Bill Rapaport's Buffalo Restaurant Guide

Alphabetical Listing of Restaurants: T

31 Club
[am] Tabree
Taco Bell
Taco Hut
Tail Gate Deli
Taki (Buffalo)
Taki (Niagara Falls, ON)
[] Tandoori's
Tantalus
Taste
Taste Good
[am] Taste of India
Taste of New York
Taste of Thai
Ted's Hot Dogs
Templeton Landing
Tempo
Terroir La Cachette
Texas Roadhouse
Thai House
[a] Thai Orchid Cafe
Thirsty Buffalo
Thunder Falls Buffet
Tiara
Tiddledybinks Catering
[a+] [] Tiffin Room
[a] Tim Hortons
Tina's Italian Kitchen
Tokyo Shanghai Bistro
La Tolteca
Tom's BBQ Pit
[a] Tom's Family Restaurant (Tom's Souvlaki) (Amherst)
Tom's Family Restaurant (Irving)
[a] Toni Pepperoni
Tony de Luca
Tony Rome's (W. Seneca)
Tony Rome's Globe Hotel & Restaurant (E. Aurora)
[m] Torches
[] Toro
Town Cafe
[] Towne
Transit Grille
[] Trattoria Aroma
Treadwell
Trina's
[a] Tully's Good Times
Tunisian CousCous House
Two Sisters Cafe

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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31 Club.—WARNING: WEBSITE PLAYS LOUD MUSIC!
31 N. Johnson Park (on the Lower West Side, near Allentown and Downtown), Buffalo.
332-3131.

Online reservations available via OpenTable.com.

[3/09] & [10/11] Given 3½ (out of 4) stars by Janice Okun, Buffalo News restaurant reviewer.

[WHN, 1/12] reports: "According to their website, 31 Club offers a $35, fixed-price menu: soup or salad, entree, and, presumably, dessert. No information is provided about any limitations on days or times."

[RHo, 12/11] says: "I went to 31 Club today for lunch with the two other members of my department from work. The food was good, but the service was not so great. I called ahead to let them know I'm a vegan, so I wouldn't have to cause a fuss in front of my two superiors. (This is the first time I have ever done this.) The woman who answered was a little annoyed that I only called 3 hours in advance and said she didn't know what she would be able to do. I told her I sent an e-mail through the website a day ahead but no one responded. She said she checked the e-mail at 7 last night and didn't see anything. I told her I e-mailed at 3 P.M., though I wasn't sure why she was getting so defensive. She asked for the reservation name (it was not under my name) and said she would have someone call me back. She read the number off the reservation and asked if that was the best number to call, and I said no and gave her my cell-phone number. Half an hour later, my boss came in and said, ‘Did you call 31 Club and ask for a vegan lunch?’, because they had called her, not me. Then my boss apologized for not asking about my dietary restrictions—the very situation I was hoping to avoid. I called back; the new woman said the chef wanted to know what I would like. I said, ‘I'm very excited about coming, and I am happy to let chef cook what he would like; I just wanted to give some advance notice.’ She then told me the chef wanted some guidance and asked if I wanted a salad or what. I said no, and she basically said they were really counting on me for some ideas. I said, ‘Whatever you have on hand: any combination of vegetables, pasta, rice, beans, however the chef would like to put them together.’ All the vegan tips I've read have said chefs have big egos and, if you give them a challenge, they'll try to impress you. In any case, this second woman was very nice. When we got there, they took our coats, and we were seated promptly. The waiter was…not that great. The food was pretty good. I was given a bowl with a bed of rice topped with broccolini, fava beans, chopped purple olives, and a bruschetta-like mixture of tomatoes and onions. I enjoyed it. My lunchmates were underwhelmed by the duck fries, which the waiter described as excellent. The weak service peaked when the waiter knocked the check out of his own hand, sending it under the table and then, after being given the folder back with a credit card and a Buffalo Dining Card, came back, extremely annoyed, and let us know that we should say something about having a coupon beforehand because he didn't see it until after he ran the credit card and he had to go back and do it again and it would have been much easier if we had something. His tone was unbelievable. I don't know why he didn't see it, and no one thought his advice was necessary. Two minutes later, he spilled water on someone at another table. Maybe it just wasn't his day. I don't think anyone in our group will be going back. FYI—there are no prices online (and the menu is out of date), but the lunch items are mostly around $12."

[NPa, 1/11] said: "I visited 31 Club a few weeks ago for the first time at the suggestion of a friend who had recently been there for the first time and couldn't say enough good things about it. We had a 7:30 reservation on a Saturday and waited for a short period of time, as the table had not been vacated by the previous party. The hostess was kind enough to offer us a tall, bar table to sit at while we waited. The wait was not long. I ordered the Justin Vineyards (Paso Robles) Cabernet, which I enjoyed very much. We were seated in the back dining room, which was cozy and nicely lit, but the area was a bit noisy (this may have been due to a large party seated in the center of the room celebrating a birthday). We began with three appetizers. I ordered the lobster macaroni and cheese which I was excited to try but expecting to be disappointed in. Most that I have tried tended to have very little lobster and not enough of a cheese flavor. I was extremely pleased however, with 31 Club's. Not only was there a lot of large pieces of lobster, but the combination of cheddar, gruyere, and asiago cheeses was fantastic. One of my friends ordered the lobster potpie, and we also found it to be outstanding. The sauce was incredibly flavorful, and there was a substantial amount of lobster. The puff-pastry top was nice and light and puffy as well. My friends and I are already talking about coming back to 31 Club just to order these appetizers again and sit in the comfy, warm, bar area. My other friend ordered an evening special—fried oysters—and also enjoyed them. I found the menu to be heavily focused on meat dishes as far as the entrees: steak, lamb, veal, short ribs, etc. Not really being in the mood for any of the above, I elected to order the lone chicken dish, although this is not something that I would generally choose in a restaurant. I was pleasantly surprised with this dish. The chicken was incredibly moist and was nicely browned and flavorful. It was accompanied by some uniquely flavored potatoes mashed with leek and white truffles. For dessert, I had the chocolate cake, which turned out to be good, but very rich and chocolaty: a bit much after such a large meal. Overall, I was highly impressed with 31 Club. We plan to return soon."

[KaB, 10/10] said: "We went to 31 Club for dinner last night [10/9/10] for Restaurant Week. I would rate it as very good overall. They started off by trying to seat us at the worst table in the house. It was right as you walked into the hallway between the bar and dining rooms. I said no to that; we have had reservations for long enough to get a good seat. We were moved to the bar and sat at a high table in the corner. The Restaurant Week special was soup or salad and one of roughly six entrées. We chose the soup to start, which was pasta fagioli. We were served a plate of bread as well. We ordered the braised short rib and red snapper entrées; the red snapper was not on the printed menu but was the evening fish special. While we were eating our soup, the server informed us that they were temporarily out of the short ribs. We could choose to wait while they cooked more or order something else. Our reservations were at 6:45 P.M., so running out of an entrée that early in the evening seemed odd, but the fact that they were cooking more astounded me. Don't short ribs take hours to cook? Anyhow, I quickly switched to the pork rib chop with apples and roasted Brussels sprouts. When our entrées arrived, we were surprised that the snapper had been blackened. If our server had told us that, we either missed it, or she did not tell us. My husband is not a fan of blackened fish, but luckily it was not too overpowering. It was served with jasmine rice. My pork chop was huge and was covered in sautéed apples with nicely roasted Brussels sprouts; it was very moist and tender. My husband was happy that it was so large, because he ended up eating most of it. He actually thought the lack of short ribs turned out in our favor. Overall, the meal was very good for the price. The service was also very good. We enjoy the atmosphere of the 31 Club and look for our next opportunity to visit."

[AMB] said:

[4/10] "Sunday [4/11/10], we visited Club 31 for brunch. After a drink at the bar (artfully arranged Bloody Marys), we were seated in the back dining room (all the dining areas and the bar area are nicely decorated—for dinner, we've eaten in the front room, with a fireplace). The menu ranged from panettone French toast & omelettes to pasta dishes, sandwiches, and other, more lunch-style, entrees. All of us stuck with breakfasty foods, though. Around the table, we had potato pancakes (served with salmon, Canadian bacon, or apple compote for an additional charge—omelette & eggs Benedict were similarly priced with add-ons for ‘extras’), 2 orders of French toast, eggs Benedict, and one order of only ‘sides’—2 eggs, hash browns, and bacon. Everyone was happy with their meal—the potato pancakes were very flavorful (and a nice option to have); I also tasted the French toast (served with berries), which was rich and delicious. We ordered a basket of ‘breakfast breads’—muffins, croissants, etc., for the table; for most of the breakfast entrees, one chooses sides à la carte, so, while the entrees are pretty low cost (mostly under $10), there can be additional costs. All in all, it was a relaxing, good-tasting meal in a nice setting—so a positive addition to Sunday brunch options for either ‘any week’ or special occasions. I'd say comparable to both Left Bank and Trattoria Aroma for food selections, but the atmosphere is a bit fancier than Left Bank."

[10/09] "We returned to the 31 Club after a BPO concert Saturday night [10/17/09]. It was nice to see someplace so busy at that time of night! Unlike our last visit, we had no problems with the service; the food was a good as the last visit. I had the ‘duck fries’ (really good French fries) for an appetizer, and my husband had the ahi tacos again; then we each had a half portion of pasta bolognese: really good; and the half portion was more than sufficient with the appetizer (though sadly I didn't have any leftovers to bring home). The half plate of pasta was a very reasonable price (only $10!), but I think we made up for it with the wine we ordered. There was a also a nice dessert selection (we tried the mocha cheesecake and liked it). The bar area was quite crowded, and the music in that area was extremely loud; it spilled over a bit into the front dining room, where I thought it was just a bit too loud for a ‘fine dining’ experience, but perhaps it was the atmosphere they were going for at that time of night. They do offer a ‘late night’ menu (preview on their web site), but we were not offered that—perhaps we had to be specific when sitting down or needed to sit in the bar room (there are booths there, etc). Given the volume, I was happy with our choice. Just a note: When I called earlier in the day to find out if they served after 10, the hostess said we didn't need a reservation for that late. We were seated right away, but, given how crowded it was, I would recommend a reservation."

[3/09] "Last Friday we tried the new 31 Club at Johnson Park & Elmwood (just recently opened). It is very pretty inside—there is a small front room (where we ate), a bar (crowded that evening) with some booths & tables, and then a larger dining room in the back (there were also stairs to an upstairs room). We were seated right away (no time for a drink at the bar—should have delayed our reservation a bit) and started out with prompt, nice service. There was a large wine list; a good number of interesting specials along with the regular menu—something for anyone to eat (choices: fish, meat, poultry, pasta, etc.). Entrees were mid $20s-$30s in price, specials somewhat less. I had a very nice squash soup (a little sweet, a little spicy); my husband had a tuna taco appetizer (raw tuna), which he thought was very good. For entrees, I had an eggplant lasagna (stacked on the plate—not pasta-based)—it was delicious (a mix of cheeses, really good tomato & basil sauces, crispy eggplant), and my husband had a salmon special (maybe a bit overdone, but good anyway). You could order sides separately (sized for more than one person), but the appetizer & entree were enough to eat for us. So, all was good; it was about 8:30, and we were meeting friends around the corner at 9, so we had a few minutes for either coffee or to try out the bar with an after-dinner drink. The waiter dropped off a dessert menu...and that was it. He waited on several other tables in the room, never looked at us as he walked by (numerous times; we were sitting by the door), and finally I said after 30 minutes (as he walked by ignoring us) that we needed the check—a very odd ending to an otherwise fine meal. Another large party had been seated in our room, but it just doesn't take that much time to ask if we wanted anything and/or bring a check promptly. I'll go back (good to have another "fine dining" place—maybe to replace Park Lane?), but I hope they fix whatever that problem was."

[am] Tabree.
4610 Main St., Snyder.
844-8477.

French.

[11/11] Raised to 4 (out of 4) stars by Janice Okun, Buffalo News restaurant reviewer.

[BL, 2/12] says: "Tabree is wonderful. I will put Tabree right there with Daniel's and Rue Franklin as our favorite places for French cuisine in this area. The food is delicious, the atmosphere is excellent, and the service is supportive of a good dining experience. Good service for us means that the servers are knowledgeable and that they know exactly when to be there for you. We started with cocktails and their marvelous, crusty bread. I had a prepared quail, and my spouse the foie gras, for appetizers. He followed with a delicious NY strip and frites, and I chose the lobster pappardelle with its wonderful sauce. For wine, I had a Vouray Riesling, and he a Loudenne Bordeaux. Of course, Tabree has their specials, but the menu is extensive enough for anyone to enjoy much variety on a return visit. We finished with an apple tart and profiteroles for dessert (both wonderful), tea, and coffee, and the total came to $158 prior to tax. (My only wish is that, because France offers wonderful sorbets, that would be a nice addition to the dessert menu.) The room has a transitional/modern atmosphere with much warmth and perfect lighting. The bar area is lovely and spaced far enough from the diners. I cannot comment on the level-of-noise concerns other than to say it was Thursday, both bar and dining areas were filled, and there was music; it was not on overload, and we are not fans of noisy restaurants. At Tabree, we could talk comfortably amidst the pleasant background of happy customers. We look forward to our return. Tabree is wonderful."

[WHN, 12/11] said: "On Wednesday, 12/14/11, a friend, G, and I met another couple, former Buffalo residents now living in France, for dinner at Tabree. On Tuesday, I had called to change the reservation from four to five people, but the maitre d' was unaware of this. However, a 5th place was quickly set at the large table to accommodate the extra guest, so there was no problem. The wine list is mostly French, and what we had was very good—three of us shared a bottle of Chablis, while the other two had Bordeaux and Côtes du Rhône by the glass. The French bread was crusty and very good. To start, I had lobster bisque with shrimp, which I thought was excellent, although G tasted it and thought it was not as good as the lobster bisque she had at Tempo last Saturday. Our ex-pat friends had escargot. For the main course, I ordered the evening entree special—Dover sole meunière, which, as our server pointed out, is rarely available in Buffalo. I remember fishmongers, like Hayes and Schneider's (when the latter had a retail store in Williamsville) used to have it occasionally, but I haven't seen it anywhere recently. It was wonderful, comparable to the best Dover sole meunière I've had in Europe. G had a shrimp and pasta dish in a red sauce that looked more Italian than French, but she loved it. (I had a taste and agree that it was excellent.) Our friends had steak au poivre, which they enjoyed. Our other friend had coq au vin, which she said was not quite as good as coq au vin she has had elsewhere, but liked it, too. We did not have dessert, but the coffee was very good, although not as strong as French coffee. As Bill noted in his review, the acoustics are terrible, and the noise level is atrocious. At one point during the evening, very loud music began to play, which made the noise level even worse, but someone turned the music down or off after a few minutes. That said, definitely worthy of 4 stars for the excellent food and service."

[KaB, 12/11] said: "We went to the new location for Tabree on Saturday, 12/9/11. It is on Main Street in Snyder, but the sign is not obvious, and we had to circle around to the driveway for the parking lot. When we entered, we were impressed by the décor. The bar area is very modern, large, and open. The dining room is a mixture of high tables, bench seating, and normal tables. Overall, the feeling was modern and warm. We were seated and immediately approached by our server. There were no dinner specials, which is understandable given the new menu. We chose to start with the roasted beet salad and a butternut squash soup. The salad was one of our favorites from Elmwood Avenue, so we had to have it again; it was exactly as we remembered, with lots of beets, greens, and bleu cheese. The butternut squash soup was silky, with a nice touch of sweet/savory tastes; it was delicious. I had the Coq au Vin for an entrée, and my husband had their panko-crusted pork tenderloin; both were excellently prepared: My chicken fell off the bone, with a nice mix of fall vegetables to accompany it; the pork was served with a bread pudding that was very creamy but with a nice, crusty top. Overall, an excellent meal. While we might miss the nice patio on Elmwood Avenue, we will visit their new location often."

[9/11 & 11/11] Bill says: I have eaten here twice. The first time, I had dinner here 9/28/11 with a visiting speaker. I began with a butternut squash soup, which was good, but not wonderful. For my entree, I had one of the Restaurant Week specials: baked salmon with vegetables en papillotte over almond risotto; this was also good, but not wonderful. Dessert was a vanilla-bean crème brulée: Guess what?—Good, but not wonderful. This is clearly a good restaurant, but, at least on this first visit, not a great one. I would definitely return if invited, but I doubt I would go back on my own. And, indeed, I did return, invited, for dinner with another visiting speaker, on 11/30/11. This was a much better meal than my first one. I began with an appetizer special: 3 shrimp in a chili sauce; very tasty and only very slightly spicy. For my main course, I had their bouillabaisse; this is not a traditional one (the sauce is a bit thicker and more tomatoey, and the seafood is not the usual mixture of fish and non-fish) but was very good; it included very nice scallops, shrimp, and mussels. Dessert was a slightly overcooked apple "tart" (somewhat like a real French tarte aux pommes, but a bit crispier—dare I say burned?), served with vanilla ice cream. (For a comparison of Tabree's version of this dessert with that of another's, link here.) My dinner came to $70 (including tax and tip, but no drinks). For future reference, this is probably not the best place to take a visiting speaker if you want to enjoy the conversation; the acoustics are awful—it is very noisy.

Of its former location on Elmwood Ave., reviewers said:

[7/08] Given 3½ (out of 4) stars by Janice Okun, Buffalo News restaurant reviewer.

[RHo, 4/11] said: "I went to Tabree for Restaurant Week. It was my first time. The restaurant is very small, and, if people are seated at the bar, it's very difficult to get through. The staff are incredibly friendly. My friend and I both had the onion-and-leak soup, which was very good and served with a cheese-coated crouton. For the entree, my friend had the chicken with mashed potatoes, which had mashed peas mixed in. She said it was excellent, and recommended it to friends who walked in later. I had the pappardelle with a pink, goat-cheese sauce and vegetables. It was good; it could have used a bit more flavor. I rarely get excited about pasta dishes, but we picked Tabree because it was one of the few restaurants that promised a vegetarian option each day. I would go back and give it another try; there are vegetarian items on the menu that sound more appealing than the Restaurant Week offerings."

[KaB, 8/10] said: "We had dinner at Tabree on 8/27/10. We sat on their lovely outdoor patio. It is a very large urban patio, with the floor covered with old oriental rugs. You are surrounded on all sides by buildings, but they are nicely kept and interesting to look at. The patio is equipped for the not-so-nice weather with a roof, plastic sides, and heater. Luckily, we did not need these on the beautiful night we had dinner there. I decided to try a salad and appetizer as my meal. My husband chose the black sea bass entrée. The warm baguette delivered to the table was excellent, and we had to keep ourselves from agreeing for more when they offered. The beet salad I ordered was exceptional. The combination of the beets and bleu cheese were inspired. For anyone who is not a beet lover, this is the salad for them. I honestly would not have known I was eating beets right away. The delicate balance between the beets, bleu cheese, and greens really made the dish a delight to eat. The diver scallops with parsnip puree was delicate, and the scallops were perfectly cooked. My husband's black sea bass was the star of the evening. It was a large piece of fish, delicately seasoned. It was a little expensive at $33, but the entire meal was well worth it. We have already recommended Tabree to many friends."

[CKu, 7/10] said: "I had dinner 7/17/2010 at this establishment. It was a hot summer night, and they only seat at the patio in the summer. There are in the neighborhood of 15 tables; I was surprised at the size of the place. It is covered, so rain would not be a concern. Wine list was not extensive (all French wines, as I recall), but prices were reasonable. Bread (Wegman's baguettes, I believe) and butter were served and refilled generously. My wife had ravioli, and I had sea bass, which were excellent, as was the lemon sorbet. Service was attentive and professional. Prices average for upscale restaurants in the area. Will return."

[AMB, 1/10] said: "We ate at Tabree last night [1/30/10]. It was our first time there, and we really liked it. It is small inside, and felt intimate and cozy (nice on a cold night). The bar area is small but nicely done, and they had it set up for people to eat there, as well. Very nice wine list—French wines. We ordered a scallop special with homemade pasta and frisee salad (frisee lardon: it has a warm, bacon dressing and an egg with it), both very good. For dinner: coq-au-vin (great taste, extremely tender) and grilled sea bass with wild mushrooms. Service was just right, and the owner (I think) stopped by to chat. We'll certainly go back, and I am looking forward to trying the patio seating during the warm weather."

[CBe, 1/10] said: "3½ out of 4 stars. We ate at Tabree last night for the first time, on recommendation of a few friends who rave about it. The experience and food were great. We ordered the stuffed poblano pepper and scallops for apps—both delicious; the scallops were particularly tasty. The flavors worked so well together, and we had a half bottle of Tattinger champagne, which was quite a good pairing. The chef came by our table and greeted us, as we were looking for an opinion on a wine selection for our entrees. He brought us some of the truffle fries—amazing! Worth the stop just for those! The owner was very friendly and conversational, and hearing the story of Tabree made it all the more interesting. For our entrees, we had the Fruits de Mer and the special, a short rib over creamy polenta. Again, delicious—and the portions were very fair, considering it is French cuisine. We left very full—and passed on dessert, which we rarely do. The chef's recommendation for wine with our entrees was a Languedoc—perfect pairing again. Our waitress was very attentive. Tabree is small, but not intrusively so. It was intimate and cozy. We can't wait to go back."

[BDa, 3/09] said: "This is my first time writing a review for your restaurant guide, but I will say I frequent the site. When looking at Tabree, I noticed that both of Tabree's reviews were negative—very surprising to me, as this place is one of my favorites! I've eaten at Tabree three different times—once in October 2008, a second time in mid-December, most recently in early February 2009, and each experience—between the food, service, and atmosphere—has been fantastic. The first time I had the pleasure of dining at Tabree, we had a party of six for a friend's birthday. Upon arrival, we were immediately seated by owners Bryan and Tara, who also stopped at our table a few times over the course of the evening to check on everything. Everyone in our party ordered different first courses and entrees, as we wanted to sample the menu and share. By the end of the night, we all agreed that it was one of the best meals we'd had in a long time! A few highlights of my experiences at Tabree: I sampled a friend's foi gras—delightful. The birthday boy said the steak au poivre was the best steak he'd ever had in Buffalo—he's eaten at all of Buffalo's steakhouses. When I took my mother here, she ordered one of the seafood specials and said it was the best meal she can remember having in Buffalo. On my most recent visit, I started with the frisee lardons, which were prepared with bacon, quail eggs, and a warm bacon dressing. This was something I'd never had before, and the combinations of flavors and textures was perfect. For my main course, I had the steak sandwich—mouthwatering and delectable. My partner eats vegan (I know, I know: What vegan goes to a French restaurant?!), and the chef was kind enough to prepare two delicious courses! While I've had wonderful meals all over Buffalo, this place has more ambience than just about any of them. It's quaint, romantic, and comfortable. Having tasted a range of Tabree's offerings, this restaurant has inched to the top of my favorites, where I now have two: Left Bank and Tabree."

[SPh, 10/08] said: "We have gone to Tabree three times now, and though all were disappointing, the last visit was so awful we will not go back. It's such a shame, as the owner has made the inside so pretty with the new bar, and the patio is beautiful. But. It just doesn't work. The food is terribly over-priced, and so is the wine, and, in spite of an obvious attempt to "try new things", the food is not interestingly or well prepared. The foi gras ($20???) was just plain awful. The croque Madame was a slab of overcooked chewy pork on a sandwich with a fried egg on top. Normally, I will eat anything with a fried egg on top, but this was tasteless and chewy. Ugh. The cheapest bottle of wine was $30, and when we finished it, the server came and took it away without asking if we wanted another one!!!"

[LRK, 6/08] said: "We decided to check out newly opened Tabree on Elmwood with a friend and an out of town visitor. Huge disappointment. Decent atmosphere, lovely patio, so we were looking forward to a great experience. Instead, we sat inside by a window with curtains that were infested with spiders. No liquor license yet, so good thing Hodge's is close so we could bring our own wine. By the end of the evening, the dining room felt like an absolute sauna. Excruciatingly awkward wait staff, but at least they were nice. When it came time to order, we asked some questions about where the meat was from, in hopes that the place supported local farms. The server didn't know, so she asked the cook, who also had no idea where they got the beef. They also have wild caught Chilean sea bass on their menu. This animal is being overfished at an alarming rate, and most respectable chefs have been boycotting it for some time now. Anyway, my out-of-town friend ordered the linguine with clams. They were out of clams, and there was nothing else on the menu for a pesco-vegetarian, so she settled for the linguine without the clams. It was really bad, but she was only charged $9. Two of us had the duck roulade. It was a grey loaf that had the consistency of spam or some other canned meat and was stuffed with cranberries and potatoes. At best, I'd say it tasted like a TV dinner. The asparagus soup I had for an appetizer was quite good, though. My husband ordered the mussels Provence and pomme frites à la carte. The mussels were a bit flavorless, but fine compared to the other meals. We all agreed that his fries, drizzled in truffle oil, were the best thing. But that's a tough dish to screw up."

Taco Bell. —WARNING: WEBSITE MAY RING LOUD BELL!
[a] 4258 Maple Rd., Williamsville.
833-8332.
Also: many other locations.

[RJS, 1/12] says: "How many ways can you combine ground beef, cheese, tomatoes, and onion? The Taco Bell chain is finding out, as it positions itself as the home of cheap, fast-food meals. Although prices on many of its traditional offerings have risen significantly, it still sells itself on being a place to fill up for less. Some items to try: a Meximelt and a Taco Salad (order it with no beans and extra beef). Caution: If using the Taco Bell drive-thru window, be sure to check your order—make sure they gave you what you ordered."

[WHN, 12/10] said: "Mighty Taco vs. Taco Bell: I have to agree with [EFl, 12/10] that Mighty Taco's food tastes (marginally) better than Taco Bell's, but the reason I stopped going to Mighty Taco is described perfectly, if somewhat crudely, in the second yelp.com review by Joshua L and others, and by Russ H.… For another viewpoint, check out Buffalochow.com, which doesn't like either one, and neither do I, but if I had to have ‘Mexican’ fast food and these were the only choices, I would pick Taco Bell because their ‘Gorditas’, burritos, and nachos never made me sick, while Mighty Taco's almost always did."

[EFl, 12/10], from NJ, writes: "Thanks for the great site. It took a while to get used to the ‘look’, but now I find the No Frills layout a refreshing break from all the meaningless fluff on the web. [Thanks!] So I married a Tonawanda girl 30 years ago and visit WNY 2 weeks a year. I've been to lots of the spots on your list…. In case you're wondering, I…judge Mighty Taco better than Taco Bell by far."

Taco Hut.
203 E. 3rd St. (at Spring St., across from City Hall), Jamestown.
488-0226.

[LDS, 2/10] says: "We went to Taco Hut on Thursday [2/18/10] for dinner. I ordered a combo plate for my 2-year-old son; this included a variety of things, one of which was a chicken finger. When his food arrived, I grabbed the chicken finger to break it in half to help cool it a bit. When I broke the chicken finger in half, I realized that it was raw! We called the waitress over, and she took the chicken to the cooks (whom we could see), and they said it was because it was a new bag of fingers. The waitress came back with new fingers (cooked this time). There was no apology given for such a mistake, no compensation in the bill, nothing! Im not happy with what happened, and, thankfully, I broke the chicken in half before my son bit into it. I will not be returning to Taco Hut!!"

Tail Gate Deli.
741 Delaware Rd. (in plaza on corner of Delaware Rd. and Sheridan Dr., across Delaware Rd. from Tops), Tonawanda.
877-5401.

[JY, 9/09] says: "I used to order from this deli—even though the owner is rude—because you just couldn't beat the prices for what you got. However, he has finally crossed the line, and I will never order from him again. His order-ahead ‘rule’ is not on the menu. When told a half hour for an order, I showed up after 35 minutes; it wasn't ready, and I was talked down to for showing up early—which, of course, was not the case, because I knew better. A friend recently ordered several subs well ahead of time. When he arrived, the order was ready, but short one sub. The owner told him he didn't have time to make it for him. My friend, of course, was not happy, and they exchanged words—loudly and in front of other customers. As my friend left (a teacher)—without the missing sub—the owner yelled after him ‘Go waste some more taxpayer money’. We are done. A police officer we know said they can't believe the number of complaints they receive about this guy. It's just not worth it any more."

[SAS, 10/08] said: "Positive: This is one of my favorite places to pick up a sandwich! The cold cuts are always fresh, and the subs are always robust, with what always seems to be a double portion of meat in each one. The selection is a bit limited (I always ask when they will put pastrami on the menu...), but they provide great value every time. Today, I enjoyed one of their turkey and bacon subs...tasty, as usual! Per the earlier review re: calling ahead, there is no excuse for such alleged behavior, but I too have been asked to call ahead, as their capacity is limited, and they can get jammed up during lunch time. So...I put their number on speed dial and call ahead! The shop is very clean and bright, but I wish that they had some tables with chairs instead of all booths. Other than that (and my ever-present desire for a good pastrami Reuben), I recommend them highly!"

[RML, 8/08] said: "I had the most bizarre incident at the Tail Gate Deli. Do you have any suggestions as to where to complain about this man's behavior? I am a mature woman who works full time. I am not exaggerating. I went to the Tail Gate Deli on August 19, 2008, at 4:45. The young fellow behind the counter at first ignored me, slicing meat, and then asked me what I wanted. I told him and he said: "Have you ever been here before?" I said "yes"; he said, "you know you can call in your order ahead of time". I said "I didn't know I was coming; I just dropped in." He said, "I prefer my customers call ahead." I got so uncomfortable, I started to leave, and he shouted at me; as I was walking out, he shouted "Go to Burger King!!" I called today to ask to speak to the owner; the fellow who answered said he was the owner. I started to tell him what happened. If I believe this guy, he is the same one that shouted at me the day before. He started saying, "Listen, Sweetie, Honey" and about calling in ahead of time, very sarcastic. I said "Don't call me Sweetie, Honey". He shouted, "Go to hell" and slammed down the phone. I called right back and said "If you think this is the end of this, you are mistaken." He said something about an article in the Buffalo News, yelled "You dumb ho", and hung up. I wonder if he is the owner or tells whoever calls he is the owner. Nowhere on the building or menu does it say phone order only."

[MDZ, 1/07] said: "This eat-in or take-out deli has some of the best subs around. On my first visit there, the owner made a spectacular veggie sub on a hearty toasted roll. (Speaking as a vegetarian, those are hard to come by even at the toughest competition.) Friends have raved about the cheesesteak sandwich in addition to the turkey. I also attended a holiday party catered by Tail Gate, which included some nice veggie trays and good-looking desserts. While the plaza this locally owned business occupies is drab, the interior is pleasant, with new floors and a sports theme. I should also say this is the cleanest deli I've ever entered. Also available at the counter are sliced deli meats and cheeses to go, as well as some Buffalo favorites."

Tandoori's.
7740 Transit Rd. (at Sheridan Dr.), Williamsville.
632-1112.

Given 3 (out of 4) stars (a long time ago, when there was no 3½-star rating) by Janice Okun, Buffalo News restaurant reviewer.

In my opinion, this is the best Indian restaurant in the area (even though my clothes sometimes smell like curry afterwards!), with by far the largest menu (even though it no longer includes the gourmet menu-within-the-menu of regional dishes, which offered the heavenly Murg Gulmurg ("Marinated boneless chicken delicately flavored in a sauce of ground almonds, melon seeds, poppy seeds and rose petals, garnished with real silver leaves."); sigh :-(  They also do takeout and catering. Delivery available from Takeout Taxi, 631-2222.

