Bill Rapaport's Buffalo Restaurant Guide

Alphabetical Listing of Restaurants: V

Varysburg Hotel
Vasilis Family Restaurant
[m] Venus
Vera Pizzeria
Victor's
Viking Lobster Co.
Village Casino
Village Diner (Youngstown)
Village Inn (Childs, NY)
Village Inn (Grand Island, NY)
Village Pub
Vince's Village Grille
Vineland Estates Restaurant
Vino's Italian Restaurant
Vizzi's

Key:

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

(For more info on locations, see Geography)

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

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Varysburg Hotel.
2486 Route 20a (about 1/2-way between East Aurora and Warsaw, south of Attica), Varysburg.
585-535-7692.

[DwH, 2/07] says: "Travelling to Buffalo almost weekly since February and wanted to pass along some impressions: Best fish fry on the planet. The go-withs are so-so, but the fish is magnificent: perfect and perfectly browned crust, tender, moist, flaky fish. Totally brilliant and the folks are great."

Vasilis Family Restaurant.
299 Kenmore Ave., Kenmore.
838-4440.

[MZ, 9/08] says: "This is the neighborhood restaurant. Tried it for b'fast, lunch, and dinner before a review. Terrific on all occasions. It's small, and I don't want you there because I love it. Gyros: good; had them two ways: one in salad, one in sandwich (rich, moist, fried pita). Supper: amazing. Spanikopita, pastitsio: better than Chgo Greektown. B'fast: terrific, exuberant, excessive. Everything fresh and moist, unlike some other Greek joints. Fish fries? Forget about it. Senior size at under eight bucks are normal-sized; basic is twice the size. Essentially, everything is oversized but, oh, so fresh. Great, fresh coffee and no license, but who cares."

[JKl, 6/08] said: "We know one of the servers at this newly-opened restaurant, and she urged us to come in and enjoy the authentic Greek food. There are a ton of places in Buffalo that serve Greek, and we used to frequent Olympic (in Tonawanda), but it had become overpriced and undependable at best. Let me tell you, I will not go back to the Olympic after this!!! I ordered the open chicken souvlaki salad (around $7.50), and my husband ordered the chicken souvlaki platter (around $10.50). The food was delicious and had large portions. The chicken was perfectly cooked, with a delicious marinade. My salad had a large bed of mixed greens (a nice change from the standard "blah" iceberg) with the standard Greek salad vegetables. It was topped with 4 large chicken strips, grilled to perfection, and served with toasted pita bread (4 triangles). My husband got his platter with French fries, but the Greek potatoes I saw other people eating looked delicious as well. The French fries were nice and crispy, and were a very large portion. He received 6 strips of chicken. If I went back, I would get the salad for $7.50 and just order a side of fries (the waitress said they were like $1.75 or so). My salad was very filling and so delicious! Vasilis's homemade Greek dressing is wonderful as well. The décor was very nice—it's a small place with a good amount of tables, but we didn't feel crowded. You could tell the other diners were enjoying their meals as well, and two tables next to us commented to us on how much they loved their food and how glad they were that this restaurant opened in their neighborhood. The service was great as well, very attentive (but I'm biased—I know her). They had a sign on the wall that welcomed patrons to bring their own wine, as well. I hope this place stays open for quite some time, as it's my new place to visit when I'm craving some Greek souvlaki!"

[m] Venus Greek and Mediterranean Restaurant.
3500 Main St. (in University Plaza, across from the UB South (Main St.) campus), Amherst.
831-8100.

Greek, Mediterranean, and Egyptian cuisine.

[RRo, 2/12] says: "After my friend kept raving about how much her son adored Venus, we finally went in this evening [2/2/12] for some takeout Mediterranean. Expecting a brightly-lit, cafeteria-style atmosphere, based on some things we'd read, I was pleasantly surprised to find a more warmly lit decor—almost cozy feeling—with upbeat, ethnic tunes from the TV's music videos. Service was fairly quick, and the girl who took the order was very accommodating (thank you!). Since we wanted to try the Greek fries (yummy, steak French fries topped with feta cheese, onions, tomatoes, and a few other things), she let us upgrade the fries in our ‘wrap special’ at no charge, in exchange for not getting the bundled soft drink it came with (which we didn't want anyway)—awesome! We ordered a chicken shwarma wrap, falafel platter, chicken fingers w/fries (for the 8YO), and a Turkish coffee. The wrap was chock full, but it didn't resemble the flavorful shwarma I've had at any other restaurant; the meat tasted a bit more like I'd get in a Philly-steak sub (my GF said, ‘It was like eating a huge wrap of…nothing! It has no taste!’). And the falafel surprised me: I enjoyed the texture, but it was heavy in Italian spices; with Falafel Bar setting the standard for the best falafel in the world (a ‘10’ rating), I'd rate this falafel a ‘4’ (my GF said, ‘I think I might have liked it if I didn't know what falafel was supposed to taste like.’). The fingers were…well…fingers (they were fine, although the ‘mild’ sauce was more of a ‘medium’ and too spicy for my daughter). To the rescue: The Greek Fries were delicious :-) Oh yeah: the Turkish Coffee—average. I prefer to have a little cardomom in mine, and would have appreciated if they asked whether I'd like it sweetened. Would I go back? With new expectations, sure! I'd go back and try a few other selections to see how they compared, but my bar will be much lower next time I go."

