Favorite Meals of 2016
Favorite Meals from some friends of Buffalo Eats (original published in December 2016)
Jay Langfelder (Owner of OG Wood Fire). It’s really a tough call with so many good things going on locally. It would be easy to go with anything from my Buffalo favorites (Toutant and Black Sheep) but still being completely Pizza obsessed, I have to mention my favorite two pizzas of 2016. The traditional Margherita at Fiamma Pizza e Vino in Rochester is as good as it gets anywhere in the country, the dough is flawless and the most flavorful I have ever had. On the more creative side, the delicata squash pizza at The Grange Community Kitchen in Hamburg was the best original pizza I have had in a long time. The combination of sweet and savory is always a combo that I love on pizza and Brad and crew really nailed it with this one.
Jake Strawser (Co-owner of Billy Club). There were two meals all year that I just keep going back to. The first was brunch at Black Sheep; I’ve had Steve, Ellen and Co’s food plenty of times before but something about our meal that just blew my socks off. On the diner forefront I was a little behind the times and finally made my first trip to Ristorante Lombardo and from the second we walked in the service, food and wine were aces. There’s something about Mr. Lombardo greeting you at the door like a long lost friend that just sets the tone for the phenomenal food and wine to follow.
Luke Copping (Photographer). The best meal that I had this year was a recent one at the Black Sheep. Steve Gedra had invited Hank Shaw – the author of numerous wild food cookbooks and the blog Hunter, Angler, Gardner, Cook to collaborate on a special dinner at his restaurant. Steve and Hank put together a latin inspired menu that heavily featured venison and other game meats in dishes like Papusas and Feijoada. We sat at communal tables, made new friends, had some incredible food that I’m starting to crave again by writing about it. (Featured photo by Jeff Biesinger)
Christa Glennie Seychew (Founder of Nickel City Chef). I find spontaneity (and occasional recklessness) to be incredibly restorative and invigorating. Lucky for me, both of my fave meals of 2016 had elements of unexpectedness that made them especially enjoyable.
Just after Terroir Symposium, my boss and I were invited at the very last minute to attend a formal pairing dinner held afterward at Frank, the AGO’s fabulous restaurant. It featured many of Canada’s best chefs. (There are some not-so-great pictures at the bottom of this article.) The whole meal was a hoot, but believe me when I say one should seize any opportunity that presents itself to eat food created by Jeremy Charles (Raymonds), even if it’s a single stunning razor clam. Sometimes flights from Toronto to St. John’s Bay aren’t insanely expensive, so it’s on my to-do list (and should be on yours, too).
In the fall I surprisingly received an invite to a popup featuring three young professional restaurant folk. I was impressed with their professionalism and so I agreed to attend. It was super fun because I got to sit with my good friends Christian and Dimmer (owners of Marble + Rye), and the food was quite lovely. If you consider yourself a food person, the Crucible is certainly worthy of further investigation.
There are a lot of good things to eat in town right now, things that don’t require a lot of money or time and are accessible to anyone willing to seek them out. I am utterly obsessed with chef de cuisine Joseph Fenush’s vegetable preparations at Toutant. I am almost always surprised by his culinary choices and these affordable dishes are remarkable showcases for his talent and obsessive nature.
Up in Black Rock, The Dapper Goose brings me more joy on the reg than just about anything I can think of. It has one of the two best wine lists in town (imho) and such genuine heartfelt hospitality. The cheese plate and the Korean/Nashville Hot chicken are pretty effing great, too. Grab a bar stool, introduce yourself to Tim and/or Keith, and let them dazzle you.
Rudy Watkins (Head Brewer of Thin Man Brewery). In no particular order:
Pastrami Sandwich at Hershel’s East Side Deli in Philly. A huge, unwieldy pile of hot pastrami between two slices of bread that had no real chance. (above, photo from Bon Appetit)
Cheese & meat platter at Moeder Lambic, Brussels. We ended up stuck in Brussels after the bombings in March. Moeder Lambic became our hangout, chatting with the staff, snacking on the Mixte plate & crushing cask lambic.
A single Jalapeno Popper at Black Sheep / Nickel City Smoker’s Midnight Mass. Perfection.
A bowl of roast duck/pork & shrimp dumping/noodle soup at King Noodle in Toronto on a sub-zero afternoon.
Honorable mention to a late night slice of pizza in this super weird basement pizzeria in Louisville. If the 2nd floor of The Continental had a baby with The Max from Saved By The Bell where they played late 90’s hip hop at deafening levels it would be this place. Surreal.
Luci Levere (Pastry Chef at Elm Street Bakery). I had the good fortune of spending one week in Paris this year. Every bite could be included on my list of best meals of 2017 but my favorites included a seven course tasting dish at Verjus, a tiny but cozy bistro in the Palais Royale section. Each course of the tasting menu was fresh, unique and beautifully paired with the wine selections. An adorable french dog under the table caught all of our crumbs. Our other standout favorite meal was at the highly acclaimed L’Arpege restaurant. Those vegetables, the service, the intimate environment and the opportunity to meet Alain Pasard will not fade soon.
My favorite local meal was recent. Lait Cru Brasserie pulled off one of the most beautifully executed wine pair dinners in early December. Jill Gedra organized a lovely and educational evening of French wines from Polaner. They paired perfectly, and accentuated the thoughtful and expertly seasoned french fare from Chef WIll Peterson. We left after much laughter, much delicious wine and food, and a memory of the best meal of 2016 in Buffalo. French food is definitely having a moment and I hope the trend continues in the upcoming year.
