sort of distinctive taste due to the peanut oil, which wasn't altogether unpleasant, just sort of odd. Dipping the rings in their sauce (a horseradish-based concoction similar to Burger King's "zesty" sauce) made them taste quite good. Burger—I chose to get the 1/2-pound burger, not sure that I'd be able to finish their "Delirious" (a full pound of meat!). You can choose from around 20 different toppings, including the standards such as lettuce, tomato, and onion; but, if you are a little more daring (which unfortunately I'm not), you can try things such as mushrooms, horseradish, and even peanut butter on your burger. The actual taste was not bad; nothing too noteworthy. The one thing I seem to remember the most is that the buns were way too small for the slab of meat between them—which made for an interesting experience! The service—Very good. The waitress was cheerful and accomodating. Music—Annoyed the heck out of me. Purely 50s and 60s hit tunes, with occasional plugs for their products (gift cards, T-shirts, etc.) by some unknown male announcer. Overall, Cheeburger Cheeburger was nothing mindblowing, but a perfectly fine experience."

[ABi, 12/06] says: "I shouldn't have expected much from a restaurant named after a lame, three-decades-old, Saturday Night Live sketch, and Cheeburger Cheeburger (sic sic) turned out to be the Joe Piscopo of chains. They offer a pathetic stab at a diner atmosphere, but the life-size Elvis cutout at the entrance, neon lines around the walls and ceiling fans, and irritating 50s and 60s pop playing on the speaker system won't fool anyone; for the record, I'd prefer never to hear the Monotones' lone ridiculous hit for the rest of my life. As far as the food, they may want to rename the establishment after something they're better at preparing. My burger, while cooked, was back to room temperature by the time it was served to me, and its blandly unexceptional flavor didn't improve things. The one good thing is that they offer a laundry list of toppings, including the expected regulars along with more interesting options such as red peppers and chopped garlic, the latter of which I went for and was surprisingly tasty on ground beef; in fact, it was the tastiest part of dinner. It certainly wasn't the sides, which, annoyingly, had to be ordered separately. Unlike every restaurant in the history of the universe, Cheeburger squared's cheeseburgers don't come with a side item; I can accept that the Buffalo Chop House serves items à la carte, but not a faux greasy spoon. We ordered a combined basket of fries and onion rings, less than imaginatively called 'frings' on the menu, and neither half of the name was good. The rings were crispy but bland, but they were better than the bitter, overcooked, and excessively salted fries, an utter waste of hand cutting. I didn't order their largest burger, 20-ounces' worth, and was glad I chose not to: If one finishes it, the waitress screams for everyone to look, announces just how gluttonous the patron was, plops down a giant stuffed novelty burger on the table, and demands applause. Jeez, why not sing Happy Birthday, too, and really mortify them? It's not even that huge an accomplishment: A one-and-a-quarter-pounder may be substantial, but it's hardly a 72-ounce steak. While not exactly rude, both our unsmiling host and waitress weren't what I'd call courteous, although our disappearing server barely left enough of an impression to be called anything. One can get a better burger almost anywhere, and anyone looking for a fun retro environment for themselves or accompanying children would be infinitely better served by going to the Lake Effect. Disappointing disappointing."

[YYK, 9/06] says: "This Cheeburger Cheeburger location has been under construction for months, and it finally launched its grand opening on 9/11/06. The restaurant prides itself on being NFF (not fast food). The restaurant was about 30% occupied at around 5:20 P.M. on 9/11/06. Around 4-5 tables were occupied, of the 15 or so tables. We waited 5 minutes to get seated. While getting seated, the host turned back around to speak to the hostess, and left us standing in the middle of the restaurant among tables and diners for a minute. After that, it took 10 more minutes to get the menu, 10 more minutes before the server came back to take the order, 10 more minutes before water was served, and 5 more minutes for a chocolate mint milkshake and a chocolate egg cream to arrive. At 6 pm, we were still sitting around waiting for food (2 burgers and a half basket of onion rings and French fries!). At any given point in time (I kept checking), almost all the servers were milled around the kitchen area talking away. Our server apologized and told us that they were slow because they were "really busy". The chocolate mint shake was very good! The chocolate egg cream was sub par. It was just a lot of soda water with a very thin serving of chocolate syrup. It tasted like bad fountain water. All the food finally came at once. My medium burger was very overdone. I didn't order bacon, but bacon came anyway, and it was thickly cut, soggy, soft, and greasy. I ordered Ranch dressing, but none came. My date's medium patty melt was overdone, too, but tasted better than my burger. The saving grace were the onion rings: very thinly sliced and very crisp. The French fries were all right. Finally, the check came. After 5 minutes of waiting (since our server didn't come back for the check), we got up to go to the cashier station. That's where she intercepted us and said "Oh, I can take that for you." Then she stood over our shoulders as my date signed the receipt, probably to check her tip. Her service deserved no tip, which was what I was going to leave her, but my date was generous enough to leave her the customary 20% much to my dismay. The visit was extremely disappointing. A half order of onion rings and fries, called frings, a half order of chocolate mint shake, a chocolate egg cream, a 1/3 pound burger, and a patty melt came out to be around $29 after taxes and tip, and dinner, which was mostly waiting around, took 1 hour and 5 minutes. Sub par service, sub par food, above par prices."

