Bill Rapaport's Buffalo Restaurant Guide

Alphabetical Listing of Restaurants: D

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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Daddio's Pizzeria.
1247 Hertel Ave. (at Commonwealth, between Colvin and Delaware), Buffalo.
877-7747.

[JDH, 1/09] says: "Hertel Avenue's newest pizza joint. They have a small but good menu that included pizza, subs, and several other side items. The menu explains that they plan on expanding the menu with time. This restaurant has a very large dining room, so you can eat in. Also, the employees are very nice and helpful. Please support our newest local business."

Daisies Cafe.
2711 S. Park Ave., Lackawanna.
826-3410.

[LMa, 8/09] says: "Had not been to Daisies in their larger new digs. There was a fairly large group of us (9 people), and we wanted a relaxed, no-wait Saturday dinner—nothing fancy, but the food needed to be good and not too pricy. We were pleasantly surprised by the tranquil spaciousness of the new location. We sat near the back, where a small water fountain bubbled along soothingly. The dinner menu was limited, but everything sounded delicious. I had chicken cordon bleu that came with tasty smashed potatoes—real potatoes!and fresh broccoli. Several people started off with crocks of French onion soup. I tasted it, and it was the best broth I'd ever had—rich, flavorful, almost creamy. I asked the waitress if the stock was home-made, and she confirmed that everything was real and homemade—stocks, soups, desserts, potatoes. Some other interesting dishes: chicken-wing pasta: rotini with chicken and bleu cheese; very spicy. Greek pasta with chicken, cucumbers, and feta (my companion said it could've used a bit more garlic). The pertly named Jan Brady pasta: angel hair with Alfredo sauce. A special of the day: cheesy potatoes with embedded ham. Pure comfort food. Everything was delicious—like eating at a friend's house who really cares about flavors and good quality ingredients—and the waitress did much to foster the impression of being at home, treating us with friendly attentiveness and humor that made us feel cossetted and cozy. The restaurant is known more for breakfast and lunches, but here is a tip: This is a great find for dinner as well."

[BL, 9/08] said: "A popular, local cafe we first read about in The Buffalo News is Daisies Cafe. Also, we found this article online: "Bless me, father: Daisies Cafe, Lackawanna" (Buffalo Buffet). So we paid a visit for a midmorning meal. My spouse had the Daisy Platter of 3 eggs, home fries, a heap of bacon, and about 3-4 medium-sized pancakes ($6.99). They are the best kind of home fries, with those little bits of crust that make them delicious. I chose the chicken souvlaki ($6.50) and loved all the flavors. The chicken could be a bit more juicy, but otherwise it was great. We shared a slice of lemon meringue pie. Yum. $23 for the two of us. The service was friendly and attentive, and the atmosphere was kind of fun with four different areas of seating. Great comfort food."

Dandelion's Tavern.
1340 N. Forest Rd., Williamsville.
688-0203.

[WHN] says:
[11/16/08] "We went back to Dandelion's last night for their Saturday-night Prime Rib special. The prime rib was, again, excellent, and they've added a very limited selection of low-priced wines by the bottle: two whites and two reds, but better than none. Also, last week, we wouldn't have needed a reservation, so this week we didn't make one. Wrong choice. The place was extremely busy at 7 o'clock (the same time as last Saturday), and we had to wait 20 minutes for a table."

[11/9/08] "We haven't been to Dandelion's since it changed ownership several years ago, so we decided to go there with friends on Saturday, 11/8, to have their "Saturday Night Special" Prime Rib, which we saw advertised a while ago. Dandelion's is a very casual neighborhood bar and restaurant, with a certain quirkiness. We had made a reservation, thinking we might need one on a Saturday night, but when I told the hostess we had a reservation, she said she didn't know where the reservation book was and seated us in the dining room. When our server asked if we wanted something to drink, I asked the others if we wanted to order a bottle of wine, but the server said: "We don't do bottles". One of our friends said she would like a Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay (which the "old" Dandelion's served). The response was that the only Chardonnay they have is Fox (something unintelligible) Chardonnay. She ordered a glass of that, as did I. My wife asked if they had sparkling bottled water. The answer was no, they don't have sparkling or plain bottled water. She ordered a club soda. Our other friend ordered an extra dry Beefeater Martini on the rocks with olives. They could do that. For a small restaurant, the menu is huge—4 pages plus four or five nightly specials. The bread was fresh. The salad bar, which I haven't seen in a restaurant in ages, was good. And the Prime Rib was the best I've had in a long, long time—perfectly cooked to medium rare, as we all requested, with a choice of potatoes or pasta side dishes, plus a winter squash and carrot veggie combo. We will definitely return on another Saturday when we're in the mood for Prime Rib, but may ask if we can bring our own wine and pay a corkage fee."

[5/08] I had lunch here with a colleague. The menu is fairly standard fare, but there are a few interesting items, such as blackened ahi tuna as well as their namesake dandelions with either steak or chicken. I opted for a grilled chicken and roasted red pepper wrap, with Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onion, and mayo. It was fine, but very bland—almost tasteless. The accompanying homemade chips were good, however. The service, by Jennefer (who seemed to be the only person waiting tables), was excellent.

As of at least [5/06], under new management. The review that follows may be for Dandelion's previous incarnation.

[AB, 7/05] said: "I see that there is no review for Dandelion's on this site, so I thought I'd throw in my two cents! Dandelion's Tavern is a cute little place that always seems to have steady business, but I have never had to wait, not even on weekend nights. The service can be a bit slow at times, but the servers are all extremely upbeat and friendly. Even though there are tablecloths on the tables, it's very casual. The menu is broad, and features pretty casual fare, like chicken wing appetizers and burgers, but also has some more "sophisticated" sandwiches, and a lot of dinner selections like steak, fish and chicken. There are always good specials. One thing I'll say for Dandelion's is that you really get what you pay for. I wouldn't say this is one of the best restaurants in Buffalo for great food or anything, but you wouldn't expect that kind of thing for such a moderately priced restaurant. The prices are very reasonable and reflect what it is--casual dining. That being said, I've always had a good meal there, such as Cajun chicken, shrimp scampi, and the Buffalo standard, beer-battered haddock. All were very tasty, and come with salad (iceberg lettuce, but still pretty good). My only complaint is the rolls--they are generic and almost look like hamburger buns; don't bother! Also, there is a decent wine and beer selection, and a nice patio for warmer nights. The desserts sound great, but Dessert Deli is around the corner, and I can't resist its siren song! If you're looking for a good meal and wide variety for a low price, I highly recommend this place!"

Daniel's.
174 Buffalo St., Hamburg. 648-6554.

French.

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

[9/08] & [12/03] Given 4 (out of 4) stars by Janice Okun, Buffalo News restaurant reviewer.

[WHN] says:

[6/09] "Although Hamburg isn't that far from Williamsville, it's far enough that driving time and distance enter into our decisions to usually dine closer to home. But we returned to Daniel's to celebrate our anniversary on Saturday, 6/27, planning to have the superb veal tenderloin and lobster with lobster sauce that we enjoyed so much a year ago. We reprised the meal we had last year, except that my wife had a Caesar salad to start. My soft-shell crab appetizer was as good as I remembered it. The veal and lobster was outstanding. Our server, Mark, told us it takes the chef three days to prepare the lobster sauce, which is certainly worth the effort. We shared an order of profiteroles for dessert. The entire meal was magnificent. I have had a lot of exquisite meals in my lifetime, but only a few truly unforgettable dishes; among them: truffle soup and Bresse chicken cooked in a pig's bladder at Paul Bocuse near Lyon; coq au riesling at the former Paris Intercontinental Hotel (now the Westin Paris); vitello alla Gino e Franco at a small restaurant of the same name near the Milan convention center; lobster ravioli at Rockpool in Sydney; and Daniel's veal tenderloin and lobster with lobster sauce. We will definitely return and, perhaps, try different dishes. Every item on the menu sounds wonderful."

[6/08] "We dined at Daniel's once before, several years ago, with friends from the Southtowns, and remember that the food, ambience, and service were excellent. The only reason we haven't been back is that it seems like a long drive from Williamsville to Hamburg. (It's actually about 35 minutes.) Noting on your website that Buffalo Spree ranked it as one of the top restaurants in the area, we went to Daniel's on Friday, 6/27, to celebrate our anniversary. The evening got off to a tenuous start when we were seated at a table next to the service bar and close to the kitchen door. After a few minutes, it was clear that the traffic of waitstaff to and from the kitchen, as well as the constant opening and closing of the kitchen door and noise coming from the kitchen, would be really annoying. So, I asked the hostess if we could be moved to another table. She said "No problem", and we were immediately moved to one in the front section of the restaurant, far from the kitchen noise and traffic. Very accommodating. Hot rolls, apparently baked in-house and made (I think) from croissant dough, were served. The list of nightly specials, presented verbally by our capable server, but backed up with a printed menu, was longer than the regular menu. Everything sounded good. My wife was undecided and asked our server whether she would recommend lobster tails over pasta or veal tenderloin with lobster. She said they were both good, but the veal-lobster combo was her favorite. To start, my wife ordered a combination dish of tenderloin beef tips with a mild horseradish cream sauce and shrimp with sauce Diablo from the specials menu. I also ordered from the nightly specials menu—sauteed softshell crab over fettuccine with a lemon-butter and caper sauce. Both were delicious. For our main courses, we chose the veal tenderloin with lobster in lobster cream sauce from the regular menu. This dish was extraordinary...the star of the evening...alternating slices of veal tenderloin and lobster tail, with a creamy, buttery lobster sauce similar in taste to lobster bisque, but thicker. As the French say: "la sauce, c'est tous". Daniel's lobster sauce made the dish superb—a meal to remember. The veal and lobster were served with roasted potato wedges and mixed vegetables—asparagus, green beans, baby carrots, and summer squash. For dessert, my wife chose chocolate tambale with chocolate sauce, while I had profiteroles filled with caramel ice cream and covered with chocolate sauce. Both desserts were excellent. We were told that all desserts, including ice creams, are made in-house, One difference we noticed from the Buffalo Spree review was classical music playing very softly in the background. Daniel's is undoubtedly one of the best restaurants in the Buffalo area. Tuesdays through Thursdays, they offer a 3-course, fixed-price menu for $28.00, a real bargain since most of their main courses alone are around $24.00-$25.00. There are lot of restaurants closer to where we live, but Daniel's is definitely worth the longer drive."

[CAT, 6/09] said: "I've had the pleasure of dining at Daniel's twice in the last 2 months. Everything, from the fresh-baked brioche rolls, to the handmade ravioli (I had the butternut squash and the ricotta-asparagus), to the perfectly cooked meat and fish, is exquisite. Certainly a trip to Daniel's is a splurge, but it's not outrageous, and the quality in food and service outpaces most other restaurants in our area and beyond. A word of warning, though: On our last trip, we ordered 2 appetizers from the specials menu (one with 3 shrimp and 3 mini-tenderloins, the other was the ricotta-asparagus ravioli), and they were so filling that we had very little room once the entrees arrived. We could have easily gotten by with just one—although I will admit that the menu makes choosing very difficult!"

