Buffalo Pizza Company
I hate to say it, but my family and I order pizza two or three times a month. On nights when things are hectic, the cupboards are bare, or I'm just too stinkin' tired to cook dinner, we pick up the phone and order a hot, steaming, melty pie. Covered in cheese, brown and chewy in some places and soft and warm in others, often a pizza is not just a solution but a little boxed gift.
Having lived in the same neighborhood for close to a decade, I've pretty much scouted out my delivery options. There are two pizza joints that I regularly ring, one supplies it fast and cheap and while the other is more expensive and offers quality I believe to be unsurpassed in the city. They each fulfill a different need for me, and I'm very glad to have the option.
The other night while on my way downtown, I spotted a building on the east side of Main Street near Canisius. It's on an odd corner and being lit at night, it certainly stuck out. Much of that portion of Main is dark at night. I was surprised that I hadn't noticed it before.
Last night, as the kids began gnawing at the table legs, I decided to tear myself away from the computer and dig up some chow. I was in that typical mama predicament where you have loads of good, healthy food in the house that will require at least 45 minutes of prep- even if you thaw the chicken in the microwave- yech! So, I grabbed the phone and called Buffalo Pizza Company. The phone rang many times before someone answered it, but ultimately, they did.
Thirty minutes later my order arrived piping hot. For me, you cannot determine the quality of a place until you've established that the basics are done correctly and well. For this litmus test, cheese pizza is the only way to go. The crust was unlike most of the other local pizzerias. It was thick, but not deep. It was chewy and airy. It was a really nice change. The amount of cheese was appropriate and the sauce walked the line between sweet and savory.
Another point I need to make must begin with an apology. The nearly four years I lived in Niagara Falls has left at least one visible scar. I like to eat cheese pizza with bleu cheese. Egads! I know I'm not the only one, but I also know that it is sort of disgusting...what can I say? So, for me, much like a wing fan, the bleu cheese is also an important basic. Unfortunately, a lot of places in the city use one that is sold in giant buckets and it too much tang and too little cheese. Buffalo Pizza Company's bleu was creamy, bright and even a little...fluffy. Not thick, gooey or silky, but fluffy- an unusual, albeit enjoyable experience.
Besides the standard red sauce, mozz and any-topping-you-like-pizza, they also offer a classic white pizza, a four cheese steak and a buffalo chicken pizza. They also serve hoagies, salads, subs, tacos and wings.
Buffalo Pizza Company
1769 Main
881.1111
Christa you are right on point with your critique of this pizza establishment. Last week while visiting family in Buffalo I had the good fortune to order the Buffalo Chicken Pizza and it was one of the best pizza's I've have ever had. When I'm in Buffalo I stay with my sister and her family and she swears by this pizza. I live in Atlanta, and as any Buffalonian living in the ATL will tell you it's hard to find a good pizza here so whenever I'm in Buffalo I have to satisfy that pizza taste. From now on Buffalo Pizza Co. will be first on my list of pizza options.
I don't get what your apologizing for. Those seem like perfectly normal things to me...
Bizzles-
The friends that I have in other parts of the country, specifically the culinarily inclined, have made it very clear to me that the bleu cheese thing is pretty bad.
Generally, I wouldn't agree, regional food is a beautiful thing. Memphis has great deep fried pickles, and I'd like to ask bloggers to post other regional food oddities that they've enjoyed- from Buffalo and other areas.
Anyway, my apology for the cheese on cheese pizza is based mostly upon the fact that I was completely grossed out by it the first few years I lived here. Of course, I firmly believed that chicken wings and hot dogs were equally disgusting.
I converted to the Buffalo food thing after realizing that being a food snob was only limiting my enjoyment of the city and part of the American experience. Though there are regional favorites that I don't care for, my original line of thinking was way off base.
Happy Eating!
I wish I could get one of those 'little boxed gifts' out this way. That looks soooo good! Add CA to the pizza-challenged states.
Regional food oddities? Please. Mostly chain restaurants Buffalo is lucky enough not to have. Though Lucilles BBQ (several locations in the west) has fried pickles that you mention. Yummy.
I would like a Ruth's Chris Steakhouse though...and a Panera Bread on every corner...
Ahhh Bizzles...chain food...ugghhhhh!
BFLORome-
I couldn't agree with you more. However, if you are ever trapped in a food-challenged part of the country, the local Chili's can be a lifesaver.
Right before the W. Galleria's Cheesecake Factory opened, I was invited to dine during a free "test run" for the staff. I was shocked to find that while the meal left much to be desired, the tuna sashimi was quite good...
Maybe I just have no taste, but when your as broke as I am sometimes chain restaurants are all you've got. Quality local restaurants are invariably more expensive than their chain counterparts. You need to consider all demographics when you bash chain retail. It exists because it fills a need.
And how can you not like Panera Bread? I mean come on...
Great article! This was one of my favourite pizza places in college, a great stop before or after a night at the 'New Pink". I thought it had closed while I was living in Virginia, I am glad to know that it is still open and thriving. I will definitely make a point of stopping there on my way home one of these nights. Thanks!