The Cheesecake Factory.
Walden Galleria (next to Dick's Sporting Goods), Cheektowaga.
685-2600.

Part of the chain.

[SR, 7/07] says: "While "home" in Buffalo for a visit, two friends and I went to the Cheesecake Factory for lunch. Two of us ordered one of the chicken lunch specials. It tasted good, but then my friend noticed that hers was raw inside. I looked more closely at mine and saw that it was also underdone, but not as much as hers. Pink chicken. Yuck! I lost my appetite. They didn't charge for her chicken, but I didn't say anything, and they didn't notice that I left most of it. Since she had not had anything to eat, she ordered a piece of cheesecake for dessert, and I had a bite or two. The cheesecake was good, but it was topped with artificial "whipped cream"."

[AmS, 3/07] says: "Too expensive for me. You pay for quantity, not quality, here. Waitress offered to box our leftovers and did not include even a quarter of the mountain of fries, only the remainder of the sandwiches. I called and complained, but the "manager" did not offer any compensation, only offered to reprimand the girl and demanded her name, which I wouldn't give. I find the self-proclaimed "lavish" decor tacky, meaningless, and themeless. Maybe the attempt to be "something for everyone" is their demise. Never tried their cheesecake. What's it going to take to have more restaurants offer healthy alternatives to French fries for sides (without charging you extra)?"

[HPK] says:

[3/07] "Maybe I am the only person in the world who does not like this place. 1st, any place that wants me to wait 2 hours is nuts. 2nd, just like many of these chain restaurants, there are areas by the bar that are first come, first served. This makes life much easier. Somehow, for two people, we wound up spending over $100. This consisted of one appetizer, two main meals, and a couple of drinks each. I have learned that whenever there are no prices next to drinks, you'd better watch out! The appetizer is their version of a Buffalo wing and a Chinese dumpling, then deep fried. This was good. Too good. A heart attack on a plate. Plus, there was soooooo much food just in this, we were almost filled up at this point. We took most of it home. My wife ordered some pasta spicy thing with chicken and I had Chicken Marsala; neither had any taste. Very bland. Both should have very different tastes, and if it were not for the mushroom in mine, I might not have known. Again, it was a huge amount of food; we took home half of it. Also, no matter what you ask of the waitress, "Is this good?", etc., the answer is always, "Yes, very good"; I kept hearing this at every table. I guess it is a "fun" place. Lots of people. For the price, not my type of place, yet I like many other chain restaurants. Oh, and I cannot forget the cheesecakes. We ordered the signature cheesecake, which has sour cream on it. For me, that flavor combination just does not work. Plus the cheese part once again was very bland. I know that tens of thousands of people love this place. It just did not do it for me. Two more gripes. One: Even though this area we sat in was first come, first served, we must have been approached by 5 couples at different times asking us when we were going to leave so they can have the table. This started almost ten minutes into our meal. When the dessert came out, everyone started to wonder. There were even people overheard saying, "They're taking their time; we want the table", while looking at their watches; this is just rude. Two: There are ads in the menu for other stores both in and out of the mall. This is tacky! I do not want to see ads in a menu when I am eating!"

[3/07] [HPK] updates his review after reading [AmS]'s review above: "Based on reading [AmS]'s post, I too called the Manager and received a call back. She was completely non-responsive. Also did not offer anything for free, not that I was expecting it. She did not care or sympathize. She defended instead of listened."

[—] Chef's Restaurant.—WARNING: WEBSITE PLAYS LOUD MUSIC!!
291 Seneca St. (at Chicago; downtown), Buffalo.
856-9187.

Italian. A Buffalo tradition. I ate here once (probably around 1993), and hated the sauce.

[MEL, 2/98] says: "A significantly better [than Katrina's], and cheaper, Italian place downtown. A Buffalo institution with consistently good food."

