800 Maple Rd., Williamsville, NY 14221
Web: 800 Maple
Phone: 716.688.5800
Rating:
[learn more]Pros:
A variety of okay to good Italian-American appetizers and entrees, combined with friendly service and certain standout options; generous pre-meal bread service in a smart casual setting.
Cons:
Overly expensive, with wood-fired pizzas that don't excite either the eye or the tongue as much as sister restaurant Siena's,
See More Restaurant Reviews For:
Fine Dining Italian Pizza Williamsville
"If taste and value are bigger concerns, there are better places to get wood-fired pizzas and the same items, even if they're not always as attractively presented as these."
Strictly speaking, there's nothing wrong with 800 Maple. In fact, this restaurant - located as the name would suggest on Maple Road in Williamsville - is a competent place to order not only typical Italian fare, but also the locally semi-rare wood-fired pizzas that became popular with the rise of Siena and the now-defunct Giacobbi's in Amherst. The service is friendly, and the decor is nice. But we weren't wowed in any way, and felt that the pizzas were merely average. Is this place worthy of your business?
The Story: Like the Williamsville location of Romeo & Juliet's, one of the things locals may note about 800 Maple is how it has repurposed a chain restaurant - here, a former Four Seasons - into a hipper, more modern venue. Though the layout of the Four Seasons hasn't completely faded away with the interior design changes, the theme is now "dark," with dark woods, dark walls, and dark carpeting, offset by tables that have gone from white cotton coverings to easier brown paper wraps. As with Siena, also owned by the same people, there's an emphasis here on wines and pizzas, while the rest of the menu is either "new American" or "familiar Italian," based on one's frame of reference. All of the Italian classics, from Antipasti ($10) and Calamari ($10) appetizers to Rigatoni ($18), Seafood Linguini ($30), and the charmingly overpriced Strip Steak ($39), can be found on the menu, while other items - Lobster and Shrimp Fritters ($12), Beet or Spinach Salads ($9 each), and Lamb Chops ($33) seem designed to test Italian fans' pocketbooks while expanding their palettes. The menu skews expensive, offset by a 1/2 off wine bottle special, and a Sunday pizza night that cuts its $13 wood-fired pizzas down to $10 each.
Highs: We were generally impressed by 800 Maple's scallops. Two appetizer dishes we ordered, the grilled, citrus honey-glazed Sea Scallops ($13) and a special menu version with candied shells, walnuts, and apples, were both very good, with oversized, perfectly cooked pieces of seafood that had been attractively scattered around miniature salads and sauces. While both were too pricey given that they included merely four scallops, and the special menu version was decidedly better than the one on the regular menu, both served their purposes.
Other diners at our large table enjoyed items ranging from the fried Wienerschnitzel-like Chicken Milanese ($20), pounded, breaded, and fried chicken cutlets with a large topping of arugula salad, to the least expensive entree, a $9 "Eight Hundred Burger," Angus beef served plainly with french fries, a choice of one of three cheeses, plus lettuce, tomato and onions. Our taste of the Milanese yielded no surprises, but the chicken was certainly not sparing in quantity. Similarly, though the salad and other prices were high, the plates were generally well-proportioned; 800 Maple was generous in dispensing baskets of meal inclusive bread, dominated by plain sliced loaves but accented by colorful strips of cheese and either tomato or vegetable bread, which we could have eaten in much larger quantities.
We were most impressed by the restaurant's friendly service. Our server struck us as patient, friendly, and attentive; we didn't lack for drink refills or other attention throughout the course of our meal. In approach, 800 Maple struck us as a somewhat more casual, less bar-focused version of Siena, albeit with a similar disposition.
Lows: While we wouldn't describe 800 Maple's pizzas as "bad" in the grand scheme of things, we also weren't hugely impressed by them, and that's after trying four different versions: the Louie is shown in our pictures as close to a square, blending chicken, spinach, and too few hot peppers with garlic oil and cheese, while the Anthony is shown rounder, combining red peppers, onions, spinach and pesto with goat cheese. Both were fine, but not memorable. Others, including the Michael - arugula, onions, pesto, and garlic with reggiano cheese - and a customized version of the Nicky, a typical pepperoni and cheese pizza replaced in meat here by sausage, struck us as unusually sweet in taste, the latter due to a homemade tomato paste that reminded us of experiences in Japanese Italian restaurants.
To be clear, we're fans of wood oven pizzas, and we've liked Siena's options - as well as many others, at different restaurants - in the past. Surely, the ability to get these for $10 a piece on special mitigates our feelings somewhat, as well. But we wouldn't pay the normal $13 asking price for them, nor would we consider most of them worthy of the $14.25 prices at Siena or similar prices at out-of-area chains such as California Pizza Kitchen. These are merely decent, and deserving of discounting.
The Verdict: Our feelings on 800 Maple were mixed; this is clearly a restaurant with a chef who knows how to do "upscale" in both selection and presentation, plus a menu that entices you with the prospect of a fancy meal in nice surroundings. If you're the type of diner who's willing to pay a premium for looks, you'll be satisfied with what 800 Maple has to offer; if taste and value are bigger concerns, there are better places to get wood-fired pizzas and the same items, even if they're not always as attractively presented as these.
