Rendering vs Reality: 600 D

Darn close. Alliance Advisory Group, Inc. and 600 Delaware, LLC purchased and renovated 600 Delaware...

More >> 45

Downtown Waterfront - it's

By Charles Gordon:Renewed interest in our Downtown waterfront has undeniably resulted in some improvement. Efforts...

More >> 38

Diocese Suspends Activities

My first glimpse of St. Ann's Roman Catholic Church on Broadway came in 2006, when...

More >> 28

March 2010 Archives

City March 31, 2010 4:07 PM

By: Kristen Becker

One of the real perks of living in Buffalo is that you are always just one or two people away from making something fantastic happen. That's what happened when Stacey Watson, Executive Director of South Buffalo Education Center (SBEC), sat down to enjoy a recent edition of Nickel City Chef. As luck would have it, Chef JJ Richert of Torches was competing, and Watson immediately recognized the opportunity to make a difference with her students at the SBEC.

If you are unfamiliar with the center, let me give you the back of the book. Founded in 2002 by NYS Assemblyman Mark J.F. Schroeder, SBEC has more than 500 graduates, making it top in the state for its work with high-risk youth who are not in school. Watson developed the Holistic Education curriculum, which focuses on personal as well as academic growth, for out-of-school youth

City March 31, 2010 3:23 PM

Beyond Ghosts promises a scary good time

Kim Sabshin 5

Looking for a night that defies explanation? Beyond Ghosts, an Internet radio program powered by CBS, is hosting its first ever Ghost Hunt and buffet dinner on Friday, August 13 at Shea's Performing Arts Center. Doors will open at around 5:30-6pm, with dinner to follow at around 6:30pm. After a short lecture, the Ghost Hunt will begin around 8:15pm.

Tickets cost $85 per person. This includes the cost of food, a lecture that explains and provides proof of paranormal activity from past experiences in Buffalo historical sites, a question and answer session and group discussion,

food March 31, 2010 2:46 PM

From Scratch: Jam

Christa Glennie Seychew 0

For some, making jam or jelly from scratch might be an annual effort when favorite fruits are in season. I have always thought of jam as something that required preserving, either through canning or freezing procedures. It had actually never occurred to me that you could make jam and simply enjoy it today--until I heard about the fresh jam served by Executive Chef Jen Boye of the Mansion on Delaware Avenue. Arguably, The Mansion offers Buffalo's finest accommodations. A highly-regarded boutique hotel, it provides guests with impeccable service and elegant lodging in an architecturally

City March 31, 2010 2:24 PM

Bloom Floristry Opens Tomorrow

queenseyes 2 1

Tomorrow marks the grand opening of an impressive floral boutique on Main Street. The business is located in the equally impressive Granite Works building, and adds to the dynamics already established by neighboring commercial entity, Just Vino. Bloom Floristry Creative Director Orlando Diaz is energized with the notion of bringing a full service special event floral boutique and urban living center to the Medical District. He's been busy arranging the cut flowers and bouquets, along with the vast home accessories,

City March 31, 2010 1:45 PM

City to Show Plans for Niagara Street Traffic Calming

RaChaCha 23

Regular readers of Buffalo Rising have seen articles from time to time about efforts underway to improve the Niagara Street corridor from Busti Avenue up to Black Rock and Riverside. From upgrades to Broderick Park, to efforts to improve the waterfront and Riverwalk, to business development ideas, to revitalizing

Recent Photos[ BR Flickr ]

lifestyle March 31, 2010 12:14 PM

Cowboy Junkies to Play Asbury Hall at Babeville

Vanessa Oswald 0

The Cowboy Junkies, a Canadian quartet formed in 1985, comprised of three siblings Michael, Margo, and Peter Timmins, along with longtime friend Alan Anton, have known each other since Kindergarten.

"When you've known somebody that long it's kind of hard to pretend you're someone else," said Alan Anton. "It's kept everyone in check over the years. The family dynamic makes us a lot tighter."

As full-time artists, they have consistently been releasing music from the start up until now, hardly taking any breaks. They have grown together and progressed, transforming into their

City March 31, 2010 8:17 AM

Progress Report: Minnow Pools & Creekside Trail

Buffalo Rising 3

By Richard Wade:

The Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy, which is in charge of the management and operation of The Olmsted Parks System by The City of Buffalo and Erie County, continues to take the responsibility seriously. The Conservancy hasn't allowed a potentially tumultuous contract negotiation with the City of Buffalo to hamper their upcoming Capital Projects; slated for the Scajaquada Creekside Trail and The Riverside Park Minnow Pools (now being called RiverRock Gardens) of which they held two recent public meetings, on March 15 and March 24 respectively, to present

City March 30, 2010 9:49 PM

Tomorrow, the City of Buffalo will initiate (finally) a Domestic Partner Registry!

queenseyes 25

What does this mean? According to Kitty Lambert (OUTSpoken for Equality) it's a great step, but at the same time it's not enough. And why is it not enough? Because there are still politicians who continue to deny equal rights to the LGBT community. From Kitty:

First, I want to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of both Councilman Rivera and Councilman LoCurto. Progress in our city has been slow and arduous.

We are the LAST major municipality to have this benefit offered to it's employees in NY State.