[RDM, 11/06] said: "My husband and I decided to try Daniel's for my birthday dinner this year after reading the previous reviews. Overall, we agreed that the food was excellent. Our crabcake appetizer was pure crab, no filler. My smoked trout salad was light and delicious. My entrée of lobster and veal medallions was perfect, as well as my husband's entrée of the skate-wing fish special. The only problem we had was a mix up with service. We ordered a bottle of wine from the hostess and sat, and sat (about 25 to 30 minutes), and drank while we watched people who arrived after us already being served their appetizers while we hadn't even seen a food menu. Finally, we flagged down a passing waiter and asked who our server was. He came back to the table a few minutes later apologizing for the mix up and promising he would serve us well. All was fine and polite after this, but I felt we were owed a drink on the house, but that did not happen. I also couldn't help but feel we didn't quite fit in with the scene. The atmosphere and attitude was a bit stuffy for me. I appreciate wonderful food but also like to feel comfortable."

[BL, 2/04] said: "Another review of this fine restaurant. It is birthday season around our home, and my husband gave me Daniel's for the evening. Our third time there over the years, and this time was just as outstanding as the rest. When you go there: Remember the understated elegance of the pure white, cottage-like home in the village. Remember tasteful art work on the walls and subdued lighting coming from a contemporary track system that is gracefully laid out. Remember no music track in the air--just conversation coming from many very happy eaters within this intimate and warmly arranged space of dining tables. Remember our meal...served professionally...(always wonderful service). For my husband: an appetizer of baked goat cheese on red, sweet, caramelized onions with red peppers, then the traditional Daniel's salad--a myriad of greens with finely sliced poached pear and walnut oil and gorgonzola, an entree of filet mignon, medium well, wrapped in bacon and topped with Roquefort butter with interestingly prepared potatoes and roasted vegetables. Mine began with quail stuffed with pheasant mousse in a lovely truffle sauce, then a mesculin salad of fresh beets, hard cooked egg, and asparagus in a mustard vinaigrette. It continued with the entree of lobster and veal medallions in a lobster butter sauce (not too intense, just perfect) with roasted potato and vegetables of the night. Cannot forget the specially designed rolls served warm that are made on the premises. In all of our good eating, we have never seen ones quite like them. Of course, they tasted as good as they looked. We had dessert (many to choose from), and we really love French sorbets, and they had them--plum, grape, and grapefruit. But, though tempted, we chose a delicious, warmed chocolate cake in a chocolate sauce and raspberries and a lemon pound cake with strawberries, and both came with ice cream. The meal, including two cocktails and two glasses of wine, came to about $127 with tax. We think highly of this establishment and know that it easily competes with other top ones in this area or those found in many major cities. Hats off to another memorable evening at Daniel's."

[EG, 6/03] said: "This is an absolutely excellent place, certainly the best place I have been to in Western New York. It is small, just 14 tables, so they fill up quickly; we went on a Thursday night, and it was practically full. Extremely professional service. Appetizers include soft-shell crabs, smoked-salmon pizza with mascarpone cheese and asparagus (sounds weird but was great); also on menu: angel hair pasta with wild mushrooms; for dinner, we had halibut with peppercorn sauce, plus potatoes, and the other entree was red snapper, which came with hollandaise sauce but which was perfect without it. Portions are enough to be filling but not too filling. Desserts were excellent; the bread was clearly homemade and piping hot. I give this place the highest rating—absolutely no qualifications! Enjoy."

Danny's Restaurant.
3715 Genesee St., Cheektowaga. 634-1780.

[MEs, 5/08] says: "THE FOOD NAZIS: A great online friend and fellow "foodie" & I were instant-messaging about my family's experience at Danny's on Mothers' Day. It dawned on me that it might be a unique & interesting review format to cut & paste our online chat here. Hope you find it worthwhile! (I'm "Top".)
5/13/2008 1:46:27 AM: {Top}how was your moms day?
5/13/2008 1:46:58 AM: {Bobbie_Lee}very good thx. yours was good, i hear
5/13/2008 1:47:03 AM: {Bobbie_Lee}lol
5/13/2008 1:47:14 AM: {Top}very good thx. but we violated our sacred rule of not eating in overcrowded restaurants on major holidays & were summarily disappointed lol
5/13/2008 1:47:32 AM: {Bobbie_Lee}where?
5/13/2008 1:47:33 AM: {Top}mom was unhappy the whole time & said next year im cooking again lol
5/13/2008 1:47:39 AM: {Bobbie_Lee}lol
5/13/2008 1:47:48 AM: {Top}Dannys on genesee kinda near the airport
5/13/2008 1:47:57 AM: {Bobbie_Lee}oh yeah
5/13/2008 1:47:57 AM: {Top}which we all do tend to love as a rule
5/13/2008 1:48:17 AM: {Top}but their cust svce is always hostile & counterproductive if theres ever a prob
5/13/2008 1:48:21 AM: {Bobbie_Lee}well, it is the busiest day of the year for restaurants
5/13/2008 1:48:24 AM: {Top}which we knew...
5/13/2008 1:48:44 AM: {Top}lol did i mention last year's birthday debacle?
5/13/2008 1:48:45 AM: {Bobbie_Lee}did you do brunch or dinner?
5/13/2008 1:48:52 AM: {Top}yea it was a mob scene
5/13/2008 1:48:53 AM: {Bobbie_Lee}no
5/13/2008 1:48:53 AM: {Top}dinner
5/13/2008 1:49:06 AM: {Bobbie_Lee}i think brunch is a better option
5/13/2008 1:49:23 AM: {Top}they have a thing where they call ya before your birthday every year & offer a free birthday dinner that week
5/13/2008 1:49:34 AM: {Bobbie_Lee}cool
5/13/2008 1:49:56 AM: {Top}coincidentally my mom & i are 3 days apart so we both went & took gramma & aunt audrey
5/13/2008 1:50:19 AM: {Top}we ordered & then were told theyd only honor one free birthday dinner per table
5/13/2008 1:50:52 AM: {Top} (i mean how many times do they even run into this? friends/family with a birthday the same week LOL)
5/13/2008 1:51:15 AM: {Bobbie_Lee}not often, i'd guess
5/13/2008 1:51:32 AM: {Top}so we said thx for making our birthdays so special & left
5/13/2008 1:51:55 AM: {Bobbie_Lee}good for you
5/13/2008 1:51:57 AM: {Top}then yesterday...speaking of brunch....
5/13/2008 1:53:23 AM: {Top}....my sister & her husband just this past week had to put his mother with Alzheimers in a nursing home. a few yrs back they built her a room in their home & had taken care of her as long as they could....
5/13/2008 1:53:48 AM: {Bobbie_Lee}ok
5/13/2008 1:54:06 AM: {Top}the nursing home had a Mothers Day brunch which they attended and were really not too hungry at dinnertime so they said theyd share a fish dinner
5/13/2008 1:54:25 AM: {Top}but on holidays sharing is not allowed there lol So then sis said she'd have just the soup & salad bar which they normally offer & was told no.
5/13/2008 1:54:31 AM: {Bobbie_Lee}lol
5/13/2008 1:55:03 AM: {Top}so when the waitress came back my sister offered to pay a plating/sharing charge which was also not allowed so my bro in law orderd the fish for himself & my sister said shed just have a large shrimp cocktail.
5/13/2008 1:55:26 AM: {Top}and they told her she couldnt do that either!!! can you say FOOD NAZIs? lol
5/13/2008 1:55:34 AM: {Bobbie_Lee}lol
5/13/2008 1:55:51 AM: {Top}not only was it a tuff week for sis but shes a mom too & all her kids were there
5/13/2008 1:56:27 AM: {Top}so she ordered nothing
5/13/2008 1:56:36 AM: {Top}& i was surprised the creeps even let her stay lol
5/13/2008 1:57:07 AM: {Bobbie_Lee}good for her
5/13/2008 1:57:41 AM: {Top}lol thats what i get for being forgiving. i know how they are there but we do generally like all the food....and as if in a party of 12, making once exception would break the dang bank huh?
5/13/2008 1:58:03 AM: {Top}and of course, being mothers day the food was all pretty lousy anyways
5/13/2008 1:58:31 AM: {Bobbie_Lee}well, i'd take them out the sunday before or after
5/13/2008 1:58:45 AM: {Top}both my delmonico & my lobster tail were dry etc etc
5/13/2008 1:58:46 AM: {Bobbie_Lee}maybe cook for them on the day, something simple
5/13/2008 1:58:49 AM: {Top}moms & aunt audreys meals stunk Their racks of ribs were shoe leather & moms lobster tail was half raw. My supposedly 4 oz side lobster tail was way smaller than the rest & looked more like a prawn. Grammas french fries were never really cooked & soggy & cold. (Does ANYONE cook fresh fries per order anymore or do they all just make a batch & stick em under the heat lamps & use em all nite? blech Anways, we know better than to complain there and we really just wanted to get the heck outta there. Sis threw in a hundred dollar bill for her family and the pleasure of not eating a thing and getting hassled on Mothers Day. ...also, they do tend to have wonderful lobster tails there at a super price so we've had them and loved them often over the years but one time about a year ago, all 4 of us had to send them back because they were so strong/fishy/old/spoiled tasting. And they did take them off the bill but not until they implied in no uncertain terms that we were crazy because the chef tasted them & they were fine.
5/13/2008 1:59:07 AM: {Bobbie_Lee}it's too much pressure on restaurants
5/13/2008 1:59:25 AM: {Top}yeah thats what we always generally do on busy holidays....something at home easy like throw baked potatoes & lobster tails in the overn or even get a honeybaked ham
5/13/2008 2:00:14 AM: {Bobbie_Lee}there's no place like home
5/13/2008 2:00:16 AM: {Top}it really is. plus mom/we are all pretty darn good cooks so we're fussy & as ya know most people will eat anything
5/13/2008 2:00:23 AM: {Bobbie_Lee}* clicks ruby slippers
5/13/2008 2:00:28 AM: {Top}lol
5/13/2008 2:00:37 AM: {Bobbie_Lee}lol
5/13/2008 2:01:00 AM: {Top}which reminds me i think theres a local site where one can review restaurants
5/13/2008 2:01:44 AM: {Top}i should do that. actually could just cut & paste our chat if ya didnt mind. thats pretty much the whole story
5/13/2008 2:02:00 AM: {Bobbie_Lee}not at all
5/13/2008 2:02:03 AM: {Top}lol would be an interesting format
5/13/2008 2:02:10 AM: {Top}sweet thx
5/13/2008 2:02:30 AM: {Bobbie_Lee}bill rappaport, i think
[Editor [Bill Rapaport]'s note: Nope! Try "Bill Rapaport", however :-)]
5/13/2008 2:02:32 AM: {Top}o thats one i never heard of! thx hafta check it out
5/13/2008 2:03:09 AM: {Bobbie_Lee}http://www.cse.buffalo.edu/restaurant.guide/
5/13/2008 2:03:15 AM: {Top}awesome!
5/13/2008 2:03:28 AM: {Bobbie_Lee}lol
5/13/2008 2:04:09 AM: {Top}do need to mention tho, the poor waitress was mortified & the service was wonderful so we didnt take it out on her....not that ya could...they build the tip in on holidays apparently!
5/13/2008 2:04:35 AM: {Bobbie_Lee}i hate that
5/13/2008 2:04:39 AM: {Top}me too
5/13/2008 2:05:06 AM: {Bobbie_Lee}i always tip, usually well, but it should be my decision
5/13/2008 2:05:38 AM: {Top}not that she was all that attentive - how could she be with such a mob? but we never hold that against the wait staff & usually tip minimum 20% anyways...
5/13/2008 2:05:47 AM: {Top}i totally agree
5/13/2008 2:06:19 AM: {Bobbie_Lee}like i said, most restaurants can't handle such a crowd well
5/13/2008 2:06:29 AM: {Top}virtually none
5/13/2008 2:06:36 AM: {Top}moms always right ;-)
5/13/2008 2:07:02 AM: {Bobbie_Lee}lol yup
5/13/2008 2:07:09 AM: {Top}and grammas 94 & still kickin so its really all small beans anyways, huh? plus we went to my sisters for dessert afterwards & had a blast
5/13/2008 2:07:10 AM: {Bobbie_Lee}i better hit the sack!


