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Last Update: 27 April 2008
Note: |
[
] Vullo's
Valley Inn
Vargas
Varysburg Hotel
The View Restaurant
Viking Lobster Co.
Village Inn
Vince's Village Grille
Vineland Estates Restaurant
Vino Primo
Vino's Italian Restaurant
[],
,
,
![]() |
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) |
All phone numbers are in area code 716, unless otherwise indicated.
Valley Inn Barbecue Restaurant and Catering.
10651 Main Street, Clarence.
759-6232.
[EW, 1/04] says: "I ate at this junk food dive last week. A friend told me that she had been there and really enjoyed their pork. I could not disagree more. I totally agree with the previous review in stating that McDonald's would be better. At least at McDonald's prices you know what to expect! This place was terrible from the moment I walked in and heard one of the younger staff members yelling at a customer. I guess I should have left then, but instead I ordered a BBQ sandwich. It was greasy, soggy, and, worst of all, it left an aftertaste that could kill you in and of itself. I found the service to be terrible as well...I waited over 15 minutes for a refill of soda. It was not exceptionally busy, either. I guess most others have figured out that this place should not be patronized. Don't waste your time, energy, or money!"
[CF, 6/05] says: "Rating: Negative. It's been about a year and a half since the Valley Inn was reviewed here, and, despite their claims of three stars from Janice Okun and being voted the #1 BBQ restaurant in WNY, I found the two previous reviews to be right on the mark. We received an advertisement from the Valley Inn offering a 2nd dinner free with the purchase of one meal, and when we saw that "Kids Eat FREE ALL DAY, Every Day!" (with adult meal) we thought "why not try it? If it's not that great, at least it won't cost us too much!" We couldn't have been more disappointed. I had the pulled pork, and my wife had the BBQ ribs. Based on how quickly the platters came out of the kitchen, there's no way they were fresh. The pulled pork was soggy, and both dinners were lacking in flavor. The garlic mashed potatoes were similarly poor. The waitress forgot to serve our salads, indicative of the generally poor service. Even with the free meal coupon (and the non-free kid's meal), the bill was $25--that's with no drinks, appetizers, or desserts, and before tip. If you're looking for BBQ (and can't make it to Georgia), there's no reason to head for Clarence, and if you live in Clarence, I'd make a trip downtown to Fat Bob's".
[RMcD, 2/06] says: "After driving past the Valley Inn many times and noting the 3 1/2 stars given to the restaurant by Janice Okun [Editor [Bill]'s comment: Ah, but you should have first checked the earlier reviews in my restaurant guide :-)], my companion and I decided to give it a try. We were sent to a corner booth, and our waitress responded quickly to our arrival. After perusing the wine list, we both decided on a glass of Pinot Noir, and placed our orders when she returned with our drinks. My companion chose the ribs and chicken combo that the Valley Inn is purported to be so famous for, and I selected the New York strip steak with bleu cheese. Both of us ordered garlic mashed potatoes and salad. My companion ordered the lobster bisque, which the waitress forgot to serve. Then the "fun" began. I am not claiming to be a wine connoisseur; however, I am familiar enough with wine to know Pinot Noir when I taste it, and what we were served was not a Pinot. In fact, if I were to venture a guess, I would say it was probably the Lambrusco, which sold for a dollar a glass less. I questioned our waitress, and she assured me that it was indeed the Pinot. I think not. The waitress brought our dinners in what seemed to be record time after we finished our salads (they were mediocre). My steak and the bleu cheese melted over it was blahI am being kindand half of my potatoes were cold. In addition, we both agreed that they had no particular flavor, certainly not garlic. At this point, I thought that perhaps I had simply chosen the wrong item; after all, they are noted for their ribs, so I questioned my companion about her dinner. Her replythe meat was dry, flavorless, and the sauce was poured over the meat and obviously not cooked along with the meat as it should be, and, as I said, her potatoes were unimpressive also. The waitress was prompt in asking if we wanted dessert and bringing our check. We declined!!! Our recommendationkeep driving."
[NS, 11/06] says: "This was the worst lunch I've ever had. I went with a business college, only to find us both returning our BBQ chicken sandwiches. The chicken was hard rubber, and we couldn't even bite into our sandwicheswith some sort of freezer-type burn. After returning the chicken sandwiches, we were then both served the second set of poor lunches. My roast beef sandwhich was green throughoutI pointed this out to the waiter, who was embarrassed, but yet admitted that he, too, saw all green/aquamarine coloring. My colleague sent back the pulled porkdescribing it as a "peculiar" taste of either freezer burnor who knows what. What a waste of time. How can this operate as a restaurant? Not the cleanest of places. Hey, if you want to have a bar and only a bar, then don't bother serving food that nobody seems to care what they throw on the customer's table."