[MIL, 9/11] said: "Venus offers decent Greek/Middle Eastern/Mediterranean take-out food at a reasonable price. It is a small, family-run business with a few tables, some Middle Eastern decorative accents, and a comfy-looking, den-like area with a couple of sofas underneath a widescreen TV playing Arabic (I'm guessing) music videos. This evening, my wife and I shared shish tawook (marinated chicken) and shish kofta (meatball) pita (or lavosh) wrap sandwiches along with a fatoush (toasted bread) salad. The tawook was tangy, and the kofta was tasty, but nothing really cried out ‘This is ethnic food!’: A chicken sandwich and a hamburger from an American-style, fast-food place would not have tasted much different. The fatoush was a basic, green salad with toasted (or possibly fried) flatbread chips mixed in. On an earlier visit, I tried the gyro sandwich, which was slightly skimpy in the meat department but good otherwise. Venus is not a destination restaurant, but for people teaching or taking classes at UB South or just passing by on Main St., it's a good alternative to Jimmy John's next door. It's also better and considerably more pleasant than the Felafel Bar extension that was briefly located just south of Main and Kenmore (where Sonora's Express is now located)."

Vera Pizzeria.
220 Lexington Ave. (between Allentown & Buff State), Buffalo.
551-6262.

[RHo, 1/12] says: "Last week, I went to Vera with a couple of girlfriends. They split the arancini, which was the size of a baseball. We each got a pizza. While there is a roasted veggie pizza served without cheese, I decided to order the fig jam, pear, prosciutto, and truffle oil pizza without the meat. I asked the waitress to have the chef sub whatever veggies he thought appropriate for the meat. My pizza arrived with roasted eggplant and a few tiny pieces of zucchini in addition to the listed ingredients, and it worked really well; the pizza was quite good. My friends ordered the pesto, goat-cheese pizza and the fennel pizza. One of my friends asked for some salt and pepper; I wouldn't have thought of it until she asked, but, once it was there, I added both to my pizza. It was only after I added the salt that I was reminded that the pizza had truffle oil on it—it really brought out the truffle flavor. The tiny salt shaker, by the way, had to be unscrewed and the salt shaken out in clumps. While not convenient, it didn't bother us terribly. At the end of the meal, I had a cocktail recommended by the waitress. It was lemon juice, seasonal berry puree, and St. Germain; it was good, and my two friends both thought it was great. There were quite a lot of seeds in the bottom of the glass in the end, but they didn't really interfere with the drink. The fancy old-fashioned drinks are about $10, but it was a nice treat. The ambiance is really unique, with the brick wall, old-fashioned light bulbs, and other interesting decor. It was nice experience."

[CSS, 10/11] said: "Vera is a chic, new spot specializing in handcrafted cocktails from the pre-prohibition era. The cocktails are $10 and well made. On a busy Friday night, it took patrons nearly 20 minutes to receive their drink orders from the snazzy-dressed guys behind the bartenders (also a throwback). Despite the long wait for beverages, the service was friendly and attentive. The interior is tiny, comprised of exposed brick, a handful of tables, and a very attractive bar. The food was forgettable. We didn't try the pizza, their other speciality. Rather, we opted for a bistro steak with polenta, ordered medium rare ($21) and a proscuitto-wrapped pork loin with smashed potatoes ($19). The steak was overdone, swimming in runny polenta. The pork was slightly better and came with roasted, not smashed, potatoes. Only OK for the price tag. No bread service. Would definitely return for drinks but probably not to eat."

Victor's Pub and Grille.
1503 Hertel Ave., Buffalo.
931-9876.

Italian.

