Buffalo Rising Online

On hot summer days in Buffalo, sit back, relax and have a drink with your closest friends. What sounds better than that? Go ahead and add a plateful of steaming clams to the mix.

Steve's Clam Bar, a former Elmwood mainstay, has moved to a new home at M.T. Pockets on Hertel. During my visit, I savored steamed clams, clams casino and crawfish. The steamed clams were paired with a garlic butter sauce that simply dissolved on my tongue. The crawfish delicacy, which is a rare menu item in Buffalo, were sea-salty delicious as well. My personal recommendation is the clams casino, which Steve himself considers the best treat on the menu. The menu includes a variety of other desirable seafood items such as oysters, lobster dainties and ceviche.

Steve's Clam Bar is still a casual dining experience, with seating indoors and out, but it now has a view of a bustling Hertel Ave in the…

A year ago, Larry Mattison and Shelly Reed bought a restaurant and built a time machine. “We want to recreate the 1940’s Supper Club,” Larry says. The 1905 restaurant they are revitalizing is located on Tonawanda Street, just across from the historic Riverside Park.

Supper clubs, I read on Wikipedia, are a special type of restaurant native to the U.S. The first supper clubs appeared in the 1930s and 1940s. As their name suggests, supper clubs are primarily open at “supper” time, between four and ten. Fortunato’s On the Park keeps evening hours Wednesday through Sunday and intends to cater lunches for area businesses. In addition to serving supper, “supper clubs” have a special atmosphere that is formal but not snooty. Supper club food is typically casual American, at Fortunato’s surf and turf is at the top of the menu.

Perhaps the most di…

I know Christa just posted about Steel Crazy Cafe, but I have to corroborate her endorsement and add my own.

I went there on Sunday and the courtyard, beautiful as it was (my 13-year old thought she'd walked into a movie set of a Mexican cantina), was nearly empty. Hmmm, I thought, Christa is so dead-on with assessments. How can this be? We ordered crepes, fresh-squeezed lemonade (without the carnies!) and sat in the courtyard. After a short wait, the waitress brought our food to us and it was beyond my expectations. I got a scrambled egg crepe made to order with tomato, avacado and bacon. It was soooo delicious--served with fresh, ripe strawberries.

The kid got a crepe with strawberries, cookie dough ice cream, whipped cream and it was dusted with powdered sugar. My older daughter got an…

I stopped for lunch at the new crepe shop the other day, a place we told readers about a few weeks ago. Counter service and casual seating make it easy to pop in and out. This is fast food for those that favor flavor over drive-thru convenience. The fantastic patio has seen some subtle changes, though it isn't even close to the transformation I've been told to expect. It's current state doesn't make dining on fresh crepes alfresco any less delightful.

While waiting for my lunch date I tried one of Steel Crazy Cafe's fresh juices. I chose the “To Your Health” which was made of oranges, apples, carrots, fresh ginger and honey. It was delicious and refreshing. Other versions include the “Roycroft” (grapefruit, oranges and mango) and the “Tropical Twist”, made with coconut milk, bananas and mango. …

The list of Philly cheesesteak joints in Buffalo now includes an unlikely addition: the Corner Store, located at the corner of Grant and Forest. The store purports to have “the best subs in town and much more”, and surprisingly, the menu is relatively extensive.

Acting on a tip from Chef Jenn Stainrook of Amaryllis, who is a big fan of the cheesesteaks, Christa and I made the trip to check it out for ourselves. It’s almost hidden, this “Corner Store Grill”- there is little on the outside of the building that would indicate any cooking was going on inside. A sign on the far left of the storefront advertising “Fish Fry Dinners” was really the only clue I had that I was in the right place.

Inside, though, the grill was bustling, with a constant stream of customers. The employees were friendly and informed us of a special deal- a free can of pop was included with a fu…

O’Connell’s Hourglass will be the scene of an elegant cookout, one of the latest rages, recently featured on Top Chef (though I know Chef did not take his inspiration from the popular TV program). The gourmet picnic will offer our city’s foodies a chance to enjoy some fantastic interpretations of classic summer dishes.

The “cookout” will feature the following menu: New England Crab & Clam Bake ∙ Dry-rubbed Montana Ribeye w/herb butter ∙ Huckleberry Chipotle basted Berkshire Pork Loins ∙ Split Alaskan King Crab Legs ∙ 18-hour Smoked Pork Shoulder with Creole mustard slaw ∙ Steamed Carolina Clams w/sausage, herbs and white wine ∙ Steamed Canadian Wild Mussels w/ baby potatoes and mustard greens ∙ Chef O'Connell’s famous Maine Lobster "mac ‘n’ che…

BR's Buffalo Chef's Challenge: Chayote comes to a close today with the announcement of the winner- SAMPLE! Chef Aaron Dombroski really impressed me with his selection of well-conceived, delicately balanced bites.

As I mentioned in the Torches piece, we furnished everyone with a pretty comprehensive list of rules for the chayote challenge. We did however, manage to overlook the fact that some people would prepare more than one dish. Shango prepared three small items, served all on the same plate. Torches made seven courses, and at the time of tasting, Jenn at Amaryllis was disappointed by her interpretation of the rules- that chefs could prepare only one. We certainly won't omit the specifics on the number of entries allowed in the future.

