Author: Amelia Nussbaumer

Amelia began her initial professional career in LA, when she opened up a successful clothing boutique. But she found her true calling with cooking when she returned back to her chosen hometown of Buffalo (she's originally from NYC). Amelia has cooked at some of the top restaurants in Buffalo, and continues to exercise her culinary know-how by writing for Buffalo Rising - the magazine that prompted her to move back home.

There are few luxuries during times of crisis.  However, there are certain “extravagances” that will be offered up this Saturday – extravagances that I have found myself craving many a time, during more conventional times.  Oft times I have found myself daydreaming about “Broken Garden Tools” and “Circus Days”, and devouring that burger, all while lounging on my favorite couch.  You see, these are my favorite drinks and delicacies at The Dapper Goose, a restaurant on Amherst Street in Black Rock that foodies from all  over Buffalo have come to adore. But alas, it all seems like a distant past… it’s been so…

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The autumnal equinox occurs in just a few short days.  And what better way to enjoy, literally, the last day of summer than celebrating still-glorious weather in such a captivating, and romantic setting, as a sprawling urban farm located in the heart of Buffalo’s West Side?  Now, many have gotten familiar with WestSide Tilth Farm through their Saturday farmers markets and Solar Pizza Parties.  However, there have been very few opportunities to intimately connect with the farm in such a way as they are currently offering up, this weekend. Sunday, September 22nd, from 2pm-6pm, WestSide Tilth Farm is hosting a…

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A hot new chef in Buffalo, pasta made in-house, a menu that not only inspires, but leaves you fully satisfied…just a few of the things that come to mind when thinking of the long-awaited, and highly anticipated opening of Inizio.   Chef-owner Michael Gibney has been on my radar since devouring his novel, Sous Chef: 24 Hours on the Line, a few years back.  Some weeks ago, at a friends-and-family menu tasting, I got a true sense of his skill and vision – old world meets contemporary sensibility, offered at a quaint locale in the heart of the Elmwood Village. So many…

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The other day, given the looming grey skies and cold February weather, I found myself craving what I always considered the ultimate comfort food, back when I was an ardent advocate of the plant eating lifestyle. With so many vegetarian and vegan places opening, I wanted to share one of the city’s best, soothing, and most reliable vegan options that has become somewhat of a dining ritual. Santasiero’s serves up some of the best deals in the city, now that is a well known fact.  But what some don’t realize is that it is also one of the best vegan…

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In the core of downtown’s entertainment district there are not all that many varied options of ethnic cuisines, outside of Mexican it seems.  Deep South, Señor Tequila, Salsarita’s, Taqueria La Delicias, Breezy Burrito, and Mighty Taco (if that even counts) are all located within a couple block radius of one another.   So to see a new restaurant open its doors at the beginning of this past holiday season, and a new culinary region represented, my curiosity was instantly (and delightfully) piqued. Akbor Restaurant, specializing in Indian cuisine has quietly opened for lunch and dinner, serving seven days a week,…

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If you’re looking for an out of the ordinary way to spend part of this weekend while hunkered down for the “possible” impending storm, Essex Street Pub has got you covered!  West Side Tilth Farm is hosting another installment of their Polar Pizza Party pop-ups, and anyone who has tasted their popular pies, already knows that this is a special event indeed. Since opening, West Side Tilth Farm has gained quite the following – as much for their beautiful bounty of produce, and their flexible CSA “market style” shares, as for their coveted pizza it seems, always selling out on…

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While driving down Abbott Road yesterday, I received the nicest surprise in the form of “new” restaurant signage, spotted out of the corner of my eye, indicating an unanticipated update of sorts. Passing by what was once one of my favorite restaurants in the city, my head turned to look, solely out of habit, not really expecting to see anything new, knowing that the place closed up shop back in May. Well, it seems that the owners of Conlon’s have had a welcome change of heart because they are back! Dan Conlon decided to reopen his cherished established, yet with…

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Some buildings, and businesses, can change hands as the years pass never seeing a real lull or drop in clientele, even with changing the menu or style of food offered.  Some people just seem so attached to certain spaces, almost something akin to muscle memory, you just keep it as a part of your routine because you’ve enjoyed doing it for so long.  Things just keep moving forward, business as usual. Yet, sadly, more and more these days, in an ever expanding and increasingly over saturated local restaurant market there are all too often openings and closings that seem to…

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While in the thick of the recent holiday rush, and onslaught of seemingly never ending errands, I found myself totally depleted and famished while parked in a shopping center located in the middle of the Tonawanda stretch of Niagara Falls Boulevard.  Not wanting to try my luck at the merry-go-round of chain restaurant land that exists in those parts, I typed in a quick search to see what (else) was near me and instantly was surprised when Tai chi Bubble Tea appeared on my screen. Now, I had heard the business name before, having originated their first and only other…

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Walking around major cities, certain smells seem to almost become a part of your DNA.  When one is passing by food carts, restaurants, markets, and the like on such a frequent basis, those smells become such a part of the experience within those specific urban concrete confines.  And that is why, upon parking and walking up to Madina Halal & Sweets, I was so pleasantly surprised – my senses instantly awakened, smelling the most intoxicating aromas. Now, the building is not the most welcoming sight in the city.  There are signs of obvious wear and tear, and one can tell…

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