Initially it was just the registry

City March 30, 2010 5:29 PM

Bringing Back Utilitarian Beauty

queenseyes 52

When Buffalonian4Life (that's his real name, but he also goes by The Rake), posted on a 700-block construction watch back in June, people got a good taste as to what The City can do to beautify our streetscapes (the right way). There appeared to be more room for trees to grow within street islands, there were bike lanes, and more mature trees were added (in the islands) instead of the saplings that never make it through a winter. Finally a street looked like it should... or at least it was a great start.

City March 30, 2010 1:57 PM

Boom Days 2010 - The Other Ball Drop

queenseyes 2

Kicking off the city's various summer-long waterfront celebrations is the uniquely Buffalo event Boom Days (April 15-17, 2010). By now we all know what the ice boom is (here's an interesting discussion), but have we all experienced, first hand, this event that marks the arrival of spring? Since this is a relatively new event for Buffalo, I thought that I would share some

food March 30, 2010 1:16 PM

Perry's Launches New Line

Christa Glennie Seychew 0

Gelato is an increasingly popular Italian treat which differs from American ice cream in that it is made with more whole milk than cream. Though this means the butterfat content is somewhat lower (which is different from the overall fat content of the product), gelato is made using a slower churning method, so the gelato itself is typically more dense than ice cream. Also, because of the lower butterfat content, gelato doesn't coat your mouth the same way traditional ice cream does, which has the effect

City March 30, 2010 11:35 AM

BPD Bike Bazaar

queenseyes 0

Each spring, the Buffalo Police Department takes all of the bikes that it has amassed (through one form or another) and gets them back out on the street. These bikes can range from real clunkers to quality fixer-uppers to just add air rides.

I spoke to Green Option Buffalo's Justin Booth who went to one of the auctions a few years back. He told me that about 40 people showed up to bid on the bikes, and that bidding started at $1 for each. The majority of the bikes sold for $10 and under, though a few of them went for upwards of $90. If you

City March 30, 2010 11:26 AM

State of the County Community Meeting Tonight

RaChaCha 1

Erie County Legislator Betty Jean Grant is sponsoring a community-based panel discussion this evening at the Merriweather Library, to talk about County-level issues and initiatives that are impacting the community.

The presenters and presentations will include:

-The Erie County Holding Center - the

Real Estate March 30, 2010 10:30 AM

Construction Watch: Amherst Station

WCPerspective 3

Cazenovia Recovery Systems is putting the finishing touches on its Amherst Station project at 2665-71 Main Street. Two adjoining masonry buildings have been renovated to create office space for the agency on the first floor and twenty-four apartments, nineteen one-bedroom and five, two-bedroom units. The development is located across Main Street from the Amherst Street light rail station.

/2010/03/index.html

City March 30, 2010 8:55 AM

Monday Mystery Solved: The Liberty Building

Buffalonian4life 7

In yesterday's "Monday Mystery-Where is it?" post, BRO readers were asked to identify this building:
Congratulations to RaChaCha for coming up with the right answer; "I'm thinking

City March 29, 2010 5:45 PM

Monday Mystery- Where is It?

Buffalonian4life 10 1

How well do you know Buffalo? How about this particular building?
I'll put up an occasional picture of a city building, site or vista and let you guess where it is located. Consider it a test. Some will be easier than others.
Check back for the answer.

City March 29, 2010 5:34 PM

'Local' Hits Close To Home for UB

queenseyes 14 1

University at Buffalo has an interesting dilemma on the table that will have a big effect on a local business no matter what the final decision is. UB has issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) to land a car sharing service on campus. When it comes to car share, there are few heavy hitters in the industry. Some of those companies are placing bids to land the deal. One local company has also entered the ring - Buffalo CarShare - a company that was founded by seven UB students and was a finalist (while all seven were at the university, six are currently

lifestyle March 29, 2010 4:31 PM

Buffalo Rising: Comments, Anonymity and Civility

Buffalo Rising 82 1

Like any successful website or blog with comments, we generate a fair amount of comment controversy. We have valuable commenters who make the site better. We have trolls who perpetually criticize everything and everyone without adding much value to the conversations. And we have some commenters who alternate between those two positions. By and large, we think the commenter community we've cultivated here is the best in Western New York. It's certainly a lot better than what the Buffalo

City March 29, 2010 2:32 PM

"Merge" with a New Tennis League!

Justine Smith 1

When you think of 'Merge Restaurant', fresh food, a cozy yet sophisticated dining space, art and local music probably come to mind. Here's a new idea to associate with Merge - tennis! Beginning this May, Merge will offer its first ever tennis league.

Per usual, Merge, owned by

food March 29, 2010 1:34 PM

From Scratch: Ketchup

Christa Glennie Seychew 38

"From Scratch" is a series of articles that will run this week on Buffalo Rising's Food & Dining channel. I was inspired by a local business that is making something from scratch which I found unexpected, but we'll cover that story later this week. It got me thinking about all of the chefs I know who make things that most of us forget actually require a method or recipe, items like today's subject--ketchup.

Americans love ketchup. Up until a few years ago--when it was replaced by salsa--ketchup was our nation's favorite condiment. While the sauce gods would certainly