I've been around many restaurants both as an employee and patron and none have made a more favorable impression. Cole's and Oliver's are the longest running and most popular restaurants of my awareness.

A long time ago I, was a waiter at Oliver's , the home of power lunches of the rich and famous, The last time I was there it seemed the place had the same uniqueness it had always offered.

With the Park Lane closing only two of the three remaining dining institutions are left.

Olivers too often gets passed over when the 'best list' gets discussed. The image is unfairly one of stuffiness and an older persons restaurant. Niether could be farther from the truth. This institution has remained a top dining destination for years and the food and beverage programs are exactly what is current in NYC. (Where I happen to work and dine frequently)

The menu here has changed far more often then a few other so called great restaurants in Buffalo.

In my humble opinion the top three in Buffalo not in any particular order are Oliver's, Bacchus and Tempo.

Hey Viking, You better throw Chef's in there or you will get blasted.

Hutch's, Mother's and Left Bank have also been widely respected for many years.

Oliver's is often overlooked...a classic, top-shelf restaurant with great atmosphere and service--especially the bartenders...they're REAL bartenders who know how to make a cocktail. It's also been the training grounds for MANY of Buffalo's top chefs...Mark Hutchinson and Michael Andrejewski (sp) to name a couple.

I have had the pleasure of working with "Olivers" catering division on several occasions now at the "Historical Society" site. This crew blew me away with their level of professionalism. As wonderful as the main restaurant is, anyone who has their event/party catered by "Olivers" will not have a worry in the world

Not so much Christa. Two of those places you mentioned are the most overated restaurants in the city or any where as far as that goes. Shabby and uneducated service, pedestrian food and overall lack of professionalism.

And I am not talking about Hutch's of course.

VGS-

I'm sorry that you feel that way. Regardless of perception, all restaurants have bad nights, and sometimes less than great service. As a consumer, unless celebrating a specific date, it is wise to be choosy when it comes to picking which day of the week you dine out. Consider things like when did their shipment of fish come in (and everything else, for that matter), when is there top-notch staff on (but it's not too busy), when can you get a great table without being wedged between other diners? These are all important things to consider for someone that enjoys the experience of dining out.

When I interviewed Henry Gorino, the man who has owned and successfully operated Oliver's for the last twenty four years, we discussed the amazing number of good restaurants Buffalo is blessed with in comparison to the size of our city.

And just a note...here at BRM we feel that any influence we may have (no matter how small) over where people choose to eat is a responsibility. We would never, in any way, want to contribute to a restaurant losing potential customers. If we don not enjoy a restaurant, we simply do not write about it. If we enjoy the bulk of our experience, we choose to leave out the negatives. We are not critics, but rather foodies. Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Christa Seychew BRM YUM! Editor

Christa I understand and respect BRO Yum policy. I realize it is your goal to promote our area, but when you post it is our job as bloggers to toss our opinions around. I have spent my entire life around restaurants of every level and I certainly would not post a comment about a restaurant based on just a few experiences. I never indicated that I went to these places once and caught them on a bad night. My criticisms were of an overall general tone and they happen to be based on going to these places and other "higly touted" places for years. It is just my opinion that two of the restaurants you mentioned have an uneducated staff, average food and lack of inspiration for what they do. They have become tired and content. The restaurant scene in Buffalo is slightly better than it should be I will agree, but don't get ahead of yourself.

I have to totally agree with VGS. I believe that those two restaurants, which I've patronized many times, are the two most overrated places in Buffalo for exactly the reasons stated. While I love the atmosphere of both, I've never been blown away by a meal or the service at either. In fact, the service is often embarrassing.

While I agree that no place can offer exceptional food and service every time, and even the best have a bad day, Christa's point makes no sense. The freshness of the food and competence of the staff etc. are related to the quality of management and/or ownership. To think that a diner needs to think out a plan ahead of time with regard to these things is silly. Like any business, good management ensures quality regularly, not just when the "A" team is on the schedule. I've been out of the restaurant management business for 15 years but saw this first hand many times.

Oliver's is truly in a different class. I've dined there only about 6-7 times, but every meal is memorable. Louie is the real deal behind the bar and Chris is a wonderful chef.

I came to YUM tonight to help me decide where to go with 2 friends for dinner. I'll be at the bar at Oliver's, and with any luck, Louie will be mixing my drinks!

Keep up the good work Christa. I love the reviews.

The Radice brothers were the owners of old, but does anyone know who the original ownership was? (That's for Oliver's )