Our Favorite Meals of 2023: Part Four
Part 4 of our series features some great meals during golf, date night BBQ, an early Saturday beer with football, a vegan friendly Thanksgiving, a road trip to Hudson Valley and more!
Edward Forster
Chef/Partner at Waxlight Bar a Vin
12x Favorite Meal Contributor
As a deviation, and inspired by Mr Duckett, this year I have a list of my "best of" golf course meals of 2023.
TPC Toronto's Breakfast Smash Burger
The complex/ trio of courses here were incredible and will only get better as north course gets a facelift for future pga canada tournaments. The hoot course truly lived up to its name and was such a fun golf experience. the weekend there was set on the right path by its incredible breakfast smash burg. the House made breakfast sausage smashed on a griddle with cheddar cheese, a fried egg and maple bacon jam was lights out. a little touch of sweetness, bacon saltiness, and a soft, toasty brioche bun was next level memorable on an awesome golf weekend.
Attica's 10th "Taco Tuesday"
The course is a drive, offering 9 holes with three tees to make the course an interesting 18 hole track. With blind shots galore and lightning fast, tricky greens, it's always worth the drive whenever I make it out. but it was their taco tuesday that left its mark. Crunchy mom tacos, with sour cream and pico di gallo on the side, it was a lovely, endearing memory of my youth overlooking the course. also a steal for (at the time) $6, it was the perfect 19th hole meal.
Grand Niagara's Back Bacon Sandwich
Locals who search out quality golf know Grand Niagara just across the border in Canada. Sadly not enough locals played to make this tough Rees Jones course a profitable 18 hole track, so rumour is it will be just 9 next season. Circling back to the back bacon with fondness, this course holds a place in my heart. Again with a toasty, warm, & soft brioche bun, this was an elite sandwich with both breakfast and lunch flavors chipping in. if you call it Back bacon, canadienne bacon, or peameal bacon, you know this ontario specialty of pork loin cured then rolled on cornmeal is a dealight. Seared gently and allowed to curl, topped with a maple aioli, it is a benchmark for local golf lunch offerings that all others should be measured against.
Last but not least, the True Blue & Caledonia complex in Myrtle Beach had two remarkable food offerings that i still think about.
We landed and headed straight to True Blue by Mike Strantz. After hitting the range and inconceivably thinking I sorted my swing out for a great stretch of 72 holes to come, we grabbed lunch overlooking 18. They had a steak and grilled chicken club that the Buffalonian in me loved for its stinger adjacent flavors. 12/10 way to start a golf trip.
The most anticipated golf course meal of 2023 for me was in South Carolina. it was the chowder at the turn at Caledonia fish & gun club. We were fortunate that the gentlemen chefs had just returned from their winter off and had the cauldron bubbling away. Their chowder was a warm, red, catfish based soup in a plastic cup, gratis for those in need of comfort after this top 30 golf courses front nine. it didn't help my game much, but it warmed my hands and my heart to what a seemingly simple dish and its gesture can do for you.
Mary Bennett
Bar Manager at The Grange
First Time Favorite Meal Contributor!
This year was overflowing with delicious food so I was overwhelmed when asked to write about it. My indecisiveness made it very hard to narrow it down. But there were a few things that stuck out in my mind. I obviously had to take the trip over the border to check out Rizzo’s. I wanted to take a bath in the arrabbiata sauce that accompanied the calamari. And I couldn’t help but wonder why any salad I made at home couldn’t compare to the Matty salad. The one thing I left there and couldn’t stop talking about was the espresso martini. Yes, I am basic and I had to have one. They put a little Montenegro in it and damn, damn, damn. So good. I have been trying to recreate it but haven’t been able to nail it down.
My boyfriend Andrew and I also took a trip to Austin and ate a lot of tremendous food. Coming from Buffalo we had to check out Nickel City. The drinks were absolutely phenomenal. They have an extremely fun drink menu that matches the vibe. I can’t describe it, you just have to go. I might get burnt at the stake for saying this but the wings here blew any wings I’ve had in Buffalo out of the water. They were perfection. Walked across the grill and perfectly crispy with out the meat being dry. Love love love. I haven’t been able to shut up about them.
