Entries from Buffalo Chow tagged with 'Fine Dining'

Williamsville's 78 Degrees West: Familiar Location, So-So Food

Since Zetti's Pizza & Pasta lasted for only three months in an expansive Transit Road location before shutting down last December, the building's new occupant 78 Degrees West doesn't have much of a record to beat. But even though we...

Posted on March 12, 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

At Elmwood's Nektar, Splendid Desserts Cap Pleasing Meals

On very rare occasion, a good meal ends so well that we find ourselves anxious to return again immediately, and this week, we had one of those experiences at Nektar on Elmwood in Buffalo. In brief, Nektar presents a familiar...

Posted on February 14, 2010

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

Verbena Grille: On The Upswing, Standing Out In Williamsville

Though we could say as much about many other restaurants, we really weren't sure what to expect as we headed to visit Williamsville's Verbena Grille. Located on the former site of Daffodil's on Maple Road, this place had apparently undergone...

Posted on September 16, 2009

A Flair For Presentation Helps Kenmore's Torches Glow

Even in Western New York, where the traditions of fine dining are now frequently relaxed to accommodate a more casual clientele, many patrons still have certain expectations for big-ticket meals. Starting in its parking lot, Kenmore's Torches ticks off most...

Posted on August 29, 2009

As Chefs & Times Change, So Do Oliver's Focus & Flavors

"Your grandfather ate here when he was her age," said Dad, reflecting on both our young daughter's image in the semi-mirrored walls of Oliver's Restaurant, and the 73-year-old venue's debut on the Buffalo fine dining scene; "my brothers and I...

Posted on March 31, 2009

At Tempo, Upscale Dishes and Service Quicken The Heart

No matter how much a restaurant or critic tries to focus patrons' attention on a famous head chef or owner, the ultimate measures of a gourmet venue are not the people, but their products: the food and the overall dining...

Posted on March 27, 2009

Great Expectations, Partially Met at Small, Popular Hutch's

"Transcendent," explains the American Association of Food Journalists in its definition of a four-star restaurant, "a one-of-a-kind, world-class experience." We've eaten at such breathtaking restaurants. We can even recall the cities they were in, the items we ordered, and the...

Posted on March 25, 2009

A Steakhouse In Roseland's Shadow: The Fair Prime 490

Buffalo has long enjoyed more than its fair share of beloved Italian restaurants, and for years Rhode Island Street hosted one of them: Romanello's Roseland, a family-owned, upscale place that was more noteworthy for its great food than for the...

Posted on March 25, 2009

Historic Eagle House Soars With Strong Food, Great Venue

Thanks to a combination of fond memories and less than kind gossip, The Eagle House has been idling on our "to do" list for months. We still recall visiting this 180-year-old restaurant on Main Street in Williamsville back 25 years...

Posted on March 22, 2009

For Surf or Turf, Marinaccio's is Unpredictable, Intriguing

During the many years we drove past this place on Main Street, we knew it as The Little White House - a large, imposing, and historic restaurant that we'd never actually visited. But in 2003, the building was renovated and...

Posted on March 22, 2009

Fondue, or Don't? Expensive, Unique Meals at Melting Pot

If you think you understand fondue, Switzerland's centuries-old molten cheese dip, think again: it may have peaked in American popularity a few decades ago, but a chain called The Melting Pot - recently opened in Cheektowaga's Walden Galleria Mall -...

Posted on March 7, 2009

Kennedy's Cove: A Homey But Pricey Clarence Steakhouse

Like many of Buffalo's decades-old restaurants, Kennedy's Cove has a reputation: specifically, it has been said to offer steakhouse-quality steaks at half the price of other local steakhouses. We hoped that this was true. Thanks to its Main Street, Clarence...

Posted on February 19, 2009

At Trattoria Aroma, Consistently Good, Classy Italian Fare

Western New York has no shortage of perpetually busy Italian-American restaurants, and though there are some exceptional places that people are willing to drive out of their way to enjoy, there are very strong others that attract steady crowds with...

Posted on January 15, 2009

You Want to Know: Western New York's Best Steakhouse Is...

Many Western New York restaurants serve steak, yet few would call themselves "steakhouses" in the classical sense of that word - a boast of expertise in serving perfectly cut and prepared meats. This week, Buffalo Chow's editors tackled a long...

Posted on December 30, 2008

Steak-Off: Buffalo Chophouse, A Step Above In All Regards

Broil a steakhouse down to its core and you wind up with L'Entrecote, famed French restaurants that ask patrons for nothing more than their preferred level of doneness and choice of drinks; there, the cut of beef and its sides...

Posted on December 30, 2008

Steak-Off: Nice Service, Decent Plates Await at E.B. Green's

If you love steak as we do, you've surely noticed that in-flight magazines are packed these days with ads touting "top 10 steakhouse" awards from people you've never heard of. E.B. Green's Steakhouse has received one of those awards -...

Posted on December 30, 2008

Steak-Off: Hyde Park Offers Fatty Meat, Sub-Prime Service

Prior to the opening of Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse in the newer, more upscale wing of the Walden Galleria mall, we weren't aware that it was part of an Ohio-based chain, that it planned to offer both food and decor...

Posted on December 30, 2008

A Slow Pace and So-So Food Shrink Le Metro's Population

Things change. People change. So do restaurants. Williamsville's Le Metro, once known more for its coffees and baked goods than its bar and dining, has over the years evolved into a typical supper club - albeit a good one -...

Posted on August 23, 2008

At 800 Maple, Waiting For Discounted Pizzas is Wise

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...

Posted on August 21, 2008

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