[CSS, 6/11] says: "Another mediocre, Italian joint in North Buffalo. Service was shaky on a Sunday afternoon: We wanted to have some appetizers on the patio, and found the entire staff lounging around on one side of the patio, with one table occupied by patrons on the other side. It took a long time to get our drinks and apps, even though there seemed to be an abundance of staff and only 2 other customers. Tried an antipasto salad (fine), mussels (previously frozen, but fine, swimming in a thick tomato broth; somewhat greasy), pasta with peas (in a thick, tomato-paste-based red sauce; not recommended), and bruschetta (bread was toasted, toppings were cold, & dressed with a balsamic glaze; did not like). Our bread basket on the side was old—the waitress gave us a heads-up and said she would put some new bread in the oven, but that never arrived. Might return on another night to try pasta dishes; would definitely not order red sauce here (always risky in Buffalo), and hope for a more adept chef and waitstaff on a busier night."

[AMB, 11/10] said: "Sunday [11/21/10], we had dinner at Victor's, a new restaurant on Hertel (in the space vacated by La Marina). The menu has a mix of some more novel options (see Janice Okun's review for a description of these) as well as some basic Italian dishes (chicken, eggplant, or veal parm; ravioli) but isn't as comprehensive as some (for instance, no chicken marsala or lasagna). We ordered ravioli with a meatball, chicken with vodka sauce (pasta, peas, prosciutto, chicken, and sauce), a sauteed veal dish (a little oily), and chicken parmigiana. Entrees came with good bread and standard (acceptable) salads. We all thought our dinners were fine (my daughter raved about the red sauce on the ravioli, and I liked the chicken with vodka sauce quite a bit). We are always searching for a ‘perfect’ chicken parmigiana, and this was a good one but perhaps not as good as Faso's. Service was very friendly but I think shows the restaurant's young age—a long wait for drinks, our water was never refilled, we had to ask for bread, and the main dishes came to the table pretty quickly after the salads and before those plates had been cleared. All in all, it was an acceptable dinner but maybe not quite equal yet with some other choices for Italian dining (Amici and Jovi's come to mind)."

Viking Lobster Co..
366 Tonawanda St. (in the Black Rock area, on the West Side, near Austin St.), Buffalo.
873-1079.

[DJM, 5/11] says: "I remember watching a piece one of the local news stations did on Viking. It definitely seemed like my kind of place (unpretentious visuals, allowing the quality of the seafood to speak for itself; BYOB policy is an added bonus). I was out of state at the time, but shuffled the information away, ‘for later’. Fast forward a couple of years: I've been dining here, on average, at least once a month for the past six or seven months. I've come with friends, family, and my girlfriend; everyone, myself included, has loved the entire experience. I say ‘experience’, because there is much more than great food being served at Viking. Upon entering, patrons are greeted with a semi-lifelike, chef statue, jovially standing by a tastefully presented collage of ‘relics from past patrons’, that is to say, empty wine bottles that once accompanied great food and a great evening. (Note: This is a family-style place; you will be equally comfortable and welcome bringing a fine bottle of wine, a case of beer, or anything in between. I've been at both ends of the spectrum, and their ice buckets are more than accommodating.) From there, you are greeted by a wonderfully pleasant server, in a dining area reminiscent of a seafood house in a non-touristy part of New England. You will have a very intimate dining experience when the place is less busy, while laughter, chit-chat between tables, and a general sense of community is not out of the ordinary during their more busy times. Their menu is not large, but it is more than enough. My personal favorites include the Paella, Haddock Provencal, and the ‘Ultimate Feast’ (a metal platter ~3' × 3', full of various land and sea offerings, which is promoted as serving two; I split it with another, we both ate past the point of comfort, and we still took half of it home). Subtle seasoning accompanies some of the freshest seafood you will find this side of a wharf, portions are quite generous, and pricing is more than reasonable. Their BBQ ribs weren't the best I've ever had, but, hey, its a seafood house! Most dinners come with soup and salad; their gumbo is amazing, and the house clam dressing is equally impressive. Continuing with the unpretentious, family-style theme, one of the servers, himself of Asian descent, makes a few Asian-inspired appetizers (not on the hard menu but part of the verbal daily specials), while another bakes one of the most delicious cheesecakes I've ever had. The chef-owner, Jeff, and his son are frequently found socializing with patrons. We went during, but did not partake in, their Restaurant Week offering. Carmine (sp.?), the woman who usually takes phone reservations, recognized my voice when I called the night before. She apologetically informed me they would need to serve us at a more rushed paced; their goal was to turn tables in 2, as opposed to the normal 2.5–3-hour turnover. (No, this is not code for ‘slow service’; I've been there with time constraints, and they have been very willing and able to serve quickly. Instead, the slow turn over is a wonderful way to enjoy a great meal, good spirits, and great companions, without being pushed out the door moments after taking that last bite, as happens quite often at many other establishments.) Addressing past reviews: Their website is up, functioning, and certainly appears to be accurate. In all, I would give the restaurant 3.75 out of 4 stars, if such a rating existed. Looks like I'll have to default to 4 out of 4. No, it's not fancy. No, you won't find eclectically prepared dishes. But, you will find wonderful people, great tasting food, a relaxed atmosphere, and you will be able to enjoy it all with the libation(s) of your choosing, sans restaurant markup. Enjoy!"

