Favorite Meals of 2018

For the last six years, we have been asking some locals what their favorite meal (or meals) of the year were. We gave them zero instructions on how to respond. These meals could be from a local restaurant, travels abroad or a simple meal cooked at home. They could write 20 words or they could write 5,000, it was up to them. This year we reached out to some familiar faces but we also tried to get some new ones as well.

Today is Part One of five, you can see an entire list of every Favorite Meals post through out the years right here.

Patrick Finan, Co-Founder of Block Club

My favorite meal of 2018 was at Proper in Buenos Aires (pictured above from comabeba.com). There isn’t a sign at Proper, just a wooden bench and crates of soda bottles in the doorway of the former mechanic’s workshop, and they don’t take reservations. Last minute, we decided to skip a traditional parilla in favor of this vegetable-forward spot in Palermo. Hands down, it was the best decision of the entire vacation. The wait was about two hours and they offered wine or negronis to guests. While we were waiting, a group of Americans around our age wandered in and got in line behind us. I recognized them from a wine shop in San Telmo, the old part of town, that I went to on New Year’s Eve. My husband and I struck up a conversation and made fast friends. One of the couples quit their jobs about a year prior and had been traveling around South America. They were at the tail end of their adventure, heading home to Philadelphia a few weeks later. We ended up eating dinner together (incredible fresh and light food, in a country full of heavy beef dishes), sharing lots of wine, and post-dinner, drinking beers and talking (almost) until the sun came up. We were leaving for Uruguay the next day, and they were heading there the following week. While we were all traveling, we’d share suggestions and recommendations for places to visit along the way. Now we’re all back home and regularly message, mostly about travel and food. I hope to see them again soon.

Sean O’Donnell, Executive Chef at Bar Bantam (Rochester, NY)

My Sous Chef Andy called ahead to Next Door Bar and Grill (Rochester) and asked for an omakase menu from Chef Satoshi Yamaguchi. When Andy and I sat down we were greeted with a miso soup full of tiny Manila clams cooked right in the bowl filled with a textbook perfect dashi. Next he started us off with a bang, serving us a trio of squash tofu topped with raspberry and wasabi, a shrimp stuffed tempura shishito pepper, and okra in dashi, all with their own unique flavors that seemed to perfectly compliment the next. The second course was a tuna and avocado tartare paired with a blue crab and berry salad that was light, acidic, and very well thought out. When our plates were cleared Satoshi just placed black slate plates in front of us with nothing on them but pickled ginger, and swiftly grabbed away our soy sauce. When he pulled out the sauce brush I knew it was about to get real. The nigiri he sent out was life changing. He would make them one by one with undivided attention to our pace and enjoyment. Some had wasabi, some were brushed with soy, it was so good that I forgot most of the nine pieces of nigiri from pure bliss and excitement. After a quick breather he hit us hard with an uni hand roll quickly followed by a smoked salmon hand roll garnished with cucumber, soy, and shiso. Maybe the best two bites of the omakase. If the sushi barrage wasn’t enough our friend Sully came around the corner with some soy braised pork belly in dashi. It was simple and to the point, a perfectly rendered pork belly. The meal ended as traditionally as it started, with a single piece of tamago. This might have been the best meal I’ve had in a few years.

Victor Parra Gonzalez, Executive Chef/Owner of Las Puertas (Buffalo, NY and Tulum, Mexico)

My favorite meal by far was made in this past two months in Tulum. We had been running on all cylinders during the first two weeks, trying to understand what the pace of our restaurant will be. Surrounded by the whole staff, we realize we need it a break. we decided to take a full day of just cruising the busy strip, started at I Scream Bar, the guys behind the pine were pouring Mezcal for us like it was water. A little after that we hit our first restaurant which was Mur Mur (pictured above). The owners took care of us, starting with a ceviche of robalo in china lima, then a tostada of chicken in sikilpak (a Mayan preparation that starts with seeds and veins of chiles and finishes strong in the citrus). What followed was by far one of the greatest evening of the year. Tony rials, Syrie Roman, Michael and Monica Lezema (Chef de Cuisine of Las Puertas Tulum) decided we could keep going, so we sprinted for the cerdo pelon and quickly made plans for the drinking portion of the night.

Much like Buffalo, it was the food couple with the drinks and the company of friends who made the best meal of the year thus far that night, as I return home after being in Mexico I am thrilled to see my friends here and create more memories in this year that will be able to top those that we have in Mexico but truth be told if you asked me, any one who is cooking out there for other people weather they like it or not, they will end up in the “best meal of the year as long as they put the same amount of love that the guests do when they choose to get together with each other” and that’s how I feel this year will finish for me. Surrounded by great guests and friends that love whatever they are sharing together.

Dan Hagen, Co-owner of Billy Club (Buffalo, NY)

I’ll be honest, I wasn’t too adventurous this year. It’s been a time consuming year and I was mostly sticking to old faithfuls.

Oliver’s: English Pea Angnolotti – it has since come off their menu so I don’t have the full description anymore. But honestly the different components of peas, mushroom, asparagus and the pasta were just lights out.
The Grange Community Kitchen: Citrus Cured Scallop – Chili, grapefruit, radish, and this paper thin cracker just made it a really bright, well textured bite. 11/10 would order again.
Sear: I very rarely order red meat when I am out. The bartender mentioned how awesome this featured steak was so I said “why the hell not”. It was a “Denver” cut of American Kobe Beef with gnocchi, morels and their house demi/jus of sorts. I don’t regret that $50 at all.

Sexy Slices, Anonymous Pizza Critic (@sexyslices)

In between pizza runs, I hit up Street Café & Halal Foods at 2641 Main St for my favorite meal of 2018. Chicken Tika and Chana Massla (chickpea) tacos, Fried Chicken, and a Lamb Wrap, all of which were at the absolute top of their game. Served with the spicy green and cooling white sauces, it’s Pakistani/Mexican/Soul Food Fusion that’ll murk your senses. She ain’t much to look at and there’s zero atmosphere, but I highly recommend hitting it up for take out if any of that sounds like your jam. Super affordable for all my broke brethren.

Jessica Railey, General Manager and Wine Director of Toutant and Dobutsu

While I didn’t travel out of the country this year, other than Canada, I got to have some pretty incredible meals, and nearly all of them in our own figurative backyard.

The year started by heading to FLX Table in Geneva. Headed by Master Sommelier Christopher Bates and his genuinely warm & welcoming hospitality team, it’s an ever-evolving tasting menu with a few levels of wine pairings for your choosing. We went for the Big Pimpin’ pairing (duh). Since they have an argon system, they can pour the most killer wines without waste- old, old sherry, Keller Dalsheim riesling, another riesling from 1959, Chateaneuf du Pape from 1995. I was in heaven, to say the least.

My boyfriend Ed and I head to Philadelphia almost yearly at this point, and every time we go, Nick Elmi has another restaurant open, so this year we checked out Royal Boucherie (pictured above). Casual, elevated “pub” food. I’m still dreaming about the escargot, pork stuffed fried olives (yeah, that’s right), and an epic foie gras terrine.

A bunch of friends and I headed to Pearl Morissette on a blustery night where we ended up being the only table for the evening. Instead of the staff being annoyed for having to be there for only 5 people, they were so accommodating and on top of their game. The cuisine is playful, and probably the most innovative and thought-provoking I had all year. I hear it’s pretty impossible to get a reservation at this point, so plan ahead.

Then there was Racines, with famed chef Paul Liebrandt at the helm of the kitchen for what was supposed to be a short residency which is still going through the end of this year. The best dish of the night was razor clam wrapped in spring cabbage, with crab, kaffir lime, in a mussel & chartreuse broth & prosciutto gelee, and perfectly paired with a floral, rich Alsatian Pinot Gris.

There was also some In n Out burger enjoyed with new friends while I was in Dallas for a somm conference. Can’t leave that out!

Lastly, I can’t forget the incredible meals we had while camping and staying in lakeside cabins. Shucking our own oysters & cooking over campfires while still dripping from swimming in Seneca Lake, filling a small cabin air bnb on the shore of Lake Ontario with aromas of braised beef & perfectly cooked veggies. Those are the food memories that are visceral, that I can remember with all of my senses.

Harry Zemsky, local Restauranteur (Angelica Tea Room, Hydraulic Hearth)

Homemade Jambalaya on the beach at Martha’s Vineyard has become a great annual family and friends tradition. It’s an all-day affair, starting with a couple hours at the beach building a fire pit and collecting wood, with some breaks of swimming and Kadima sprinkled in off course. Then we divvy up the ingredient list to the various involved parties, and hit the fish market. The cooking begins around happy hour, usually led by my brother in-law Michael, with myself assisting & keeping people from kicking sand into the pan. Pro-tip: a blockade of rusty saws is very effective. The goal is to finish before sun set begins so we can enjoy our feast while soaking in the sights. Yum! The best meals are always the ones you have to work for.

Michael Tobin, Owner of Fresh Catch Poke Co. (Williamsville, NY)

Best overall meal I had this year was up at Tide and Vine Oyster House over the border in Niagara Falls. Their seafood chowder is the best chowder I have ever had and their seafood curry stew is a must try also. A couple of my most memorable individual dishes would be Toutant’s brunch with the Nashville hot chicken and baloney sandwich, a perfect bandaid after a tequila night. Chef 2/2’s swordfish curry dish from the Fresh Catch Oyster party was incredible, along with any curry he does. Warms the soul!

Sam Geyer, Co-owner of Lomo Lomo Food Truck

Hands down my favorite meal of 2018 was at Danny Bowien’s Mission Chinese NYC. It was as much a dining experience as it was a lesson on spicy food.

I went with my wife, and we ordered a bunch of shit. Mongolian long beans and Mapo Tofu were crazy spicy, doused with Chile oil and heavily seasoned with Szechuan peppercorn. It was so. friggin. tasty. We ordered the salt cod fried rice as a reprieve, and it was a smart choice. I love salt cod, and the fried rice was phenomenal.

The entire reason I wanted to go to mission was to eat the Chingoing wings (pictured above). Ive always looked at that dish through a Buffalonian lense, like the Chinese version of suicide wings. They were ridiculous. The strangest eating experience I’ve had so far in my life, the wings were out of this planet spicy, but so delicious. I remember glancing at everyone eating around us, unsure of how I was supposed to be conducting myself. I was in a panic with how spicy the wings were, but I couldn’t stop eating them.

Everything was great, 10/10 would recommend.

Jessica Lorigo, Contestant on The Final Table, Chef at Gerald’s Bar (San Sebastian, Spain)

I think all memorable meals are marked by a special occasion or overall experience, I can think of two right off the bat. The first was back in July, my girlfriend and I took a weekend trip to Biarritz, France. We stayed at a little resort in Erromardie for our one year anniversary. We had an amazing meal at a little chiringuito. (Spanish word for beach bar) We drank fresh muddled mojitos, had tons of fresh seafood and watched the sunset. Just thinking about it makes me want to go back!

In October, my girlfriend and I went to Munich, Germany for Oktoberfest! I had some of the best traditional German food while in Munich & Nuremberg. They call meatloaf what we know as a hotdog however, in a form of a patty. In butcher shops you can order these little meatloaf sandwiches with hot or sweet mustard for 2 euros. After, you can go to the biergarten and sit down with a half liter of beer and just hangout/eat & drink. The Bavarian pretzels stuffed with chive cream cheese were also so delicious. On top of it all at Oktoberfest, we were lucky enough to sit down and eat the traditional roast chicken with German potato salad at the Hofbrau Tent, so memorable!

Brian Hayden, Communications Manger at Visit Buffalo Niagara

It’s so difficult to pick a favorite meal in 2018. Buffalo has never had more options and chefs have never been more experimental than they are right now. In the end though, my favorites for this year boil down to two Buffalo classics: pizza and wings.

I had the opportunity at the beginning of the year to write the Buffalo Wing Trail for my day job at Visit Buffalo Niagara. The experience of traveling around the county in search of the city’s best wings left me with a totally different impression of our signature culinary creation by the time I was finished. Wings are not just wings in Buffalo; tucked-away corner taverns and pubs hidden in villages, neighborhoods and strip malls took the Anchor Bar’s concept and perfected their own variation on it in the decades afterward.

You’d think I’d be all winged out by now after researching and touring visiting travel writers around on the trail. But if an out-of-town friend visited tomorrow and asked me to take him somewhere for wings, I could still head to Elmo’s at the drop of a hat. Their wings are that good. Their signature double-dip – frying them, saucing them, grilling them, and saucing them again – produces a fusion of flavors on the wing unlike anywhere else in Buffalo. I get hungry just thinking about the Cajun Honey Mustard and the BBQ Hot wings.

And my pizza experience with Arthur Bovino, author of the book Buffalo Everythingand creator of The Daily Meal’s annual 101 Best Pizzas in America list, was a 2018 highlight too. Arthur had befriended Jay Langfelder of Jay’s Artisan Pizza in Kenmore when writing his book. He was back in town to promote it this summer, and invited my colleague Drew Brown, his wife Bernice Radle and myself to join him at Jay’s for pizza after the business closed one night.

Jay provided us with an after-hours sampling of Detroit-style pizzas (pictured above) unlike any I had tasted in my life. The dough, ingredients and combination of flavors were outstanding. Jay is doing something really special up in Kenmore, and I’d encourage everyone in Buffalo to try his pizza at least once.

Tom Burtless, singer of Humble Braggers and Buffalo Eats contributor

My girlfriend Alex and I fell in love with the Beets 5 Ways dish at The Black Sheep(pictured above) this past year, having it on more than one occasion. Steve’s vegetable dishes have always been some of my favorite in Buffalo and this was no exception.