On the other hand, [JBo, 2/07] says: "I ate here the other day with my family and cannot believe the reviews on your site. I had the fish fry (beer battered); it was cooked perfectly, came with slaw, mac salad, and choice of potato. My husband had ribs; he said they fell off the bone and were delicious, and he enjoyed his garlic mashed potatoes. My children both had the pulled pork platters (the house favorite) and ate everything. We shared an apple cobbler and peanut butter pie for dessert; great finish to our meal. The server, a young man, was excellent and very attentive. Sorry to hear you had such bad experiences, but I feel you should try them again. We had a wonderful time and will be sure to return."
Vargas
[AG, 11/06] says: "The venerable Vargas
has relocated from his former Connecticut Street
storefront to a place lower on the West Side. The reason
to go here is still the pernil roast pork sandwiches,
plus various fried Puerto Rican snack offerings. The
pernil sandwich ($5), anointed with mojo from one of
the motley collection of bottles on this storefront's
tables, is a beautiful thing. Not the greatest
neighborhood; don't go after dark if corner boys make
you nervous. Tables but no table service. Bring cash."
Varysburg Hotel.
The View Restaurant.
Viking Lobster Co..
[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."
In response to [MZ]'s review above, the owner informs me by email that
"our web site is inaccurate 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 suggests 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?
Village Inn.
Vince's Village Grille.
Vineland
Estates Restaurant.
Vino Primo.
[2/06]
Given 3½ (out of 4) stars by Janice Okun,
Buffalo News
restaurant reviewer.
272 Hudson St. (West Side), Buffalo.
881-6296.
[MEL, 5/99] said of its former location on Connecticut St.:
"A simple Puerto Rican storefront sandwich
shop that happens to be very good. Known for its pork sandwiches, though it also
has octopus and chicken and beef."
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."
Victoria
Park Restaurant.
Niagara Parkway (opposite the American and Canadian Horseshoe Falls),
Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.
877-642-7275 (toll free), 905-371-0254
[MER], our son, and I ate here for the first time [8/00]
and were very pleasantly surprised. I had always thought that this was
merely a tourist trap provided by the Canadian government. Well, maybe,
but our meal was wonderful, and the setting (overlooking the Falls, at
sunset) was superb. We were there when they had numerous specials with
peaches, since they were in season, but the regular menu looked great,
too. We began with a nice salad with peaches and a tomato vinaigrette.
I had a seafood-stuffed trout in a Riesling-and-peach-scented cream
sauce, accompanied by string beans, cauliflower, and roasted potatoes.
[MER] had a chicken supreme with cranberry-rice stuffing. We will
definitely go back.
4041 Locust Lane (at Eastdell Estates winery), Beamsville, ON, CANADA.
905-563-9463.
[WHN, 8/06] says: "Returning from Toronto, we had lunch at what
used to be the Bench
Bistro, but is now called The View. We had been there two or three
years ago, before the name change. The restaurant overlooks their
vineyards, with Lake Ontario in the distance. At lunchtime, the menu
consists mostly of sandwiches, with a few entrees like steak, pasta,
and a fish of the day. I had a sandwich of beef tenderloin tips on
sourdough bread, with caramelized onions, roasted red peppers, and a
creamy sauce. My wife had curried chicken with spinach, tomatoes, and
fresh mozzarella in a pita, with mango chutney on the side. Both were
delicious. It's relatively inexpensive compared to other winery
restaurants in the Niagara region. With two glasses of wine and
coffee, the total including tax and gratuity was just under C$60,
including tax and tip."
366 Tonawanda St. (in the Black Rock area, on the West Side, near Austin
St.), Buffalo.
873-1079.
[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!!!!!!!!!"
Ridge Road (Rt. 104, at the junction with Rt. 98), Childs.
589-9151.
[MER] and I stopped here for lunch [7/01] 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.)
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."
3620 Moyer Rd. (off exit 57 on the QEW), Vineland, ON, CANADA.
1-888-846-3526.
[WHN, 11/05] says: "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."
67 St. Paul St., St. Catharine's, ON, CANADA.
905-688-4479.
.
1652 Elmwood Ave. (between Amherst St. & Great Arrow Ave.), Buffalo.
332-2166.
[
]
Vullo's Restaurant and Veal House.
2953 E. Lake Rd. (Rt. 430), Jamestown (actually, Greenhurst).
487-9568.
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