[WHN] says:

[7/11] "I took my visiting daughter for a belated birthday dinner at Tandoori's, along with my son. There is a severe shortage of good South Asian Indian restaurants in the Phoenix area, so she always likes to dine at Tandoori's when she's home. We started with their complimentary pakoras and papadums accompanied by mint and tamarind chutneys, plus their extra hot chutney, which we requested. Then a mixed vegetarian platter of assorted pakoras, samosas, and other Indian delicacies. For entrees, we had chicken porbo pola, chicken mumbai salaan, and lamb narangi, with sides of raita, onion-garlic naan, and their excellent saffron rice. With dinner, we had a bottle of Pierre Sparr 2009 Alsace One, a blend of pinot gris, riesling, gewurtztraminer, muscat, and pinot blanc. It was a refreshing wine that went well with the spicy Indian cuisine. An excellent meal, as always at Tandoori's, and as they always do with female guests, a rose was presented to my daughter at the end of the meal."

[9/09] "We went to Tandoori's for their ‘Local Restaurant Week’ $20.09 special, a choice of vegetarian or non-vegetarian thalis, which are multi-course meals served on a single plate (in Hindi, thali). We had one vegetarian and one with meat. I had ordered a vegetarian thali at Palace of Dosas some time ago. Tandoori's version of thali didn't have the sambar and rasam soups that Palace of Dosas did, so it wasn't quite the soup to dessert platter that we were expecting, but all the dishes included were very good. I don't recall how much Palace of Dosas thalis cost, but I think they were considerably less than $20.09, but Tandoori's did, as always, provide complimentary pakaras and papadoms with two different chutneys before the entrees, and a rose for my wife at the end of the meal. Incidentally, when I tried to make a reservation for Saturday night at another restaurant (they were sold out), I was told that they would be extending their ‘Local Restaurant Week’ specials another week. I'm not sure, but suspect that all participating restaurants will do the same, as they did last spring. Good news for diners!"

[7/09] "Once again, we went to Tandoori's to celebrate our visiting daughter's birthday on Tuesday, 7/7. After complimentary pakoras and pappadoms, accompanied by mint and tamarind chutneys and a bowl of red-hot chili sauce, we ordered a Tandoori appetizer platter, a combination of chicken tikka, minced lamb wrapped in chicken, lamb kababs, and Indian sausage, accompanied by sauteed green peppers, onions, and tomatoes. It was very good and a lot less greasy than their other appetizer platters, which consist of deep-fried dishes. For entrees, we shared chicken Makhani—still my wife's favorite, chicken Porbo Polo in a yogurt-based curry, lamb Kadai in a dry curry with peppers and onions, and lamb Narangi in a citrussy curry. We also ordered some of their delicious garlic-and-onion naan and saffron rice. All the food was delicious, and the service was excellent. Although the prices are higher than Taste of India or Kabab and Curry, there is a coupon on their website to buy one entree and get 50% off the price of the second, which lowers the total cost."

[7/08] "We went to Tandoori's to celebrate our visiting daughter's birthday last Tuesday. She says there are no Indian restaurants in Phoenix that compare to Tandoori's and that it's far and away her favorite anywhere. There were five of us, including our 13-year-old grandson. After complimentary pakoras and pappadoms, accompanied by mint and tamarind chutneys, we ordered a vegetarian appetizer platter. Then, as entrees, two new menu items that I don't recall from previous visits—Chicken 65 and Sali Boti, made with lamb—plus a vegetarian dish, chicken makhani—my wife's favorite, and a second lamb dish. We ordered everything hot. Plus some raita to cool things off, and garlic-and-onion naan. The gentleman who I believe is one of the owners asked if we really wanted everything hot, and was surprised to hear that even our grandson loved really spicy-hot Indian food. He brought a bowl of red-hot chili sauce, which they don't customarily serve except, he told us, on request. All the food was delicious, and the service was excellent. Tandoori's rice is available in several variations, but their basic saffron rice is the most delicious I've ever had in any Indian restaurant. I'm sure there are other spices besides saffron that make it far tastier than other basmati rice we've had elsewhere."

[7/07] "Tandoori's has changed their menu and added a number of new items, including, for example, goat curry. Most of the old menu items remain, as well. As always, the food and service were excellent."

[4/06] "We dined at Tandoori's twice recently. Both meals were excellent, but one was exceptional as far as the service and helpfulness of the staff on a busy Saturday night. On that occasion, we went with my sister- and brother-in-law, neither of whom had ever eaten Indian cuisine. My wife and her sister had had Thai for lunch at Jasmine last summer, and she (my sister-in-law) liked it. She wanted to try Indian, and convinced her husband, a very picky eater, to try it, too. To start, Tandoori's serves complimentary vegetable pakoras (fritters) and wafer-thin pappadums (like tortillas made from lentils), accompanied by tamarind and green chili chutneys. I requested their "secret" super-hot and spicy chutney, as well. Since neither of my in-laws had the slightest idea what to have, I was going to order for the group: a vegetarian appetizer platter, and an assortment of main courses. I chose chicken makhani, my wife's favorite dish, and Goan red curry lamb. I wanted to order a seafood dish, but with a completely different curry from the others. I asked about a green curry shrimp, but our very helpful and knowledgeable waiter said it was made with coconut milk, as was the lamb, so he suggested instead machi koliwada—marinated fish fillets, fried and topped with a tasty curry that was totally unlike the other two. He also suggested a vegetarian dish—tawa nazakat—potatoes, eggplant, okra, and onions sauteed with spices, but no curry sauce. An Indian meal is not complete without rice and bread, so we ordered Tandoori's saffron rice—which is very flavorful, plain naan, and a whole wheat bread recommended by our waiter. Their garlic and onion naan is delicious, but my brother-in-law won't knowingly eat garlic or onions, so we skipped that. For dessert, my wife and I shared mango ice cream sprinkled with cardamom and pistachios. My in-laws shared Basmati rice pudding. The entire meal was delicious. We had wondered whether my brother-in-law would eat anything, but he actually enjoyed the dinner. (We did order the food mild to accommodate his sensitive palate.) At the end of the meal, Tandoori's presents each woman with a rose—a nice touch. Incidentally, there is a coupon on their website to buy one entree and get 50% off the price of the second."

[1/06] "I thought I would express my opinions on the four south Asian restaurants that we have tried in the area. Tandoori's is the best, with Kabab and Curry and Taste of India tied for second. Every dish we have tried at Tandoori's has a distinctly different curry, all of which have been excellent. For those who like their food very spicy, Tandoori's will prepare it "Indian hot" (although the owner may ask if you know what you are asking for). The only negatives about Tandoori's are that their prices are quite a bit higher than the others, and there is an extra charge for rice. Moti Mahal is a far distant fourth."

[JoM, 5/11] said: "We stopped in for dinner on 5-18-2011 and had another great experience. My girlfriend and I both ordered the Murg Mahkani, which is our favorite meal on their menu. It is chicken served in a curry butter sauce, and comes with either white or brown rice. Once again, it was cooked to perfection. We also had an order of naan to accompany our meal. Service was quick and attentive. I recommend."

[FS] said:

[10/10]: "My wife and I had dinner at Tandoori's on Wednesday, October 20, 2010. We enjoy this restaurant because of the quality and healthfulness of the food. We started with Mulli Gatawany and Tamatar Shorba. We requested medium spice, but I think the preparer had a heavy hand. It didn't matter to us much, because we like spicy food, but I would not be suprised if a more sensitive customer would have sent it back. Our entrees were Hazare Reshmi Kebab (a dry Tandoor chicken) and Gosht Amba (lamb in a mango-infused tomato sauce). Both were just wonderful and satisfying, accompanied by saffron rice and rosemary naan. The staff at Tandoori's take such obvious pride in their work, and that is part of the pleasure of dining here. They are attentive without being obtrusive. I felt that the cost of our dinner was very fair, considering the high quality of the food and the professional service. Tandoori's is our ‘go-to’ place. We are never disappointed."

[3/10] "Tandoori has become our ‘go to’ place for interesting and healthful food. It is the only Indian restaurant at which I've eaten. I probably should experiment with others, but I'm afraid it would be a letdown. We've been working our way through the menu, recently trying a lamb dish, and there have been no disappointments. We find the waitstaff to be exceptional. There is always a distinguished, impeccably dressed, Indian gentleman who appears to be the owner or manager (I think I've heard people call him Ravi). He makes sure everything is running smoothly. The waiters are eager to offer guidance to novices (like me) who are unsure of what or how to order. Tandoori is fun, because the food is interesting and served in an exotic atmosphere. We've had various chicken dishes, vegetarian dishes, snapper, prawns, and lamb, and we've been happy each time. We also like their soups, like Murg Sorbha and Mulli Gatawny. The food can be spiced to your liking. As I said, it has proven to be a reliable place for us. I also want to say that, on our last visit, there was an unusual delay with our appetizer, which was not a problem, because we were enjoying a nice conversation over a cocktail. The waiter approached us and apologized for the delay and set down another round of cocktails on the house. Very nice. Also, although we did not partake, they were very enthusiastic about their $20.10 special, unlike some other establishments I've read about."

[SGB, 7/09] said: "Mixed: I went to Tandoori's with some friends from college for lunch buffett. In the past, I had always been there for dinner, and the food has been excellent. I think it wouldn't be too much to say that this is the best Indian restaurant in town (although we also like Palace of Dosas, but it caters a different variety of food). The food was good; however, the starters seemed to leftovers, and dessert (Gulab Jamun) was probably old and had made many trips to the refrigerator, as the syrup was crystalized. To our surprise, one of my friends got a fly in the Gulab Jamun. We brought it to the attention of the waiter, who apologized for the incident. It will not stop us from going, becuase all other times the experience was excellent, as was the food."

[GOw, 2/09] said: "Nice place. I was here at least 8 years ago and am glad we came back. I owed my 16-year-old daughter a dinner out, and we decided on Indian. The only 2 negatives that I can come up with is trying to turn left into their parking lot from northbound Transit Rd., and the dining room was cold. They can't help the traffic, and the spice of the food handled the cold. Service was very good. When you have a couple of Indian-food rookies, it's nice that the staff can make recommendations. We were pleased that the host brought over a little appetizer; unfortunately, I did not ask what it was: We dipped it in the hot green sauce and ate it lickety-split. The sauce was very good but per haps a little too much for Kait. I asked for the hot red sauce, which was truly hot. We were both very happy with our choices. Kait had a chicken dish—Murg Tikkamasala, ordered medium and described in the menu as chicken tikka grilled from the tandoor in a mild creamy sauce. Nice and not too adventurous for a teenager who likes the basics—chicken fingers, pizza, etc. I tried a lamb dish—Roghan Josh—described in the menu as a majestic celebration of tender morsels of boneless lamb cooked in freshly ground spices, yogurt, and tomatoes. I ordered this medium, put a dollop of the super hot on it, and downed 3 large glasses of water...with a smile on my face. Delicious. We also ordered rice—Pulao Hara—which is spinach rice tossed with cubes of paneer. No complaints. We also ordered the Naan Makhani, which is unleavened, soft-flour bread baked in tandoor, plain or buttered. The menu is quite large, with seemingly unending choices. I would love to come back and try something a bit more daring."

[AW, 5/04] said: "According to my friend from Calcutta, Tandoori's serves the best Indian food in the Buffalo area. Since it is also probably my favorite restaurant in Buffalo, I am just shocked that there are even 2 bad reviews for this place! Maybe it is because these people just don't like Indian food? The spices are very different and more intense than any other cuisine, which is why (I'm not sure what these reviewers ate, but) "bland" is the last thing that comes to mind when I think of this restaurant. If anything, it's good to be careful to make sure that you don't order your dish too spicy! Another reviewer said that the food seems "prepared and reprepared", which I don't think is true. With the chicken dishes, they roast the meat for a long time in a tandoor so that it is incredibly tender and delicious! The Murg Maharaja is the best (chicken in a buttery, curry-ish sauce with cashews and poppy seeds). My boyfriend and I absolutely, positively love the Gosht Samosas—they alone merit a trip to Tandoori's. It is expensive, though, especially since you'll probably want to order an appetizer and some delicious naan, so it's more of a place to go for a birthday or anniversary (especially since it's so romantic!). Otherwise, I'd go to India Gate on Elmwood Ave. for a tasty, less-expensive meal (and my friends who aren't the biggest fans of spicy food do like this place, whereas Tandoori's is a bit too much for them). A word of advice for Indian restaurants in general: Order off the menu. Buffets are tempting because of the lower prices and variety, but the food is usually of much poorer quality."

[MMM, 6/02] said: "The service and decor at Tandoori's are what you should expect for the price—nothing more. The food seems pre-prepared and perhaps re-reprepared—which is ironic, because the menu asks for patience because, they claim, some of the dishes take a while to cook. We didn't wait very long at all for the food. However, it did take a considerable amount of time for someone to take our order and bring the bill. I ordered the tandoor sampler, in hopes of learning what I would want next time. All of the food was dry—especially the fish. And beware of the lamb: I wouldn't have known I was eating lamb; it reminded me of spicy little sausages, and it tasted like the mystery meat in a gyro. Also, most of the items that were on my sampler were also on my husband's dish (no, we did not order the same thing), which led us to suspect that although Tandoori lists many dishes on their extensive menu, most of them probably use the same 5-6 pieces of meat. Finally, the description in the menu didn't exactly portray the dish I was served. I'm surprised this restaurant has received so many great reviews."

[EC, 2/02] said: "This is the best Indian food I have had in this city (although India Gate is in a close 2nd place). The menu is very extensive. Service is quite good. Unfortunately, everything is à la carte (even the rice), which I find to be fairly rare in Indian restaurants. The food is tasty, but be prepared to pay!"

[RJMu, 8/01] said: "White-tablecloth, Indo-Pak cuisine here. We went for the Sunday buffet and were the only table for quite a while (it appears that most of their business is centered around catering Indian weddings and social events in an attached facility). It's all fairly bland, if you've experienced genuine Indian cooking. The sambhar dal was actually fairly decent and contained the required curry leaves, often missing from restaurant renditions. Curiously, it was served with idlis (steamed rice flour dumplings), which are a southern Indian snack food and sort of out of place in this setting. The tandoori chicken was (as expected on a buffet) way too dry, but the very coconutty chicken curry and nicely balanced chole (chick pea curry) made up for it. The leathery naan had obviously been cooked considerably earlier. I was too timid to ask them to fire up the tandoori ovens for another get go, alas. The sweet mango lassi was first rate, on the other hand. At $11 a pop, this seems a little high priced for Buffalo."

[BJ, 2/01] said: "I have been to Tandoori a few times in the last one year. The (veg) food is very good."

[BS, 7/96] said: "Best Indian restaurant in town."

[PJE, 5/95] said: "Tandoori has a good new menu, and I can now order there without having Indians with me."

[LH, 6/94] said: "For a more upscale experience, I'd also recommend Tandoori—also overall good quality, with fancier decor and higher prices, but worth it, as some dishes are interestingly different from the standard North Indian fare."

[SC, 9/93] said: "Tandoori is not even 'authentic' in that: What they list is not what they serve. Out of the three items I ordered, two were very bad. It is also very expensive."

[J&AD, 1993] said "Attractive Indian restaurant with an extensive menu. Owned by members of an extended family who also have restaurants in Jerusalem, London, and New York City."

Taki.
5500 Victoria Ave., Niagara Falls, ON, CANADA.
905-357-7274.

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

[WHN, 5/06] says: "I've been to Taki's many times and always thought it was very good. I have not been there recently, because, every time we wanted to go, they have been closed to the public to host busloads of Japanese tourists for private events. In the past, their food was always excellent, and the $38 (Canadian) sushi and sashimi combo "Boat" was more than enough for two people. As of my most recent visit (5/6/06), the menu has changed completely. The "Boat" is gone, and their combo platters now offer either sushi or sashimi (not both) with tempura shrimp, and the price is still $38, but the platter is now barely enough for one person. My sashimi combo consisted of 3 pieces each of tuna and salmon, 2 raw scallops (which I couldn't eat, because they were so mushy), some tough and chewy raw squid, and 4 shrimp tempura. I'll probably never go back again. If you do want to dine at Taki, be sure to call first to be certain they're open to the public."

[CJH, 3/05] said: "What can I say? A beautiful place with nice people and wonderful meals with absolutely reasonable price. I ate two times ago, and it only cost me $49 with tips and tax in Canadian dollars for two people. Last time, it cost me $71 with tips and tax in Canadian dollars for two people. Much much better than Fuji Grill. Owned and operated by genuine Japanese. Must try the Grill Salmon Gills ($4 each), sashimi dinner ($22.50 each), grilled squid, sea urchin ($7.50 each), sweet shrimp (raw and tasty!), and all their appetizers. I am going to go again in the near future. Let's say this coming Friday or Saturday. I give it a 3 out of 4 stars."

Taki's Restaurant.
45 Court St. (downtown, between Franklin and Pearl), Buffalo.
845-6422.

[PT, 12/06] says: "Years ago, if memory serves, there was a Taki Asian Fusion restaurant, owned by Rich Products, in or near the same location. The sushi chef was Kuni, who, of course, went on to run his own sushi restaurant, and now owns Kuni's To Go. This Taki (apparently that is the owner's name) is Greek primarily; nothing remotely Asian on the menu. Good chicken souvlaki. They are open for breakfast and lunch. I am not sure about dinner."

Tantalus.
634 Main St., East Aurora.
652-0341.

[3/11] & [4/10] Given 3½ (out of 4) stars by Janice Okun, Buffalo News restaurant reviewer.

[FS, 1/12] says: "My wife and I had dinner at Tantalus in East Aurora last night [1/25/12]. We arrived at around 6 P.M. without reservations and were seated immediately. The restaurant got busy over the next half hour, filling up with families and small groups. It seemed as though everyone knew each other; it was a very nice atmosphere. Our waitress was very nice and attentive. It was our first time to Tantalus, and they have an extensive menu, so it took us quite awhile to navigate through it. It seems like they have fifty bottled beers to choose from. Our waitress was patient with us; when we did order, we were served in a timely fashion. They had a printed specials menu from which we decided to order. We started with the Roasted Tomato Florentine soup, which was perfect for a cold, damp evening. It must have had some cayenne, because it packed a pleasant little kick. We had a mixed-greens salad: My wife thought the dressings were too bland, but I suggested they were delicate in order not to overpower the greens; my honey-Dijon was well balanced. I had the beef bourguignon served over mashed potatoes: It was a nice pot roast with carrots and mushrooms; I thought it was satisfying comfort food. My wife had the chicken marsala special, which was disappointing: First, it was far too oily. Second, the chicken appeared to be chunks of seasoned, grilled, boneless breast tossed with the fettuccini and sauce; the chicken marsala I've had elsewhere usually consists of pan-cooked, chicken cutlets. Third, the seasoning was off; there was a sweet spice that I know I should be able to identify, but I can't: At first, I thought it was cinnamon, but that wasn't it; my next best guess would be anise. Somehow, it just seemed out of place for this dish; the chicken marsala at Mangia is much better. We agreed that I ‘out-ordered’ my wife on this occasion. Oh, we also had a glass of their Argentinean Malbec, which was good. The price was commensurate with the quality of our food. We've been meaning to go to Tantalus for a long time, and now we've gotten it out of our systems. We would probably go back, but there are many other places we would want to try out first."

[KriMa, 1/12] said: "My husband & I brought our out-of-town guests to Tantalus in East Aurora for dinner Friday night, 1/20/12. We drove 25 minutes to get there, and, while in the car, I tried to call ahead to put our name down. They did not answer the phone. When we arrived, the hostess said it would be an hour wait for a table of 5. OK: it's Friday night, it's understandable. 90 minutes go by, and we start to get agitated as we see other large groups who clearly came in after us get seated before us. After 2 attempts of speaking to the hostess as to why they couldn't put 2 tables together or configure something for us, my husband goes up to speak with her. He points out that he's been watching ‘regulars’ come in, shake the hand of the owner, and get seated right away. The hostess says, ‘Yeah; I don't like how it works, either.’ 2 hours of waiting, I finally grab the owner and bring it to his attention that I chose his restaurant for our out-of-town family dinner, and we don't seem to be sitting anytime soon. He offered us the table in the bar/waiting area, but, frankly, if you've ever been to Tantalus, who in their right mind wants to eat where everyone is standing, waiting for their tables?! He claimed he would ‘see on putting a table together’ but never came back. We ended up walking out after our 2-hour waste of time and eating at the Mexican restaurant across the street. It's unfortunate: I liked Tantalus, and we were regular customers."

[LSS] said:

[1/10] "On a lunchtime visit to Tantalus yesterday [12/28/09], I encounted none of the past problems (please see my previous reviews below). I watched the snow float over Main Street and reminisced that the place I was sitting in was a spot I'd passed often as a child. I'm pretty sure the rabbit feed was kept in this area when Griggs & Ball's feed store was on the same location. It doesn't seem too long ago. I had a fabulous pizza with mushrooms, truffle oil, and figs. Perfectly cheesy and crispy. My friends gushed over the stuffed banana-peppers. One dining companion had pizza with oysters and loved it. I think the extra space provided by the addition of a second dining room has made a big difference in the Tantalus dining experience. I won't hesitate to return again very soon."

[1/07] "I ate here in June 2006 with a group of friends. I was very hesitant, but went along. We dined outside, and everything was good. The service was greatly improved, and I had no run-ins with the on-again, off-again owner this time. I'll happily visit again."

[1/05] "I read the recent review [AEW, 1/05], and it's time for me to speak up. I was born and raised in E. Aurora and went for a second time to Tantalus with my brother, two sisters, and spouses (all visiting from out of town), and we had a very bad experience indeed. We spent a lot of money (drinks, appetizers, and food aplenty). Those of us drinking bottled beer noticed that the bottles weren't cold—apparently the result of the restaurant's cooler being a charming tin tub filled with ice, no cover, no refrigeration. We asked our excellent server to bring us cold beer when she had a chance. They were room temp—it was summer. She explained about the tin cooler with ice. She brought somewhat colder bottles, and we were happy. Then, when we ordered more drinks later, she brought us opened, sipped-on bottles from earlier. My brother, who once found a syringe in a sealed(?) bottle in Mexico, was disturbed. We sent them back, explaining that we didn't want already-opened bottles. Plus, whose was whose? We couldn't tell. After our long and otherwise enjoyable dinner, my brother (who hasn't a mean bone in his body, unlike his older sister, me) approached the owner and told him that some diners might be put off by this practice of re-serving open bottles. He was brusque, OK, and told us that he didn't come into our places of business and tell us how to run them. Then he denied being the owner. We left and will never return. It's a darn shame—a beautiful place, good food on our visit. Prepare to be treatly badly when you visit."

[BK, 1/10] said: "On Sunday, 1/17, I had the opportunity to dine at Tantalus with a good friend. I had always followed the litany of contrasting reviews for this restaurant on your website, so I was eager to experience the food, service, and ambience firsthand. After reading some of the more recent reviews, we ultimately decided to call ahead and attempt to place our name on a waiting list. To our surprise, the individual who answered the phone indicated that there was currently no wait and that we shouldn't have any problems securing a table. His claim proved truthful, as we were immediately seated upon our arrival at 7 P.M.. Shortly thereafter, we were provided with menus and greeted by our waitress. Upon opening the menu, I immediately found it to be confusing and quite daunting; it was at least 10 pages in length and was comprised of both lunch and dinner options, some of which could only be ordered during a specified time period. Although I applaud them for offering such a diverse assortment of items, my experience with restaurants with large menus is that quantity compromises quality. To start, we each ordered a glass of wine and shared the baked brie appetizer. The appetizer was accompanied with toasted bread slices and served at an appropriate temperature. Overall, the brie was not exceptional, but the quality was definitely commensurate with the price (~$6). For an entrée, I ordered the seared duck, while my friend opted for a traditional burger and fries. The seared duck was topped with a pecan-zinfandel reduction and accompanied with mashed potatoes and cooked carrots. Again, the entrée was not incredibly memorable, but I didn't expect much given its price (~$15). On the other hand, my friend thoroughly enjoyed his burger, which was absolutely massive and seemingly well-prepared. Contrary to some of the previous reviewers, neither my friend nor I found any problems with the service or noise level. However, the restaurant was only at 75% capacity, so the situation would probably have been different with greater patron volume. In all, our total bill was approximately $55, which I personally believe was reasonable given the food quality. Given the reasonable assortment of quality restaurants in East Aurora, I likely won't return to Tantalus for dinner anytime in the near future. However, I would definitely return for lunch, especially if I were accompanied by friends and/or colleagues with contrasting palates."

[GSw, 9/09] said: "I was shocked to read some of ‘your?’ restaurant reviews on the Tantalus Restaurant in East Aurora, New York. [Nope; not mine—all reviews of this restaurant were sent in by contributors.] First of all let me say that we travel extensively through the Eastern U.S. and have enjoyed eating at the Tantalus Restaurant at least ten times a year for several years. We have never had the kind of dining experiences as the ones that you have highlighted in your selected reviews and critiques. It sounds to me as though you have some sort of personal problem with that particular restaurant based on your negative selections. [‘Selected’? I have not gone out of my way to edit out good reviews. I can't help it if the reviews sent in by readers are negative—or positive, for that matter. I have no personal problem with Tantalus.] Our experiences at Tantalus left us with only positive comments and thoughts about the hospitable management and staff. At Tantalus, we have eaten everything from pizza and salad to the finest wine and steak combinations offered and have never experienced the kind of problems that you accentuate with your reviews. [Again, I don't ‘accentuate’ and they are not my reviews; they are the reviews of contributors.] The owners and staff have always gone out of their way to provide the finest food and service and are at the forefront of the revitalization of downtown East Aurora, New York. We encourage everyone to enjoy the food and service at Tantalus and only wish there was an establishment like it near our home here in Boca Raton, Florida."

[KDe, 6/09] said: "We and our friends have been here several times but will not return. Food has usually been good but occasionally has been awful. This afternoon, two half pizzas were good, as was black-bean, jalapeno ravioli. Fish was unexciting. Even when the food is good, however, the service is inconsistent at best. This afternoon, for example: About half of our forks had obvious food crusted on them from inadequate washing (and lack of care in setting). No knives for any of us at our settings. Service was incompetent. After first fill of water, we were never offered a refill (and waitress stopped coming back, so we would have had to track her down). Had to ask three times for bread. Salads came at end of the meal (we took them home in boxes). One of us was served the wrong entree. (Owner did correct this, and server apologized, but of course we had to wait until the correct order was cooked.) And, finally, we were given the wrong bill. Our friends told us that service was even worse the previous time they were here. So, we'll miss the food, but it's not worth it to us to endure the high probability that our meal will be ruined by poor service."

[MD, 2/09] said: "I had dinner at Tantalus on Friday, Feb. 20th, and I believe that I have found the worst table in Western New York to be seated at. As soon as you enter the restaurant, there is a table located at the enterance that has to be the most miserable place to sit and have dinner during bad weather. When the outside door opens, you experience a blast of arctic air that would make an Eskimo shiver. There was a large puddle of water near the door that was creeping into the surrounding dining tables, as well. While I am aware that owners need to maximize their dining space, and restaurants are busy, it may be time to re-think where you are sitting your guests. If I wanted to experience the weather, I would have requested an outside table. With that being said, the hand-tossed pizzas are very unique and tasty; you just have to get over the fact that depending on where you are sitting, you may have to ask your server to reheat your dinner! I would recommend that if you do get seated at this table near the door, and you are not dressed appropriately, it would be better to leave than to suffer through the water pooling on the floor, the chilly blasts of air from the door, and the other patrons hovering around your table as they wait for tables and eye up what you have ordered."

[KCi, 2/09] said: "I do not normally want to "out" a restaurant for a bad experience because I know some days you can just have an off day but I have eaten at Tantalus 3 times now and all 3 times I have had a bad experience. The first time was last year I was there for dinner with my Mom and sister and we were sat at one of the tables right by the front door where we froze to death and had all the people who were waiting for their table crammed in bumping into our chairs staring at our food. The food was okay then, had a steak but if you go to Tantalus don't waist your money with the steak, go for their pizzas or pasta. Then 2nd time I went with 3 girlfriends and we called ahead on the way over at 6:28 and when we arrived we were told about half an hour left so we stood by the bar trying not to bump into the poor people eating in the crammed front room. About an hour later we were told we were next, well that came and went and many more people were sat before us. A gentleman came up to us and asked us what our name was and he would check for us, we were told we were next. 30 min later he came by again and my friend had said that we did not mean to be a pain but we had called ahead and we were going on an hour and a half wait, he said well with calling ahead it is hit or miss because if someone walks in after you call they get the table first... I thought the point of calling ahead was your name gets put on the list and if people come after that they get put underneath our name?? So we waited and at that point they kept trying to put us by one of the tables by the front door where many people were standing waiting for a table. That is not where we wanted to be. Finally at 8:40 we were sat. They did offer a bottle of wine on the house for the wait so that was nice and our food was very good that night. I had a great pasta. So we were happy even with the wait. However, I went back this past Friday for a friends birthday and when I arrived my friends were already sat and low and behold they were at the first table by the front door. That night it was freezing and the door kept blowing open and again people were practly sitting at our table waiting, I ordered the same pasta that I had last time because it was so good, but this time it came out very watery and not very tasty. I was very disappointed we ate as fast as we could just to get out of there. I think they need to start taking reservations and not seat people in that front room, It is very very annoying eating there, it is very loud, crowed and to bright to enjoy your meal, you want to eat as fast as you can so you can get out of there. If you sit in the main dining room the experience is much better. If you want a great experience try ricks down the street, you will pay a bit more but the food and service is wonderful." [Editor's note: I usually lightly edit the reviews for spelling, grammar, etc. This one exceeded my expectations, however :-)]

[LDe, 8/08] said: "I've been to Tantalus a few times over the years. I have always found the food to be excellent, the atmosphere to be busy and loud, and the service to be inconsistent. Since we live in East Aurora and we wanted to take advantage of a lovely summer night, my husband and I decided to walk there for dinner on August 8, 2008. The host promptly seated us in the crowded dining room, and the server rattled off the specials, took our drink order, and left us to ponder their extensive list of menu items. The restaurant was so bright and noisy that my husband and I had to raise our voices to converse with each other. I usually order the spinach and goat cheese pizza, which is excellent, but I decided to try the steak with Zinfandel sauce this time. It was delicious and came with the most tasty mashed potatoes and green beans I've ever had. My husband ordered the strip steak and said it was also excellent. The wine list offers many bottles in the $20-$30 range. We ordered the Meritage Red by St. Francis winery. It complemented the steaks very well. Prices for sandwiches and half pizzas start at around $8. The entrees were about $16 and up. I have never been disappointed by the food, but the service and atmosphere are lacking. Our waitress was OK, but several people, including waitstaff, kept bumping into my husband's side of the table. They all seemed to be oblivious to it. The owners should really try to arrange the tables better or take some tables out. You will not be dissappointed by the quality and variety of food that Tantalus offers, but think twice if you're seeking a romantic place for two or if you want a fine dining experience."

[KJ, 10/07] said: "Do not go to this restaurant on a weekend night, unless you are prepared to wait up to 2 hours for a table. My table of 4 called ahead this past Saturday, as instructed by the restaurant, to be put on the list for a table. We called at 6:30 pm and were told we were "OK" to get a table at 7 pm. We arrived promptly at 7 pm and were told by the hostess to wait at the bar. We inquired twice during the next hour as to when we might get a table and were told both times by an extremely frazzled hostess that we would get "one of the next few tables." We finally left at 8:15 pm and had a fantastic dinner down the street at Rick's."