So there's the story, folks. The place is a crap shoot. Mostly you win; but, whoever "Danny" is, he needs to take a chill pill. Hope this was of value to you. One side note. Though I believe Danny's may have invented the Spicy Buffalo Wing Soup, when it's available, it's much better at Curly's near the Basilica! Happy grazing everyone!"

[PZT, 3/08] says: "Just wanted to chime in that Danny's has been a favorite of ours for years. It's not fancy; you won't find any cool, new, cooking techniques or the latest fad dishes here. Just good, old-fashioned, all-American food (Danny's calls it Buffalo Cuisine). A great place to take your family; a place you can count on for good food & service. The items in the salad bar are varied and always fresh (I love their house Honey Basil dressing.) Each day, there are 4 homemade soups to choose from (the only constant is their fantastic Buffalo Chicken Wing Soup; the rest change daily). The menu has something for everyone, the specials are great, and all meals are reasonably priced & of good quality. I highly recommend the Autumn Chicken Tips, as well as the broiled scallop dinner. If you're looking for the trendy new place to go, Danny's isn't it. If you're looking for good food, a comfortable atmosphere, and no surprises, this is the place."

[AFN, 3/08] says: "I went to Danny's Cheektowaga location for lunch with some friends from school. The person who set up the lunch date said they had a great soup and salad bar. I hate salad bars, so was hoping they had more offerings. (This was my first visit.) In fact, they have a very large menu with numerous sandwiches, burgers, salads, and more. Apparently, their soup and salad bar "Express Lunch" is well known and highly regarded. It includes a half sandwich, with your choice of ham, turkey, roast beef, tuna, or corned beef. All my friends chose the soup and salad bar and loved it. I had "Danny's Steak on a Hard Roll" (like a Philly cheese steak sandwich), which was very tasty, and very large...I couldn't eat all the bread."

[MEL, 11/98] says: "Basic satisfactory generic American food. For some reason, a lot of people consider this place to be sensational. I don't, but I would go again if I were in the neighborhood."

Adam Sterlace of Danny's suggested we eat there. Well, in [3/97], we tried; boy, was it crowded! Sterlace should have told us we'd need reservations! Not only that, we were not told how long we would have to wait for a table. The guy who was taking names was exceedingly rude and impolite, and after a couple of attempts to ask him questions and to ask to speak to Sterlace, both of which were rebuffed with curt "no"s, we decided to go elsewhere. We may try again, but since Danny's is not near where we live, it may be awhile.

Dave & Buster's.
4545 Transit Rd., Suite 220 (in Eastern Hills Mall), Clarence.
635-5075.

Part of the chain. It's basically a "Chuck E. Cheese" for adults.

[CAB, 2/06] says: "Went there Jan. 7, 2006, and it was wonderful! The bar inside the gaming room was where I ate dinner while my husband and son ran around like the maniacal gamers they are, and had the most delicious "bar burgers" in my life! You get 4 per serving on mini Hawaiian dinner rolls too cute and soo yummy! They also had a chocolate dipping tray, all kinds of fun, fresh, and innovative foods. The bartender was plesant, and drinks were good. The games were current, and the prizes were not so much geared to little kids, but my 7-year-old had a blast! This is his new favorite place—truth be told Chuck E. Cheese was his old favorite place, but he wants to have his birthday party at D&B this year! And, yes, it was a bit loud, but have you ever been to a quiet arcade?!? Big thumbs up!"

[HPK, 10/05] says: "With great excitement, I was looking forward to my first time at one of these supposedly excellent restaurants/play areas, etc. I am not sure what I got: First: It was wonderful to see a couple hundred cars in the parking lot of the Eastern Hills Mall! That can only be a good thing. D&B is a casino for kids during the day and a night club with toys for adults after 10 P.M. It is loud, loud, loud. There are dozens of games that make Chuck E. Cheese look old. All the games are paid for with a pre-bought credit card, which I think shows the wrong idea to young kids. There are pool tables, bowling alleys, and a full dining room. You cannot get in unless you are 21 or with an adult over 21. While this is a good thing to stop underage drinking, there is plenty of alcohol flowing all around the kids. (No pinball machines for those of us that love them.) The second floor has not opened up, and there are no plans to, till they figure out how business will do. OK, so the food. Average. Bar food, nothing special. I had a club sandwich. Other items on the menu were burgers, standard appetizers, some pasta, etc. This is not a place for a quiet evening. Prices were cheap compared to other restaurants in their class. Please do not get me wrong here. Take the kids; this is their type of place, even though one of my daughters actually said that it was too loud. As well, this will be a huge bar scene late at night (open till 4 A.M., according to an employee). There are also private rooms for parties of all sorts. I really hope that this helps the economy at the mall and creates jobs. I have problems with the noise (even the employees were complaining), credit cards for the kids, alcohol everywhere around little kids. There is a sign outside that says, "This is a place primarily for adults". Keep that in mind. During the day, though, I see no issue for kids. To sum it all up—go—experience it, then decide for yourself."

David's Grille.
4247 N. Buffalo Rd. (near corner of 20A), Orchard Park.
662-4247.

[PT, 10/09] says: "Last Saturday [9/26/09], we had an excellent $20.09 restaurant-week meal at David's. There was a choice of 4 or 5 appetizers. We chose lobster cakes with a spicy Thai chili sauce and a milder remoulade; they were delicious. There was choice of three salads. I chose the bibb lettuce with pears, apples, walnuts, dried cranberries, and gorgonzola, with a maple vinaigrette. My husband chose the ‘David Eddy’ salad of chopped romaine with tomato, egg, bacon, cucumber, red onion, cheddar cheese, and croutons, tossed in creamy parrmesan dressing. Both were excellent. The entree choices were filet of sirloin, chicken saltimbocca, herb-crusted tilapia, and a vegetarian dish. We had the filet of sirloin topped with onion straws and cherry butter, accompanied by mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables. The steaks were very tender and perfectly cooked as we requested. An excellent meal."

[CAT, 6/09] said: "We went to David's around 7 p.m. on a Friday night. The dining area was almost empty and incredibly quiet, so we asked to be seated in the bar, where there were a few more people. We were disappointed in their beer menu, although there was a nice selection of wines. To start, we ordered the banana peppers and fried calamari. The banana peppers were delicious and well complemented by a flavorful tomato sauce, but the calamari was flabby and disappointing. We didn't make a dent in it. For our main course, my husband ordered a cheeseburger (standard, nothing special), and I got the Chopped Boston Bibb Lettuce salad. From the description ("pear, apple, Gorgonzola cheese crumbles, caramelized walnuts, dried cranberries & maple vinaigrette"), as well as the positive review by Janice Okun in the Buffalo News, I imagined it would be enough for a light meal. It was actually a small (2 handfuls?) pile of torn red lettuce with a few dried cranberries, a couple of cheese crumbles, and a thick coat of dressing. There were no pears or apples or walnuts. Our server was busy handling the entire bar area, and I wasn't overly hungry, so I did not complain, but I did think it was strange to serve such a lousy salad. Our waitress had trouble getting back to our table, largely because the bar area had filled up. It was packed in there! I'm not complaining—we opted to sit there—but just be aware that it can get tight in there, and, as we were finishing our meal, we had another patron come to our tiny, 2-top table and ask when we'd be finished. He and his companions then stood facing us (not the bar), asking after our progress until we left. It was very awkward. From the crowd at the bar (and the leering patron), I thought the restaurant would have been packed, but, as we left (around 8:15 p.m.), we could see that not a single table in the dining room was occupied. All in all, it was an odd night out at David's Grille."

[WHN, 8/08] said: "We met another couple at David's Grille on Sat., 8/23. We had not been there previously, but the other couple, who live in the Southtowns, have been there a number of times and told us they've always enjoyed very good meals there. I was a bit concerned about the most recent reviews below, especially [TPr, 2/08]'s comment about being asked to leave, because it happened to us, along with this couple and another, at the long defunct Calumet on Chippewa. This had never happened before or since, and I hoped history wouldn't repeat at David's. We all began with the David Eddy salad, composed of chopped lettuce, cucumber, tomato, egg, yellow pepper, red onion, bacon, and cheddar cheese, tossed in a creamy parmesan dressing and topped by croutons. My wife and I agreed it was one of the best salads we've ever eaten. One of the unique entrees on David's menu is Kurobuta pork chop au poivre. Kurobuta pork is said to be the "Kobe beef" of pork. I've never seen it on a menu, or in stores, so I had to try it. Three of us ordered the pork chops, which were nearly two inches thick, and very moist and tender, served with a sherry reduction and accompanied by whipped potatoes, green beans, and carrots. I have to say that the pepper crust overwhelmed the flavor of the pork, which I've heard tastes "the way pork used to taste". That said, it was still the best pork chop I have ever had, and the sherry sauce was delicious. The other wife had an evening special, beef tenderloin medallions with a lobster sauce, also accompanied by whipped potatoes, green beans, and carrots. We all agreed that our dinners were exceptionally good. We skipped dessert, as we were too full. Oh yes, the service was very good, and we never felt rushed."

[TPr, 2/08] said: "Last Saturday, we joined another couple for dinner at David's Grille in Orchard Park. We had never been there before, but our friends recommended it for a good meal. We were in for quite a surprise. We arrived for dinner at 6:15, and the place was essentially empty. We had a drink, and the waitress brought some stale bread and oil. We ordered some appetizers and salads. The salads were great, and the "duck egg roll" was OK (it tasted like an eggroll), but the calamari was sub-par. It tasted like squid boiled in chicken broth. The sauce was watery and lacked any seasoning. When it came time to order, we noticed that the veal (which is one of the dishes this restaurant was known for) was gone. We were also informed that their lamb dishes were gone, too. Welcome to being every other restaurant. We found other stuff to eat and ordered. Eventually, I got another drink after flagging down some random busboy and hoped that it would take the edge off of my annoyance. It was unsuccessful, but at least it was cold. Our meals came, and they were sufficient at best. My friend and I got the 16-ounce bone-in filet. They managed not to burn it, and the meat was fine. It came with some potatoes that were fine and some veggies that were fine. My wife ordered the ahi tuna. She got about 2 oz. of tuna over a pile of flavorless sobe noodles. The flavor was fine, but there was literally nothing on the plate in terms of tuna. It was missing. Very disappointed, we ordered coffee and dessert. The dessert was fine, but we got one cup of coffee and never saw the waitress until she brought the bill (and no more coffee) to us. Here is where it gets really interesting. We paid our bill (about $300 for the 4 of us) and were enjoying our coffee, when some bald man approached our table and (ready for this?) asked us to leave. He said that the restaurant was getting really busy, and he wanted to seat some other people. Now, I'm a very accommodating person, but after the mediocre meal and high price tag of the meal, I'd like to enjoy my coffee and maybe even have another cup. It's not like we sat there for three hours. We were rushed through the meal, and I have never been asked to leave so they could seat other people. Texas Hots doesn't even do that. I'd like to point out my usage of the word "fine."—Fine is acceptable in my book. Nothing special and definately not worth the money. We learned that they did this to a lot of people in the restaurant that night and that this is a common occurrence. I will never go here again. I heard that their chef moved to Rick's on Main in East Aurora. That will be our next destination. Maybe there they know how to treat their guests. Hope it was worth it."