In response to [MZ]'s review below, the owner informed me by email that "our web site is inaccurate [sic!] as to all the items indicated and the prices but is being corrected. The items missing are fresh shell fish which recently due to harvesting conditions we didn't feel comfortable offering. As to pricing the site didn't reflect adjustments due to fuel surcharges or the inflated prices which are now being passed on to us from the producers." And he suggested visiting the following websites for further information: Buffalo Rising and Buffalo Bar Fly. My [Bill's] only question is this: If the website is inaccurate, why not shut it down until an accurate one can be posted?

[MZ, 5/06] says: "The Viking restaurant has nothing to do with its website. It serves basically nothing: the day I was there, a fish fry, which, however, was better than most, but I came there wanting the plethora of choices on their lying website menu. The place doesn't have a liquor license and isn't worth dragging yourself to a neighborhood (Black Rock) that died 75 years ago. I come to Buffalo maybe 4 times a year to take my mother out to a good meal. Thanks a lot for nothing. (the only saving grace for her was that she grew up in this neighborhood, so she loved seeing her past, driving her around.) The review you have for this dump needs to be deleted. It's an out and out lie."

[CJ, 1/06] says: "The food was unbelievable!!!! I had the steak, and my friend had lobster. Wow!!!!! It was out of this world. The owner, Jeff, was great. In fact, after talking with him, he took us back to see the holding tanks. It looked like 4 swimming pools! I will definitely be back to see him again!!! Great job, Jeff!!!!!!!!!"

Village Casino.
1 Lakeside Dr., Bemus Point.
386-2333.

[8/09] After our unfortunate experience at the Italian Fisherman, our party of 7 (4 adults, a 15-year-old, a 13-year-old, and a 10-year-old) walked down the street to this other restaurant on Chautauqua Lake. This one is much more informal, friendly, and considerably less uptight than the other. The food is not quite as good, but it has its moments, and we had a very enjoyable time. I had the grilled citrus salmon with basil pesto and honey, accompanied by salt potatoes and a side salad with balsamic vinaigrette. This is probably the most ‘haute cuisine’ item on the menu. It was quite good, though the salad (served as an appetizer) came with a plastic fork and no knife; regular metal cutlery accompanied the main course, however. One of our guests began with the Wing Sampler Platter: 15 wings with a choice of up to 3 sauces. He opted for Cajun and regular medium wings, which we all shared; they were excellent. (The owners also run the Wing City Grille in Fredonia, which my stepson tells me has fantastic wings.) My 13-year-old son had the Buffalo Wing Wrap: ‘a soft tortilla stuffed with breaded chicken, tossed in medium wing sauce, with cheddar cheese, sweet onions, mixed greens and ranch dressing’; he liked it. Another guest had the tilapia stuffed with shrimp, scallops, and crab, with a lemon beurre blanc sauce and wild rice; it came a bit overcooked (‘burnt’ around the edges might be a less polite way to put it), but he enjoyed it. Others at our table had the fish fry and liked it. My son ordered an ice-cream cone for dessert: a standard cone, but with about 3 or 4 scoops of ice cream. We stayed long after our meal was over to enjoy the karaoke.

Village Inn.
Ridge Road (Rt. 104, at the junction with Rt. 98), Childs.
589-9151.

[7/01] [MER] and I [Bill] stopped here for lunch on our way back from the wonderful Ridge Road Station toy/train/Christmas store in Holley. We were pleasantly surprised. The food is plain American (seafood, steaks, chicken, lamb, etc.), but the menu is quite large. I had sole almondine, which was surprisingly good, accompanied by rice pilaf; [MER] had veal parmesan, which she thought was as good as that at Carmine's. For dessert, I had a blueberry pie. (They also feature "Eli's Kosher[!] Cheese Cake", imported from Chicago.)