I’ve been dining at Billy Club a lot this past year. I hadn’t partaken in their dinner too often other than an occasional burger in previous years (which is fantastic) but their bone marrow, asparagus, dumplings and mushroom dishes have all been outstanding and I feel foolish for not embracing their dinner menu sooner.

The burger at Marble and Rye has always been my go-to since they’ve opened but their fried rice and poutine specials from this past year have gotten me to break out of my usual routine. I can’t recommend trying out their specials enough.

Going to Mexico this past fall allowed me the chance to finally get some very legit Al Pastor tacos at Pepe’s in Puerto Vallarta which were exceptional. (Previous Favorite Meals: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017)

Christopher Schobert, Film Critic/Arts writer at The Buffalo News, Buffalo Spree

Determining a “favorite meal” is tricky when the majority of one’s meals are centered around the kids. (Happy Meals? I’ve had a few.) However, there are occasions when the stars align, and all of us — mother, father, sister, and brother — come together for a meal that delights all parties. Such was the case on May 17, 2018. It was our tenth wedding anniversary, and being a Thursday night, my wife and I decided to postpone our solo, parents-night-out dinner until the weekend. Instead, we would bring the kids to a place whose construction thrilled and fascinated my young daughter: Lloyd Taco Factory on Main Street in Williamsville.

My daughter was 3 years old during that time, and each day, as she and my wife would drive by Lloyd en route to daycare, she would gaze at the bright green sign and ask, “When is the taco store opening?” This was a source of amusement for us, but we were asking the same question. Quite frankly, the Schoberts could not wait.

So it made sense that our first family outing to Lloyd would come on that May evening. (My wife and I had already visited, and all of us had enjoyed Lloyd Taco Truck items over the years.) It was a pleasant evening — the garage doors in back were open — and it was made even lovelier with a beer for me, and a giant drink for my wife. What did we order? I hardly recall, but it was wonderful, as we knew it would be. (I know what *I* ordered: two braised beef tacos.)

This was a simple, unfussy experience. But for my young family, it was memorable. The food and drinks were a delight, the setting vibrant, the music just right. (Even the bathrooms are fun at the Taco Factory.) The kids were happy, and they ate. I looked around and felt that this must be some kind of suburban bliss. Parents tend to worry that dinners out with the family will look like the ending of Melancholia — hands clutched, ready for the apocalypse. Instead, we smiled, laughed, and spoke about what we might order on our next Lloyd visit.

Oh, and our solo, parents-night-out dinner that weekend? I can’t even recall where we ended up. Lloyd was the one we’ll remember. (See Previous Favorite Meals: 2013)

Zina Lapi, Chef/Owner of Casa Azul (Buffalo, NY)

As a chef and owner, I will start off by saying I unfortunately do not have a lot of free time to dine out. With that being said, I do make time every year for family vacation. Besides cooking, traveling is where I am most at peace and every trip is unique and inspirational. This year we visited both Buenos Aires and Mendoza and there was no shortage of delicious food and wine in Argentina! I genuinely enjoyed just about every meal I had. How could one not when the Argentinian diet consists mostly of delicious grilled red meat and offal?!

One meal that stands out above the rest was dinner at Francis Mallman’s 1884 Restaurant (pictured above). We were lucky enough to get a table in the garden, right next to the open air kitchen, and this meal was nothing short of spectacular. We had everything from sweetbread and kidneys, to charred octopus and Bone-in Porterhouse, which was grilled on the charcoal pit we sat next to.

The amazing ambience, great food, delicious wine, and the chance to enjoy it all with my family was what truly sets this meal apart from all the rest!

Brad Rowell, Owner/Chef of The Grange Community Kitchen (Hamburg, NY)

My Year started with a three day trip to Los Angeles. We made several trips to Gjustain Venice Beach. Gjusta pretty much does everything you could ask for from a California restaurant. Bread, coffee, breakfast sandwiches, charcuterie, smoked fish all inside the most casually cool space in the country. I had a ridiculous dish of trout roe and cultured butter on pumpernickel bread and brought home a super flavorful hot sauce from their market.

The restaurant I was most looking forward to in L.A was Bestia in the arts district. Bestia was packed for our 11pm reservation and the food was bright, seasonal, and simple. Service and drinks were also on point. Bone marrow pasta, Veal Cronino, and burrata pizza all legit.

The other highlight was Felix in Venice. For me Felix was only great for one reason, the focaccia. We were told to order two orders before we arrived and I thought that was absurd until I tried my first bite. This bread was so light, flavorful, oily, and salty. That’s really the only thing I loved about the restaurant but I will always remember the focaccia.

Honorable mentions go to the fries at Bellwoods Brewery, Pizza’s at Jay’s, Dinner at Dapper Goose, Dobutsu(especially the chicken and rice bowl), Brunch at Black Sheep, Everything Emily Savage makes, The Grange Bills Tailgate, Anthony’s Egg Bakes, Corey and Paul’s Hot Sausages. Louise’s friends at Remedy House. Mike Thill, Debbie D’s home cooking and Lauren Dujans Chicken Wing Dip! (Previous Favorite Meals: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017)

Bobby Finan, Operating Partner of Tommyrotter Distillery

My best meal of 2018 was at Rodney Scott’s Whole Hog BBQ (pictured above) in Charleston, SC. The restaurant is set up in a fast-casual style where you order at the counter and soon after the food arrives on tray. It’s super quick and convenient for a brief break from touristy things. In retrospect, I did it right; I went with a group of four and was able to sample a bit of everything. The BBQ Spare Ribs were my favorite and they inspired me to go buy a smoker and attempt to make a far shittier version for myself at home. A firm two thumbs up for all the sides: Mac ‘n’ Cheese, Cornbread, Baked Beans, Hush Puppies and Cole Slaw. Hoping one of his restaurants opens up in NYC soon! (Previous Favorite Meals: 2016, 2017)

Andrew Pentheros, creator of Buffalo Whiskey Guild and Buffalo Eats contributor

It’s the dough, I think. The airy gentleness of it. Mixed with an always delicious blend of high-end ingredients and toppings. Simple, clean, never too much, never too little. Perfect. Every time I ordered a Jays Artisan Pizza in 2018, it was my favorite thing. I probably ordered from there like 20 times, but the soft unique flow of texture and flavor of Jay’s pizzas always works for me. So spoiled I live around the corner. My favorite meal is always right there. (Previous Favorite Meals: 2015, 2017)

Yuri Polyachenko, Area Manager of Lloyd

2018 was a big year for me, I can happily say that I am officially off the market and got to marry the girl of my dreams. Wedding planning and overseeing two beverage programs unfortunately left little room for us to dine out during the year, but the one place that really stood out to me was our meal at Oliver's Restaurant.

I shamefully have to admit that this was the first time I dined at Oliver's, I still kick myself for having taken so long to do so. My first impression when I stepped foot into the restaurant was not what I expected. In fact Dave Schutte and his team have built a quite warming and enjoyable ambiance throughout, from their rather humorous valet attendant, to being greeted by Dave Schutte himself at the door. From the time we arrived to the moment we left it was a warm and welcoming experience.

Our waiter who greeted us was charming, witty and had a sense of humor yet he still retained that old school charm that makes for a pleasurable fine dining experience. We started off with a pair of negroni's. I really appreciated that he requested if I had preference of gin when it came to our negroni's. As we were cycling through our menu, we were treated by Chef Ross Warhol with his "Decadence of Egg" which featured egg yolk, crispy pancetta, truffle and potato foam. The appetizer looked like a work of art and every bite I consumed made me feel guilty for destroying the elegance of the presentation. After enjoying their "small bite", we were primed and ready to order everything we could off the menu. We started off with oysters, which were meaty and filled with brine and not a trace of grittiness. I would have to say they were the best oysters I have had in quite some time followed by a well presented and simplistic steak tartare. My wife ordered her favorite dish, Ossobuco. Quick backstory, she doesn't eat red meat anymore so it takes a lot for her to be tempted to go back to her old ways. Ossobuco is her kryptonite and I would have to say based on the tenderness of the veal shank and the layers of flavor you got with every bite, it was well worth veering from her moral compass. For me, I went with the special beef cut of the day which I am currently having difficulty remembering the exact source. What I do remember is that it was cooked perfectly; rare and melted like butter with each bite.

We wish we had time to test out desserts and have a pour of digestif, but we were running late to a Shea's performance. We definitely plan to venture back in 2019 in hopes that we equal the experience we received during our first visit. Kudos to the entire staff at Oliver's, Chef Ross Warhol for elevating classics dishes and Dave Schutte for assembling it all while creating a unique experience for anyone that dines with them. (See Previous Favorite Meals: 2017)

RJ Marvin, Co-owner of Barrel + Brine (Buffalo, NY)

Asking me to pick my favorite meal is like asking me to pick my favorite Kardashian. Not because its so hard to choose, but because, like my favorite meals, I keep a journal of who my favorite Kardashian is at any given moment at any given time. Right now it’s Kanye.

Early in the year I was asked to be a part of the Black Sheep's Pop-Up dinner series, Sunday Supper. If I have preached anything consistently within the last five years its the “psychology of eating”. The idea that a great meal is less about the food itself, but more about the situation, atmosphere, company and mood surrounding the meal. I suppose this holds a bit extra true in this case because although I didn't dine in the dining room for the event, it is by far the most rewarding experience i’ve had in the food world and certainly the most exciting meal of 2018.� I was able to cook for my family. I was able to recreate dishes that my mother and father had made for us countless times as children and as adults. Food that has become synonymous with comfort, love and support. Dishes that I may not have appreciated as a child, but longed for as I approached what I think is “adulthood”. I was able to cook for my mother, which is always special, but on this occasion I was able to show her fully the impact she, and my father had on me as a cook.

To top it off I spent the day in the kitchen with my wife, Lindsey, but also with the Black Sheep family. It’s no secret that there are few people I love and admire more in the world than Steve and Ellen Gedra.

Now, it’s Khloe. (See Previous Favorite Meals: 2015, 2016, 2017)

Daniel Roelefs, Owner of Arden Farm (East Aurora, NY)

I recently enjoyed lamb chops with chimichiri sauce at The Diamond Cutters Holiday Party. Chef Krista Van Wagner led her amazing team including Darian Bryan and her prodigal son Eric. They were melt off the bone delicious. Bacon wrapped figs accompanied them. Gregory Olma, the Erie County Deputy Commissioner of Parks, talked about forest management while wading in a seafood Buffet which included salmon, crab and prawns served with a collection of Krista’s sauces. Krista and her Brothers were amazing hosts.

Tony Martina, Chef at Colter Bay (Buffalo, NY)

This question is a three part series because there are different levels of appreciation for a meal..

Best meal as a Chef: it will probably be the best meal I’ve had for several years. Having recently been married, my wife and I spent our honeymoon in the south France and in the town we stayed, there was this market called the Marche De Provencal; one of the better fresh markets in France. I found myself lost in the vast stalls of cheese, charcuterie and bread in the early morning hours, picking out old and familiar flavors that I had forgotten over the years. Spending that time in the market was the most humbling time in my life as Chef, as these vendors were selling such pure perfect items day in and day out. With such a passionate labor, setting up and breaking down a booth in a fresh market sucks but they have such a passion for what they do you would never know how hard they work. The bites of baguette were so crunchy and soft at the same time, and the croissant, with so many buttery layers you can see, the charcuterie with it's beautiful white mold, only created by months of patience. The cheese with it's delicious rinds that are again created by age. Those moments of understanding what passion and patience it takes to create such perfection really grounded me as a Chef.

The best meal cooked: Having Steve Gedra, chef-owner of Black Sheep, invite me into his kitchen to start off the Sunday Supper series was incredible. He is such a talented guys and for him to effectively invite a stranger into his kitchen was insane, and then I invited my father to cook our family sauce and execute the dinner with me was a dream come true. He was a long time chef but gave it up to raise a family, I had always hoped to spend some time with him in the kitchen and when I did it was a little tougher than I had imagined, but Steve and Ellen were such great hosts I felt we were at home and it was just another Sunday. That's one day that I will never forget and will be a cornerstone of my cooking career.

The best local meal: best Buffalo meal was at the Dapper Goose on many occasions. You wont find better hospitality and always solid, good food in Buffalo right now. Keith, Tim and the kitchen know how to make you feel right at home.

Chef Luci Levere, Pastry Chef at Public Espresso + Coffee (Buffalo, NY)

I'd have to say my favorite meal of the year was in Boston. It's been a very busy year and unfortunately I have not gone out to eat nearly as much as I'd like to. Doug and I headed to Boston in early October for our anniversary and followed the recommendations of many to hit up Myers and Chang (pictured above). Having fallen in love with the bakery Flour, I knew this would be a solid choice only having one night in the city. We had been walking all over Boston on that freezing day. We were very excited once we got to the restaurant and both agreed that it was one of the best meals in recent memory. Many classically based dishes were served but each bite was packed with layers of flavor. We couldn't get it in our mouths fast enough, fighting over the last bites. Very reasonably priced and great service, I'd love to go back and try the rest of the menu.

Matt Kahn, President of Big Ditch Brewing Co. (Buffalo, NY)

My wife and I had a great dinner at The Grange Community Kitchen earlier this year. The food was amazing of course, and the ambiance was nice as well; lively without being too loud or uncomfortably crowded. However, the service completely blew me away. The attention to detail, menu knowledge, and willingness to go above and beyond to keep us happy were unparalleled. Looking forward to a future visit!