[JCr, 6/06] said: "This past weekend I visited David's Grille for my 3rd time since they opened. For starters, my fiancee ordered the fresh green salad; this was just a good, simple, mixed-greens salad. I chose the Boston bibb salad, which had pear, apple, Roquefort crumble, walnuts, and dried cranberries, with a maple vinagirette; this was an excellent salad. For our entrees, she had the lobster pasta, which was lobster meat, asparagus, mushrooms, and linguini tossed in a brandy cream sauce; this was reported to be a tasty entree. For my entree, I chose the 10oz. filet mignon, which had a wild mushroom demi-glaze sauce and came with green beans and whipped potato. Like past reviews, this was a good steak, but certainly was not up there with the best; perhaps they need to search for a new beef source. My previous two visits, I had the Chilean sea bass and ahi tuna, and both were excellent. Overall, this is a very nice restaurant with good food and service, and I would certainly recommend giving it a try."

[JAu, 9/04] said: "On a Wednesday night at 7 p.m., the place is suprisingly busy and vibrant. Starting with drinks at the bar, the bartender was attentive and quick. We sat down at our convenience, and the waitress was bright and competent (a 3.9 in Finance at Bonnies, it later came out in conversation). The appetizer crab and lobster cakes was good, not great. The salad was exceptional. The entree, a filet, was good not great. The menu is impressive, and some items are very reasonably priced (Lobster Pasta at $18); others are priced right at the level you would expect (Filet at around $28). This was our second meal here. The lobster pasta has gotten rave reviews across the board, while others have mentioned that the filet (there appear to be two on the menu) is not all that impressive. Soups such as the cream of mushroom have also recieved high marks. The atmosphere is comforting, and at the same time you know that you are at a high-quality joint. The lighting is perfect and the noise level is fairly conducive to conversation. On our first visit, in its opening week, the service was fair. More recently there appears to be a dramatic improvment. It is a small place, but the large windows across the front give it a very open feeling. This is likely the best restaurant to have opened in the south towns in the last five years, and is worth the drive from the city/northtowns. Three stars, but the fliet needs just a little work."

[EG, 9/04] said: "David's Grille...opened up in August [2004], and it is an excellent restaurant serving delicious and innovatively prepared fine food. We have been there twice so far and have been very impressed with the extremely professional service and wonderful dinners. We have had halibut in beurre blanc (we asked for the sauce on the side, and it was still totally delicious) and Chilean sea bass (again we asked for aioli sauce on the sauce, and it still was excellent). We also had a yellowfin tuna appetizer, which was delicious. Food is beautifully presented, too. I also had a Cajun shrimp dish, which was OK but not as good as the others, and also tasted the lobster pasta dish, which was excellent. For lighter fare, they do offer a portabello sandwich and some salads, and they were happy to make up a dish of pasta on the spot for the little ones (they also serve chicken fingers for kids.) It's a beautifully decorated place—on the site of the old Orchard Downs. One caution: Dishes run mostly in the low $20s or a bit less, and watch out for the crab leg special! It's $39 for one person. All in all, though, an extremely high-calibre place with a wonderful ambience, and it seems to be crowded even on weekdays!!"

de Luca's Restaurant.
111C Garrison Village Dr. (on Old Stone Rd., across from Jackson Triggs Winery), Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON, CANADA.
905-468-7900.

[WHN] says:
[11/09] "Wednesday, 11/18, was a beautiful, sunny, fall day, approaching 60 degrees, so we went to Niagara-on-the-Lake for lunch. We had planned on going to de Luca's Restaurant but, when we got there, found it wasn't open. The sign on the door said they are open for a 3-course, $20 lunch from 11/19–11/23. I don't know if this Thursday to Monday schedule is a one-time event or weekly, so anyone planning to go there for lunch should call first to make sure they're open. Anyway, we went down the road a few miles to Hillebrand's."

[11/09] "Planning a trip to NOTL, I learned that Executive Chef Tony de Luca has left the Oban Inn and opened [this] new restaurant. Menu on Facebook."

[Following are the reviews of de Luca's former restaurant at the Oban Inn:]

[WHN, 12/06] said: "Contrary to what we had heard earlier this year, before it actually opened, Restaurant Tony de Luca is now open for both lunch and dinner. Some friends took out-of-town guests there recently and said it was excellent, so we decided to have lunch there. The former formal dining room looking onto the Niagara-on-the-Lake golf course and the river has been converted to a spa, and the main (and only) restaurant is where Shaw's Corner lounge was, so the view is not what it used to be. Nevertheless, the food is very good, and more than makes up for any other shortcomings. Since it was a cold and blustery December day walking in Niagara-on-the-Lake, we started with an excellent butternut squash soup. As main courses, my wife chose seared scallops served over goat cheese potato gateaux, with wild mushrooms. The scallops were underdone to her taste—basically raw inside—so she asked that they be cooked more, which was done immediately. Once cooked through, she thought her meal was delicious. I had the sandwich of the day—open faced Kessler ham on sourdough bread, with a soft Quebec cheese, similar to brie, and wild mushrooms. This was served with a small salad and matchstick potato chips. The sandwich was delicious, but our friends had raved about the match stick potatoes, which I found to be greasy and somewhat soggy, not crisp, as I had expected. Perhaps the oil wasn't hot enough or they had not been cooked long enough. Overall, the food and service were very good. At dinner, they offer fixed price dinners: three courses for C$55 or four courses for C$65, and an eight course tasting menu for C$85, or C$115 with wine. They also offer a "Chef's Table" of eight to ten courses for groups of four to six in an area near the kitchen, where diners can interact with the chef—for C$125, or C$175 with wine pairings."

[MRT, 7/06] said: "We have always enjoyed the cooking of chef Tony De Luca. When he left Hillebrand's Vineyard Café to begin his own restaurant at the beautiful Oban Inn, we followed him there. Our meal yesterday, Wednesday, July 26, 2006, was extraordinary. Our fine waitress worked at Hillebrand's Vineyard Café for 10 years. Tony De Luca called her when he began his new restaurant. We started the evening with a local brut champagne. The chef brought us a delicious small amuse gueule. My husband and friend each ordered lobster salad for an appetizer. I ordered venison carpaccio. My mother-in-law ordered a mixed green salad with peaches. Walnut bread and another delicious bread and butter with a black salt were brought to our table. The chef brought us each a small shooter to cleanse our palates. We enjoyed pinot noir with dinner. My husband ordered beef rib eye, our friend ordered lamb loin and lamb rack, and my mother-in-law and I each ordered wild Atlantic salmon. After our meal, we ordered one cheese course for the four of us. We have always loved Tony's cheese courses. The other three ordered a dark chocolate cake. I ordered a tour of peach. Our meal could not have been more extraordinary. The chef came out to meet us, which really topped off the evening. We hope to return in a month or so."

Deco.
120 Church St. (downtown, in the Adam's Mark hotel), Buffalo.
845-5100.

[JSc, 1/08] says: "After reading the previous critique of the Deco Restaurant, I felt I had to write. I have coordinated a holiday lunch at Deco for the past 6 years. Each get together numbered between 18 and 30 workers. We continue to go back there because of the timeliness of the food, staff responsiveness, and the overall satisfied feeling from all the coworkers who attend. It is the co-workers that request we go back each year to the Deco for our get-together. The only difference between the previous critique and ours is that we order off the lunch menu that is faxed to us by Deco Restaurant. The process is the same every year, and it always works for Deco and our holday party. Each year, I start out by calling them and informing them of the number of people, arrival time (noon), food arrival time (12:30). In return, they fax me the lunch menu. Once everyone has filled in their food order, I fax it back and call them to make sure that they have received the order and verify the food arrival time. They don't have an elaborate lunch menu: sandwiches, wings/things, salads, and a few soups. We've never gone with the buffet or salad bar in the past, always ordering from the menu supplied to us. When we've arrived at the Deco, it's like clockwork; I am introduced to a waitress that will be taking care of us. The waitresses have always been pleasant and helpful. They were focused in getting everyone's drink order when they arrive. Food orders arrive at 12:30. Once in a while, a food order was wrong or missed, and the response was immediate, and the coworker would be taken care of within 5 minutes. We plan on a two-hour lunch: noon to 2pm. Most employees are done eating by 1pm; some linger to chat, while others leave. Overall, it is, and has been, a place that we will continue to go to."

[JKl, 1/08] says: "My employers recently treated us to a holiday luncheon at the Adam's Mark restaurant, Deco. We arrived in a large group (approximately 20 of us) at a time we had reserved previously with the restaurant. We stood at the hostess stand, and she seemed confused as to what name our party was held under. We eventually were led over to our long table that was set up. At each place setting, was a piece of paper, where we could write down our "Make Your Own Pasta Dish" selections. For a group this large, this was an exceptional idea and a great way to keep things in order and expedite service (or so we thought). However, that's the only bright spot of the day. We were eventually told to go up to the salad bar, which was paltry and half-filled. Other guests then stood in their make-your-own-pasta line after the salad-bar line, but we went back to our table, as the kitchen had our orders already written down. In fact, no; this one employee was the person in charge of making all the other guests' dishes as well as our group of 20. We arrived at the restaurant at 12pm and didn't leave until 1:45. Dishes were brought out one by one; some people were eating at 12:35, others at 1:15. Our coworkers wanted to wait until everyone was served, but eventually we realized that we would be eating cold pasta if we waited for that to happen. My silverware was dirty, my water glass spotty and with caked-on food in other spots. The chairs were wobbly and cheap-feeling, like some sort of patio furniture. As for the food...well, it left much to be desired. The "mini meatballs" on the menu were actually crumbled sausage, a major disappointment to those who don't like sausage and were expecting meatballs! The sauces tasted like they came out of a can, not at all homemade. Portions were small and unsatisfying—good thing the food was bad; otherwise, I would have been even more disappointed. And worst of all was the service and the attitude of the employees. No one ever apologized, explained the situation, or acted as if they cared that we were all disappointed on what was supposed to be a festive occasion. When questions were asked by our party, or requests were made, we were met with gruff and irritated answers. Worst of all, they were not even busy that day! Besides our table of 20, there were maybe 3 or 4 other tables in the restaurant. They knew we had reservations for a large group and should have adequately prepared for the business. I would not recommend at all."

Deer Head Inn.
2683 Clinton St., W. Seneca.
823-9500.

[Editor's Note: Reports of the Deer Head Inn's demise were greatly exaggerated! They are open!]