Village Inn.
1488 Ferry Rd., Grand Island.
773-5030.

[JKl, 4/10] says: "Since moving to the Island last year, we have visited this restaurant on numerous occasions. They pride themselves on their homemade food, and you can really tell it when you eat there! We normally visit on Fridays for their fish fry, which includes your choice of potato (and their list of options is long!) and coleslaw for $10.99. The fish is a very large portion and is served with a delicious, crispy batter. Their curly fries are delicious as well! The Village Inn's French Onion soup is among the best I've ever had, and we also really enjoy the cheesy, garlic bread, which is served piping hot and cut up into small squares, perfect for sharing. Their homemade desserts are a wonderful ending to a delicious meal; their selection is always changing, and they are artfully presented with large portions, not to mention delicious! We've been back many times. Keep in mind: This is a small place populated by locals. If you show up at the ‘wrong’ time, expect a wait, and there is no large comfortable waiting area; so, if they are busy, we usually just leave and come back later. Service is always very attentive, and the staff is friendly, smiling, and welcoming every time."

[SAS, 10/08] said: "Positive: This has been a favorite spot for islanders for over the past 20 years. The Village Inn is best known for its daily selection of homemade soups, entree specials, and desserts. We visited there last Saturday for a quick lunch. My wife had a panini special with a cup of roasted tomato-and-red-pepper soup; mine was a 1/2-pound burger with the seafood bisque. Everything was delicious, though I thought that the bisque was not quite up to their usual high standards; it was very tasty, but a bit more watery than usual, though it was chock full of seafood. My wife thought I was being too picky, however, after she tried it. Full bar service; closed on Sundays."

Village Pub.
3974 Main St. (Rt. 78), Strykersville.
1-585-457-7045.

[BL, 11/09] says: "Strykersville is a comfortable, small town in Wyoming County, east of Erie County, 15 minutes from East Aurora or 20 minutes from Alden. The Village Pub has been around for years and is good for casual dining including lunch or dinner. We are not sure if they do breakfast or brunch on Sundays. It has always been noted for a generous, delicious salad bar and a varied menu. We discovered that new owners had recently come on board. The salad bar remains similar, with minor changes. There is always a soup, tonight being a very good New England clam chowder. They used to have two soups, so customers not into seafood chowders could enjoy a soup, a good idea to continue. The new additions besides regular breads included pumpkin and banana breads, comfort food for November. They were great. The menu is still varied, and we think offers good eating. My spouse particularly enjoyed the Fettuccine Alfredo with chicken for $14.95 and thought it was one of the best he had ever had. Both the pasta and the tender chicken were flavorful. I liked my fish, choosing the panko-crusted selection ($10.95). My baked potato needed to be more that hot, steamy kind, where butter melts into it; it arrived more room temperature but was quickly reheated. After all these years, one of the two dining rooms, where we sat, is chilly during the cold months, A space heater is now being used. That is good. Keep using it. Overall, both meals were great, portions were generous, and the service very good. If I heard this correctly, the chef is recently from Montreal. It could be an interesting time for food in Strykersville. Pricewise, expect this to be more a $32 meal, including tax, instead of a $25 night out. However, considering the prices were always a tad higher at this establishment and entrees still include the quality salad bar, it will be worth a return visit."

Vince's Village Grille.
3189 Delaware Ave. (at E. Girard, across from Paddock Chevrolet), Kenmore.
876-4687.

[ABi, 5/06] says: "Texas hots are like operas: You already know whether or not you like them, and the quality of the offering won't change that. So, my review of the Village Grille is necessarily aimed not at those too dainty and/or sophisticated for them but rather only at aficionados of the food that competes with kummelweck sandwiches and the charred version of hot dogs for our second-most famous contribution to the culinary universe. Vince and his workers do a splendid job of cooking dogs sans charcoal, and the hearty souls who enjoy this type of cuisine, the ones with stomachs the dimensions and strength of footballs and battleship steel, respectively, will enjoy their Texas hots. The sauce is rich, thick, and beefy, with hot dogs that are just tender enough laid in soft, chewy rolls. The only way they could be improved would be if they were a tad spicier, as I find myself salting them more than I typically would, but it's a relatively small quibble that doesn't keep me from eating these in quantity. The Grille also features a decent-sized, diner-type menu including sandwiches, wings, Greek-style offerings, and the like, and the neon sign in the window advertises "breakfast anytime", which means you can have the most important meal of the day all day. The Village Grille is a fine choice not only for those in the Ken-Ton area who have been jonesing for Texas hots ever since Louie's headed south to North Buffalo but also for anyone craving a dose of delicious sloppiness in a bun."