Josh Smith (Owner of SATO, SATO Ramen & SATO Brewpub). This year we had a long trip back to Japan and we visited some of our chef friends and were spoiled a little bit. One dish that stood out was a clear broth Shio Sea Salt Ramen from Satomi’s hometown on the coast. Soft but complexly layered. In NYC we really enjoyed Torishin, a Michelin starred izakaya. Only the yakitori pros can prepare delicious rare chicken skewers. Locally, one of our chefs, Matt Ronca, helps out with The Crucible pop-ups and we really enjoyed the whole pairing at Marble & Rye.
Erin Moser (Owner of Crown Buffalo). My fave meal of the year by far has to be the Hot Little Mess at the Mess Hall on Ridge Road in Lackawanna! Pictured is the breakfast version: a buttermilk fried chicken tender and juicy egg wrapped in a crepe & topped with sausage sage gravy! There is also a meatloaf brunch version of this as well as the original Dirty Mess dinner-sized option over a biscuit instead of a crepe. Hands-down, this is my Sundaystart every week!!
Greg McClure (Drummer of Del Paxton). Full disclosure, I’m not a foodie. I’m assuming that I’m being asked to make this list cause I’m in Del Paxton, so I’ll make my list for my top meals I ate while touring with Deli Paxton (food joke).
3) Freds Diner in Akron OH – A random Google search on my phone took us to Fred’s. It was just classic greasy spoon done perfectly.. and I mean perfect. Slightly hostile. Great food. Fair price. If you know my band, you know we were happy, and I was the hero that googled us there.
2) Dashi in Durham, NC – I’m a sucker for ramen joints. Got myself this tasty little dish. There were noodles in it. Vegetables of sorts. An egg. They cut that thing in half. Sure, do whatever you want to that egg because I LIKED IT!
1) Slows BBQ in Detroit MI- Imagine you’re dead…OK good, now that you’re dead you go to Heaven.. and turns out Balinda Carlisle is right: Heaven is a place on Earth.. Heaven is a sandwich in Detroit.
Brad Rowell (Chef/Owner of The Grange Community Kitchen). This years list of my best meals starts at Morcillain Pittsburgh (pictured above). I dined here twice this year. Once with some of my guys from The Grange and the second time with my wife Caryn on our anniversary. Morcilla nailed service, a fun ambiance, and excellent spanish food.
In April I was in Denver and had some ridiculous ly good dishes at Bar Dough (We named one of our pizzas at The Grange after their chef) as well as an amazing clam and nduja pizza at Pizzeria Locale in Boulder. Thinking about this honestly though every meal I share with my daughter and wife are my real favorites. Go Bills.
Bobby Finan (Co-Founder at Tommyrotter Distillery). With the growth of Tommyrotter, I was able to travel quite a bit around New England and take in the region’s austere beauty over the course of 2016. As you wind through meandering country roads that pass by fields and farms or ride the coast and smell the brine-y air of the Northern Atlantic, you begin to appreciate the wild nature behind the New American Cuisine that has developed in the Northeast and particularly in Western New York in recent years.
This year, I’ve been fortunate enough to have dined in a number of restaurants in New York, Hudson, Boston, Philadelphia and, of course, Buffalo. Despite having too many great meals to count at establishments both local and far, my favorite meal of 2016 did not occur in a restaurant at all, but rather around a fire pit in Buffalo’s Allentown neighborhood.
Back in February, Brandon Davis, my brother-in-law, and I asked Chef Edward Forster to come cook with my brother, Patrick, for his birthday. Patrick is a very proficient and enthusiastic home cook and was eager when we told him that he’d be cooking with a local chef for party of eight. He didn’t know who he’d be cooking with, what they’d be cooking or how they’d be cooking. Chef Forster, Brandon and I were all coming off the Netflix opioid that was season one of Chef’s Table. We agreed it would be blast to cook with fire and coals inspired by the Argentinian pit-cooking of Francis Mallmann…minus the Hermes scarves, fur coats and band of attractive nomad cooks (and lovers?) that he keeps around him.
The menu was beautifully simplistic and we ate from our laps in the glow of the fire. In retrospect, it perfectly captured the wild nature behind our food that I would come to appreciate in the months ahead. While there was no service to critique, the ambience was full of flickering fire light and the crackling of coals; perfect. Hot, savory food, plenty of wine and the company of family and friends surely influenced why this was my favorite meal of 2016.
Will Petersen (Executive Chef at Lait Cru Brasserie). This has been a pretty good year for me, eating wise. I am lucky to have some great friends who cook the best food in Buffalo, but I am going to have to say my best meal was while I was away in Waterbury, Vermont. While spending a nice week camping along the reservoir in craft beer country. The Prohibition Pig is is right on Main Street in Waterbury and they offer one of the best beer lists that I have seen in a very long time (RIP Blue Monk). With breweries like Hill Farmstead, Lawsons, Alchemist on tap, I had to go and check it out. Luckily, we planned this part of the trip around the delivery day for two of the local breweries, so we got super fresh and delicious beers.