[JLo, 6/07] said: "Positively Positive. Frankly I am shocked. I cannot believe the level of discontent that Tantalus has aroused on this website. I have been going to Tantalus since its inception, hauling myself out to the burbs from my southern city home in order to be privy to such an advanced culinary experience. Not only is the structure itself a delight, but certain menu items are so good that it would be impossible to stop me from dining at this restaurant. Yes, I do agree that service is frazzled, getting a table is atrocious, and certain menu items can be a little lacklustre, but Tantalus has mastered the art of the pizza. I cannot emphasize enough how wonderful every one of their pizzas are. Plus, a half pizza (the size of which would roughly fit on a standard cookie sheet) only runs around ten dollars. Their menu items are inventive and include fresh, innovative ingredients. I highly recommend the Margarita con prosciuto pizza, a bucket of fresh cut fries, and a side of their signature Ranch (to die for) for dipping, and guarantee that you will not even care about the noise or the fact that your server seems to have forgotten you are alive. Once that heavenly thin-crust slice hits your mouth, you will realize why so many will wait for so long at this place. If anything, head there for lunch when there is no wait. P.S.: Bill Rapaport, I hope you have been to this restaurant by now." [No, sorry; haven't gotten there yet.—Bill]

[GWa, 3/07] said: "I recently spent a Thursday evening dining at Tantalus, which came well-recommended from a local friend. I was promptly seated at a small table. I ordered the Kalamata olive tapenade with "imported mozzarella", a NY strip steak, and a salad. The salad arrived first, before the appetizer, literally swimming in vinaigrette dressing, with a basket of French-bread slices (no butter). About 5 minutes later, my appetizer tapenade arrived. It consisted of 6 small, stale toasted slices of French bread with dime-sized pieces of mozzarella placed on top and a pool of olive tapenade in the center, which had an off-flavor and was not terribly tasty. The steak arrived with fresh green beans and a side of mashed potatoes with gravy. The steak was done as I ordered but did not have much flavor. The potato gravy was obviously canned and not homemade. For $33.00 without tax or tip, I was greatly disappointed. The restaurant began to fill with diners and was very noisy. I guess I would have to advise that if you are looking for a quiet restaurant with good food, good service, and ambiance, I would not recommend Tantalus but Rick's on Main just down the street for a few dollars more for a truly memorable dining experience."

[SAS, 3/07] said: "Positive; my wife, our friend, and I ate at Tantalus last week Thursday. It was Mexican night, and the specials menu had many selections. (The regular menu was also very broad and diverse.) We shared a quesadillo (deliciously spicy) and three entrees. The three burrito (cheese, pork, chicken) platter was filling, but the pork was a little dry, and the chicken needed more spice. The "Anti-Margharita" pizza had a very thin crisp crust (reminded me of my NYC days) and lots of garlic...very tasty. The salad (with mango and guacamole) was very fresh and tasty. Yes, it is a bit noisy (some wall and ceiling hangings seem to help), but there is a great energy there too. Service was very good."

[SJS, 9/06] said: "I'm amazed at all the negative comments about this restaurant! My wife and I have been to Tantalus about five times so far. In fact, we are going there again tonight. We usually go there on a Friday before 6pm. It is a very busy restaurant, so you need to get there early, or you will be waiting. Perhaps this is part of the problem. It is very popular to a Southtowns community starving for some sophistication. It is our new favorite restaurant. Its menu is extensive and cultured. This isn't a steak and potatoes place. The cuisine I would classify as contemporary with mostly Italian and French roots. If you like Left Bank or Le Metro (Elmwood), you will like this. Our food choices have always been excellent. There are many pasta choices, and the salads all have some sophistication, using things like goat cheese, mango, walnuts, field greens, etc. One of my favorite dishes is a simple pasta & grilled shrimp dish, where some very large, perfectly grilled shrimp are combined with a simple basil/fresh tomato/garlic sauce. I haven't been skunked yet. We've had other seafood dishes as well. All have been great. Its wine selection is above average, with a lot of wines that are not found at most restaurants. If I'm having pasta, I usually order an Italian Sangiovese cab blend. The ambiance is similar to Left Bank, but very casual, which is great in the summer time. You can go into a place with shorts and sandals, and yet get high-quality food. The waiters are very young, and their knowledge of the food and wine is minimal. The hostesses aren't much help, actually. I can believe that there are problems with this area of management. However, the personnel have always been polite and intelligent. There might be some truth to the lack of training, but it really hasn't burned us yet. At least they aren't annoying or pushy. It is typically loud once people fill the tables. However, Left Bank (which is similar and we love) and Curly's are two restaurants which are equally as loud. Don't go there for a quiet, intimate dinner. For us, it's a way to wind down the week and catch up with each other in a relaxed setting. There's a great walk awaiting you afterwards as well, around the quiet village of East Aurora, or catch a movie across the street. It's a great night out."

[CMM, 8/06] said: "I've been a regular at Tantalus for two years now, and I have yet to be disappointed. The owner, the staff, the food, the décor are all exceptional. Sure, if you go there on a holiday evening or on a Friday/Saturday night, you're going to have to wait. Why? You're not being ignored: You're waiting because everyone else has apparently had the same idea. I had one of the best martinis of my life at Tantalus. There isn't much to absorb sound, so it can get noisy, but it isn't anything unmanageable. I urge you: Go there! If you're going on a busy night, consider getting there a bit early to beat the crowds. A kitchen can only move so quickly; when you have 80-some-odd tables, all ordering, it isn't easy. Maybe some people need to stop being primadonnas and learn the fine art of enjoying a meal."

[DEv, 4/06] said: "Is this an equal opportunity web site or did Bill Rapaport have one terrible experience at Tantalus Restaurant in East Aurora and take a vow only to publish scathing reviews of the place? [Bill Rapaport's reply: The former. I've never eaten here, hence could not have had any experiences, terrible or otherwise. If the only reviews that I've published have been "scathing", then that's because—till now—they're the only ones I've received. Please read them again carefully:-)] If no one from East Aurora eats at Tantalus, why is the place always packed? Why did they expand more than a year ago? When it first opened, Tantalus was a little noisy and disorganized, but the owner has since gotten his act together—and the food has always been comparable to any of Buffalo's best restaurants. I've had the steak, steak, steak pizza many times and love the tenderness and flavor of the marinated flank steak. Last time I was there, my friend and I shared a delicious duck casserole that was so large I doubt even my 6'5" son could have eaten it alone. I may have had slow service once, but most of the time the service is great; the staff is extremely pleasant and knowledgeable about their product. And as I said—it is always packed on a Friday or Saturday night. Since I haven't taken a survey, I don't know how many of those people are "East Aurorans", but if they aren't—East Aurora is missing out on a good thing in its own backyard!"

[SPi, 10/05] said: "This trendy-looking restaurant situated in the heart of East Aurora is fast-becoming known as the "East Aurora restaurant that only non-East Aurorians frequent." When the place open a year or so back, many of us were excited to see what this new spot would bring. Well, from day one, it's dished out little more than disappointment and disaster. The owner, by his own word, had little or no prior restaurant experience, and he chose to forge ahead with his "Grand Opening"...before the place was actually ready: unfinished decor, only partially hired staff (that was largely untrained), no host/hostess (more on that later), and no liquor licence. Because the food was somewhat unique and the location superb, I think most (including my wife and me) were willing to forgive the consistent problems of messed-up or forgotten orders, disappearing waitresses, exceeding loud eating area, and, of course, no drinks. By far the most annoying faux pas was the fact that the place had two entrances but no hostess; groups would stand at either entrance for long stretches and remain completely ignored. More than a few simply left in a huff. After one particularly bad experience in which my wife, who ordered the "Heated Brie and Bread", but was given a bowl of French Onion soup by a waitress who assured her that was the Brie dish, and a salad that was nothing but lettuce and dressing, we called the manager/owner about our concerns. As nicely as I could, I related our experiences and observation (mentioned above). I told him that we were rooting for the place and wanted to see it stay open. As earlier reviewers noted, he offered no apologies, was unmistakenly arrogant, and even suggested that we were mistaken about the Brie. Since I had ordered that item there twice before, I then informed him that they must have changed the dish to include melted mozzarella, soggy croutons, baked onion slices, and brown broth—my mistake! The conversation was over. We vowed, like many of our frustrated neighbors, never to go again. However, when the place was "supposedly" fully staffed, with decor completed, hostess in place, and liquor license and bar acquired, my in-laws from a nearby town were itching to go and insisted we just might have had a random bad experience. We relented and took them all. You know the phrase, "Lightning never strikes the same place twice"?...Wive's tale! It was déja vu: same delay with phantom hostess, same excuses ("oh, we're really swamped tonight," "I wouldn't order that—the kitchen's really backed up—unless you want a long wait," etc.), and same noisy din. A "new" surprise was the drinks, which, of course, took a long time to arrive. Worse, they were watery and basically undiscernable. When we complained, we were told that "tonight was a Wednesday, and the bartender was not there on Wednesdays, so the waitress had to make the drinks herself. OK! A few more highlights: watched two different groups by the door leave after being ignored; spoke to a young couple who had been there 3 1/2 hours, and not because they were slow eaters! Need I go on? One last thought: whenever we travel to a new city, the first thing we ask the hotel clerk is where the locals go to eat. Take it from a local, when in E.A., go anywhere but to Tantalus."

[JLi, 6/05] said: "May 29, 2005—Great food, atrocious service and treatment. My wife and I have eaten lunch at Tantalus at least five times in the past year, and the food has always been great. We decided to go there for dinner one Sunday evening. We were presented with a 4-page list of specials, and there were 2 that included soft shell crabs. One offering was 4 soft shell crabs and 14 oz. steak for $32, and the other was 2 soft shell crabs and 12 oz. steak for $22. We decided on a bottle of red wine, and we each ordered the 2 crab and 12 oz. steak entree for $22. As we were halfway through our salads, the waiter arrived at the table with our dinners, but each plate only had 2 crabs and no steak. He said there was a typo on the specials menu and that the $22 entree was only 2 soft shell crabs, and he hoped we didn't mind. I immediately said, yes, we did mind. He served our dinners and asked what he could do. I suggested that since we were getting 1/2 the meal, that they take one entree off the bill. He said he would see what he could do. Came back and said his hands were tied since the owner was not there. I then asked for at least one steak that my wife and I could split, since we were paying $44 and the $32 dinner came with a steak. He once again said he would see what he could do—same story. He said his hands were tied and the person in charge, the chef, would not make the decision. We were told that since the owners weren't there, we would have to pay the bill, and we could call back to talk to the owner to see if something could be done. We paid the bill, left a token tip, and left with the worst feeling ever from a restaurant. I have placed 5 calls since, and the owners never seem to be there. This was the worst restaurant treatment I have ever had, ever! And I travel across the nation. It is too bad. Great food, but they do not deserve anyone's business. We will never go back."

[AEW, 1/05] said: "We wish we would have listened to the reviews on this web site regarding Tantalus in East Aurora. We have a six-month-old baby and managed to get a baby sitter for New Year's. We called Tantalus and made reservations for 2 people at 6 o'clock. We pre-bought theater tickets for 8 o'clock that night. When we arrived at Tantalus, the host (later to learn, the owner) recognized our reservation and told us the wait would be approximately 15 minutes. After waiting a half hour at the bar, I checked with the host to see how much longer the wait would be. He identified himself as the owner and apologized that he should better coach his staff that they shouldn't take reservations for 2 people. He then contradicted himself and said that, since it was New Year's, they had taken several reservations for tonight only. We waited an hour, and, at 7:00, we advised the owner that we were leaving. The owner was unapologetic and very unprofessional! We had traveled a half hour to get to Tantalus, waited an hour, all the while paying for a baby sitter; we left so that we could still salvage our theater tickets and our night! I advise others to listen to these reviews. Stay away from Tantalus! The service is terrible!"

[SCS] said:

[1/05] ...that he ate there again recently and had a fine experience (except for the too-small, too-expensive salad), comparing the restaurant to the likes of Linguine's or Carmine's.

[10/04] "I stopped here for a light dinner on a Tuesday evening. It was not crowded. The service was fine. The "traditional" salad was overpriced ($3.50 for a small plate with a little salad on it), but my glass of wine was fine, and my pizza (a one-half spinach and goat cheese) was excellent, and more than enough. I highly recommend it."

[JAu] said:

[10/04] "We gave Tantalus a second chance. Last time the service was, well, immature. This time, it was haggard. A 35-minute wait was suffered through at their undersized bar. Three glasses of wine: $19.50. All three glasses were house calls. When seated by a very kind host, we waited 15 minutes before getting a menu and then only upon request. Then the specials were brought to us another 5 minutes later. The waitress's first visit to the table came 20 minutes after sitting. "Can we order an appetizer now, before the entree?" "If you do, it will just come out at the same time, so I would just wait." Okay. The first round of drinks at the table took another ten minutes; the waitress informed us that they were "swamped" at the bar. Leads one to conclude that "swamped" at Tantalus means there are 5 people at the five-foot bar, and each of them has ordered a drink at once. Last time the food was the thing. We forgave all when our meals were outstanding. I'm willing to concede that perhaps it was just so frustrating that the service had not improved this time that we just weren't in a forgiving mood. On the other hand, one person's burger was underdone and was not dressed properly. Another companion's pasta tasted like they did not put enough water in the Campbell's tomato soup before pouring it over top of the pasta. The roasted garlic appetizer had sprouts running through the center of each bulb. The hot pepper appetizer was good. The salads were never brought. The complimentary desert, meant to make up for all of the snafus—didn't. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. Shame on me, Tantalus still needs a lot of work."

[9/04] "Four of us called ahead and were seated almost immediately, despite a good crowd. The place has the beginnings of great character, but any ambience was destroyed by the lecture-hall acoustics. They have draped some blankets over the bare piping at ceiling level, in an apparent attempt to dampen the sound. They should consider doubling the number of blankets and perhaps covering the upper windows with a heavy fabric to control the reverberation as well. The wine steward made a poor presentation and was disheveled. The waitress was inexperienced but conscientious. She wanted to do everything right, but she just didn't have it that night. She dropped a greasy fork on my shirt and then forgot to bring me club soda and a napkin to blot the grease (her suggestion). She took an inordinate amount of time with the drinks and was unaware that they were out of my first two beer selections and then my first wine selection. It was a struggle to rise above the poor atmosphere and service, and just when your patience has worn thin, they plop down one of the best entrees I have had in months in this town. Everyone at the table was pleased with their meal, and everyone was shocked at the service quality. We want good restaurants in the southtowns; we really really want them. Two stars, with many very correctible errors."

[AJB, 12/03] said: "I now have a new favorite restaurant. This restaurant is the embodiment of all the great casual contemporary places I used to frequent when I lived in Boston. I started with a tortilla soup that was thick & hearty—perfect for the cold December day. I had a chicken & avocado salad as a lunch entrée, and everything was fresh—the (exclusively) romaine lettuce was green, the avocado as well, and the chicken was fresh & roasted. The ranch dressing also seemed to be homemade. But salads & soups are not what make this place so great. Pizzas. The pizzas quite evidently come from a brick oven, and they are served on wax paper on top of the type of wooden spatula that's used to help bake the pizza. The crust is thin and crunchy. The toppings are tasty, fresh, and inventive. They range from a spicy Mexican pizza, to a sweet BBQ chicken pizza, to a regular margherita pizza with tomato sauce, fresh buffalo mozzarella, oregano, & basil. Even the kids' fish sticks (billed as "sole sticks") quite evidently came from a fish and were fresh and appeared unprocessed. I often hear my friends in the Southtowns lament not having as many eatery choices as Northtown folks. Well, they can stop complaining, because Tantalus is worth the trip (and it's in a nice setting for a stroll before and after your meal)."

Taste.
634-3 Main St., East Aurora.
655-1874.

[LS, 1/07] says: "Informal, spacious, cozy coffeehouse neighbor to Tantalus on Main St. I used to buy bird food where both restaurants are now located, when it was Griggs & Ball, a farm feed & seed store. The service is the best—not to mention the fresh coffee and food. I'm a fan of the Breakfast Blanket, hold the ham, please. Taste has a variety of sandwiches, light fare, and desserts that are works of art. Free Wi-Fi connection and coffee for sale by the pound, too. I could easily live here."

Taste Good Chinese Restaurant.
2308 Delaware Ave. (near Hertel Ave.), Buffalo.
874-3838.

[LCo, 7/07] says: "I don't know that there is anything to note about Taste Good, other than that it offers a large variety of mockmeat dishes. I have tried their bean curd in garlic sauce, but it was not nearly as flavorful as the same dish at Great Wall, and the tofu didn't have a good texture because it wasn't deep fried. I've also had several of the mockmeat dishes including sesame "chicken", "beef" and broccoli, General Tso's "beef", "beef" with orange sauce, and "beef" with black bean sauce. The vegetarian sweet and sour chicken/beef is not battered like your typical sweet and sour chicken; it's just the mockmeat in sweet and sour sauce, but it's delicious and has a great pineapple flavor. The mockmeats tend to be a bit chewy in dishes with thicker sauces like sesame, General Tso's, and the orange sauce, but the thinner sauces like the brown sauce in beef and broccoli or the black bean sauce help the vegetarian meats stay tender. The service for carry-out is always fast; I've never waited more than 10 minutes for my food. They do have tables for eating in, though I've only ordered take-out and then sat and ate; I don't know if you can order to eat in."

[PB, 6/02] said: "Taste Good has really excellent vegetarian-meat choices (soy meat). For those of us that were meat eaters and are vegans and need to taste that textury meat to satisfy our taste buds, this is the place. The vegetarian sesame chicken is great!!!!"

[MEL, 4/98] said: "Seemingly another take out Chinese place in a strip mall—but better than most comparable places. I especially liked the chow fun (wide rice noodles), which are hard to get in Western New York, especially in takeout places."

[am] Taste of India.
3093 Sheridan Dr. (in Northtown Plaza), Amherst.
837-0460.

Delivery available from Takeout Taxi, 631-2222.

[WHN] says:

[6/11] "I went to Taste of India for dinner with a group of eight on Thursday 6/9/11. Some of the people were Indian-cuisine novices, so the food wasn't shared, for the most part, as is typical of an Indian meal. I started with cauliflower pakoras, which I did share. They were very good, as were the accompanying tamarind and mint chutneys. For my main course, I ordered lamb vindaloo, which was excellent: fairly hot, but not fiery hot, but other people who tried it thought it was very spicy. I did try some chicken korma and tandoori lamb. Both were very good. I'm not sure what everyone had, but one had a vegetarian dish, several had assorted tandoori platters, and one woman ordered chicken tikka masala and then complained to the server about not being able to eat anything with sauce and how, when she ordered it at India Gate, it had no sauce. He took it away and returned with chicken tikka, which is what she meant to order. Except for her, everyone enjoyed the meal. The portions here are larger than Tandoori's and less expensive, and include rice and raita at no charge. Many people, including me, took leftovers home. I would give it 2 stars vs. Tandoori's 3."

[5/09] "It's been some time since we've been to Taste of India, but we had an excellent meal there on Sunday night. Compared to our Indian-restaurant favorite, Tandoori's, the portions are considerably larger, the prices are lower, and rice, including refills if needed, is included at no extra charge. Side dishes of raita and dal were also included at no charge. On the other hand, Tandoori's starts meals off with complimentary pakoras and papadoms, and presents a rose to women at the end of the meal. Our English friends, who love Indian cuisine, are about equally divided between the merits of Tandoori's and Taste of India. I would still give Tandoori's a slight edge."

[1/06] "I thought I would express my opinions on the four south Asian restaurants that we have tried in the area. Tandoori's is the best, with Kabab and Curry and Taste of India tied for second. Moti Mahal is a far distant fourth."

[AFN, 1/10] said: "My sister and I had lunch at Taste of India today (2/5/10). We arrived a little before noon, and the place was empty. Shortly after, many other diners arrived, and before long both dining rooms were packed, and there were people waiting for tables. The lunchtime attraction is their $7.95 buffet, which was excellent. I can't begin to describe all the choices, but there were many vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. Among the foods I chose were tofu Makhani (my favorite curry, although I've always had chicken Makhani previously), beef curry, two different chicken dishes, and curried cauliflower and peas. All the food was delicious. Our lunch, including tax and tip, was under $20. (We only had water to drink.) My sister enjoyed it immensely, too, and said she wants to take her husband there soon. She also said her doctor, who is from India, prefers it over Tandoori's and recently had Taste of India cater a dinner party at his home. I would say I still prefer Tandoori's, but I've never had their luncheon buffet."

[LLe, 1/10] said: "I was there on a Wednesday night, around 8 P.M. or 8:30. The restaurant was completely empty, and I was the only customer. The waitress seated me by taking me to a table and gesturing. I sat down without looking, because I was reading a novel. Then an older lady come out, who seemed to be the restaurant owner and the waitress's's mother, and asked her why she had seated me at a dirty table. The waitress stated, "It doesn't matter; she doesn't speak English". I was very angry and walked out."

[LMR, 5/09] said: "Went there for the lunch buffet in April. Very good: I was pleasantly surprised at what was on the buffet; though it seemed small, there was a lot there. All the favorites were there: the Naan bread with the fabulous dips, some new stuff, and tandoori chicken; all excellent. My friend's 7-year-old son enjoyed it a lot; it was all new for him. Plus, there was a Chai tea that was very tasty, as well. Reasonably priced, too. Service was very pleasant and quick. Would go back and would recommend."

[KATS, 1/06] said: "Excellent Indian food."

[MRT, 4/05] said: "For the first time, I enjoyed a buffet lunch at Taste of India today. The service is excellent. They have a great assortment of foods, both vegetarian and meat masala dishes, salad, raita, delicious bread, delicious tea. Lunch for two: $17.22. The food is very mild (Americanized). Their hot sauce is not very hot. But if you have a craving for Indian food close to the north campus of UB, this is a very good choice."

[SMD, 4/04] said: "Stopped in on a Friday night with my favorite dining companion. We were warmly greeted and seated right away by the friendly hostess. Being somewhat of a neophyte when it comes to Indian cuisine, our server was more than happy to guide us through the menu selections and advised us that the degree of spiciness in any dish could be adjusted to suit our tastes, dispelling the myth that all Indian food is hot, spicy, or tastes like curry powder. A gentleman at a nearby table exclaimed to his dining companions, "You're going to love this!" Boy, was he right! I went with the Chicken Makhani, chicken breast pieces cooked in a delicious sauce with sultana raisins and cashews. My companion chose the Chicken Palak, chicken breast pieces cooked with lightly seasoned spinach. Both dishes were fantastic and served with a generous bowl of basmati rice. During the course of our meal, our water glasses were constantly replenished by the friendly waitstaff. The atmosphere was pleasant, with quiet music playing in the background that thankfully didn't interfere with conversation. This was a thoroughly enjoyable dining experience and not tough on the wallet. If you are already familiar with Indian cuisine or want to try something new, check out Taste of India. They have definitely made a fan out of me. They also feature a weekday lunch buffet and banquet room."

[BJ, 2/01] said: "The decor of Taste of India is not as nice as Tandoori, but the (veg) food is very good. Comparable to Tandoori."

[JPM, 9/00] said: "Recently added many new things to their menu, particularly in the vegetarian section. Always first rate. Probably my favorite overall restaurant in Buffalo. I'm always satisfied (and not broke) when I leave."

[LH, 6/94] said: "My recommendation for a modest Indian restaurant is Taste of India; overall good quality, good service, nice buffet lunch; dosas on Sundays not bad (not that I've ever had a really good dosa in North America, but still); I've never had anything awful there."

[PJE, 5/95] said: "Had a good lunch with [an Indian colleague] at the Taste of India in Northtown Plaza. It was a 'buffet' and really very good. But [my colleague] says it's better sometimes than others. I suspect that Thurs-Fri has fresher food than Mon-Tues."

[SC, 9/93] said: "I personally think that the Indian food in Taste of India is the best."

Taste of New York Restaurant.
800 S. Main St. (in the NY Wine & Culinary Center), Canandaigua.
585-394-7070.

Online reservations available via OpenTable.com.

[WHN, 8/09] says: "En route to the Seneca Lake wine country, we stopped for lunch at the New York Wine & Culinary Center in Canandaigua. From the northern suburbs of Buffalo, it's about the same distance (85 miles) and travel time (1.5 hrs.) as the Chautauqua Lake/Jamestown area. We had hoped to sit outside on their deck, but it was a rainy day, so we couldn't, but the restaurant inside is nicely appointed. I had an open-faced, shaved, rib-eye sandwich with a delicious red-wine sauce and crispy, fried onions, served over a grilled baguette. My wife had a Reuben made with pastrami instead of corned beef [According to that old reliable source, Wikipedia, such a variation is called a "Rachel" :-)] and local red meck cheese instead of Swiss, with Swiss-like holes, but a tangier flavor. This was served with potato gaufrettes, which were basically homemade potato chips. The pastrami and unusual (to us) cheese added a spicier flavor to her sandwich. Both lunches were very good. Besides the restaurant, the New York Wine & Culinary Center has a tasting room with wines and fruit juices from all over NYS, and offers cooking classes."

Taste of Thai.
1460 Hertel Ave. (near North Park Theater, which shows foreign films), Buffalo.
833-8423.

There's some controversy over the relationship between Taste of Thai and King and I. For clarification, see [RRo]'s review of King and I.

[JCr, 1/11] says: "On 1/7/2011, 5 of us went to Taste of Thai for dinner for my wife's birthday. We arrived at 7:45 to a nearly full restaurant, but the hostess was able to accommodate us right away by putting 2 tables together. This restaurant does not have a liquor license, but you are permitted to bring your own alcohol, which we did, and they were happy to uncork it for us. To start our meal, we ordered a couple of appetizers for the table to share: steamed chicken dumplings with a Thai, soy-type dipping sauce and an order of crispy, fried-chicken wantons with a sweet-and-spicy-type dipping sauce. For our entrees, a couple of people chose a green-curry-type dish with eggplant, another chose the Taste of Thai fried rice, and I chose a stir fry with onion, scallion, ground chili, bell pepper, chicken, and jalapeno. My dish was fantastic, and everyone else enjoyed theirs as well. The dining room was completely full throughout the evening, and for the value I can see why. I usually just order take-out from here, but I think I will start dining in more often as well."

[BPe, 4/10] said: "First of all, thanks for the guide. I've been using it ever since I arrived in Buffalo in '03 and I always consult it before dining out. [Thanks!] I'd like to give an update on Taste of Thai on Hertel: My wife and I ate at Taste of Thai last Saturday. It has been a while since our last visit, and I'm pleased to say that the interior has been given some much-needed updates. Gone is that rubber mat that traversed the center of the restaurant from the previous tenant, and the lighting has been improved a bit. There are new menus, and a few minor tweaks have been implemented, but all the favorites are still on there. Still no liquor license. We started off with Spring rolls and Thai Calamari. The Spring rolls were great; however, I would not recommend the Calamari. For some reason, it was all tentacles (I guess the rings were reserved for their seafood dishes?). It was also quite greasy. The sauce, however, was very tasty. I would describe it as a combination of sweet duck sauce and ground peanuts. For entrees, I got my usual: Ghang Dang Red Curry with chicken. The Mrs. got her fav: Prik Khing topped with a fried, orange roughy filet. The curry was fantastic, as always. The fish was amazing. Fried fish, basil leaves, and cashews is truly a winning combination. We noticed that service seemed to be much faster than in previous visits. I guess this restaurant has really gotten into its groove over the past year. We'll definitely be coming back."

[JJa, 5/08] said: "I have discovered the complex flavors of Thai food since joining a group of friends once a month at Taste of Thai on Hertel Ave. If you don't watch for the address, you'll miss the small, nondescript entrance, but don't let that stop you. The first time the group went there, we had a "Thai foodie" who ordered for us, and we discovered the delight of Lhab, a salad topped with ground beef, flavored with lemon grass, mint, cucumber. The Pad Thai is wonderful; I'm fond of the chicken and shrimp style. Heat is your choice, from mild to hot! Another great dish is Mee Krob, a salad of finely shredded noodles that are deep fried and seem to float on the plate. They have a hint of sweetness to them and are absolutely addictive. I was there last week and took two friends who had never been there. With help from the very friendly and attentive waitstaff (I think owners), we tried the recommended eggplant special and a seafood with red curry. Platters kept arriving, and the three of us wondered how we'd managed to order so much food, thinking there would be much to take home, but it was so delicious that we just kept eating, and talking, and eating. I've been there a half dozen times and have never felt rushed, even after we've sat for over two hours. Another reason to go to Taste of Thai is their lack of a liquor license; you have the option of bringing in your own beer and/or wine. You are provided with glasses, ice, and opening service. All in all, a great dining experience in a great neighborhood. Parking is plentiful in the community lot in back."

[EN, 12/07] said: "I've been to this restaurant a dozen-plus times, taking many different people to it so they, too, can experience this wonderful culinary experience. Every single person whom I've taken to this establishment is just in love with the food (my grandmother never takes a doggy bag, never; she wanted her left overs and mine when I took her.) What the restaurant lacks in the area of ambience, it certainly makes up for with the menu. I've been to 4 other Thai places (Jasmine, Saigon Bangkok, a place in CT, and one in Toronto), and, while those places have some dishes that were wonderful (Lobster Won Ton soup and Thai Salmon at Saigon Bangkok) and most a decor that was much more inviting, they just don't match up to the food at this place. I've tried too many dishes on the menu to really recall everything, but I can tell you the only dish I didn't like was the Green Curry and a dish I had with pineapple in it (but that is just because I don't enjoy hot pineapple in my food.) The Pad Thai, Spring Rolls, Tom Yum Goong (don't know why I torture myself so with it; it is hot! But I love it), BBQ Beef, Chicken Satay, Taste of Thai Fried Rice...there are many more, but I can't remember the names without the menu in front of me. The decor still needs some work for sure, including the fact that it needs more light, but they have made changes in the past two years since I've been going (adding decorations and trying to make more natural light come in.) I certainly agree with an earlier post that it is not a restaurant for children at all. And the sticky floor...it is because of whatever kind of soap they use on the floor, which is waxed linoleum if memory serves me correct. I had the same problem at the place I manage, and we resorted to using bleach instead; no more sticky floor.) As for the mention above about the soda cans instead of fountain, I can't tell you how many Asian restaurants I've been in where they gave you a can of soda. This doesn't really bother me at all; would rather they have a liquor license first. If you're looking for the best Thai food around, this is the way to go."

[AMSo, 9/07] said: "We stopped @ Taste of Thai yesterday to order some take out, after having spent a very long Sunday helping our friends with their moving sale. As usual, food was great and staff was knowledgeable. I ordered one of the specials (vegan), a red coconut curry dish with tofu (my choice of meat) and vegetables, including the wonderful Japanese eggplant, served over some lovely jasmine rice; Kim got the vegetable pad thai without egg (vegan), which has a sort of bar-b-q effect, as opposed to some more traditional peanut sauces; we also got an order of vegetable spring rolls (vegan), which are made with steamed rice paper as opposed to egg wraps and come with a dipping sauce. We also ordered a bowl of vegetarian soup (tom kha) that had a coconut cream base with tofu (vegan). Melissa ordered the Thai salad (which came with two pieces of fried tofu and a house peanut sauce) and a seafood soup that is more spicy (tom yum). We also ordered two servings of dessert purple rice, which is served over some coconut milk and with sliced mango on the side (also vegan). The food there is always wonderful, and the servers are always very knowledgeable when you express your dietary (or lifestyle) restrictions. The only bad thing for me @ Taste of Thai is the floor—there is a center aisle that is always sticky when you walk on it—and I'm quite certain they wash the floor. It's just sort of creepy, as you wonder why you're sticking to the floor in a perfectly lovely restaurant."