[JuK, 7/07] says: "My daughter and I had broiled fish platters. The food was very good. The accompaniments were plentiful and freshly homemade. I had macaroni salad and German potato salad. She had the coleslaw and American potato salad. They have a good wine and beer list. A unique factor about the place is a glass-encased wildlife display that takes up one wall. It has a real stuffed deer and other wildlife displayed. The owners dress them up for holidays like Easter and Christmas. They take reservations, but we did not need them the Friday that we dined at about 8pm. Food ranges are $12-$20. I heard that they have live music Thursday night."

DeFlippo's. 326 West Ave. (Rt. 31, west of Transit), Lockport. 433-2913, 433-9277.

Italian. It is also a small bed-and-breakfast inn.

[6/02]: Returned for dinner after a long hiatus; still a good place! I had one of the evening's specials: salmon in an artichoke ratatouille over spiral pasta, which was quite tasty. (But my tiramisu dessert seemed as if it had been too-quickly defrosted, and was cold and wet :-(

[6/98]: Returned for dinner; still a good place. I especially like their homemade salad dressing.

[Summer 1996]: An extensive menu, far more interesting than many other family-run, informal Italian restaurants in WNY. One of the chefs (the son) is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America.

For another review, see Lockport Restaurant Reviews

Delduca's.
4781 Portage Rd., Niagara Falls, ON, CANADA.
905-357-3638.

Italian.

Given 3½ (out of 4) stars by Janice Okun, Buffalo News restaurant reviewer.

Desiderio's.
414 Pearl St. (downtown), Buffalo. 855-2085.

[MEL, 4/99] says: "OK bar/Italian food combination. I liked the garlic bread; fish wasn't bad but wasn't great. Not as good as some Italian places further north, but it does fill a void."

[a] Dessert Deli.
Maple-Forest Plaza, Williamsville. 689-2115.

Take-out and eat-in (coffees, teas, breakfast items) bakery.

[WHN, 3/08] reports that he "stopped in to buy a cake last week and noticed a sign saying they no longer serve lunch. I've never had lunch there, but the cakes and other desserts we've had have been exceptionally good."

[PT, 6/07] says: "Besides their scrumptious cakes, cheese cakes, and other desserts, they now offer a handful of weekday lunch specials—salads, sandwiches, wraps, and a quiche of the day. As delicious as their baked goods, in their own way."

DiBella's Old Fashioned Submarines.
6970 Transit Rd. (south of Main St.), Williamsville. 565-0591.
[a] 1420 Niagara Falls Blvd. (near Maple Rd.), Tonawanda. 332-2418.
3900 Union Rd. (near George Urban Blvd.), Cheektowaga. 632-4573.

Part of the (local?) chain.

[CEP, 1/07] says: "This site has long been in need of a review of DiBella's. This is a wonderful place to grab a sub for lunch or dinner. The rolls (wheat, sesame, or everything) are baked fresh all day and are wonderfully crusty. The fillings are also generous. Tonight, my boyfriend had a Steak and Cheese sub, and he raved about the thinly sliced meat. I had a Ham and Turkey sub, which was wonderfully enhanced by DiBella's own oil dressing. In addition to the best subs in WNY (some might say Wegmans' are the best, but Wegman's started with DiBella subs in the beginning), the atmosphere is unlike any other sub place around. Plenty of old fashioned advertising and great music like "Hit The Road Jack" and "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" make this place a fun place to grab a quick and delicous meal (~$7 for a sub combo with drink, and chips or cookie)."

Dick and Jenny's Bake and Brew.
1270 Baseline Rd., Grand Island.
775-5047.

When JPK sent me the review below, it included this comment: "The website is for the New Orleans location but it gives you an idea of the owners." I was puzzled, because the New Orleans Dick and Jenny's didn't seem related to the Grand Island one. However, at JPK's urging, I learned that, indeed, Dick and Jenny (the people, not the restaurant) came here from New Orleans (see "Grand Island Business News—Page 5" and scroll down to "Dick & Jenny's Bake & Brew To Open February 26—February 2008"). Moreover, JPK says "Beyond asking them if they still have a stake in the other restaurant the plates are the same in both." Check out the links! New Orleans's loss is Western New York's gain :-)

[JPK, 11/09] says: "I have been using your website for years, and my husband and I have been trying new restaurants recommended by your users since moving back to the area in 2002. [Thanks!] A restaurant that has been open for a bit is Dick and Jenny's on Grand Island. We have gone for breakfast and lunch, and they will be opening soon for dinner. The food is excellent: very fresh and reasonably priced. Breakfast items include egg bakes, which are baked eggs with different additions; I had one with spinach, feta, artichokes, and tomatoes, and it was great. Lunch is also tasty. The turkey melt includes fresh, roasted turkey and ham. The breads and sweets are homemade. They are reopening toward the end of November, having recently received a liquor license, and will be open for dinner. We cannot wait. Living on the Island, it is great to have somewhere close to go for very good food and great service."

Di Giulio & Co..
1673 Hertel Ave. (between Parkside and Starin), Buffalo.
446-1673.

Italian.

[8/06] & [5/08] Given 3½ (out of 4) stars by Janice Okun, Buffalo News restaurant reviewer.

[AL, 12/06] says: "After Janice Okun's review, we put nearby DiGiulio's on our "within walking distance, must visit" list. Undeterred by the earlier spinach incident review, we headed there for our anniversary. We were not disappointed. Even though it was a Friday during the peak of the holiday season, we had a relatively quiet table (although it was a bit too dark for my taste) and were served by an attentive staff. Our food was excellent. My grilled raddichio was perfectly cooked and served with lots of roasted peppers and mozzarella with a tasty vinaigrette. My wife's grilled veggies were equally fine. Main courses (veal chop and pork tenderloin special with cranberry salsa) were also well prepared and very satisfying. The portions are large—we split the leftover pork the next evening at home and did not leave the table hungry. We shared a cake dessert and were a bit disappointed that the cappuccino maker was broken. The wine-by-the-glass list was fairly extensive. I tried several, and was satisfied. We will go back."

[R&PW, 12/06] say: "My husband and I had heard of this new restaurant and read the critics' great reviews. I must say we loved the atmosphere and enjoyed watching the chefs through the glass. Our food was hot and cooked to perfection. It was a very different dining experience, and we will go back. The wait staff was wonderful and attentive. Great sign outside, very different."

[PT, 9/06] says: "Janice Okun gave DiGiulio & Co. a nice review and 3-1/2 stars, so my husband and I expected a fine meal when we dined here on Friday, 9/15. The place looked very elegant when we arrived. After a glass of wine, we asked the waiter what the soup of the day was. He said cream of spinach. I said, "Don't you know you're not supposed to serve spinach?" He asked why not, so I told him that the government had issued a health warning for all spinach, whether raw or cooked, because of E-coli contamination, and that it had been recalled by the packers, and taken off the shelves in grocery stores. He said he didn't know. I ordered a mixed green salad. When it arrived, it had a lot of spinach along with various other greens. I told the waiter to take it back, that I couldn't eat it. He asked why, so I again told him about the E-coli contamination, and suggested that he tell the kitchen staff that they should stop serving it. He said, well you ordered it, are you going to pay for it? I told him I wouldn't have ordered it if I had known it was made with spinach, and that we had no intention of paying for it. Moving on, for my main course, I had salmon, which wasn't very good. My husband had lamb chops, which he said were fine, but by then our meal had been ruined by the waiter's attitude. I would say Janice Okun should find a new line of work. This place was highy overrated, is overpriced (everything is à la carte), needs a chef who reads or watches the news, and wait-staff who listen to their customers. We'll never return, even though we weren't charged for the salad."

The Dock at the Bay.
3800 Hoover Rd. (on Lake Erie, off Rt. 5 at Bay View Rd.), Blasdell.
823-8247.

[HPK, 6/09] says: "I was very hesitant to go here based on the past reviews. I am not sure what happened in the past, but the food, service, and atmosphere were great. We decided to sit outside, which meant we would hear the loud music, which for us was fun: a nice way to ‘let loose’ at 41 years old. The food was excellent. I had crab cakes, another had a chicken dish, and my wife had the prime rib; no issues at all! The drinks were good, as well. Our server was attentive and answered all our questions. This was a fun Friday night. We spent some time afterwards looking at the lake; that alone is a beautiful sight we forget about in WNY. If you want a quieter dinner, ask for a table indoors. We will be going again: good food and fun!"

[NWi, 10/08] said: "Short and not-so-sweet review of The Dock at the Bay. June, 2008: Windy day out on the patio for lunch; therefore, we moved indoors to find that the AC was so bitter cold that we had to place items on the air vents. Food was cold and tasteless. Horrible quality compared to just a few years ago. Waiter was friendly but totally alone on staff, and clueless. Insisted that we take a free dessert with us for our inconveniences! I would not eat there again."

[JKl, 9/08] said: "After reading other guests' reviews recounting their bad experiences, I was spurred to add my own review to also warn other would-be diners. We visited this restaurant at the end of June 2008 for my mother's birthday dinner. Despite having a past bad experience (for my mother's birthday a few years ago; go figure), we were lured back yet again for the promise of dining + live music outside after dinner. We were a large group of 10 and made reservations in advance. We were promptly seated on a Sunday evening at around 6pm. We were only one of three occupied tables in the room, so we were glad to see that our past experience of bad service wouldn't be an issue. We were wrong. Despite being a very slow night customer-wise, our service was agonizingly slow. Our waitress rarely returned to fill our water glasses, and one of us actually had to get up and speak to the hostess to find our waitress to retrieve refills of other beverages. The food is highly overpriced, overcooked, and sub-par. I had a beef on weck that featured dry, wrinkled-up beef and a pile of mushy French fries. My husband was served Cajun Alfredo, which was barely spicy and unappealingly watery. The chicken in his dish was rubbery and did not seem fully cooked. We all agreed unanimously that we would never patronize this place again. Oh, and the "live band" that was scheduled to show up never played. So we wasted money on poor food, horrible service, and weren't even rewarded with some entertainment, the real reason we showed up in the first place!"

[KiB, 7/08] said: "This is a report about The Dock at the Bay Restaurant. To start with the sum of my experience with this site, let me say that I am in my 50s and until I went to this eatery I had never found the service so lacking at a restaurant that I felt I should walk out—that is, until I went here. The site was recommended by AAA, and I have let them know they should seriously review this site pending its removal from their listings. I went in alone, without a reservation, on a Thursday evening. A young lady greeted me and promptly seated me at 8:15 PM. At ~8:30 PM, a couple was seated next to me, they got their drink order in, got their drinks and their bread and enjoyed a nice conversation with the waitress about that day's weather—all with the waitress's back to me the whole time. There were only 8 table set-ups in the room, and 2 were empty, and all but that one couple were eating their meals—this was not a hectic time by any stretch of the imagination! After 27 minutes of being ignored, I went to the lady who sat me and asked to speak with the manager. When I told her that I was quite upset at being ignored and not served in any way, her first response was that she was sorry and then she proceeded to turn to the greeter and ask what steps the greeter had taken and who she had spoken to. At this point I left. I refuse to give my business to a place that places customer service so low on its list of priorities. I'm sorry that I have no information on their food; I never got any and will never, ever enter that place again—period."