Its one of my favorite things to sit by the service station at the bar because I like to see the action happen. After starting out with two half glasses of Hill Farmstead (one Edward and one Susan) it was time to start ordering food. Starting out with appetizers, getting the Duck Fat Fries (all the dipping sauces), as well as the Release The Cracklin (pictured above) with a spicy thai dipping sauce nam prik. By the time I was finished eating the apps it was time for another drink this time going with Lawsons’ Sip of Sunshine (holy shit that is a great beer) and the cheese board, olives and pork pate, and chicken liver mousse came out. One (3) more Sip of Sunshine and we finished the second round of food and drinks. Finishing up with burgers and a slider trio with fried chicken, those were washed down with a Heady Topper and a big smile. The meal was memorable because after kayaking three miles earlier in the day and hiking, it was the perfect meal after a day in the woods. A close second is the meal I had at Kuni’s last week, just so good.
Sean Wrafter (Owner of Wrafterbuilt). True best meal that I had this year was a cheeseburger with fries at the Best Western in Madaras, Nicaragua. The food was actually pretty mediocre but we had just spent a week without hot water, air conditioning, or paved roads. It was the night before we flew home and we had a great experience – but a little taste of America was just what the doctor ordered.
Tessa Lowe (Owner of Primrose Path Boutique). Reflecting on 2016 fills with me waves of emotion. I’ve been fortunate enough to travel the world with my best friends, learned a lot about myself, and am excited for what is in store for the new year. The common thread between these things, and what I live for, is experiences. I don’t need material things, I crave knowledge and building relationships with good, interesting people. Typically, that’s over indulging in food and drinks.
One of my favorite meals of 2016 was just a couple of weeks ago at a friend’s place. I had no details on the dinner party except for time and location, which was enticing for me. There were no expectations of an opulent spread or meeting wonderful new people, but that’s exactly what happened.
2/2 (pronounced Two-Two), Chef of Kaydara, known around town as the unofficial Chartreuse ambassador, and Andrew Muhlbauer prepared a meal fit for royalty (with an adventurous appetite). The entire meal was an memorable experience; from seeing Andrew use a blow torch to put the finishing touches on the pâté to 2/2 hand feeding the crew elk tongue and heart as he sliced it. Knowing that one of the guests hunted what we were feasting upon made it even more special. The pheasant roulade was perfectly executed, but my personal favorite was the Widgeon/puddle duck congee with thin slices of elk tongue.
No dinner party would be complete without imbibing throughout the evening; the liquids we indulged in were on par with the glorious food. The Nelson Survin Sour Mashed Double IPA by To Øl was the perfect beer to whet my palate and finishing the evening with a line up of El Dorado 12, 15, and 25 year rums from Caputi Liquors was obviously a special treat.
Cheers to all of the amazing memories of 2016 and to the beginning an exciting new year. With all of the amazing new restaurants and bars popping up in Buffalo, there’s sure to be a lot to experience and celebrate in the near future.
Matt Kahn (President of Big Ditch Brewing Company). I’m pretty sure the best meal I had this year was breakfast at Perks Café. I was somewhat crushed when they moved from their downtown Broadway location (which was a block from our brewery) to their Elmwood location. One of the joys of my 2015 life was to get to the brewery at 6AM, help Corey mash in a batch of beer, then stop by their place for their Cinnamon Apple French Toast. However, I find in 2016 that when I’m having a rough morning, the drive up Elmwood, followed by a breakfast sandwich on ciabatta and a coffee helps me calm the storm a bit. Everything at Perks tastes and feels real to me. If Big Ditch is my yin, then Perks Café might be my yang.
Allison Ewing (Co-owner of BreadHive). I usually write up a meaningful home-cooked meal for these but let’s be serious, the best food I had this year was whenever I would hang out with Christa Glennie Seychew who has rapidly become my BFF (best food friend.) Whether it’s because I don’t tend to take myself out anywhere special or whether she lends a special alchemy to the menu-navigating process I am not clear – or maybe good conversation is another sense through which we experience a meal. Anyway, the one I’d single out is meeting Christa for a drink or two at Oliver’s in early summer and finding out we were to be enjoying selections from the new tasting menu. And I choose that evening because I went for that “drink” straight from Hydraulic Hearth’s patio, where we’d gathered BreadHive’s new staff for the first time and shared drinks, laughs, stories and pizzas – and I’d eaten about a pizza and a half already if we’re being honest, which I am. By the end of the night I was very happy and very, very full because there was no way not to enjoy every bite of the exquisite stuff that kept showing up on the bar at Oliver’s. This upcoming year I’m hoping that my best meal will be something I cook myself, since I haven’t been doing a lot of that since opening the bakery. It’s time to start using my kitchen again.
Mike Dimmer (Chef/Co-owner of Marble + Rye). I don’t get out much. I originally thought writing about my best meal of 2016 would be harder. Lucky for me, Buffalo has some seriously amazing shit happening when it comes to food. For starters, brunch at The Dapper Goose. Dipping eggs was the first thing I saw. Right up my alley, they should have been called Eggs for Mike Dimmer. Poached in a bed of tomatillo salsa verde, a few pieces of toast…….incredible. Next, a charred broccoli special with romesco, smoked grapes, nuts, frisée. Not to mention every cocktail had was intelligent, well crafted and perfectly executed.
Moving on, I have only had the chance to dine at Brad and Caryn Rowell’s, The Grange Community Kitchen, for lunch, but even more props to that team for blowing me (and anyone who dines there) out of the water. Amazing falafel and hummus, but let’s talk about pastrami for a second. Thick cut, because it’s so good it can be served that way. House mustard and Grange Rye. Mike Thill, you killed this.