[CKo, 4/06] said: "This past weekend I dined at Taste of Thai. This was the second time I have had Thai food, the first being at the Saigon Café. In my opinion, both were delicious. I ordered the musuman curry (red & yellow) mild. I absolutely loved it, and the portion was big enough for me to take home for another meal. It was also not very costly at all. Everything tasted very fresh. The waitress was very happy to help explain some of the dishes for me and answer some other questions I had. I noticed some of the other customers brought with them their own liquor, which Taste of Thai welcomes (since they do not have their own liquor license). The only negative attribute of the evening was the seating, which was way too close to other guests for me to feel comfortable. The whole night, I was bombarded with their conversations. Other than that, I plan on going again in the near future, to learn and experience some more Thai cuisine."

[BLG, 4/06] said: "The restaurant was barely noticeable, being surrounded by drugstores, other restaurants, and a theater. The front door wasn't very welcoming; in fact, I walked right past it. When I walked through, the hallway was dark, and the only light was from the sunshine coming in from the door behind us. After I walked through the main door, I thought I went the wrong way, because the room was so dimly lit and quiet, even though 5-7 tables were occupied. It seemed like a while before we were seated, even though a couple of tables were available, and the hostress just left us standing. The menu was large, with gourmet meals and a wide variety of appetizers and side orders. I enjoyed the Pud Kemow dish, a stir fry consisting of wide noodles and vegetables covered in a delicious sauce. I wasn't too fond of the greens used in the dish. My 14-month-old didn't enjoy the food or the atmosphere. The restaurant was so poorly lit and quiet, it made my son very uncomfortable. I enjoyed the food and the peacefulness; however, the next time I go for lunch, I won't be bringing my son. Definitely a place for friends and couples, but not a family restaurant."

[KDK, 4/06] said: "I cannot believe some of the comments I read about this restaurant. When I went on a Monday night, it was perfect. It wasn't too busy nor did they look like they needed folks to come in and just sit. The food was freshly made, and, even though it was my first taste of Thai food, it was great. I had the crab cakes but substituted chicken for the crab. It was better than I expected. This is a place that I recommend to everyone to eat at least once. I plan on going again this weekend."

[VN, 4/06] said: "I ate at Taste Of Thai the other night for the first time. I thought the meal was good, yet I wouldn't rate it excellent. I ate the Red Ghang Phanang; I enjoyed the the different taste of the spices in the meal and enjoyed everything else with it. One of the few things that did not impress me about the restaurant was that it had cans of soda instead of fountain soda. I believe this is probablly one of the few things holding this restaurant back from becoming extremely nice."

[DRo, 4/06] said: "This was my first time going to the restaurant, and I enjoyed my experience. I ordered sesame chicken; the chicken was very juicy. The sesame Thai sauce that the chicken was in was full of flavor. I will be going back to this restaurant very soon to try some of the other cuisine that is offered."

[AMP, 4/06] said: "I recently ate lunch at Taste of Thai restaurant. This was my first Thai and Vietnamese experience. As I was walking into the restaurant, I felt as though I was walking into another country. I chose the Geow Nahn soup to start off with. It was very well prepared, and the noodles tasted homemade. The broth was spicy and definitely woke up my taste buds. The entree I selected was called Ghang Kheou Wan, a green curry made with coconut milk. There was a wide range of vegetables that were added to the curry. It was served with jasmine rice and an egg roll on the side. The meal was very good, but some of the vegetables were not labeled on the menu. The Taste of Thai was a wonderful and positive experience for me. I look forward to going back again and trying something else on their menu."

[MHu, 4/06] said: "I just recently tried Thai food for the first time and loved it! The restaurant that is responsible for my liking is Taste of Thai on Hertel Ave. I ordered the khow muh gai and I loved it. The combination of the jasmine rice and the sweet and tender chicken was delicious. Not that I have any other restaurants to compare them to, but I thought the service and the food at Taste of Thai was excellent. I strongly recommend this dish and the restaurant; I hope to go back there soon and try something new!"

[KrM, 4/06] said: "The food at the Taste of Thai was delicious. The food was very flavorful and aromatic. They have a great mixture of vegetables. It was my very first Thai food experience, and it was a great one. I will definitely be going back sometime soon to try other menu items. Being a first timer, I wanted to try something not so adventurous. I had the Pud Khing Sod. I recommend it. It was a nice option to choose how spicy I wanted it to be. The service was quick and very responsive to my lack of knowledge in the Thai food area. I highly recommend the Taste of Thai."

[SBu, 4/06] said: "I recently went to the Taste of Thai,...and I was quite pleased with the outcome of my experience. As a virgin to Thai food, I was unsure if I would enjoy the food that was available on the menu, due to the fact that everything seemed so foreign to me, and I didn't expect to enjoy it at all. I ordered the Gratten Plik Thai, which I had with sautéed beef, and they have ground pepper and a hot garlic sauce put on that, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Two of the people I was with had a dish that consisted of chicken over some jasmine rice that looked absolutely delicious. The atmosphere of the Taste of Thai, although quite dark, was quite pleasing to the eye, and provided a good sit-down meal for myself and my company. Also, with a friendly waiter, and our food being brought out quite soon after our meal, it was refreshing to have such great service. So, overall, I strongly recommend the Taste of Thai, and although I have not had any other Thai experience, this one seemed to be quite pleasant."

[RRo, 2/06] said: "Taste of Thai is not King and I. King and I (the one that you all have fond memories of) is still open (on Kensington) and still serves the awesome dishes that you say you "once loved". If you miss King and I—go back there. But please, please stop comparing your Taste of Thai experiences with King and I—they are different restaurants."

[KATS, 1/06] said: "I, too, am amazed to see a negative review of Taste of Thai. It beats the other local restaurants, such as Saigon Café and Saigon Bangkok, hands down. The food is well spiced, and the vegetables are unbelievably fresh, never frozen. The soups are delicious. I thought the wonton soup at Papaya was the best in the area, but I now happily admit that Taste of Thai's is my new favorite. I have one complaint, though. The restaurant has gotten so busy that sometimes there is a long wait for your food. Last night, a Monday night, all the tables were filled. They don't have a liquor/beer/wine license, but you can bring your own wine and beer."

[CK, 9/05] said: "Wow, I was surprised to hear such a negative review from [KBo]. My brother and I have been long fans of Thai cusine and were regulars at the old King and I on Harlem Rd. We were happy to see the Taste of Thai open on Hertel with the same chef. As for the food, we have been there many times and have had a great experience. I recently was in Chicago at a Thai restaurant, The Star of Siam, which I used to measure all Thai restaurants against. I must say after revisiting the Star, I am using the Taste of Thai as my new yardstick. I recommend my two favorite dishes, the Panang Chicken and the Tom Kha soup. The pad thai is also excellent. I have tried almost all of the dishes on the menu and have never been disappointed."

[KBo, 4/05] said: "We're still talking about it. The take-out we had last Friday evening (4/8/2005) was absolutely the worst Thai we've had in Buffalo (or anywhere, really). We're shocked because even though we haven't been to the King and I in almost a year (mainly because of its location; my partner and I are city-dwellers), it was always one of our favorite Thai places in the area: authentic, high-quality dishes with fresh ingredients. The first thing that should have made me suspicious was the fact that the person who took my order over the phone did not ask me how I wanted my duck prepared (I ordered the Choo Chee curry with duck). So I asked her if I could have it cooked medium rare. She paused for a moment and said "OK". I also noticed that she did not ask how spicy I wanted the dish (nor did she ask when I ordered my partner's dish, the vegetarian Musamum curry). Needless to say, I was a little concerned. When we arrived to pick up our dinner, a very courteous gentleman approached me and explained to me that my duck was not medium rare. He didn't apologize, but explained to me that they cook their duck dishes in advance! How far in advance he didn't say, but unless the staff has a crystal ball for foretelling customer orders, does it matter? What this means, if what he says is true, is that if you like your duck melt-in-your-mouth tender, you'd better go someplace else. What we brought home was simply unacceptable and would have been returned to the kitchen if we had dined in. The duck was so dry and overcooked, it had the texture of jerky. Instead of having a bright green color and crisp texture, the broccoli was a dark, almost blackish green color and was chewy and slimy. Not surpisingly, the broccoli in my partner's curry was exactly the same. Everything tasted overcooked and completely devoid of any freshness. As for the heat level, there was none. The curry tasted like it was made from the kind of jarred curry paste you can find in Wegman's. The coconut milk was thin and tasted watered down. Too much broth or water perhaps? They even managed to screw up the rice. We're still not sure if what we tried to eat was actually jasmine rice. It was dry, stuck together in clumps, and had no flavor whatsoever. It actually reminded me of the rice you'll get in those huge awful all-you-can-eat Chinese buffets (you know the kind of place: several large tables of everything from sesame chicken to Buffalo wings). It's not a good sign when you reach into the bag and find a little plastic dixie container of red chili flakes! Apparently, it's too much work for this place to accommodate the spice/heat preferences of its customers. Want your curry spicy? Here, just dump some chili flakes on it! It's possible, of course, that this was just an "off" night (but at 6:15pm? Most of the tables were empty when we walked in). Part of us wants to be fair and give them a second chance. But with food this awful, it's hard to justify going back there when you consider that the area has at least three ( Saigon Bangkok, Saigon Café, and Jasmine Thai) excellent Thai restaurants that always manage to please us. Saigon Bangkok has especially nailed it down; we go there at least once a month, and we're amazed by their consistency. Can't wait to have their Choo Chee curry with duck again!"

[MMcA, 12/04] said: "The head chef of the old King and I restaurant is now serving his delicious Thai offerings on Hertel Avenue under the name "Taste of Thai". On my first visit, I ordered some of my old "King and I" favorites, and these were indeed the same high quality dishes I used to enjoy in Amherst before that restaurant closed. [Note from Bill: King and I is still open, but possibly under new management.] You can specify the degree of spiciness on any dish. The pud thai is not too sweet, balanced just right with medium spice. The tom kha soup in a hot pot is savory smooth with coconut, ginger, lemongrass, green and red onion, mushroom, and tomato (plus your choice of meat). The red phanang curry is full of tasty vegetables (green beans, zucchini, chiles, and basil) over tender beef. Next time, I'll try the musuman curry with chicken, which was another of my favorites from the old menu. There are many more tables than there were at the old "King and I", and the service is friendly, relaxed, and very personal. "Taste of Thai" was packed on only its second day of business. After a year without it, I'm glad to have my favorite Thai food in Buffalo (and elsewhere) back. Highly recommended."

Ted's Hot Dogs.
7018 Transit Rd., Williamsville (and many other locations).
633-1700.

[3/10] Listed as one of 41 "Restaurants We Love" by Buffalo Spree magazine.

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

A visitor from Connecticut, [JRa, 12/11], says: "Just wanted to let you know I used the food site while in town. Very comprehensive. Had a great two days. Tried Charlie the Butcher, Ted's, and Zettis for a quick slice (a very good NYC recreation). Lots of options in Buffalo to be sure."

[BL, 5/07] said: "Have to agree with [MZ]—a great Buffalo area institution. We were visiting Phoenix and made a point to see their Tempe location. A lot of fun and even parts of the Buffalo news placed around so the Phoenix snowbirds could get a bit of the hometown happenings. Just the same as the locations here. Also fun to be eating in our home locations and meet visitors who are making a return to Ted's just to show it off to their spouses or children. Great fast food, and we are lucky!"

[MZ, 5/07] said: "Just had to contribute about Ted's hotdogs, the only place outside of Mom's backyard where I'll get a dog. (She gets Sahlen's.) All of my high school friends moved away from Bflo, but we all (each) go to Ted's when we go home. Even if we're not hungry. Nothin' like watching those grillmasters stab those Sahlens, listening to that sizzle as the liquids are released into the real charcoal fire, watching them turn dark and busted-skinned. Stick 'em into that—nope, not-Wonderbread-rolls—but good bread, put next to nothing on them (maybe a breath of yellow Weber's mustard, I don't want to waste that fine Sahlen's flavor), and then grab that paper of freshly-fried potatoes, which smell like potatoes, not like Mickey D's. Then do the grown-up thing and put vinegar on them, not ketchup or catsup or catch-up. I've been going there for more than 50 years; there's no place better in the entire Yoonited States for a hotdog. I love you, Ted's! (By the bye, there is a history: In the early 60s, when my sister was a greaser, and I was in elementary school busy being studious, there were 2 hot dog stands on each (southern) side of Parker and Sheridan: Ted's and Louie's. That's where the greasers hung out in their cars. Then McDonald's came by and introduced the 13-cent "hamburger" and along the way tore down the original Ted's. (Well, of that era, of course.) Anyway, you have simply not tasted a good hot dog (or fries for that matter) until you've tasted Ted's. Lucky Buffalo!"

[WHN, 6/06] said: "What, no review of Ted's? It's been a Buffalo-area institution since the 1920s, they say. Now that summer's almost here, I thought a Ted's review would be in order. No skinless, boiled, or steamed dogs here. Arguably, they are the best purveyor of the charcoal-broiled hot dog in WNY, a culinary treat as unique to this area as chicken wings used to be and roast beef on weck still is. They also serve charcoal grilled hamburgers, Polish and Italian sausage, and chicken sandwiches. Their onion rings and french fries are very good, too. According to my daughter, their Tempe, AZ, location is just like being at "home", right down to the "imported" Sahlen's skin-on hot dogs and Ted's homemade hot sauce."

Templeton Landing.
2 Templeton Terr. (downtown, on the waterfront former site of Shanghai Red's and Crawdaddy's), Buffalo.
852-7337.

Online reservations available via OpenTable.com.

The latest incarnation of Shanghai Red's and Crawdaddy's, brought to you by the same management.

[KMe, 7/10] says: "Last night [7/26/10], we decided to enjoy the beautiful weather, and dined at Templeton Landing. The view was absolutely awesome, but the service was horrible. Even though every table was taken outside, they did not look short-staffed at all, so I don't know why our server didn't like us! Our server, Jack, finally found us 10 minutes after we arrived—we ordered a margarita (absolutely awesome) and a beer. After he dropped them off, it took him another 10 minutes to find us to see what we wanted. We decided to order snacks, so we had a dozen oysters, the crab cakes, and supreme pizza. He asked us if we wanted the oysters first, and we said, ‘yes, and then we'll take the rest of the order after.’ I wish we would have asked for it all at once! It took over 30 minutes just for the oysters to arrive. It then took another 30 minutes for the rest of the food after he picked up the oysters. He never came back between the 2 orders—we had to yell his name as he was walking by to get another drink order. The food was actually pretty good—a little overpriced, but I'm willing to pay it because it is so nice to sit outside and overlook the water in Buffalo! Total cost for everything came to $65. I wonder if they think their service doesn't have to be good since it's so beautiful to sit outside? I may go back there for a drink but never for dinner again."

[BI, 7/10] said: "Negative Review: All I can say about the Templeton Landing is what an absolute disaster. 8 of us dined at the Templeton Landing on Saturday, July 17th, and I am not sure where to even begin. The first thing we noticed is that the decor in this place is ugly; the carpet and booths look like they are from an old motel. The kitchen staff, mainly the cooks, I feel, should be in the kitchen; that did not happen. There was a wedding going on at the time, but this does not mean diners should have the kitchen staff walking through the dining room constantly with garbage bags full, garbage cans, etc. It was very odd and gross. Some of the waitstaff seemed to be just standing around and conversing every so often, also odd to me. I ordered the Mediterranean Seafood Stew, and it was absolutely disgusting; the broth was flavorless, the scallops were gritty and undercooked, and the clams very fishy tasting. 3 people ordered the salmon: One was burned on one side and very fishy tasting; the other 2 said it was pretty good, nothing special. We told the waitress about the salmon, as I did not even eat my dish after about 3 bites, and her response about the salmon was, ‘I have no control over the kitchen’, a poor choice of words, in my opinion. She informed us that she mentioned the complaint to the manager; I did not catch his name, but he did not make any attempt to even apologize or make anything right. However, the kitchen manager did make it right, and I thought she was the best thing about the Templeton; she seemed to be the only person that cared. I will never go back, and neither will anyone in my party; there are far too many good restaurants to patronize one so awful. Steer clear from this place, unless you want to hang out on their gorgeous patio for a drink and a good band!"

[WHN, 5/10] said: "My wife and I had lunch at Templeton Landing Sunday afternoon, 5/30/10. We sat on their deck overlooking the marina. I had a cheeseburger with lettuce, onion, tomato, cheddar, and (optional) sauteed onions and mushrooms. Both the burger and the accompanying house fries were good, but the fries were seasoned with an odd spice, possibly a touch of cinnamon. My wife had French onion soup and a mixed-greens salad with balsamic vinaigrette. She said the soup was good, but the salad was mundane, with lots of flavorless, out-of-season, tomato wedges, which she left on her plate. We asked to see the dinner menu and learned that the lunch and dinner menus are nearly identical, except that in the evening there are more entrees, like Veal Oskar (with a ‘k’), various steaks, lobster tails, and a few others. We were told the official grand opening is Tuesday 6/1, but there were a good number of diners, mostly on the deck. We will return, but more for the waterside view than anything else, although the food was good, and the service was very good. Too bad McCormick and Schmicks couldn't have taken this spot on the waterfront."

[KaB, 5/10] said: "We had dinner at Templeton Landing. Their web site is not updated yet. Last night (5/20/10), my husband and I were treated to tickets from his boss to the VIP launch at Templeton Landing. We had no idea what to expect, having never attended an event like this before. We thought it might be some type of food tasting chosen by the restaurant to showcase their new menu. We were very wrong. The event was handled like we were just having a regular dinner at the restaurant. We were allowed to choose anything we wanted from the new menu and were encouraged to try as much as we wanted. We started dinner off with crab cakes and clam chowder. The two crab cakes were a generous portion, with a red-pepper aioli sauce on the side. They were pan seared, with a nice crust. The cakes themselves were on the average side in terms of filler versus crab meat. The clam chowder was rich and creamy, with lots of clams and potatoes. The chowder was well seasoned. We moved on to salads: My husband ordered a Caesar salad with grilled salmon, and I ordered the spinach with warm bacon dressing. The Caesar salad came out with a dinner-sized portion of grilled salmon on top. The salmon was cooked properly with a nice, moist center and seasoned perfectly. The salad was a little heavily dressed for our taste, but it was very good overall. I had the dressing on the side of the spinach salad, so I was able to control the amount that was used. The dressing was very good, and the salad was fine. There was a garnish of pickled onions that was way too salty to eat. The time between the salads and the entrées was a little long, and, when they arrived, both were barely warm. With dinner being free, we pointed it out to our server but did not return them. My husband had the Veal Oscar, and I had the Seafood Stew; both were generous portions. The Veal Oscar had been breaded in flour and pan fried. We found the breading to be heavy; it overwhelmed the delicate veal. The sauce was excellent, and the asparagus cooked perfectly. My stew had sea bass, clams, mussels, shrimp, and scallops, in a light tomato broth. Beside the temperature, everything was properly cooked, and the broth was excellently seasoned. I wanted to get bread to help sop it up, but I could not fit in much more food at this point. We did order dessert but only ate a couple bites before packing them up for home. My husband had the Key Lime Pie, and I had a Chocolate Torte. Both were very good. I did not ask if they were made in house. From a décor standpoint, we did not notice that many changes. We did not walk around to see if the bar or patio had changed. I believe that they changed the wall color, and that was about it in the dining room. Overall, I would say that the new menu is a significant improvement over the previous menu. There appeared to be lighter options and more seafood-oriented items on the menu. The service was excellent. Our server had worked at the restaurant for a couple years, so she was very experienced. It appeared that they were hiring a large number of new personnel that they were training this evening in anticipation of the opening on May 21st. We certainly plan on returning to see if they keep up the excellent performance that we experienced last night."

Tempo. —WARNING: WEBSITE PLAYS LOUD MUSIC!
581 Delaware Ave. (in Allentown; near Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site), Buffalo.
885-1594.

Online reservations available via OpenTable.com.

[3/10] Listed as one of 41 "Restaurants We Love" by Buffalo Spree magazine.

[9/09] Raised to 4 (out of 4) stars by Janice Okun; [12/04] given 3½ (out of 4) stars by Janice Okun, Buffalo News restaurant reviewer.

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

[WHN] says:

[12/11] "G and I dined at Tempo on Saturday night, 12/10/11, to celebrate her birthday. To start, we were served a complimentary amuse bouche (or whatever it's called in Italy) of feta with hot pepper flakes, salami, and assorted olives, along with an assortment of breads with an olive oil and sweet pepper dipping sauce; it was an excellent start to the meal. For appetizers, G ordered lobster bisque with shrimp, while I had a Caesar salad (with anchovies); both were delicious. For main courses, G had chicken Milanese, topped with an arugula salad. I had a rib veal chop stuffed with asiago cheese, accompanied by broccoli rabe and risotto. Both entrees were excellent. With the meal, I ordered a bottle of Pio Cesare Barolo, which was a perfect pairing with the entrees. Neither of us could finish our main courses, so we skipped dessert, but had coffee. It was a wonderful meal, with service to match. Our only complaint about Tempo is the noise level, which the brick walls magnify. We sat next to a group of six, which accentuated the noise level, even though they weren't at all loud or boisterous, and, after they left, it was somewhat less noisy. All things considered, it is one of the best restaurants in Buffalo; 3 stars."

[11/07] "On our first return visit since the summer of '06, we both started with a delicious shrimp bisque, followed by "insalata mista", which was a quite ordinary salad with a few spiced almonds. For the main course, I had steak alla Fiorentina, perfectly cooked but way, way too salty for my taste. In fairness, the menu says "sea salt grilled", but it was more like "sea salt encrusted". The accompanying fried gnocchi and garlicky broccolini were good. My wife's choice of shrimp risotto was excellent, she said. For dessert, we split a piece of chocolate-mousse cake with berries and whipped cream, which was delicious. The biggest disappointment of the evening was the noise level. On our only previous visit, music was playing in the background, and could be heard. This time, the din of loud conversations at other tables was the only background sound. Maybe it was because, on this visit, we were seated on the side of the room with a half-wall between the dining area and the bar area vs. a full ceiling-height wall last time. Or maybe the other diners were just louder. In any case, it was not as enjoyable as our earlier meal."

[6/06] "My wife and I celebrated our anniversary at Tempo (sister restaurant to Hutch's; our first time there) last night, 6/27 (our first time at this sister restaurant to Hutch's). Everything about the restaurant was excellent, from the classic jazz playing softly in the background to the service and, most importantly, the cuisine. To start, we had two evening specials: eggplant antipasto ($11)—fried eggplant layered with tapenade, sun-dried tomatoes, and goat cheese; and sauteed soft shell crab ($13) in a garlicky white wine sauce. Both were excellent. We then shared a delicious Caesar salad ($7.50). For the main course, we both chose another nightly special, veal steak ($28) topped with a rich mushroom sauce and crispy fried onions, served over truffle-infused risotto. The dessert menu sounded very good, but we had already eaten more than enough. There is an extensive selection of wines—by the glass for $7-$9, with bottles starting around $32 and quickly accelerating. The wine prices are about twice retail for the lower-priced bottles, but around 35% for the higher priced ones, which seems fair as restaurant wine mark-ups go. Yes, it's expensive, but we definitely will go back to Tempo soon."

[KBl, 5/11] said: "Another good one for Tempo. Ate there Sat., 4/30. Seated upstairs (didn't know they had tables up there); much quieter, because it's carpeted. Both had the risotto apps—one veg, one shrimp—very good. Both had the swordfish—best piece of cooked fish ever experienced in a Buffalo restaurant! Also, the bread is excellent, particularly the one with tomato topping. Only complaint was no fruit pie/tart or lemon dessert. Can't any good restaurant in Buffalo go crazy and skip the creme brulee for one month & try some different desserts?!"

[AMB, 5/11] said: "We dined over the weekend [ca. 4/30/11] at Tempo and had a great meal. (We also ate there in the fall, just two of us, and it was just as good.) There were six of us, and we started the meal with an order of calamari for the table: very tender, crispy, and with just the right amount of an accompanying tangy sauce. The restaurant also provided a complementary, small antipasto along with the bread. Appetizers included two different risottos (Tempo has a number of them on the menu, and they are delicious), including one with shrimp and one with roasted cauliflower; also carpaccio, ahi tuna, and gnocchi (with red sauce and fresh mozzarella—it, as well as other pastas, are available as both appetizers and entrees). I think the gnocchi at Tempo is the best I have eaten anywhere—they also serve it as an accompaniment to some of their entrees. For entrees, two people ordered the steak florentine (large portions, but good); three ordered a fish special (it was a speciality fish I cannot remember but was similar to sea bass—everyone loved it); and I had beef short-ribs (extremely tender). A few of the group had tried to order veal (chops or scallopini), but they had already sold out for the evening. On our last visit, we had oysters (our first ever!), tried some of the lobster risotto as an appetizer (really delicious), and had the osso bucco (wonderful). I've visited this restaurant a number of times, but I think it has reached a new level—certainly worthy of a special evening out, comparable to Oliver's or Rue Franklin (perhaps not quite as quiet, especially as Rue Franklin, but sometimes that is what you want!)."

[JoM, 2/11] said: "I went to dinner at Tempo with three collegues on Thursday evening [2/17/11]. We started the meal with a bottle of the Justin Isosceles meritage. It was a good wine to accompany our meals, as all planned to order red meat. We ordered three appetizers to split: the eggplant antipasto, carpaccio, and calamari. All three were absolutely fantastic. The eggplant were served as discs covered in goat cheese and sauteed red peppers. The carpaccio reminded me of how a sushi roll would look, but the flavors were delicious. The calamari were also excellent and had an interesting sweet flavor to them. I wouldn't hesitate to order all three of these appetizers again. For entrees, three of us ordered the proscuitto-wrapped filet. All were ordered medium rare and were grilled accordingly. The steak was served with a gorgonzola crust and accompanied with gnocchi. The steak was melt-in-your-mouth good, and the gnocchi were equally delicious. The fourth member of our group ordered the asiago-stuffed veal chop. He dines at Tempo at least three or four times a month and always gets the same order. To say he enjoyed his meal would be an understatement. Overall, our experience was excellent, and service was top notch. It wasn't a cheap meal, but the quality of the food is worth the cost. Highly recommend!"

[JCr, 1/11] said: "On 1/8/2011, my wife and I dined at Tempo for our first time. We arrived promptly for our 8 P.M. reservation and were offered to grab a drink from the bar while our table was being prepared, which was ready after about 5 minutes, and we were seated. Shortly after being seated, we were offered water, received our menus, and placed drink orders. Once we received our drinks, we placed our orders and were offered some fresh bread, and also received a nice sampling of green olives, fresh mozzarella, and salami. Our salads arrived fairly quickly, mine being off the ‘specials’ menu, Insalata Salame, which consisted of Baby Artichoke / Pecorino Toscano / Arugula/Napa Cabbage / Lemon Basil Vinaigrette; my wife chose the Insalata Mista, which consisted of Mixed Greens Salad / Spiced Almonds / Sweet Onion / Balsamic Vinaigrette. Both salads were well received and would be ordered again. About 45 minutes later, our entrées arrived. My wife chose the Maine LOBSTER Risotto with Fresh Corn / Apple Wood Bacon/Marscarpone Cheese / Fresh Scallion, which was priced about $42. She enjoyed this entrée, and the bite I had was very good; if anything, the risotto could have been much more creamy, though. For my entrée, I chose the PROSCUITTO WRAPPED FILET MIGNON/Warm Gorgonzola Crusted / Gnocchi / Garlic Braised Escarole, priced at about $38. I ordered my filet medium rare; however, it came out medium, and I almost sent it back, though it was still OK, but would have been much better had it been properly cooked. The rest of the dish was good, especially the gnocchi. Overall, I would say that it was a good meal, but I most likely will not be returning for some time. The atmosphere in this beautiful restaurant is very nice, the service was attentive, if not a tad slow, but, for the price point the menu items are at, the food certainly did not deliver."

[KMe, 10/09] said: "We made reservations at Tempo for my birthday dinner on Saturday, 10/24, and I was a little nervous after reading some of the previous reviews. We made reservations on opentable.com for 7:45 P.M. and arrived at 7:15 P.M. so we could enjoy a drink at the bar. The place was packed; however, she said they could seat us in the bar area now. We told her we would prefer to wait for a table to open in the back. We both ordered drinks, and we were seated by 7:30 P.M. As the hostess was seating us, she asked if we were celebrating anything, and I told her yes, my birthday. Shortly after, our waiter came with menus and told us about the specials. My husband had the malpeque oysters—6 very large oysters for $14, and I had the eggplant antipasto for $11. Both were very good—the eggplant was very crispy and not greasy and was a very large portion. My husband's entree was the proscuitto-wrapped filet for $38—it was cooked to perfection (medium), and the side was gnocchi, which tasted homemade and very delicious. I ordered one of the specials—it was a seafood risotto for $36—it was calamari, scallops, and shrimp in a creamy risotto with peas and cherry tomatoes—very good! We were too full for desserts; however, they did bring me a birthday mini rum cake with ice cream and a candle in it, and it was the perfect ending. I also have to mention that the manager did stop over after our dinners and asked how everything was—a very nice touch. We will definitely return."

[DaK, 9/09] said: "Decided to dine at Tempo for Restaurant Week and, due to the horrible weather, managed a reservation for 7:00pm on the last day the menu was being offered. Shortly after being seated, we were offered drinks and were served choice of tomato focaccia or standard Italian bread. The bread was good, and served with a miniature antipasto platter consisting of some spicy sausage (pepperoni), eggplant caponata, and aged feta cheese, all wonderful. To begin, my husband decided on the red endive Caesar salad, and I had the caprese salad, both excellent versions of the classic dishes. Since it was Restaurant Week, there was no way we could pass up the $20.09 entrée special being offered. My husband had the 16-oz. sirloin steak, cooked perfectly medium and served with broccolini and gnocchi, according to the menu. The gnocchi were more along the lines of upscale tater tots, amazing texture and flavor. I went with the salmon accompanied by a salad of fennel, arugula, tomatoes, and some feta cheese. The balsamic vinaigrette was the perfect ingredient to tie the entire dish together. Everything from both meals was perfectly seasoned and prepared beautifully, even with a packed house. We were too full to consider dessert, but the options look excellent; we will be returning."

[JWe, 5/09] said: "I'd been looking forward to going to Tempo since I moved to Allentown, so, when a cause for celebration arose, I knew exactly where I wanted to go. We were both very happy with our entrees (my boyfriend had the bolognese; I had the grilled lobster tail). The service for the first part of our meal was excellent as well. Our waiter was quite knowledgeable and made some excellent recommendations. Unfortunately, shortly after he gave us dessert menus, he forgot about us. Clearly, the patrons at the table next to us were much more interesting or important to him, as they seemed to garner all of his attention, and we sat with our dessert menus for about 20 minutes (despite the fact that he walked by our table many times). We were originally going to order desserts and more wine, but we were so disappointed, we changed our minds. My boyfriend and I are very loyal to restaurants when we've had a good experience, but I'm not sure we'll go back to Tempo anytime soon. Hopefully, our experience is the exception and not the norm."

[JAu, 12/05] said: "An exceptional dining experience. Although it is costly, there is a value in even their most expensive dishes. The service was courteous, kind, and patient with our indecision. The ribeye was the best cut of meat I have had on this side of the Hudson. The appetizers that we shared were absolutely outstanding. The wine was too good. Not a bad thing to say about the place. It ranks in the top five in Buffalo right now. When a dining experience is this enjoyable, it is difficult to put into words. I want to thank the people at Tempo for a great night."

