Buffalo's Starr Seeks Reservations w/Celebrity Chef
Celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain is most widely recognized for his ground-breaking book Kitchen Confidential and his current work as host of the Travel Channel's No Reservations. Recently, the producers of No Reservations held a contest called the FAN-atic Special. Footage from fans that think they have what it takes to tour Tony through the culinary landscape of their chosen city, country or region was the rite of entry. Starr and Paget have done just that, with a funny, slickly produced tour through Anchor Bar, Ted's Hot Dogs, and Ulrich's Tavern; all good choices for anyone interested in a mini-adventure through Buffalo's blue collar cuisine culture.
Currently, Starr and Paget's video ranks in the Top 20 of the hundreds of videos posted on the No Reservations site. It's up to you, Buffalo, to hop over there, log on, and propel that video to #1 with your four star rating. You will have to sign up in order to vote, but it's for a good cause! Wouldn't it be great to see Starr tour Tony through Buffalo on a top-rated network show?
Watch this great video and vote now by following this link.
I think Ulrich's was a great choice- Tony really loves a good bar. He's also a big fan of pork fat and offal and anything that includes them to any degree, so the hot dogs were a good call. Any visit to Buffalo has to include chicken wings, as much as many of the folks in the city wish we garnered as much attention for our many other culinary attributes. But I'd like to take this opportunity to pose this question to any of you that watch the show and feel like you know what Bourdain likes- Where in WNY would you take Anthony Bourdain and his No Reservations crew? Would you try to show him the modern and exciting restaurants we have? Maybe you'd prefer to take them through old Buffalo by focusing on the city's ethnic food traditions ? Would you take them out to the Niagara region's tremendous farms and vineyards?
I know that I'd take him to Spar's to watch Joe make magic in the back with that big, old, heavenly smoker. I also think he'd dig the old school rock 'n' roll vibe and the fried bologna at the Old Pink. I'll limit my recommendations to those- what I really want to know is where you think No Reservations should try to book a table.
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coolrobc
The old Pink seems like just the place for Tony.
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sbrof
oh man, one the best shows on TV, he is hilarious and really honest. I think Buffalo could be a fun place for him to go but we would have to capitalize on the older regional food institutions and not be afraid to show him the low down gritty sections of town were some of the best food can still be found. I think we would almost be best to focus around bar food which i think still holds the best food in the city. Plus we are known for snow and drinking.. the jimmy griffin quote would fit right in on his show.
He does do fine dinning if it is really unique to the food world but I don't really think we have much to offer in that considering the only place that I have seen him at that wasn't ethnically centered was a hospital themed bar in Singapore.. but only after eating shark nose and all sorts of other strange creations.
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carl
so what did the video show? hot dogs, roast beef, and chicken wings.....not very interesting...Zzzz... im sure there are places which are more interesting... hope do a show in buffalo though, big fan
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sbrof
He was in New Orleans where he ate Gumbo, crab and smoked pig.. Might be different and new to us but would probably bring on the zzzz... from those there as well. We have great food here whether we realize it or not.
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carl
true, but hot dogs, chicken wings, and roast beef are everywhere in the US...gumbo, crab and smoked pig are not. maby he should do a show on pizza too, or rye bread!....we eat those in buffalo!
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carl
man i cant spell....
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simcoe
The Pink, yes! He might really enjoy the grilled rat.
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NorPark
Tony would be right at home pulling up a stool at the pink, a shot a beer and a smoke.
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simcoe
No more smoking at the Pink...
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simcoe
Carl-Yes. I'll get slammed for this and it's not just tossing out some negativity, but seriously... is Buffalo that innovative when it comes to food? There's a major consistency problem here for one thing, 90% of the restaurants focus on some form of Italian food, & there's just not that adventurous spirit that Bourdain would be looking for. NorPark & coolrobc are you friends with him? First name basis.... so you must be.
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BFLORome
Although it's in West Seneca...how could you miss Scwabl's for the Roast Beef on Weck--that was featured on the PBS special...'The World's Best Sandwiches' a couple of years ago. The original BUFFALO wings--and Ted's are obvious choices...exclusive to our city. Ulrich's? What? German fare? I don't get it...it's a more 'unique' food-focused program.
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Vylit
First: I think it is great that we have this possibility. So I'm not trying to be negative. Any time we can bring national-level-exposure to our city that isn't snow related ...I'm game. As much as we love our wings and beef on weck, Buffalo has some great places to eat and a lot of culture. We should use this opportunity to showcase how multi-layered the city is. I would hate for someone in middle America to think that Buffalo is nothing but pub grub. Showcase the wings, the hot dogs and the custard..but also show some of the great sushi places, martini bars and a host of "fine dining" restaurants that do "small plates" or tapas styled menus so you aren't breaking the bank just to have a nice meal.
