Favorite Meals of 2022 (Part 3)
Favorite Meals from some friends of Buffalo Eats (original published in December 2022)
Stillwater Farm Dinner (source: Stillwater Farm)
For the 11th time, we have reached out to our friends to ask about their favorite meals of 2022. In what started as a fun way to connect back with all of our podcast guests at the end of the year, has turned into one of my favorite things we’ve ever done. We often get spoiled by the amount of thought and effort put into these responses and reading through these descriptions of meals that are fondly remembered just feels good.
So please enjoy our annual series and thank you to everyone who participated this year. To read our 2022 series of blog posts, click here.
Donnie Burtless (Founder of Buffalo Eats): Every year Stillwater Farm puts together a lineup of farm dinners that features the very best of the best from Buffalo's restaurant scene. Those dinners all go on sale one day and they sell out almost immediately. So when Alli and I read the announcement of the 2022 lineup of dinners and noticed that Chef Ross Warhol was debuting his upcoming Hamburg restaurant Perennial, we knew that we had to put every effort into getting tickets to that dinner.
I've had the pleasure of knowing Ross since the early days of Buffalo Eats, when he was a young Chef prodigy running the kitchen in the historic Athenaeum Hotel at the Chautauqua Institute in his early 20's. He is always incredibly generous with his time, he invited Alli and myself to our first ever tasting course, is always extremely friendly and just fun to hang out with. He also happens to be a complete culinary bad ass. He has been on a mission since returning to Buffalo. He's brought Oliver's back to its proper standing as one of the staples in Buffalo's fine dining scene. He's opened the kitchen at Britesmith with a menu that is offering the best food you can find at a brewery and maybe in the area. This is all to say that when I had the chance to try Ross's new project, in a beautiful farm in Boston with Alli, it was a no brainer.
The meal lived up to the hype. Every detail of the meal was stunning. The artistic and well designed menus, featuring photographs of the greenhouse/farm that Perennial will have on site and the ingredients that were grown that made up our courses. The combination of both beautiful plating and just delicious food. Occasionally Jay Braymiller (Stillwater's owner) would pass by with a bucket of beer and we'd comment about how we couldn't believe what Ross and his team were pulling off in this field. This meal was the perfect preview of his upcoming restaurant that will soon become the place that I want to spend every birthday/anniversary meal of mine from now until I'm dead.
Honorable Mentions: Visiting Shango after nearly a decade away and realizing Jim Guarino and crew are still killing it. Making smash burgers with some friends and family in our backyard in June. The sad but delicious last brunch and dinner at Black Sheep before they closed the doors in April. The massive Franco's pizza buffet with the almost entire Buffalo Eats Ride for Roswell team after the ride for the first time in three years. Watching our 6 year old Charlie fall in love with steamed pork dumplings from our favorite local Chinese Restaurant (Wok 28) and watching her try to eat them with chopsticks.
Will Cleveland (Rochester Based Beer Writer): If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram, you know I post about four things:
My son Audie
Beer
Graffiti
Pizza.
So it really shouldn’t be a surprise that the best thing I ate in 2022 (beside that Costco hot dog) was pizza. Rochester is undergoing a bit of a pizza renaissance right now. We’re truly spoiled with some really, really good options right now. My favorites include Peels on Wheels, Pizza Wizard, Radio Social, Nino’s, Strangebird, and Pudgie’s. There is a new entrant in the Rochester pizza pantheon, however.
Forno Tony, a tiny Roman-influenced bakery and pizzeria, popped up in October. Out of a space it sublets, brothers Billy and Ryan Gushue have only been open for six Saturdays thus far. On those days, only from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., you could see people lining up at the corner of East Avenue and Winton Road as they hoped to score some pizza and baked goods. The lines got progressively longer as word continued to spread. But the boys at Forno Tony had to temporarily close up shop because they got too popular too quickly, overwhelming the little plaza with traffic. (The Gushues told me they are looking for a space in the immediate area and hope to re-open soon.)
If you were lucky enough to try Forno Tony for those six magical weeks, you were treated to absolutely delicious Roman-style pizza (a true first for Rochester) and baked goods. Billy completed an intensive course in Rome where he learned all of the tricks of the trade. And his pizzas, breads, and desserts are other-worldly. Many of them originate from family recipes.
Billy is the baker, while Ryan works the counter. Other family members lend a hand in different areas, too.