Next, dinner at Oliver’s under the amazing Chef Ross Warhol. I was head over heels for the rosemary and lavendar marcona almonds at the beginning, and they’re free. Had a fantastic duck and spatezel dinner, but not before Ross hit us with a few of his signatures. Beet with coffee-chickory soil, Ross’ favorite cheese with honeycomb. Oh ya, let’s not forget one of the best things I’ve ever tasted, Ross’ infamous Hearts of Palm sorbet. Seriously unbelievable.
Finally, I have been lucky enough to attend the past two pop-up dinners known as The Crucible, hosted by David Roque, Manny Ocasio, and Fred Polone. If you’re looking for delicious, creative and seriously thoughtful food presented with incredible wine and booze pairings, you cannot miss the next one. These three guys not only work tirelessly on the planning of these events, but grind like no other when it comes to providing a top-tier tasting menu experience. They love to tell stories through their food. The hope is to take you on a bit of a journey during your meal with an overall tone that ties everything together. It almost scares me to see what these guys are capable of, and it’s surely only the beginning. Their Goat en Crepinette w/ daikon butter and black chimichurri was hands down one of the best things I’ve eaten all year. As I said, I thought this would be harder, but as my diatribe suggests, it wasn’t. It’s never been hard to find good food in Buffalo. It’s just that as of late, it’s getting even easier to find the mind-blowing.
RJ Marvin (Owner of Barrel & Brine). Let’s face it…2016 fucking sucked. Literally every one died and I, for one, am glad it’s over. I suppose it had it’s perks though. Barrel + Brine opened up in 2016, Every Time I Die released their best album to date (Donnie edit: true story) and The Black Sheep had the distinguished honor of cooking in NYC at the James Beard House. For me, going to NYC was out of the question, but thankfully Steve, Ellen and crew set up a preview dinner a few days before they scurried off. That was it for me. That was the best meal I had in 2016. Maybe because most of my meals in 2016 came out of a take-out container and I ate them while watching Naked and Afraid reruns.
The Black Sheep Presents: The James Beard House Preview Dinner started off like most nights at The Sheep; a few shots of bourbon, few cocktails and a few hugs. Once our bodies were painfully warm we made our way outside to the patio to sample passed hors d’oeuvres. Even though I placed a fake mustache over my real mustache I was cut off from eating any more of the pork croquettes. I was forced to have my wife ask for more as i ate them from her hands like a baby chipmunk. Once inside we sat at a table filled to the brim with people you wouldn’t want sitting together in your restaurant. We we’re loud, boisterous and proud. Course after course was exceptionally fun and when the dinner was over we continued drinking and I blacked out and don’t remember the rest of the night. I think McDonalds was involved. It was.
Shit….maybe it was the Korean short rib dinner surrounded by friends. We drank a lot that night too but I think David Murphy made apple pie on a grill. With ice cream. It was in face awesome.
Aaron Ingrao (Photographer). Stand out favorite meals for 2016 come from two bars from a group of my favorite places to eat and drink: Buffalo Proper, Vera, Mes Que and Ballyhoo.
Proably my favorite after-ride meal, the Mesclun salad (add chicken) at Mes Que. If Mes Que happened to be out of chicken, they would fry up a couple eggs and throw those on the salad. After a good mountain bike ride, that was an awesome shot of super tasty protein. Of course that would accompany my favorite Mes Que drink, the Louis Suarez.
Looking back, overall, I probably ate more The Reggie Veggies at Ballyhoo than any other meal the entire year, including whatever I cooked at home. That, of course, would accompany my favorite Ballyhoo drink, the Tallyrand.
Seamus Gallivan (Co-Founder of Slow Roll Buffalo & Larkin Food Truck Tuesday). My favorite meal of 2016 was a homestyle lobster feast in Cienfuegos, Cuba, that’s memorable not only for its perfection on the plates but also the profound conversations with our host. A couple friends and I stayed at “casas” – basically a B&B setup – that offered breakfast and dinner better than most local restaurant options. Except for Casa Tacos in Havana – Cuba isn’t known for tacos but that place is the truth! We didn’t realize each order was actually three tacos instead of one, still ate em all…
…In Buffalo, my favorite meal was the pig roast gospel brunch presented by The Black Sheep at Hydraulic Hearth. Chef Steve Gedra and his crew did the roast right – tended to it overnight like a light-sleeping baby – and offered multiple sauces while stepping up a slew of old-school sides like beans and greens, scalloped potatoes, slaw and grits, and gettin funky with the likes of asparagus salad and yakina savoy. I’d wanted for years here to put on a gospel brunch with top notch food and music as is common down south, and he took it beyond my experience or imagination – as I imagine most folks reading this already know, Steve is a jedi.
Victor Parra Gonzalez (Co-owner of Casa Azul). On November 3 we had recently learned that plans for the progress of Las Puertas had gotten lost in revision for second time and that we would had to resubmit everything. And with no proof of the previous approval, the restaurant didn’t have a true sight on end for ever finishing the work. Loosing a set of plans in City Hall means any permits currently posted are no longer valid and now have to be reapplied for. That day also happened to be my sister Diana’s 22 birthday and our Father was in town from Mexico. After a heart shattering morning and a lot of frustration, I decided to call my Mother and we orchestrated one of the biggest feasts of the year.
I drove to the local store and shopped for some seafood to make ceviche (scallops, red snapper, green apples). Course number two was a leg of lamb that we roasted slowly in our closed down kitchen at LP. We paired that up with roasted fingerlings and drank so much wine that we quickly forgot that the restaurant probably wouldn’t up for a couple more months. That by far has been the best meal of 2016. Surrounded by both of my parents and celebrating my sister, who is my best friend.