ShyGuy Shawn, Radio DJ at Kiss 98.5

Chicken Schnitzel from Schnitzel & Company – Been to this place a few times but this year was the first time I tried their Schnitzel. It was huge and comes with 2 sides but I usually get the German potato salad and sauerkraut. Everything there is so good!
Banana Pepper Soup from Crazy Jakes – I asked on facebook this year who had the best and got tons of recommendations so I tried a few of them. This one was far and away my favorite. Best part about their soup (which I think the other people lack)…it’s spicy! When I want Banana Pepper Soup I want that same kick I get when I eat Stuffed Banana Peppers. This is spot on!
Los Cuates from Taqueria Los Mayas – I was in the Southwest for a bit this summer for a week and came back craving Mexican food that was as close to the kind I had in New Mexico and gave this place a shot. The Los Cuates are two burritos (Steak and Chicken) topped with Red & Green Chiles (everything in New Mexico is served with Red or Green Chiles). I fell in love with this place after this dish and tried a bunch of other things on the menu since but this one is still my favorite. Definitely one of the more authentic Mexican places in WNY.
Tom Khar Gai from Saigon Bangkok – Again, this is from a place I eat at many many times but my mom introduced me to this soup a few months ago while dining there and it’s now literally my favorite thing on the menu.
Tator Tot Poutine from Buffalo Riverworks – Yep, poutine but with tator tots. I’m a huge poutine fan so I feel like I’ve tried it everywhere here. This one was new for me and I instantly became a fan!

Chris Dorsaneo, Founder/Chef of Lloyd Taco

Mí Almita Cantina, where they feature fresh coastal Mexican by James Beard Chefs Hugo Ortega & Michael Mina. It’s a pretty chill full service restaurant in the heart of Waikiki. You can sit on the patio and people watch after you’re done at the beach. Vanessa and I shared all the Plates, while Nora housed the fresh fried tortilla chips (she’s a picky eater still).

Little Potato & Masa Sopes - Chicken, Beef and Pono Pork ...we tried all of them. The Pork was my favorite, and the potato Sopes was such a unique texture. It was like crispy mashed potatoes with the aroma of corn tortillas.
Small Kine Farms Mushroom Quesadilla... Hand-Pulled Quesillo, Mole Amarillo. Something so simple done so well. The fresh Quesillo cheese was so delicious with the local mushrooms
Charred Octopus al Carbon, Chile de Arbol... This was my favorite. The octopus was a bit crunchy but super tender. Hand pressed blue corn tortillas were BOMB!
Line-Caught Kajiki Ceviche - Grilled Pineapple, Habanero & Coconut. Super refreshing and bright. The fish was so fresh.
Fresh Warm Cinnamon Churros Honey, Salted Caramel - the salted caramel was better than anything I’ve ever had, or made...it really put these standard Churros over the top
Mango Soft Serve Sundae Macadamia, Coconut - if you took Churn vegan Soft serve and blended it with the ripest sweetest Mango you’ve ever had...this would be the lovechild. The toasted hazelnuts were a delightful textural component.

All and all, not groundbreaking stuff...just great local products, executed really well, set in a fun environment. That’s my kind of establishment!

Donny Kutzbach, Co-owner of Funtime Presents, Town Ballroom

My most memorable meal… OK, many meals came in May on a trip to NYC. I haven’t spent a lot of time there in the last 15-20 years and I was overdue for a visit that included a lot of eating.

My good friends Jeff and Elizabeth Moore own and operate an Atlanta-based food and beverage marketing firm called Green Olive Media and they recently made Manhattan a sort of second home. I met up with Jeff there to go hang around for a few days, see Springsteen on Broadway, some other live music and do our best to eat and drink at some key Manhattan spots.

It’s all a bit of a wonderful blur but I know we had oysters and small plates in the “secret” back room at Café Select,then later some clams and pasta in Little Italy at Umberto’s where mobster Joey Gallo was famously gunned down in a hail of bullets. Giant bone-in cuts and gin and tonics at the legendary Fitzgerald’s Steakhouse made for a wonderfully heavy lunch one day. Another lunch another day was at Mary’s Fish Camp– which feels like you could be at the counter in any little coastal joint eating the freshest catches but instead you are on Charles Street. Then there was the omakase Sushi On Jones – an outdoor sushi stand in the now chic Bowery, where I once ambled drunkenly back to a fifth floor walk hoping not to get robbed. Of course no NYC trip would be complete without some pizza and we got some from Joe & Pat's Pizzeria, a Staten Island standby which recently opened a Manhattan location. Cozy’s Soup ‘n’ Burger was the obligatory diner stop. We even had a late night, inebriated gorging of Big Macs and Filet O’ Fishes at the McDonald’s on Broadway.

So, it’s a pretty stock answer but the best of it all was probably Momofuku Noodle Barin the East Village. Like any pilgrim, I’d been wanting to go there and it didn’t disappoint. The ramen was absolutely perfect!

That was all in under three days and I know I left a few places out. It was a great trip and certainly the best meal(s) of the year…

Though, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that my half-Sicilian wife makes a spaghetti sauce that is tough to beat (though I sometimes try) so meals at home are always great no matter who is cooking. I am lucky enough to get to eat out a lot, but I always feel luckiest to eat great food at home with my family.

Tim Stevens, Owner of Lucky Day Whiskey Bar and Ballyhoo (Buffalo, NY)

So once again when asked to extol the virtues of a Buffalo dining experience, I am yet again under informed.My wife and partner Morgan and I have been clavicle deep in Lucky Day and Ballyhoo and unfortunately underexposed to some of the culinary boom in Buffalo.

However… there was a very special date night I will not soon forget. Victor Parra Gonzalez is his name, and I want it to be short for Victory. Las Puertas (pictured above) is the space and you need to experience it.>Morgan and I ate at the bar and we were not prepared for the overwhelming kindness, attention to detail, and actual dialog that came with our meal. There was a story for every plate that brought a relevance to the preparation, flavors and execution. It was more like a Chefs table the small dining room and I have never experienced this level of personal history and love of origin then I did that night. You cannot go wrong so I won’t recommend dishes, nor can I as they change with every season. All I can absolutely say is, this is a beautiful way to experience food, involve yourself with the art of it and respect tradition at the same time.

This is a lofty recommendation, I know but it was the best of 2018 for Morgan and I. Cheers Chef!

Anne McIntosh, Co-owner of Alchemy Wine Bar (Hamburg, NY)

Hey! Newbie to the best of list, but so honored! Those that know me, know I am always eating at new places. 2018 was kind of an anomaly for me- as I opened a wine bar/ restaurant in August and consequently, found out I was pregnant on the exact same day. So, I haven’t gotten out as much as I normally do! Nonetheless, here’s my 2017 favs:

The Grange Community Kitchen: Double Cheeseburger. Shout out to my new friend, Brad Rowell, who is doing some amazing things over there. I rarely stray from this go-to, because it’s the BEST thing on the menu! What also makes this dish amaze balls are the side of crispy potatoes with salt & shaved Parmesan cheese served w/ mayo aioli for dipping! Also need to give props for their breakfast sandwich- choose either the croissant or biscuit – both homemade!
Ming Teh Chinese Restaurant. This is right in Ft.Erie, it’s so close! Plus, the exchange rate is ridiculous right now so you must go! The Won Ton Soup home made broth is perfectly salty. The won tons are most definitely homemade dough –which is even better than the filling. The soup is finished with scallions, but the broth and dough are the star of the show! The Vegetable Fried Rice (which, is $12.50, seems crazy, but again, the exchange rate is good, and it’s the best freaking fried rice I’ve ever had) is not greasy! Just beautiful, freshly cooked white rice, and tons of veggies! Serves 2 or more people. Spicy Crunch Sesame Ginger Chicken isSO good! I get it every time! Medium heat, bite size pieces, not that sticky-fake--orange marmalade- garbage you get at every other Chinese restaurant. The Szechuan style of Chinese food has clearly been perfected over the past 30 years at Ming Teh.
Kuni’s – The SpicyTuna Roll and Kuni’s Fried Chicken is the best Sushi in Buffalo! Yep, I said it! Secondly, when I’m finished being pregnant, it’s the FIRST thing I will have. Actually, I would like someone to bring me this in the maternity ward at Mercy Hospital. The Fried Chicken is marinated in soy-ginger and then deep fried. It is the best hangover meal.Trust me- try it. Go get all liquored up, then the next day go to Kuni’s (not till 5pm though!) and you’ll agree the chicken takes away the hangover!
Stone Crab (Goodland, Florida) – As my mother-in-law always says, “it’s the company, not the food.” Eating Stone Crab, T-H-E best type of crab, is found mostly everywhere in Southwest Florida. The claws are harvested from the crabs from October to May. They are served with a mustard mayo or drawn butter (but the mustard is way better) and steamed and served cold. This is one of my most memorable meals of 2017—eating these claws on the back of the boat, in the middle of February, anchored on the shore of Keewaydin Island with my friends and family.

Julie Leone, Operations and Social Media at Perks Cafe

Super hectic year, so it was nice to take a minute to salivate over the delicious meals I’ve managed to remember (with help from my Instagram and camera roll).

The Grange Community Kitchen (Hamburg, NY): Went for V-Day this year. I’m still dreaming about the Hummus with Crisp Chickpeas, Spicy Pizza, and Chai Cocktail I sipped…, not so much my date.
Essex St. Pub (Buffalo, NY): Vegan BBQ Sandwich, would eat again (and again).
The People’s Pig (Portland, OR): BBQ Sauce so good I almost put a 4oz souffle cup of it in my luggage. It was all about the sides here, pictured above.
UB Dogs (Chicago, IL): This year I had my first (and second) Chicago Dog in one day. Still wish I was able to try Black Sheep’s take.

Adrianne Salmon, Creator of @BuffaloBrunch

Ms. Ashley North and I headed up to Toronto in June having made reservations at contemporary French restaurant, Alo , in the beginning of April. Alo had just been voted Canada’s No. 1 restaurant for its second year in a row by Canada’s 100 Best , as well as landing a global ranking of 94 on the prestigious World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. Five minutes after reservations opened up for all of June and July, the extended tasting menu options were completely unavailable, and the regular tasting menu options were going quick, so we jumped on it.

The courses were well thought-out, balanced, and absolutely mouthwatering, some of my favorites being the Hokkaido sea scallop with french white asparagus, Ibérico Lomo and béarnaise; the P.E.I. mussels with English peas, Yukon gold potatoes and smoked butter; and the 60-day aged beef ribeye with morel mushrooms, baby gem lettuce and sugar snap peas.

Perhaps my favorite part of the meal, however, was the wine knowledge that was bestowed upon us by in-house sommelier, Christopher Sealy. We were between two bottles of wine from the list, so he came over to explain each of them, and I think after about five minutes of him explaining the qualities of each wine, I was just sitting there with my jaw dropped, totally in awe of his proficiency as a sommelier. We ended up going with a white from the Douro region of Portugal and it was so dynamic and beautiful, evolving from start to finish. Christopher also recognized that we were in the industry based on our initial choices, so he included at least four of the pre-selected wine pairings during the meal, which was a really special touch to the whole experience.

I also had the pleasure of dining at Gramercy Tavern in NYC earlier this month, which I have been waiting to do for a while and it lived up to its expectations. On the same trip, I had an unforgettable brunch at Chez Ma Tante in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.

As for Buffalo, I must mention the Rogue & Unplugged dinner collaboration by Victor Parra Gonzalez and Ross Warhol in March, as well as the Elm Street Bakery Brasserie Brunch in April, and the Detroit-style pizza that Jay’s Artisan Pizzeria is putting out here and there. It’s been a good food year!

Rudybob Watkins, Head Brewer at Thin Man Brewery

Single best meal: A silly spread at Hot Kitchen Sichuan Style in Flushing, NY. I can’t remember all the dishes, but some were double cooked pork belly with chili, sautéed lamb with hot pepper, lamb with cumin and spicy chicken Sichuan style. Impossible to stop eating, except when I was washing down that fire with a Tsing Tao on ice.

Notable bites: Brisket @ Fette Sau in Brooklyn. Hot (well, medium) fried chicken @ Bolton’s in Nashville. A killer bowl of black garlic ramen and a soft shell crab bao @ Afuri in Portland, OR

Jake Strawser, Co-owner of Billy Club

I was fortunate in 2018 to do a little more traveling than I’ve been accustomed to in the past several years since opening the restaurant. Although other more culinary focused trips (Philadelphia, NYC, Chicago) never materialized the way I had hoped; trips to Toronto, New Orleans and Tulum provided more than enough support for great meals this year.

Starting out early in January, I attended a conference in New Orleans during quite possibly the worst weather the city has seen since Katrina. It was sub 30 degrees, snowing heavily and the winds were nearly unbearable…unless you happen to be from Buffalo, NY. I found myself and my travel companions able to get reservations just about anywhere we wanted so long as the restaurants were open, we could put up with the travel conditions and we could all agree on where to go. We spent one blustery evening inside Adolfo’s, a second story Italian restaurant that borrows seasoning preferences from the Cajun-Creole minded chefs preparing the food on Frenchmen, in a kitchen barely big enough to be considered a closet. The meal was comfort food at its finest, delicious pastas, perfectly prepared Gulf fish with “Ocean Sauce” and delicious bottles of wine that seemed to never stop being delivered to the table. Neary a person to turn down a second dinner, later that night I ventured out to visit a Buffalo ex-pat behind the bar of Seaworthy inside the Ace Hotel. After enjoying far too many cocktails and an inordentant amount of shots with the staff (apparently they aren’t used to being so slow and needed to find a way to pass time; who am I to disagree) I ended up ordering a burger off their late night menu. A rich 50/50 blend of brisket and chuck topped with fontal cheese and garlic aioli served with hijiki seasoned fries and spicy bread and butter pickles I was full, happy and ready to stagger my way back to the hotel. On the last evening of the trip, I had pleasure of dining at La Petite Grocerywith two of my good friends. The warm and inviting dining room atmosphere was championed by the gracious and friendly staff who served us that evening. The meal itself was executed to perfection, from the pickle plate to the Roasted Lamb Loin to a delicious bottle of Gamay recommended by their Sommelier it couldn’t have been a better way to wrap up the trip.