[MRT, 10/05] said: "We made dinner reservations at Tempo on October 29, 2005. We chose Tempo because of all the glowing reviews on this site. What follows is not a glowing review of Tempo. Our reservations were for 8:00 P.M. We were not seated until 9:05 P.M. We were not pleased. To appease us, we were given a small appetizer of olives, fried calamari, and marinated mozzerella. Our mood lightened. I ordered the gnocchi for an appetizer. It was satisfying, but nothing special. Our friend ordered salmon carpaccio—he greatly enjoyed it. I do forget what my husband ordered. Both men ordered the filet mignon. I ordered their asiago-stuffed veal chop. We all three agree Tempo does not hold a candle to Hutch's. For dessert, my husband ordered a chocolate cake and coffee; our friend, crême brul&eacue; and myself, a pear torte and espresso. The pear torte was nothing special. With a bottle of wine, the total cost of the meal was $240. The men say Hutch's has the best sauce for filet mignon these days. They said Just Pasta used to have an even better sauce on their filet mignon. I do not wish to return to Tempo." [MRT, 11/05] updates: "Tempo mailed us a $50 gift certificate, because on October 29, 2005, we had to wait over an hour after our reservation to be seated. We decided to give Tempo another try Saturday, November 12, 2005. We arrived 20 minutes before our reservation for 5:30 PM. We were promptly seated. This pleased us. Three of us ordered appetizers. My mother-in-law ordered her entree to arrive with our appetizers, because she eats very slowly. Before our appetizers arrived, we were given warm bread with soft butter and olive oil, and a small appetizer of marinated olives, marinated feta cheese, and fried parmesan with pepperoni. I enjoyed dipping my bread in the oil remaining on my bread dish from the olives and cheese. My mother-in-law greatly enjoyed her shrimp risotto. She ate her entire meal, a rarity for her, which means she really enjoyed it. For appetizers, my friend and I each ordered the beef carpaccio. The beef was wrapped around arugala and drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette. My husband ordered an appetizer from a list of specials—fried eggplant with goat cheese and greens. All of us greatly enjoyed our appetizers. Our friend ordered veal scallopini with a potato gnocchi side. My husband ordered a special bone-in Angus ribeye with shitake mushrooms and potato hash. For a man who doesn't eat mushrooms, he finished his entire dish. He said he really enjoyed the mushrooms, and that they took on the flavor of the beef. We explained to him that mushrooms do tend to take on the flavor of the dish.:-) On a friend's recommendation, I ordered the lobster risotto. I also enjoyed my entree. For dessert, our waitress recommended the pumpkin pie. It was an excellent pumpkin pie with a crumbled nut topping and whipped cream. Our friend ordered the cheesecake with something special in it, but he doesn't remember what it was. It was accompanied with a vanilla dipping sauce. My husband ordered a chocolate bombe with caramel sauce. We all enjoyed our desserts. The service was excellent. Our water and wine glasses were never less than half full. With a bottle of wine, espresso, and coffee, the total cost of our meal was $250. The restaurant only charged us $150. It was an enjoyable meal. I still prefer Hutch's to Tempo in overall enjoyment. While the Tempo pumpkin pie is excellent, the Buffalo Chop House still has the best dessert in the city with their apple pie."

[KATS, 7/05] said: "Undeniably one of my favorite restaurants in the city, I had another fabulous meal at Tempo last night. Other than the confused and confusing hostess (who didn't seem sure they could fit us in without a reservation until she actually sat us down), our meal was flawless. Although they have shortened their regular menu, the specials menu is very long and still contains many old favorites. We opted for the beef carpaccio appetizer from the main menu, and the snails special. Both were mouthwatering delicious. The snails were very tender and served over polenta and shiitake mushrooms. The carpaccio came out rolled around arugula, sort of like a sushi roll. Although I preferred the snails, both appetizers were a clear winner. And then we got to eat main courses. My husband declared his lamb chops the best piece of meat that he has had in his life! Between courses, I lamented having ordered the Diver Scallops with Risotta and shaved black truffles. You see, the One Pound Steak Florentine has got to be my favorite dish in the world, but I wanted something a bit lighter last night. Well, the scallops did not disappoint. They were large and juicy and perfectly seared. The ends had caramelized in whatever delicious sauce they used, but the inside was just cooked through to perfection. The truffles and the risotto were both tasty and fabulous. They have a nice but safe wine list by the glass. Most would consider this a "special occasion" restaurant, but I need to eat there at least once a month. The food is just that good."

[EC, 4/05] said: "Loved this when it was Yianni's and then Biac's; I've always thought it one of the prettiest restaurants around (inside and out). In its new incarnation as Tempo, the quality of the food is excellent. We had diver's scallops and T-bone steak; both were thick, juicy, and flavorful. The wine list is fine; we had an excellent Zinfandel. Service a bit slow."

[HDe, 3/05] said: "I went to "Tempo" last night. It was my first time there and was impressed with the overall layout of the place and ambiance. Very professional staff, which I enjoyed. I started with their fried calamari. They were light and good; however, I simply prefer them with a spicy marinara rather than the sauce they provide. They were overpriced at $10. Next, I had the insalate caprese and again will say it was a tad overpriced at $10. Good tasting mozzarella with juicy tomatoes, a drizzle of balsamic & some arugula thrown in. The "main" menu was basic, but the list of daily specials was impressive and varied. I opted for a double-cut lamb chop with what appeared to be a nice sauce of grape tomatoes and kalamata olives, and a side of baby red potatoes. My friend had a beautiful veal chop with asiago and sun-dried tomato inside over a bed of risotto. My wine choice of Peter Lehmann Shiraz matched very well. The food was of very high quality. Honestly, my only gripe is that I feel they are a bit overpriced based on reputation. I have had similar quality food for a bit less. The veal chop was $35, where maybe I would have put it at $28-$30, the salad maybe $7-$8. While it may compare to a NYCity-style restaurant, this is not NY City, nor are our salaries NY City! But there is no doubt this restaurant compares to Oliver's or Hutch's. I simply feel I can get a similar quality meal, say, at a place like Mother's, which keeps things more reasonable, for a lesser price."

[NL, 2/05] said: "Went to Tempo on Saturday nite. To start, they didn't have my reservation, so I had to wait a bit...not a big deal. They did a nice job sprucing the place up since it was "Biacs". It was always a great space (I had my wedding reception there), so major improvements were not really needed. They moved the bar to one side of the front room & made it smaller to free up more space for tables. We were seated in the rear room & unfortunately were seated next to a couple of larger parties. The noise level would have been acceptable if it were not for a select few who felt it was necessary to scream at each other. The good news was, it quieted down a notch once they started eating. Now...ahem...to the meal. I started with oysters, & my sweetheart had the fried eggplant Napoleon-style layered with goat cheese & sun-dried tomatoes. The oysters were very fresh, & the eggplant dish was great. We shared a field-green salad, which was mediocre. It must have been dressed awhile...know what I mean? After what seemed like a 1/2 hour to 45 minutes between courses, we finally received our main courses. I had a stuffed veal chop with sauteed rapini. Very tasty, but on the pricy side ($35). My wife had gnocchi with an osso-buco-style ragout, which was outstanding. Overall, a very pleasant evening. On the negative side, a large bottle of Panna water was $7. Way overpriced; maybe at Le Bernardin, when you're in a million-dollar space in the middle of Manhattan, but not here. Come on guys: You make your mark-up on the drinks; do you really need to gouge people for water?"

[TB, 11/04] said: "I was on your website looking for a restaurant specific for lunch, noticed the "send a review" banner on your site, and thought I would mention a positive experience I had recently at Tempo on Delaware Ave. I believe it is owned/managed by the same team as Hutch's. I understand they have just opened, and are located in the building most popularly remembered as Biac's. It would appear that quite a bit of remodeling has taken place, especially in the bar area, overall a very pleasant visual experience. Everything was excellent, from an obviously well-trained, creative staff to superb food preparation and presentation. There is not one negative that I, nor my companions, could find. I highly suggest this newest addition to the restaurant scene in the big Buff! I have been back twice since my initial visit and continue to be impressed."

Terroir La Cachette.
1339 Lake Shore Rd. (in Strewn Winery), Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON, CANADA.
1-905-468-1222.

[WHN, 11/05] says: "This is another of the numerous restaurants that are run by wineries in and around Niagara-on-the-Lake. They specialize in Provençal cuisine. At a recent luncheon, my wife had one of their daily specials, Cassoulet, the traditional French Provençal "baked bean" casserole, made with a variety of meats. I was going to order it also, but they only had one left. Just as well. As it turned out, it must have been frozen, then "nuked" in a microwave, because it was not fully defrosted. My Coq au Vin was quite good, however. Despite my wife's warning, her sister took a visitor, who spends every summer in Provence, to lunch there. They both thought it was mediocre. Certainly, not one of the better of NOTL's many restaurants."

Texas Roadhouse.
900 Young St. (near Gander Mountain), City of Tonawanda.
692-0457.

Part of the chain.

[MFr, 1/12] says: "We had lunch here on Saturday [1/28/12], and it was quite good. The restaurant was crowded, and service was pleasant and efficient. I had the shrimp-skewer appetizer and a baked potato as my lunch. DH had a burger cooked medium rare as ordered. All in all, very pleasant experience."

[LMR, 4/11] said: "Went with boyfriend and two friends on 3/27/2011; we love this place! So fun; can be quite loud at times. We sat at the bar. Fun to see the servers when they do their dance routine. We had great drinks, great service—their bartenders rock! So friendly, and don't let your glass sit empty for long. Many meals were had, and all without complaints. I had the combo of BBQ chicken and pulled pork, with my choice of side being sweet potato. OMG, so good. So much food, I had leftovers, but when they serve you those sweet rolls with the cinnamon butter before your meal, you can't just eat one! Wow; they are to die for. Nice to walk in and see the fresh meat at the counter; you can even pick the steak you want them to cook for you. Happy Hour during the week starts at 4 P.M., when they open! $2 drafts, well and margaritas—on the rocks or frozen. Mmmmm. Their shrimp-skewer appetizer is great, delicious fried pickle slices, and their house salad is surprisingly amazing. For a simple salad, it's really tasty! Not badly priced either; reasonable for the quality of food you get. Oh, and it was my boyfriend's first time; he loved his steak. Definitely a favorite of ours!! Place gets mega busy every day of the week; line can be out the door at times. So, if you can, do call ahead seating; recommend it!!"

[PH, 3/11] said that her daughter and she "decided to try this place, and it was a disaster. 2 P.M. on a Sunday, and the place was packed, which should be a good sign. Nope. We were seated and then waited…for over twenty minutes. I flagged down a server, and we were finally attended to, giving our orders and asking for ice water, which came promptly. Dirty glasses, inside and out. My daughter's had visibly floating specks of something in hers. I drank half of mine and hope I don't come down with diphtheria or worse. One of my sides was a house salad with Italian dressing on the side. The much-touted ‘homemade dressing’ was nothing more than a plastic cup of canola oil. No spices, nothing!! A manager had come over and given us a coupon for a free appetizer for our long wait. I asked for her again, to complain about the filthy water glasses and ghastly salad. She was apologetic, but we wanted to end this debacle and left. It's as if someone gave a bunch of teenagers a phony, honkey-tonk-themed building and said, ‘Put on a restaurant!’ Mickey and Judy and gang could've done a better job. Ick."

[MKr, 5/06] said: "I was very skeptical about trying this restaurant—all of the other steak chains are very pricy and not so great. I was shocked at how good the food was here. I followed the previous reviewer's advice to call ahead, which is an absolute must for any day of the week (I drive by there everyday, and it's packed—even at 10 P.M. on a weeknight). I had the 8-oz sirloin, which came with two sides plus really great rolls for $10. In my opinion, the food quality was better then Outback or Roadhouse. It's loud, country, and crunchy (peanut shells), so not a place for a romantic night out—but great for anything else. I have to stress again—make sure you call ahead!"

[TFR, 4/06] said: "Texas Roadhouse is a very busy restaurant, but if you call ahead, you'll get put on a waiting list, and the wait is more manageable. The wait is even more pleasant at the bar, drinking a Margarita or enjoying a beer in a glass shaped like a cowboy boot. You have to be prepared for the atmosphere—the waitstaff line-dances when certain songs come on the speakers, and they make birthday victims sit on a saddle as the entire section says, "Yee haw!" Fun, but not a place for a romantic date! When they call you for your table, you are taken to a butcher freezer, where you can pick out the steak you want prepared for your dinner. There are peanuts everywhere—on the bar, on the tables, in large buckets throughout the restaurant. The waitress or waiter will soon bring you a basket of warm, fresh rolls, brushed with butter, and whipped cinnamon butter that is out of this world. If you're with a few people, order the cactus blossom (a fried onion appetizer). It's much larger than what I've ordered at other restaurants, and you definitely need to share. The entrees come with a choice of two sides, and there are about ten choices to choose from, including salads, chili, potatoes, rice, and vegetables. As for an entree, I recommend the filet medallions with peppercorn sauce. So tender, so spicy, so delicious. The salads are decent (be forewarned—there's egg in the chef salad, which I didn't like), and the sides are all good. My husband wanted his baked potato with sour cream and cheese, and they served it plain, so they brought a second potato prepared the right way to make amends. We were too full to eat most of our dinners, so we were unable to try any dessert. No matter—those sweet dinner rolls hit the spot! The prices are very reasonable—about $8-$15 for an entree. Their goal is to really feed you—you'll probably need a doggy bag! I would definitely recommend this place for anyone who enjoys good portions and a fun, laid back atmosphere."

Thai House.
5246 Transit Rd., Depew. 601-7865.

Related to a Thai House in Hamburg.

Review of the Depew location:

[MDo, 7/10] says: "I have not eaten in the restaurant itself, but I've ordered and picked up take-out from the Thai House on Transit Rd. The restaurant itself is hidden. Don't look for the building; you really can't see it from the road. Just look for the sign by the entrance to the parking lot. The restaurant is small, but nice inside. The food from the take-out menu is excellent. The Pud Thai is very good, and the Red Curry is one of the best I've ever tasted."

[a] Thai Orchid Cafe.
416 Evans St. (in Evanstown Plaza), Williamsville.
565-2094.

Thai and Vietnamese.

[3/10] Listed as one of 41 "Restaurants We Love" by Buffalo Spree magazine.

[1/09] Given 3½ (out of 4) stars by Janice Okun, Buffalo News restaurant reviewer.

[Bill, 1/12] says: Five of us had dinner here [10/11] with a visiting speaker. I had one of their Restaurant Week specials: grilled slamon over steamed, mixed vegetables with green and red bell peppers, onion, and mango strips, in a lemon grass sauce. For dessert: piping hot, Thai Orchid pumpkin custard. An exquisite meal. My first time here, but I hope to return.

[CEH, 1/10] said: "I have been using your site for years; it is such a great resource! [Thanks for the kind words!] I wanted to send a review regarding both the quality of the food and service at Thai Orchid Cafe. I adore Thai and Vietnamese food and consequently have frequented almost of the restaurants serving these cuisines locally, as well as when I am out of town. The food, service, and presentation have always been impeccable at this restaurant. I have probably eaten there 10 times in the past year with many different people, and no one has ever been disappointed. I have sampled many of the curries, pad thai, vermicelli (bun), fish cakes, all of the soups, and several desserts and have not been disappointed in anything. The owner has always been in the restaurant when I have visited and has been incredibly accommodating and welcoming. As far as I know, this restaurant does not yet have a liquor license; however, it graciously allows patrons to bring their own wine without charging a corking fee. I picked up take-out tonight; it was ready within 15 minutes of my call, and everything was perfectly prepared and packaged, just like you would receive when dining in. I highly recommend this restaurant for both Thai and Vietnamese."

[PDy, 3/09] said: "This new Thai restaurant was given high praise by Janet Ockum [sic], recently returned from Asia, where she underwent some challenging cooking lessons in the kitchens there, under the scrutiny of demanding chefs. Janet should know of what she speaks: Folding stuffed wonton without the filling slipping out is indeed a difficult task. I know—I've tried it. We loved the seafood dishes so generously packed with shrimp and scallops. The tureen of hot fish broth was also teeming with marine delicacies. So often, restaurants skimp on shellfish, but not the Thai Orchid. Incidently, those pink orchids that fill the windows and dining room divider are the real thing, not the usual silk artificial flowers found in so many other Asian/Southeast Asian restaurants. The Thai waiters are, as one might expect, knowledgeable about the dishes and (surprise!) can communicate quite well in English. The high-school waitress is cute and bubbly, but she occasionally seems confused about menu orders and has not yet developed a professional way of clarifying with the customer. Besides, one would not expect a U.S. teenager to bow politely as do the native Thai personnel. At least she does not say "Hi, my name is Annie, and I'll be your server tonight!" A polite ‘oriental’ bow is so much more endearing!"

[WHN, 3/09] said: "On Saturday night, we went to Thai Orchid for our son's birthday. We made a reservation, since we thought there might be a huge crowd, but, while the restaurant was near capacity, there were no lines of waiting customers. The restaurant made a great impression before we even sat down, because my wife is an orchid aficionado and loved the display of orchids in the front window and on the room divider between sections of the dining room. Although we had not been there before, we were somehow greeted by name by the owner, and immediately seated (maybe most people didn't make reservations?) There were fresh flowers, but not orchids according to my wife, on all the tables as well. The restaurant has been completely refurbished since its days as Viet-Thai Cuisine not long ago, with freshly painted walls, different artwork, and new furniture. To start, we ordered Thai Orchid Special Spring Rolls and the critically acclaimed, by Janice Okun and the reviewer below [BK, 3/09], Thai Orchid Cups. The fresh spring rolls were excellent, filled with shrimp, crab meat, tofu, lettuce, bean sprouts, and what was described as Asian pork sausage, which tasted like Canadian bacon, all covered with a tangy sauce. We gave the Thai Orchid Cups mixed reviews: The curried-pork-and-potato ones and the chicken ones were very good, but the corn-and-peas variety had no taste whatsoever, other than steamed peas and corn. The side of sauce added some flavor, but they were a disappointment. For the main course, we ordered Panang curry chicken (mild), red curry pork (hot), and Ma Kham duck breast (hot) in a tamarind sauce with sweet peppers, pineapple, onions, and tomatoes. All the entrees were delicious, but the "mild" Panang curry chicken was hotter than the ones ordered hot. Also, our son said he was certain some of the pork was tongue, based on the texture. He didn't view this as a negative, since he has eaten tongue in NYC delis and likes it, but my wife wouldn't eat any more after she heard that. I thought it was good, albeit a bit chewy. The service was excellent, with water glasses replenished frequently and additional rice brought by a server who saw we were running low and asked if we wanted more. I wouldn't say it's that much better than King and I or Jasmine, but it is much closer to home and offers very good food and service. We would definitely return."

[BK, 3/09] said: "After hearing rave reviews about Thai Orchid Café from several co-workers and friends, I finally had the opportunity to try this restaurant with a friend this past Friday evening. I was told that the food was equivalent, if not better, than my most beloved local Thai restaurant, Saigon Bangkok. Although I'm not inclined to bestow the Orchid Café with the title of "Best Thai Cuisine in Buffalo", the restaurant certainly lived up to expectations! Upon arrival, we were promptly greeted and seated by the host, whom I recognized from the Saigon Café (perhaps these restaurants are operated by the same owner?). Within minutes, we were greeted by our waitress, who was eager to take both our drink and appetizer orders. We both opted for water to drink, but they do offer Thai tea, coffee, soda, and an assortment of fresh fruit drinks. The restaurant doesn't have a liquor license yet, so patrons also have the option of bringing their own; I'm not sure if they charge an uncorking fee. For an appetizer, I ordered the Thai Orchid Cups, which was one of many menu items designated as a "Thai Orchid Specialty Dish". The appetizer consisted of an assortment of pastry cups filled with (1) minced chicken and potatoes seasoned with curry powder, (2) pork, pineapple, and ground peanuts, and (3) seasoned corn and green peas in a pistachio sauce. The appetizer was thoroughly delicious and unlike anything I've tried in other local Thai restaurants. My friend tried the Tom Kha soup, which he found equally as delightful. His only complaint was that the portion was large enough for an entire meal! For an entrée, I tried the Thai Orchid Fried Rice with chicken, which was touted as another "Thai Orchid Specialty Dish". It was comprised of jasmine rice with pineapple, onions, cashews, snow peas, and assorted vegetables. The dish was flavorful and well executed; however, it was not unlike similar offerings I've enjoyed elsewhere. The addition of pineapple and cashews was certainly novel, but these ingredients were so sparse that you could barely tell that they were included. My friend ordered the Pad Thai, which he found to be quite tasty and similar to Saigon Café's. We didn't have room for dessert, but we did leave with enough leftovers for an additional meal. In the end, our visit to the Orchid Café proved to be a truly delightful experience. My only advice to prospective diners would be to make a reservation or arrive early; the restaurant was at capacity by 6pm with a line out the door by 6:30. Takeout is also available."

Thirsty Buffalo.
555 Elmwood Ave. (just north of Allentown), Buffalo.
878-0344.

[DGe, 12/11] says: "We sat at the bar and watched the Sabres on a bunch of huge TVs. There is a 30-tap, draught-beer selection. The bar keep was personable: knew a bit about the beer, not much about the food. The chicken wings were cooked crispy and spiced as we asked for them. The bleu cheese was horrid: a bland mayonnaise concoction with not much bleu cheese mixed in; not up to par for Buffalo. The club sandwich was very good and huge: My bride only ate half, and I was able to have the rest for breakfast; it was stacked high with meat, a fresh tomato, and had a tangy sauce—the highlight of the evening. We tried two burgers: Both were standard pub fare, not memorable for any reason, just a burger. The Sabres lost."

[AMB, 1/09] said: "Saturday night, we tried the Thirsty Buffalo, which took over the old Jimmy Mac's location. It was a snowy, windy evening, so we were able to get a table promptly—but the glassed-in side room where we ate was pretty chilly (as it always has been in the winter). The menu had a nice selection of appetizers, salads, burgers, wraps, and sandwiches—only a few entrees. At our table, three had burgers—all quite good, more than I could finish—and one had a turkey sandwich with chipotle mayonnaise (also enjoyed). There are a variety of burger toppings to choose from, including one with onion rings. The side salads we ordered separately were large, and had cheese, croutons, & tomatoes in addition to the salad mix. Burgers came with homemade chips (good!); salads, fries, or onion rings were also available (latter were tasty). Prices were reasonable (less than $10 for a burger); I had a decent-enough wine by the glass; service was OK. There is a small children's-menu available (along with crayons, and kid drinks in a cup with a lid!). By the time we left, there were a good number of people in the bar; also, they have a separate room that can hold a private party (facing Elmwood)."

Thunder Falls Buffet.
310 Fourth St. (at Rainbow Blvd., in the Seneca Niagara Casino), Niagara Falls, NY.
299-1100 or 1-877-8-SENECA (873-6322).

[ABi, 11/06] says: "The best thing about buffets is the realization that the cultures of Earth have countless delicious ways to prepare chicken. The Italians slather it in tomato sauce and mozzarella, the Chinese cut and spice it up for you, our friends down South barrage arteries via frying, and everyone knows what we do here with the otherwise-wasted wings. One can try all of these and approximately one million other entrees and sides at the Thunder Falls Buffet, conveniently located just a few feet away from the blackjack tables and nickel slots at the Seneca Niagara Casino. Both the quantity and diversity of the offerings are almost overwhelming, and my three-and-a-half plates' worth only got me partway through the stations. Most of what I got to was of good quality: I especially enjoyed the Southern offerings, including the aforementioned fried dish along with the lusciously syrupy, candied sweet potatoes, the delightfully gooey mac and cheese, and buttermilk biscuits that were perfectly moist, crumbly, and buttery enough to make you forget about all your worries and problems. They were really good. The Italian take on chicken was pretty good, while the Chinese offerings were a little more towards mediocre, because they were only slightly spicy and a bit too mushy; they could have used a tad more red pepper and a tad less time sitting in hotel pans. My least favorite find was the crab legs; my understandable excitement at discovering their availability was tempered by the paucity of the meat as well as the spongy, watery taste. They weren't that great, and the portions were small, rim shot. But I moan too much, because I suppose one shouldn't expect too much from buffet crustaceans. I did enjoy another seafood offering, namely the flaky grilled swordfish. Even better for those who prefer land-based meat, they feature prime rib, cut to order and deliciously juicy and savory. I had fun bloating myself with Thunder Falls Buffet's largely good-quality offerings. Everyone should find at least a few things they like, and, as my girlfriend put it, if you leave without getting your money's worth, it's your own fault."

[AJB, 7/04] said: "In Las Vegas, you can pay a pittance for a spectacular, all-you-can-eat buffet. In Niagara Falls, NY, you can pay about $17 for a somewhat mediocre all-you-can-eat buffet. We went on a Sunday night, and there was a huge line to get in at 7:30 pm. Although there appeared to be plenty of available tables, we were shunted off to the side to wait for the "next available" table after having waited in line for 30 minutes just to pay. The salad bar is pretty good—especially the Caesar salad. The jambalaya was truly excellent, and the all-you-can-eat shrimp and crab legs were popular. The Chinese-food offerings were a huge disappointment. The vegetarian spring roll was soggy, with a thick, almost skin-like shell. The spare ribs were coated with an impenetrable syrupy coating. The lemon chicken was OK, but also soggy. The prime rib was excellent, but carved a little too thinly. Pizzas weren't great, but the spaghetti & meatballs were pretty good. It was a lot of money for a lot of food, but not particularly good food. We won't be back. There are a lot of better places to eat in Niagara Falls. I recommend leaving sovereign Seneca property and patronizing a local, smokefree, tax-paying establishment instead."

Tiara.
155 Byron St., in the Queen's Landing Hotel, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada. 905-468-2195.

See Queen's Landing.

T.G.I. Friday's.
See Friday's.

[a+] Tiffin Room at Pistachio's.
In the UB North (Amherst) Campus Student Union.
645-2551.

The only restaurant on campus with waiter-service. Quite a varied menu. Reservations are strongly recommended.

Tiddledybinks Catering.
The Niagara Club, 24 Buffalo Ave., Niagara Falls, NY.
282-4657, 743-9113.

[WHN, 4/06] says: "I came across the various pro and con reviews below and thought I would put in my two cents. We were invited to a large group party at the Niagara Club. There were probably 80—100 people in attendance. Since we were guests, I have no idea about the cost, but we thought the food, drinks, and service were excellent for this size of event."

[HPK, 12/03] said: "I have been to many events that Tiddledybinks has catered. Always, it has been the most professional, outstanding, and elegant service that a high-end cater should be. My family has used them for parties at home and my sister-in-law's wedding. I cannot give them enough support or credit. We have gone to Mother's Day brunches and other people's weddings. The food has always been the highest quality and cooked to perfection. I was surprised and shocked to read the [first] review. My family and I have never had this type of experience with them, and I would suggest using them 100% to anyone who needed a caterer. Most of all, they can be trusted beyond reproach." [Editor's Note: Yes, [MER] and I were surprised and shocked, too.]

[MMB, 12/03] said: "I read with dismay MER's [12/03] comments on Tiddledybinks's catering of a home party. My wife and I have had Tiddledybinks cater more than six home parties ranging from twenty people to sixty people. At every party, there was an enormous amount of food, the display was fabulous, and the service was beyond our expectations. After the parties, the cleanup was such that you would never have known that a function had happened. The response of guests was always extremely positive, and we have given their names to friends who have used their services. Both Jennie and Steve, who handled the parties, were extremely efficient and charming. In fact, as a result of the positive response of our guests, we used their services at the Niagara Club for our daughter's wedding, attended by 210 guests. We received compliment after compliment about the wedding. It is pure pleasure to recommend Tiddledybinks Catering to all who desire home catering or the use of their magnificent facility for large affairs."

[MER, 12/03] said: "We had Tiddledybinks cater our party for 85 people in our home on a Friday last month. The display of food was fabulous. However, the rest of the evening was unexpected. Although 25 of the 85 people did not show up, which made the party 60 people at best, we had no food left on the table by 9:30 p.m., even though the party had been scheduled to last until 11:00 p.m. I had no food for the people who showed up at 10:45 p.m. and, needless to say, no leftovers. On the Monday following our party, we were lifting a garbage bag from the party, the bottom broke out, and I had food rolling down the driveway. There was enough for another party. After speaking to the owner, he said that we were not charged for the food that was thrown away. Somewhere out there is the food for the 25 people that didn't show up, which should have been my leftovers. Also, the party cost roughly $5200.00 without alcohol. Hello—let's shop around from now on. No party is worth that much, and this was no exception."

[a] Tim Hortons.
5225 Sheridan Dr. (in Georgetown Plaza), Williamsville.
6125 Main St. (in Walker Center), Williamsville.
(and dozens of other locations)
626-5993.

Part of the chain.

[AFN, 6/09] says: "My sister and I have been to Tim Horton's several times for a late breakfast. Their breakfast sandwich on a biscuit or bagel, with an egg, choice of sausage or bacon, and cheese, is delicious and only $2.99."

Review of the Walker Center location:

[PT, 3/09] says: "I stopped for lunch at the Tim Horton's in the Walker Center plaza last Tuesday. I had a turkey bacon club, toasted on a whole wheat roll, like a sub roll. It was quite good."

Review of the Georgetown Plaza location:

[WHN, 7/08] said: "We made the mistake of stopping at Tim Hortons for a quick lunch. Enticed by their TV ads, we ordered "chicken" club sandwiches. The "chicken" was a gelatinous, tasteless, inedible slab of compressed chicken parts. We'll never eat anything from there again. Tim Horton should be rolling over in his grave."

Tina's Italian Kitchen.
22 Main St., Hamburg.
648-0100.

[AmS, 12/06] says: "I asked for eggplant Parmesan. I have eaten it before at Ilio DiPaolo's and Olive Garden. Both were delicious. I expected patty-shaped, breaded eggplant on top of a bed of pasta. Instead I got a small dish of pasta on the side, with very runny sauce, and hardly any of it, accompanied by six rolls of eggplant, unbreaded, jammed in a bowl-like dish. It was baked with cheese on top, and again, with very minimal sauce. I would not recommend this dish to anyone and will not order eggplant again from Tina's, if I go there at all."

[MH, 9/03] said: "If you like Italian, check out Tina's Italian Kitchen in "downtown" Hamburg...much better than Chef's. Try the homemade sausage. The place has been in business for many years. (At least 20?) They are often busy on weekends, so I would recommend calling for reservations."

Tokyo Shanghai Bistro.
494 Elmwood Ave. (just north of Allentown), Buffalo.
886-3839.

Japanese-Chinese cuisine.

[BK, 12/09] says: "On 12/15/09, a friend and I dined at one of Elmwood's newest culinary additions, Tokyo Shanghai Bistro. The restaurant is best described as ‘Asian fusion’ and specializes in both Chinese and Japanese cuisine. The menu is quite extensive and includes a fairly sizable sushi selection and a host of traditional ‘American Chinese’ entrees. Takeout is also available. We arrived around 6 P.M., and the spacious dining room was completely empty. We were promptly greeted by the host and seated in a booth near the front window. Our waitress arrived shortly thereafter and offered to take our drink order. The restaurant does not serve alcohol, so we opted for soft drinks. The beverages arrived instantaneously, and the waitress was eager to take our food order. We opted for the steamed dumpling appetizer and two Chinese entrees: General Tso's Chicken and Cashew Chicken. The appetizer consisted of six pork dumplings and was accompanied by traditional soy sauce. I've eaten steamed dumplings in restaurants of varying caliber throughout the world, including China, and can unequivocally say that these were the worst. The dough was dry, incredibly thick, and masked the flavor of the pork. In contrast, the entrees were well prepared and contained an assortment of fresh ingredients. My friend stated that the General Tso's Chicken was among the best he's had. I found the Cashew Chicken to be enjoyable, but not nearly as good as similar offerings I've eaten at both Gin Gin and Eastern Pearl. The total bill, including soft drinks, appetizer, and two entrees, was $27. I'll likely return to this restaurant, but only if I'm already in the area and looking for Chinese cuisine; the atmosphere is definitely far more welcoming than most of the other Chinese restaurants on the Elmwood strip."