I’m most fond of his pizza alla pala, an oblong pizza that features a high water content and lower amounts of yeast. It results in a pizza that is crispy on the outside and soft, chewy, and airy on the inside. It’s either topped with olive oil (pizza bianca), tomato sauce (pizza rossa), tomato sauce and cheese (pizza rossa with mozzarella), or filled with mortadella (pizza bianca with mortadella). That last one stands as my favorite. My wife loves the pizza in teglia, which is baked in rectangular steel pans and then topped with either zucchini or potato.
Our favorite dessert is Billy’s maritozzi, which is basically a brioche bun with whipped cream and different fillings like berries, Nutella, or pistachio. Berry is our favorite.
It’s really cool to see this become a true family affair. And it’s super easy to root for the Gushues, because they are truly lovely people. If you find yourself in Rochester, I urge you to check out Forno Tony’s Instagram page to see if it is open and available. You’re gonna love it.
Brad Rowell (Chef/Owner of The Grange and West Rose): 2022 has been filled with plenty of excellent meals, most of them from local restaurants.
I have been working on opening Wayland Brewing Company all of 2022 and have enjoyed tasting dishes for the taproom with our Chef Mike Thill for the last six months (Opening this winter!).
My wife and I spent a long weekend in Asheville N.C and had some really excellent BBQ at Buxton Hall. We also enjoyed Burial Brewing's Ranch Camp for awesome beer and unusually delicious brewery food.
Locally, I loved Monday lunches at DiTondo, dates at The Little Club, and eating as often as possible at Bar Bill. I'm lucky to work with so many talented Chefs and pastry chefs which gives me the opportunity to taste incredible food on a daily basis. I'm looking forward to a great year in 2023.
Go Bills.
Kuni’s (source: Kuni’s)
Cassiday Proctor (Morning Host at 103.3 The Edge): I am married to a Native Buffalonian, so I’ve spent a lot of time eating in Buffalo over the years.
We moved here in October of 2021 when I got hired to do mornings on 103.3 The Edge and wow, I’ve eaten a lot of great food in Buffalo over the last year. My friend Mac McGuire was back in Buffalo over Thanksgiving and asked me to go to dinner with him at Kuni’s.
This was my first time ever eating there and I was simply blown away. The freshness of the food and the clean flavors made for one of the best sushi experiences of my life. We ate a bunch of food but the highlight of the meal for me was the Sashimi 21. The combo of the fresh fish paired with pickled onions and jalapeños was insane. I have been craving this ever since and will order it anytime I am back at Kuni's.
Anthony Petrilli (Chef/Co-owner of West Rose): Oh man, these are always hard. I’m never having a meal and trying to decide if it makes a list or not. Usually, I’m in a moment, or at a bar, or tucked into a dining room, not thinking about solely the food. My favorite meals never involve the cuisine alone, but these are certainly highlights of the past year.
I can fondly remember the beef carpaccio at Meat & Potatoes in Pittsburgh, it was prepared through the flavor profile of pho, with lime, Thai basil, bean sprouts and a little bit of funk.
The Charred Caesar at Casa Azul (pictured above) is a fast favorite. I order it EVERY. SINGLE. TIME I’m there. The pro tip is to order an extra side of that unctuous black garlic dressing and use it with your chips and salsa. The churros are also very delicious and not to be missed.
I never knew I wanted to be directed to a bar like a 747 taxiing on the runway but alas Tim flagged us down to our barstools at The Dapper Goose. Brussels sprouts with cashew Caesar and fish sauce croutons, cauliflower with green goddess, salmon tartare were all super good, the food coming out of that kitchen never fails. Tim picked a pair of perfect wines to boot, rounding out the experience all the more.
The char grilled oysters at Compass Run transported me back to Casamentos in New Orleans. Pork belly burnt ends were outstanding, especially with the spicy pickles in tow.
Throw a dart at the DiTondo menu and enjoy, or order one of everything and buckle up. Every single thing I’ve ever eaten there has been delicious. Fabio is literally batting a 1000 for me, and home plate is always scarpetta’d clean.
Puf (Buffalo Based Wrestler): When I think about my favorite meal I had all year I think of two meals I had in one day with some friends who were in from out of town. The meals included the monstrosity (in the best way) that is the Garbage Plate Pizza from Macy’s Place and Medium Wings from Nine Eleven Tavern.