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buffalosux
please someone tell me what is so great about "BUFFALO FOOD". This town is so greatly deprived of any type of culture in the culinary sense. We walk around holding our heads high because we can put hot sauce on fried chicken wings...GENIUS...or grill a hot dog...A CULINARY MASTERPIECE...oh wait someone once dropped a kaiser roll into some salt and caraway seed and the "WECK ROLL" was created!!!! And we can't forget about the fantastic 7.95 fish fry EVERY FRIDAY!!!! Be proud buffalo, let's get some national publicity for our booming economy and great culinary masterpieces......CHEERS!!!
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stuffbox
Buffalo has such a mix of great food! This is a fantastic video. It might not be the greatest to be known world wide for chicken wings, but we are and we should make the most of it. Whenever we have friends in from out of town they always love the “bar food” it’s affordable and always served in a fun atmosphere. I do agree that the “old pink” should have been included in this food tour of Buffalo. Nothing like that $10.00 steak sandwich. Covered in aged provolone and smothered in some sort of stewed/sautéed pepper and onion mixture served up by the best true bartenders on the planet! It’s a bar rich in atmosphere that I’m sure Anthony Bourdain would enjoy based on his book and T.V show!
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simcoe
Vylit-Damn I didn't even think of that...sushi places (both of them, do you think we should include Wegman's sushi too?), martini bars (are we sure we want this unique type of bar idea to get out to the rest of the country?), and tapas too, of course. Violet, all this would demo is that Bflo is abt 20 yrs behind the culinary times. Let me guess, a trip to Rochester is the extent of your recent travels. Bourdain has a penchant for eating bizzaro gross food, so Ulrich's would be a great choice. Have any of you eaten there lately? It is deeee-sgusting. And sorry to break it to you all, but the Pink is something called a dive, most cities have one or ten...it's a gross bar with cheap drinks, why is that place so endearing to most of you?
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buffalostan
I think it would be super if they talked about some of our amazing coffee shops, pizza places like Boces, and beef on weck, or even Pano's, can you even get Greek food like that in other cites?
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sbrof
Wow... most negative post on BRO ever.. summation:
Buffalo Sucks... 5 stars.
we have some good food here. 1 star..
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stuffbox
Some people make the most of it, some people make the worst of it...
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buffalostan
Wow, I almost forgot, Salvatore's would just blow him away.
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davvid
"And sorry to break it to you all, but the Pink is something called a dive" shut up
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ChristaSeychew
Look, almost every city in America of any size has its trademark food(s). And Buffalo has wings. We have to embrace what we have and showcase what we're doing now that is modern, that is up to date, that is inspired.
So, as far as I'm concerned, we embrace the wings, the hot dogs, the pizza, the beef on weck, the Genny's Cream Ale and the not-so-good custard. We understand that those are the things that outsiders--and a lot of our own citizens--use to identify us. Then we showcase and really present what we are doing that is forward thinking and contemporary. I'd like to make a list of those things, but I am concerned about offending someone by accidentally leaving them.
We've seen Anthony Bourdain eat stinking, rotted, fermented shark's fin, raw seal meat directly off the carcass and a whole assortment of bugs, larvae and innards. We've seen him eat in seedy bars and diners all over the U.S. as well as in some really top-notch joints including Bouchon in Vegas and that place in Japan with the really crazy, rock-n-roll chef whose name I can't remember. Anything is possible; it's up to the producers and the Buffalonians that help them to make it work. Your suggestions can only help.
And actually, if you think about it, the idea that we need to embrace the past and the things that we think are silly (like our snowy reputation) and focus on spotlighting and promoting all that we have that is contemporary and progressive, we'd probably do alright as a city, too.
That's what Cleveland has done with their food scene, and any of you that are really tuned into what is happening in food in America right now know that Cleveland's reputation is o the upswing. It's not a bad lesson to learn.
So, let's put aside our suggestions for the places that we all know and love and can find on any tourist map and talk about what is new and exciting that Mr. Bourdain could possibly appreciate, shall we? I'm very curious to hear what comes to mind.
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simcoe
davvvvvid-as eloquent as usual, and such biting wit..."Shut up." Brilliant! . I'm sure your background would lead you to believe that the Pink is an upscale lounge.
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davvid
relax simcoe.
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icecreamsub
old pink is good call. The tossed salad is terrific.
