Like hot sauce? Love chili? Are you a fan of Allentown? And live music? How 'bout supporting local farmers? This Sunday, right after the Bills game, you can do all of these things just by attending the second annual Chili Challenge hosted by a newly launched hot sauce brand called HeadStone Heat. The spicy sauce got its start thanks to a bit of trial by fire in bohemian Allentown, with inspiration from the hot local music scene and the neighborhood's unique fiery character. Befittingly, the contest is being held at Nietszche's - 248 Allen Street.
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Before I announce the winner of the Naval Museum's restaurant naming contest (yeah, I know it's in the headline), I must say that I am overwhelmed with the number of responses that were submitted, as were Jason and Mike - hence the two-day delay in the announcement. There were hundreds of suggestions and personal notes that went along with the emails, which showed just how endeared people are becoming to the waterfront. I must also add that the heartfelt hopes to win were not taken lightly - your enthusiasm

Situated right across from the Convention Center, and a stone's throw from City Hall, Frankie Mohawk's brings to downtown a quality pub and bistro that should attract the suits by day and a solid happy hour crowd in the early evening. Since the newly opened establishment (with full bar) is located near the epicenter of the city, the interior design has been created to reflect a metropolitan feel without being overly stuffy. The brass handrails and protruding canned lighting, the wood paneled ceiling and backbar, and vaulted windows pay homage to the circa 1916 building. The old bar (complete with

By Green Options Buffalo:
For the last two years, a growing group of bicyclists and local food enthusiasts have gathered in a parking lot near the Scajaquada bike path on a September Saturday morning. They put on their t-shirts, grab some snacks and drinks and gear up for a 30-mile bicycle excursion visiting local food growers, both urban and rural, called the Tour de Farms.
With Independent Health as its title sponsor, this years' 3rd annual Tour de Farms is shaping up to be the biggest yet. The Tour stops at three select urban farming

Up until this point we've been waiting to hear what the new Naval and Servicemen's Park's restaurant will be called. When I spoke to proprietor Jason Davidson over the weekend, he felt that it would be a good idea to hold a naming contest similar to the one that was held for Clinton's Dish earlier this summer. Jason and his partner Mike Shatzel have been batting around a few ideas, but nothing has stuck so far. Seeing that they want to have the establishment open for part of the Sabres season, and work is nearly underway to build out the interior, the name needs to be finalized soon. 
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Forgive us if you're already a part of the movement, but we've still got some work to do to put one of Buffalo's own food trucks on the national scene in a huge way. Lloyd Taco Truck is currently in third place in the Food Network contest, The Great Food Truck Race, but they led the pack at the top spot for some time. They held first place for over a week before dropping to second, and then third, where they have been for the past week.

Click here to vote for Lloyd: http://foodtrucks.teamdigital.com/?t=514You

Although Mango'z is officially open, the restaurant is only offering a stripped down version of the menu (see history). In lieu of a server and paper menus, warming trays have been set up with an attendant who is versed in the food offerings. Today Mango'z was serving up coconut rice and beans, jasmine rice, curry zucchini, baked plantains, curry chicken, eggplant, jerk chicken with orange, and a few other selections. My friend ordered both styles of chicken while I asked for every non-meat item that I could get. For eight bucks each,

Not so long ago I wrote on a series of new restaurant spaces that have been springing up on Amherst Street, Connecticut Street, Elmwood, etc. (see post), in order to offer restaurateurs the ability to create their own diggs while controlling their own destinies. Vera Pizzeria (see post) is the perfect example of this type of creative control over the destiny of a business, where the owners set out to make a fresh mark on

Despite all of the turmoil surrounding the food truck operators, there is yet another one entering the fray. This time, the operator is also a longstanding restaurateur. Kenny Moriarty, owner of The Place on Lexington, has gone out and purchased a sleek, stainless steel (interior) food truck that features just about everything a rolling cooking operation could ask for. "It's got heated floors, a pizza oven, a fryer, a flat top grill and a char-broiler," Kenny boasted. "We're going to be selling comfort food such as grilled cheese and tomato soup, breakfast pizzas and sandwiches, French dip sandwiches

When I first saw that Cafe Allegro had closed its doors on Hertel, I was surprised. I had thought that they were doing brisk business. It turns out that the cafe had outgrown its space and was pursuing a larger location on the street. Allegro Cafe has reopened, incorporated table service and more than doubled its size, while adding a ton of new culinary offerings. Part restaurant and part cafe, Allegro Cafe is now open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and is even serving up a Sunday brunch. The business is also open seven days a week, which means that the restaurant is both business friendly and

