Amigo's - Coming Soon!
A number of weeks ago I noticed that some construction was underway at a building located near the corner of Elmwood and Kenmore Avenues. The signs in the windows announced: Coming Soon and Amigo's.
As soon as I had the opportunity, I swung by to chat with the owner. Edwin Ortu, a Buffalo Fire Marshall with a passion for cooking and the restaurant business, has undertaken a major project with his new restaurant, scheduled to open in November or December.
The building, a former insurance office, has been stripped bare and is currently being outfitted with a new electrical system, plumbing, kitchen, office, bar and dining room. Ortu has done much of the work himself. Having purchased the building is a big step in and of itself, but Ortu's investment of his own sweat equity is even stronger proof of his love of the city and this area in particular, a neighborhood that he sees as being rife with potential. “This is a good area,” he told me. “There's a lot of traffic, and things are starting to pick up. It's a little distressed, but I think that's going to change.”
In addition to his career as a firefighter, Ortu also has plenty of restaurant experience, having spent the last twenty-five years moonlighting as a cook all over the city. The number of restaurants he's worked in is pretty impressive and includes bars and taverns as well as Crawdaddy's, King's Court and The Elmwood Lounge.
The exterior of the building is being entirely revamped and is sure to bring new life to this major intersection. The interior, now only framing and concrete, will eventually boast two separate rooms. The room to the left off the foyer, will have table seating and a lengthy serpentine bar suited to seat 16-20 people, to the right, there will be table seating and special high-backed booths with privacy curtains running along one wall.
Despite the name of the establishment being Spanish, the menu at Amigo's will vary, running the gamut of contemporary American cuisine. Open 7 days a week, the kitchen will serve food from 11AM to 11PM, while the bar will stay open until the last patron leaves.
Lunch will be an inexpensive and simple affair featuring sandwiches, salads and the like. The roast beef carving station and charbroil grill behind the bar will certainly add flair and flavor to the offerings.
Dinner will consist of appetizers, salads, pastas and entrees featuring items like steak, chicken and fish. Friday's haddock lovers will be able to choose one of ten preparation methods for their fish.
Valet parking is the final piece to this puzzle. Offering lunch is a sure way to make it simple for people to enjoy a quick meal without the frustration of finding a space in the modest parking lot. Ortu has made arrangements to utilize space in the near vicinity, ensuring that there will be plenty of room for the vehicles of the 130 guests that his restaurant can accommodate.
Stay tuned to Buffalo Rising for further updates on Amigo's.
Amigo's
1609 Kenmore Avenue, 14217
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Comment Options
xener
Edwin-- a bit of advice: Buffalonians, myself included, are DYING for Mexican and Latin food! In my opinion, I have had no good Mexican food (excpet for at my own house) since I moved to Buffalo two years ago. If you look through the posts on BR, you'll even see people posting menus from their favorite Mexican restaurants in other cities (especially those that feature many vegetarian options)! One more restaurant that does a fish fry on Fridays, and sells burgers and pizzas.... Yawn. PLEASE, some one open a Mexican restaurant, preferabley on Elmwood!
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Gioia
Yeah, so true. Last time I had good Mexican outside of my house was in Miami. I wish we could have a good, REAL Mexican place too! For now, I guess we will have to go south for that.
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tonyarmani
If he needs a website tell him to write me
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Kip
Does he realize there is already a restaurant in the area named Amigo’s? It’s located on Cross point Parkway in Amherst/Getzville it’s in the Amherst Pizza and Ale House plaza (or CROSSPOINT PLAZA if that’s what its called). I don’t know how that works as there both privately owned but might cause a bit of confusion or maybe some legal troubles , not sure though?
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Kip
http://www.amigostogo.com/pr01.htm
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KW40
I think it's called Amigo's Restaurant And Bar, because Amigo's means friends. I think it is going to serve Amercan food. Where you can go and enjoy dinner and cocktails. It seems that the owner is going for a Contemporary, Modern Atmosphere, with all the construction happening. I think he will be very successful at that location. The Amigos in Amherst is a fast food, to go establishment. As for Mexican resturants on Elmwood, we had Don Pablos, but that only lasted for 6 months, which has been vacant ever since..
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schmatzie
That's what I love about America. Here is a person so skilled he can be a fire marshal, a general contractor, and a restaurant proprietor without any outside help. America, all you need is a dollar and a dream! Good for you Edwin.
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DumpsterKid
Good busy intersection, bad street, when will we see some love for Kenmore avenue?
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ChristaSeychew
DumpsterKid-
Fusion, a dance studio or gym, I'm not sure which, just opened across the street from Amigo's. The businesses around Amigo's seem to be pretty busy if the number of cars in the parking lots are any indication. Farther down Kenmore, Torches is doing very steady business and Oconnell's just got a full remodel.
I think that the blocks between Delaware and Elmwood struggle because there are many pretty lengthy brown/grey cinder block-style buildings (bowling alley, color lab, misc. industrial) and quite a few big parking lots. This area could at least use a good coat of paint and a litter clean up, but with the current set up, foot traffic is limited meaning many businesses don't have the funds for cosmetic stuff like that. Would be nice to see the few unkempt properties with tall grass and trash followed up on.
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Denizen
Kenmore Ave. is ugly because it was first built up at a time when cars started dictating urban form. Lot's of small vintage stripmalls, stand-alone commercial shacks and boxy apartment complexes for those with a taste for the tacky side of mid-century modernism. Though, not too bad compared to a lot of the region's other suburban thoroughfares.
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jeannie1061
Amigo's restaurant on Kenmore.
I was very excited to see a new upscale restaurant in my neighborhood. So, my husband and I decided that we would like to give some business to this new restaurant on Valentine's Day. I went in the restaurant about 5:30 p.m. 2/14/08 to check if there were any available reservations for later that evening. The hostess said yes, and I decided on 8:00 p.m. While I was waiting for the hostess to return to her station, I noticed that there was only one waitress at 5:30 p.m. I just figured that maybe because it was early that all the staff wasn't on yet, considering it was Valentine's Day.
My husband and I returned to Amigo's at about 7:45 p.m.. The hostess stated that it would be about 20 minutes and to have a drink at the bar. My husband and I stood at the bar for about 5 minutes, it was full but not terribly crowded. We then saw some empty chairs and decided to sit and wait for someone to serve us. We waited and waited. We saw a gentleman fussing with menus and paper work, but never acknowledged us. My husband works in the restaurant business and saw 3-4 dirty tables, tables that needed to be set and I only saw the one same waitress. We decided that it was in our best interest to leave, fortunately, we had another reservation at Amici's for 8:30. We arrived at Amici's at about 8:15, they asked us to wait about 20 minutes also. The place was packed and ran like clockwork. They must have had every staff person on. People were pouring into until about 9:00/9:15, the service and the food was superb.
I really hope that my experience at Amigo's was unusual. My husband is uncomfortable with giving it another chance, but I am willing.
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