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Vylit
Simcoe:
For what its worth, I am not from Buffalo originally having moved here from NYC voluntarily, because I think the City has a lot of potential. I travel frequently for both business and in my personal life so your concern for the "extent of my travels" being limited to Rochester ,while appreciated, is quite misplaced.
Since you have dismissed everyone else's suggestions, I am curious as to whether you have any yourself. I think the point of the original post and most of the comments that followed was to encourage positive discussion. I am always open to hearing other people's ideas.
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simcoe
Half of the posts here seem to think it is somewhat ridiculous for Bflo to be featured on this type of show & the other half, such as yourself, seem to think that the hot dog & chicken wing give this town some sort of unique culinary credibility and would make us a national envy. So I've hardly dismissed everyone's suggestions. Personally i ascribe to the notion that not all publicity is good. I don't know about anyone else but after the age of 30 don't you kind of get just a little tired of chicken wings, roast beef, hot dogs, etc? Those things are OK, but really, if I never saw another greasy chicken wing I think I'd manage to get by somehow.
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gaustad
Simcoe, I am developing feeliings for you, would you like to get together sometime ?
Simcoe is so right. If you are an adult and you are still shoveling chicken wings, pizza, and hot dogs down your throat than you are plainly uneducated on healh risks and fine dining.
Then again, Buffalo is a poor, uneducated, blue collar town. I always laugh at the people around here that still have never tried sushi; such a common and healthy meal in many cities....not here.
Cheesburger, fries, and root beer to add to your back fat.
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ChristaSeychew
Gaustad,
Although I often agree with you, I'd like to point out that there is a common misconception that sushi is always a healthy, low-calorie choice. I'm working on a sushi project right now for the Executive Performance Center and was surprised to find out that a lot of American sushi is extremely high in fat and calories, not to mention that the portion size here is larger. Most of my information is coming from The Zen of Fish, a great book, but you can also glean a little of that info from this article: http://www.thatsfit.com/2008/01/03/some-sushi-has-more-calories-than-a-mars-bar/ or this one: http://www.calorieking.com/calories-in-sushi.html
Not that I'm trying to take us off topic or anything.....
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simcoe
Christa-The rice prob adds the most amount of calories through carbs and some of the fish is fatty, but it seems like sushi would be preferable any day to a plate of wings or a few slices of pizza. God I could eat sushi every day, if only we had a few more restaurants. Thanks Gaustad, despite my sweet disposition on here I'm an irritable loner.
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sbrof
Well it comes down to how often you eat any one item. Balance is the key to any healthy diet. I eat and enjoy both wings and sushi as do many of my friends. But honestly after having lived abroad in Japan, Germany and Italy. I couldn't wait to get home to our food here. The first thing I did once I got home from any trip was get myself a Royal Sub or a single of wings. Food is about soul as much a health. And while the food elsewhere is amazing so to is our food here.
If for some reason you think it is low brow or beneath you because you are from here and think it is boring maybe you should invite some people from outside of Buffalo to come here and eat. You will be surprised how people can fall in love with the consistently good food you find around here. I had friends come here from Finland that utterly loved the variety and quality of food they could get in Buffalo.
I agree that Hot Dogs could or should have been left out, but we do have some great food around here.
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bird
if they shot a video like this in chicago, they'd highlight the chicago hotdog, deep dish pizza and the fact that there's a mexican taqueria on almost every corner. so other than the taquerias, they're not much more exciting than us!
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coolrobc
Simcoe- Sorry, would you prefer I use Anthony, or perhaps Mr. Bourdain?
I've watched just about every episode of his show and he seems to genuinely enjoy dives. My wife and I were thinking about sending in a tape for this, and the Pink and Ulrich's were two of the first places we thought of. Personally I can't stand the pink.
Finally, Buffalo's not "Blue Collar" anymore, and hasn't been for a while. The sooner people realize that and move on the better.
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BackInBuffalo
dude, we're in Buffalo.
We're not about the foofie-sushie, or the ooh-la-la-Frenchie faire. So what if there is a Greek place on every third corner or Eye-talian on every second... Embrace what makes us visible to the world outside of 716.
Let's not compete with ourselves here - and everyone needs to get out more -- Chicago is all about pizza and sausage, NYC is all about flat pizza and street-meat, San Fran has seafood (oh, wait, that's Boston too), L.A. has 25million mexican restaurants, dime-a-dozen-sushi, and more chains and ridiculously bland franchises than ever thought possible.
Yeah, we're more blue-collar than some - but it's irrelevant as most of the country's Cities' "prized dishes" come right outta necessity (ie. need - ergo a lack of weath) hence the propensity for "peasant" faire (pizza), ground up animal scrap (sausage, etc.), and seafairing fare (duh, fish) -- not exactly fancy stuff here...