[] Chester's Pub & Grill.
9416 Transit Rd. (north of Casey, in Amherst Place plaza), East Amherst.
636-4554.

[4/08] Back again with [MER] and my 12-year-old son for a Sunday-evening dinner. I had the Big Easy Combo—a sampler of 3 of their "soups" (more like stews): chicken and Andouille sausage gumbo, seafood Jambalaya, and red beans & rice, with a bag of oyster crackers on the side. When you order a bowl of any of these, you get slices of French bread, so I asked for some on the side (it was $1.50 extra); we got a small loaf, swimming in butter, which we could have done without. But the 3 dishes were terrific, and I even liked their spiciness, which I don't normally like. The beans & rice seemed to be the least spicy. [MER] had a chicken sandwich that she liked very much, and my son had a huge Chester Hagelburger (but without cheese)—"Smothered in Tangy BBQ Sauce and Sauteéed Onions all topped with melted Mild Cheddar Cheese and Crispy Bacon"—that he was quite happy with. We also ordered a "Rattlesnake" burger to go ("topped with Chester's Homemade Chili con Carne, melted Cheddar and Jack Cheeses, Brew City Battered Jalapeno Bottle Caps and our Roasted Red Pepper Remoulade. This burger's got BITE!!"—and indeed it did, according to those in my family who tried it, the bite being due primarily to those jalapeno peppers). The service was slow (only one waiter for a more-crowded-than-expected-on-a-Sunday night), but excellent.

[10/07] I returned a year after my first visit, with [MER], a friend from Indianapolis, and visitors from Los Angeles who came in late on a Sunday night; we were looking for a good, hopefully quick-service restaurant near where we live. I recommended Chester's, and we were all happy with the decision. I had the Fat Jack's Louisiana pasta: chicken-breast medallions and Andouille sausage with garlic, onion, peppers, mushrooms, and tomatoes in a mildly spicy, creamy, garlic sauce over fettucine, with parmesan cheese and about a half-dozen slices of soft French bread. It was tangy and scrumptious. The service was excellent; I'm glad we returned.

[10/06] I came here with a visiting speaker. The menu is quite large and varied, surely with something for everyone. I had the Seafood Jambalaya, a spicy combination of seafood, sausage, and rice, in a large soupbowl with about 7 or 8 slices of French bread circling the rim, served with a soup spoon. Delicious. I definitely want to return to try other items on the menu.

[ECB, 1/08] says: "An addict of Cajun and Creole cuisine, I was thrilled to discover Chester's in my neck of the woods. I have now been there a half dozen times, with friends and family, and it has always been a great experience. One of my friends, who used to live in Louisiana, now makes the trek from Wheatfield to sample their gumbo. The Bourbon Sampler with gumbo, red beans, and rice, and jambalaya, is a favorite. All three dishes are wonderful. I also like the blackened prime rib sandwich quite a bit. My only complaint was that the fried oysters and crawfish are too heavy on the breading, and the delicate flavor is lost."

[JDB, 11/07] says: "After spending some time doing the "well where do you want to go to dinner?" dance, my wife and I agreed to try somewhere new. We Googled, we read reviews, and Chester's seemed like a choice with potential, especially considering the good reviews it has received. As we approached the restaurant, we were concerned—one wall is dominated by an enormous, flat-screen TV. We'd been hoping for a quiet Sunday-evening dinner, not a raucous night out at a sports bar. As it turned out, that wasn't a concern—the volume was off, and nobody was paying much attention to the TV. I could, how ever, see that it might get pretty loud during a Bills or Sabres game. We were seated quickly; our waiter appeared after a couple of minutes and managed perfect timing throughout the evening. He came over to take our order just as we were setting our menus down; he cleared dishes soon enough after we were done that they weren't lingering on the table, but not so soon that we felt rushed. Service was excellent. S. and I ordered the blackened shrimp appetizer. It was good, not great—the blackening spices were very salty, and there wasn't much evidence of actual blackening—it was more like grilled shrimp tossed with some blackening spices. Still, pretty tasty. We each had a house salad; S. had the bleu cheese dressing; I had the house, which was an unusual sweet-tangy concoction—sort of a vinegary honey-mustard. Other than that, a good but unremarkable house salad—good crisp lettuce, cucumber, tomato, cheese, croutons, and a little bacon. For our main courses, S. had the grilled chicken (no rice, with broccoli and green beans); I had the blackened catfish. The catfish was much better than the shrimp; nicely blackened, with enough charring to give it some character. Again, the waiter gets points for asking, when S. ordered her chicken, if she'd like some Buffalo wing sauce with it. Though it was plain grilled chicken, the wing sauce was a nice way to kick it up. S. reported that the grilled chicken was cooked perfectly—moist and tender. The veggies served with the entrees were steamed and cooked well."