[NDB, 7/07] said: "I couldn't pass up the opportunity to alert you and your readers to the most horrific dining-out experience I have ever had: Big Night Out Gone Wrong. When there are 13 people going out to eat, you think long and hard about the location, the atmosphere, the quality, and price to accommodate all the eaters. We chose the Dock at the Bay because there were 6 adults and 7 kids ranging in age from 3 to 14. We had hoped to eat on the patio, listen to the band, and enjoy the beautiful Buffalo sunset on the water. We made a reservation to ensure we could all sit together. We arrived promptly on time for our reservation. They had set up a table inside where there was no view and the air-conditioning was cold. There were less than 4 indoor tables occupied at the time. We requested to eat on the patio, which was also sparsely populated. After much discussion and pleading with both the hostess and the restaurant manager, we were accommodated. We had offered to split the kids from the adults, but we got the lame excuse that they can't seat more than a party of 10 on the patio. This is absurd, as they are going to fill the seats regardless, and we did offer to separate. Finally we sat down with the 8 at one table and 5 at the table next to us. The meal was good. We ordered pots of crab legs, clams, lots of chicken wings for the kids, and the adults each ordered a main entree. We enjoyed several beverages, and the band was quite good. Our waitress was very good. All was going well, until it came time to pay. My friend had a gift card that was a year old but had no expiration. The manager once again declined to accept the card. The value of the card was $75, and our bill was well over $300. We weren't looking for a free meal. As it turned out, the owner, Denise (no one seems to know her last name), was eating on the patio with friends. I asked her if I could speak with her off to the side, but her manager jumped in and started the conversation, forcing to me to explain in front of her guests. I had no intention of embarrassing her, but her manager left me no choice. We explained our situation, and she too said they would not honor the card, and no accommodation was offered. Nothing. I walked away. Shortly after, she came up to me telling me how rude I was to interrupt her dinner, which was not my intention. I told her we spent over $300, and her response was "So?". Never in my life has an owner not bent over backwards to make me, the paying customer, feel welcome and appreciated. Well, Denise is the first!!! We paid our bill and started to the bar area to have a drink and listen to the band. The kids were watching the volleyball game, and everything was fine. As we walked down the steps, we were asked by the bouncers to leave the restaurant. I was stunned. We were followed like were criminals, like we had done something wrong. We left, and took our business to Hoak's. They were accommodating, and we enjoyed the sunset. I want your readers to know that this business does not value the customer or the money they spend. The hostess, the manager, and the owner were all rude and less than accommodating. It occurred to me that perhaps these people have never left Blasdell and don't really know how to behave like respected business owners. I also noticed they are not a member of the Better Business Bureau; it's no wonder. Hope you will print this to save others from the same poor experience we had!!"

[ELC, 6/07] said: "I ate here for a wedding reception in 6/06 and found the food bland and very ordinary (however, the appetizers were wonderful, and the service was very good!) However, I have eaten in the actual restaurant several times and found it absolutely wonderful! Their clam chowder is amazing, as is their pork and apples—dessert (we split a slice of apple pie) was also fabulous. Don't have a reception or party here, but I'd recommend it highly for lunch or dinner!"

[RDM, 5/06] said: "Sorry to say, this restaurant was horrible. There was no one to seat us as we walked in. After a few minutes, we (along with a few other diners) peeked into the bar and restaurant area to see what was up. A frantic hostess screamed out, "I'll be with everyone in a minute." The place did not seem overly full to us. She rudely asked if we had reservations, then sighed when we said no and mumbled something about having one table left. This seemed odd, since, throughout dinner, several tables remained empty around us. It seemed to take forever to get a highchair, forever for our waitress to finally come and screw up our drink order (then blame us for the mix up), and forever for her to take our order. At one point she actually told us she had hot food coming out for another table and would come back to take our orders in a bit. The food was very mediocre! My husband and I both ordered the crab cake dinner ($18). The crab cakes themselves were tasty, but the sauce was completely tasteless. There were no lemons accompanying the crab cakes, just very few roasted baby red potatoes and a side dish of stir-fry vegetables with a horribly sweet teriyaki sauce. Apparently, these were the V.O.D. as the menu stated. They did not go with our meal and tasted straight out of the freezer section of Sam's Club. My mother-in-law did enjoy her fish fry, but my father-in-law's seafood pasta was also bland. 0 stars! I will not give Dock at the Bay a second chance."

Doctor Birds Caribbean Rasta-Rant.
3104 Main St., Buffalo.
837-6426.

[DaB] says:

[12/06] "I just wanted to add to my previous review... Several months ago I decided to make a truly life-altering change, and became an avid vegan. Despite what one might think, this change has had little impact on the wonderful and tasty food that I get to enjoy, specifically at what remains my favorite restaurant in Buffalo, NY. My new favorite dish, replacing the once-craved curry goat, is the stakelet. This "compressed soy-protein patty" is lightly browned, and baked in a flavorful sauce, enhanced with island spices and an assortment of garden vegetables, served atop piping hot red beans and rice. I also still get to enjoy those old Jamaican favorites, like the sunny-tasting calaloo patties, warm coco-bread, and exotic curry dishes, accompanied with a spicy, strong-tasting roots drink. I suppose it just goes to show that even with such a dramatic change of my diet, I still have a place at this true cultural landmark. It is truly a place where people mean something."

[2/06] "No matter what time of year it is, it is always summertime at Doctor Birds Rasta-Rant. The tantalizing aromas wafting from the kitchen; the Reggae music pumping from the stereo in the back; and the colorful wall posters depicting images of tropical islands, reggae musician Bob Marley, and the great Selassie adorning the walls make this tiny, warm, restaurant/corner store an enchanting adventure of its own. For starters, other than the numerous exotic drinks in their large floor cooler (for someone as much a fan of Africa as I am, I highly recommend the "Baba Roots drink"), try one of the flaky, tasty patties within the large warmer on the counter. Each patty can be ordered hot, medium, or mild. Options include beef, chicken, vegetable, calaloo, and soy. The spicy chicken patty is my personal favorite, including a subtle hint of Jamaican curry powder, and fresh potatoes. Ask about using their dining room next door to the main take-out area for a more formal sit-down atmosphere. Each entree is served with a Jamaican-style red beans and rice, steamed mixed vegetables, and seasonal homemade sides, such as their fantastic Jamaican potato salad. My personal favorite is the curry goat. Goat remains my favorite meat, and here they really know how to cook it! For those who have never had it, it is a strong, flavorful meat, served on the bone, with a tender melt-in-your-mouth feel to it. This dish is not always available, but when it is, get it! Each dinner is available in sizes small, medium, large, and extra-large. The oxtail is good as well, but not quite as flavorful as the former dish. Their jerk chicken is quite hot (which I do not mind at all), marinated in their own gourmet jerk sauce, including scotch bonnet peppers and various tropical fruit, which adds some sweetness to it. The brown stew chicken and curry chicken appear to be favorites as well. For vegetarians, items include curried or lightly seasoned steamed vegetables, steaklet (soy protein patty), as well as a variety of vegetarian sandwiches for lunch. Seafood lovers... come on down! Escovietched or fried red snapper and jumbo curried shrimp are awaiting you. Many entrees are available as wraps, stuffed inside an enormous piece of roti (Indian flatbred). For desserts, the large, colorful floor cooler contains large pieces of homemade banana bread, coco bread, yellow cake, cheesecake, and Jamaican bean pies. This is a little place, but it is such a fantastic one. When I am stressed out from my busy life, this is my sanctuary. When you open the door, a warm breeze from within blows out, and you step into a small, bright sanctuary that closes you off from the frantic rush of the outside world. The staff and customers are all very friendly and always ready to strike up a converstation. The culture and mere energy and excitement of the place have truly taken my breath away. When you do not have the money to truly get away from it all, this is as close as it gets. I have been going to Doctor Bird's for a long time now, and will continue to be a loyal customer for as long as I can."

[CAl, 4/06] says: "Doctor Birds Caribbean Rasta-Rant has a cool name and spicy menu. Although it is a cozy place, there is enough parking for everyone who comes. I tried the spicy curry chic. It's mixed with soft-boiled potatoes, and is served with mixed veggies and rice and beans. There is also a tasty surprise that comes with it: plantains. I also tried the spicy beef patties from the warmer; they were H-O-T. So H-O-T that I had to get another one. Try chasing that down with a nice cold Jamaican ginger beer. One of the pleasant workers told me it enhances the flavor. I suggest that, if you want to try something new, go and visit. Although I've never heard of it, Doctor Birds has been established since 1968. I urge everyone to try it at least once, and don't be afraid if it doesn't look like what you were expecting. It is a great place with great food!!!"

[GWe, 4/06] says: "I have been going to Doctor Birds Caribbean Rasta-Rant ever since I was a sophomore in high school; I am currently a freshman in college. My barber shop is right across the street from the Rasta-Rant, and, every time my friend and I would get our hair cut, we would make it our business to get a spicy beef patty from Doctor Birds; the beef patties are very good, and they only cost a dollar and fifty cents The service is also very good and timely; you don't have to wait long for your food. Although their beef patties are very good and inexpensive, for about three years that's the only thing I was getting from there, until, about two months ago, I tried the curry chicken with red rice and beans and steamed mixed vegetables. This meal cost me about six dollars and fifty cents, but it was worth it. Other than the chicken being a little too spicy, the meal was good and filling. The only negative comment I have about Doctor Birds is that this is not a place where you would come and eat in. Most people get their food and go; I think it's mainly because it's such a small space: People really can't get comfortable and enjoy their food there. Other than that, Doctor Birds is a really good restaurant or Rasta-Rant. I would suggest that you at least try the spicy beef patty; you won't be disappointed."

[MEL, 10/97] says: "I had a satisfactory but not impressive chicken roti (kind of like a Jamaican version of moo shu chicken). Significantly less expensive than Curly's."

The Dog Bar.
1913 Davis Rd., West Falls.
652-5550.

[WW, 9/08] says: "Saturday, September 6th, 2008. Lousy!!! First, let me say we were not in a hurry; four of us went out for a relaxing evening. When we arrived at 7:00pm, we waited 20 minutes for a waitress to arrive at our table to take our drink order. A glass of ice, a carafe of pop, & a shot of Jim Beam were placed in front of me, so that I could mix my own drink. My husband received a shot of vodka, a carafe of tomato juice, and all the fixings to make his own Bloody Mary. If I wanted to make my own drinks, I would have stayed home. Next, we waited just over an hour for our soup, another 30 minutes for our salad, & another 45 minutes for our entree. I am more than willing to pay for a great steak. I've had better steak at Outback. I had heard rave reviews about this place for years, but obviously something has changed. Since dining there and telling people of our experience, they all say the same thing: lousy. It apparently has been going downhill for the past 5 to 6 years. It certainly was not worth the $100.00+ dinner bill that we spent there that evening."

