Introduction
The Taste of Buffalo is an event held every July in Buffalo, New York, usually the weekend after Independence Day. It has been a summer favorite since 1984, and attracts over a half-million people during its two-day run, making it the second largest event of its kind in the country.
It has become a yearly tradition for us to go to the ToB, accompanied by our good friends, the Ragaus. As the kids have grown older, their tastes have broadened from nothing but Louie's hot dogs to trying, and sometimes actually enjoying, some of the more exotic cuisine. Of the many events that the Buffalo area enjoys over the summer, this is probably the one that we enjoy the most.
We all have our personal favorites for which we look forward to sampling every year: For me, it's Artichoke Gratinee from Bing's; for Tom, it's Bananas Foster, some years provided by Applebee's, some years from Coffee Bean.
One rule of thumb that we follow is that we try to stay away from foods that we eat regularly outside of the ToB, such as pizza or beef on weck. Other foods, such as the wonderful potato pancakes and rouladen from Scharf's, we know we like, and will save for a visit to the restaurant itself. For us, Taste of Buffalo is a chance to sample foods we've never eaten, to check out restaurants we've never patronized, and to have fun with the surprises that come with these choices.
One thing is for sure: with so many different kinds of foods, it's hard to go hungry! A word of warning: For an average family, it's not hard to spend $80-$90, so budget accordingly (when I first wrote this paragraph in 2000 I said $30-$40, how times have changed).
I hope you enjoy the following reviews. Although we have been going to the ToB since 1992, it wasn't until 2000 that I had the idea of sharing my experiences with others. Some fine restaurants, such as Curly's, are missing as a result, but should not be overlooked. Oh, by the way, the colors I chose for each section are based on colors prominent in each year's design, gleaned from my collection of Taste of Buffalo T-shirts.
2000: It's About Time
This year's theme was "It's About Time," although the underlying theme seemed to be seafood; lots of it, and all of it delicious. As usual, we met up with our good friends, Sue and Frank, who this year had someone new to bring, their son Alex.
Things we enjoyed:
We followed our usual ritual of parking in the Fernbach Ramp, then walking up Court Street to Main Street, which is the hub of the event. Turning right on Main, we headed for the nearest ticket booth to get ready for the day. After stopping by the Pearl Street Brewing Co. to get our bearings, we obtained tickets, and I went across the street to Giacobbi's Trattoria, where I bought the Crab and Shrimp Bisque in a Bread Bowl for myself, and the Crab Toasted Ravioli for Laura. Tommy had the Bow Tie Pasta w/Six Cheese Sauce from the Pearl Street Brewing Co.; he enjoyed it, but didn't want to fill up, so Jill, Laura, and I also got to try it. I also had their Smoked Gouda and Blonde Ale Soup, but found it a bit strong for my taste.
After that, we crossed to the other side of Main Street and proceeded East.
I crossed back over Main to get a couple of
hot dogs for the kids from
Louie's,
which probably had the longest line at the event. Once the kids
had their tummies filled, we all felt better.
Funniest name: Bevan's "Warsaw Steak Sandwich," which was actually a fried bologna and onion sandwich.
Getting back to Court & Main, we got in line for free ice cream sundaes, courtesy of CherryMan Jumbo Topping Cherries (which also had Magic Shell topping on them; yum!). We then nosed around the Adelphia exhibit for a few moments, then were on our way again.
No Taste of Buffalo would be complete for me without a stop at Bing's. This year, instead of their artichoke gratinee, they had a new item, Bing's Combo Artichokes and Bruschetta, which was basically the same dish but on a piece of bread. It was as delicious as always, and the bread made for an interesting addition. We also had their Pancetta Bacon Wrapped Shrimp w/Polenta and Pesto, which was OK, but not one of our favorites.
Another tradition for me is Jerk Chicken,
which I learned to love in Jamaica many years ago.