And most importantly, outside of the area they're not chicken wings, they're Buffalo wings - not Council Bluffs Wings...
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simcoe
coolrobc- He should be addressed as "His Holiness" of course. I'm just giving you a hard time, I like to do it once in a while here. Ulrich's really is pretty bad though, I've had two meals there in the past 6 months and..... let's just say I expected more than greasy shoe leather. BackinBflo-Man, you should be doing your own show with all that knowledge. (ergo??, were you watching The Matrix Reloaded recently?) If you're saying that Bflo is on the same playing field as Boston, SF, NYC, or LA (Chicago is a bigger Buffalo so it doesn't count) you are way way off base.
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vgs
In my opinion Buffalo is not that far behind the culinary times as most people love to proclaim. There is nearly evreything here that you would find elswhere (less maybe quality mexican, chinese, spanish, korean) ok maybe we are a little behind, but its not really that bad. What is dissapointing is the also-ran restaurants that continue to get press and remain at the top of the "list". Many of the busiest restaurants stopped being concerned with quality service and product a long time ago. I think it is partly because most people here just love tradition or are comfortable with familiararity or just plain don't know any better or have the confidence to recognize a sham. There are certainly some very good restaurants in this area and I would say we are on par with cities like Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Cincinatti, Columbus etc., all places that I have traveled specifically to eat and drink. But the biggest obstacle we have is how many poeople continue to support crap while many aspiring newcomers struggle to get market share. Buffalo's food and beverage scene is just about right, not overly great and certainly not deprived.
And if you think about food that is identified with a city it is almost always some form of pub grub or junk food. Chicago for its Hot Dogs and Pizza (and cheeseburger cheeseburger), NY for its Pizza and other street food, Memphis for BBQ Ribs, Pittsburgh for FF on the sandwich, New Orleans for Gumbo, San Diego for Fish Tacos, Boston for Chowder, Philly for the Steak Sand and so on.
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coolrobc
I think that's part of his official title: "His Holiness, The Dark Lord of Travel and Food Show Hosts".
I drink there regularly but haven't been to Ulrich's to eat in several months. I don't think I've ever had bad meal there, but then again I only ever order some variation of a sausage platter. Sorry you had a bad experience, that's unfortunate.
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buffalosux
It is always the excuse of Buffalo, that we are not on the same playing field as larger cities. So because we are small we have to pay homage to crap like wings and fish frys. Charleston South Carolina is smaller than we are and they have a fantastic culinary scene. From deep south to ultra fine dining. Name some "fine dining" establishments here. And just because chophouse charges big city prices does not make it fine dining, it makes it a rip off. Anyone who trys to push the envelope here gets shut down, and we are left with thousands of italian joints and the serge of "STEAK HOUSES' and I use that term extremely loosely. The only 2 restaurants that are always packed are "bistro" type restaurants...Hutch's and left bank. Good food....yeah....good atmosphere....kinda......fine dining..... no way. We have one restaurant in a hotel...steakhouse...that is not very good and not even a real steakhouse. We have a french restaurant downtown that is average at best, and the allmighty chophouse that gets all of there meat cut and cryovaced, very Peter Lugers right. This down lives in a dream world, just because we are small does not mean we have to settle for second rate food, at first rate prices. We want to be as cultured as NYC, but we are so used to saying "we are only buffalo, what do you expect" With that continued attitude, we can expect absolutely nothing. We should hold these restaurants to higher standards, and maybe just maybe the chefs, owners, waitstaff, bartenders....everyone involved will bring there game up!!!
It's time Buffalo to stand up and make a change. This is a calling for everyone, mediocrity is no longer our cities slogan. WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO "WE'RE TALKING PROUD"????
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BackInBuffalo
Sorry, Sim - with all the Greek places around, it's easy to pick up some Latin (sorry, I'll use basic English and shorter sentences for many readers of this particular post --- should have known as the topic is finger food, my bad...)
I'm over the fact that Buffalo doesn't have a Zagats Guide - but that doesn't correlate to quality & variety, on sheer number of restaurants, we can't compete with the "major" cities.
We don't need no stinkin' Zagats - we have Christa and Janice (and a small town that likes to talk)
So we don't have 3 hot new French bistros (I guess Rue Franklin will "have" to do...), or sorry that Matsuhisa hasn't opened up Nobu on Elmwood, or that Wolfgang is too busy with micro-meals to open a "real" Italian place on Hertel (isn't he Austrian?).