Scott & Al (Founders of In a DC Minute). The Red Hen – An unforgettable date night at this DC gem left us beyond satiated – from the handmade pasta to the unique take on gnocchi, the craft libations to the ambiance – this was our favorite meal of 2016.
Pony’s (formerly Mr. Ed’s) – Though this little drive bar is not going to earn a Michelin Star, it is a staple in Middleport, NY and we have spent our lives ordering take-out from this place. Scott and I would argue that this bar serves the best and most flavorful chicken fingers in all of WNY, and was the first meal we had when we moved home in August (and we have had it at least twice a month since then…)
Aro Bar de Tapas – Though we have been impressed with all our WNY date nights, we have been back to Aro 3 times already and we still can’t get enough. Presentation, quality, and a mean Gin & Tonic makes this one of our favorite dates in WNY. The menu is constantly evolving, giving good reason to check back often. (Pictured above is a photo from their meal at Aro)
Alan Bedenko (Contributor at The Public). With thanks for your indulgence, there is no meaningful way to really pinpoint the best meal I had in 2016, so instead I’m going to give a broader retrospective. These are the most memorable things I ate this year.
Dessert at China Poblano, Las Vegas – Jose Andres’ Chinese/Mexican joint on the Strip is fun (try the pork belly and cilantro sandwich), but especially memorable here is the chocolate terra cotta warrior, filled with mouse, on a bed of ice cream and caramelized bananas, it was rich, delicious, and the sort of thing that you think about afterwards, wondering when you’ll have the chance to have one again.
Aro Bar de Tapas – Not only is it a significant thing to have such a delightfully modern, ever-changing, and innovative tapas place in town, but we’ve returned countless times and always had an outstanding experience. The service is attentive, the food has been consistently excellent, and there’s a touch of showmanship and whimsy here that is unique to WNY. Their arroz con pollo, served with chicken confit, English peas, and a black rice that is the stuff of dreams, is my go-to, although it’s seasonally absent now, replaced with something equally as interesting.
Suzy Q’s – The smoked Polish sausage at Suzy Q’s could very well be one of the best menu items anywhere in WNY, and to taste it is always like tasting food for the first time, all over again.
Frenchie Covent Garden – We tried the original Frenchie in Paris in 2011, after Bourdain highlighted it on his show. It was a tiny place run by Gregory “Frenchie” Marchand, who was assigned the nickname while working in New York, and everything was not just seasonally fresh, but dependent on what was available in the market on any given day. He recently opened this London location, and we enjoyed a wonderful meal there during a recent vacation. His Ibaiama pork, cooked pink and tender in a salt crust, was served with grilled eggplant, medjool dates, goat’s curd and zaatar, and it was a superb combination of North African flavors and textures. He also did some really memorable bacon scones with maple syrup and clotted cream as a starter.
Borough Market Picnic – When traveling, visiting markets and supermarkets just to see what’s available, what’s different, and what is unrecognizable, is one of my favorite things to do. In Dublin, we threw together picnic stuff from a few markets and got essentials at M&S, and that was great, but Borough Market is different. Here, everything is somehow special – whether it’s an English muffin that stands half a foot tall, or a breakfast sausage sandwich served in a brioche that makes you sort of re-assess how a hurried breakfast most days consists of something microwaved and a yogurt. We stocked up on incredible French bread, tomatoes from Holland, ham from Spain, and various cheeses from France for our last night of vacation. Everything was superb, we could eat in our room while we packed, and it was less than $30 for four people.
Notably absent from this list is an experience we had at Jose Andres’ famed é at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas. It was a 20-course feast prepared with exquisite care right in front of us. It also cost close to $800, and that was without booze pairings. It was a wonderful experience, but not one I’m in a hurry to repeat. In fact, we ate at Jaleo in the same space the following day for 1/8th of the price and it was exponentially more enjoyable.
It all goes to show you that a $16 chocolate dessert or $30 worth of finds at a market can outdo even the fanciest, most exclusive, and most expensive
Michael Khoury (Owner of The Washington Market). 2016 was a big year for me. On February 28th, after 6 years of living in New York City (and eating everything I possibly could), I packed up my tiny apartment into a small van and moved back home to Buffalo. Before I could leave NY, though, I had some mild panic about not getting the opportunity to try every restaurant that ever made it onto a list of places I needed to eat. I needed to catch up quickly but, as anyone who has ever tried to eat their way through NY knows, that’s impossible. There’s far too many restaurants and new ones are opening constantly. I had to face the fact that I would be leaving without eating at EVERY great restaurant in NY. I had done pretty well in my 6 years. Acceptance.
That’s not to say I didn’t try, though. I went on an eating spree during my last few months hitting up places old and new. There were many that were memorable on my farewell tour but, none more memorable than splurging on a meal at Blue Hill at Stone Barnes, Dan Barber’s incredible and hyper-local, farm to table restaurant. The restaurant is situated on a scenic farmhouse property (owned by the Rockefellers) about an hour outside of NY. The property is actually part of a Rockefeller foundation whose goal is a “working farm practicing resilient, transparent, four-season agriculture and open to the public as a hub of learning, creativity and experimentation.” I had a chance to walk around the property before the meal and got to see the pigs, goats, guard dogs, and crop fields. Its a beautiful place.