They asked about good food in Buffalo and those were the first two things that came to mind. Nine Eleven Tavern wings because they’re the best and the garbage plate pizza because it one of the most insane things I’ve ever put in my mouth and it’s something that needs to be seen to be believed. Also incredibly delicious.
James Roberts (Chef/Owner of Toutant and Compass Run): This year was a pretty good eating year for me, not so many meals out, as I have been working the kitchen at Compass Run to get it up and running. Early this year I had an incredible post Valentines day meal with my wife Connie at Prescott's Provisions, which is easily one of the best restaurants in this area. We ordered the entire top half of the menu, a bottle of bubbles, and a few of the features. Service was incredible, the veal carpaccio with shaved truffles was exquisite, and the jamon croquettes were everything I wanted in a single bite. Any time spent out with her is something I don't take for granted.
This spring we got a home pizza oven so needless to say it was a carb laden pizza summer, with some of our best meals just hangin around a table with family, friends and neighbors eating fresh Neapolitan pizzas hot right off the tray. We began booking crawfish boils this year also, so being able to have such a fond childhood food memory for me multiple times this summer, even if it was for other people, was really special.
Snuck in a day trip to Toronto to get some kitchen equipment mid transition and did a full midday feast of small plates at Bar Raval, a favorite tapas place unlike anything we have locally.
IF i had to pick a favorite bite, the last couple bowls from Dobutsu stand out, as I miss that ramen terribly, even having made it for staff recently just so I can have it again. The last shipment of O-toro and Uni we featured in rice bowls was by far my favorite thing we ever made at that restaurant. Sublimely rich tuni belly with cocktail fresh sea urchin from santa barbara made for a moment of luxury I had never experienced, and probably won't again. Here's to visiting more local restaurants this coming year. Cheers!
Joseph Leta (Co-Creator of Buffalo Food Otaku): I decided to take a turn this year, and play with the rules a bit. Each year for Donnie and Buffalo Eats, I highlight some incredible restaurant with impeccable hospitality in some faraway land, bragging about a few hours of my life masticating a composed plate that spoke to me (Donnie edit: it's true, you can read them below). I explain how it philosophically embodies the golden mean, and why other restaurants should follow suit. Then I never visit that restaurant ever again, and move on with my life. Perhaps a meal is a bit more than that.
As I relive memories of all the finest dining experiences of the past year, there is only one constant. All the best meals, whether at the peak of culinaria, or home-style comfort in the dingiest digs all had one factor in common: they were all enjoyed with Sadako “Sadie” Lilley—and as of Easter 2023 she will become Sadako “Sadie” Leta. If anyone is familiar with our blog, the Buffalo Food Otaku, you will recognize Sadie as the bespectacled, giggling, Japanese woman that makes up our logo. To know this logo is to know Sadako.
Osakan Sadie is the heart and soul of the Otaku, and I am merely its verbose mouthpiece. She is strong, funny, brilliant, and adorable, but best of all she is one of the finest cooks I have ever had the pleasure to know. She also has the cutest accent.
I am at a phase of my life where I value simplicity in a meal. I adore when something tastes like the best version of itself. Put a little salt on a fresh-cut tomato in the peak of summer, and I hope you will get my point. Technique and minimalism in the kitchen are virtues that I strive for, and hope to find when I dine out.
I believe this maturity of the palate derived directly from Sadie’s cuisine. After a long day of work and seeing a simple beef rib being boiled with some negi and shoga in dashi comforts like the warmest blanket. Simple hot pots of stewed meats, and vegetables with ponzu, bubbling dolsots of chigae, new crop rice straight from the Zojirushi with her freshly-made banchan, or soy-pickled quail eggs embrace you like a warm hug. After a long night of drinking I usually wake up to miso swirling in a steaming hot broth with seaweed, the salinity and vitamins killing any residual hangover. Sadie selflessly cooks with the diner in mind, and what they need at that moment in the way of culinary comfort.
To watch as she absentmindedly flips her wrist with perfect muscle memory rolling a tamagoyaki or tossing an okonomiyaki illustrates unpretentious technical perfection. Even the care and detail she puts into creating her osechi, a traditional box of Japanese New Years treats to be enjoyed throughout the first few days of the new calendar is breathtaking.
Sadako cooks with love. In fact, her whole being is love, happiness and positivity, and it imbues her food with an essence no restaurant can recreate. So when Donnie asks me where I enjoyed the best meal of 2022, my only answer is at home with my soon-to-be Wife, Sadie.
Happy New Years from the Otaku!!