My favorite new tradition is my late night dinner for Thanksgiving with Andrew’s family. This isn’t your regular Turkey dinner. His father makes porchetta and it’s insanely good. His mother makes apple pie and cranberry tart from scratch. His sister makes one million delicious sides, different each year. Andrew makes banging mashed potatoes. I have only had the confidence to contribute cocktails to the dinner these past two years because they are all ridiculously good chefs. Maybe next year :)
Danielle Stack
Owner of Marigold Wines
First Time Favorite Meal Contributor!
One of the best meals I’ve ever had was this year at Feast and Floret in Hudson, NY.
On a last-minute whim to pick up some wine from Rose Hill Farms, my friend tagged along for a quick road trip. I don't know if being in a car for 4 and a half hours straight had anything to do with it but the whole experience was like a dream. Where do I even begin? From the dried flowers hanging above the bar to the stunning vintage decor to the buckets of flowers sourced from their farm and other local growers in the middle of the restaurant for you to build your own bouquet to the amazing service on a Monday night at 9 pm. The atmosphere was magical and the meal was even better.
We started with a cocktail - Tainted Lady (vodka, ginger, pink peppercorns, hibiscus) which was so delicious. As for the food, each bite was better than the next. We went with the butternut squash arancini with fontina and spicy tomato marmellata and a farro salad with citrus, pistachio, and ricotta salata that was recommended by the waitress when asked which salad we should get. I could go on and on about this farro salad. I’ve never had anything like it and we even debated ordering two to go so we could bring it home with us the next day. We moved on to an incredible handmade Lumache pasta with Tivoli mushrooms and a handmade ravioli dish that was so delicate and I wish I could remember more details about. We finished with olive oil cake with mandarin orange and fresh cheese and a dark chocolate budino with hazelnuts and sea salt.
To this day we are still mad we never ordered the farro salad to go.
Kerry Quaile
Blackened Whiskey Operations Coordinator, Old Bar Wench
5x Favorite Meal Contributor
I would like to start by saying that I am not being paid to speak as highly as I am about to, nor have I ever been employed by, nor do I have any economic standing with the restaurant I am about to write about. Yet, I have never had such a blind knockout food, beverage, and hospitality experience as the one I had when I first walked into Oberlin in Providence.
Since the first time I ever stepped foot into the now-defunct Oberlin 1.0 as it is lovingly referred to by its staff, I knew that it would be the place I refer all visiting friends, professional colleagues, and family. However, this is supposed to be about my favorite meal of 2023 so I will narrow my gaze to the absolute best meal I have ever had in the space. Oberlin focuses their food and beverage on local fish, handmade pasta, and local seasonal veg. Their plates are designed for sharing but they are usually so delicious you might have to fight over them with your fellow diners or go solo for a meal. Their wine list is methodically curated, boasting labels from New England, female winemakers, and some drop-dead wines I had never heard of let alone tasted before.
On the night in question, the stars must have aligned. I somehow managed to have childcare, a lovely dining companion, and only two services left before Oberlin 1.0 closed for several months to relocate to their now-open and stunning 2.0 location. Their staff, whom I have come to love and revere for their knowledge of both food and beverage, was buzzing with the excitement and melancholy of this big change on the horizon. I started the night with a glass of Lambrusco and the crudo. The crudo is very much a choose-your-own-adventure situation, celebrating the freshest local catch slathered in extremely luxurious olive oil and salt. I am a sucker for butterfish so we went with that, black bass and fluke. It was so incredibly tender verging on obscene. There is one dish on their menu that I cannot resist no matter how many times I have it, the kohlrabi caesar. This is the kind of caesar I want, the kohlrabi is sliced insanely thin but it holds the dressing perfectly, did I mention it is topped with blue fish croutons? Either way, this dish is a must and that night it did not disappoint. The piece de resistance that evening was the shared pasta. If there is a pesto pasta on your menu, I am most likely going to order it. This pasta was legitimately from the gods or whoever. Large handmade rigatoni was paired with a gorgeous burrata at the center of the plate topped with fresh olive oil and hand-torn basil. I am salivating thinking about it. The evening was concluded with a small pour of amaro and in my opinion, it was perfect. I think about it often and I am very grateful to share it with all of you.