I’d always seen the place show up on a list of top restaurants in the NY area but, what really compelled me to book a table was reading chef Barber’s important book on his experiences with sustainable farm/restaurant practices, The Third Plate. After reading all of Michael Pollen’s food sustainability books, along with a number of other books on the subject, I was completely surprised by the quality of the writing in Barber’s book. Its a worthy successor to Pollen’s Omnivore’s Dilemma and is written from the perspective of an actual chef who has the know-how for applying these practices in a real restaurant setting (albeit one he can charge a lot of money for). Just check out his WastED series he did in Manhattan. If there’s one thing you take from this post, its that you should definitely read his book. His episode on Chef’s Table doesn’t do him enough justice. READ THE BOOK!
Of course, the meal was incredible. We ate our way through roughly 20 fun, creative, and delicious courses that were just about all grown/raised/foraged on this Rockefeller estate or in upstate NY. This was particularly interesting given that it was a cold Wednesday night in January, not exactly prime growing season. My dimly lit pictures and descriptions wouldn’t do the meal justice so I won’t talk too much about the food. Just know that it was one of the best meals of my life, taste-wise. Add to that the context of it being sustainably sourced (an issue that’s become important to me) and it made me smile that much more.
Looking around the dining room I saw the usual crowd of people who seem to go to exclusive, $300+ per person meals in NY, of which I was lucky enough to eat at several in my time there. Next to us was a well-dressed, foreign couple that didn’t seem to care about anything the server was explaining to them, often ignoring him and continuing on with their own conversation. Then a large group of bro-ey, suited-up Ivy Leaguers came out of a private dining room.. a group of bankers or lawyers wooing a potential client or having their baller holiday party at the most baller place they could book? Maybe.
Around course number 10, our server came over and said “alright if you’ll come with me, the chef would like to serve you the next course in the kitchen”. Well that’s cool! So we were led from our table into this huge, beautiful kitchen past about 30 young chefs over to a small table where Dan Barber himself was cutting up some bread. He said hello and was pleasant but seemed to be going through a routine presentation that he probably does 40 times a night to people who might not really care all that much. He asked us what we were celebrating. We kind of shrugged and said “no reason. we’d just always wanted to come here.”
“Oh, that’s nice.”
I was a bit nervous but I finally blurted out that we’d both just read his book and I thanked him for it and I went on rambling about how I thought it was great and an important work followed by more nervous rambling. At this he lit up and announced to the entire kitchen “Hey, you guys hear that?! They read the book!” to which we got a small cheer and a few laughs (i guess the inside joke in the kitchen was that most of them hadn’t read it yet, either). He shook my hand and thanked me for reading it. He said that he doesn’t get many book readers as diners. He sighed in relief and seemed to act more natural, more comfortably after that. Relief from the fact that he knew that we’d “get it”, perhaps? That we’d at least get the point of his efforts at Stone Barns? That we weren’t just some rich folk here to check off a restaurant on a top 10 list, or trying to eat at every expensive restaurant just so that we could say that we did? Maybe. Hopefully. As we were being escorted out after the little bread presentation, he ran back over to shake our hands again and say good bye. It was a really nice moment.
I doubt he remembers us but I’ll always remember what a great night, and a great meal I had.
Thomas Jablonski (Partner at Lockhouse Distillery) I’ve spent a couple days agonizing over this post, since opening Lockhouse Bar while retaining my day job has removed for nearly an entire year my ability to be a full citizen of “New Buffalo”. Many allegedly amazing restaurants keep opening, and I remain on the sidelines taking other peoples word regarding their prescience and skill. I wish my schedule allowed for me to enjoy them more, and hope and expect that I will be able to sample their virtues in the coming year.
My own favorite meal of the year, given these constraints, is far more basic. On Cinco de Mayo, I met both Rayna (one of my Lockhouse bartenders), my roommate Bentley and others at Savoy. Bentley, mensch that she is, decided to be our sober sister for the evening. After a brief stint at Pasión, we tapped out early, and she decided to extract Rayna and I utilizing my Jeep for a much needed meal at Jim’s Steakout.
I will not pretend the results were pretty.
After ordering, Rayna promptly fell asleep several times. Each time she woke up, she returned to the counter and re-ordered the same plain chicken finger sub (her plain order making Bentley who is not native feel like less of an outsider). This recurred at least 5 or 6 times. Maybe 7. The gracious staff humored her each subsequent order. Their diplomacy remains commendable.
Now, allegedly I also fell asleep whilst waiting. While I dispute this version of events, I’m willing to grant the possibility that it may be true.
Bentley drove us home, and I slept like a rock. One the way to work the following morning, I discovered a perfect artifact from the previous night’s indiscretions: Rayna’s uneaten plain chicken finger sub placed hardened and undisturbed upright in my front cupholder.
No, I did not attempt eat it, for fear of death. But I do remain impressed by its longevity and stamina.
For it’s sitcom qualities alone, this certainly qualifies as my favorite meal of 2016.
Sorry mom!
Chris Lindstrom (Rochester Food Blogger/Podcaster). I was in the Boston area for a curling tournament and was able to step away for an evening to have what turned out to be an eye opening experience. My friend from the area came up to Woburn for a dinner at the Baldwin Bar. The Baldwin Mansion is like a set of Russian nesting dolls with an old school Sichuan restaurant called Sichuan Garden II, the original and high end Baldwin Bar and then a related lounge upstairs each with their own separate menus. What made this special was the combination of Sichuan dry fried chicken and a duo of rye based cocktails that our bartender came up with at our request.. One of them worked to enhance the spice and the other to tame it – they showed a true knowledge of their food and were able to pair on the fly. Traditional Sichuan food taken seriously with high end cocktails is what I’ve been thinking of ever since.
