There was a time when supper clubs were all the rage in Buffalo. A time when you could get dressed up and go out to dinner, and catch some amazing live music – jazz and R&B in particular.
Thanks to the opening of Luxor Steak & Lobster, those “good old days” are back. Owner operators Tara Funderburg and her fiancé Taru Woods have taken their complete “date night” wish list and thrown it all together, thus creating a restaurant that has an atmospheric dining experience that rivals the best of them.
For Tara, her perfect night out means throwing on a dress, going out to dinner and eating vegan and vegetarian food, and listening to some great live music. For Taru? He also likes to suit up, sit down, and listen to some classic jazz and R&B. But instead of the vegan and vegetarian fare, he prefers steak or lobster… or both.
“We have created this dining experience based on our passion for food,” Tara told me. “When we go to other cities, these are the types of places that we like to visit. We found that there was no place to go out and get an upscale inner city feel with live music in this area of Buffalo… that supper club feel that we love so much. This is our ultimate date night, and we think that others feel the same way. Not only did we go all out on the food, we also knew some of the best musicians in Buffalo who will be playing during the dinner hours (and beyond). Since we opened on April 2, we have had so many musicians reaching out to us. And the diners are loving it. Last Saturday we had four different tables that drove in from Rochester. They were so excited to have a place like this in WNY – a place that’s like the good old days.”
I couldn’t agree more. Years ago, my dad would take me to the Blue Note on Main Street to listen to jazz every Friday. It was so much fun – we both have such fond memories. After the Blue Note closed, I always wondered why there were not more places like that around the city, especially since this was once such a big jazz town. Hopefully this supper club revival will signal that the water is warm again… after all, sometimes there’s nothing better than eating delicious food while being entertained by some pros.
Speaking of pros, saxophonist Will Holton is playing this Friday, so you might want to make a reservation sooner rather than later. Hmmm… what goes well with a sax? How about a tomahawk steak? “Or the salmon is really good,” said Tara. “Then there’s the whole fried catfish. Don’t forget about the three layer chocolate cake and the strawberry cheese cake – there are vegan versions too (you can’t tell the difference), all made by Nikki’s Chocolates right here in Buffalo. She’s an amazing chocolatier!”
Tara told me that people have been raving about one of Taru’s creations – The Luxor Burger (lead image) is their signature dish. Apparently Taru wanted a giant hamburger and a lobster tail, and he wanted it all in one dish. Personally, I’ve never quite seen anything like this before, but I bet that there are a lot of surf and turf lovers out there that are smacking their lips right about now.
When I asked Tara what one of her biggest takeaways was since opening, she told me that she loves seeing young people getting dressed up and going out on the town. She said that now that she and Taru have fewer butterflies in their stomachs about opening the restaurant (it’s always a rollercoaster ride), they are 100% focused on “… doing what we’re good at. We got some of the kinks ironed out early. Now we’re focused on expediting the orders, getting great food out, and making sure that everyone is entertained along the way.”
Luxor Steak & Lobster | 3199 Main Street | Buffalo NY 14214 | (716) 381-9306 | Visit Facebook for news on live music bookings | Visit the website for days and hours of operation, including Sunday brunch