If you are ever in Providence, please go visit the newly open Oberlin 2.0 and their sister restaurant Gift Horse. I will talk about these restaurants and their staff for as long as anyone will listen. Now I want pasta.
Michael Chelus
Creator of Nittany Epicurean, Former Buffalo Eats Contributor
5x Favorite Meal Contributor
I was waiting for things to calm down in 2023, but that never seemed to happen. Luckily, even amidst the chaos of everyday life, I was able to have many delicious and memorable meals. Some were with family and some were with friends. Of all the great food I ate this year, two meals particularly stood out. The first was another exceptional dinner at Prescott's Provisions. As I remarked at the time, I've yet to have a bad meal at that restaurant. The food and service are consistently top notch. The creativity and quality of the food from Chef Vinny Thompson's kitchen rank Prescott's Provisions as one of the best in WNY. I'm still dreaming of the Amberjack Crudo and Potato & Leek Dauphine we had on that visit.
The other meal that was equally delicious was a dinner my wife and I enjoyed at the new location of This Little Pig in Clarence Hollow. What Mandy and Jeff Cooke have built with their restaurant never ceases to impress me. The menu is always packed with dishes I want to try. Somehow, I inevitably (and happily) find my way to Jeff's barbecue. This time was no different with the stellar Four Square Barbecue Board (pictured above) boasting tender, smoky brisket, smoked sausage, ribs with wonderful bark and wonderfully crispy fried chicken.
Patrick Galante
Drummer for Ice Nine Kills, Co-Founder at The Beer Keep
3x Favorite Meal Contributor
2023 was another crazy year of traveling and eating. Although it seems like a blur now, there were quite a few standout moments for me and my taste buds. Let’s start with this amazing little vegan spot in Munich, Germany called Erbil’s. This place specialized in Mediterranean fare, and I had an amazing tofu schnitzel dish that was definitely more schnitzel than it was dish. I mean I couldn’t even see the plate beneath the schnitzel. The texture was unlike any tofu dish I had ever had before. I finished up that meal with the best piece of baklava I have ever tasted.
Next, I have to give some love to The Modern Vegan in Las Vegas, NV. Holy moly. We stayed at the Virgin Hotel for 4 days and played 2 shows at the Virgin Theatre, which is conveniently in (uncomfortably hot) walking distance from The Modern Vegan. My girlfriend and I went there 3 days in a row. I would say that the only downside to TMV is how many items were on their menu and that we couldn’t try everything in our 3 visits. Some standout dishes would include the Buffalo Chick’n Mac and Cheese, the V’eggs Benny, any waffle off of their waffle menu, and the surprising star of one of our meals, the Avocado Love, which was 4 avocado halves filled with tofu scramble, topped with sesame seeds and shredded coconut, then drizzled with an olive oil pesto. Our last dish there was the Monkey Business. A large dessert of deep fried banana bread and vanilla ice cream topped with chocolate syrup, banana and walnuts.
Before I get to my FAVORITE meal of the year, I’d like to say a few words about the vegan breakfast sandwich at Mojo Market in Kenmore, NY. Those words are: damn, this is a good sandwich.
Now for my Favorite Meal of 2023. It’s always a treat when we have a day off on a holiday like Thanksgiving, especially when our schedule happens to put us in one of our hometowns. This year we had the pleasure of spending Thanksgiving in Lancaster, PA at the home of our guitarist Ricky and photographer Adam. We enjoyed an array of neatly labeled vegan and non vegan snacks throughout the day including chips, crackers, cheeses, spreads, and hummus. But when it came down to dinner, you could tell that Adam’s mother Diane had been doing her research and trying new vegan preparations to guarantee that everyone would have a wonderful and delicious meal, and she did not miss the mark at all. Diane was able to prepare a full traditional Thanksgiving dinner, including all of the sides and fixings, with vegan recipes. Real turkey and gravy was available as the main to the carnivores, but even those carnivores were extremely happy with the rest of the meal being vegan. At a time when homesickness could be at it’s worst, she made sure that we all felt at home and we couldn’t thank her enough for the time, effort, and love she put into making that meal and that day special for all of us.
