Those who regularly tune in to Buffalo Rising know that we've been eagerly awaiting the official unveiling of SeaBar's newly expanded digs and menu. For years now, Chef Mike Andrzejewski has offered guests some of the freshest and most inventive sushi in our area - along with a handful of other dishes - from his small, sparsely decorated downtown location. Its parent, the suburban SeaBar, closed its doors a month or two ago in preparation for the expansion of the downtown location, which now includes a large lounge and bar

With this warm weather, the popular Elmwood-Bidwell Farmers Market feels like it's in full bloom despite the limited number of vegetable varieties available this early in the season. Strawberries should be here soon, but for now we are all staying busy with last season's apples, and this season's rhubarb and lettuces. Plus, there's the weekly need for fresh bread and the pantry re-stocking of locally produced basics such as honey, maple and even whole wheat flour.

One thing you don't expect to find at the farmers market are rock stars. Today my visit resulted in the discovery of Big

Over the last five years, Delish has led cooking demonstration classes that cover all manner of techniques and cuisines. For the most part, it would be a challenge to come up with a culinary scenario that they have not incorporated into their monthly calendar at some point. But one area where they've never really ventured is baking. There are a number of reasons for this, but regardless of what they may be, Delish has determined that the demand and desire for baking classes has hit such a frenzy they cannot deny their fans any longer. Hence, Baking Bootcamp.
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by: Sarah Stone Walley

George Kappelt Jr. calls his farm Flavor Farm, because for George, it's all about flavor. From the types of seeds he chooses to the way he treats his plants, everything George does comes back to growing crops that are not only unique, but delicious.


At Flavor Farm, it all starts with selecting the seeds, because finding good seeds is incredibly important to the flavor of the final product. "Don't cheap out, or you'll pay the price later," George says. There are a select few seed companies he works with, such as Johnny's Selected Seeds

Ever since Prospero opened back in January (see post) I have become a big fan of the place. The atmosphere of the restaurant closely mirrors that of the neighborhood - classic and Bohemian style thrown together to create a setting where a pair of jeans and a button down are as readily accepted as a tux. My favorite offering is the eggplant parm, though the 'create your own' pasta dish is a close second. Over and beyond anything else, I find that the restaurant caters to people who are looking for quality service, excellent

"We pay extremely close attention to even the least expensive offering on our menu," Jonathan Eid, one of the owners of the soon-to-open Mezza, explains. He and his brother, Pete, are just days away from soft opening their Elmwood Avenue venture, an addition to their thriving suburban business.

"We love Elmwood, we eat here, we hang out here, we party here, this has always been a place where we wanted to be and to try something different." Pete's Greek Isles, the family's suburban eatery named for their father,

A lovely atrium, courteous service, delicious food of consistent quality and a view of the waterfront. Could a workaday person expect much more from their lunch hour? Perhaps not, but I offer up the free cookie that accompanies every meal at The Waterline Cafe as evidence of a lunch spot that not only exceeds the expectations of the average consumer, but actually blows them out of the water (excuse the pun).

When Waterline opened in the Waterfront Village office park, I didn't think it was

By: Natalie Grigg

Empire Grill sits at the heart of Hertel Avenue, nestled among an eclectic assortment of restaurants. What makes it stand out? Well, for purposes of this article, it is their brunch menu offered every Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

As excited as a kid in a candy store, I quickly began perusing the menu. Brunch is by far my favorite meal, and Empire's menu contained a nice mix of simple and complex items. I not only had to decide what I wanted to eat, but also what I wanted to convince the rest of my party to order so I could sample

I was happy to find fiddleheads on sale last weekend at Guercio's. They weren't the freshest fiddleheads I've ever had, but they were still delicious. Fiddleheads are in season right now, and experienced foragers are probably out looking for morels in our region as we speak. Look for both on menus at local restaurants, and if you're very lucky, you may find a wise farmer or two who has brought some along to the farmers

There are two film festivals currently slated for summer 2010 that will be particularly appealing to foodies, so we thought we'd post them here in the Dining section. The first is about enjoying great food placed before you while watching a film, the second is about better understanding where your food comes from.

Bacchus, one of Buffalo's best eateries may be best known for serving up delicious food and wine, but during the summer it is the coolest place in town to catch a flick. Every Wednesday from June through September, the

Since closing in November, Specialty Restaurants, which owns 23 restaurants in locations all over the country, has worked diligently to re-imagine the waterfront restaurant formerly known as Shanghai Red's, and before that, Crawdaddy's.

