Check, Please: Farewell From Your Friends At Buffalo Chow

When we started Buffalo Chow two years ago, we had a simple goal: improve the quality of food journalism in Western New York. And we tackled this goal with aplomb, spotlighting hundreds of restaurants with detailed, objective reviews and photographs...

Posted on March 23, 2010

Affordable Caribbean In Humble Buffalo Trappings: Mobay's

To call Mobay's one of Western New York's undiscovered culinary gems would be a little too generous, but there's little doubt that this Caribbean restaurant's location and venue have kept it from receiving the attention it deserves. Inconspicuously located next...

Posted on March 14, 2010

Buffalo's 31 Club, A Classic Reborn With Style And Good Food

Reincarnating an old brand only makes sense when it was truly well-known and well-liked, and the Thirty One Club (aka 31 Club) fits that bill: from the 1940's to the 1980's, the restaurant at 31 North Johnson Park in Buffalo...

Posted on March 2, 2010

SoCal Chow: Kogi BBQ + Bass Pro Shops, Or, On Surprises

A funny thing happened on our way back to Buffalo from testing Apple's new iPad in San Francisco this week: a snowstorm. Given the choice of being stranded in Las Vegas overnight or staying with family in Southern California, we...

Posted on January 31, 2010

So-So Buffalo Mexican: Elmwood Taco & Subs + Cozumel Grill

As much as we love Buffalo's Elmwood Avenue, we're not blind to its strengths and weaknesses. Eclectic indie shops? Check. Fun places to eat and drink heavily? Check. One of Buffalo's best farmers' markets? Big check. Good Mexican food? Ch......

Posted on December 26, 2009

Update: Five Guys In 2010 + Replies From Other Top Chains

We were thrilled by the response to this week's list of Ten Great Chain Restaurants Buffalo Should Pursue: readers added many great suggestions, including Yard House, Mongolian BBQ, Legal Seafood, California Pizza Kitchen, and Joe's Crab Shack, amongst others, but...

Posted on December 19, 2009

Gabriel's Gate: Big Ribs + Great Wings With A Unique Recipe

If you've been reading Buffalo Chow for any length of time, you probably know that we're serious chicken wing fans: from local bars and take-outs to famous wing places in foreign countries, we're always looking for the next great wing....

Posted on December 9, 2009

Rue Franklin: Buffalo's High-Water Mark For French Cuisine

Strictly speaking, the word sublime means "awe-inspiring excellence," but we often say it to denote the sort of greatness that sneaks up on you - delicacy that increases in impressiveness as you consider it further. In that sense of the...

Posted on November 7, 2009

Spicy Tuna Saves Elmwood's Me-Too Tokyo Shanghai Bistro

We're close to purists when it comes to Asian cuisines, but we make exceptions for certain especially excellent fusion items, and Japanese spicy tuna rolls are generally at the top of that list. For whatever reason, however, the spicy tuna...

Posted on October 25, 2009

Update: Duff's Depew + Anchor Bar's Buffalo Airport Locations

As this year's National Buffalo Wing Festival has successfully concluded - more successfully than ever before, with over 92,000 attendees versus the prior year's 78,000 - it's time for a brief update on two franchised locations of Western New York's...

Posted on September 9, 2009

National Buffalo Wing Festival 2009: An Opinionated Roundup

Last year, we took a fairly exhaustive, four-part look at the National Buffalo Wing Festival (1, 2, 3, 4), which we noted hadn't blown us away on wing quality, but certainly impressed us in scope, as well as in branding...

Posted on September 5, 2009

National Buffalo Wing Festival: Photos, And What to Expect

Want to know what the National Buffalo Wing Festival looks like? Held at Coca-Cola Park in Buffalo, NY over the two-day leadup to Labor Day, this event hosted over 30 different vendors of chicken wings and wing-related foods. We've posted...

Posted on September 5, 2009

Ming Cafe: Strong Chinese At A Tiny, Pricey Buffalo Venue

By comparison with other parts of the country, Western New York is value-obsessed: sometimes, we are collectively so fixated on prices that quality becomes a second or third consideration. Consequently, whereas this area used to have a nice mix of...

Posted on September 4, 2009

Elmwood Additions: Zillycakes + Captain Jack's Fish N Chips

When friends and readers ask us about recently-opened local restaurants, we're torn: on one hand, we want to offer immediate impressions as soon as they've opened - if they're selling to the public, the public deserves to know - but...

Posted on August 30, 2009

Elmwood Avenue Festival of the Arts: In Brief, For Foodies

We hadn't expected to wind up at the Elmwood Avenue Festival of the Arts this weekend - it just happened to be taking place when we stopped off at Elmwood for cupcakes and some fish and chips (see our separate...

Posted on August 30, 2009

Markets: Clinton Bailey, Bidwell Parkway & Williamsville

For decades, Western New Yorkers have debated the correct balance between supporting local businesses and patronizing national ones. Some people - many, actually - err on the side of buying as much as possible from smaller neighborhood and village shops,...