Will Cleveland
Creator of
3x Favorite Meal Contributor
In 2023, I ate and enjoyed a lot of the same things I’ve enjoyed in previous years. In each instance where I’ve contributed to this fine website, I’ve highlighted my favorite pizzas. Well, in 2023, I ate a lot of those same pizzas and continued to enjoy them. (Last year, if you can recall, I highlighted Forno Tony, a Roman-style bakery with incredible baked goods and pizzas. Forno Tony is still my jam. It has only existed as a pop-up thus far and will probably have a brick-and-mortar spot by the time this publishes.)
This has been a weird and slightly terrifying year (in both good and bad ways). Parenting a surly, strong-minded 2-year-old is wild. It really shifts your perspective and priorities. When we plan a meal out now, we make sure it lines up with nap time (if we’re lucky, it’s 1 to 3 p.m) and we know we can’t have him in the car too close to the start of nap time (because if we do, he’ll fall asleep in the car and then we’re stuck driving around for two hours). Needless to say, meals need to be quick and easy, because we have a limited window and because we don’t wanna tempt fate.
So in lieu of a meal this year, I thought I would share the best thing I drank this year. I’ve written about the western New York beer scene for nearly 10 years now. I started as a columnist at the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle newspaper in 2014 and then launched my own independent newsletter, The Cleveland Prost, in April 2022 after my left my career as a journalist for a new opportunity. (It’s free to subscribe right now btw and only costs an email address.) With a young son and an incredible wife, I’ve learned to enjoy those brief moments of respite when I can just melt and forget about the world for a few minutes. My wife and I are extremely blessed to live within close proximity to family members on both sides. And those wonderful people often free us up and watch our son, especially on Saturday mornings.
On those mornings where I am granted a few kid-free minutes, I like to visit breweries. Other Half Brewing’s Finger Lakes outpost in East Bloomfield, Ontario County, is a particular favorite. Before noon on Saturdays, OH FLX is exceedingly quiet. As I’ve moved closer to 40, I am inching closer and closer to embracing my full-blown dad-ness. This includes a recent obsession with Bruce Springsteen and an emerging fandom in English Football League soccer. (It seems that all my passions originate with my love of pizza. Billy Gushue from Forno Tony ignite my love of European football. And after some research, I decided I wanted to root for a second-division EFL Championship squad, because it seemed it would be to follow along as a club worked toward promotion. I settled on Blackburn Rovers. It’s hard to explain, but I just identified with the team and its fans.)
So my favorite meal of 2023 isn’t really a meal at all. Though it could be considered to be nourishing. My favorite meal of the year is a beer enjoyed in the relative quiet of the Other Half FLX taproom at about 11 a.m. on a random Saturday. I usually start with a hazy DIPA. And it’s even better when there is some English Premier League football on TV. Though it’s also been pretty rewarding to watch the Baywatch channel (yes, that exists), especially the episode featuring Shawn Michaels, the Heartbreak Kids, as Vinnie, the Vegas bodyguard.
And if you’re interested, you can check out my work at clevelandprost.substack.com. Hope to see you there.
Dylan England
Director of Coffee Operations at Spot, Singer/Guitarist of Del Paxton
4x Favorite Meal Contributor
2023 was the year that our home kitchen was finally “done” and ready to enjoy. We signed up for a vegetable CSA from Plato Dale Farm and tried to use our new space to its fullest. We pickled carrots, made Golabki with what seemed like a lifetime supply of cabbage, made homemade pasta on Sundays, and tweaked a Burmese curry recipe given to us by Ashley’s coworker years ago, with fresh farm potatoes, onion and ginger. I will say what probably everyone assumes about a CSA, but yes, the vegetables do taste better, and if that matters to you, among the litany of other reasons to support local agriculture, consider signing up for one.