Hertel Avenue is landing a kitchen and home supply and decor store. That's sweet news for anyone who misses having a place to shop for kitchen accessories other than Target or Marshalls. Long gone are the specialty kitchen accessory shops such as The Elmwood Panhandler and Willis and Lowe (both formerly on Elmwood), where people could conveniently shop for a peeler, a strainer, a baster and a sharp knife. The shop is being billed as a place to score 'cookware, bakeware, kitchen tools and tabletop products (including linens), and home keeping goods'. 
Thinking about a quality

When Dave Carroll, General Manager of Holiday Inn on Delaware told me that a cafe/wine bar was underway, I wasn't exactly sure what to anticipate (see back story). After all, 'corporate' has been known to nix quality design ideas in lieu of cheap build-outs. Fortunately, that's not the case with Bin 620 (a bin is a storage area in a wine cellar) thanks to the Cathleen Hart-Frantz, who was responsible for the bulk of the interior design work. The space was originally designed as

The Eights Bistro has officially opened for lunch. After serving up dinner dishes for close to a year, the bistro has finally done what it originally set out to do - offer lunch fare to the Medical Campus and the downtown business crowd. Many of the dinnertime favorites have carried over to the daytime menu, including the vegan Philly cheesesteak, the vegan beef on weck, African lentil dip, and the caramelized onion, mushroom, blue cheese and spiced nuts pizza, to name a few. While I was tempted to get one of my standbys, I opted to try one of the newest pizza offerings - the tomato, eggplant,

When I first heard that the bistro at the Naval and Servicemen's Museum was not moving forward (see story), I was completely disappointed. How had we gotten so far as to announce that it was coming, just to have the project pulled out from underneath us? After regrouping, we looked forward to the opening of Clinton's Dish, which was ultimately a good thing, but the broader missed opportunity - the bistro - was a disappointment that overshadowed many of the positive advancements. Since day one,

Last Friday I had a chance to grab lunch at the SoHo Burger Bar. I hadn't been inside the building since the midway through the renovations, and I must say that interior designer Paul LaMorticella did a bang-up job per usual. What I love about Paul's decorating is the thought that goes into both the look and functionality when it comes to the lighting and the furniture. Take, for example, the bistro tables that have been adhered to old-fashioned crank winches. During the day the table can be lower to accommodate two-tops for lunch, and in the evening

There's a buzz going around Elmwood that the Lexington Co-op has reached capacity and is beginning to look at options that could result in an expansion. Although The Co-op has been tight-lipped regarding possible options, there are some who feel that the market expansion could go in a few different directions. We have heard that a new build at the Benchmark parking lot (photo) across from Blockbuster might be a possible consideration, amongst other locations. If that was the case, then the current building could be vacated.

When I was young, my favorite thing to do for my birthday was to go to a Japanese hibachi grill. I was fascinated by the chefs who would chop food at the speed of light, while tossing eggs in the air before breaking them on knives. The sound of the sizzling grill and the flames... I would go once a year until I finally 'outgrew' the theatrical dinner. It wasn't until last week when I realized that I had not actually outgrown my love of hibachi. A friend called me up and told me that a Japanese restaurant had opened in the former iHop restaurant on Delaware Avenue... and they had hibachi grills.

The Food Network is holding a contest called The Great Food Truck Race where people from around the country vote for their favorite food truck. Well, Buffalonians love two things - Lloyd the taco truck and voting in online contests. So it should come as as no surprise that little lovable Lloyd is currently ranked #1 in the country. That's right, just 13 months after first turning the key in the ignition, Lloyd is currently ranked America's favorite food truck. 
They've overcome a blown

I spend a lot of time going out to eat. Not being able to do much other that boil water, I am dependent on others to take care of me when it comes to food. That's why I'm fascinated with chef Martin Danolowicz's latest project called Martin Cooks. The concept is an easy one to grasp - Martin comes to your house, sets up his culinary gadgets in your kitchen, and cooks you some of the best food on the planet. I called up Martin a couple of weeks ago right after I got married. I figured that it was the least that I could do for my wife who cooks for a living

The long wait is over. After tracking the progress of a West Side restaurant for seven years, the Connecticut Street Sandwich Shop (CSSS) has finally opened (see back story). And believe it or not, it was worth the wait. It's hard to imagine that seven plus years of anticipation could live up to built expectations. As luck would have it (for anyone who loves food), CSSS has charged onto the scene as one of the best lunch spots in the region. From the thoughtful homemade food to the quaint eastern