Need new and hip, need to dress up NYC style, try Amaryllis - need to grundge down and commune with the quasi-SoHo Frisco bohos, go to Amy's... (and that's just the 'A's)
VGS - how could I forget fish tacos in Sandy Eggo - that may be the 1 thing I miss about SoCal... (that, and driving 5 hours to ski a 600 vertical foot hill)
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buffalosux
And I should add that it is not only the restaurants that need to bring up there game, it is the general public. We need to support the small locally owned establishments. I drive by Olive Garden nightly and I want to scream. We bitch about our economy and the fact that no money is staying here, yet we spend it with companies not even based here. that is crap...my last post states, there are 1000's of italian joints with much better food than that crap...GO THERE!!! Buffalo is programed to love chain restaurants.....I AM SURPRISED THERE WAS NOT A PARADE WHEN CHEESECAKE FACTORY CAME TO TOWN!!!!! We can't expect our culinary landscape to change unless we support the change. Find a REAL restaurant reviewer....and that is not to say Janice Okun can't keep doing it for the news...because let's be serious THAT PAPER IS A DISGRACE FROM PAGE ONE TO THE END. SO WHO CARES IF OKUN IS GIVING EVERYONE 3 STARS. FIND SOMEONE ELSE, IN ANOTHER PUBLICATION...SOMEONE TO CRITIC NOT REVIEW. (THINK ABOUT IT A REAL CRITIC, WITH NO ONE TELLING THEM TO CHERRY UP THE STORY!!!) IT IS A REVELATION!!!!!!!
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phenimore
Gaustad: "If you are an adult and you are still shoveling chicken wings, pizza, and hot dogs down your throat than you are plainly uneducated on healh risks and fine dining."
Are you talking about Anthony Burdain directly or just people without celeb-chef status or their own tv show here in Buffalo? Take the stick out of your ass before you try to talk out of it.
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davvid
coolrobc,
Just curious. How do you decide what is or is not a Blue collar town?
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BackInBuffalo
buffalosux: dead-on. I was (sadly) at the Galleria the day that Cheesewhore Factory opened up. I though it was the scene of a massacre - the valet's were running around, the press was there... Come to find out, it was a massacre. A massacre of good taste, discretionary income, and blood pressure levels.
And, don't get me started on Olive Garden - yes what a 'real' italian joint this is - concocting fictional pastas for the sake of marketing, c'mon - Hertel, firebomb these ricott-a-holes with their friggin' 'Friggatoni' or whatever the hell they're hyping this week... And, don't feed me the 'demographic' thing, it's a moron thing...
...sux, dude, you and me. let's eat & write to save Buffalo from lapsing into a Red Lobster induced coma.
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coolrobc
Davvid,
Buffalo hasn't been a blue collar town based on employment statistics in quite a long time.
IIRC, from the study I read in the past year, blue collar jobs make up less than 1/4 of the jobs in the Buffalo Metro area. White collar and service jobs Make up the remaining jobs.
It may have a blue collar ethic/quality, but it's not really a blue collar town anymore. Honestly, there aren't many true blue collar cities left in the US. IMO, rural areas have a greater hold on that distinction now.
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nelsonstarr4
OK, it's time for the host and writer of this segment to weigh in. First, thanks for all the comments and attention - even if a lot of them "buffudle" my tiny brain. Now it's time to clarify some things. First, there was a strict time limit of 3 minutes on the segment for the contest. That really limited how much of the footage we could include. There was a ton more interviews and host commentary that had to be left on the cutting room floor. Secondly - and I have posted this at the video site and in the video description, which no one seems to notice - we HAVE shot a whole segment at the Old Pink! It's in the can! Sadly, due to having the shoot rescheduled until the very last minute (by the staff) we were unable to fit that content into a video that was 90% edited already. There just was not enough time to make that work, although we tried. Thus, we're going to put out a "directors cut" which will feature our trip to that blessed dive of a bar!! As for those who don't get what the fuss is about there. The fuss is that the Pink's steak sandwich is an entire NY strip steak on a roll (with accoutrements). I don't think you'll be seeing that at Quiznos any time soon. Next, I stand by the inclusion of Ted's with 100% confidence. Ted's is a Buffalo institution - and deservedly so. Perhaps people don't recognize this but WNY is the only place where dogs are cooked over real charcoal(and Ted's is the only surviving purveyor of it here that counts). Sure, it's a simple idea but it's brilliant and you'll only find it here. Does Tony dig street food...Kabobs of meat over a charcoal flame? You bet he does! Is this what Ted's is essentially doing? You bet it is! I feel sorry for you if you don't "get" that. Plus, it gave me a chance to tease Tony about his Gray's Papaya addiction. Look, hot dogs mean "home" for some people. Gray's is where Tony goes to signify coming home to NYC. Ted's is where many Buffalo ex-pats go for the same reason. Half of their business is to ex-Buffalonians home for the holidays