[PM, 4/07] said: "Just read about your website in Buffalo Rising Magazine and expect to visit often. My wife and I eat out often and love real restaurants run by people who like to cook, as opposed to the corporate, plastic, chemical factories with fake friendliness that are slowly taking over. Fortunately, Buffalo is a great place to eat out. It's too bad so many are only interested in the portion-size-to-price ratio. The first thing I did was look at a review about one of our regular restaurants and was surprised to see a nasty review by an apparently vindictive person "warning people away from this restaurant". Is there any way to know whether the person reviewing has reviewed many restaurants or just [has] a vendetta? Or is a mole seeking to damage competition? Or perhaps promote their place? The one that brought this up is the "New" review of the Dog Bar in West Falls. The menu clearly states that all food is cooked to order and takes a while, and especially lamb takes extra long. And those are the exact problems that the individual has with the place! So, if you are in a hurry, don't go, but why trash the place because you can't comprehend the words on the menu? (Not you, of course, but the reviewer). We have eaten there many times over the last 20 years. It is a unique family place that has real food, steaks, and lamb that taste as they should, rather than the chemically tenderized meat often found. We don't eat there often enough. It's true that it is a leisurely place to eat, so we just don't go if we are in a hurry. But when we go, we dine and relax, and it is always a pleasant evening. Real food, cooked to order, at honest prices. It's a shame that people are in too much of a hurry to appreciate good things done the old fashioned way. Fast meat? Try Ponderosa. It's very popular."

On the other hand, [MBu, 4/07] said: "I know that reviews should cover food, not service. But people need to be warned away from this place. I went to The Dog Bar searching for lamb, rumored to be the best in the area. I encountered that certain experience we all have at least once: service so bad it is almost dreamlike, swimming-through-molasses bad. We had Saturday reservations for two, arrived early at about 5 minutes to 6, sat down in the near-empty restaurant. Twenty minutes before a waitress appeared, another 30 minutes before drinks and menus. Another 30 minutes to take our order. Another 30 minutes brought soup. No amount of pleading would get any restaurant personnel to our table. Actively ignored. We're into it nearly 2 hours, and no food. I grabbed a passing waitress and asked for rolls to keep us busy while we waited for our food. She nodded, then left, then failed to return. It had now become a comedy that I couldn't exit, just so I could see how it turned out. If they didn't like us for some unknown reason, they could have fed us and we would have been gone by now. It became more movie-like. A party of 12 entered, and they were clearly regulars. Lots of greeting and fawning and back slapping. They had their food in 30 minutes. After 2 hours we did not have ours. I left $5 on the table to pay for the soup. We walked out, and no one noticed. The soup: average, but highly prized as the only meal of the evening. I can only recommend The Dog Bar if you want a restaurant experience uncontaminated by service or actual food."

La Dolce Vita Caffe & Bistro.—WARNING: WEBSITE HAS LOUD VOICES TALKING
1472 Hertel Ave., Buffalo.
446-5690.

Takeout available from Takeout Taxi, 631-2222.

[RJS, 6/09] says: "My fiancee and I have been big fans of your guide for a number of years, but we have never sent you a review—until now. We love eating out, and recently we have had great dining experiences at The Western Door steak house (high-end, in Niagara Falls), Fortuna's (mid-range Italian—with wonderful salads and pasta sauces (the tuna & anchovy is to die for!)—in Niagara Falls), and the Dutch Mill (family-priced breakfast, with outstanding potato pancakes, in Lancaster). However, this past Saturday, we had one of the worst dining experiences of our lives at La Dolce Vita, and we wanted to share it with you and your readers. My fiancee and I decided to have an early pre-Belmont Stakes dinner on Saturday, 6/6, at about 5:00 p.m. at La Dolce Vita, on Hertel, not far from our home. I must state for the record that I am not a disgruntled former employee of La Dolce Vita and that, about two years ago, we had an acceptable dinner. However, our "dinner" on 6/6/09 at La Dolce Vita was undoubtedly one of the worst dining experiences we have ever had. Warning signs were apparent almost immediately. We soon discovered that before 5:00 p.m. on a Saturday, the kitchen & bar were out of many things, including club soda for the promoted Italian sodas, crumbled blue cheese for salad, and the promoted San Pellegrino bottled sodas. In fairness, the spinach & artichoke dip was fine. But then came the salad and soup. My partner's salad was made up of lettuce so brown, it would have been rejected at a food bank. Her "balsamic vinegar" was incredibly watered down; thankfully, she couldn't eat the brown lettuce. My "soup of the day" was a disgrace. My father instilled in me a love for soup, but neither she nor I could down a "pea soup" concoction that had peas swimming in a half-inch of grease on top of the bowl. After two brave tastes, I put the soup with the also-rejected salad for pick-up by the waitress. We never had an opportunity to let our waitress know about the soup and salad, because someone else quickly picked them up. By the way, we noticed that all the neighboring tables were given salads composed of brown lettuce; luckily enough, nobody else ordered soup—perhaps they saw mine. Then came the entrees. My pistachio salmon was woefully overcooked; when the pistachios have more moisture than does the salmon, the diner is in trouble. The attempt at a mashed sweet potato side failed miserably, with it having a sickeningly-sweet after-taste of artificial sweetener. My fiancee was able to eat some of her goat cheese pasta, but not the two veal & pork meatballs we ordered to split. Her first bite was dropped into her napkin, containing some unidentifiable stringy substance. She was fortunate—I hit a 1/2-carat bone in my first bite of meatball. When the waitress finally came back to check on our entrees, I told her about the bone, thinking the chef might be interested in limiting potential liability to other customers. The waitress came back and said that the chef thought that I didn't hit a bone but "grizzle". (Can you imagine a restaurant that takes pride in the grizzle in its meatballs?!?) I informed the waitress that, with all due respect, I knew the difference between a bone and grizzle (after all, I once was married to a dental hygenist), and I showed her the bone. She left without comment, and the meatballs were not removed from the table (nor were they taken off our bill). We left after paying the full check and vowed never to come back to La Dolce Vita again. That had been one of the worst dining experiences of our lives. All La Dolce Vita has to offer is sidewalk seating. If you must go there, drink, but don't eat. However, you may not even be able to drink there if they continue to run out of items. There is certainly a "lemming" factor in Hertel Avenue dining, with people going to restaurants no matter what they are served. But several Hertel Avenue restaurants have closed recently; based on the utterly embarrasing meal we were served, La Dolce Vita might be next."

[MCT, 6/09] says: "We recently decided to give this place a try because of the patio, and we had driven by numerous times and it looked like there was always a decent crowd there. I will admit we did not look up your site's review prior, which we almost always do religiously, so I guess I deserved the terrible meal for not consulting the site first! I can honestly say that I love food, regardless of the cuisine, and this was by far one of the worst restaurants I have ever been to. I have never been to an Italian restaurant where the menu didn't have a couple of those ‘gotta try’ selections. The menu lacked any real mainstays or anchors, if you know what I mean. Everything just sounded so-so. We were there at 7:30 p.m., and they were out of the ‘deck oven’ pizzas, the only thing the person I was with wanted to try. She chose the spaghetti and meatball, and I will admit the meatball was very good, but the sauce was very tangy and not traditional Italian. I ordered the ‘pasta concetta’, and I brought home ⅔ of it, because it was so bland. There were 3 small shrimp and maybe 4 small, penny-sized, not the half-dollar size, scallops. I have never been to a restaurant and paid $20 for a plate that consisted of scallops and those were the size used. The pasta and pesto sauce had almost no flavor at all; the split pea and ham soup was very bland, and I had to add salt, which I never do; and the peas did not seem like they were soaked all the way, because the soup was very watery, not a creamy texture like most other split-pea soups I have had over the years. There really was not anything decent to order on this menu; I believe they offered 4 pasta entrées and maybe 6 other entrées, and one of them was chicken parm. The only good thing about our experience was the exceptional service and the antipasto appetizer. Other than that, I can honestly say every other aspect of our meal was terrible. I was embarrassed by the quality of the food and ashamed to have brought my guest from out of town there."

I [Bill] got a not-unexpected phone call from someone identifying himself as "Ross", owner or manager of La Dolce Vita, understandably upset at the two reviews below. He insisted they were submitted by disgruntled former employees, and requested that I remove the reviews. I checked with both [MBr], who is a banker, and [JeL], who recently moved here from another state. Both tell me that they have never worked at La Dolce Vita.

[JeL, 8/08] said: "A frozen pizza. Beer in a dirty glass. The pasta sauce came from a plastic drum, many of which I saw strewn about the filthy kitchen. My wife and I suspect that this is either a front to launder money, or the chef/owner chronically lives in a state of poor mental and physical hygiene."

[MBr, 4/08] said: "On a Friday at 6:30 in the evening, most restaurants would be hard to get a table. When we walked into La Dolce Vita and there was one other table, we should have turned and walked out. This table had customers who were complaining about a gift certificate and the ability to only use one per table. They were told the second one could be used at another day. They said we don't want to come back even for free. Wow! We sat down and ordered. My wife had what they called oven pizza, and I ordered the Fettuccine Della Nonna. The bread was brought over, and it was far from fresh. The pizza was nothing more than a Tony's microwavable pizza, and my pasta had no flavor whatsoever. After the food was served, we felt that we were forgotten about. The server finally brought our bill but had no change to give us back. The manager had the same problem. We agree with the other couple at the time we walked in: Don't go here even if it is free!"

Dolci Bakery.
372 Elmwood Ave. (just north of Allentown), Buffalo.
882-5956.

[LCo, 5/08] says: "Dolci is a bakery in the heart of the Elmwood strip. They make vegan cupcakes, and that's the only reason I go there. The cupcakes are chocolatey and moist, and the buttercream is delicious. It's fluffy and flavorful and stacked high. They usually have both chocolate and regular buttercream stocked in the case. I wish I could vouch for more of their desserts, but the vegan cupcakes are reason enough to stop in."

The Dove. WARNING! Obnoxiously LOUD website!
3002 Abbott Road (at the corner of Willet, near Berg), Orchard Park.
823-6680.

[RDM] says:
[10/09] "I had another amazing meal here on Thursday evening [10/22/09]. I really enjoyed the evening's special, which was linguine with mussels, clams, shrimp, and calamari over broth. I have to rate The Dove A+ on our entire meal, service and atmosphere included!"

[10/07] "We ate here again last night. The Dove is an experience! Everything we had was amazing. The mussels posilipo (in spicy red sauce) appetizer, the bread, the house and Caesar salads, the complimentary pasta faigole, the complimentary lemoncello shot, the shrimp luciano (shrimp, garlic, and oil, with mussels over linguini), and the veal gorgonzola were all above average. The staff made us feel at home. The atmosphere at the bar where we had a nightcap and watched the Sabres game after dinner was so friendly. The Dove is easily on my top ten list of WNY restaurants!"

[3/07] "My husband and I tried The Dove after reading the great reviews it received on this website. We were not disappointed! Great food, great atmosphere, and great staff. We'll certainly be back."