Moving throughout the year I found myself in Toronto in April for my girlfriends 30^thbirthday. Although we never spend the adequate time there to explore the food we really should and often find ourselves there on a Monday or Tuesday when many things are closed we were lucky to walk into Aloette on Spadina at the recommendation of our good friend Tony Rials and enjoying a great lunch in quite possibly one of the best utilizations of space I’ve seen in some time. As a person who is obsessed with efficiency and making a small space functional I don’t know if I enjoyed the food or the atmosphere more. Aloette is essential a diner cart serving meticulously crafted food and beverages below its parent restaurant Alo; quite possibly the best restaurant in Toronto. From the amuse bouche of bread and butter upon your arrival to simple re-imaged classics (chicpea panise, iceberg wedge, etc) the entire experience was fantastic. Non-food related, if you want to talk to me about where their broom closet it, how they store your coats/bags and how water service at the restaurant works – I’ll be happy to bore you with that at another time.

Lastly, and most recently I spent the final week of October in Tulum, Mexico eating and drinking my way through the small town with my girlfriend and best friends. The entire experience was mind blowing and quite frankly, incredibly humbling. Not staying on a resort and experiencing the country for what it really was, was at times a little more than we bargained for but not something I would ever change. Stopping in to see our friends Tony Rials and Chef Victor Parra-Gonzalez at his Mexican outpost of Las Puertas was certainly the highlight. Seeing what they were capable of executing literally in the middle of the jungle, running on generators, having ice and water shipped in daily for service reminded me to never complain about running a restaurant in Buffalo again. The ingredients both from the bar and kitchen were hyper local, fresh and thoughtfully prepared. The dinner highlights included a “Mexican Buratta” and “Celery and the Sea” a play on ceviche with cucumber and haberno that paired perfectly with some of the best Mezcal I’ve ever had, locally produced natural wine and Tony’s incredible cocktail menu.

In retrospect, 2018 was full of some of my favorite meals in recent memory and more importantly great experiences with friends.

Zach Klug, Winemaker/Grapegrower at Liten Buffel

I’ve had a pretty fortunate year. I traveled around for partnered wine dinners comprised of Michelin star spots, mind blowingly talented chefs, beautiful family meals, and the occasional bout with excessive hedonism- I see you Utica.

Throughout all of this, though, my most memorable meal wasn’t in a restaurant at all. The food, albeit amazing, was an afterthought. A late autumn evening. Beer in a heated pool. Tequila in a hot tub. Forty-minute-cold Jay’s pies, and one last planned hangout with two of my best friends before they moved across the country. I hope Texas is hot and gross, Eric and Jeff. (See Previous Favorite Meals: 2017)

Ed Forster, Founder of The Workshop, Bartender at CBW, Cook at Dapper Goose

My meal of 2018

Beef Tartare with Heart, Maitake, and Fava... Pearl Morissette (Ontario) CA
- '09 Araujo Cabernet Sauvignon- a thinker of a "cult cab" done really really well at a great dinner with friends
Champagne Braised Escargot, Royal Boucherie, Philadelphia, PA- the prettiest, tastiest star of our annual get away for the Superbowl
- 2009 Ruinart "Millesime", a wine we bought in France and enjoyed to celebrate our new home
Uni Toast, Aloette, Toronto- "fuck thats good"- me
- 2005 Vina Tondonia, quiet cottage lakeside for my Birthday
Casarecce Pasta with Wild Boar, Prescott Previsions (pictured above), Tonawanda- delicious extruded pasta at an impromptu dinner with Dad
- 1959 Konvict Riesling, FLX Table, Finger Lakes NY- old riesling is just the coolest.
N'duja Pizza, Jay's Artisan... every damn time
- '16 Faucheaux Cab Franc, Liten Buffel, Seneca Lake Bottling- awesome natty for Ziggy's first camping trip
Ellen's Apple Pie with Lavender Ice Cream a la Mode, Black Sheep... they're always rockstars, and Ellen is the shiniest in the sky
- The Tony Rials Sazerac with cognac and lavender honey. still the best.

I don't eat like most. We have better quality and more contemporary dinners at home on a random Tuesday very often. And by that, I mean to say that each year when I reflect on my greatest meals of the past 365... it has little to do with the place or the food but on the people and friends I love and my experiences with them. I take great food for granted sometimes and always try to let me experiences take over what little memory spaces I have left. I'll take any date night with the love of my life Jess, chicken wings with my brother the two times I get to hang out with him a year, or my Dad's 70th birthday with my family over any three Michelin starred dinner ever. Our meal at Pearl Morissette was perfect and service was stellar and food was creative and unique and pensive, but I remember having great conversations with Jess, Christa, Tony, and Jeff. I had to look up the menu to reference anything. So I guess I take great food somewhat as a second or backseat as an excuse to do really cool things with the people I love. (See Previous Favorite Meals: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017).

Paul Tripi, Co-owner of Frank Gourmet Hot Dogs

2018 has been a busy year! Unfortunately, that did not leave a lot of free time to eat around town. For our birthday dinner, Frank and I decided on Prescott’s Provisions(pictured above) in Tonawanda. It was the best service & dinner Frank and I have had in a long time. We started our meal with a hot dog. A playful gesture from the Prescott’s team who we made friends with earlier in the year. An all-beef dog topped with king crab, dijon and shaved truffles. It was buttery and rich. A perfect way to start the meal. From there, I ordered the Wood-Roasted Octopus with romesco, cannellini beans, oregano and celery ribbon. It was beautiful and my favorite dish of the evening. Then came the Wagyu Beef, cooked perfectly medium rare. For dessert, our server graciously brought over two desserts: an apple tart with house-made ice cream and salted caramel sauce and, the second, a chocolate ganache mixed berry deconstructed parfait of sorts. I have a sweet tooth and demolished both of them. These days, it’s pretty rare for Frank and I to take a night away from the restaurant together. The team at Prescott’s delivered a fantastic meal, friendly service and made us feel pretty darn special on our birthday. (See Previous Favorite Meals: 2013)

Lindsay Robson, Founder of Nickel City Pretty

When I look back at all of the meals that I've eaten in 2018, I can think of two which have left a lasting impression on me.

First, let's talk about a burger. Yes, you heard me correctly...a seemingly unassuming burger.

My friend prides himself to be a burger connoisseur, so when he told me that the burger at 100 Acres: The Kitchens at Hotel Henry was the best he's ever had, I immediately had to try it for myself. Well, he was right. This burger changed everything. It's so simple, and I think that's what makes it so amazing. It has an incredibly soft and sweet brioche bun, super tasty and juicy meat, pickles, cheese, and some kind of magical mystery sauce that ties the whole thing together. And oh, let's not forget the orgasmic crispy little potatoes that they serve with it. I'm sure all of the food at 100 Acres is ace, but every time I've been there for dinner, it's been the burger all the way. No regrets.

My second favorite meal of 2018 ended up being an entire experience. Dare I say, a full on adventure. I was going out with some friends to an art show on a Friday night. We decided to grab a bite to eat before the show, and ended up at Las Puertas sitting at the bar. We ordered almost every dish on the menu and passed them all back and forth to each other. Each dish was better than the last. I am normally a pretty picky eater, but I tried some things that evening that I normally wouldn't have and loved every second of it. Of course we wanted to order dessert, but saw that the art show was going to be closing within the hour. We decided to head to the show, stayed for ten minutes, and ended up back at Las Puertas ordering every dessert on the menu and sharing them between all of us. I'm sure we vastly overstayed our welcome that night, but we could't help but savor every single bite. Hands down, the most amazing desserts that I've had in Buffalo so far, and one of my favorite culinary memories of 2018. (See Previous Favorite Meals: 2017)

Lindsey Marvin, Co-owner of Barrel + Brine

My favorite meal of 2018 was at the Dan Tower Benefit. It took place at the CBWbrewery in Buffalo’s west side. All of the produce and proteins used in the meal were donated by local farms. Local chefs then took those ingredients, donated their time and skills to prepare outstanding dishes. The menu was a patchwork quilt of farmers and restaurants working together to create something really inspiring.

Always Something farm donated a pig, and Kindred Kreek Donated a lamb. They were cooked outside in a Caja China by Steve Gedra of the Black Sheep. The lamb was prepared with Za’tar and yogurt. It was off the hook. Lexington Coop created a huge family style cheese table with Erdle Farm grapes and soft pretzels from Breadhive bakery. Oliver’s, CBW, and Marbke + Rye, and Black Sheep supplied sides of corn bread bake, greens, stuffing, sausages, and sour Kraut were served up buffet style.

I went outside to eat around the fire pit in the back patio. Farmers, food industry folks, and friends all sat around eating, drinking, and talking shop. When everyone abruptly stood up and went inside I realized Butter Block cake and Bread hive pies were being served. This meal was so uniquely buffalo. Not only because of the stellar regional offerings, but because of how giving and badass the people here are. (See Previous Favorite Meals: 2017)

Andrew Berger, Cook at SeaBar

My favorite meal had to have been at a restaurant called Bastion in Nashville. When you walk in there’s a large bar to the left which is meant to feed the masses with delicious nachos and craft cocktails. To the right, there’s a dimly lit hallway and a large steel door with a hostess in front. She opens the door to a speak easy style bar with 6 seats and behind that is a 24 seat dining room with a chefs counter and open kitchen. There is only 3 FOH on staff. One is a sommelier, one server and the other is a server assistant. The sommelier takes drink orders and recommends wine. The server takes you order from a 15 item selection. It is set up like a 3x5 tic tac toe board and you choose your own five course tasting menu. Much of which is extremely progressive southern cuisine. Portions were perfect, the playing was that of Picasso and the flavors were of nothing I had tasted before.

Seamus Gallivan, Co-Founder of Food Truck Tuesdays and Slow Roll Buffalo

Toutant tends to take the king cake when I think of a favorite meal in Buffalo; their recent winter squash side is the first thing that came to mind as a standout over this past year. I’ve always loved squash, but never put this much thought into preparing it - especially the idea of a squash funnel cake, kinda mind-blowing - roasted butternut, freeze-blanched acorn, and barely-cooked butternut on line-based squash vinaigrette, with squash seed roasted garlic butter/tahini and delicata squash funnel cake dusted with squash sugar. That’s squashtastic! Extra props for emphasis on sourcing local and seasonal.

And that was just the first side - hush puppies on point, smoked beets with grapefruit which is my favorite fruit, braised peaches which is probably second-favorite. Plus, fried chicken is the main course on my last meal request and theirs is the best I’ve had beyond my Southern grandma. Collards are on that last meal plate, too, and Toutantdoes em right. Wish I could remember the wild cocktail that also had ingredients I’d never considered combining. Extra props for free birthday bread pudding.

Come to think of it, if I ever do get a last meal request, I think I’d ask to go to Toutant. (See Previous Favorite Meals: 2013, 2014 and 2016)

Jonathon Diati, Chef at Orchard Fresh

We cook a lot at home, so it was a tough call for me for a at home meal or at a restaurant. But for me the pizza at Brick Oven Bistro in South Buffalo was a great meal we have had this year. We got a play on a Big Mac pizza and their white pizza really outstanding job I think. I know it’s only pizza but everything for me was delicious from the crust to the toppings. Definitely up there with Best meal I’ve had this year.

Dima Maddah, Buffalo Eats Contributor

The salmon from Bacchus. I had it back in February and I still think about it. It had this pecan crust and was sitting on top of this perfectly cooked sweet potato hash. I'm was never super into fish before but this salmon was so delicious that it literally changed my opinion on salmon.
Breakfast pizza from Roost. A brunch fan favorite and it lives up to the hype. Great flavors and the pizza is pre-cut for you so your hung over self literally has to do nothing but eat.
The steak sandwich at The Pink - The Pink will always and forever have a special place in my heart. When I'm out (which is more often than I'd like) I always make my way to The Pink. What sets it apart form everywhere is that even at 3am, the always cook that thick slab of steak, peppers, melted cheese, and onions to perfection. Maybe I'm biased because The Pink is my Cheers and my 2am steak sandwich photo is still my most liked photo to date, but I dare you to get one and not agree that it's the best steak sandwich you've ever had.

Mike Dimmer, Executive Chef/Co-owner of Marble + Rye

As with most years, I didn’t get a chance to eat out much. Thanksgiving was a pretty big standout for me this past November. I braised a turkey from Always Something Farm, and it was the best I’ve ever had, but the real credit goes to my younger brother, Sean, who absolutely killed the rest of the meal. As traditional as all our items were, he destroyed every single one, so, good job lil’ bro.

I try and grab breakfast every Wednesday from Feature Meals as my day starts unusually early. Always top notch and wholesome. They also do this peanut butter greek yogurt with granola that is so simple and so good. They force me to eat healthy without even realizing it. Pretty cool.