La Tolteca.
7530 Transit Rd. (between Main St. & Sheridan Dr.), Williamsville.
565-0105.

Tex-Mex(ican). Part of the chain. Delivery available from Takeout Taxi, 631-2222.

[JoM, 5/11] says: "In my opinion, this is the best Mexican food in Western New York. We stopped in for an early dinner on Saturday, 5-21-2011. To start the meal, we had an endless basket of chips and salsa; the salsa is a bit on the watery side, but the flavor is excellent. I always have to be careful not to fill up on the chips before my meal arrives. For my entree, I chose the Enchiladas Poblanas. I've been to La Tolteca many times and had many different meals; this was my favorite dish so far. It was 3 chicken enchiladas covered with a sauce that had a hint of chocolate along with many spices; it was accompanied with yellow rice: absolutely amazing. My girlfriend had the Enchiladas Supreme, which was 3 separate enchiladas: beef, chicken, and bean; she thought the enchiladas were excellent, and had enough to bring home for a meal the next day. My girlfriend's sister made her own combo with 2 vegetable chalupas, which came with rice and beans; she was very happy with her meal. Her mother had the taco salad, and thought it was a watery salad. She enjoyed the flavor, but thought it was soggy; we concluded that the beans on the salad added to the watery consistency. Overall, we were happy with our meal. The service was friendly and efficient, and the prices are very reasonable. I recommend."

[WHN, 1/07] said: "After a return visit to Cinco de Mayo's Eggert Road location proved to be extremely disappointing—actually, the food was horrible—we decided to try another Mexican place, La Tolteca. The taco chips and salsa were very good. The carnitas entree was excellent—tender and very flavorful pork, with sides of refried beans and rice. Our only complaint was that the accompanying pico de gallo was unnecessarily salty."

[CJK, 12/06] said: "One thing people should expect is a long wait during the supper hours upon getting to the restaurant...especially on a mad/busy street like Transit Road. The decor is standard Mexican chain restaurant. Upon finally being shown to our table, it took a long enough time, after receiving a menu, for the waitress to ask what we would like to order. To add insult to injury, we received the wrong salads and received our meal minutes later. Nachos and salsa (with a little zing) are worthwhile appetizers. Chicken burritos will be less greasy than a beef burrito for those with sensative stomachs, although the beef really was not that bad. One will not find burritos here to be spicy unless one were to add a hot sauce. There are very few vegetarian plates to choose from, so check their website before making a decision to bring a veggie here. I found the food to be very tasteful and worthy for those who appreciate Mexican cooking. I would rate them as a better food quality over Don Pablo's but place them below a couple very good restaurants (Tampico or Jalapeno Loco) that recently closed on Grand Island. Personally, I would not return to La Tolteca based upon my unpleasant service; the food possibly, but all signs point towards "no"."

[GWh, 12/06] said: "The best Mexican restaurant in Buffalo. The great colorful cuisine and large menu to choose from are very desirable. The Steak Ranchero is my favorite. Where else can you get a tender 14-oz. T-bone steak for $13.95? It may not be too romantic, but this place is great."

[BL, 11/06] said: "We think the decor is good for a suburban chain restaurant, and service is very good, but the presentations need an upgrade. Dishes come out looking so-so. Taste is OK, though some of the toppings have heat."

[BO, 4/06] said: "As chains of restaurants go, this establishment was not bad. The atmosphere was enjoyable, staff knowledgeable and friendly, and the menu extensive. On this particular evening, I decided to try enchiladas poblanos, an enchilada dish served with rich poblano sauce, rice, and shredded lettuce—or what the menu refers to as salad. The food was served quickly and hot! My main reason for trying this dish was my interest in the poblano sauce. This is a dark sauce made with spices and chocolate. It was very good, neither spicy nor overly sweet. Because I enjoyed my meal so much, I decided to try something different for dessert. Any cheesecake lover will enjoy this creamy cheesecake wrapped in a pastry tortilla, lightly fried till golden brown and flaky, then topped with cinnamon, sugar, whipped cream, and a cherry! It was delicious and decadent! This was my first time visiting this restaurant and dining on Mexican food. I found it rather nice, with plentiful portions. The menu was extensive, offering appetizers, lunch and dinner specials, combination dinners, vegetarian or chicken dishes, children's menu, desserts and drinks. They also offer take-out service with the same menu selections. I would recommend La Tolteca as a good place to enjoy a meal with a good friend or a group of friends. The restaurant also invites you to enjoy a live mariachi band on a semi-regular basis. I suggest calling ahead for specific dates and times. La Tolteca definitely receives a "4 sombrero" rating from me!"

[KCu, 4/06] said: "The food was a little bit greasy, but tasty nonetheless. Great nachos before the meal! Friendly service, with a fun atmosphere. I was disappointed that I didn't get to see the live mariachi band!! Definitely recommended to anybody looking for Mexican food that doesn't use grade D beef!!"

[MACi, 4/06] said: "I was to dine at La Tolteca for a class project at Buffalo State College. I have to say, my teacher made a good choice for us. Although we were to eat our meal late, we were to still enjoy the food. On a personal note, I enjoyed the service, very friendly, and always there when you need it, especially when needing water. The food: vast choices to choose from! Once I finally decided, I must say I chose wisely (with much help from my companions). I was to order the enchilada supreme, which I definitely recommend to anyone looking to fill the stomach. The plates we were each served were large and definitely could feed two people. The prices for us being college students were pricy, but nothing we couldn't afford. I definitely recommend La Tolteca for those looking for good Mexican cuisine."

[MW, 4/06] said: "Very good food with colorful and clever presentation. The service was also particularly good (the manager greeted each table after you've been seated, which is unusual, but made you feel like a regular customer). The dishes were all complemented with crunchy greens and spicy sides of rice and beans. While the menu is largely meat, there are a few vegetarian dishes (to satisfy those who don't enjoy meat). Attire was casual and prices were in the $8-$20 range per entree."

[KMa, 4/06] said: "We went to La Tolteca on a Saturday night. The restaurant was busy, but we were seated very quickly. We were served warm tortilla chips and salsa. The salsa was spicy, but not the kind of spicy that sets your lips and tongue on fire. I was glad, because I don't like it when I feel like I'm going to breathe fire. Also, the salsa was chunky and full of tomatoes. I ordered quesadillas rellanas. It was a great choice! The quesadillas were sloppy, but very tasty. They were full of chicken, cheese, and beans. There was also quite of bit of well-cooked Spanish rice, lettuce, sour cream, and guacamole. My sister ordered the quesadilla supreme. This was interesting because it had baby shrimp in it. The shrimp were firm, and it was an interesting texture in the quesadilla. We were too full for dessert, but we'll be back to try different things!"

[MCT, 2/06] said: "After using your website for over a year and not posting a review, I saw one for La Tolteca that forced me to finally post. This is by far the best Mexican restaurant in Buffalo. I have tried everywhere, from Mighty Taco to Don Pablo's to Lone Star Fajita, etc... This is the best! The supreme nachos with chicken and beef are the best I have ever had. They use a cheese sauce that is amazing, and, when asked about it, the server said it's a secret. Almost all the servers are directly from Mexico, which makes it feel a little homey. The last time, I got the enchilada platter, which was perfect. I only ate about 1/3 of it due to the huge platter of nachos my girlfriend and I had shared. She got the 2 burrito platter. We have never had a bad experience at this place and have been there over 10 times. Decent margarita selection, all different tequilas; finally an authentic Mexican place in Buffalo."

[VD, 5/05] said: "This Mexican restaurant opened today, so they still don't have their liquor license. The food is no better than Don Pablo's and is the usual Tex-Mex fare. There is nothing very unique other than friendly waitstaff. Prices are comparable to other restaurants, and they charge extra for more than 1 basket of chips."

Tom's BBQ Pit.
1655 Foote Ave. Ext., Jamestown.
488-2445.

[KF, 9/06] says: "I was expecting a good old-fashioned church-style chicken BBQ, but was disappointed with the side dishes. The potato salad, apple sauce, and baked beans, dinner roll, and coleslaw all tasted store-bought. The chicken had a good flavor, but I was grossed out with an undercooked piece. The service, atmosphere, and restrooms all needed work."

[a] Tom's Family Restaurant (Tom's Souvlaki) (Amherst).
3221 Sheridan Dr. (near Bailey), Amherst.
837-7310.

[GMK, 5/08] says: "It is with a heavy heart I write a review for Tom's. As college students 20 years ago, it was our favorite place to eat. We went there at all times for all occasions. The service was excellent, and the place never closed. During the first heavy snowstorm, it was the place the plow drivers could get a meal. They even remodeled while open. Then the daughter(?) took over, and the place closed for remodeling. The menu changed, the prices went up, the quality went down, the service started to stink, and after several attempts, we've decided to never return. Friends and family have also made that decision on their own, as there are far too many good restaurants in the area to bother with a place that's gone so far downhill."

[DRi, 9/07] said: "Good food, terrible service. My girlfriend and I just came back from a most trying visit there with friends from out of town. We both ordered chicken souvlaki dinners (you can get beef also) with sweet potato fries as the included potato, or so we thought. Our friends ordered the lunch-sized portions, which were available at 8 PM. The food came out reasonably quickly, with 6 big grilled chicken strips, a mountain of salad topped with feta cheese, and half a toasted pita for the dinners. The lunch portions were approximately 2/3 this size. We had to send one of the lunches back, because it had beef instead of chicken. The fun began once we received the bills. My girlfriend and I were charged full price for the sweet potato fries we thought were included with the dinner. After asking for the manager and being pointedly ignored for 15 minutes, we asked again, and the manager hurried over to the table. We calmly explained what we had ordered, and why we thought we were being over-charged. The manager hemmed and hawed, and refused to do anything about it, even after pointing out in the menu where nothing was said about sweet potato fries not being included in the meal. All the menu said was that no substitutions were allowed. Under the chicken souvlaki dinner was listed "choice of potato", which we assumed to mean sweet potato fries were a viable option. Our server did not disabuse us of this notion. After saying we would like the charges for the fries reduced or dropped, our original server threatened to call the police. We argued a bit more, got nowhere, then asked to speak with the owner, paid, and left. When we spoke with the owner an hour later, he justified his server's threat to call the police. He was also very unyielding to our requests, saying that the prices were listed. He ignored the fact that nowhere on the menu was that sweet potato fries would be an additional charge, that our server had not mentioned this to us, and that we did not receive the potato listed in the dinner. He claimed that the sweet potato fries put on at full price were the potatoes included with the dinner. Needless to say, at that point we got up and left. Good riddance!"

Tom's Family Restaurant (Irving).
935 Main Rd. (Rts. 5 & 20), Irving.
934-3101.

American.

[9/11] Given 4 (out of 4) pennies by Anne Neville, Buffalo News "Cheap Eats" restaurant reviewer.

[a] Toni Pepperoni.
4224 Maple Rd. (Maple Ridge Center), Amherst.
876-8664.

They moved from Kenmore some time ago. Of the Kenmore location, [BMcWS, 2/08] said: "Toni Pepperoni is a pizza buffet restaurant populated with families. It's located on Delaware Ave. in Kenmore, meaning parking is in short supply (although a sign on the door lets you know street parking is free nights and weekends, so ignore the meters). We went on a recent Saturday night but beat the crowds by arriving at 5. The first thing to know is that this is a cash-only business. They do have an ATM in the entryway, if you didn't bring cash. The buffet consisted of about about 8 different pizzas. Cheese, chicken finger, BBQ chicken, Greek, pepperoni, and a mysterious "manager's special" (it would have been nice if the sign identified what was on this, since it just appeared to be plain cheese) were part of the night's line up. The pizzas are small, and thus the pieces are small. We felt that all the pizzas were a bit chintzy—not enough cheese, not enough sauce, etc. They were hot, though, which was a plus—who wants to eat cold pizza? The pizza flavors were OK, but overall we'd rather have a pizza from our regular take-out place than these lame substitutes. The buffet also had several green salads and your typical salad-bar toppings, which were fine. There were two types of penne—red sauce and Alfredo sauce. They get points for having extra sauce to put on your pasta. Both sauces were good. There was only one shaker of Parmesan cheese in the entire place, though—they need to have a nice bowl of this right next to the pasta itself. By the time you get the pasta back to your table, though, it is cold. There were also some breaded and fried chicken pieces—not fingers, more like someone breaded and fried a breast, then sliced it. Several bottles of various types of hot sauce were placed next to this to be used. French fries were also available. There was one dessert pizza—a crust with butter and cinnamon and sugar on it, and this was delicious. The restaurant itself has 2 rooms. The room with the buffet is very crowded, with tables stacked on top of each other and a blaring TV. The back room was quieter and more spacious. We felt the price was reasonable—I believe it was $6 or $7 a person. I don't think we will go back—it was a bit of a mob scene and was not a relaxing eating experience. This could be a good bargain, though, if you've got a pile of hungry, teenage boys to feed."

Tony de Luca.

See Restaurant Tony de Luca.

Tony Rome's.
1537 Union Rd., W. Seneca.
675-4351.

Delivery available from Takeout Taxi, 631-2222.

[CRH, 7/08] says: "My girlfriend and I went there for dinner on Sunday night. To say the crowd was sparse would be an understatement. There was one other couple in the dining area the entire time we were there. While that was a point of concern, it did mean fast service. We had ordered drinks, appetizers, and the main course, and were out of there in less than an hour. We ordered mozzarella sticks for the appetizers, and, even though they looked like a store-bought brand, they were very good. For the main course, I ordered Chicken Cacciatore, and my girlfriend ordered Pasta Parmesan with Italian sausage. This is where the worst part came into play. The food itself: There was nothing fundamentally wrong with it. There was just nothing to cause it to be anything other than ordinary. My meal came out as 2 chicken breasts and the spaghetti, and they were doused in sauce. My girlfriend's came out with a near 2-inch-thick layer of cheese. It feeds your typical restaurant's theory of "If you put enough cheese and/or sauce on it, it's bound to taste good". But it's just bland. You feel like, well, you could have gone home and just dumped half of a can of pasta sauce on your own spaghetti. It's a shame, because the people that work there are very nice. The woman on the phone beforehand and our waitress were very friendly. They have a good attitude, but a lazy method of food preparation."

Tony Rome's Globe Hotel and Restaurant
711 Main St., E. Aurora.
652-4221.

Delivery available from Takeout Taxi, 631-2222.

[G&LF, 6/03] say: "I took my wife and in-laws to the Globe Hotel last Friday (06/20/03), and boy were we disappointed. I had a fish fry. It was soggy, not crispy, and was very bland. The cole slaw was way too vinegary. My wife had the grilled chicken salad. She said that her chicken was dry and overcooked, and the lettuce greens mix was not at all fresh. It came with 2 pieces of garlic bread with cheese. It was burnt on half and uncooked on the other. My in-laws both decided on the open steak sandwich. Both ordered rare and with no onions; they came to the table well done and with onions. They looked like they were baked way too long, and the roll was burnt as well. I must say, though, that the service was very good. And the prices were a little high considering the quality of the food."

[JPM, 9/00] said: "Good bar food in an historic hotel. (Grover Cleveland and Millard Fillmore frequented the Globe in an earlier time). Ribs are great; sandwiches and barbecued chicken are good. The specials often leave a little to be desired though: They tend to overcook fish. The plus is that you can stroll through town after your meal."

[m] Torches.
1141 Kenmore Ave., Kenmore.
447-7915.

Online reservations available via OpenTable.com.

[3/10] Listed as one of 41 "Restaurants We Love" by Buffalo Spree magazine.

[10/09] Raised to 4 (out of 4) stars.
[4/07] Given 3½ (out of 4) stars by Janice Okun, Buffalo News restaurant reviewer.

[JoM, 1/12] says: "After hearing many positive reviews from friends and your site, my girlfriend and I tried Torches for the first time on 1/6/2012. My only regret is not getting here sooner; our meal was excellent on all levels. We had reservations for 6:45 and arrived a few minutes in advance. We were seated right away, and the restaurant was about 80% full. For an appetizer, we ordered an evening special: brie topped with blueberries, served with small pieces of toasted baguette. Before the appetizer arrived, we were surprised to receive an amuse bouche, which, as a prior review of this restaurant explained, is a small, bite-sized hors d'oeuvre. It was a small beef on weck made with phyllo dough; it was very good and served its purpose to whet our appetites. Soon after, the appetizer arrived, and it was also very good: a bit on the sweet side and probably could have passed as a dessert. For entrees, my girlfriend ordered the Tim-Hortons-coffee–crusted strip steak served with a sour-cream-and-onion, potato croquette. The steak was served as ordered, medium rare, and was excellent. I had the A&W short ribs accompanied by bbq mashed potatoes and onion rings. The short ribs were extremely tender, and the A&W bbq sauce on top was very good. For dessert, we shared a vanilla-bean custard served with raspberries and blueberries. It was a nice size to split, and finished off our meal perfectly. Our service was fast, efficient, and friendly. By the time we finished our meal, the restaurant was at full capacity. Overall, we had an excellent experience, and I highly recommend!"

[DJM, 11/11] said: "Very positive. Girlfriend took me to dinner to celebrate my passing the bar exam. We had fairly early reservations, at 6:00 P.M. She arrived about 10 minutes early, while I arrived about 10 minutes late. (Keep this in mind if you make early dinner reservations: Kenmore Ave. is very congested even at this ‘late rush-hour’ time. Once I was at Niagara Falls Blvd and Kenmore, it still took me almost 20 minutes to get to Torches, which is on Kenmore near Colvin.) She went to the bar and ordered what she described as an ‘amazing’ martini while waiting for me. We were promptly seated when I arrived. Server was very friendly as she read us the evening specials and took our drink order. I opted for their ‘Bloody Caesar’ (Bloody Mary/Caesar hybrid, with bacon, celery, and a raw oyster to liven it up; it was delicious), while Girlfriend was content with the nearly full martini she had ordered previously. Five minutes later, we were served a bottle of prosecco, compliments of the kitchen. The situation was a bit comical, if not a tad awkward, as the server didn't know the reason the kitchen was sending a complimentary bottle; she asked us if we ‘just got engaged or something’, to which Girlfriend shot me a quick look and informed her we had not. To me, the kitchen (owner's? chef's?) sending that bottle out was a huge, class act. At that point, I had never been to Torches before, and I had never even tasted their food, but with that gesture alone they definitely got a repeat customer, for nothing more than what it cost them to buy a bottle of prosecco from their distributor. Anywho, on to what you readers actually care about: For our appetizer, we split the mac & cheese, with buttermilk-fried chicken, entree. It was served on two separate plates, which was nice. Taste was incredible; cheese was so creamy, while the chicken was perfectly fried. Nice and crispy, but not greasy at all. Thereafter, we were presented with an amuse bouche (amusement of the mouth; bite-sized hors d'oeuvre) of the chef's take on Texas chili with cornbread. It was good, but not great. For the main course, I had grilled mahi-mahi over limed shrimp risotto, while Girlfriend had tuna steak with an interesting interpretation of mashed potatoes; they were served with goat cheese and other seasonings. She loved her entree, stating the tuna was perfectly cooked, while the entire plate was perfectly seasoned. As for me, well, wow: The fish was cooked fantastically, just the right amount of rigidity, crispiness, and moisture, while the risotto was creamy, full of flavor,…I could go on and on, but, suffice to say, I was truly impressed. We split a slice of house-made, bourbon-pecan pie with vanilla ice cream. Such flavors! Truly recommend! All in all, I couldn't find a readily discernible thing wrong with the food we ordered. That said, it wasn't ‘mediocre’ but, in fact, truly spectacular. I'm grasping at straws, but if I had to find flaw with something, it would be this: The shrimp in my risotto were so plentiful, to the point where I'm hypothesizing but not certain that they were frozen, not fresh. There were an awful lot of them, and they were small; more or less the exact size you'd find in a frozen bag of shrimp. Were they frozen? (Not sure.) Were they fresh? (Not sure.) Were they perfectly prepared? (Yes.) We will most definitely be returning."

[BMcWS, 11/11] said: "We had never been to Torches before and went because Janice Okun recommended it in a recent column about where she would take out-of-town guests. We give it 5 stars. Our server was excellent and just attentive enough. We started with a free amuse bouche of the moistest cornbread I have ever tasted, with chili on top: fantastic. Then came house-made, sourdough bread with a parsley dip: excellent. I ordered the gnocchi with a porcini mushroom sauce and bleu cheese; it was amazing. The husband got the Torches salad—goat cheese, walnuts, craisins on a lovely salad. For our entrée, I ordered Nickel City mac and cheese. It is fried chicken on top of mac and cheese that is made with bleu cheese, Goldfish crackers (crumbled), and sundried tomatoes. The menu said it had hot sauce on top. I asked for no hot sauce, since I can't eat spicy foods. There must have been something hot in the dish itself though, because it was too hot for me. Not a problem, though, since the husband ordered A&W root beer short ribs with mashed sweet potato and onion rings: to die for. I ate his, and he ate (and liked ) mine. For dessert, we had pumpkin gingerbread and a chocolate peanut butter cake that had a brownie as the bottom layer, then a peanut butter mousse, and a chocolate ganache: incredible. The best meal I have had in Buffalo in ages. We will definitely be back."

[GOw, 10/11] said: "First time is the charm! Wow; great meal. We stopped in for dinner on a Tuesday night rather early—5:30. It is a rather odd time for fine dining, and I think it could be a dangerous time to dine, as the kitchen is just opening. When we arrived, we were the first customers. Nice space with candles (torches) and linen napkins folded in a way to look like a torch. The attention to detail here is really noteworthy; it continued throughout our meal. Service was very attentive. The dinner crowd steadily increased, and they were soon at near capacity—pretty impressive for a Tuesday night in October. We were treated to a nice amuse bouche—but I'm afraid my memory of what it was fails me. My wife ordered her favorite, a Beefeater martini on the rocks—sizable glass and perfectly made. Next was some delicious bread with a special oil sauce. My wife ordered a special pumpkin bisque, which was neatly served in a pumpkin: delicious. I had a special salad—the fall Caesar—this was grilled romaine with some interesting twists from the usual: very good. On to the entree—I had the grilled Puerto Rican skirt steak with a sweet potato stuffed with beans: flavorful and delicious. Each dish is prepared with care. Presentation is extremely important here. My wife had what she termed the best salmon dish she ever tasted. We finished our meal with a concord grape pie on a cream-cheese crust. If there was a disappointment in our night, this was it. The filling was scant and perhaps overly sweet. I loved the crust. Coffee was excellent. We will be back and will tell others."

[SGo, 10/10] said: "Tonight [10/28/10], three friends and I visited Torches, and they served the best salmon I have ever had. The Torches house salad was pleasant, but the salmon served with hummus, lemon, pita, cucumbers, and a black-olive topping was to die for; all 4 of us choose it for our entrée. Great service and tremendous food. At the end of our dinner, the server came over and asked if anyone was driving a certain car, and it just so happened it was one of my friends' car. Seems like the chef and owner walks through the parking lot occasionally and saw one of the cars had a flat tire. This angel—and wonderful person, named JJ—took the time to change the tire and wouldn't take a penny for all his hard work and effort!! He was truly one of the nicest people I have ever met, and we were so grateful. None of us will ever forget what this wonderful person did; he was the chef, the owner, and one of the best people ever: You know how they call Buffalo ‘the city of good neighbors’; well, JJ is the best neighbor of all. Thank you for a wonderful dinner and experience. We will all return in the near future!!"

• And [SMa, 10/10], one of the "three friends", concurred: "Went to Torches Restaurant on Thursday evening [10/28/10]. Food was very good. Presentation was excellent. Service was never lacking. The exceptional part was that the owner/chef checks the parking lot occasionally during business hours and found that a car had a flat tire, and then proceeded to find which of his customers' cars it was and then change the flat. I have never met anyone so accommodating. 4 stars to Torches."

[KaB, 6/10] said: "We went to dinner on Wednesday 6/16 at Torches. We were greeted and seated immediately. We felt there was a lag time between the server arriving and going over the specials, and there seemed to be another delay before he returned to get our wine and dinner order. For us, this time between courses and the temp of the food were the major issues of our dining experience. Wine was not delivered until our food was ready to arrive. We were served a strawberry with an eye-dropper full of balsamic vinegar. The idea was to drizzle the strawberry with the vinegar and eat. It was an interesting combination, and we liked the sweet versus tart flavors. Then the bread arrived, with a parsley mojo sauce. We could have stopped dinner there and just kept ordering bread, because the mojo was that delicious. Next was an amuse bouche of smoked Cuban pork over rice, with a pickle on top. It was very good. On to the appetizers: We ordered Crab & Grapefruit Gnocchi. It was an interesting mix of gnocchi, crab, and citrus. I think the slight sweetness with the potato dumpling was a bit of a turn-off for my husband, but I enjoyed the appetizer. I had a difficult time deciding what to order for an entrée, so I opted for an appetizer. I chose the pan-seared scallops from the regular menu. They were excellently seared with a light corn coulis and champagne vinaigrette. There was some sort of bitter and sweet, straw-textured shoot on the side. I wasn't too sure what to make of them. My husband had the king crab legs from the dinner's special menu. He asked that they be cracked by the kitchen. There was a long delay between our appetizer and the entrée. When the crab legs arrived, they were very dry. It appeared they sat somewhere in the kitchen and dried out after cracking. The rice and snap peas that accompanied them were nothing to talk about. They were overcooked and barely warm. Overall, our dinner had some good points, but, overall for the price we paid. we were not impressed. We have enjoyed Torches in the past. so we would take a chance on eating there again and just hope for better service."

[BK, 11/09] said: "I had previously enjoyed Torches's offerings at the 2009 Taste of Buffalo and finally had the opportunity to dine there with a friend on 11/20/09. Upon arrival, we were promptly greeted by the hostess and seated in the intimate, yet comfortable dining room. Soon thereafter, our waitress arrived to explain the nightly specials and to take our drink order. Our wine was followed by a complimentary amuse bouche, which consisted of a succulent veal meatball in a marsala sauce. After placing our food order, we were also served fresh bread slices adorned with asiago cheese and olive oil pesto. For an appetizer, we opted for the potato gnocchi, which were served in a sage cream sauce and accompanied by mushrooms and bleu cheese crumbles. The dish was quite flavorful and very delicious. Our salads arrived promptly and were equally as enjoyable. I ordered the house salad, which was topped with a wine-based vinaigrette and comprised of romaine hearts, dried cranberries, and goat cheese. My friend ordered the Caesar, which was as impressive for presentation as for taste. The romaine leaves were presented vertically and wrapped in prosciutto. For an entree, I opted for the ‘Nickel City Mac & Cheese’. The macaroni were mixed with bleu cheese Alfredo and topped with buttermilk-fried chicken pieces, goldfish crackers, and a hot sauce. As expected, the dish was excellent and better than the mass-produced sample I had enjoyed at the Taste of Buffalo. However, in hindsight, I would have ordered the dish as an appetizer or side to share; it included only a few, small pieces of chicken. My friend opted for the ‘Veal Saltimbocca’, which was a more substantial offering comprised of veal meatballs, pasta, and prosciutto in a marsala sauce. The flavor was absolutely exquisite. We did not order dessert, as we had previously decided to visit my favorite ‘libation station’, The Chocolate Bar, for an after-dinner drink. Overall, I was thoroughly impressed with our dining experience at Torches. Both the food and service were stellar and well worth the price ($80 before tip). I will certainly return."

[MCz, 6/09] said: "Visited Torches recently on a slow Wednesday night (there was only one other table occupied) for a fantastic meal. The food at this restaurant is really inspired, from the tastes to the presentations. Our meal started off with a complimentary amuse bouche, that night being their mac and cheese presented in sort of an arancini-style fried ball. I could have ordered a dozen for my entree and been satisfied. Next, we ordered the skyscraper Caesar salad, with a vertical presentation for the romaine leaves. The base of the leaves was wrapped in prosciutto and glued to the plate with goat cheese. Very unique and very tasty once toppled and cut up. Our appetizer was a daily special of Corona beer-battered haddock served with a light dipping sauce that reminded us of key lime pie. The fish was very fresh and cut into three fingers before being battered and fried. It was better than the best fish fry I've had, very crispy and with moist, tender fish pieces. For entrees, we chose the two specials offered. One was a BBQ platter, with ribs, brisket, pulled pork, and Cuban pork tenderloin. The sides were an apple slaw and BBQ beans. The meats were slow-smoked, very moist and tender (especially the brisket), and the tastes of each meat just a bit different from the other, especially the pork tenderloin with its Cuban seasonings. A welcome surprise that such an upscale restaurant would have top-notch BBQ. We understand they have their own smoker in the kitchen and always offer some sort of BBQ item on the menu. Our other entree was filet mignon and shrimp kabobs, grilled with a slightly sweet chili sauce. The star of this dish was the presentation, where the skewers were brought to the table hanging above the plate and finished with a torch tableside (a take on the restaurant name, perhaps?) before the food was dropped from the skewers onto the plate below. It was served with sweet-potato fries topped with a walnut butter. For dessert (so good we wanted it with two "s"es), we chose the vanilla-bean creme caramel, which reminded us of a flan (but a very good one), topped with fresh blueberries and strawberries. My only complaint for the evening was that the espressos we ordered came with a lemon peel twist that rendered a bitter taste to the brews. Next time, I'll ask them to hold the lemon. The service was excellent, their wine list had our favorite red zin (7 Deadly Zins), which we enjoyed with the meal, and the total bill came to $135 before tip. A reasonable price for a fantastic meal, and we can't wait to return. (Love your website! Keep up the good work.)" [Thanks!]

[MCT, 3/09] said: "My girlfriend and I recently went to Torches for her birthday. I called ahead for reservations and let the man know on the phone that it was her birthday and would appreciate a dessert being brought out or something at the end. He was very nice on the phone and said he would take care of it, no problem. The atmosphere is very nice, comfortable, and relaxing: a place you would want to go with a dinner party or a date night with the girlfriend/wife. We had the house salad and gnocchi for appetizers and the pork chop with Dinousaur BBQ mashed potatoes and the Nickel City mac and cheese for our dinners. I ordered the mac and cheese without sun-dried tomatoes, but unfortunately they forgot to take them out. But the best part about this is that our waitress was such a good waitress that within 2 minutes of us receiving our food she asked how everything was, and I told her the mistake. She apologized up and down and said it would be removed from the bill and she would bring out another one. I said that was not necessary but appreciated. The food was perfect, and the service was even better. One of my biggest criteria when evaluating a restaurant (besides obv. the food) is how quickly, if at all, the server checks in after dropping off the food and then if you have to ask for refills. I cannot stress enough how much we enjoyed this place. My meal could have easily been terrible due to the honest mistake, but the fact that the waitress checked in on us almost immediately made it very enjoyable. After we finished our meals, one of the owners came over with their "flaming Alaska" with a candle on the plate! I did not even have a minute to wonder if they would remember my request: He was already there. Then he brought glasses of lemoncello for us to try, which was awesome. I can honestly say that this is now one of our favorite restaurants in Buffalo and am very glad that we finally made it there. I highly recommend the place not only for the great food, but the personable service and awesome atmosphere!"