As for meals out, Jay’s Artisan Pizza is a treasure and every bit worth the hype and accolades its received. We go every year to get the Corn and Shishito pizza, but you must get the classic Margherita and Mixed Green salad (which has no business being as good as it is.) I will say though, that if you go, make it a point to eat in. Get yourself an Italian mineral water and wait for your pie among the local art legends that adorn the small unpretentious dining room, while you wonder how in the world pizza like this is being made in Kenmore, NY.
Working in coffee has afforded me a number of transformative sensory experiences. Coffee is my favorite thing in the world to drink, and an exceptional cup doesn’t need the added milk or sugar, let alone a pastry to level it up. It’s a singular product with depth and character. However, I have to mention Flint and the pastry game they have going. The scones are top tier, with flavors like Caramelized Pear and White Chocolate, Carrot Cake and Mocha Chip. The French Onion pastry and Squash and Fontina danish were also savory standouts. Grab one or three and have a Proustian walk around downtown Buffalo.
Bruce Wieszala
Chef/Co-owner of upcoming Beacon Grille
3x Favorite Meal Contributor
Looking back at the past year of dining experiences I've had, I think to myself that I could wax poetic about the genius of Waxlight's brilliant dishes (see what I did there?). I could rave about the deliciously satisfying and thoughtfully executed vegetable dishes of The Little Club, where you don't even realize that you haven't ordered a meat dish. I could drift back in my mind to a trip to Italy with my wife while indulging in the superbly crafted dishes of DiTondo. Or surprise you with the fact that I had to travel to Fort Worth Texas for a family wedding to discover some of the most baller Japanese inspired food / Sushi dishes I've ever had at Hatsuyuki Handroll Bar. But I'm not. I've come to the realization that my favorite meal this year and honestly has always been...
Thanksgiving dinner.
One thing I've learned from cooking all these years is that as important as the food is, what's more important is the people who you share that food with. Especially when those people are family.
It's become a tradition for my wife and me to make the journey to Michigan every year and spend Thanksgiving with family who have transplanted there from Buffalo. Sometimes even driving through the night after a long day working at the restaurant just so we can get there, grab a few winks of sleep, and wake up in the morning in Michigan.
The day before Thanksgiving is always filled with some family activities such as bowling, hatchet throwing, or an escape room (which we always manage to crush at). Then a dinner out and some libations afterwards with billiards or live music.
Thanksgiving morning over these past years has become me waking up to the wafting aromas of freshly brewed coffee and the perfectly brined turkey smoking away outside the window. Up at the crack of dawn to get the turkey started, my father-in-law has become quite the smoke master. Everyone pitching in either prepping and cooking food or mixing up some Manhattan's or Mimosa's.
As I said, It's not so much about what has now become the tradition of a perfectly smoked turkey with all the fixings and a comforting warm slice of Amish made shoofly pie with a generous dollop cool whip. It's about remembering those no longer with us with kind words spoken before the feast. It's about the exchange of "thank you's" and the passing of dishes, there's a silent acknowledgment of the support and comfort that family provides.
It's a reminder that despite the challenges faced throughout the year, we are not alone. We have a tribe, a sanctuary of love, support, and acceptance.
Dima Maddah
Buffalo Eats
6x Favorite Meal Contributor
It took me a long time to try to figure out what my favorite meal of 2023 was.
I'm no stranger to frequenting my usual stomping grounds (shout out to my hole at Billy Club) or trying new places around the city. That being said, whenever I look back on last year, my memories of it are completely shrouded in grief.
Mid-October, after over a month of countless vet visits trying to diagnose an infection that was found too late, I had to put my little four year old Yorkipoo, Peanut, down. For those who don't know me, he was (and still feels to be) my entire life. It was me and Peanut spending each day and night in each other's company. He was the most loving dog, and my best friend. I barely remember the days that followed his last day, but I do remember the people that were there for me when I didn't know how to be there for myself, making sure I wasn't alone, and even when I couldn't stomach much, I was fed.