I dined at The Dapper Goose more recently……their broccoli with smoked grapes and romesco still lives as one of my favorite dishes in Buffalo and probably will as long as they keep it on the menu. Everything else we had, which was essentially the entire menu, was superb, as everyone can imagine (especially those McDonald’s style fries).

Our pizza pop-ups that we’ve been lucky to be a part of with West Side Tilth Farm(pictured above) has shown me that not only are Alex, Carrie and team some of the best farmers I deal with, but also make one of the best pies in all of WNY. Seriously, DO NOT SLEEP ON THIS.

This last year I was asked to participate in The Black Sheep Sunday Supper series. Not only was it an eye opening experience for me in terms of my past and reflecting on why I cook, but I got to share a kitchen with Steve and Ellen Gedra. Two people I look up to more than most in this industry, it’s always a learning experience and a humbling one, to say the least. None of us cooks get to see a whole lot of each other due to the fact that we work constantly and usually similar hours, but this was a rare moment to spend together. It was fantastic. It’ll always amaze me that I get to call 2 people I look up to so much, my peers and friends. Thanks again for the opportunity, guys!

Finally, had a pizza party at our good friends Donnie and Alli’s house. We try to do it once a year, and its always awesome. The pizza is always fantastic, the company, better, BUT, Alli’s bread, grilled, with good butter, might be my favorite thing on the planet. If you never get a chance to experience it, I feel bad for you. Seriously Alli, its fucking crazy.

Thanks, Happy New Year, Love Ya’ll, come to my restaurant. (See Previous Favorite Meals: 2013, 2016 and 2017)

Drew Brown, Marketing Manager for Visit Buffalo Niagara and Co-founder of Rise Collaborative

Working for Visit Buffalo Niagara, promoting the city day in and day out, you’d assume my favorite meal of 2018 was from somewhere within the 716 area code. And in any other year you’d be right. But this year I ate at Nomad in Marrakech (pictures below).

Away on my honeymoon, my wife and I split our two week trip between Portugal and Morocco. Dining at Nomad on one of the last evenings of this long trip, this meal blew everything else consumed before out of the water.

Set among the meandering souks of the Medina, the whole meal and experience was incredible from start to finish. The bustling spice market right outside the door, the endless flow of Moroccan mint tea (no booze in the old city), the beetroot, turnip and ginger briouat, zucchini with fresh minted yoghurt, the braised lamb and couscous, the sizzling of the chicken and lemon tajine - it was all perfect. But dessert sealed the deal. A flourless cardamom ginger orange cake was served with a medley of homemade ice creams whose flavors included amalou (almond, argan oil and honey), ginger rose, chamomile olive oil, orange zest hibiscus, and black pepper mint. The flavors were mind blowing.

This meal was eaten on January 14th of this year and held firm as the my favorite meal of 2018 for the remaining 351 days. It was that good. (See Previous Favorite Meals: 2017)

Ross Warhol: Went to NYC for a weekend in May and was able to squeeze these in. Eleven Madison Park was such a unique experience based on the fact that I did not have a reservation. I was on my way to aureole for dinner and decided to stop in and see if they had a cancellation...which they didn’t, but after a short talk and the discovery that I had a friend working in the kitchen, a server on the floor was from buffalo, and I was in the industry...they found 2 seats for us at the bar in the lounge after a short wait and provided us with the tasting menu. Service was relaxed, not overbearing but so spot on. It was really nice to have the opportunity to strike up conversations with the bartenders, be educated in what they were doing, and got a nice kitchen tour and met the chef de cuisine. The food was executed flawlessly, with their signature honey lavender duck stealing the show...and the take away granola has now tainted all others that I try to eat, wish there was a way to buy theirs in bulk.

The Aviary was a great setting overlooking Central Park in a chic retro style airport lounge feel. The best cocktail I’ve ever had was enjoyed here along with a gnudi dish that was breath taking. Light and pillowy ricotta dumplings with spring vegetables, morrels, and manchego was the highlight of the lunch.

Momofuku Noodle Bar, my first visit there and was quite excited. I was impressed to see a line already formed outside 20 minutes before doors opened. For a restaurant to be around for as long as it has, to see people still waiting in line before opening I knew was a good sign. The ramen was amazing, broth so flavorful and viscosity great. Noodles had a nice spring to them when bitten into, and once the egg was cracked into...the dish was transformed. The bao buns were light and fluffy, stuffed with crispy shrimp, kimchi, and herbs. I am in love with frozen drink anything...may it be a slushy, icee, slurpee, or frozen daiquiri (Toutant has special place in my heart). At noodle bar they had a lychee and chili sake daiquiri that put a grin on my face from ear to ear, it was hard to limit myself and stop and two.

A Cien Leguas (Castrojeriz, Spain): I recently returned home from a 34 day hike starting in France and crossing the entire country of Spain to the coast. 600 miles covered joined by my sister...indulging in as much iberico jamon as I could. The one small town we stayed in had very few pilgrim hostels to choose from, but we stumbled upon a nice little family operated hostel with a bar/restaurant. At dinner we were offered a cream of squash soup....the first spoonful had determined that it had been the best soup I’ve ever tasted in my entire life. I am a huge fan of making soup because it takes a lot of skill, patience, and love...building a foundation of stock and slowly building the flavors together to really make the soup hit the soul. I was in a euphoric state while enjoying the bowl of soup...when it came time for dessert, all I could think about was that soup we had at the beginning of the meal, in which I asked for another bowl in place of the sweet ending haha.

I experienced the tasting menu at Las Puertas in late March and was finding myself so comforted and satisfied after each course I finished. The flavors and textures kept it interesting and comforting, love the vibe in the dining room. Very approachable and inviting atmosphere.

Just this past October I had made the trip to Elmo’s for the first time. I held a kitchen meeting there on a Monday afternoon while we were closed to talk about the new menu that we were releasing and talk through/collaborate with my staff. We ordered 120 wings, pitchers of beer and got right to work bouncing ideas off each other and nailing down what we wanted to put on the fall menu. When the wings arrived the table went silent and fingers were covered in sauce. The bartender was extremely accommodating and personable, adding into our conversations at times. The crowd pleaser was definitely the Cajun honey mustard...later finding out from buffalo eats that the double dip Cajun honey mustard is the move. When I returned home from Spain, I went back and ordered just so...double dip is the truth!

Stopped in late night last week at The Little Club. Wine was really great, along with the knowledge and unique offerings that I had from the finger lakes. Knowing that late night charcuterie, cheese, and fine tinned seafood is available around the corner from Oliver’s will be dangerous. I can foresee myself being a regular there noshing on simple offerings that most chefs hold close to their hearts.

Teddy Bryant, Chef at Lloyd Taco Factory

My favorite meal of the year was in May when my wife and I celebrated our 1 year wedding anniversary at Mulberrys (pictured above).

Mulberrys is my favorite place to eat in Buffalo. I have been there at least 12 times and never a bad dish or bad service, I love it there. We had cannolis to start (my wife ordered dessert first on our first dinner date and it blew my mind) then we split some ravioli, ricotta parm, and I finally tried the lasagana... it was awesome. It was a great meal for a special occasion so it was awesome.

So a few runner up meals were: Chef Jenny Boye made these killer bisquits and pecan pie cakes for the BBQ event we held at our Williamsville location. I also discovered this place on Maple right near our new house called Eastern Pearl. The Mongolian noodles are AMAZING! I ordered them three times the first week I went there.

I also spent a week in Nashville and had some amazing chicken at Princes Hot chicken and Party Fowl, but the best spot for us was Pucketts. We went here for lunch one day and breakfast the next, they had really good southern dishes like shrimp n grits, chicken and dumplings and my favorite bisquits and gravy.

Finally we had a trip to Vegas and found a breakfast place (my favorite, and dream business) called Rise N Shine. We went there for breakfast twice. We had red velvet pancakes, super crispy potatoes, great omelette, then had to come back for steak chilaquiles. (See Previous Favorite Meals: 2012, 2013 and 2014)

Mickey Harmon, Artist and Local Instagram Star

In 2018, me and the husband ate out way too much, but it prepped me to answer this kind of questioning quite well.

Weekdays - Breakfast

Basically, if I am in a rush, I’ll call in one of the Elmwood Market’s infamous Breakfast sandwiches. Nothing fancy here, just fried eggs, cheese (I pick cheddar), on a hard roll and they will even slap a hash brown right on there.

Weekdays - Lunch

Cafe 59 has been a favorite spot of mine for years. But when they jumped across the street a few years back, their menu evolved. I can walk in there (it’s become sort of my Cheers) and sit at the counter and eat a quick lunch. Their dinners are great as well and occasionally I’ll go there for brunch. For lunch, ya gotta get the Soup and Sandwich combo. The Cafe BLT is a solid. Nothing crazy here but the right balance of mayo, bacon and tomato on a hard roll is delicious. I pair it with their famous chunky tomato soup. It’s got chunks of onion, tomato and it’s oh so good. I also will have cocktails here during the week since it’s close to home and will usually snag an order of their polenta wings, classic hot with blue cheese.

Weekends - Dinner

We have a lot of favorites, most of them Asian, Robert and I, but if it’s the summertime, Kunis patio is our choice. The Kunis Fried Chicken is superb, we always order it as an appetizer. Sometimes, we do a few more like squid rings. For an entree, I’ll get the Japanese Fish fry, while Robert gets a few rolls or Shashimi.

If not Kunis well get Sato and I love the Sato Shio Butter Ramen. It’s great! Cube of butter, shrimp, crab meat, egg, I add pork, seaweed and ramen of course. We always get a Sweet Potato Roll and I’ve had every one I know of in the city, and the best one is at Sato. Roberts favorite is the Spicy Miso Ramen. It’s got pork and chicken broth with a spicy miso with black garlic oil. Chashu pork, bean sprouts, green onions, corn, carrot and a soft boiled egg.

Weekends - Brunch

This is probably the meal we indulge out with the most. Just something about eating a late breakfast, having a drink and napping the rest of the day on Sundays. While well usually go to Betty’s, we’ve been trying other spots as well. Mergeactually has an awesome brunch! I never see Potato Pancakes on a menu, ever and Merge has got em! They put applesauce and sour cream on the side and they are huge. The size of the plate. Also, the bloody Mary’s are delicious.

Bryan Mecozzi, Chef/Owner of Black Iron Bystro

One of my favorite dinners of 2018 was at a wedding. A beautiful, well laid out wedding. When people ask me what makes a dinner so great I factor in all of the molecules in the room. The structure of the room itself, the lighting, music, fellow guests, aromas and yes… zee food.

My cousin Ryan was marrying his love Charlene. The venue: Castle Hill Cider(pictured above) in Charlottesville, Virginia. A huge barn draped in Edison bulb string lights overlooking the orchard with the Blue Ridge Mountains staring as its backdrop.

The dinner outside of a not so common starter salad, filled with dark, rich spinach, compressed strawberries and feta, was served family style. Huge, oblong shaped platters of crab cakes sitting amongst pools of hot and sour broth, sesame aioli and pickled cucumbers were gallantly received by the table’s characters of both young and old. When the boards of pan-seared polenta hit the end of the linen I started to get really excited. As some of the older guests picked it up to pass along, confused and bewildered by the brown edged, yellow timbers, I chuckled to myself “Why, yes I’ll be the one to polish these bad mothers off.” They were accompanied by wilted greens, warm tomatoes and mushrooms… GOOD mushrooms. Local Shiitakes. Ga-zing-ga. There was few of the baby reds and wonderfully crisp and seasoned French beans left, as the older end of the tribe crushed them well. Not-to-fear, my friends. The dry aged beef tenderloin was on its way. Whooooooa. Enough to feed double the table’s capacity, came the slammer of a meat tray. I’m usually one that doesn’t go nuts for red meat but this looked gooood. Well crusted on the outside with black pepper and coriander. Rare on the inside. Rare. At a wedding. Rare, indeed.

As I do, I wandered through the back door of the tent kitchen, just behind the building (now dusk, still the Blue Ridge Mountains behind us) to have a look around. My mission was to find out how they made all of those tenderloins crispy and rare. So I blended in, as I do, and found ground zero. The big ‘ol vat fryer. Tenderloins fresh out of the cooler, to keep the temp down before cooking, were rolled in a black pepper and coriander blend and immediately flash fried, where another aproned soldier pulled them from the hot, oily bath and dusted with what appeared to be a beaten up coarse sea salt. Aye, chef. Aye.

Upon reflecting on the evening, as a chef (as I am told I am) I realize that it wasn’t the most bizarre or rare event that I’ve attended this past year. But all of the elements that made up this dinner, from the journey to Virginia, for my most excellent cousins wedding made it one of my most memorable meals of 2018. (Previous Favorite Meals: 2014, 2015 and 2017)

Justin Tartick, Co-Owner of Feature Eatery

t's tough to pick out a favorite meal of the year. There are so many factors. What's the meal? How was it cooked? When are you eating it? What's the atmosphere like? Did you have a good day prior to it? Handheld? Fork and Knife? Is there a napkin on your lap or are you standing up in the street shoveling a taco in your mouth next to a generator pumping exhaust in your face?

There's no question I've never been disappointed, and I'm usually in awe, over the plates at Marble + Rye, but in 2018, I sat down at the bar at Toutant around 4pm and ordered James' take on Buffalo's infamous "stinger" sub. Crispy Hot Chicken and smoked prime rib with his own hot sauce and a delicate amount of cheese... it was the perfect meal to cure the afternoon blues, and the taste lingered in my hippocampus for days unable to forget just how spicy, sweet, and mysterious that Stinger tasted.

