Buffalo Rising Online

Feb 16th 2006, 9:42pm By queenseyes

Not many people know that Buffalo has an au bon pain (abp) restaurant in the medical corridor. au bon pain (The Good Bread) is an eatery that originated in Boston and became so successful that they can now be found scattered throughout the US. Buffalois abp opened in 1999 when The Pillars Hotel was built directly across from Roswell Park Cancer Institute. In 2004 the 100-room hotel changed hands when purchased by Hiltonis Double Tree Hotels.

The success of this abp is due partially to the fact that it is affiliated with the Double Tree, but it is also the perfect lunch spot for many of the families and professionals that come to Roswell every day of the week.

I spoke with Double Treeis General Manager, Elaine Sarkis, who told me that she encounters people all the time who are shocked that Buffalo has an au bon pain. She explained that the restaurant does very well due to the location and the name, which customers from other cities have come to know for serving quality food. For those of you that might not be familiar with this eatery, abp is an excellent place to grab a quick mealOe and I mean quick. I ordered a chicken sandwich with roasted red peppers and pesto served on a fresh roll, along with a tomato and rice soup. The mealis total was just under $10 (including a large drink), and was delivered to my table before 10 minutes had gone by. The soup and sandwich combo was the perfect meal on a rainy day like today. The soup was packed with rice and veggies, and the chicken was cooked just right.

If you head over to au bon pain for a bite to eat, you might find yourself eating in the company of a lot of people wearing white coats. The medical community is ever-present here and there is a constant buzz of people coming and going. Itis actually pretty neat to eat at au bon pain where it seems as if everybody knows each other. I guess that is only natural for a restaurant that caters to the appetites of the growing medical corridor. Another thing that you might find amazing is the size of the menu. You would think that in a place like this that the menu would be limiting. That is not the case at abp. There are numerous specials as well as a huge assortment of regular menu items. There is even a coffee bar and ebakeryi.

The Double Tree is a very cool retro-looking hotel and its presence adds a certain funkiness to the neighborhood. I asked Elaine about the parking for customers who visit the eatery and she said that if you ever find a spot in the front drivewayOe snag it. Otherwise there is plenty of metered parking out front. Au bon pain is a nice change of pace in the city and is a constant reminder that there are always new restaurants to discover that offer good, quick food at reasonable prices.

Au bon pain is located at 125 High Street in Buffalo and is open seven days a week.