Fiorella has become my go to local dinner spot when I am just in the mood for simple food executed well. I hadn’t spent a lot of time thinking about cacio e pepe before starting to eat there, but it has quickly become my favorite dish they serve. Housemade spaghetti right at that perfect doneness covered in a pan thickened cheesy, salty, nutty and pepper filled sauce. I ordered it once and haven’t stopped since.
Edward Forster (Founder of The Workshop Buffalo). 2k16 was weird. I didn’t travel that much. I didn’t eat out at the fancy places that much. There were plenty of days I spent cooking that fill my black tiny heart with joy more than you can know, and since everyone else is expounding about the meals they consumed that filled them with joy, I want to talk about meals I enjoyed making.
I cooked a tasting dinner for a friends birthday last winter. The idea was to cook everything over one source, to dine around it, and to share laughs with one another around the center of the action- an outdoor fire in winter. It pushed me outside of my comfort zone, it brought everyone out into the cold, and brought laughs and smiles into the snow. It was an amazing way to spend an evening that I long to replicate.
I was fortunate enough to be honored to cook at The James Beard House for a second time. With two awesome Nates, my buddy Jon, and the assistance of Derek D and Joe F, we made dinner. When everything is reduced to its core, we made food. But the memories and the love and adoration I have for all the remarkable people that helped make that day a true north star of my culinary days will never be forgotten. that was fucking rad. Also we had a truly remarkable meal at a Michelin star restaurant where we all got to eat foie gras, caviar, and still make fart noises in our chair- so that was cool.
Our guys and I were featured in a national magazine- Plate. Its super cool to be featured in that range of forum but that’s not what made it awesome. I was able to do it collaboratively with our kitchen guys at work- Nate made a caramelized whey gelato, someone else came up with garnishes etc. Truly seeing your friends and colleagues rise to the occasion was fan fucking-tastic.
Cali style burritos are the truth. Also the owners legally pay taxes and their employees so I enjoyed that. Campfire cooking makes me feel masculine. I am not masculine, but a fire helps stoke the flame if you will.
Beyond that The Grange is perfect in every way. Pastrami on rye has to be laced with heroine because its fucking addictive. The Dapper Goose ( aka Fussy Fin Fish, or the Persnickety Dolphin, or Ostentatious Otter all depending on my mood and level of creativity with adjectives) is the restaurant I want to hang out in everyday and hope to run something similar soon. If you do the half chili/ half mac combo at Ballyhoo its the best $4 in the city. Joe’s vegetable dishes at Toutant are miraculous and a hidden gem in this town. William Club, or Billy Club as he is known to his friends, has great food and drink in the comfiest of places. and also I’m still ushering in hopes of my first heart attack to arrive soon so I try to consume a stinger taco with blue cheese at Colossal Taco at the dirtiest dive in WNY at least monthly.
Matt Carlucci (Founder of Buffalo Soupfest). Over the course of the last few years, I’ve come to be friends with some Buffalo legends. Through social media and events that I work in, I had the honor of meeting and befriending one of my all time heroes, Darryl Talley.
Before a Bills home game early in the season (when there was still some promise of a post season) I received a text message from Mrs. Talley looking for a place for dinner while they were in town. They wanted a patio, a nice ambiance, and walkability from the hotel they were staying at.
After speaking with my foodie friends and checking availability, we came to the conclusion that the best option was Tappo on Ellicott Street. There were 8 of us and it was a busy Saturday night so we needed to wait a few minutes for our table. The bar is quite big and well stocked, so my wife and I posted up there and I proceeded to have a couple of excellent cocktails while we waited. Once we were seated, the wine started. Tappo has a fantasticly affordable and approachable wine list so we ordered a few bottles of red and white.
I had a fantastic risotto and my wife had meatballs, but the food didn’t matter. The conversation with friends and the joy of sharing a meal with someone I’ve admired all my life was the best thing about the whole evening.
After dinner we were walking back to our cars and happened to mention Toutant’s“Ooey Gooey Cake” to Darryl. It was not a hard sell and we found our posse in a relatively quiet Toutant bar around midnight. Apparently, we had just missed last call for the kitchen, but Chef Roberts heard that Darryl was in the house and came to visit. Before we knew it, a giant plate of Ooey Gooey Cake and fresh made ice cream were in front of us. There were moans and sighs of delight all around. It was a perfect end to a perfect evening.
I still have a lot of local food to try, but the company of friends and family make it all the better.
Honorable mentions:
Carbonara with mushrooms from Marble + Rye. I’ve been eating/making carbonara in various forms for most of my life. The team and M+R managed to create a unique version that blew me away. The addition of smoked mushrooms in place of the traditional pork product was insanely creative and delicious.
Seafood Chowder from Toutant. I’m a soup guy. This is one of the best things I’ve ever tasted in a bowl. Just perfect.
Cocktails at Buffalo Proper. Just perfect adult entertainment.
My Anniversary Dinner at Russell’s. This place still gets my nod for old school steak and service. Mr. Salvatore himself greets me and it just feels like I’m transported to a time when people dressed up for dinner and Sinatra was the coolest guy in the World.