[WHN] said:

[1/08] "My wife and I returned to Torches with another couple on Saturday night, 1/12. To start, we were served a complimentary "amuse bouche" of poutine, which our server described as a Canadian specialty—French fries topped with cheese curds and gravy. Our friends are ex-pat Canadians and said they never heard of it. (I just read about poutine somewhere. Its origin is French-Canadian, so Anglo-Canadians from Ontario probably wouldn't know about it.) It was tasty. The bread course was toasted baguette slices served with spinach, asiago cheese, and olive-oil pesto. Very good. For appetizers, my friend and I had "stacked Caesar salad": romaine lettuce wrapped at the base with prosciutto, so it would stand vertically, with anchovies and a deviled egg on the side. Different, but very good. My wife had shrimp-filled pot stickers, served with four sauces—soy, spicy hot, mustard, and sweet. She said the pot stickers with the accompanying sauces were delicious. The other lady ordered a caprese salad, which was a whole broiled tomato, a block of mozzarella, and roasted basil leaves, with vinaigrette. Again, different, but she said it was delicious, too. For the main course, I had tapenade-encrusted rack of lamb, served with white truffle mashed potatoes, browned to a crisp on the top and bottom, and asparagus. My wife had sea bass over risotto, topped with a parmesan crisp. My friend had the "Filet Mignon Trio": three 3-oz. filets, each topped with a scallop and a Cajun spiced shrimp. The three entrees were excellent. The only disappointment of the evening was the other woman's bone-in strip steak, which was said to be tough and chewy. At the end of the meal, she had not eaten much and told our server about the toughness. It was taken off our bill. The steaks were also served with white truffle mashed potatoes and asparagus. Other than the tough steak, which is arguably not the restaurant's fault, the meal was excellent, as was the service. On the non-food side, the piano has been removed since our previous visit to make room for another table or two. Too bad; the young pianist was really good. Also, there is an item at the bottom of the menu that says "drinks for the kitchen—$8". I commented on this, and our server overheard me, and said that was because the two brothers-owners are the chefs. Nevertheless, a bit odd. 3-Michelin star chef Gordon Ramsey would say, and has on his television shows, that chefs should not drink while working in the kitchen."

[9/07] "My wife and I took her sister and her husband to Torches to celebrate her birthday last night (Saturday, 9/8/07). Besides Janice Okun's 3-1/2 star rating, it's gotten good reviews in Artvoice and Buffalo Rising. Also, a waiter at O'Connell's Hourglass told us it was excellent. Coming from a competitor of sorts, that speaks volumes. We were expecting the best and got it. Torches's menu is eclectic, with choices ranging from Asian pot stickers to Cajun pasta dishes to char-grilled steaks. When we arrived, we were served a retro "amuse bouche" of chicken livers wrapped in bacon, with barbecue sauce. Not one of my all-time favorites, but tasty. The bread was toasted baguette slices served with parsley, asiago cheese, and olive-oil pesto. Delicious. For appetizers, my wife and her sister ordered house salads of mixed greens, walnuts, goat cheese, and croutons, with a walnut vinaigrette dressing. They both said it was very good. My brother-in-law and I ordered evening appetizer specials: Asian crab cakes for me; cheese-stuffed, breaded, fried hot peppers for him. The crab cakes were wonderful; pure crab meat, with three sauces: soy-sesame, wasabi, and mustard. My in-law liked his stuffed peppers, too. For main courses, my wife and her sister chose lamb tenderloin, with a Meyer lemon sauce, served with an onion "kugel" (sort of like bread pudding) and asparagus. I had one of the evening specials for the main course: tapenade-encrusted rack of lamb, served with white truffle risotto and asparagus. I was expecting the risotto to be, well, like risotto. It was not. It was cylindrical and had been deep-fried, so the outside was crunchy, and the creamy risotto was inside. Different than any risotto I have ever had, but it was excellent, as was the lamb. My brother-in-law ordered another evening special, Chilean sea bass, which he also enjoyed. For wines, I ordered a bottle of 2005 Benziger Carneros Chardonnay, priced about 2 times retail at $30. For the red, a bottle of 2005 Two Hands Gnarly Dudes Barossa Valley Shiraz. At $37, it was only marked up about $7 over retail—a real bargain. Since we were celebrating my sister-in-law's birthday (and since the table next to us had it, and it looked and smelled so good), we had Bananas Foster, prepared tableside. Delicious. All in all, an excellent meal, with excellent service from our server, Marie. And I should mention there was a pianist playing softly in the adjacent dining room. Our server told us he is only 16 years old and plays every Saturday night. Irrespective of his age, he was excellent. She told us Torches also has a jazz group on Monday nights. Overall, 3 stars in my book."

[] Toro Tapas Bar. WARNING! WEBSITE HAS LOUD, ANNOYING SOUND EFFECTS AND MUSIC!
492 Elmwood Ave. (just north of Allentown), Buffalo.
886-9457.

Spanish(?). Specializing in tapas.

[PT] says:

[7/11] "After a hiatus of several years, my husband and I returned with another couple for dinner at Toro on Saturday, 7/9/11. Loving paella, we had two orders to share among the four of us. It was the strangest paella we've ever had anywhere (and we've had paella in Spanish and Portuguese restaurants across the country), with some sort of chorizo-flavored meatballs instead of sliced or diced chorizo sausage. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't good, either. Having had two mediocre experiences, after this one we surely will not return. Although I've learned to never say ‘never’."

[9/07] "This was a big disappointment last weekend on our first, and probably only, visit. First, they ran out of Sangria after our first glass. Whoever heard of a Spanish restaurant running out of Sangria? Secondly, there were four people in our party, but all the tapas we ordered came with just three portions. Couldn't they adjust the serving size, and the price, to accommodate the number of people at the table? I know that the number 4 (shi) is bad luck in Japan because it sounds like the Japanese word "death" (shi), but this is a Spanish restaurant, for heaven's sake. Finally, for what you get, the price is too high. In most places, you can get a full meal for less."

[KBr, 6/11] said: "I have been there 4 or 5 times over the past year, and it is wonderful. Delicious food, great martinis, very good service, and a wonderful atmosphere. I highly recommend the paella for anyone that goes with a party of 4 or more, as it is huge and tasty! Two thumbs up!"

[NPa, 2/11] said: "I recently visited Toro for the first time. The thing that struck me about the restaurant as soon as I walked in was how much it reminded me of restaurants in New York City's Soho district—dark, with flickering lights on each table, exposed industrial ceiling, concrete floors, and floor-to-ceiling windows that open to the sidewalk outside of the restaurant. We were seated at a table near the back of the restaurant, and ordered drinks. At first glance of the menu, some of the items did appear to be smaller ‘tapas’ whereas others looked like they might be complete entrees, although the menu was not broken out into sections. Our friendly waitress explained that all the items are in fact tapas, meant to be shared, and come out ‘whenever they're ready, maybe not in the same order that you ordered them in’. The three of us ordered several things. First to show up was the chicken spring-roll. This was a decent size, and nice and crispy with a good amount of filling; I really enjoyed the spicy sauce that came with it. Next, the crab cakes turned up. There were five little, bite-sized cakes. I found these to be a bit salty; the saltiness was further augmented by what I believe were capers on top, which overwhelmed the flavor of the crab. Next, we had the lobster risotto. The lobster was very good; however, the sauce was not particularly flavorful. It also seemed more like a stew than risotto, as the liquid was not completely absorbed into the rice. I found it an awkward dish to share, as one had to scoop the mixture out of the bowl it came in, and onto our individual plates. One of my dinner companions ordered a snapper special, which she enjoyed very much; however, there was one whole piece of fish, also making this odd to share amongst the table. For dessert, I ordered the chocolate sushi, which was basically four, small petit fours, each a different type of chocolate cake. This is a good dessert to share between two, three, or four people who just want to have something small for dessert. The standout cake in my opinion was the white chocolate pistachio. Towards the end of our meal, a crowd started to gather at the bar and spilled a little bit into the dining room, but it was not overly loud. In fact, I very much enjoyed the atmosphere of Toro. I would try it again, if I was in the neighborhood."

[3/08] I [Bill] ate here with a visiting speaker and 12 other faculty colleagues. Because of the size of our group, it was decided to order, with the advice and assistance of our server (who, incidentally, did an excellent job), several tapas items that we all shared. Among the items that I remember were Toro mussels steamed with corn, jalapeno, chorizo, and white wine; duck confit; spicy shrimp & sticky rice; tangerine BBQ pulled pork, with corn & scallion crepes; red pepper & basil crab cake with piquillo pepper-caper aioli; a wonderful beet salad; portobello mushroom stuffed with spinach, feta, & ricotta, wrapped in puffed pastry with a tomato-thyme confit; rock shrimp pad Thai with tofu, soybeans, and roasted peanuts (that well-known Spanish dish :-), pizzetta topped with sundried tomato sauce, bocconcini, ricotta, and tapenade; breads, spreads & olives with hummus, feta-chile spread, rosemary-yogurt bread, & pita; and several excellent desserts (including "sushi": 4 petit-fours).

[ALK, 12/06] said that after "over-priced, sub-par food in a tackily-decorated dining room with lousy service" at "the Burgundy Room, we headed over to Toro, where I was able to enjoy a fantastic plate of calamari, an excellent martini, and a sinfully delicious chocolate cake to make up for my horribly lacking dinner at the Burgundy Room. Bravo to Toro, once again, for their perfect service and food."

[JC, 4/05] said: "A very pleasant dining experience in an urban setting. Toro indeed serves mostly Spanish fare, though a true Spanish tapas platter (I believe called Toro Antipasti!) is just one among a variety of appetizers. The restaurant has a signature dish: a $39 paella, which is well made and feeds three people. The service is very professional and unobtrusive. The wines on the list are clearly selected with care and reasonably priced. We had a smooth $26 Trentino Pinot Grigio. It would be good to have some Spanish wines on the list, though. My only serious quibble was with the temperature of the wine: It had to be chilled in an ice bucket. The restaurant has a pleasant European ambience, with mostly young clientele. A visitor from Ottawa, Canada, who was having dinner with me, was quite impressed and commented that he was not aware of similar restaurants in that capital city. I hope that one day Buffalo will have both real tapas bars and real Spanish restaurants! In the meantime, Toro successfully provides a compressed experience of both."

[JAu, 4/04] said: "We had a chance in December 2003 to visit Toro in Buffalo. The atmosphere was excellent, service was superb, and the meal was out of sight. Six of us sat at the front table, and at times we felt were in a fishbowl, but it was a frigid evening, and the pedestrian traffic was light. Our waitress did a good job of guiding us through the menu and making suggestions on what dish to order when. Although I enjoy substance over style and prefer a large plate for myself most of the time, we never lacked for food or wine, and the bill was fair. Ultimately our dinner was a well-fed cocktail party; by the third bottle of wine, we had solved many of the world's problems (the atmosphere is highly conducive to conversation), and we left happier and fatter."

[TOS, 2/03] said: "We went to Toro on a Thursday night, like the previous reviewer. Fortunately, we had a very pleasurable dining experience. We were seated immediately. We were pleasantly surprised to find they had live music—an excellent local flamenco guitarist, Mir Ali, and percussionist Bob Accurso from Maelstrom Percussion Ensemble. The service was prompt and courteous. We had a few of their specialty drinks, which, although a bit pricy ($7 each), were excellent. We had a few different tapas, all of which were very tasty. They also have a very good wine list. We definitely plan to return on Thursdays for a good meal and good music."

[LAB, 9/02] said: "I belong to a Birthday Club, where we celebrate a member's birthday each month. For my birthday, I chose Toro. I work at Children's Hospital and was intrigued by this new restaurant. I became increasingly interested after reading Janice Okun's review in Gusto. Reservations were made by another member for Thursday, September 5th, at 7:15 p.m., for seven people. Unfortunately, 2 people bowed out at the last minute. We relayed this to the host after giving our name at the podium, explaining that there would be 5 instead of 6 people. Because of this, we were not seated. The host (male seater) informed one of the waiters that we would not be seated at the reserved table because we did not call with the change in number of clients. (He did not make eye contact with us, as if we were not there!) He then continued that we could wait at the bar (which was rather congested) until a table opened up, which would probably be a while. This was conveyed in a haughty, arrogant, extremely rude manner!! In the 4 years of our Birthday Club, we have never experienced anything like this!! We were assured that this is "proper" policy at any restaurant. I would really love to know if anyone of expertise can enlighten our group on this so-called policy. I'm sure the general public would be interested. ... After waiting approximately one half hour, becoming increasingly dismayed over the attitude shown us, I actually was quietly quite upset! Happy Birthday to me! We managed to each have a glass of wine watching the table sit empty while we tried to keep out of the way of the food-laden waiter and waitress serving the corner front table. The waiter politely excused himself twice, whereas the waitress just rolled her eyes at us! I then requested that we forget this place of horrible manners and eat elsewhere. Of course, we informed the "Seater" we were leaving and that we did not feel that this was the way to treat people from Children's Hospital. I'm sure you are aware that that area heavily depends on that Hospital. Of course, a table was being set for us (a small 4-person one with an extra chair added!) Pardon me, but if we are spending $25.00 to $50.00 each, surely one does not have to be placed practically on top of each other! A note of contention was that there were several open 4-chaired tables; they were not all occupied, so why couldn't two be placed together immediately if we no longer had enough paying customers for a 7 to 8 chaired table?? After such rudeness, you couldn't pay ME to eat there!! We walked to Just Pasta....Perhaps the owner of this restaurant will hear of my story and employ properly trained personnel. Unless of course, they close first due to other dissatisfied would-be clients. I know the other members of my club plan on spreading our story. We work and play in different circles, so you can be sure word will get around."

Town Cafe.
2352 Grand Island Blvd., Grand Island.
773-7373.

[JKl, 2/10] says: "My review of this location is limited to meals consisting of only fish fries. Rarely have we been to the Town Cafe when it was busy, and we've always been able to choose where we wanted to sit in the restaurant. The fish fry at this location is reasonably priced at $8.95 for the fish, coleslaw, and choice of potato. For $3 more, you can add the soup and salad bar, which is a great deal. In fact, one night we went, the waitress told us that New England Clam Chowder was also available, although it was not on the soup bar, and she would be happy to bring it out for us. The salad bar was kept with very fresh, ice-cold ingredients with a wide variety of toppings. Our waitress was happy to bring out a side of bleu cheese dressing when it wasn't available on the salad bar. As for the fish fry, it was very delicious, had a large portion, and the fries were good, as well. We were also given a basket of yummy dinner rolls to enjoy with dinner as well. The fish has a thick batter, but not so thick as to overwhelm the delicious, white, flaky fish inside. Our only issue, which we weren't aware of when we went: You pay for your pop and one refill—any other refills are at an additional cost (which unfortunately brought our cost way up the first time we dined here due to my guest who drinks a lot of pop with his meal!). Service was attentive, kind, and friendly. We will definitely be going back here in the future."

Towne Restaurant.
186 Allen St. (in Allentown, east of Elmwood), Buffalo.
884-5128.

Greek, informal, inexpensive. Good soups,open souvlaki, spanakopita, baklava. The closest thing Buffalo has to a European café in ambiance; open 24 hrs. (but closes Sun at 11 P.M.). Outdoor dining in summer.

[11/08] [MER], my 13-year-old son, my 3-year-old granddaughter, and I had dinner here for the first time in a very long time. I used to think they had the best avgolemeno in the area, but the cup I had tonight, though good, was not as good as I remember it. Their menu has grown since my last visit, too, so I tried what for me was a new item: broiled grouper with zucchini and Greek potatoes. The fish was moist, tender, not at all "fishy", but rather tasteless (which a lot of salt helped); the zucchini, however, was nicely sauteed—my only complaint is that there were only about 6 very thin slices, whereas I think they gave me about 4 whole potatoes. The accompanying pita was a bit on the crispy side, though not warm or toasty. My son's burger with homefries was pronounced "delicious". But [MER] prefers Spilios's open chicken souvlaki; she thought that the Towne's was flavorless. Our granddaughter had spaghetti with red sauce, which she liked. Coffee was hot and tasteless. Although I still like the Towne, I think I must downgrade it to 1 star.

[NPF, 7/08] said: "I love Greek food and have frequented Towne for a few years now. My last experience left me appalled, and, with so many great options in town, I will not go back any more. My husband and I met a couple of friends from out of town along with another couple for brunch. When we asked for a table, they rudely told us to wait because there was a party of twelve and seven that needed to be seated (even though there was nobody there). The manager apologized and sat us down within ten minutes. When someone on the other side of the table asked for separate checks, the waitress cut her off and snapped "yeah, that's taken care of already." When the food was being brought out, the waitress told one of us she rang up an order incorrectly and brought out a gyro breakfast instead of a 50/50 breakfast. She asked if he wanted the gyro or the 50/50, and he said "I'll wait for the 50/50." She seemed annoyed and asked twice, "Are you sure? I mean, the food is here already." When he said, "Yes, I'll wait" again, she muttered under her breath and went into the kitchen. The menu has not changed much, and of course I went for a chicken souvlaki breakfast, which is usually pretty good at this location. When we received the food, I noticed the portion size had been trimmed quite a bit compared to what they used to give on plates. The portion size was smaller, and the taste was fine, but not amazing enough for a ten-dollar plate. There was much less chicken than usual, and the potatoes were undercooked. The waitress gave me burnt rye bread instead of wheat, and I had to flag someone down to get what I asked for. Mistakes are understandable in a busy time, but she was rude to us about her mistakes, so we let the manager know. On our way out, we noticed gratuity was added to our bill (as usually happens with larger groups). One of the couples we were with asked for Tom, the manager, and let him know they did not want to pay gratuity since she was continuously rude. The manager's reply was "you are a big group, so you should have known what you were walking into." We were all absolutely shocked and embarrassed. I have eaten out in groups frequently, usually in larger groups, and have never had a problem. A group of 3 couples was the smallest "group" in the group section, and the only difficult thing we asked for was separate checks. The quality of the food and service has diminished noticably in the past few years. It was difficult to enjoy the food with such rude service. Mediocre food and poor service: not worth it."

[ABi, 2/07] said: "Was the Towne ever not there? Picturing Buffalo without its favorite Greek eatery would be like conjuring a vision of the city without its professional football franchise or favorite chicken dish. Thankfully, we don't have to imagine this area in general or Allentown specifically without the Towne, and it's also nice to know it still offers straightforward food at a value. Our most recent trip did not disappoint, because I got what the Queen must surely dine on for lunch, a steak sandwich; what could be more luxurious at noon? Well, they don't serve champagne, but I still found my ribeye to be surprisingly nearly fall-apart-ribs supple, while still being large enough to make it a substantial lunch when paired with its pal fries. The lady got a souvlaki, which was quite tasty, according to her report, one I can confirm from the bit I stole from her plate. The chicken was flavorfully textured and spicy, and the potatoes had just enough vinegary tang to complement their tenderness. Our waitress was a sweetheart, and the Towne still feels comfortable, as it was when my parents first took me here at the turn of the 80s following running errands downtown and maybe a special trip to Clayton's. The toy store may have moved, and other businesses may have left, but hopefully the Towne will be around for kids growing into adults here for the time ahead."

[LJ, 4/06] said: "I had never had Greek food before and wanted to try it, so I went to the Towne Restaurant. When I walked in, it had a very friendly feel to it, and customers were able to seat themselves, which I liked. I ordered pastitsio, which was served with potatoes, pita, and a Greek salad. Usually, I'm not that impressed with salad, but the fresh feta cheese that was sprinkled on top was delicious. The pastitsio and the bread were both very good, but the potatoes tasted very vinegary, which I didn't care for. Everything on the menu was moderately priced, and the entire staff was very friendly and polite. I received pretty fast service. All in all, my first experience with Greek food was a good one, and I would recommend the Towne Restaurant to anyone."

[JSo, 4/06] said: "Their menu was quite extensive, and there were a lot of items to choose from for a meal at any time of the day. Breakfast is served at all times of the day and seemed to be their most popular attraction. There is also a great deal of Greek items on the menu. I had the chicken souvlaki and the baklava. Both were very good. The presentation of the dish was pleasant, as well. The portions are very large, and the prices are affordable. The atmosphere is simplistic. The restaurant features minimal decorative aspects, and, as a customer, you must seat yourself. My only complaint is that the service was slow; however, our waitress was very nice, and she seemed to be knowledgeable about the menu items. I would definitely go back to the Towne Restaurant; my experience was overall a positive one."

[CT, 4/06] said: "This was my first time dining at Towne Restaurant, so I wasn't sure what to expect; it was recommended, so I figured it should be pretty good. There were some things I enjoyed about this restaurant and things that made me never want to go back. When we first got there, we didn't know if we should sit or wait for someone to sit us, so we waited, then, finally, when they told us we could sit, we sat and waited for our waitress for a while. The restaurant was not busy at all, maybe 3 families were there, so we didn't understand why no one was paying attention to us. When the waitress finally came, she didn't seem too friendly; she acted like she just wanted us in and out so she could go home—it made us feel uncomfortable. We ordered the chicken souvlaki, which ended up being very good; the dinner was a good-sized meal for the price. Overall, the food was very good, but the service was horrible, which makes me not like the restaurant. If you don't care about service, then I recommend this place, but if you're like me and like when your server cares and is friendly, then I would not recommend going to Towne Restaurant."

[MEL, 10/97] said: "Solid breakfast."

[AN, 8/96] said: "My favourite recently for junk food...has been Towne. Plus they are open at the hours I usually feel really hungry."

[RM, 5/94] said: "Pretty good Greek fare for lunches if you are in the Allentown area."

[J&AD, 1993] said "This plebeian Greek restaurant is a popular neighborhood hangout. Inexpensive, interesting clientele. Runyanesque atmosphere."

Transit Grille.
5185 Transit Rd. (near Maple Rd., in the same plaza as Kabab and Curry), Clarence.
580-3327.

Located where Calvaneso's and Hooligan's used to be.

[GOw, 9/11] says: "Typical pub grub; not fine dining. I had a cup of New England clam chowder and a chopped salad. Sent the soup back for additional heating; it was fine. Salad was large and fresh. Mom had a beef on weck—not at all memorable. They do have some interesting $5 app specials. I am not rushing back, but would give it another chance to catch a game and try the wings. This place may have some trouble competing with the plethora of sports bars in the area that are larger with some vibe, attitude, and larger menus— Frog Hair and Brennan's come to mind."

Trattoria Aroma.
[a] 5229 Main St., Williamsville. 631-2687.
307 Bryant St. (west of Elmwood Ave., just north of Allentown), Buffalo. 881-7592.

[EAK, 11/09] reports that both locations offer a Tuesday Tasting Menu: 3 courses for $25/person.

Reviews of the Williamsville location:

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

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

[WHN] says:

[11/11] "G and I, along with two other couples, dined at Trattoria Aroma's Main Street location on Saturday night, 11/5/11. We had planned on going to Prosit for a belated Oktoberfest dinner of German food, but they were fully booked. Given the surfeit of positive and negative reviews on the Bill Rapaport website, I was interested in finding out for myself. Another time, perhaps. To start, five people had the house salad, while I had grilled romaine, which I had had on a prior visit. Unlike the first time a few months ago, the lettuce was overcooked, wilted through and through, and had obviously spent way too much time on the grill. For entrees, two people had an evening special, chicken cacciatore; G had grilled cod; one person had another evening special, a huge lamb chop; another had osso bucco; and I had chicken mattone (chicken under-the-brick), which I've always wanted to try. My main course was the most disappointing I've ever had at Trattoria Aroma—the chicken was extremely dry. I've had my taste of chicken mattone now, and once was more than enough—never again, anywhere. The chicken cacciatore, served over pappardelle pasta, was reported to be not very good either—not enough chicken and just placed on top of the pasta, rather than cooked in the sauce. The lamb chop, cod, and osso bucco were said to be very good, with the osso bucco described as ‘not quite as good as Curly's (which no longer has it on their menu) used to be’, but very good. Given that fully half of us had less than wonderful meals, it was a letdown, since Trattoria Aroma has always served first-rate meals. The restaurant was not as busy as in the past, with several unoccupied tables and no one waiting at the bar. Some of us wondered if there had been a change of management or in the kitchen staff. But, since I have always had excellent meals here in the past, we will return and assume that last night's so-so dinner was an anomaly."

[5/11] "Saturday night, 5/14, I went to the Williamsville location for dinner with friends. Since I was here just 3 weeks ago, I wasn't planning to do another review, but felt that our server, Mark, deserves a mention for excellent service. Since he recommended the wonderful lobster spaghetti the last time I was here, I asked if he would recommend another special, swordfish. He said it was very good, but it had lots of greens and was, basically, a salad. Since I had already ordered a braised romaine salad, he said that, if I wanted fish, he would recommend sauteed, Hawaiian sunfish, with lemon risotto, from the regular menu. It was excellent, as was the grilled romaine with prosciutto, gorgonzola, roasted red peppers, and toasted walnuts, with a balsamic vinaigrette. (Before I ordered my salad, I asked Mark: ‘How grilled is it?’, because I don't like cooked, soggy lettuce. He said it was only put on the grill for a few seconds, and that it's one of their most popular salads; Mark came through again.) The others had the house salads, which are always very good. Other entrees ordered from the regular menu included shrimp puttanesca, veal saltimbocca, and a pasta dish with eggplant and mozzarella in tomato sauce. Lastly, one diner ordered a steak with beet risotto from the nightly specials menu. Everyone thought the food and service were top notch."

[4/11] "I had dinner with friends at the Williamsville Trattoria Aroma on Sat., 4/23. We all started with house salads of mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives, and shaved parmesan, tossed with a balsamic vinaigrette. Very good, as always, and the accompanying crusty Italian bread with olive oil, garlic, and spices for dipping was very good, too. For the main course, three of us had an evening special, one of several nightly specials recommended by our server—spaghetti lobster with wild mushrooms and spinach, in a truffle cream sauce. The lobster in the spaghetti was claw meat, which, I believe, is much more tender and flavorful than that from the tail. The lobster was cooked to perfection. The truffle-flavored sauce was wonderful, and the wild mushrooms added a woodsy, flavor element to the dish. It was a rich and filling dish, but not as heavy as Left Bank's carrot papardella with seafood. It was a delicious dish. If they had it on their regular menu, I would probably order it every time. One of our other friends had a filet from the regular menu, with a balsamic reduction, potato hash, and spinach. Lastly, another friend had a lamb chop from the nightly specials list. I don't remember the details, but she said it was excellent, too. Trattoria Aroma has a very nice list of Italian wines by the glass, as well as bottles. Everyone thought it was a marvelous meal. 4½ stars (out of 5)."

[4/10] "On Saturday, 4/10/10, we dined at the Williamsville Trattoria Aroma along with two other couples. We all had house salads to start, with mixed greens, olives, artichoke hearts, and baby tomatoes, tossed with balsamic vinaigrette, and topped with shaved parmigiano reggiano. They were delicious, as always. The restaurant has added some new items to their regular menu, including rabbit braised in riesling, served with diced vegetables over pappardelle pasta, in a clear broth. Since rabbit is seldom found on restaurant menus locally, I couldn't resist it. Yummy! My wife had an evening special of lobster-stuffed manicotti with a mushroom cream sauce, which she said was excellent but extremely rich and filling. She took half home to have for lunch on Sunday. Two of our friends had another evening special—short ribs braised in red wine, with mushroom risotto, and vegetables on the side. This was also reported to be extremely rich, and our female friend could only finish half, but gave the remaining short rib to a male friend, who finished it. Another friend had an evening special of gorgonzola-stuffed filet over smashed potatoes, also with a side of vegetables. Lastly, one friend had ‘linguini frutti de mare’ from the regular menu, with shrimp, calamari, and mussels, in a spicy tomato sauce. Everyone enjoyed their dinners immensely."

[1/10] "Our friends were dog-sitting for their son's and daughter-in-law's two Bernese Mountain dogs, and wanted to have dinner fairly close to their Snyder home, so we went to Trattoria Aroma. We all started with house salads, which were very good, as usual. Two of us had an evening special—filets with a red wine sauce and wild mushroom and gorgonzola risotto. Delicious. Our friend's wife had another evening special—sauteed scallops over pappardelle pasta in a light tomato sauce. Also reportedly delicious. My wife ordered veal saltimbocca, but, when the dinners arrived, her plate had shrimp and veal over risotto. Our server recognized the mistake immediately, and took it back to the kitchen, returning in a few seconds to say they would prepare the correct dish right away. But my wife didn't want to wait and watch while the rest of us ate, so said she would accept the shrimp and veal dish. She liked it, but not as much as the veal saltimbocca she's had on numerous occasions."

[12/09] "Along with another couple, we returned to the Williamsville location on Saturday night, 12/12. To start, three of us had their delicious house salads of mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, artichoke hearts, red onion, and olives, and shaved parmigiano-reggiano, with balsamic vinaigrette. The salads were delicious, as was the accompanying Italian bread and dip. Everyone must have been in the mood for seafood, because we all ordered from the nightly ‘pesce del giorno’ menu. My wife and one friend had scallops and lobster over pappardelle pasta in a creamy white sauce. Our other friend had a half-order of the scallops and lobster, and a half-order of walu with fall vegetables. I knew that Aroma would serve half-orders of pasta dishes, but didn't know they would serve half-orders of regular menu items. Very accommodating. I had sauteed barramundi over tomato risotto. Our server described the walu as having a taste and texture like halibut, and the barramundi as being similar to snapper. Our friend said her son had had walu on a previous visit to Trattoria Aroma, and said it was delicious. I decided on the barramundi, because I recalled that walu was another name for escolar, which a previous reviewer reported as sometimes causing severe gastro-intestinal disturbances. Escolar is also sometimes sold as Hawaiian butterfish or white tuna, but I've read that Hawaiian butterfish is a method of preparing the fish, not a specific species, and white tuna is properly albacore, so it's a good idea to confirm what the fish actually is if either is on the menu. I should say that I had eaten escolar at least twice before I knew the bad side-effects, and had no problems afterward. In any case, all the food was delicious, and the service was excellent. This fall, Trattoria Aroma received a Wine Spectator magazine Award of Excellence. The only other Buffalo area restaurants to receive awards this year are Shango and Bacchus. (Black and Blue has a WS Award of Excellence for their Rochester location, but not for the Williamsville one.) I would say their wine selection, both by the glass and bottle, is excellent, especially for Italian wines."

[7/09] "We had an excellent meal at the Main Street Trattoria Aroma last night, Saturday 7/18. The herb-olive oil dip served with fresh Italian bread was especially flavorful. We all started with the ‘Insalata Aroma’ house salad with mixed greens, shaved parmesan, olives, artichokes, red onions, and Roma tomatoes, tossed with a balsamic vinegar dressing. One friend had an evening special of sauteed scallops over capellini in a lemon-wine sauce, which he loved. I had another evening special—porcini-mushroom-encrusted rack of lamb, over wild mushroom risotto, with baby spinach. The lamb chops, perfectly cooked to medium rare, were exceptionally good, and the risotto was very good, too. Our wives both had veal saltimbocca, which they enjoyed immensely, but neither could finish the large portion. The service was fine as well."

[8/08] "We met friends for dinner at the Williamsville location on Saturday night, 8/9. The house salads that we started with weren't quite as good as usual. There didn't seem to be anywhere near the usual amount of olives, artichokes, shaved parmesan, etc., so the salads were quite ordinary. For my main course, I had a delicious evening special of porcini-encrusted beef-tenderloin medallions, with creamy, Gorgonzola mashed potatoes, and green beans. Excellent! My wife had veal saltimbocca, which she thought was also not as good as Trattoria Aroma's usual—not enough sage, or something else missing. Our friends both had an evening special: pan-seared scallops over risotto. They liked the dish, but the serving size was minuscule: three or four scallops sliced in half to make it look like more (for $21). I've read that a lot of restaurants are cutting portion sizes so they don't have to raise prices in these inflationary times, so maybe that's why. The service was fine, but, when I ordered a glass of Vermentino from their wine list, our server said: "Sorry, we only serve beer and wine." I don't know what he thought I said, but it was mildly amusing. (The restaurant is quite noisy sometimes.)"