My favorite meal of 2018 was an artisanally crafted, culinary masterpiece of a drunken Buffalo staple.

Tessa Lowe, of Primrose Path Boutique and GirlsDrink.Beer

My favorite culinary experience of 2018 was entirely unexpected and completely magical. While on a RV trip through the countryside in France, we decided to take a 36 hour detour to San Sebastián, Spain. The small Basque resort town has more Michelin stars per capita than anywhere else, but don’t think exclusively fancy dining rooms and meals so expensive you’re broke for a month. Instead, Old Town is full of lively bars where you can pop in and enjoy incredible pintxos (bar snacks) and a glass of house wine without breaking the bank.

In the short visit we managed to squeeze in at least 10 spots since with pintxos you can quickly grab a small plate and venture on. We took note from Bourdain and hit Ganbara. Actually, twice. While I’m a very adventurous eater, I really enjoyed the simplicity of the dishes that were insanely good based on the quality of ingredients and proper execution rather than complex twists. If you were to walk past Borda Berri outside of business hours you’d likely not expect much due to it’s no frills appearance, but the crowd was a good indicator we needed to check it out and was thankful we did. Their veal check is to die for.

This is one place you seriously have to put on your list. Just don’t ask me for recommendations on accommodations. Apparently parking a camper van beside the beach doesn’t play but being woken up by the policía made for an entertaining send off back to France. (See Previous Favorite Meals: 2016)

Robbie Gianadda, Owner of Flat 12 Mushrooms

For some reason going out to eat has left me a little nauseous ever since right around Jan 20th 2016, so I’ll tell you about an experience from a better time. One of my favorite things about the Buffalo food scene is the sense of community and that is very rarely on display in a greater way
than at the Big Fuss events. Its been a few years since one of these has taken place but during the last one (Big Fuss 5.0) there was a silent auction which included a meat/seafood package that was donated by everybody's buddy Rick Criden. As my wife and I looked through the auction items we realized no one had bid on his donation so we decided to start the bidding.

The item was described as “kobe beef brisket & 40 oysters”. We ended up winning the item for a very modest bid and went to go collect our winning the next day. Holy shit. it turned out the item we bid for was 2 whole kobe beef briskets and 40 lbs of oysters. The beef was no big deal but the 85 oysters were overwhelming to deal with! Here is what you do when you have 85 oysters and less than 2 weeks to eat them all.

Learn how to shuck oysters.
Eat as many raw oysters as you can
Learn how to make Mignonette
Invite as many people that you know over to eat oysters
Realize that not that many people you know like oysters (including your wife)
Repeat for 1 week
Panic that you still have 40 oysters left
Cure 20 oysters in Miso (save for later)
Check the symptoms for gout (you probably have gout)
Make home made oyster sauce
Eat the last few (at day 18) raw to prove to yourself that you are a man and that you have dominion over the entire sea!

Big thank you to Sticky Rick for being the best purveyor in town!!! (See Previous Favorite Meals: 2014, 2015 and 2017)

Syrie Roman, Owner of Social Maven

Name of the dish: Tulum Coast Guachinango (red snapper) a la Talla with Chile guajillo, burnt garlic confit, and anatto seeds, cooked over hard wood.

Restaurant: Las Puertas Tulum (Tulum, Mexico)

This is a traditional dish from the Guerrero Coast in Mexico. The fish is usually butterflied, tail on, and marinated in lime juice then topped with a mixture made from chiles, roasted garlic, onions, and mayonnaise. Then its grilled over hard wood and garnished with cilantro and more spring onions. The fish was juicy, flaky, and the most flavorful thing Ive ever eaten. The mayo component mellows out the heat from the chiles and the lime marinade gives it a little bit of a tangy flavor. We ate that dish in the middle of the jungle, by candle light. It was an experience my taste buds will never forget.

Jay Braymiller, Owner of Stillwater Farms

We hosted a picnic on the farm for eight pediatric cancer patients and their families. Brad (Rowell) and The Grangecatered using our lamb, chicken and local vegetables. Late August, clear blue skies and a lite breeze. That meal...that day...changed me and the direction our farm is heading. (See Previous Favorite Meals: 2017)

Michael Chelus, Creator of The Nittany Epicurean

I had some great meals this year, both here in Buffalo and outside the area. We started the year off on a bang with a great return to Carte Blanche in Hamburg. We enjoyed oysters and my personal favorite – the Mushroom Toast. The best part of the evening, however, may have been catching up with Roo Buckely and following his sage wine advice. Not long after, I stopped back at Power City Eatery in Niagara Falls for some of the best house made pastrami in the area.

This Little Pig has established itself as one of the best brunch spots outside the city, if not one of the best in all of Western New York. We enjoyed several stops there this year. The Bloody Mary Bar is always a favorite and my son has crowned the brunch cheeseburger one of the best around.

In September, my wife and I celebrated our anniversary with a great meal at a perennial favorite – Toutant. We had some great gumbo and pickled vegetables, along with Toutant’s famous Baloney Sandwich.

Carmelo Raimondi introduced me to Villa Coffee House in Lewiston and I was very impressed. Chef/owner Stephen Pusateri made us a great lunch including a dish of salmon rillettes that I’m still dreaming about.

In addition to eating well in and around Buffalo this year, I also had some great meals while traveling to Manhattan for business. I had some delicious fried artichokes and a perfect plate of Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe from Rita Sodi, chef/owner of I Sodi in the West Village. I had more than one amazing Pastrami on Rye sandwich at Katz’s Delicatessen on the Lower East Side. The most memorable meal, however, may have been at Barbuto in the West Village, where I finally got to enjoy Chef Jonathan Waxman’s famous roast chicken – Pollo al Forno. (Previous Favorite Meals: 2015 and 2017)

Frank Tripi, Co-owner of Frank Gourmet Hot Dogs

My year was not filled with extravagant dining experience due to the opening of my own quick service restaurant this year- I actually ate out less than ever- but there were a few moments that stood out for various reasons- these choices are probably unexpected but I listed them below...

There wasn’t much time for dining out this year, but Paul and I were able to check out Prescott Provisions on our birthday and we’re beyond impressed. (Side note) The staff routinely orders food from our restaurant on their off day, so I’m sure a little extra attention was paid to us, but regardless 1) that never happens to us 2) that never happens to us lol .... They started us out with a hot dog! This hotdog was unordered, but set the tone for our night- all beef, king crab, truffles, grain mustard- prob was a $20 dog but I found that gesture humbling and very kind of them to make us a non menu item. On to the food. My app was aged prosciutto, toast, and mustard- simple, delicious, and apparent that they used top of the line product- Next was bison bolognese - again attention to detail- homemade pasta, delicate meat sauce, fresh grated to order cheese- simple, but flawlessly executed. For my entree I ordered a Strip- now you may think boring, predictable, etc but no- it was meticulously plated, cooked, and conceptualized- flawless cooking, flawless technique, amazing service. I feel like there’s a lot of the same old same old right now as far as dining and drinking in Buffalo- so it was nice to see an unexpected menu, detailed service, and reasonably priced Quality items coming out of a converted auto shop in North Tonawanda.

Another curve ball would be Mythos on Elmwood. I know your thinking odd choice, but this is simply for the cooking of their Omletes. It’s out dated, rough around the edges service, horrible diner coffee, BUT the most perfectly cooked omletes/ specifically speaking fluffy not burnt eggs that I found refreshing and appreciated. This makes it into my best meals obviously for their eggs, but because I got to spend this morning with Paul (my brother) and Brendon ( formerly Whole Hog) conceptulizing our own restaurant specials menu for Franks- in the constant hustle and bustle of owning a restaurant, it was this collaboration of ideas, in a simple no frills setting one Sunday morning that I appreciated most-

Third memory would be post-work Kostas steak sandwich. Again, I know, random, don’t they only sell souvlaki? How is this a favorite meal? This makes my list because they have a very satisfying, yet very underrated steak sandwich. This makes it into my top meals because I’ve found myself many nights post-work at Kostas eating this sandwich and drinking a beer. The sandwich is a 12oz steak, peppers, mushrooms, provolone, lettuce, tomato, onion with standard frozen fries for good measure. Fries aside, the sandwich is delicious, and in a year of just constant work, it was these peaceful post work meals that I enjoyed most and stand out. (See Previous Favorite Meals: 2013)

Arthur Bovino, Author of Buffalo Everything

I didn't get to spend anywhere near the time in 2018 as I did in 2017, when I moved to Buffalo for a month and ate at more than a hundred restaurants. But I did get to hit some favorites and ongoing check-list dishes in between (and at) book signings. I can't wait to 'til my next visit.

The Stinger at Toutant: It's a rare sighting but it does occasionally happen — one of Buffalo's signature sandwiches gets the unpretentious, but fancy-pants treatment at one of my favorite spots in the city. If you haven't scored one, keep checking in with them until you have.
BreadHive Bakery's Aaliyah: There are plenty of great spots for breakfast in Buffalo, but I can't help it, I'm addicted. This is the breakfast sandwich I want to have every morning I wake up in the Nickel City.
Café 59's Chicken Finger Sub: Widely known as the city's best... and for good reason.
Elmo's Triple-dipped Wings: This is an off-menu item, and you have to order them when they're not crazy busy, but if you're a wing-nut like me, the triple-dipped wings at Elmo's are a destination, must-order dish. They go in the fryer, and then they're done Cajun, dipped in barbecue sauce, grilled, grilled Cajun, grilled barbecue, and then coated with a special hot sauce.
Grange Community Kitchen: I'd eaten at Grange before and been impressed but I fell in love on my last visit. Their breakfast sandwich (on a home-made croissant) and their take on a beef on weck both stuck with me and have re-calibrated my understanding and beliefs on what both can be. (See Previous Favorite Meals: 2017)

Thomas Daulton, Bar Manager at Winfield's Pub

My meal of the year comes about 9 months ago in the late winter and early spring of 2018 at Black Iron Bystro. I just got done doing some office work at Winfields around 5:30 and wasn't feeling the best, just generally starting to get that spring cold. I headed to Black Iron Bystro knowing Bryan had Pho on his menu. Got there and after the usual hugs, hand shakes and a shot of rum with Joe, Bryan asked me what I wanted to eat. He informed me that he took Pho off the menu a couple weeks ago, but just happened to have just catered a small party with mushroom pho earlier that day that he would be happy to make for me. It was a giant bowl of absolute heaven, with tons of oyster and clustered mushrooms and pickled veggies. It was exactly what I needed and just the fact that the boys would make me feel at home with some off the menu magic was the best. It's always like hanging out at a best friends house there for me, and the food and drink is A+ always.

Mike Shatzel, Owner of Thin Man Brewery, Cole's, Liberty Hound, The Moor Patand a bunch of other places.

Best meal of 2018 was at Barr in Copenhagen.

Lightly smoked Belgium Waffle with lumpfish roe, fermented ribeye with an asparagus salad, hot Smoked Herring with fennel, green strawberries & elderflower and the most amazing pork schnitzel.

This was truly the most amazing culinary experience in my life. Barr is located in the old Noma location. Will be going back again this year as Thin Man was invited back to pour at Mikkeller Beer Celebration 2019. (See Previous Favorite Meals: 2013 and 2017)

Elizabeth Licata, Editor-in-Chief of Buffalo Spree Magazine

This is always hard for me. I don't really go out a ton and when I do it is always to the same places that you guys have already covered. So. There is one thing. 2018 was the year of the Instant Pot for us.

It makes the best chicken stock I have ever been able to make in my life or have seen made at restaurants. It makes the best white beans (cooked with vegetables, salt pork, etc.) I've ever had. It makes wonderful short ribs and other cuts requiring slow cooking. It's not as instant as it's cracked up to be, thanks to the "release" time, but I'll take it over a crockpot any day.

We did go to the Grill and Empellón in New York City. The Grill is pretty cool. So is Empellón. (See Previous Favorite Meals: 2017)

Chris Lindstrom, Creator of Food About Town and Phrankly

I always love the challenge of coming up with my favorite meal so I spent some time digging through the photos on my phone to see what stood out most. Trips to Toronto, meals at FLX Table in Geneva, sushi and oysters in Seattle, and a visit to the new Una Pizza Napoletana in NYC were all highlights worth mentioning. But, unsurprisingly, my first trip to Italy rose right to the top of my list. I’m not going to paint a rosy picture and say that every meal we had there was spectacular or that my itinerary couldn’t have been improved but there were a couple meals that couldn’t have been reproduced in other circumstances.

After an overnight flight to Rome with limited sleep followed by an AirBnb mishap, we found ourselves at Pizzarium Bonci desperate for comfort and thankfully we found it in spades. Bonci is known for their pizza al taglio featuring naturally fermented dough with well sourced ingredients and expertly topped slices sold by the kilo. The eggplant, prosciutto with rapini and the simple but perfect bianco hit every note I expected with crunch, rich flavor, great rise and spot on seasoning. Not only was the food objectively great, it couldn’t have come at a better time for us.

After we got situated near Campo Fiore in a new AirBnB, we found that the group of Roscioli restaurants was well known but their Caffè Pasticceria was close by (and took walk ins) so we swung by on a rainy evening. We found ourselves in their almost hidden back dining room where we were treated to cocktails spiked with house made liquors, amazing salumi and a Rigatoni all'Amatriciana with balanced spice and rendered pancetta so good it temporarily stunned me. Just perfect execution and what turned out to be fantastic service after a bit of warming up time. It turned out to be the best sit down meal we had all trip.