trying to get back in the Buffalo spirit - nuff said. ...on to Chicken Wings: avoiding covering chicken wings would be like ignoring a 3 ton elephant at your bar mitzvah. When people think of Buffalo food, the first thing they think about is Buffalo Wings. But wait, that's not what they're called. But wait, they don't come with ranch dressing. But wait, they aren't breaded with seasoned bread crumbs and baked. But wait...hold on Nelson, how come every place except Buffalo fucks them up?? Because they don't have the recipe... apparently. I'm trying to highlight that fact here. If you want to do "chicken wings" - and that's what they're called - please deep fry them, toss them in some hot sauce (and o' bit o' butter) and serve them right away...with BLUE CHEESE dressing and celery - thank you!! Ah, Ulrich's the cause of so much viewer consternation. Do they have better beef on weck than, say, Schwabel's...actually no, I'd have to agree that theirs is not quite as good. But Ulrich's is Buffalo's oldest, continuously operating tavern and a damn cool place - it's also in downtown Buffalo and not in ...where ever the heck Schwabel's is! We had ONE day, in a snow storm, to shoot Ted's, Anchor Bar, and a Weck place (and weck is worthy, important, and unknown outside of here - thus THE perfect "Tony food"...did I mention beef!?). Ulrich's was a great choice under the circumstances and they also have liver dumpling soup (which I ate, was filmed, but had to be cut for time). Did I mention innards?? Have you watched the show, just checking. No apologies, No Reservations there! Finally, the fine dining question??? Look, anyone who knows Tony's show knows that he is VERY weary of "fine dining", period. His show is about finding cheap, proletarian food - food of the people - that is just as good or better than the latest fusion-fest. Sure, he does end up at some fancy places and some Michelin 3s but, that's rare. Personally, although Buffalo does have SOME decent fine dining, there is nothing here (especially since Sample has cut back - at least it was unique) that is anywhere near as exciting as what they have in NYC, Hong Kong, Vancouver, ...take your pick. I'm sorry to say, Buffalo is not there yet, which is not to say that it couldn't be sometime soon. I'll stick to loganberry, sponge candy, Weber's, and the rest of the stuff that you'll be bitching about because it didn't make it into our 3 minute "pitch" vid, any day! :) Keep the comments flowing...Bon appetite! ~Nelson
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phenimore
pierogi at dnipro!!
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simcoe
Nelson-This may sound contrary to what I've written but I wasn't criticizing your choices & at least you had to wherewithal to do it. I don't think anyone was suggesting he should be shown the Rue or Hutch's, the discussion just evolved into dining in Bflo. My point was that wings, weiners, and roast beef may taste good to an outsider yet I don't think they'd be all that memorable. The last time I checked you could get charcoal grilled hot dogs from the truck vendors next to Nathan Philips Sq in TO.
BackinBuff-I could have sworn they spoke Greek in Greece, not Latin.
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vgs
buffalosux- I think you and I are saying the same thing. I agree with you but I am sure you are aware that most of NY's hip restaurants are in fact bistro type places. Its not fine dining that we need but smart dining. One of those two bistro's you mentioned is a disgrace and it is embarassing that it is so busy. We had a cool French Bistro in The Coda, but he couldn't make it because the dining crowd continues to support the same mundane establishments. And yes, enough with the steakhouses already. Thanks for bringing up the "hotel steakhouse" I have not heard anyone mention that one in years.
Educated servers, sensible and thoughtful wine lists, good coffee, bar dining and a menu that varies in portion sizes and prices are sorely lacking. There are some places that are coming close to this and best of all there are seats available, because no one has a clue how good they are.
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buffalosux
A perfect example, here is the guy filming in Buffalo promoting buffalo, and his answer to the fine dining question is...we are not at the level of the "BIG CITIES", so we better show Tony, a self professed cook, drunk, and ex herion addict, the inner workings of the OLD PINK...A S**T HOLE, and the great buffalo food invention WECK!!!! Do us a favor and take you admission off the boards and let someone that knows a little something about the food layout in this town give it a shot!!!
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lauras
Rock on, Nelson. Well said. I'm completely green with envy because you got to spend time with my hero, Chef Bourdain.
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Martin
I love this show, wish I could meet my Favorite Chef also!
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lauras
Make that because "you'd get to spend time with my hero, Chef Bourdain."
He's my hero because he says it like it is and doesn't give damn what anyone else thinks. Prescription: Read Kitchen Confidential.
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davvid
This is a little off topic now but...
coolrobc, I really like your point. I too wonder if we still are a blue collar community or what it means to be blue-collar in America has changed.