Posted on August 22, 2009

Lake Effect Diner's Retro Curves, Neat Menu Merit A Visit

When you're sitting in the middle of something that looks like a diner - more specifically, a restaurant that calls itself a diner - the question, "what exactly is a diner?" doesn't normally come to mind. But as we closed...

Posted on August 15, 2009

Buffalo Brewfest: Four Terrific Hours, 100 Regional Beers

After drinking 60 ounces of beer - roughly four pints - you're not supposed to feel smarter than you were before you started; even standing up may be a challenge. Yet three hours after we paid our admission fee, received...

Posted on August 11, 2009

At Arby's, Curly Fries & Milkshakes Surpass Sandwiches

Before we say anything else about Arby's, we want to make one thing clear: it mightn't be the biggest or the most popular fast food restaurant chain out there, but we like it. For years, the roast beef-focused Arby's has...

Posted on August 11, 2009

Is Wendy's Content To Be Number 3, Or Thinking Bigger?

Oh, to be back in the 1980's, the halcyon days of fast food - when "burger wars" made the covers of national magazines, and big chains fought to see whose oddball character - Wendy's old "Where's the Beef?" lady, Burger...

Posted on August 11, 2009

A Joint Statement: Buffalo Chow & Nelson Starr on Buffalo

Every Buffalonian shares a common interest: we all want to see Western New York represented honestly, and as a great place to visit or live. We come from many ethnicities and races, cultures and neighborhoods, but whatever differences we may...

Posted on July 31, 2009

At Franco's Pizza, Square Surprises Come in White Boxes

Of the dozen or so foods that just taste different - and better - in Western New York, pizza is probably the one that varies the most. No matter which pizzeria you choose around here, unless you're specifically hunting for...

Posted on July 29, 2009

How Anthony Bourdain Blew It On Buffalo & The Rust Belt

Up until recently, we were fans of Anthony Bourdain - we've read his books, watched his TV show No Reservations, and enjoyed his "we'll do things differently" attitude. He's the sort of guy who likes to cover a city like...

Posted on July 28, 2009

Buffalo Italian Heritage Festival: Fair Fare In Little Italy

After Sobieski's conspicuous sponsorship of Dyngus Day led us to discover the company's legitimately great vodka, we were convinced: corporate sponsorship of local festivals isn't necessarily a bad thing. Sure, there's something about the "Sorrento Cheese Buffalo Italian Heritage Festival"...

Posted on July 16, 2009

Taste of Buffalo 2009 Wrap-Up: What Worked, What Didn't

Like the rain that started Saturday morning, the 2009 Taste of Buffalo swept into Niagara Square and disappeared almost as quickly as it arrived, offering all-too-brief glimpses at over 65 participating area businesses. You've already seen our reports on the...

Posted on July 13, 2009

Taste of Buffalo 2009 Guide, Pt. 1: American & Italian Food

If there's anything certain about the annual Taste of Buffalo, it's this: you're guaranteed to find plenty of American and Italian offerings to choose from, including everything from local favorites and Southern cooking to upscale items. This first part of...

Posted on July 12, 2009

Taste of Buffalo 2009 Guide, Pt. 2: Far-Flung Ethnic Foods

With over 220 items on offer at the 2009 Taste of Buffalo, it's easy for even hard-core foodies to find items that they mightn't have tried before. In this second part of a three-part series on some of the many...

Posted on July 12, 2009

Taste of Buffalo 2009 Guide, Pt. 3: Desserts & Drinks

As much as we love the appetizer and entree choices at every year's Taste of Buffalo, we always - always - save room for desserts, and try our best to sample some of the drink options from local cafes and...

Posted on July 12, 2009

Taste of Buffalo 2009: Buffalo Chow's Golden Fork Awards

Cloudy and rainy though it may have been, water didn't keep excited crowds from showing up to experience the 2009 Taste of Buffalo, which kicked off today and runs through Sunday, July 12, 2009. Of course, Buffalo Chow had a...

Posted on July 11, 2009

Guide to Taste of Buffalo 2009: What, Where, When & How

Thinking of attending the 2009 Taste of Buffalo? If you're in Western New York, of course you are! So we've put together a list of quick links that will hopefully help you get ready for this two-day event - the...

Posted on July 11, 2009

As At Taste of India, So-So Indian At Buffalo's India Gate

Having spent many hours dining in Western New York's Indian restaurants over the years, one stood out from the rest due to location: Buffalo's India Gate, the Elmwood Avenue location of Amherst's Taste of India. By way of background, we'll...

Posted on July 9, 2009

Italian Institution: Chef's Small Menu Offers Big Rewards

Buffalo has its fair share of old restaurants, but ones that are classics in the best sense of that word are few and far between. Chef's is, without question, a bona-fide classic. Even though Western New Yorkers can choose from...

Posted on July 8, 2009

Saigon Cafe, A Buffalo Cousin to Two Suburban Viet-Thais

Thank you, reader Amanda, for your simultaneously nice and thought-provoking comment: "if not for you, I never would have ventured out of the city to try sushi at Fuji Grill." Amazing as it is, there still seems to be a...