Vineland Estates Restaurant.
3620 Moyer Rd. (off exit 57 on the QEW), Vineland, ON, CANADA.
1-888-846-3526.

Online reservations available through OpenTable.com.

[WHN] says:

[8/11] "Continuing our 8/13/11 Niagara Region day trip, my friend and I stopped in Jordan to visit Cave Springs winery and a few shops, then took a short drive through the Jordan Valley. We had a dinner reservation at Vineland Estates but, since we didn't spend as much time in NOTL as anticipated, arrived a half hour early, but had no problem getting a table on their outdoor patio, shaded by a giant tree (and umbrellas on tables that aren't beneath the tree). Vineland Estates often has one of the best scenic views in the Niagara Region, with Lake Ontario and the Toronto skyline in the distance on a clear day. Unfortunately, it was a hazy day, and, while the lake and a few sailboats were visible in the distance, Toronto was not. We ordered glasses of wine and were presented with amuse-bouches of smoked salmon on a crouton, topped by cream cheese and a hint of fresh dill: just enough to whet the appetite and very good. Although Vineland offers a 5-course, chef's-choice menu, there were dishes that even I (who will eat almost anything at least once) wouldn't try—like pig jowls. (Afterward, I looked it up and found that, in Italy, it's called guanciale, and is a type of unsmoked bacon. If the menu had said ‘guanciale’ instead of ‘pig's jowls’, I might have tried it, but it doesn't translate into English very well.) So we chose to order from the regular menu. To start, my friend had a summer salad of mixed greens, berries, and grilled red peppers, tossed in a red wine vinaigrette. I had foie gras terrine, with rhubarb preserves and slices of toasted chocolate brioche. Both appetizers were delicious, but, since I was served the brioche with mine, I didn't realize that we had never been served any bread, until my friend mentioned it. By then it was too late, since she had finished her salad. For main courses, we both had beef tenderloin, with potato gratin and local vegetables. My steak was cooked much more than the medium rare I had ordered—more medium to medium well—but it was still tender, and the sauce made it palatable."

[3/10] "We haven't been to Vineland in nearly two years, but, since it was a beautiful, sunny day with record-setting temperatures forecasted, we decided to go there for lunch on Saturday, 4/3. Their outside patio wasn't yet open for the season, but we did get a table at a window overlooking the vineyards and Lake Ontario, although it was too hazy to see much beyond the Port Dalhousie promontory in the distance. My wife and I shared a Bibb-lettuce salad with croutons, nuts, and roasted baby tomatoes tossed with a mild bleu-cheese dressing, then ‘bouillabaisse’ with shrimp, cod, scallops, mussels, and vegetables. This was not a traditional bouillabaisse made with fish stock, but was served over a thick, creamy, saffron sauce that was delicious."

[6/08] "We haven't been to Vineland in several years, but returned for lunch on Monday, 6/23. We chose their three-course, fixed-price lunch, now priced at C$39. The starter was fiddleheads and greens over a soft goat cheese that was somewhat like Buffalo Mozzarella. The main course was duck breast with red roasted potatoes, asparagus, yellow peppers, and orange wedges. Dessert was an assortment of chocolate and raspberry petit fours. Since it was a beautiful summer day, we ate on the patio, looking out toward Lake Ontario and Toronto, but it was a cloudy, hazy day, so you couldn't see much beyond the lake. It started to rain, and the staff quickly moved everyone to inside tables. It's expensive, but offers excellent food and service."

[11/05] "In our opinion, this is one of the best restaurants on the Niagara Peninsula. We've eaten lunch here at least once a year for several years, usually on the deck in summer, when the view of the vineyards and Lake Ontario is wonderful, but the food is just as good in fall and winter, the view is the same from the now-enclosed deck, albeit not as colorful, and the crowds are smaller. In addition to their à la carte menu, there's a three-course fixed price lunch for C$35, which, on our visit, included pumpkin bisque to start, a main course choice of mushroom fettuccine or venison, and apple strudel for dessert. My wife ordered the fettuccine, and I had the venison, and we shared some of each. Everything is made with seasonal Niagara Region and Canadian produce, meats, seafood, with wines from their own vineyard and other local ones. All the food was excellent, as was the service. (Except for the waiter "pushing" a C$70 bottle of Vineland Reserve Chardonnay.) For dinner, which we have not yet tried, they offer a C$70 five-course dinner (C$100 with wine pairings), as well as many à la carte choices."