[NL, 10/07] says: "Excellent Cajun/Creole food. Crawfish étouffé is mind bending. I go there for lunch once a week. Not too much heat; everything cooked to order. Waitresses are very good. Prices are very reasonable!"

[HPK, 11/06] says: "All I have to say is, "Wow!" If you want real Cajun—go there."

[J&NS, 9/06] say: "After reading the reviews of Chester's, my wife and I went there early on a Saturday evening (9/23). I didn't tell her where we were going, as she likes to be surprised. I've done this before with great results. Tonight was not any different!!! We've never had crawfish before, so we had the crawfish appetizer (4.99) served with butter. We summoned one of the waitresses over to show us how to eat them. It was different, to say the least; tasty, but too much work to get a small piece of meat! LOL. We moved on to the soup, and they were excellent! We went with the previous review and both had the chicken and Andouille gumbo. My wife had the New Orleans chicken & rice and loved it. I went with the red beans and rice and practically licked the plate clean! Nice touch was the French bread that was placed all around the food on the plate. Our intentions were to have dessert but decided we will pace ourselves the next time we are there. (Very soon.) We had a coupon, which brought our bill total to $29, including 2 beers and a pop. My wife was looking forward to lunch the next day to finish off her leftovers. We're going back to try other things on the menu that really interested us: blackened Cajun prime rib, muffoletta sandwich, jambalaya, Big Easy Combo, and also find space for some desserts (fried ice cream sundae)!! Excellent food, prices, and service mean a 4 star!!"

[RDM, 9/06] says: "We tried Chester's for lunch recently, after sampling their crawfish at the Taste of Buffalo. It's a small pub and grill that features New Orleans cuisine. Everything tasted very authentic. I started with a crock of the seafood jambalaya, which was fresh and spicy. I also had the Cajun breaded oysters. These were large and fried just right, and were accompanied by a spicy roasted red pepper remoulade—delicious! My husband had a sampler platter that included the jambalaya, the chicken and andouille gumbo, and red beans and rice. My son had the fried crawfish tails with fries. We all enjoyed eating here and wished Chester's had a location closer to us! The menu is extensive, and I would love to go back to try their drunken bourbon wings, a po boy, or the crawfish etouffee."

[JSG, 12/05] says: "Went here for a casual Friday night dinner because we had an "enjoy the city" coupon for one free dinner. This place was excellent. Really diverse menu; I had a po-boy (a Cajun-style submarine) from their Cajun section, which was excellent. Those accompanying me had a chimichanga, which was excellent, and a burger, which was met with rave reviews. Appetizers were excellent as well. We really enjoyed the informal, family-friendly, neighborhood-bar feel. To top it off, the price was right (coupon or no coupon), and the service was good. This is a real hidden gem."

Chili's Grill and Bar.
4153 Transit Rd. (south of Main St.), Clarence. 634-0505.
3540 McKinley Pkwy., Buffalo; 822-5572.
[am] 1145 Niagara Falls Blvd. (near Sheridan Dr.), Amherst; 832-3730.

Takeout available from Takeout Taxi, 631-2222.
Part of the chain...

...but it's a good restaurant nonetheless, with a much more interesting menu than many other restaurants of its kind.

[7/06] We eat here on a reasonably regular basis. Unfortunately, they don't have the catfish any more, but the food is still better than almost all the other chain restaurants that I've been to.

[9/01] [MER] and I have eaten here several times recently. We've had lettuce wraps (sort of a spring roll in lettuce), grilled shrimp Caesar, fajitas, Guiltless chicken platter, citrus fire chicken and shrimp, rice and beans, blackened catfish, chicken fajita salad, and they were all delicious. Desserts are impressive, too, especially the Chocolate Chip Paradise Pie and the Molten Chocolate Cake.

[JC, 1/08] says: "In January 2008, I dined, together with my wife and three daughters, at Chili's on Transit Rd. It was my first visit there, so I was a bit surprised that the items on the menu were mostly Southwestern, and many Tex-Mex staples like enchiladas were absent. The vegetarian menu was extremely limited: only an (awful-tasting and meat-smelling) veggie burger and a veggie fajita were available. Another slightly unpleasant touch: serving beer without a glass. I asked the waitress for a glass, but she forgot to bring one. (It seems common to Mexican restaurants in this area not to have mastered the notion of a beer glass.) The beef and chicken fajitas were nicely done, and the meat was quite flavorful. But the quesadillas were obviously microwaved, and not fully heated up at that. So, altogether, a somewhat disappointing dining experience."