"We're here to stay," said Bill Tallichet, the corporate representative who provided me with a tour when I stopped in yesterday afternoon for a preview of the newly christened Templeton Landing. Modern decor with an appropriate theme for the waterfront strives to provide customers with

Today, we're going to talk about fried chicken. I love fried chicken with mac and cheese, corn, sweet potatoes, cornbread-- and the list goes on. When I'm craving fried chicken, I normally turn to one of three places-- Freddy J's BBQ, Fat Bob's Smokehouse, and Shango. 

Freddy J's BBQ is my favorite fried chicken joint for lunch. For under

If I had to voice one complaint about Vito's Gourmet Deli in Downtown Buffalo, it would have to be the large crowds that gather at lunchtime. Sometimes it can be hard to find a seat. Of course this is not a bad problem for the restaurant, just for the people who have to take their lunches back to their offices. After all, half the fun of going to Vito's is the action - the tons of people that search out Fountain Plaza for the sights, the atmosphere and the food. Unfortunately the patio cafe tables and chairs are not yet out for the season. Vito's is delicious food served up iin an amazing urban

Kudos to The Washington Market for figuring out how to make a large, somewhat cold atmosphere, a place where people feel comfortable and want to stick around. Ever since the market opened it has needed help... no real rhyme or reason to the layout... disjointed... and business reflected the design. There were a couple of solid attempts made before this point, but they were quick fixes with no long lasting effect. Finally, the Khoury family (new owners) has gone through and paid attention to the dynamics of the space in order to come up with an interior road map that actually works.

The

by: Ann Marie Awad

Making the perfect pie crust can be a very daunting task. Everyone has a slightly different method, but to make the ideal flaky, dreamy pie crust that home bakers and professionals aim for, one must endure sessions of trial and error that require the determination of most track and field meets. At Parker-Hertel Sweet Shop, not only have they done it, but they've wrapped it around something quite special.

Pan out to the apricot tart: a small, hand-sized

The Fine Wine & Food Festival, now in its fifteenth year, is one of Shea's most popular annual fundraisers. Supporters of the arts and those who appreciate charity events where food and good drink are the focus, will no doubt enjoy themselves.

This Thursday, make sure to bring a great pair of heels or a sports jacket with you to work so that you can hop over to Shea's stunning lobby after quitting time. Guests of the event will sample a variety of edibles from the likes of Verbena Grille, The Stillwater, Pearl Street Grill & Brewery, Bijou Grille, Harry's Harbour Place and others.
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After bravely naming names and taking Buffalo's journalists to task in his final post at BuffaloChow, food blogger-cum-journalist Jeremy Horwitz was kind enough to field some questions relating to that controversial post in Part One of this column. Thank you Jeremy for your insight. 

Since this topic seems to be in the zeitgeist, I figure I better weigh in on it before I become irrelevant or, worse yet, cease to wildly tick people off again. People

Downtown has a new hot dog and hamburger joint located just down from Cathedral Square. It's called Grillers and it's taken over the really great space originally built out for Chop Chop! This time downtown dwellers and suits can get a variety of grilled sandwiches, burgers, sausages, hot dogs, soups, salads and sides. The place opened on Saint Patrick's Day weekend and is looking to be the burger-lovers choice when it comes to grabbing a good, quick lunch.

Downtown dwellers have become accustomed to having a variety of hot dog and hamburger carts to choose from and judging from the

Join us for this week's podcast of BuffaloRising's Roundtable on WBFO with Mark Scott. It's the last time we'll be taping for a little while--we won't be returning to the studio until June 4th (airs June 7th). 

We talked a little about Obama's visit and where he chose to visit, including his stop at Duff's.  We spend a little time exploring the recent unveiling of the innovative food and farm-friendly plans for the Horsefeathers restoration, Newell's

By: Nelson Starr

On April 21, 2010, Jeremy and Christina Horwitz made a final, final blog post. They had hinted that they might be packing it in on a previous post but this time they weren't fooling. Yes, it was over.   

If you are in love with food as much as I am, you undoubtedly stumbled upon their excellent site, www.buffalochow.com, and then re-visited many times. But if you missed it, that's okay, as they'll keep