Alan Bedenko: Author’s Note: As I reach the age of 50, I am acutely aware that the future of journalistic subjective criticism belongs to people under the age of 25. Thoughtful opinions including careful recitations of service, preparation, and product must inevitably give way to unproofread drivel, laden with idiot abbreviations, childish slang, and emojis. Extra points if the reader legitimately cannot figure out whether the presumably ethical review is, instead, a thinly disguised sponsored advertorial designed to trick the average reader.

These are unintentionally hilarious; fun and games. That is, until you read the article in the local Business weekly, which details how the suburban website that publishes emoji drivel booked over half a million dollars in annual revenue in the last year. Meanwhile, the writer is either an unpaid intern and/or earns roughly 1/3 of the cost of the restaurant meal she has been retained to review. Cheap content and slave labor: plantation journalism never looked so fresh.

It is in that spirit that I offer to you my best effort to satisfy the Buffalo Eats annual “my best meal” survey, written in the style of an online garbage review.

Apologies in advance for the absence of an accompanying Insta and Snap Story.

FINALLY: BUFFALO TO BELFAST

Dobutsu

A couple months ago me and some friends decided that we needed to go out and get some awesome dins for a birthday or whatever. We had heard good things about Dobutsu, so we booked it! It’s like this bomb space where you even get to share the table with some other people and everyone gets hooked up with some of the freshest seafood this side of [some obscure Polynesian island that mommy and daddy paid tens of thousands of dollars for me to visit when I was in High School a couple of years ago].

For those of you who live under a rock, Dobutsu is like Toutant’s cousin or something, and it’s the idea of James Roberts, who I “guess” is as good cooking fish as he is doing Southern favorites. He’s not just good. The food is lit af.

We started out with the bun appetizers, which change from time to time. When we went, they were General Tso’s chicken buns (pictured above) – and I don’t mean buns like what you get from Costanza’s to put your burger on. I mean like those dim sum buns you get at Chinese restaurants and whatnot. How were they? OMG, they were totally the bomb! Like moan-inducing! Wait I forgot the dranks! We also got some wine, which is like carefully picked by someone who completely knows what they’re doing.

The highlight though was this grilled fish – red snapper I think – served with a sweet corn puree. For years, you simply could not get seafood in Buffalo that wasn’t served with some sort of strong sauce, usually sweet. Or maybe it had some kind of balsamic glaze – sticky like syrup, and completely taking over the plate. Dobutsu has a knack for letting the fish sing through simple preparations that don’t rely on tricks and nonsense. This snapper was so good we went again the next weekend because the preparation and flavors were so perfect, and something that had been missing locally forever.

So foodies, if you need more and less , and you’re up for trying something new, Dobutsu is the place for you. You never know what they’ll get in from the fishermen and whatever, but the menu is impressive and you’re bound to find something you’ll like, and the atmosphere is super!

HON. MENTION: ST. GEORGE’S MARKET

I don’t know about you, but whenever I’m traveling to some rust belt city, I always make a point to check out whatever bougie local food hall or farmer’s market they’ve got there. Even when you go to Belfast in Northern Ireland, which had a war or whatever, there’s a great market right downtown called St. George’s Market. It’s got everything! Gifts, soaps someone made in their basement, produce, and food stalls. Woah lemme tell you about the food stall we checked out when we went last February.

While my friend opted for the standby of a crepe with Nutella – BO-RING – I went to check out the brekkie sammiches. The Brits and Irish call a sandwich a “bap” which is like really weird, but the smells and sounds coming from these bap stalls were like OMG yeet.

The market at St. George’s has been taking place in Belfast since 1604, which is even older than the Pilgrims! The present location was built in the late 19^th century, so it’s way old, too.

We finally settled on the Belfast Bap Company, which was being run by one guy and his daughter on a portable flat-top. Every bap cost £4.50, which is like $5.75 in American money. The baps came on either traditional bread – a regular roll or soda bread roll – or on potato bread, which looked like a soft pita bread. A sign says it uses fresh baked local bread, local bacon and Irish pork sausages, and free range eggs from the “Glens of Antrim”. That sounds like really old and ethnic or something!

So, I got something called a “soda farl” mostly because I had no idea what any of it really meant. The bread was soda bread, made into a large circle and then divided into “farls” or four parts. It had the consistency of a focaccia, but without the oil and herbs. It was chill.

So, he starts making the sammich and he’s got the flat-top carefully arranged with fried eggs, bacon (which was more like Canadian bacon), and fat sausages. The bread was also fried a bit to take away some of its dryness. Totally dope.

Then he assembled it – fried bread, then some cut-up sausage, then a mountain of bacon, then egg. The whole thing was topped off with ketchup or brown HP sauce, or both if you’re feeling extra, and then the other half of the fried soda farl.

It was the best breakfast sandwich I ever had. It was maybe a bit heavy on the salt from the meats, but the sweet from the brown sauce and ketchup helped me deal. It was the bomb in two ways – totally awesome, and also really filling.

So, if you’re in Belfast and it’s the right day of the week, head on over to St. George’s Market, where for less than six bucks, you can feast your eyes and mouth on a breakfast sandwich that’s unlike any you’ve had before, and it’ll keep you going for a whole day’s worth of sightseeing. (Previous Favorite Meals: 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016)

Joe Lyons: A meal I had this past summer sticks out most in my mind. My sister, her husband, and their daughter were in town from NYC and my brother flew in from the West Coast. We hosted a family dinner at our place in the Southern Tier—and that evening has stuck out in my mind ever since. It’s not often that me, my siblings, and our families are able to be in the same place at the same time; sometimes years go by without us all being together. Although, for this particular meal the menu wasn’t the most complex or fancy, what made it special is that we could all participate and lend a hand in the preparation, especially my children who love to help their mom and dad prepare each meal we have. Over the years my wife has made it a goal to sit down together each week as a family, have a meal and share our daily experiences. Considering the multitude sports practices, music lessons, friends, work, and other commitments on our calendars, we definitely make family meal a priority.

At Joe’s Deli, we get the majority of our meats and poultry form Ford Brothers Farm in West Valley, just a few miles outside of Ellicottville. That particular weekend, my brother John and I picked up a whole strip loin and a whole bird for our dinner as well as some extra steaks to have on hand for special guests who might drop in. We also stopped by a few roadside fruit and vegetable stands and loaded up on some delicious locally grown corn, zucchini, yellow squash, peppers, tomatoes, and lettuces. My four children and niece all helped shuck the corn, wash the veggies, set the table and assisted my wife with prep for one of her favorite dishes, a wild mushroom risotto. Once all the prep was complete, we got the beer can chicken on the grill right away and my brother, sister, brother-in-law, and wife treated ourselves to well-deserved pre-dinner cocktails.

On these special occasions when we are all able to be together, we tend to reminisce about past family dinners and stories from our childhood, and we tend to get pretty lively in our re-enactments of days of yore. If you could, picture us looking out from the patio deck onto a tranquil view of the woods with green hills dotting the horizon, an occasional deer passing by, and the feeling that there’s not another person around for miles. The stars start to fill the sky, the chirping of crickets and bullfrogs welcome the evening, and the delicious smell from the BBQ grill permeates the air. We were playing our favorite songs and dancing with the kids out on the deck…all the while I had to keep the flow and careful timing of rotating and adding new items to the grill. It was pure happiness to see everyone let go, be present, and spend time with each other.

In between acting as DJ and bartender, my amazing wife knocked out the risotto and before we knew it, an hour or so had passed and everything was ready to go. The 10 of us sat down to enjoy a true summer feast and took our time eating, drinking, joking, and reminiscing. Those few precious hours of family time, sharing the work of planning, preparing, and truly enjoying that time together, is by far the most memorable meal I’ve had in quite some time.

Regina Schrambling: By coincidence, this year Nickel City Chef ended its long, good run and my in-law equivalent joined the choir invisible, which combined to put an end to my shuttling between Manhattan and Buffalo on the regular. And that is why I probably feel uncharacteristically sentimental about my favorite meals since flipping over the 2019 calendar to see no Amtrak or Delta/JetBlue in my immediate future. For reasons of both awesomeness and companionship, I keep thinking about many dinners at Toutant, but mostly about the one with green andouille, and cavatelli made made with dried-and-powdered tomato vines, plus a smoked beet-and brisket hash so awesome we ordered an extra to take home — in a metro area where, for 37 years, we always left Louvaine Drive with the refrigerator stuffed with kittybags. (We’re gonna miss the muffuletta, too — there is no better trainfare.) I think often of several dinners at the Dapper Goose but mostly the one where the ice cube was almost the size of the cocktail glass and where my consort’s mom last ate vicariously when I described the beets done five ways. I remember a dinner at Seabar with Bob’s cousin before his own mom’s funeral, this with a guy who had never experienced beef on weck as sushi (the only way to eat it, in my estimation, and I’m no fan of rice). And I remember what I knew would be my last fish fry, post-funeral-2, at the Place, which was Janice Okun’s recommendation when we judged NCC together and I asked for her favorite restaurant and she said the very right thing: “This is where I go most often.”

What I revisit most often mentally, though, is the Bocce Club pizza (pictured above) — half cup- and-char pepperoni, half-mushroom and cup-and-char pepperoni — that Gloria, Bob and I Hoovered off her bed in Schofield in Kenmore in mid-May. The pizza was exceptional, not least cuz we’d learned over a year to order more than we could eat so we could share leftovers with the staff. She was so happy. Then three days later we got the call. It turned out to be our last meal together.

Because the back-and-forth to Buffalo was — shall we say? — stressful over the last year, I will also note there were certain destinations we headed to repeatedly back home: RedFarm on the Upper West Side for out-there dim sum (eggplant bruschetta topped with creamy smoked salmon and caviar; duck wrap salad [think Peking duck but with lettuce]; duck-and-crab dumplings with curry sauce; pork soup dumplings), and Fonda in Chelsea for the Mexican equivalent of dim sum: queso fundido with chorizo; duck “crepes” with creamy chile sauce; crab cakes with three sauces; huaraches with mushrooms. The two most dazzling meals of the whole year in our adopted hometown, though, were at Emporio in NoLiTa (lentil hummus with smoking-great flatbread, roasted artichokes, chanterelles with burrata) and Çka Ka Qellu in the Bronx — the housemade flatbread, the grilled sausage, the “shop” salad, the sausage dip, the spinach cornbread, the stuffed cabbage (and I hate stuffed cabbage) — it was all a spectacular primer on both Albanian cuisine and how the melting pot only gets richer through immigration.

But if I had to narrow my gazillion-plus 2018 meals to the best three, I would spin the globe over to Australia and New Zealand. Thanks to a house swap with friends, we spent three weeks in their winter and pretty much tasted tomorrow. At Yellow(pictured above) in Sydney we had an extraordinary succession of all-produce/no-dairy dishes that would have Charlie Trotter sitting up and saluting in the afterlife. Just as he did, the chef created exquisite, complex dishes you would have to be reminded were about the absence of meat (leeks, king mushrooms, blueberry+licorice). And at Fred’s, also in Sydney, the food was perfect, but what made it so transporting was the setting. The tagliolini with chopped mussels and pancetta and lemon, the wilted Swiss chard, the spanner crab with Treviso all tasted like eating at Chez Panisse, where the chef got her start. But it was more like being in “The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover,” in an open kitchen crossed with a dining room and everyone living the show.

The meal I most appreciate having stuck in my cranial sieve is our lunch at Carrick (pictured top), in the Otaga wine country on the south island of New Zealand. We had a table overlooking both the vineyard and the indescribable mountains that are the backdrop everywhere there, all enhanced by sauvblanc and impeccable food, starting with gnocchi Parisienne with duck confit, followed by what we almost never order in a resto: dessert. This one really was transporting: lemon coconut cake with boysenberry ice cream, creme fraiche and pistachio praline. Last meals were on my mind after Gloria’s. And this one actually beat cup-and-char.

Michael Parkot: When I was asked to write about my favorite meals (or meal) of 2018 it seemed like and daunting task at first. There were a variety of meals that I had with both my family, friends, neighbors, there were meals at home on the farm that were the result of a culmination of two years of work, or just a spontaneous moment on the fly with screaming children in the backseat where their hanger became evident. Before starting in on this list of the great meals, I should disclose that our farm business is patronized by a fair number of people on this list. We generally gravitate to places that serve local, ethical and responsibly raised product, but also just so happens that appreciating their hard work and collaboration with not only us but other local farmers creates food that transcends the mundane.

In April my wife and I celebrated our 6^th anniversary at the Black Sheep (pictured above), and we did the five course chefs tasting menu. From start to finish the dishes that came out of the kitchen were phenomenal. The charcuterie, the BBQ pork nuggets were a great start. The real stars from that meal for me shined through in the pork liver pate’ that was served with their house made mustard (spicy and slightly acidic to me, and way better than Webers) on Ellen’s sourdough bread, the 27 month aged prosciutto with fennel (which I believe was one of the last T-Meadow Farmshams in production), and of course the sticky toffee pudding. I can’t begin to express my love for this dessert in words fit for most of the public (I made that mistake once and regretted it instantly). I’ve yet to have a mediocre meal there, but this one was special to us as the Chef and his team took the time to create a menu for us, sending out what they thought the best options on their menu were.