[HPK, 3/07] says of the Transit Rd. location: "I have always liked Chili's. My wife and I go back awhile with it, almost 15 years when it was in Massachusetts. They keep the menu fresh with new ideas, and their fajitas are great, in a Tex-Mex sort of way. Good value as well. $40 for an app, two meals, and two drinks each. It is also kid friendly. There is a bar area, which is first come, first served. If a game is on, you will see it there. The whole place is a mixture of a singles bar to large families. Good food, good price."

[ABi, 7/06] says of the Niagara Falls Blvd. location: "I think we ate at Chili's; there was crazy stuff on the walls, a suburban-style bar, and a menu with burgers, chicken sandwiches, and "Southwestern" appetizers, so that means it was either Chili's or one of another dozen or so Amherst-area chains. I would be certain had the food been memorable. We began with a large onion cut partway through into strips and deep-fried, an item they cutely call an Awesome Blossom. They have the same thing at the Outback Steakhouse, and, while I don't know whose came first, or, to put it another way, who ripped off whom, I do know Outback's is better. Chili's version is rough-looking and asymmetrical, with too much breading; it resembles an Outback onion that's been dropped a couple times. The petals are also difficult to pull apart, resulting in messy clumps of onion slices attached at one end, like a tiny, fried octopus. It was too salted and peppered, and the onion itself lacked sweetness. In retrospect, we should have just started with our entrees. We both went with the Build Your Own Big Mouth Burger promotion, which allows patrons to choose from around 30 topping options for one's hamburger sandwich, including cheeses, sauces, veggies, and the like. This was done, oddly, not by telling the server which fixings were desired but rather with a provided pencil and short form listing the various garnishes; you select what you'd like by blackening a circle next to any tasty-sounding accompaniment. This is fun, because you get to both pick exactly what you want and practice for the SATs. Unfortunately, this ordering option wasn't on the menu, and our waitress didn't tell us about it, meaning we had to ask her if it was available. Not being offered, it was curious, particularly considering it's a feature they clearly want to push: I've seen more commercials advising me to build my own Chili's burger than spots hosted by Tom Park urging me to take that short drive to Grand Island to buy a Chevrolet. Of course, this was the same server who handed us our plates instead of, say, setting them on the table, which is a step above being passed a takeaway bag through the McDonald's drive-thru window. We tipped accordingly. The good news is that Chili's is willing to cook their patties medium, which is somewhat nice for blood devotees who don't enjoy eating beef rendered into charcoal in the name of excessive safety. Fairly meaty and tender, the customized burgers loaded with absolutely everything that looked good on the ordering form were the dinner's sole redeeming feature; we weren't impressed by the bland and flavorless fries that came with our meals, the aforementioned appetizer and service, or the margaritas, the rims of whose glasses were adorned with, get this, rock sugar. The Mountain Dew flavor they only sell at Taco Bell is more authentically Mexican. While Chili's wasn't particularly outstanding, and while you could throw a dart at a map of Niagara Falls Boulevard and Maple Road and hit a restaurant that offers similar, largely better food and atmosphere, at least the cheeseburgers were decent. For the record, the medium burger with cheddar, tomatoes, diced onions, fried onion strips, bleu cheese dressing, and honey barbeque sauce is pretty good."

China Buffet.
77 Rossler St. (in Rossler Plaza, at Clinton, near the Buffalo/W. Seneca line), Cheektowaga.
821-5941.

[MEL, 7/98] says: "While looking for another restaurant that turned out to be closed, I discovered a nice alternative to fast food: China Buffet .... I wouldn't pretend that it is one of the best in the region, but it is the best of the Chinese buffets I have been to. The food is better than that of the other three or four Chinese buffets I have been to, and the selection is above average. You can actually get things there that aren't fried!"

China Express.
525 Main St. (downtown), Buffalo.
842-0909.

[MEL, 10/97] says: "The most noteworthy thing about this place is that it is open seven days a week till at least 9ish, unlike everything else in downtown Buffalo. So if you have no place to go (esp. on Sunday), go here. I haven't tried the buffet, but the lo mein is perfectly satisfactory. Definitely beats McDonald's (although I wouldn't describe it as exceptional in any way)." [MEL, 3/98] adds: "I just tried the buffet. It is not as good as the regular entrees; everything is fried and seems like it has been under a heat lamp for way too long (with the exception of the donuts, which are real good). One regular entree I do recommend is the moo shu chicken; although it does not have much meat, it is such an