Posted on June 24, 2009

Sample: Some Culinary Creativity in Super-Small Portions

Small dishes may well be the next big thing in restaurant dining, letting customers experience more during a meal while eating less of each item. China has dim sum, Spain has tapas, and Buffalo has a lot of... well, something...

Posted on June 15, 2009

Allentown Art Festival Food: What & Where to Eat & Drink

As long-time fans of Buffalo's Allentown Art Festival, we make our annual trip in mid-June for the art, not the food, but there's always an initial question: what will we be eating and drinking there? The official Art Festival website...

Posted on June 14, 2009

Elmwood's Wasabi Offers Great Sushi, But Fewer Options

Despite the growth of dedicated izayakas, curry shops, noodle parlors and shabu-shabu restaurants elsewhere in the United States and Japan, Western New Yorkers have three primary options for Japanese food: sushi, hibachi, and tempura-teriyaki houses, plus places that do two...

Posted on May 25, 2009

On A Park's Edge, Scharf's Bland German Is Slowly Fading

Since 1967, the German-American Scharf's Restaurant has been located at the end of a dead-end street in a residential neighborhood, sitting right on the edge of Buffalo's Schiller Park. Forty-two years later, the first thing we notice on the building...

Posted on May 20, 2009

At 141, Ulrich's Serves German Like A Spry 85-Year-Old

After serving customers for 141 years - over 100 years under the current name - it's not entirely surprising when a business celebrates another birthday. Yet given the physical and demographic changes wrought around Ulrich's Tavern at Ellicott and Virginia...

Posted on May 17, 2009

WNY Italian, Built At Guercio's, Or Cooked At Santasiero's

Look. It's right there, in the first picture. Can you guess what it is? Hint: Santasiero's has sold this item in Buffalo for decades, and we know people who actually trekked in from the suburbs to bring it home to...

Posted on May 10, 2009

At China King, Cheap, Forgettable Chinese Food In Quarts

No matter how much we have come to appreciate the culinary traditions of Japan, Thailand, Vietnam and Korea, Chinese food will forever have a special place in our hearts. It was the first of the Asian cuisines to really gain...

Posted on May 4, 2009

One Room, Two Bellies, 15 Pizzerias: Buffalo's Pizza-Fest

We came. We saw. We ate - probably too much. And after the two of us had finished nine total slices of pizza at Buffalo Pizza-Fest, a weekend event held at the Hearthstone Manor in Depew, we didn't feel as...

Posted on May 2, 2009

Hot or Frozen, Spot's Coffee Soothes In Flavor & Freshness

Published statistics suggest that Americans consume 400 million cups of coffee per day, an average of 1.3 cups per person that accounts for 75% of all caffeine consumed in this country. Of course, not every cup is the same: some...

Posted on May 1, 2009

Novel Gelatos & Good Cookies Elevate Elmwood's Dolci

How often can a person visit two similar but sharply contrasting businesses on the same street just by walking a couple of blocks? Start at the center of Elmwood Avenue - say, around the Globe Market - and locate Delish,...

Posted on April 30, 2009

Having Caught The Eye, Delish Mightn't Sate The Tongue

Of all the dessert shops we've visited in Western New York, Delish on Elmwood may well be the most compelling from the outside: it was in fact so interesting from a distance that we found ourselves peeking into the nearby...

Posted on April 30, 2009

News: Spot Coffee's Williamsville Debut, 2 Chinese Updates

After many months of waiting and the unexpected opening of a very good competitor just down the street, Spot Coffee has finally announced the grand opening date for its Main Street, Williamsville location: Friday, May 1, 2009. Even given the...

Posted on April 29, 2009

Fourteen iPhone Apps For Buffalo's Foodies and Drinkers

Every once in a long while, our work at iPhone and iPod web site iLounge overlaps with our coverage at Buffalo Chow, and this is a prime example: an article discussing 14 different food and drink applications for the iPhone...

Posted on April 22, 2009

Elmwood, II: Sweet Tooth, Beer Merchant & Globe Market

In the first part of our two-part visit to food and drink destinations on Buffalo's Elmwood Avenue, we started at the Burchfield Penney Art Center's Orion Cafe and made our way down to the Towne Restaurant. This part looks briefly...

Posted on April 21, 2009

For T.G.I. Friday's, Glory Days of Flair & Food, Fading Fast

Restaurant critics have ignored chain restaurants for years in favor of local ones, a practice so pervasive that the Association of Food Journalists warns new freelance reviewers to ask their publications in advance whether chains are off-limits. At Buffalo Chow,...

Posted on April 20, 2009

Elmwood, I: From Burchfield Penney to Towne Restaurant

Three and a half miles separate the Burchfield Penney Art Center and the end of Elmwood Avenue. We know this because what started as a Saturday morning mission to dine at the Center's Orion Cafe unexpectedly became our weekend quest...

Posted on April 19, 2009

After Upgrades, Pano's Demonstrates Elmwood's Potential

At one point, Pano's was the quintessential Elmwood restaurant, blending in with the bohemian street's numerous shabby chic shops and cafes, its open patio welcoming late-night snackers, early morning brunchers, and everyone inbetween. Today, months after completing a substantial, long-obstructed...

Posted on April 18, 2009