When I first moved back to Buffalo, a long time ago, there was a place at 929 Elmwood Avenue called The Soda Bar & Pastry Co (aka Elmwood Soda Bar). It was my uncle’s favorite place to eat, and whenever he came into town, we would head over there for lunch. Elmwood Soda Bar closed over 20 years ago, and since that time there has never been another eatery that has managed to capture that same spirit, until now.
Last evening, despite the bizarre weather, I walked from Allentown to Bidwell Parkway, to check out Nine 29, which is a new restaurant operated by the former owners of Mezza – the eatery that occupied the space previously. Peter (PJ) and Jonathan (Johny) Eid, who also happen to own Hearth + Press on Main Street, have done a bang up job at bringing back a simple concept that is based on excellent bar food that is aimed at attracting the locals who want to eat in a welcoming, comfortable atmosphere, with zero pretensions.
When I first walked in, Johny Eid was behind the bar – PJ was downtown. I congratulated him on the new space, and proceeded to snap some photos. I was impressed that they had warmed the place up significantly, by adding a number of wood elements, including the back bar. I immediately felt comfortable in my surroundings – something that I had not felt since the Soda Bar days. Johny told me that they had just installed a brick oven pizza in the back, and they were slinging pizzas with a sauce using San Marzano tomatoes grown in California (Hearth + Press uses the Italian-imported variety). “We wanted to change it up, by offering a different type of sauce that customers can get downtown,” explained Johny. “We felt that this sauce went better with the scratch pub-style food that we are serving at Nine 29.”
It wasn’t hard for Johny to talk me into ordering a Margherita pizza, but I had come for the burger after hearing rave reviews about it. “Yes, the burger is where it’s at,” agreed Johny. “We spent a lot of time designing the perfect classic burger. We samples tons of blends before coming up with this mix of sirloin and chuck. Customers are going crazy for it. It’s the exact type of bar food that my brother and I have been craving, so we built the entire menu around food that we wanted to eat, but couldn’t find on Elmwood. We also tried about 20 different buns before settling on a brioche bun made in Cleveland. The bun allows the burger to speak for itself. We season the grill, not the meat, because we feel that the meat stands on its own. Once it hits the grill, it soaks up all of the seasoning. There’s just the right amount of fat in there that the juice will run down you fingers. There’s no need for condiments either – it’s that good. Plus, it’s only $10, and comes with a lot of fries. We wanted to keep everything affordable, while offering the best scratch bar food possible.”
Johny said that he and his brother had been over-thinking the food at Mezza. It was much more complicated to produce, and it never translated to the perfect Elmwood experience. Now the brothers are having fun with what they are cooking. “It’s laid back,” Johny mentioned. “Our customers are now telling us that they moved to the Elmwood Village for these types of restaurant experiences. In the past, we over thought everything. This is what people wanted all along. This is what we wanted all along.”
While I enjoyed the pizza, I was especially excited about the burger. It was exactly how Johny had described it. “If you like the burger, then next time you have to try the chicken sandwich,” he said. “It’s right up there with the burger – there’s nothing else quite like it in The Village. As I ate, Johny and I talked about the restaurant business, the bar, Elmwood, etc. I didn’t want to leave the place. I was having a good time, eating real good food, and relaxing at the bar. “I was thinking about putting in a dart board,” Johny mentioned. I replied, “Great idea! There’s a real need for the game of darts on Elmwood. There’s a dart shop on Hertel called Shickluna Bikes & Darts, where you will find everything that you’re looking for to get started. Get a couple of real dart boards, with some nice steel-tip darts, and see if you can attract players from the Buffalo Area Dart League. ”
We talked about the game of darts for a while. Then Johny asked me my thoughts about getting one of the internet jukeboxes. I told him that it was a slippery slope, because you never know what kind of crappy music a customer might play. Throughout the night, Johny was listening to music by The Clash, Sex Pistols, and Talking Heads, all of which I immensely enjoyed. I suggested that he take a look at an authentic refurbished jukebox from COINOPNY, just outside of Rochester. I felt that if he was truly investing in the idea of authenticity, then why not offer up a superior authentic vibe? Johny said that he was leaning towards that direction, which would mean that I would be spending a lot more time hanging out at the joint. After all, there are very few places left that offer up these types of cool, old school experiences.
Nine 29 is open seven days a week, for lunch and dinner. They also serve up a late night menu. Feel free to stop on in with friends or family – you will be sure to enjoy yourselves at this new dining establishment with old world sensibilities.
Nine 29 | 929 Elmwood Avenue | Buffalo, New York 14222 | Facebook
Saturday & Sunday brunch menu | Mimosa & bloody mary bar on Sundays | Monday wing night | Taco Tuesday | Friday Fish Fry