We had an unfortunate accident in May that required one of the kids to be in the hospital overnight at Oishei. The stress of the day and wanting to eat something better than the coffee kiosk prompted a call to Marble +Rye, and ordered some take out for us. I had already cancelled a delivery to them that day due to the accident happening. At one point in my life, I never would have thought that something as simple as a cheese burger (pictured above), and some salads would make the list of my top meals for the year. Mike and Christian, as well as the rest of their team, are truly exceptional people. They met me at the door with our food and said “if there’s anything we can do for you guys let us know”. This was the moment when you realize a business relationship has evolved into friendship even family centered around good food. While it may seem odd to describe one of my favorite meals as a great burger, taken out from the restaurant, and eaten while sitting at the side of a hospital bed, the sense of comfort that food gave me and my family in that moment made it memorable. Knowing what goes into making those burgers, their commitment to sourcing locally, the two hours a day they spend grinding, or curing their own bacon, the lettuce or garnishes coming from other local farms, or if it’s the perfect crust and sear from the giant cast iron flat top in the kitchen this was one of my best, and most grateful meals of the year.

Continuing in the theme of a community built around food, there were two events that we attended at the Black Sheep besides our anniversary dinner. We were fortunate enough to attend two of the Sunday Supper series dinners. The first with the crew from Marble + Rye, who featured our protein products on their menu, which was to be reminiscent of the foods eaten while growing up. When Chef Dimmer told me he was going to make a whole hog taste like baloney, and that he wanted the biggest chickens I could raise, I was taken a bit aback, but in the same respect intrigued. I was able to share that meal with my parents, in-laws, and a neighbor who turned into a mentor to me as a farmer. The flavors there were reticent of my youth and the food we ate growing up in Buffalo, realizing more that I had grown up on a similar tract as Mike. There were other local farmers in attendance, some of whom contributed to the meal as well. The whole hog baloney was a hit, but the chicken Ballantine a la king was what put the meal over the top for me. It was all I could’ve asked for in a gourmet take on a friend baloney sandwich, which followed a creamy savory gravy over tender well-seasoned chicken.

Our second foray into Sunday supper came on a rare Sunday night off (from my off farm job) where Ed Forsterwas the chef of the evening. From the start of the meal with a can of OV followed by a garlic paniesse, homemade bugles with French onion dip, to the walleye served with sumac I was blown away by the flavor combinations but also how well his story fit along with his food. There was a pasta “gusher” filled with a Parmesan broth that literally exploded when bit into, that was such a great bite that it lead me to having an obsession with Parmesan crackers since. The finale of this meal though was pure artistry on display, a peach pie in early September made with local peaches, with what I believe was a lard based pie crust. I’ve never had pie that each component of it added to its whole in such a wonderful manner. The crust was flaky, while the peaches still held form and weren’t mushy, it was as my wife put it “the perfect pie, I wonder if they would make one for my birthday next year”, so Ed and Steve if your reading this, please?

Last but certainly not least was the Iron Event this year, where so many of our local chefs came together to make a single bite all in competition with each other, all while coming together for a great cause to help out one of their own. As I was walking around while gorging on the amazing dishes I saw a multitude of restaurant chefs that I’ve had the fortune of meeting, as well as eating at their establishments. Some of them were customers of mine, many have turned into friends in the past year. There was one table that I waited to try, it was almost my last tasting, I was holding out for one of the dishes I had the privilege of taking a small part in. One of our goals on the farm is to create the best tasting pork of yesteryear. We cross breed pigs that aren’t efficient in their growth, but more than make up for it on flavor, and appreciate the time it takes for them to develop their full potential. I brought up the idea to several of the chefs we work with, and there was one who took me up on the challenge.

When Jeff from This Little Pig said that would look really cool to have a whole pig on the table, carving it as we go. I couldn’t help but think he’s going to smoke this and make it awesome (as many of us know Jeff will smoke anything). When I walked up to the table and saw the hog that was raised on our farm, fed, cared for and nurtured by me and my family on that carving station I couldn’t help but feel the excitement building. The golden brown skin, the rendered fat pooling from around the meat seeping out to be caught by the towels around the station. The smiles from Jeff and the rest of the crew when we walked up, and him even saying “this came out awesome”. That four inch paper plate was passed over to me, a piece of succulent cured and smoked pork perched atop the steaming beans and greens. Then as I bit into it, the rush of fat and salt from the pork, mixing with the spices in the greens, the chew of the collards which hadn’t been cooked to mush, along with the smooth creamy texture of the beans was the culmination of a collaboration. Seeing that hog, and the hundreds of people in attendance getting to try one of our custom bred and raised hogs was the embodiment of what we are trying to do on the farm. I often have a gregarious sense of pride when it comes to the animals we raise on the farm. That bite was a culminating capstone on our year, the sudden realization of several of our goals on the farm, to create great pork, get it into the hands of a chef with a team that could be creative all while respecting the real flavor of the food and work that went into getting it to them. If ever I find myself on death row awaiting execution, this would be what I would ask for as my last meal.

Jeff Biesinger: I should probably start with a little context to help make my story work. My wife Lisa and I pretty much make it our business to stay on top of the local food scene. We hit all the new places, and we hit every place multiple times to really understand what a place does well. It’s partly my job as a restaurant reviewer for Spree magazine, however the dining out part always came first, and the reviewing came later. We try to travel as much as possible, which I believe gives us a good measuring stick to hold Buffalo up to. And we are pretty crazy home cooks. Lisa loves to dive deeply into different cuisines, giving us a chance to travel foodwise any night of the week. And I like to do what I call project cooking, cooking that often requires special equipment or techniques and typically days, months, or even years worth of planning and skill building. So, you can say we have a pretty good idea about food and sadly, my reaction to food has largely gotten callus. It’s pretty hard for food to move me. For a meal to be great, it has to be about one or more things: perfect ingredients, a sense of accomplishment, or special circumstances (like a coconut on warm, white sand beach). When I look back on 2018 dining out in Buffalo and the wider world, there were plenty of good meals, but none that really moved me.

Which leads me to the point of my story. If you are a food focused Western New Yorker, and you’ve been paying attention to our local food scene, hopefully you recognized the quantum leap that occured this year. It has to do with meat. Meat has a moral problem. When you buy meat, and it costs less per pound than some fruits and vegetables, you can only assume that somebody or something is paying the full cost. We know current industrial farming practices are horribly inhumane, destroying our planet and mortgaging our future. Prior to 2018, conscientious meat eating Buffalonians had limited options. We could hunt down respected farmers at markets and sort through their coolers full of oddly shaped frozen cuts until our hands ached, or make huge financial and freezer space commitments by buying whole animals. I knew, first hand how challenging it was and as a result, never looked down on anyone who chose to shop soly at supermarkets. A weak link existed between the farms and the consumers that needed to be fixed.

This past year, we took a big step towards fixing the problem when Tom and Caitlyn Moriarty quietly took over a butcher shop in the West Side of Buffalo. Their business model consists of a single day of retail hours starting at 10 am every saturday, with meat offering typically limited to 1 or 2 kinds of animals in a sort of monthly rotation. I recall the skepticism 12 months ago, and the nervous prayers that they could find a way to succeed, because they are that link we needed. The Moriarty’s offerings, from day one, have everything I could want: mostly sourced from small local farms (honestly labeled), premium quality animals, butchered with skill and care, and sold fresh not frozen.

Over the past year, I tried to be there every Saturday I could, not just because I wanted them to succeed, but because they were making food and cooking exciting again. Part of whole animal butchery, means there are all the parts, some you know and some you don’t. Lining up at 10 am to find something new to cook, that wasn’t just new but also local and of impeccable quality, is honestly one of the best parts of my week. I take great care in how I prepare foods, and I always felt like the strongest link in the chain. But now that I’ve watched Tom work and know where his animals come from, it’s humbling to realize that I’m now maybe the weakest link in a very strong chain.

I could list about a dozen home cooked “best meals” that resulted from trips to Moriarty Meats, but I’ll limit myself to one that really epitomizes 2018 for me. It has to do with a chicken. A whole chicken that made me rethink what I know about chickens and cooking. I know what chickens taste like. I know that pressure cooked chicken feet make the best stock in terms of flavor and mouthfeel. I’ve butchered chickens alongside Frank Dispensa, the only other source I know of for fresh, local meats. I know that supermarket chickens are soggy and gross opposed to farm chickens that are dry and unbruised. We know good recipes (Lisa owns a bazillion cookbooks) and I didn’t think there was much left out there that was new and interesting try. But a chicken from Kindred Kreek purchased at Moriarty Meats, prepared into Hainanese Chicken Rice by Lisa erased much of what I thought I knew about chicken and cooking. It blew me away in its simplicity and flavor. Experience has led my often to find simple boring, but this was the complete opposite. And it told me that after 25 years of experimenting in the kitchen and believing I was running out of new foods to experience, we weren’t any where near the end. A feeling that revitalized my need to cook.

I know I’m not alone in these sentiments, because I’ve seen many people line up in the little West Side butcher shop every saturday at 10 am. Many are friends through food, some I just haven’t met yet. So, I’ll see you there soon and be sure to tell me your tale of carnivorous love. (See Previous Favorite Meals:

Tom Przybylak: Favorite Meals of 2018… Here goes.

As I get older and potentially less relevant… I don’t eat out as much. For me, it has become less the food and more the experience and those that I surround myself with when dining.

The Iron Event continues to bring some of the best local chefs together, and this is the one time per year when I get to see all of them. I really enjoyed it this year, and that Riverworks venue is a great spot to hang out. Bonus Points for the “Always Something” suckling pig when you walked in by the TLP team… speaking of which…

This Little Pig is probably our most frequented restaurant of 2018. Living in the burbs, it helps to have them right up Transit Road from our house, but Jeff & Mandy have really created a fun and versatile space with crafty food that draws us for family weekday dinners, a quick business lunch, or brunch on the weekends with or without the kids.

Rin Thai Bistro’s “Moo Ping”is my most frequently eaten dish this year. Moo Ping is marinated and grilled pork on a stick dish served with this impossibly sticky Thai rice. And I don’t mean “sticky rice” – I mean it’s glued together and I love it and want some right now. Runner up is the obscene amount of Fresh Catch Poke I’ve ingested in Williamsville.

We were really looking forward to Dobutsu, and it is now our “stop on the way to (whatever The Aud is called now?) before a concert/Sabres Game spot. I know James Roberts was super excited to get to bring this type of cuisine to Buffalo, and it’s been a blast watching him have so much fun with it.

In 2018 we discovered McCann’s Local Meats in Rochester– albeit later than everyone else who said to go there… but now that’s the first place we go in the 585. I dig the vibe, everything is delicious, nothing feels overpriced, and the pride that Chef McCann takes in his facility and his food is so apparent every time we stop in. The whole menu is great, but I always make sure someone orders the Korean Bulgogi Sandwich.

Yellow Watermelons – Aren’t these delicious? I think we ate at least fifteen of them this summer. I could often be found cracking on on my dashboard and eating it on long drives.

We had a great sunny summer day at Uncle Dennis’ house filled with Uuni pizza, fresh charcuterie, and some great friends and drink. Any time Mad Scientist Dr. Biesingerfires up one of his experiments, I’m honored to have a seat at the table.

I was in California twice this year… and on one of the trips, ended up in LA where my sister and nephew took us to Porto’s Cuban Bakery in Burbank. We waited in a line wrapped around the place, and the box of sweet and savory treats we walked out with makes me lust for good Cuban like that. Also Guava Cheese Strudel. Why don’t we have good Cuban in Buffalo yet? On my second trip out I ate street style Mexican constantly and for once… finally said “Hey Buffalo – we’ve finally got this going!”

I ate a disproportionate amount of Oysters in Savannah, GA and managed to not increase my art collection.

Otherwise, I spent a lot of time at home, designing and breaking in a new kitchen. I didn’t write much, eat anything too crazy, and I feel like that’s a welcome sigh of relief – perhaps from you as well as me. For the first time in I don’t know how long… I’m not “anxiously awaiting the opening of…” Anything! (short of that fancy new Pickle shop that won the awards on the TV.).

Does Buffalo need a rest from the cutting edge? Do we need a collective sigh of relief after a half decade of star studded restaurant openings? I’m seeing a venerable shift once again in the tectonic plates on which Western NY’s ever changing foodscape rests. I find myself looking for a well made Manhattan or a crisp Pilsner as opposed to whatever is cool on the cocktail and craft beer scene. Is it just me though, or when the news on TV is unbearable, are people less risky… seeking comfort in what they know and trust?

Will our local food chef artists be forced to adjust to persevere? Or can we continue on the breakneck pace of new and exciting? I wonder if the local population is getting overwhelmed with innovation and just want to know that their one favorite thing…. whether it’s the T-Meadow Smoked Chop, the Southern Fried Chicken, the Weck Roll, the Table-side Caesar… will always be there for them. I ponder if, in these trying times, people want their safe foods more than pushing the envelope. And it’s kind of cool that what was once new is now a safe comfort dish for many of us.

Sometimes less is more. Sometimes humility pays dividends. Tough lessons I’ve learned these past couple of years… and am happy to pass along.

I haven’t seen many of my food friends this year, so for 2019 I’m looking forward to revisiting some classics old and new. The scene is in a weird spot, but I want to go back through my roster and have that sticky toffee pudding at the bar while the windows steam up. I want to enjoy my ESB Breakfast Sandwich at 7 Am on a Wednesday like I used to. I’d like more of that in 2019.

In closing:

Biggest Disappointment: Whole Foods Prepared Foods Section (Why are the soups, meats, and salads all the same temperature?)
Nicest Surprise: Getting Chef Bruce Wieszala back in a kitchen (The Terrace at Delaware Park).
Biggest Excitement: Wegmans carrying Pittsford Dairy Chocolate Milk
What I’ll miss the most: Lait Cru – and Jill Gedra in general being out on the floor somewhere and accessible.
What I’ll miss the least: Cumin Rye Bread