[RL, 8/09] said: "I would like to contribute a review of The Dove on Abbott Road. I had driven past this restaurant many times but never really had the urge to go there. It's difficult to tell what type of place it is and what type of food they serve based on just the appearance and the name. It's mostly Italian, but not the all too common quantity-over-quality version of Italian. If not for happening upon all of the positive reviews on this website, I probably never would have tried this restaurant. The experience at The Dove must be very consistent, as my experiences almost exactly echo those of the other reviewers. The first question I have at any restaurant is, ‘What beers do you have on tap?’ There were only two choices here, Shock Top and Michelob Amber Bock. I would have liked more options, but I was just happy to see something other than Labatt Blue, so I went with a Shock Top ($2.50; very reasonable). We were then presented with our basket of fresh bread, which was served hot with whipped butter. You could definitely tell that the rolls were homemade. Next came the complimentary pasta fagioli soup, served with onions and freshly grated cheese: very good. This was followed by our salads, both ordered with the house dressing. I also requested crumbled bleu cheese ($1), which I expected would be on the salad but instead arrived in a small bowl on the side. There was enough cheese for 2 salads, so I guess I got my dollar's worth. The salads were very fresh and consisted of a nice assortment of arugula and other greens. Can you guess what came next? Yes, the ice cold limoncello shot, which was a refreshing touch. I'd like to note that the timing of these different courses was just about perfect. There was just enough time between each course to not make us feel rushed, but not so long that we ever felt like there was a wait. Our server was very attentive, our water glasses were always filled, and overall the service here was excellent. For our entrees, I ordered the Filetto di Pomodoro ($12). This consisted of a very flavorful, chunky tomato sauce and pancetta served over linguine. My benchmark for pasta is Trattoria Aroma, and, while the menu at The Dove doesn't offer as many interesting choices, the quality is right up there. The pasta was perfectly cooked, and served very hot. My companion had the Chicken Parmigiana ($17), consisting of two breaded chicken cutlets served with linguine. It was reported to be very good. We both ended up with leftovers, which were wrapped for us. For dessert, we split a piece of the tiramisu ($6), which was just about perfect. And yes, there is bread at the door that you can take home with you. Keep up the good work on the website." [Thanks for the kind words!]

[KCa, 10/06] said: "A wonderful lunchtime retreat. The atmosphere there is open and inviting with an Italian motif—very soothing. The freshness of the food and the quality of service makes for an overall enjoyable experience. Each customer promptly receives their freshly made bread basket with an assortment of breads and homemade sticks to please, then out comes the house's soup for the day; after that, a carefully prepared salad with many dressings offered to choose from. Entrees range at lunch time from $7.00-$15.00 . The Caesar salad is the best I have ever had: exactly the right combination of ingredients to set off the fresh greens. Please save room for dessert, because no matter what you order here you know the owners have taken into account freshness and quality along with careful preparation as the benchmark to please their customers. I also am very impressed with their wine list and the affordability of their selections. When leaving the restaurant, help yourself to a complimentary bag of those fresh rolls and breadsticks discussed earlier in my review. Viva Italia. Check out The Dove; you won't leave disappointed!"

[ADB, 7/06] said: "We celebrated our anniversary at the Dove. This was our second attempt—we had tried the previous year, but apparently they were closed on Sundays (and we didn't know this). We were unable to find a website previously, but now the Dove has one. Definitely a good place to eat! My husband had a pancetta and pasta dish, and I had shrimp with olive oil and broccoli over linguine. Both dishes tasted great and were not overly expensive ($11 and $16). The shrimp in my dish were large, and my husband seemed to really enjoy his meal. Both plates were big enough to take a bit home. There is an extensive menu, and we could have had much more expensive dishes had we chosen to. We were a little disappointed in wine selection. While they had a lot of listings, there weren't wines like German Rieslings, and not really any local wines, either. So, it made it difficult to choose what to drink. We did choose a wine and were brought a large wine-glass-full each, which was nice. Service was wonderful. From the moment we stepped in, we were brought fresh, hot bread with butter, and were asked if we wanted lemon for our water. We ordered calamari as an appetizer, and it was some of the best I had ever tasted. Though not stated on the menu, a small bowl of soup (pasta fagioli) was included, along with fresh parmesan and onions. Salads were large and delicious—dark leafy greens. Our waiter and others continuously stopped by to make sure that our dinners were satisfactory, to see if we needed anything, etc. We were brought a lemon "shot" to cleanse our palate before our entree arrived. Food was brought to the table incredibly hot, which is great! Though there was a meeting or event going on in the next room, service was incredibly attentive. I would definitely recommend The Dove."

[HJI, 8/05] said: "The Dove in South Buffalo deserves a full review, especially if it's anything like the one that the family also owns in Satellite Beach, FL. My sister and I were looking through the Melbourne [FL] Dining Guide, and we came across a review of The Dove. After reading it, she said it sounded just like a place in Buffalo that she's fond of. (When I'd visit Buffalo, I'd frequent the restaurant, too, but then it was owned by different people and known as the Painted Post.) Anyway, both places shared the Dove name and gave away their dinner rolls to departing patrons. Coincidence or not? We decided to find out. Indeed, the two places are owned by the same family. The brother operates the place in Satellite Beach and his sister, the place in Buffalo. As for the dining, [the FL restaurant] was exquisite! If you've not been to the Dove in Buffalo, and if it's anything like its Satellite Beach counterpart, you're in for a treat."

[LDM, 1/04] said: "Serving Italian American fare with the quality and presentation that rival competitors north of the city. Lunch and dinner menu is served in a warm, pleasant atmosphere."

[am] Duff's (Amherst).
3651 Sheridan Dr. (at Millersport Hwy., next to Falafel Bar), Amherst. 834-6234.

Bill says:
[3/09] My son and I returned for a quick dinner after his trumpet lesson. He revisited his medium-light wings, and preferred them to their equivalent at the airport location of Anchor Bar. I decided to try the mild wings (one step up from plain): I was very disappointed: They were almost tasteless—certainly no hint of Frank's Red Hot —and very greasy. Taste in chicken wings is a very personal thing. I've been told that there are two basic recipes: baking and frying, and that Anchor Bar bakes, whereas Duff's fries; I don't know if this is true, but I much prefer those at Anchor Bar. ( [DMcI, 3/09] comments: "I've never been to the Anchor, but every time it shows up on television, the wings are shown being taken out of a fry basket. Keep up the great work!". Thanks for the info. In that case, if Anchor fries, then maybe Duff's bakes, in which case, I guess I prefer frying, but, as I said, it's all a matter of personal taste.) I supplemented my wings with a small salad with fat-free Italian dressing; it was mostly iceberg lettuce, with one slice of cucumber and two cherry tomatoes in a bowl that was so small that it was impossible to keep the lettuce in the bowl and off the table; the dressing was much better than the fat-free Dijon that I had had at my previous visit. I'm going to drop Duff's star; their wings simply weren't as good as I remember them to have been years ago.

[2/09] My 13-year-old son and I had dinner here just before his school science fair. He ordered wings with "medium light" sauce, which I found intolerably hot, but he thought was OK; he did, however, request that I take him to get some Chapstick for his lips afterwards :-). He also had onion rings, which he said were very crunchy (a good thing). I had a chef salad with chicken and fat-free Dijon dressing; the salad was huge, with warm chicken, black olives, tomatoes, lettuce, green peppers, and croutons: quite nice, but the dressing was overly sweet.

[EK, 2/08] says: "Since stumbling (luckily) on Duff's, and living 350 miles away, I look forward to trips to Buffalo and eating there. I happened to blow the clutch in my car getting off the interstate at Harlem Rd....initial thought "ouch this is going to be expensive"...comforting thought "3 possibly 4 more meals at Duff's while the car is getting repaired." "

[TCV, 9/06] says: "I just went to the Amherst Duff's with some friends. I'd only been there once before. Overall, it was a horrible experience. The service was slow, they got our order wrong, and the food was not good. One of the people in our party ordered the chicken sandwich that I talked about elsewhere, and it wasn't good at all. She said it tasted like it was microwaved. One of our three orders of fries came out, and then the wings two or three minutes later, and then the sandwich three minutes after that. The waitress apparently didn't understand that we wanted more than one order of fries, so we had to order those again and wait for those. She forgot our refills at least three times. We waited twenty minutes for our check, then after some more waiting for her to come by to take the credit card, we gave up and just brought it up to the counter. We were there in total for an hour and a half, and only about 40 minutes were spent actually eating."

[HPK, 9/04] says: "In response to the just posted Duff's review [about their Orchard Park location], where the question is asked: "[BL, 9/04] says: ..... Does anyone know if this is what the Amherst location is like, too?" Unfortunately yes. I used to be a big fan of Duffs. Before I moved here, when I came into town, I always made sure I went to the Duff's in Amherst. That all stopped about four years ago. What used to be the best wings in town, are now not worth it at all."

[RM, 5/00] says: "Good wings and basic food. Great for students or out-of-town guests. Wings are better than those currently served at the Anchor Bar if one cares about quality and not history."

[DN] says...

[5/00] ...that he has since moved to the Bay area, but returned recently and had dinner "at Duff's, which still has the best chicken wings I have ever tasted. We've been searching for halfway decent chicken wings in the San Francisco Bay area, but haven't found anything yet. Nothing compares with Duff's or the Anchor Bar. (In fact, we went back to Duff's for lunch!)"

[8/96] "Still the best wings in Buffalo. My brother swears by them and insists on going there every time he visits Buffalo (from India!). The wings are hotter than at other places (as their T-shirts will tell you)."

[MEL, 5/99] says: "Pretty good wings for the suburbs, though I liked the Anchor Bar's better.

Duff's (Orchard Park).
3090 Orchard Park Rd. (at Union, near La-Z-Boy), Orchard Park.
674-7212.

According to an article in the Buffalo News, this is a licensee (franchise) of Duff's in Amherst, but (they tell me) same menu and recipes.

[TCV, 6/06] says: "I feel I have to defend Orchard Park Duff's. I've never paid for refills (when I've needed them; the drinks are big!), and the fries are always nice and hot. Even though it's the same recipe, I've always found that I liked the wings here better than the ones at the Amherst location. I love my local pizzerias, but none of them can even begin to compare to Duff's. The wings about two years ago were always much bigger than they are now, but even now they're still large. My friends (none of whom dislike the restaurant either) tell me that the best non-wing items are their chicken sandwiches; one of my friends, who orders chicken sandwiches pretty much everywhere he goes, claims that it's the best one he's ever had. I can't personally back up these claims, because as much as I may think that I'm going to order something else going in, the wings are too good to resist! The prices are a tad high, but it's definitely worth it."

[BL, 9/04] says: "First time at any Duff's and probably last. I was surprised about the poor quality of the wings considering the reputation the Amherst location seems to have. Most of us ordered the 10 wings and two sides and one drink. I too found out it would be another charge for second drink—no refills for me and saved $1.50. Wings were bad, and most in my party finished only about half of their order. Very, very dry and crispy, so the meat was nonexistent. Find better wings at most pizzerias. Now we understand why the place was pretty much empty during lunch time. It was sad, as we had brought an out-of-town guest to show him a "Buffalo" place, and he could only finish 6. Does anyone know if this is what the Amherst location is like, too?" [Editor's note: For one answer, see above.]

[RWG, 3/03] says: "Just had wings at Duff's in the Southtowns. I had the lunch special: 10 wings and 2 side dishes. The wings were good, although a bit over-saucy; French fries were lukewarm; and the chili was good, although a little bland. I ordered a Pepsi with lunch and had to refill it two more times—the hot sauce necessitated it. I found on my bill that I had been charged $1.50 per glass, making my drinks almost as much as my lunch! Whatever happened to free refills? Although the food was decent, the pricing policy is very poor. My quick lunch ended up over $11.00 plus tip! I guess I won't be going back any time soon. They have too much competition in the area to be pricing this way."

Dutch Mill.
5259 Broadway (Rt. 20), Lancaster.
683-4560.

[RJS, 6/09] says: "The place has been around for many years, first as an ice-cream parlor. They are known for their outstanding potato pancakes, family-priced breakfasts, dinner/lunch specials, and Texas hot dogs with a very good meat sauce. You have a great website!" [Bill says: Thanks!]