I was happy to act as a judge at this year’s Taste of Buffalo, along with a herd of local news anchors, politicians and fellow foodies. They set us off to work as soon as the festival was open, each of us were given the responsibility of sampling the offerings of a handful of restaurants. Each restaurant has numerous judges taste their entire menu in order to gain a fair perspective. How the Taste then turns all of our ratings into a list of winners, I am unsure, but I was happy that the best thing I tasted all day made the list.
The winning item I sampled was from the famous Dinosaur BBQ. They need to come to Buffalo. Plain and simple. This regional restaurant does the whole barbecue thing very well, and a Dinosaur downtown would be an excellent addition to the waterfront project. In the meantime, grab one of their mini pulled pork sammies while they’re here. They took the prize for Best Meat Item for a good reason.
If you’re heading down this evening or tomorrow, make sure to check out some of the top-rated bites! Here are the 2010 winners:
People’s Choice: Chester’s Cajun Grill from East Amherst Blackened Shrimp over Cajun Rice
Chairman’s Choice: Ms. Goodies from Buffalo Junkyard Dog
Children’s Choice: Nick Charlaps Ice Cream from Hamburg Chocolate Vanilla Twist Cone
Lou Billitier Memorial “Rookie of the Year” Award: Papaya Restaurant from Buffalo
Best Dessert: Landies Candies from Buffalo Strawberry Kabobs
Best Wine: Glenora Wine Cellars from Dundee Dry Riesling
Best Overall Food: Torches in Kenmore Nickel City Mac & Cheese
Best Meat Item: Dinosaur BBQ from Rochester Pork Sliders
Best Seafood Item: Chester’s Cajun Grill Blackened Shrimp over Cajun Rice
Best Vegetarian Item: Bing’s from Amherst Artichoke Gratinee
Best Comfort Food (selected by Erie County Legislator Lynn Marinelli): Anderson’s Frozen Custard from Amherst Pecan Turtle Crunch
New York Award (chosen by Erie County Clerk Kathleen Hochul):Orazio’s Seafood Fusilli
Pat Sardina Memorial Award: EM Chrusciki Bakery in Buffalo Caramel Confusion
Independent Health Healthy Choice Options:
First place: Giacobbi’s Pasta and Pizza from Hamburg Turkey Meatball in Marinara
Second Place: Orazio’s from Amherst Beans and Greens Soup
Third Place: Saigon Café from Buffalo Summer Roll