Vino's Italian Restaurant. —WARNING: WEBSITE IS A YOUTUBE VIDEO!
1652 Elmwood Ave. (between Amherst St. & Great Arrow Ave.), Buffalo.
332-2166.

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

[LFo, 4/08] said: "I've wanted to go to Vino's for a while and finally got to go there with three other people last weekend. It's a small restaurant with white tablecloths, although you can dress casual. Reservations are recommended, but we got there right when they opened at 5:00 and had no problem getting a table. Everything on their menu is reasonably priced, and everbody liked their meal. I had ziti with their homemade red sauce, and two of the other people I was with had their homemade ravioli. The fourth person had their special—a filet mignon and a pasta salad that he really enjoyed. He also got a side of spaghetti. The lady behind the bar was one of the owners, and her husband is the chef. She was very friendly and answered a few questions that we had. She made us feel like we were at home. She makes the desserts herself, so of course we had to try a couple of her cakes, which were sitting right on the bar. We tried the rum cake and a banana walnut cake. Both were delicious, and you could tell they were homemade. All four of us would go back there again. It is a welcoming, clean atmosphere, and the owners make you feel as if you are part of their family. The food was fresh and homemade, and the service was perfect. I highly recommend this place to anyone."

Vizzi's.
967 Kenmore Ave., Kenmore.
871-1965.

[MTC, 10/11] says: "Bar Food Quick Score: 4 out of 4; score is relative to other restaurants in the ‘pub/bar-food category’. Payment: Cash only—$3 ATM fee. Notes: I'm not sure if I went to the right Vizzi's after reading about the place on Bill's Restaurant Rap (-aport) Zing! Buffalo loves its burgers, fries, and beers, and often the best spot in Buffalo is a hotly contested topic. I have been to Vizzi's twice in the past month and find it to be the best combination of burger and fries in Buffalo. It's better than Ruzzine's Rock Bottom, Sterling Place, Grover's, and Papa Jake's (in its heyday—it has gone downhill since new ownership took over). Service: This is a neighborhood bar/restaurant, and the service was appropriate for the atmosphere. Vizzi's features the classic mix of professional servers and high school/college help. Entrée Item: Monster Burger with Bleu Cheese and Bacon w/ Fries (x2: we ordered the same thing). Description/Opinion: The Bun—Vizzi's offers an incredibly fresh Costanzo Roll (pretty sure I'm right about the Costanzo Roll) that proved the ability to stand up to the sheer size of the monster burger. The Burger—I tried to order the burger medium-rare but opted for medium when I was informed by the waitress that the word ‘rare’ was kind of frowned upon in the place. When the nicely seasoned burger arrived, it was a very nice, juicy, deep pink. The Cheese—I opted for the crumbled bleu cheese, and the proper amount of cheese was on the burger. It's a half pound of meaty deliciousness, so they needed a fair amount of cheese to ensure that it wasn't lost in the mountain of meat. Toppings—onion and bacon: The bacon was crispy but not burnt and was a nice pairing with the bleu cheese, not like bacon on a burger is rocket science. Onion is onion, and I don't do the whole lettuce and tomato thing. The Fries—The fries were great: cut in house and fried twice, which is really the only way to do it. The fries were soft on the inside and crispy on the outside. They pitch this as the ‘Monster Burger’ but fail to mention the ‘Ocean of Fries’. Overall: Vizzi's is your classic neighborhood bar where the locals come out for some beers and food. The bar won't have the best beers on tap, the menu isn't progressive, it's not the hippest place to hang out at, but it has damned good food. Vizzi's scores a 4 in the bar-food category, because it is spot on in the 3 categories that matter: good prices, great grub, and cold beer."

[DGB, 2/11] said: "I finally had an occasion to be in the neighborhood of Vizzi's on Feb. 24th and was anxious to give it a try. As a neighbor and devotee of Grover's on Transit, I had a hard time accepting that anything could top their burgers. I arrived early (around 5:30) in the misguided belief that there would be no problem snagging a seat at the bar; wrong! There was a line to sit at the bar, but I was able to get one of the 10 tables in the ‘dining area’. The comparison to Grover's was inevitable, and a clear winner is near impossible. Vizzi's bacon-cheddar burger, while perhaps marginally smaller than Grover's, was much larger in taste. They tell you up front that they don't do rare, so I went for medium-rare; it arguably was more medium than rare, but it's difficult to quarrel with the result. It came to the table hot off the charcoal grill (no griddles for them!) with a wonderful (if questionably carcinogenic) crust, and tons of flavor. The biggest surprise, however, was the mountain of hot and crispy fries covering the entire plate—about the equivalent of anyone else's ‘Basket o' Fries’. At around $18 for a Monster burger and 2 frosty colds, it was a bargain to be repeated often. Oh, and, like Grover's, no credit cards accepted."