Whether it was a care package of Wegmans soups and baguettes or homemade sauce and meatballs, those acts of kindness from my support system are what sticks out the most to me, and what I consider to be my "favorite" meals from last year. Grief never gets smaller, life only grows bigger around it, and the people you have with you along the way to help you through the toughest moments will always be the most important.
Peanut Forever xo
Regina Schrambling
NYC Based Food Writer
6x Favorite Meal Contributor
Once I started thinking about the best meals we ate in 2023 I couldn’t stop — not least because my phone retains everything better than my cranial sieve does. I stopped counting at photos from 50 amazing meals and am now doing Buffalo Eats devotees a favor by posting only my top choices from each city/destination. (The rest will be on my website.)
In New York (City), our most indulgent dinners were in swanky joints with casual options, like one on the street at One White Street in Tribeca, which offers a $316 prix fixe with wine upstairs but also lets you do far more affordable a la carte, with dishes like shaved fennel salad and roasted mushrooms. And we had a spectacular meal at the bar at Michelin-starred Essential by Christophe in our neighborhood, where the kitchen split an A+ cheeseburger ($24, a Manhattan deal) with a full portion of frites for each of us, after the amuse bouche (mushroom “cappuccino”) and before the petits four. (Well, we also indulged in hamachi tartare with avocado, and intricately dressed deviled eggs, and scallops with sunchokes.) Eating this way is like #beattherich at their own game.
Dame in the West Village was also superb on all levels, not least for grilled oysters with green chartreuse hollandaise and grilled cabbage with mussels and horseradish, as was Untable in Brooklyn for creative Thai (no website). I think we ate pizza by the slice at least 30 times in the streetery at Mama’s Too (website unusable except for delivery) but also had superb sit-down at Song e Napule on the Upper West Side, Una Pizza Napoletana in the East Village and Razza in Jersey City. And I know we hit Fonda in both Chelsea and Tribeca for unfailingly great queso fundido (and other appetizers like crab croquetas and mushroom sopes) at least 10 times, but the most dazzling Mexican we had this year in New York was at Ixta, not least the oysters Oaxafeller (barely roasted under a light masa crust, no spinach involved).
Farther afield, we spent an awesome week in Mexico City, where the streets and subway were so clean you could almost eat off ’em. A friend with a food writer friend advised us to avoid all the “Top 100” restaurants because “you’ll just be eating with other Americans and rich people,” so our most memorable meals were at Marea, MUX, Tetetlan, Martinez, Mari Gold (Indian) and El Pujol (the leading chef’s tortilla bakery/cafe). Probably the best overall experience was at El Mayor, with a view over the oldest part of the city and one lively dish after another, not least the queso fundido that was like the usual melted cheese but in a bowl of green pozole.
We made a pilgrimage to Atlanta not least to experience one of the most powerful civil rights museums and had no end of amazing meals. But I’d rate the one at South City Kitchen in Midtown quintessential: super-rich she-crab soup; brilliant Caesar salad topped with fried okra and grits croutons, and a very spicy Nashville hot fried chicken sandwich with white sauce. Slutty Vegan, with its faux cheeseburger, was a close second, tho. Believe it or not.
As usual, we made repeated 80-minute Amtrak expeditions to Philadelphia for more superb meals than I can recount. But the new Alice in the Italian Market might have produced the best. Four of us split grilled naans topped with cauliflower and with eggplant, then a killer green salad with hazelnuts, a huge roasted lobe of foie gras with figs, perfectly fried latkes topped with creamed kale and trout roe, fried chicken worth all the hype with addictive caraflex cabbage on the side, and a pear tarte tatin.
I could keep going but will stop with how well we ate on our first trip back to Buffalo since my in-law equivalent died five years ago. We started in Toronto, which I consider a Kenmore suburb, where we had excellent Italianesqe at Jen Agg’s Bar Vendetta and brilliant reinterpreted Indian at Curryish Tavern, among other great meals, then took the bus across the border to Bob’s hometown. Where we had fabulous food at Waxlight and where Toutant was like eating in Atlanta. Lunch at AKG Art Museum was up to the look of the reinvented museum, too. But the real revelation of this trip was the beef on weck at Moriarty Meats. So that’s what the legend should be...