Since contemporary cuisine has really taken a turn toward serving things in multiples, we decided that the only fair way to deal with …

We are now on our 6th entry detailing the contestants and the dishes that they presented for BR's Buffalo Chef's Challenge: Chayote. I won't disclose all of the details again, so those of you that are not regular readers, and are unfamiliar with the challenge, it's rules, and it's participants, can access that information using the list of links below.

I am pleased to announce that our second place winner is Shango Bistro and Wine Bar. They've been featured on BR before, and I find that the food is consistently well-prepared. When I contacted Jim Guarino, chef and owner, and Marla Crouse, manager and wine director, they were both excited about the project. When I delivered the “mystery” ingredient, Jim was intrigued and enthusiastic. It seems that chayote is a common ingredient in Cajun and Creole cuisine. Though Chef Jim had never used mirliton (the French term for ch…

Across Washington Street from the Ellicott Square Building sits the appropriately named Washington Square- a popular lunch and happy hour spot for downtown workers, and a great destination for sports fans.

A few of us at Buffalo Rising recently trekked a few blocks to dine here for lunch. From the outside it looks like a small nook, but the interior is deceptively large. The atmosphere is that of a typical old-fashioned pub, with low ceilings, dim lights, and signs advertising beer and specials lining the walls.

Our server, Mike, was pleasant, engaging and attentive. He readily offered his sincere opinions on various dishes, despite being a relatively new employee of only a few weeks.

In search of a hearty meal to appease the large appetite I had at the time, I ordered the Spinach and Mushroom Burger ($5.25). This classic was prepared well; the sautéed spinach and mushroo…

North End Bistro recently changed hands, and the new chef and owner, Marc Marotta, has overhauled the menu. He took a few moments out of his busy schedule to answer some questions about the new dishes.

Although the restaurant remains true to its Italian roots, Chef Marotta has conceived an original menu borne of his extensive experience. As a chef with over 18 years in the industry (mainly at local institutions such as Friar’s Table and the Eagle House), Marotta has added some unique touches to Italian favorites.

Chef Marotta stresses that he is not trying to compete with the other Italian restaurants that line Hertel Avenue. He hopes that the businesses, together, will continue to bring people to the area, each one offering a different perspective. His belief is that North End Trattoria’s strength will be in its specialty dishes- homemade recipes that have been developed o…

On a couple of occasions we've talked about trying to find breakfast in the city. It seems to be a slightly difficult task. So far we've unearthed bagels, sweets, granola and egg-centric options at Spot, and a really delicious grilled cheese and avocado sandwich at Washington Market (they offer breakfast sandwiches as well).

Recently I decided to stop in at Buffalo's Main Menu. I drive by it everyday, but somehow never remember it's there until I've practically driven past it. Those interested in stopping by should note that the sign and entryway are virtually hidden from view by the beautiful tree that stands in front of it.

In November, this business was taken over by new owners. I can't speak to the quality of the food or service off…

We recently organized the BR Buffalo Chef's Challenge: Chayote in which seven chefs competed against one another to see, within 24 hours, who could could come up with the most interesting recipe featuring our “mystery ingredient.” For our first round of BR's Buffalo Chef's Challenge we chose chayote. For those of you unfamiliar with this fruit (though more akin to a vegetable in taste), please see our introductory post from a few weeks ago.

Each chef/restaurant is ranked in first, second or third place (which happens to be a tie), or in one of three positions in our Honorable Mention category. The winners are revealed from Honorable Mention on up (every Tuesday and Thursday), with the winner being announced on June 14th. Again, please refer to the initial post for more information. For link…

There is always room for a new perspective on a classic drink. Here, bartender Charlie Tripi of The Steer Restaurant and Saloon gives us his favorite Bloody Mary Recipe.

The popularity of the Bloody Mary is due in part to its flexibility. In addition to its appeal both in the morning and at night, variations of the drink abound; some like lots of garnish, some like it stirred, some like it with a kick (as Tripi does- he adds an extra dash of hot sauce and a heavy dose of horseradish).

Father’s Day is fast approaching- it might be a nice time to surprise Dad with a home cooked breakfast or brunch complete with the perfect Bloody Mary.

The Steer’s Bloody Mary 1 cup of ice 1 ½ shots citrus vodka fill glass with 3/4 tomato juice dash of celery salt 1 tsp hot sauce (more for an extra kick) 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce 1 dollop horseradish squ…

We recently organized the BR Buffalo Chef's Challenge: Chayote in which seven chefs “battled” one another in a cooking competition. Each restaurant was presented with a mystery ingredient and given 24 hours (give or take a few) to develop an original dish utilizing it. This challenge will be held on a quarterly basis, if you are a restaurant interested in participating in our next challenge, please contact me through email.

For more information regarding this challenge, please see the initial post detailing the event. Each chef is ranked in first, second or third place (which happens to be a tie) or in one of three positions in our honorable mention category. The winners are revealed from honorable mention on up, with the winner being announc…