Steve Gedra (Chef/Owner of The Black Sheep): As always, I am flattered to be asked to voice my opinion on such a broad forum. Big ups to Buffalo Eats for letting us speak our minds beyond our collective realms. I always struggle with these, to the point where I missed last year totally. One of the most poignant factors in this struggle is me attempting to assess on a personal level what constitutes a great meal. As I progress through my life and my career, it constantly changes. Of late, the factor that becomes more prevalent is context. Meaning, what is happening around you? Who are the people you are experiencing this with? What is the environment? Are you happy? Are you sad? What are your expectations for this? It’s a lot to think about, and quite possibly I should just shut my brain down and just let it fly, but I’ve always been shitty at that, but the point of my being asked to do this is to dig into how I perceived these moments well after the fact in most instances. It’s cool to rehash it. It makes me think about being on the other side of the door, and how I drink in a meal cooked and served by others in an environment that is pivotal to my success as a restaurant owner and Chef. So, I implore you to cut me some slack, perhaps. Just because I may have left out some really special and meaningful moments does not mean that they were not important. Most of you reading this know me well enough to know that all it takes is 5 minutes face to face to bring out how I feel about you as individuals.
As far as my recall goes, the first baller meal I had in 2016 was at Uni in Boston. Ellen and myself were in the Commonwealth because one of our dear friends, who on many occasions, including our 2nd night of Black Sheep being open, drove to Buffalo and blessed us up. This dude is a career firefighter in Roxbury, and he was turning 50. So we raged with him and plenty of lunatic Irish expats for 3 days. Our last day, we decided to get a hotel room in Back Bay. We took a nap that Rip van woulda been proud of, and hit up Uni at the Eliot Hotel. This place is owned by Ken Oringer, who is a legend, and they just recently converted it from Clio the restaurant into Uni, which was at one time a sushi bar located in the lower level of the same dining room. Holy. Shit. We were so fried from the madness of the birthday that we only drank tea. No booze at all. Took a look at the menu, which is large, varied, and weird as shit, and just started blazing the shit up. Lamb laap (which I totally jacked and put on the menu at the Sheep), percebes that came out on a plate that contained an insurance liability hot river rock that was meant for you to heat the barnacles up on. Legit Otoro from Japan that made me fully understand why people pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for tuna. The fucking “Uni spoon”— top quality sea urchin roe, quail egg yolk, caviar. I left that joint mesmerized by Ken, as I have been on multiple occasions.
Next up was not exactly the best place, but being at Polish Villa 2 surrounded by all of my friends for my homey Tom’s parents’ funeral brunch. Tom and his family lost their mother and father basically within 5 minutes of each other while they held hands. It was one of those deals where the gravitas of what was happening didn’t hit me until much, much later. The food was ok. The people there, celebrating two amazing lives, made me full of hope that we all come together for what is important.
Again to the point of context, Ellen and I escaped to a cabin near Pulaski, NY for like 3 days in the summer. We left on Sunday after brunch, drove 3 hours, and stayed in this cabin near a swimmable lake. For us, this is a feat. Our last time being away, completely alone, was Mexico in May of 2015. The second day we were there, we started a fire, and ate pizza Hobo pies until we almost burst and fell asleep at 3pm for like 5 hours. Restaurant life. Nothing but glory and profit, right?
Another one, just to give a shout out to a local spot as well as my wife and I’s affinity for diners, was the first time we hit up Nick’s Place on Amherst Street. I have long trumpeted the virtues of Sophia’s, often waiting outside in the winter to crib a seat at that joint. You have to remember that I moved away from Buffalo on January 1, 2002, when I was 24 and didn’t return until 2009. We immediately buried ourselves into Europa and then Black Sheep. So please excuse my ignorance of local common knowledge, we still lack a lot of what most non-restaurant or restaurant people consider common knowledge. I was smitten from jump. Then I started to hear tell of the fact that Sophia and Nick are brother and sister. I was loyal to the family program already, and I still love sophia’s, but GOT DAMN Nick’s put an arrow through my heart. The home fries at Nick’s are the simple beauty that a real cook strives to achieve. In all of my 25 plus years being a shit head cook from Nantucket to New Mexico, I’m telling you that these home fries have no equal. I dunno what the Greeks call their mothers, all I know is that I’ve been called malaka, but Nick and Sophia’s 80 something year old mom is prepping those taters.
I’d hate for this to get chopped so i’ll make it quick. When I ate a Lait Cru on their first night it goose bumped me. I ran over right before they closed and Old Ass Will, who spent 2 years in my kitchen, and my big sis Jill, who got me on the path to cooking when I was 15, presented me and a really simple and delicious meal that I hung my head over and savored for more minutes than I am usually afforded. My big sis opened a restaurant across the street, and Willie is back.
Best meal by far of 2016 for me was Del Posto in NYC. It was the day after we cooked at the Beard House, the next day was my birthday, the day after my birthday was my 7th anniversary (which I believe me and Ellen celebrated once?), most importantly my dining companions were my parents, my big sis Jill, Ellen, Kate Hey (our wrecking machine GM), and Bruce and Amanda Wieszala. (Amanda and I are also birthday buddies, so much celebrating.) I’ve wanted to eat at Del Posto for a very long time. I was absolutely gobsmacked by the best service I’ve ever witnessed, and after 9? courses, I walked out humbled once again. The maitre ‘d asked how our meal was and I replied, “ I don’t even know how to cook food. I need to hit the books.”
There’s a bunch more, but I am one of many. If you wanna discuss your best and maybe hear some of mine, come sit at the bar at Black Sheep and we’ll go deep. We all know that will happen.
Thanks again Buffalo Eats for the chance to express my feelings. It means a lot to all of us.