Globe Market
762 Elmwood Ave., Buffalo, NY 14222
Web: Globe Market
Phone: 716.886.5242
Rating:    [learn more]
See More Restaurant Reviews For:
American Italian Salads Sandwiches

"We say 'no-nonsense' because the Market didn't try to load the sandwich up with garnishes: every bite contained a great balance of bread and sweet, mildly sauced pork."

No matter how stuffed we were from our earlier lunch at Pano's, there was something about Elmwood Avenue's Globe Market that really intrigued us last Saturday - enough for us to stop by on Sunday to pick up a few items, and then return with a group for another meal this weekend so that we could do a proper review. In short, we were impressed: every person enjoyed both their own food and what they sampled from others, with certain items meriting special praise. While the items from our first visit weren't as uniformly impressive, this is definitely one of the best salad and sandwich shops in the area, and a strong pick for a fresh lunch on the Elmwood strip.

Globe Market's initial appeal is definitely visual: a large, refrigerated glass display case filled with pre-prepared foods is the first thing your eyes will likely focus on after walking in the door, and those looking for ready-to-serve gourmet and near-gourmet dishes such as panko-encrusted ahi tuna, pie-shaped pieces of quiche, or squares of feta, artichoke and red pepper-enhanced macaroni and cheese will find them here. But the real action takes place behind the display case, where several employees serve fresh sandwiches, salads, and soups to order from Italian and American deli-style menu choices listed on oversized chalkboards, many with breads made on site.

The only such item we picked on our first visit was the Grilled Veggie Sandwich ($7.75), a sliced baguette with grilled and marinated eggplant, red peppers, and zucchini mixed with balsamic vinegar and pesto inside, plus a layer of goat cheese above them. Globe's fresh baguette was very good, as were the generously proportioned, properly roasted vegetables, mild goat cheese, and pine nut-based pesto, all of which worked together to form a sandwich that we'd order again any time. It took all of our strength not to just repeat the order on our second visit, but we felt obliged to sample other items.

And so we did. Globe Market's BBQ Pork Sandwich ($6.50) was a no-nonsense, somewhat hollowed-out hard white roll with generous scoops of finely shaved, sub-matchstick-sized pork inside, served with clusters of a light, spicy cole slaw, bright red corn chips, and a fresh pickle. We say "no-nonsense" because the Market didn't try to load the sandwich up with sauces, cheeses, or garnishes: every bite contained a great balance of crusty bread and sweet, mildly sauced pork. Though we still love hot, drippy pork sandwiches, and would vote for one in a competition, this one was entirely satisfying for what it was.

Similarly praiseworthy was a Portabella Sandwich ($7), combining a large, thick mushroom cap with a layer of melted swiss cheese, full leaves of spinach, and a light balsamic vinaigrette dressing on slices of foccacia - the latter offered as one of several possible substitutes by Globe because it had run out of baguettes. While the flat, mildly spiced foccacia wasn't the optimal bread layer for this sandwich, the portabella was so strong, meaty, and wonderfully balanced by the other flavors that it would have been impossible for even a carnivore to dislike. It too came with a handful of the red corn chips, which other than color were indistinguishable from other fresh tortilla chips.

Two salads were also big hits at our table. A Caprese Salad ($7) arrived in beautiful form, a large plate loaded with oversized chunks of fresh mozzarella and tomato atop lettuce, drenched with a light, sweet vinaigrette dressing and basil. Other than a slice of intentionally hard bread served on the side, and some subsequent overnight stomach discomfort that we suspect may have come from the cheese, the Caprese was wonderful and filling. By comparison, a Caesar Salad ($6) snuck up on us, looking utterly plain when it arrived and hiding most of its croutons beneath a bright green layer of lettuce; it turned out to contain a wonderfully garlicky, seemingly homemade dressing that some of us felt was amongst the best we've had locally.

Items from the aforementioned display case were comparatively hit and miss, due mostly to the obvious trade-off inherent in pre-prepared foods: freshness. On our first visit, we grabbed a piece of the goat cheese, broccoli, and roasted red pepper Quiche ($4.50), made with what tasted to be separately whipped egg yolks and whites, blended together into an interestingly dual-textured slice. We found it to be a little too light on flavor - fine, not bad. For our second visit, we went with a salad-like cup of green beans, red potatoes, tomatoes and olives, all coated in a light, sweet vinaigrette and served chilled; everyone at our table enjoyed the items, but they seemed more like mixed finger food snacks than parts of a proper salad.

The last item we tried from the case was a pre-made dessert, the Strawberry Shortcake ($5.50), twin layers of semi-soft but otherwise scone-like biscuit with cut strawberries and whipped cream in the center. Familiar as we are with varied recipes for this treat, we knew that it was one of several "proper" presentations, but not our favorite, and met with a mixed reception on our first visit: one of us was pleased but not blown away, while the other was disappointed. Due to its light sweetness and lack of any little sparkling touch like syrup, it wasn't a dessert that would stand out in a crowd or on the tongue. For our second visit, we passed on desserts here in favor of a visit to a dedicated Elmwood sweet shop, instead.

All in all, Globe Market is one of those "great when it's great, and pretty good to very good otherwise" sorts of restaurants - the type of place where patrons will be likely to have satisfying meals, and may even wind up with memorable ones. After a couple of visits, we're ready to go back again for more, and actively looking forward to doing so.