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coolrobc
Nelson- I like the choices you made. Besides, if the show does come here his producers will work on finding all the other locations, you just gave them a nice start.
davvid,
Thanks, it's hard to say we're blue collar when statistically most of us just are not.
I think a bit of that blue collar ethic remains here, probably because most of us grew up in blue collar households, either here in Buffalo or for transplants like me elsewhere. A part of me thinks that the continual reinforcement, both locally and nationally that Buffalo is a "Blue Collar" town is flawed, and in a way holds us back.
I don't think that what it means to be blue collar has really changed, just the density and the location. Other than that I think it's just a label and an attempt to cling to the past in Buffalo.
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buffalostan
What about the pierogi here? or some food from The Polish Villa? Does anyone know if there is a similar contest with Rachel Ray my wife just loves her.
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Joshua
phenimore -- the Dnipro is an awesome building. I have also been in the Credit Union and grand auditorium and the bar and the architecture itself is amazing. Top shelf on the pirogi comment!
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buffalosux
VGS.... I agree that most restaurants that are sucessful in large cities have the bistro feel. That is exactly my point though....people in this town think that is FINE DINING!!! If you were to put these customers in Alain Ducasse in New York they would not know which fork to use. It is not about how many fine dining restaurants are here, it is the fact there is none, and the ones people name are not fine dining. The coda was a cute restaurant, the former owner is now with Kevin O'Connell at his restaurant, that again is bistro style, NOT FINE DINING!!! We as educated consumers, which I truley believe there are very few in this market, should rally and support these small restaurants that are trying something in Buffalo. Every time you think Olive Garden go to one of the plenty family owned italian establishments. It amazes me that in a town famous for pizza and wings....dominos and pizza hut can survive...Buffalo is a f**ked up town that supports its own when it is convenient for them. They are quick to run and support the newest thing and forget about anything else. Loyalty is far reaching in this town and for someone that has spent time and money to try to support this town, it does not seem to ever give back, and that is sad!!!!
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dougk
buffalosux, if today, you went to alain ducasse at the essex house in nyc, you'd be hard pressed to find any food for which a fork selection would be necessary...the space is closed and at a stratospheric $250/cover it's little wonder mr. ducasse’s new york adventure was doomd... true, you could obtain a proper soufflé or a shellfish veloute so rich and refined it seems to have been beamed straight from one of alain's famous kitchens on the côte d’azur, however the rest of chef's menu was old, tired, and unimaginative - yes old,tired, and unimaginative 'fine dining' from the formidable mr. ducasse
finally, so transparent is your contempt for our buffalo restaurant industry, i wonder why you're not inspired to improve it...after all there's no competition, or is there?
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buffalosux
dougk, you have completely read me wrong, I do not have contempt for the restaurant industry, I have contempt for the people of this town. I applaude any and all restaurant owners for having the balls to open an establishment in a town that has a failure rate twice the normal restaurant failure rate. This is do to the fact that I said earlier we choose to dine at chains rather than support local business. And for the record I have dined at Alain Ducasse, and I was reffering to the man in general not his restaurant, I have had the chance to dine at Mix his new New York spot and this is a great restaurant. There is plenty of competition and trying to improve something I have no control over is very hard. So I certainly tip my hat to those who embark on the venture, for now I will sit here and judge...and thus be judged!!!!
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rfnameer
What's your problem folks..? A meal in Buffalo at Teds, Ulrich's or Anchor Bar is a meal that you can't get anywhere else. Have you traveled across the country on the Interstates? Most cities have very poor choices for meals. I'm not talking about fancy, sit down meals but the type you need every once in a while that satisfies yet doesn't take hours. If you want gourmet food...go to Paris and eat at a French cafe. NYC has fine restaurants on every corner yet most of the world doesn't live in either of those cities. Nelson you made great choices for unique food in Buffalo. Thanks for trying to bring Anthony to Buffalo.
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dpbflo
why the hell is there no teds in the city? I remember one being over by lasalle park when I was a kid.. I think the need to invest in Buffalo again.
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TheDude
Nelson Starr deserves the bloody keys to the city for his efforts, and for the record our food is hella good. Hella good. The Teds lunch (dogs, fries, rings, milkshake) is one of the best meals in the world when you get right down to it, and the epitome of gastronomic perfection. Plus there are worse ways to kill off a day than boozing around Buffalo and eating our roast beef and wings(sublime with all of the proper accoutrements), catching a pint and a steak sandwich at the Old Pink, enjoying that nice little food hub in Allentown (Fat Bob's, Lagniappe's, Allen St Hardware), maybe some of our ethnic eateries, and then wrapping a night of drinking till 4 AM with some of our world class late night grease food (a s____y canoe from Louie's, a steak hoagie from Jim's, some ETS) to utterly destroy his colon. And Bourdain will thank us for it every step of the way.
