Everyone has their own idea about what makes a great patio. Does it get plenty of sun? Is there a bar on the patio? Does it look inviting? Is it spacious? How’s the food?
If there is one patio that deserves a “check mark” for all of the above-mentioned criteria, it’s SEAR at the Embassy Suites, in Downtown Buffalo. Located at 200 Delaware Avenue, SEAR is primely situated so that it’s easy to find from the street, and there is an awesome panoramic view of the surroundings (including a direct sight line onto the C.W. Miller Livery Stable).
My wife and I passed by SEAR the other day, and rubbernecked when we saw a bunch of people sitting at the patio bar. The place looked great. The SEAR patio was completed towards the end of the summer in 2017, so we never really had a chance to check it out. Now that the nice weather has arrived, the patio awaits in all of its glory.
Yesterday, we decided to head to SEAR’s elevated patio for a late lunch and a beer, with a friend. It was such a beautiful day, that we couldn’t resist. After sitting down, we were greeted by SEAR’s Director of Operations, Brian Harzewski, who was also stoked that the nice weather had arrived. We told him how impressed we were with the new patio addition, and how there was nothing else like it around. It’s was kinda like being on vacation, with giant red patio umbrellas, great tunes playing in the background, the hotel and condos looming overhead, and the outdoor patio bar (which was unfortunately not operational while we were there – it opens for the after work crowd apparently). Suggestion: Put a bartender out there for lunch? I believe that it would be a huge draw, and would at least offset the additional cost. Also, throw a few chaise lounge chairs on the lawn, and offer chaise-side drink service?
We were in no hurry to open our menus, but we did order our drinks while basking in the sunshine. For the most part it was a pretty quiet and relaxing lunch, because were were there to enjoy the surroundings, and not jibber-jabber too much. The beer tasted great, and the sun’s rays were oh so nice. For those who don’t want to sit directly in the sun, there is plenty of shade thanks to the patio umbrellas. There are also fire pits in and around the lounge areas, in case it gets chilly in the evening.
After a while we got down to scoping out the lunch menu, and were happy to find that there was something that each one of us craved. My wife got the burger and the garlic creamed spinach, our friend got the wedge salad with a 7 oz. side of grilled sirloin. He also order the tuna tartar for starters.
I got the turkey club with fries. The table shared a shrimp po’ boy.
The outstanding hits were: the wedge salad, the creamed spinach (my wife said “best ever”), the fries, and the grilled sirloin (a decent size of meat). I enjoyed my turkey club, but the bacon was tough. The tuna tartar was described as “fair”. The shrimp po’ boy was exceptional, especially with the side of pickles – to me, that stole the show. Overall, it was an extremely enjoyable lunch, and we already can’t wait to go back on another sunny day, or warm evening – see dinner menu.
Brian told us that throughout the summer bands play in the evening, and to visit Facebook for the schedule that they are still putting together. Checking out a band, on this patio? Well, it probably doesn’t get any better than that. I have a feeling that we will be spending some quality time on the SEAR patio this summer. It’s got everything that onecould ask for, and then some.
SEAR | 200 Delaware Avenue | Buffalo, New York 14202 | (716) 319-1090 | Facebook | Valet parking – get your ticket validated at the front desk