[12/07] "Good news for those, like me, who don't like to wait for a table. Trattoria Aroma now takes reservations. Six of us went there Saturday night, with a reservation, and were promptly seated. After ordering wines from their menu of Italian wines by the glass, one couple shared a calamari salad appetizer, I had a mixed green salad, while the other four had the soup of the day, wild mushroom bisque. For main courses, two people had an evening special—medallions of beef tenderloin with wild mushrooms and asiago risotto; one had another evening special—roast chicken; two had veal saltimbocca with asparagus and roasted potatoes; and I had vitello terra—escalopes of veal with wild mushrooms and cherry tomatoes served over risotto. Everyone's food was described as excellent. The service was very good, too. We skipped dessert and coffee, because everyone wanted to get home before a forecasted major snowstorm hit."

[1/07] "On our first return visit to Trattoria Aroma in over a year, we arrived around 6:15, expecting a wait at the bar, because they don't take reservations, and it was Saturday night. Surprisingly, we were seated right away. All four of us started with house salads, which were very good. My wife and I had Veal Saltimbocca for the main course. One friend had an evening special, tenderloin beef tips over fettucine. His wife had broiled salmon served with grilled eggplant and prosciutto. All the entrees were delicious. For dessert, each couple shared a "16-layer, chocolate-cinnamon torte", which was excellent. The service was very good also."

[11/05] "Four of us went here Friday night (11/5/05), expecting a wait since they don't take reservations. We weren't greeted by a hostess or anyone else, nor were the couple who came in right behind us. We asked the bartender if she was taking names for tables, and she pointed out the hostess, who was talking to a group seated at a table and ignoring other would-be guests. Once we got past that problem, we had about a 35-45 minute wait for a table, which we spent at the bar sampling several Italian white wines available by the glass. The food was all very good. Both women and the other gentleman had the house salad (Insalata Aroma—$3.95) to start. I had a half portion of one of the evening's pasta specials, seafood with a garlicky white sauce ($8 for half portion; $15.95 for whole portion). The veal with porcini mushrooms in truffle cream sauce ($17.95) was delicious, as were the evening's seafood specials ordered by the others in our party. Our server was somewhat inattentive, but she seemed to be taking care of the entire room with little help."

[BMcWS, 6/11] said: "We visited this cute, little, Italian place on a Saturday night in June. We appreciated the décor, which was rustic Italian. The bread and olive-oil dipping sauce that was brought to us were delicious. We began with a small appetizer-sized pizza made in their pizza oven, which had caramelized onion and prosciutto and cheese. It was incredible. The crust was thin, the onions sweet, and the prosciutto smoky. To die for. There is a whole section of pizzas on the menu that are probably all quite good. I had a special—baked, Hawaiian sunfish with an almond-and-panko crust, spinach, and fingerling potatoes. The fish was good, and the coating was crunchy; however, there was no sauce of any kind. And it could have used some. The spinach was just plain, fresh spinach—no dressing. The potatoes were roasted and, again, no sauce of any kind. I used the rest of the olive-oil dipping sauce from the bread on my fish, spinach, and potatoes, and sprinkled some Parmesan on the potatoes; then the dish had some flavor. Otherwise, it was dry and boring. Another diner at the table ordered gemelli with a tomato-cream sauce and sausage. She enjoyed it very much. The other person at the table had the lamb ravioli with a pesto sauce. They were bland, even with the pesto, and did not win high marks. We looked at the dessert menu, but passed. The food was OK, but did not wow us. We probably won't go back."

[ECB] said:

[9/10] "My wife and I went on Tuesday [9/21/10] and got to try their Regional Tasting Menu, which is available on Monday and Tuesday and features dishes from a particular region of Italy. For $25, you get an appetizer, pizza or pasta dish, and an entree. This week featured Campania. My wife had a stewed-vegetable dish served cold, to start, and I had the salad, both of which were good, if not extraordinary. The next course was spaghetti puttenesca for me and gnocchi for her. Both were excellent. For the last course, we both had mussels in a wonderful broth with clams and chickpeas. We finished off with their excellent coffee and tarts, lemon for my wife and warm apple with vanilla gelato for myself. The entire meal was utterly wonderful. Service was excellent."

[12/09] "My wife [AAB] and I went here for our anniversary back in October and had a remarkable experience. We began with the Littleneck Clams, which were perfectly done, and the complimentary bread and herbed olive oil, which we had to keep from eating too much of in fear of ruining out appetites. I opted for the Griglia Misto: porcini- and fennel-rubbed rack of lamb and sea scallops served with parsley lemon pesto, and artichoke and tomato risotto. Absolute heaven! The scallops were perfectly cooked and complemented by the pesto, the risotto was my first and I hope not my last, and the lamb was perfectly cooked and seasoned. My wife opted for the Pesce del Giorno, which was also beautifully done with an excellent lemon risotto. For dessert, I got the Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee with their wonderful espresso, and my wife tried the chocolate cake, both of which made us very happy. We will definitely be returning."

[FS, 7/09] said: "I've been wanting to try this place for a long time, so I took my sister, who was visiting. We had a nice dining experience. The service was attentive and professional without being intrusive. The daily specials were printed, which I appreciate because I can never remember what the waiter says. We went on Monday evening, and the restaurant was reasonably busy. Our meals were nicely prepared, and everyone enjoyed their selections. I had the bruschetta special, which was made with mushrooms and onions (no tomatoes), which I liked. My main course was Pappardelle Bolognese, which was hearty and comforting. The other diners had varieties of pasta and seafood or chicken, which they all liked. My wife and I had a glass of Negroamaro with our meal. It was a complex, but highly drinkable, selection. We had the Chocolate Strata for dessert: chocolate overdose, but delicious. My sister had the Fruit Tarte, which she liked. Our waiter never offered us coffee, which I usually like in Italian restaurants. It was no big deal, but I thought it was curious. I don't know if they have espresso or cappucino. We enjoyed the ambience of the dining room. The bill was a lot of money, but proportionate to the quality of the food. I intend to patronize this nice establishment again in the future."

[KH, 3/08] said: "My husband and I recently had dinner at Trattoria Aroma in Williamsville. We showed up a little before our reservations, but were seated right away. The wait staff are very friendly and helpful with the menu and wine list, even encouraging you to sample wine if you are unsure of what you like. Usually, we order pizzas or pastas; they are always delicious. My favorite is the Funghi pizza, with caramelized onion, wild mushrooms, fontina, and truffle oil. My husband loves the Mostaccioli Fume, pasta with sausage, onion, mushrooms, and a tomato cream sauce. On this visit, we both decided to try something we had never ordered before. For starters, I had the carciofi romani, breaded and pan-fried artichokes served with olive oil and lemon. They were absolutely delicious and perfectly cooked. My husband started with a half order of his favorite, the Mostaccioli; you can order any pasta in a half portion for three dollars less than the full price. He loved it. For his entree, my husband ordered a chicken special; it was served on white wine risotto. It looked very good, and he liked it, but it wasn't something he would order again. I ordered the seafood lasagna, which was also an evening special. It was a very large serving and was layered with mushrooms, lobster, scallops, and ricotta, and topped with a truffle cream sauce. It was only all right compared to the other pasta dishes on the menu; I wouldn't order it again. I thought the lobster was very scarce, and the scallops were a bit overcooked for my taste. To be fair, I don't normally love seafood, pasta, and cheese dishes, I had just wanted to try something different. We noticed a lot of tables splitting a pizza for an appetizer, which we thought was a good idea. We will definitely return, but next time I'll stick to my favorites...although an herb-crusted, cedar-planked salmon served with tomato-caper risotto sounded pretty good."

[AFN, 2/08] said: "My sister, niece, and I had dinner at their Williamsville location on Wednesday night. We shared two appetizers—both evening specials?—a baked tomato stuffed with lobster, with white beans on the side, and grilled shrimp over polenta. Both were excellent. For main courses, my sister had veal saltimbocca, which is delicious at Trattoria Aroma, served open-faced, instead of rolled. My niece and I both had an evening special—vegetable lasagna. It was very good, but I wish I had had the veal saltimbocca, one of my all time favorites."

[DwH, 3/07] said: "Travelling to Buffalo almost weekly since February and wanted to pass along some impressions: Trattoria Aroma has beautifully designed and executed spaces. Good staff who are very attentive. Food is excellent—full range of Italian dishes that all seem carefully prepared and served. Great flavors. A good solid wine list. Overall, a lovely experience. Caffe Aroma: service can be a bit off—depends on which person you get—same with lattes. Fritatas are always top-notch and interesting combos."

[WRW, 7/06] said: "After much prodding by a friend in the office, I finally gave Trattoria Aroma a shot and wished I would have done so sooner. My wife and I stopped in on a Wednesday night for our anniversary and were lucky enough to be seated right away. The dining room was already quite busy at 6:30, but the servers did a great job of keeping things flowing. Shortly after we were seated, our server brought us a tall glass of water with lemon as well as a few good-sized pieces of crusty bread with some olive oil/balsamic vinegar for dipping. The bread was excellent and refills were offered as soon as our plates were empty. We passed on the refill and decided to split an appetizer instead. We chose the Pizzette Aroma, which is a small version of one of their wood-fire oven-baked pizzas. It arrived piping hot and covered with a combination of prosciutto, caramelized onion, porcini mushrooms, and asiago cheese. The crust was that perfect mix of chewy and crusty at the same time that is so hard to find and comes only from the high temps achieved by the wood-fired oven. For entrees, we went in opposite directions. My wife ordered the Pollo al Marsala (chicken sauteed with artichokes, asparagus, sun-dried tomatoes in a marsala cream sauce) which was accompanied by some of the best roasted potatoes my wandering fork ever confiscated. For my selection, I went the pasta route and had a linguini dish made with Italian sausage, wild mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, and more, all finished with a white truffle oil. The dish was a feast for both the eyes and the palate. We both had a glass of wine with our meal, and I have to admit I was very impressed with our waiter when it came to making the selections. I'm a die-hard wine lover (all types) and know my way around a wine list pretty well, but my wife comes from the "sweet white" school only and likes it with ice. Typically, that type of a choice draws some very critical looks or comments from wine snobs, but, in this case, our waiter picked up on my wife's preference and recommended a great Riesling before I even had a chance to make a suggestion to her. No snotty looks, no condescending comments, or anything of the like. He knew what she wanted, helped her find it, and delivered it as she liked it. Big points for him! After dinner, we relaxed with a cup of coffee (great coffee at that) and dessert that turned out to be pretty average. I had the Torta Di Nona (Grandmother's Cake; think Lemon Tart) and my wife the Profiteroles (think cream puffs with chocolate sauce). Both were OK but not in line with the rest of the meal. My guess is that they were bought from a national dessert chain, but I could be wrong. A good pastry chef could really balance off the whole experience. Anyway, two glasses of wine, one split appetizer, two entrees, two coffees and two desserts, with tip, about $75. A bargain in my book. Would have been a steal if the desserts had not shown a bit of that "mass production" character. Give it a shot, just not this weekend. We're going back, and I don't want to wait too long."

[3/01] I [Bill] finally got to eat in what is now Trattoria Aroma (and was, at the time, the trattoria room of Caffe Aroma) when we took a job candidate there for dinner. I was quite impressed with the menu, not only its variety but also the fact that it is one of the true Italian restaurants in the area (i.e., not just a pasta-and-sauce place). For my first meal here (and I do intend to return!), I began with a caprese salad (mozzarella, tomato, and basil), had a fettucine "acqua" for my entrée (fettucine with escargot, in a garlic-lemon-wine sauce), and a chocolate-orange cake for dessert. It was a delicious meal. (The only qualm I have is that our waiter seemed a bit snobbish, pointing out that the tomatoes in the caprese were not really in season, and mumbling something about "cancer" when I opted for what he called "tap" water, but most places call "ice" water, over either wine or bottled water. But wine gives me migraines, and I prefer fluoridated tap water over expensive bottled water; sue me.)

Reviews of the Buffalo location:

[4/10] Given 3½ (out of 4) stars by Janice Okun, Buffalo News restaurant reviewer.

[AmC, 5/11] says: "Although I have only been there once, I would go back again and again. The food was so delicious, savory. Even the simple small plates, such as salad and soup, were memorable. They use local ingredients, as well. They also have a good wine and spirit selection."

[WHN] says:

[5/11] "On Sunday, 5/29, I went for brunch at Trattoria Aroma on Bryant with a group of friends. It was a beautiful, sunny day, approaching 80 degrees, so we sat out on their patio. Sitting on the patio is always interesting because of the people-watching possibilities—some real characters walk by, as well as regular neighborhood residents. In addition to their regular Sunday brunch menu, they've added quite a few brunch specials. One of them was soft-shell crab, served over creamy parmesan-polenta, with vegetables (sweet and mildly spicy peppers, tomatoes, and something that might have been Chinese celery). It was the first soft crab of the season for me, and it was wonderful! Several people had frittatas filled with cheese, spinach, tomatoes, and bacon or pancetta; one had a mushroom, fontina, and arugula omelet; another had steak and eggs. Finally, and the only negative of the day—eggs Benedict, which were rated ‘all right’, because one of the two eggs was cold, the other just warm, and the biscuit (instead of an English muffin), dry. The service was excellent, and the muffins, croissants, and other goodies available at no charge were very good."

[11/09] "On Sunday, 11/8, my wife and I met her sister and niece at the annual holiday open house at The Floristry on Delaware Ave. next to Hutch's. Afterward, we went to Trattoria Aroma on Bryant for brunch. My wife and I had Aroma Benedict with crispy pancetta. I'm pretty certain that, when we were there in the summer, it was served with crispy prosciutto, rather than pancetta, which is more like bacon than ham, but I could be mistaken. My sister-in-law had a different version of Aroma Benedict, with asparagus instead of pancetta. Both versions of eggs Benedict were very good. There is now a third version of Aroma Benedict offered as well, but I don't remember the components. Our niece had a Fontina cheese and wild mushroom omelette, which she said was also excellent. The croissants, cranberry scones, and muffins we sampled while awaiting our main courses were all fresh and delicious. There was a guitarist playing softly in the background. He may have been playing in the summer as well, but we ate outside and didn't hear him, if he was. A nice added touch."

[7/09] "My wife and I went to the Buffalo Garden Walk on Sunday, 7/28. We happened to park in front of Aroma on Bryant Street, which was not yet open. When we returned to our car, they were open, so we decided to eat there as long as they weren't serving a buffet brunch. It wasn't a buffet, so we dined on their front patio on Bryant Street. The Sunday brunch menu has many good-sounding choices: banana-stuffed French cinnamon toast with fresh fruit; a Caprese panini on a biscuit with a fried egg, house-made mozzarella, tomato, and basil; even a burger. We both chose Aroma Benedict, their version of eggs Benedict, with crispy prosciutto on a biscuit, with a side of home fries. They were delicious and priced at only $10, including coffee or tea, and an assortment of muffins and pastries from a table inside. While awaiting our order, we each had an almond croissant, which was very good. I planned to have a cannoli after my eggs Benedict, but was too full by then. Next time we are in the city on a Sunday, we would definitely go back to Aroma."

[KKi, 5/11] said: "5/14/11: Had a belated Mother's Day dinner with my mom, sister-in-law, and her mom at Trattoria Aroma on Bryant St. in Buffalo. It was excellent! We had 6 P.M. reservations and were promptly seated at a lovely table by the windows. Service was great without being overbearing. Ambience was very nice, bright, eclectic. We enjoyed nice glasses of wine with delicious homebaked bread. Two of us enjoyed salads before dinner: I had the insalate caprese with fresh mozzarella and tomatoes; it was delicious. Another guest had the salad with goat cheese, fried leeks, beets, etc; she loved it! Dinner menu was full of great choices, and it was hard to decide. I had the pasta with wild mushrooms and spinach; it was outstanding. Pasta was homemade; vegetables were very fresh and flavorful. Others had lobster ravioli, and a roast chicken dish with risotto off the specials menu; everyone loved their meals, and there were no leftovers. Wonderful meal; will definitely be back!"

[RDM, 3/10] said: "Another great WNY restaurant! My husband and I had a wonderful meal here last Friday night [2/26/10]. We enjoyed the warm bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I loved my appetizer, which was calamari, stuffed puttanesca-style. I had to try the veal special of the evening, because I was very interested to try the veal from Blossom Hill Farm. It was prepared with a lemon-caper sauce and risotto with parsnips and spinach, and it did not disappoint! My husband also loved his entree, which was off the evening's specials menu. I had a taste, and the hanger steak was cooked perfectly (buttery and caramelized) with a spicy, cream sauce. Our server was bubbly and attentive. I was looking for something similar to a pinot noir to drink, and she did not hesitate to offer me a few samples to decide which I preferred. I cannot wait to go back, and only wish Trattoria Aroma had been open when I lived one block away on Ashland Ave.!"

[LSS, 1/10] said: "Imagine my delight when I read EAK's 12/09 review, and the reviewer had the same dish I enjoyed a few weeks ago: Pappardelle Piemonte. It is heavenly."

[JCr] said:

[1/10] "I have made 2 return trips here in the last month, and both have been great. My first visit, I chose the pork chop Salerno, and, like the previous review [EAK, 12/09], this was a great dish. The other 3 people in my party all went with pasta, and all greatly enjoyed their meal. My other visit was this past Friday [1/8/10], with a party of 6. I chose to start with a pork-belly appetizer on the specials menu, which was served over a saffron risotto. For my entree, I chose the Duck 2 Ways, which was a seared breast and a braised leg. Both my starter and entree were delicious. Everyone else enjoyed their entrees, and a few desserts were enjoyed by all. Great service as well."

[12/09] "11/27—My wife, her friend, and I visited Trattoria Aroma for our first time; this was one of the best meals I have had in a while, and I cannot wait to return. Upon arrival, we were seated, and we put in drink orders and received our menus and some warm, fresh bread. For starters, I chose the Pork Belly Bruschetta, and it was a keeper; I will order this again next visit. For our entrees, I chose the the Lobster Ravioli with fried leeks and lobster brandy cream; my wife chose the Spaghetti Adriatico, which was lobster claw, tiger shrimp, calamari, zucchini, squash, oven-dried tomato, and lemon/white-wine sauce; and our guest went with the roasted eggplant involtini, which was house-pulled mozzarella, spinach, pinenuts, fried leeks, fresh basil, and red sauce. Everyone enjoyed their meals very much, so I cannot wait to return. The only complaint was that, after dinner, we ordered cognac stingers for dessert and received straight cognac on the rocks; not sure if it was an oversight of the server, miscommunication on our part, or a lack of knowledge by the bartenders, but we will clarify next visit exactly what a stinger is, if need be."

[EAK, 12/09] says: "This past Wednesday night [12/23/09], I dined with 3 girlfriends at Trattoria Aroma (on Bryant). This was the first time any of us had been there, and, as soon as we walked in, we were pleasantly greeted by the bartender and the host. The décor is very modern, and the lighting created a wonderful ambiance. We were seated right away, and the waiter came over to give us some wine suggestions, because we wanted to order a bottle of both red & white wines. He recommended a Chardonnay and Chianti; both were great! We started with a couple of appetizers: first, the roasted-beet bruschetta (off the specials menu) with goat cheese, pine nuts, dried cherries, and parsley pesto; this was amazing! Then we tried the shrimp and lobster risotto, which was also very good. Per the waiter's recommendation, I ordered the Pappardelle Piemonte, which is a vegetarian dish (although I am not a vegetarian), with spinach, wild mushrooms, roasted garlic & tomatoes, parmesan & reggiano cheese, arugula pesto, and finished with white truffle oil. Words can't even describe how unbelievably delicious this pasta was! My one friend ordered the Pork Chops Salerno, which came with asparagus, Gorgonzola crostini, and a fried egg on top. I tasted several bites, and this was so good—the flavors were very unique. My other two friends split the Hanger Steak and Pan Roasted Chicken Breast. The Hanger Steak came sliced and served with mushroom and sundried tomato gnocchi with broccoli rappini and basil-truffle butter. The steak was fantastic—very good quality beef, not fatty at all, and seasoned to perfection. The chicken breast was stuffed with spinach & artichokes, goat cheese, and caramelized shallots. It was finished with a Marsala cream sauce and served with a potato-mushroom cake. Everyone's meals were fantastic, and we all agreed that we will be returning very soon. Their menu is pretty big, and they also had a specials menu with 3 appetizers and about 4 entrees. Can't wait to go back and try something else!"

Treadwell.
61 Lakeport Rd., Pt. Dalhousie, ON, CANADA.
905-934-9797.

Online reservations available via OpenTable.com.

[12/06] Given 3½ (out of 4) stars by Janice Okun, Buffalo News restaurant reviewer.

Trina's Family Restaurant.
1373 Clinton St. (one block west of the Clinton Bailey Farmers Market), Buffalo.
783-8373.

[8/11] Given 3½ (out of 4) pennies by Anne Neville, Buffalo News "Cheap Eats" restaurant reviewer.

[KRN, 9/11] says: "After visiting the Clinton-Bailey market, we ventured a couple blocks down Clinton St. to Trina's. What a nice neighborhood restaurant! We had an excellent breakfast there. L. ordered ‘The Skillet’, an omelet containing sausage and home fries, topped with cheese, and served with a warm biscuit and sausage gravy for $5.95. I had the ‘Meat-lovers’ omelet, stuffed with bacon, sausage, and ham, covered with cheese, and served with home fries and 2 slices of toast for $6.95. Both dishes were very good and well worth the price. Coffee was $1.50 a cup. Service was fast and friendly. I think the next visit will be for lunch; we can't wait."

[JJa, 5/11] said: "I discovered Trina's after reading a review on Buffalo Rising. I am a big fan of supporting local, family-owned businesses, and this place fits the description of ‘family owned’ to a T! The web site refers to Patrina Kidder's family of 10, but there are at least 20 members featured in the web site's photo. Trina makes regular cameos behind the grill or at the lunch counter. The place is bright, clean, and cozy. All manner of egg, pancake, and French-toast breakfasts, but Trina excels at creative pancakes; to wit: Last week the special's board listed ‘chocolate pancakes with peanut butter sauce’. Did I mention the place is kid-friendly? The Texas-style, French toast is thick and eggy. I've come for lunch and enjoyed a chicken-finger salad, a heaping platter of greens (one time iceberg, but last time great romaine!) topped with shredded cheddar, black olives, and a heap of chicken fingers dressed with Frank's Hot Sauce to your taste, mild, medium, or hot. It's good for 2 meals! Then there is the Friday-night fish fry, beer battered or baked with butter and herb, Cajun seasoning, or Italian lemon pepper. (Don't tell anyone that the fish is only $6.95, or there will be traffic jams in the neighborhood.) I'm working backwards, but I always start my lunch or dinner with Trina's homemade soup, which puts the ‘home’ into ‘homemade’! You can make a meal out of it, if you get a bowl. Trina's is another hidden gem that's off the beaten track in Buffalo, but worth the trip."

[a] Tully's Good Times.
1459 Niagara Falls Blvd., Amherst. 446-0007.
8070 Main St., Clarence. 634-2234.

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

Reviews of the Amherst location:

[ELM, 4/09] says: "My boyfriend and I decided to give Tully's Good Times a try, as we had found a coupon for their place in the Buffalo coupon book. We waited about 20 minutes for a seat, which wasn't too bad considering it was Friday night and playoff hockey has begun. We were waited on promptly and provided with a huge bowl of cold and overly-salted popcorn. Perhaps this was why the pop we ordered came in 1/2-gallon glasses. My boyfriend ordered the Buffalo-style, chicken-tender dinner, as we had been told that this is their specialty. I, being a vegetarian, went with the stuffed shells. The food came rather quickly, which was nice because we were in a hurry, but this usually is a good sign of what quality food you can expect. My stuffed shells came with a tiny side salad that looked as if it had been made from the toppings at the burrito bar next door (shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, and a couple of cucumber slices) and a piece of "garlic bread" that tasted more like half a sub roll with some butter on it. The stuffed shells were rather dry, and it was obvious that they had used jarred sauce. They were smothered with mozzarella, which almost made up for the dryness. I asked my boyfriend what he thought of his meal partway into it, and he responded by shaking his head and saying that the cole slaw was the best part of the meal. The chicken tenders were also on the dryer side, and the taste could be best described as a resturaunt outside of Buffalo's sad attempt at imitating our world-famous sauce, leaving a funky aftertaste. I asked him if he wanted to bring the remaining chicken home to our dog, and he stated that he wouldn't even do that to her. When it came time to pay, we handed the waitress the coupon. She returned and explained that it could not be used on Fridays (our fault for missing the fine print!) and retorted in a snobbish tone, "It says that on the coupon". My boyfriend, not being one to hold back, exclaimed "What? We didn't even like the food!" This got no response, and we grabbed our coats to leave. The service was decent for a busy, chain-style place despite the teenaged, "daddy's making me work" waitresses. The food was not. We will definitely not be returning here."

[DHa, 1/06] said of the Amherst location: "On a Saturday night, we were looking for a place to eat, which can be a challenge. Finally stopped at Tully's and were told there'd be a 45-minute wait. But we found spaces at the bar and found out that we could order any menu item there! We all started out with soup, the minestrone, baked potato, and seafood chowder. The minestrone was very good (aside from the temperature), with a very good flavour. All were very good, but could've been hotter. I ordered the house salad, expecting a small bowl of iceberg and a few veggies about it. Boy, was I wrong. A huge bowl of various lettuces, topped with many veggies, neatly aligned in various proportions, which I thought was ingenious, seeing as I'm a very picky salad eater (this reminded me vaguely of a Cobb salad, the way it was arranged): fresh tomato, black olives, cucumbers, red and green peppers, a generous mound of various cheese, and onion. Two small plastic cups of mediocre Italian dressing, which was very oily and lacked flavour, accompanied this massive salad; but I had trouble distinguishing what the various red particles were that I found when I had to furiously stir it. That was disappointing, as I ate over half of the salad dry, not wanting to ruin it with their tasteless dressing. Also, they served toasted bread with the salad. Too bad there wasn't anything to dip it in. (My mom, whom I took as well, rated the chicken tenders OK, even though that's what Tully's is known for. They, too, could've been hotter, but seeing as we came on a very busy "sports night", I think that they might've been a bit better if the place wasn't packed.) Another positive note about Tully's is that when you order an "ice water", they take out a frosted mug, which nicely accents whatever dish you may have ordered. They also ask if you'd like lemon, instead of just shoving a measly, seed-ridden wedge of sickly lemon in it. The servers and staff were very friendly and personable, asking us several times how our meals were. I think I'd definitely return, ordering something new off their extensive menu."

Tunisian CousCous House.
1240(?) Hertel Ave., Buffalo.
931-5460.

Halal cuisine.

[12/09] Given 4 (out of 4) pennies by Anne Neville, Buffalo News "Cheap Eats" restaurant reviewer.

[ID, 8/09] says: "This is a review for Couscous restaurant, located on Hertel, where Buffalo Kabob House used to be (1238 Hertel Ave.). It's open until midnight; at least, tonight they were (it's a Wednesday). My partner and I were both sad when Buffalo Kabob House closed, but when we stopped in tonight to try the new Tunisian restaurant in the same location, Couscous, we were totally mollified. It was delicious! And the people who run the place are very nice. First of all, before I say anything else, I feel I must emphasize how good the tea at this place is. Though my partner thought it was a tad overbrewed (but still delicious), I thought the tea was worth the trip by itself. We ordered two appetizers; one was a kind of hummus/baba ganoush mixture of chickpeas and eggplant. Neither of us have ever had proper Tunisian food before, so we don't have anything to compare it to in terms of authenticity, but it was really good. This came with pita bread that was drizzled with very high quality olive oil. You can really taste the difference when it's the good stuff, and this was superb. Then we had the breek, which is a Tunisian meatless filo pie. It was very potato-y, which isn't usually something we'd go for, but it was still quite good, and if you do like potato dishes, this is a wonderful vegetarian option. Then we got the Salata Tunicia, which was pretty good. The only downside of the whole meal was that the salad was served on a bed of iceberg lettuce, but everything else about it was good. The best part of the salad was the (very spicy) chili dressing and the pickled veggies that came on top. The cauliflower was particularly good, so next time we'll probably just get the pickled vegetable salad, because that was the best part. We ordered the couscous with lamb stew (served poured over the top—and vegetarian stew was also an option), and it was absolutely delicious. Especially impressive because I have never been a fan of couscous before (but I love this!), and my partner has never been a fan of lamb before (she also loved this!), so, despite initial reservations on both our parts, we were very pleasantly surprised. It wasn't greasy at all, which was my partner's worry. All their meat is Halal, which I think has something to do with the lack of greasiness. I mentioned earlier that the owners were especially nice—well, the cook (one of the owners, I think) had run sort of low on lamb meat, and, since he had heard us debating whether to get the grilled chicken or the lamb earlier, he brought us a whole plate of chicken to supplement the relatively minor amount of lamb meat in the couscous stew. The chicken itself was great as well—very juicy, crispy on the outside, but miraculously not overcooked. The couscous lamb stew also had carrots, turnips, onions, and peppers in it, and it was divine. Kind of spicy, but not necessarily overly hot—just very, very tasty. Again, when the cook saw us eating, he asked us if we wanted some more sauce poured over the couscous. It didn't need it, really, because it was enough and very juicy and filling as it was, but it was so good that we quickly agreed to accept his offer, and he gladly brought more over. My partner ordered the baklava for dessert. First of all, the portion was very generous—lots of places will only give you a small triangle, but here we got almost double what I've gotten at other restaurants. And it was also delicious. A little cold (it could have used a warming up—but I imagine if you ask them, they'd do it gladly), but still good. And so big that she actually only ate half of it, to bring the rest home. Our bill was about $35 (we also got three cans of Pepsi), but we had enough food to stuff us both to the hilt and have enough left over for another whole meal. For the more finicky eater, or if there are kids who are less inclined to try Tunisian food, there were also more basic sandwiches on the menu, including a Philly cheese steak and a fish fry option. I really hope this place makes it, because I'm really looking forward to a winter of warming, fortifying Tunisian stews from Couscous, and also because the owners were so delightfully kind. Oh, and one more thing—the decor was nice; it's clearly a new restaurant, but they were burning incense that made the bathroom smell really good. Weird, I know, but it was a nice, subtle detail that didn't overwhelm the aroma of the food."

Two Sisters Cafe.
4211 N. Buffalo Rd., Orchard Park.
667-6887.

[KRN, 10/10] says: "We visited this café in a downtown Orchard Park business building for breakfast on 10/31/10. There is a specials board in the hallway, just outside of the entrance. There are always a couple of quiches on the menu, but I chose a Mexican quiche listed as a special, which contained chorizo, salsa, and cheese. There was a nice amount of heat and an excellent flavor; it was served with toast, for $7.95. Linda opted for the #7 on the menu: a mixture of 2 scrambled eggs, sausage, peppers, onions, and home fries, and covered with shredded cheese. The veggies were cooked perfectly, not mushy, and her toast was a light, cinnamon-raisin bread, for $8.95. She thought it was very good, and the onions were not overpowering. The coffee and service were good. There is outdoor dining during the summer. This was not our first visit here, nor will it be our last!"

[KHa, 6/08] said: "Visiting from out of town, we stopped at the cafe last month and had a truly enjoyable lunch—from the wait staff and delicious lunch and atmosphere, I have nothing but good to say about the quality of ownership shown at this small-town restaurant. We enjoyed a wonderful spinach salad and a panini that was brought out in record time, and, coming from a large city, the bill was next to nothing for the amount of food that we received. A full breakfast menu with everything from cooked-to-order eggs, pancakes, quiche, french toast, to paninis, salads, wraps, soups, and more, with a healthier feel and all homemade. The patio was not open, because it was chilly, but it looked to be a great place on a sunny day to enjoy a breakfast or lunch in the coming months. I highly recommend! The only drawback that I could see was we did have a bit of trouble finding a parking place, and the waitress said that the weekends were pretty busy, but the wait times were usually only 5 or 10 minutes long."