We've got taste in Buffalo and we deserve some respect! Haters need not apply. Somebody get Nelson the key to the city already.
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Buffalopundit
Nelson did a great job, and all the cretins who suggest that he should have shown something more haute than Ted's or Anchor Bar don't understand the concept of Bourdain's show, and they don't understand who Bourdain is.
Bourdain worked at Les Halles, for God's sake. Not at Union Pacific or Nobu.
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Dennis
Nice job, Nelson!
I NEVER get sick of the "Buffalo does / does not suck" conversation.
(Tastes great! Less filling!)
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RaChaCha
As someone whose favorite cuisine here in My Own Fair City is an original Garbage Plate at Nick Tahou's, I couldn't agree more strongly with TheDude about the value of down-to-earth eats. In addition to the Beer & Cheese soup at Pearl Street (had a heavenly bowlful last weekend) some of my fav Queen City food is beef on weck, wings, and slab-o-steak sandwiches. For the latter - to date I haven't been to Old Pink - I love the ones at the Swannie House, featuring a full cut of grilled steak like you might find on a backyard grill. When working for a client around the corner from Swannie, I can get the steak sandwich with a salad, and not be hungry again until lunchtime the following day. Life doesn't get much better.
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porter
quote- I agree that most restaurants that are sucessful in large cities have the bistro feel. That is exactly my point though....people in this town think that is FINE DINING!!! If you were to put these customers in Alain Ducasse in New York they would not know which fork to use. It is not about how many fine dining restaurants are here, it is the fact there is none, and the ones people name are not fine dining. The coda was a cute restaurant, the former owner is now with Kevin O'Connell at his restaurant, that again is bistro style, NOT FINE DINING!!! We as educated consumers, which I truley believe there are very few in this market, should rally and support these small restaurants that are trying something in Buffalo. Every time you think Olive Garden go to one of the plenty family owned italian establishments. It amazes me that in a town famous for pizza and wings....dominos and pizza hut can survive...Buffalo is a f**ked up town that supports its own when it is convenient for them. They are quick to run and support the newest thing and forget about anything else. Loyalty is far reaching in this town and for someone that has spent time and money to try to support this town, it does not seem to ever give back, and that is sad!!!!
YOU ARE SO ON THE MONEY!! I COULDN'T PUT IT MUCH BETTER THAN THAT. Thank you (many times).
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dougk
buffalosux writes, "dougk, you have completely read me wrong, I do not have contempt for the restaurant industry"
dougk responds, i don't think so, here are some of you memorable bon mots...
"please someone tell me what is so great about "BUFFALO FOOD". This town is so greatly deprived of any type of culture in the culinary sense"
"name some "fine dining" establishments here…we have a french restaurant downtown that is average at best, and the allmighty chophouse that gets all of there (sic) meat cut and cryovaced...this town lives in a dream world...we (don't) have to settle for second rate food"
and finally, "it is not only the restaurants that need to bring up there (sic) game..."
i donno' sounds like contempt to me, but i'm just a chef, whaddo' i know, eh?
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Colin
Pundit's right -- "fine dining" isn't relevant to Bourdain or his show. It focuses on local specialties and street food almost exclusively.
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viking
A great restaurant serves good tasting food in and atmosphere that's comfortable , with attentive and friendly service. I've worked at some of the best including what is considered fine dining and the ones in Buffalo which survive are on par with anywhere.
There are many favorite places that people have and after the hype of a new place opening, these established still retain there market share and continue to attract new customers. Buffalo has many restaurants that fit that profile, as many as any other city of similar size.
Regardless of the color of a collar, or the type of food , or the location in a city, my first paragraph applies. Bring any food critic here and there will be places that compare to any other places they have reviewed.
Nothing about our business is fancy, and we don't serve trendy food but the people who have found us, visit us most times they are in Buffalo and generally have favorable comments about the other places we recommend, these are the critics that count to us.
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al-alo
few suggestions:
1. broadway market (preferably at easter or christmas), the elmwood farmers market, niagara produce and/or the food terminal
2. the anchor bar is a requirement. there is just no way around it. the food in general is eeeh, the wings are good, but a total tourist trap.
3. forget ted's - louies hot dogs on elmwood - charcoal right off the grill.
4. just for sheeeeeear garishness, salvatores is a must.
6. how about flying bison? everybody loves beer!
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BackInBuffalo
...and once again on a BRO