[NvH, 8/10] said: "My wife and I love this place. Awesome staff, with great service. Yes, you will wait a while for your food, but when you know what's coming, and the beer is cold and very well priced, then who cares? I don't order fries anywhere else but at Vizzi's. Hands down, the best I have ever tasted. The Monster burger has always been cooked to my satisfaction, and the roast-beef sandwich is superb. You can get by with two dinners and a couple of drafts each for under $25. Oh, and did I mention you will bring enough back home for a filling lunch the next day?"

[JBS, 5/10] said: "My husband and I went to Vizzi's on Friday night [5/21/10], home of the (self-proclaimed?) ‘best burger in Buffalo’, and we will never return. The service, while pleasant enough, was quite slow, but I understand they want to take the time to make a ‘great burger’. Well, that would've been OK if the burger had been great. We both ordered ours medium (since we were told that it wasn't possible to get it medium-rare), and what we each got was a charred, hockey-puck-looking thing that had no pink and, worse, no juice! It was as dry as I would imagine a hockey puck would taste, too. I would have sent it back, but it took over 1/2 hour to get it in the first place. The fries were good, but the burger was so bad that I had to drench it in ketchup just to be able to swallow it. Whoever is touting this place as any sort of ‘best burger’ joint is way off base. It was such a disappointment and a tremendous waste of calories!!!"

[BJC, 1/10] said: "A friend and I went to Vizzi's because we were in a mood for a burger and this place has the self-proclaimed Best Burger around. We had been here one other time and thought it was decent and cheap, so we came back. But this time was a disaster. We arrived at 7 P.M., and there were only about 8 people in the entire dining room. We promptly ordered two cheeseburgers, medium. After 15 minutes of waiting, the waitress came by and asked if we wanted a refill on our sodas because they were empty. She refilled them and said our food would be done in just a couple of minutes. 10 minutes later (25 minutes total), we still had not gotten our food, and an additional waitress was speaking to a nearby couple who had just sat down. I don't normally like to complain about food or the wait, but this was crazy, so we flagged her down and asked her to check on our orders. She was very defensive and said that they normally take about 20 minutes to cook and that they would be out shortly. Then, at 7:45, waiting a total of 45 minutes for a cheeseburger, the second waitress brought out the food of the couple that had sat down 20 mintes after us. My friend had become extremely agitated; the second waitress came by and asked surprisingly if everything was OK. I said, ‘No; we've been waiting 45 minutes for a burger, and the place is empty. Is something wrong in the kitchen?". She became very snooty and said that nothing was wrong and that it would be out in a moment. We were fed up, so we just left. If the waitress had just said she was sorry, then we would have stayed. But she continued to have this attitude that I was a jerk for wondering why a cheeseburger takes 45 minutes to cook in an empty restaurant. If she had just said sorry and that there was an issue, it would have been fine. Slow service is one thing, but rudeness on top of it is unacceptable. I will never return."

[CLHe, 9/09] said: "Four of us visited Vizzi's on 9/23/2009, and all ordered burgers. They were incredible!! I don't know what seasoning they put on them, but it really added a lot. We all ordered them medium, and it was great to be able to have a burger nice and pink on the inside. Very flavorful. The hand-cut fries are wonderful. The portions are so large that it is tough to decide whether to eat all the fries while they are still hot, or dig in to the burger. I opted for the fries first! This place serves great burgers and fries at an amazing price. Will definitely be returning."

[BaS, 7/09] said: "Advertises ‘the monster burger’ out front. My husband stopped there recently with a friend and loved the burger. We went to Vizzi's 7/2/09 around 5:00 pm. The restaurant has a lively bar; the eating area is in view. I had no choice but to get the Monster Burger; my husband got the fish fry. And the burger was huge! Very juicy, grilled to medium as ordered. It came with very large plate of fresh cut fries. My husband started with Chicken Wing Soup, which had a nice tang to it. The fish was breaded, a large piece, and came with those hand-cut fries. Our waitress was the owner's wife, and it turned out she went to high school with my husband. Of course; it's Buffalo. You always run into someone you know. The food was good; we will go back."