Curly's restaurant used to have the booth
that provided this wonderful dish, but now
Caribbean Experience meets
the need. Fortunately, I still had some lemonade from a previous stop
at a drink booth, which I needed to quench the fire in my mouth.
While I was enjoying that, Tommy had the
Peach Cobbler from
Craig and Craig Twin Bakery.
It was now getting close to dessert time. Tommy and I had the Bananas Foster Brownie from Applebee's, which we had seen on their menu only a few days before, while Laura had the Big Easy Gumbo from Empire Brewing. After that, she and Jill enjoyed an order of Applebee's Country Skillet Potatoes. We then stopped back at The Village Bake Shoppe, where their Triple Chocolate Brownie with Caramel Sauce was just too good for words.
Finally, we made it back to Court Street, where we headed back to the cars and home. Another great year!
Things we missed:
The Chocolate-Covered Frozen Cannoli on a Stick from Melanie's Sweets Unlimited looked really, really, good, but we were too full by the time we got back there.
We all also wanted to try the Peanut Butter Chocolate Swirl Pie from Orazio's, but, again, we were too full by the time we headed back that way.
Suzanne's Fine Dining won an award for Crab Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Shrimp, but we missed that booth for some reason. There were so many seafood dishes this year that I guess it was easy to overlook some.
Sharf's Schiller Park Grill has wonderful Potato Pancakes, but we figured we'd just go there sometime (they also have great sauerbraten).
We never found out what Killer Pecans (Bavarian Nut Co.) are ...
2001: A Taste Odyssey
This year's theme was "2001: A Taste Odyssey." As usual, our good friends, the Ragau's, joined us for the event.
Things we enjoyed:
After parking in the Fernbach Ramp, we walked up Court to Main, as usual. Turning right on Main, we headed for the nearest ticket booth to get ready for the day. After obtaining a healthy supply of said tickets, I beelined for the Pearl Street Brewing Co. to get some of their Six Cheese Pasta with Shrimp, which was delicious. Laura got the Smoked Gouda and Blonde Ale Soup from them, also; I had tried it the year before, and found it a bit strong.
Next, I went across the street to Giacobbi's Trattoria, where I bought my yearly helping of Crab and Shrimp Bisque in a Bread Bowl. We stopped and listened to Terry Buchwald's Elvis Tribute, which was very good.
We headed back to the heart of the event, where Laura crossed back over Main to get a couple of hot dogs for the kids from Louie's, which had a long line, as usual (you can't beat a char-broiled Sahlen's hot dog). We made our way to a bench in LaFayette Square, which became our base of operations for a while. Laura backtracked to Bailey Fish & Seafood for their Haddock Super Sandwich, which was a bit messy, but quite good. She also tried the Hummus from Cobti's, which she enjoyed as well. I went to Anderson's Frozen Custard to get a couple of Lemon Icicles (Lemon Ice on a stick) for the kids. I cheated a little bit, and went ahead to one of our favorite stops every year, Bing's, for their wonderful Artichoke Gratinee. Tom absolutely loved their Goooo, which he describes as "Vanilla ice cream, chocolate, and caramel, mixed in a blender, with pieces of Oreo on top."
Trekking North, we passed by CherryMan's free sundaes, because the line was just too long. Jill managed to get Buster Bison's autograph, and was absolutely thrilled by it. Another tradition has been to get souvenir T-shirts; I didn't think they were as nice-looking as in past years, but they are still great to have.
The best dish I had this year was the Corn Crusted Sea Bass with Smoked Tomato Jalapeno Sauce from Arnie's at the Briarwood. Tom and Jill enjoyed the Strawberry Romanoff Tart from Cameo's, which looked pretty good to me.
As we neared the Hyatt Regency hotel, it started raining. We ducked under an overhang on the Huron Street side, and ventured out for our last helpings of the day. Laura went up to AppleBee's for the Bourbon Skillet Potatoes, and I went to the Roseland Restaurant for Ice Cream in a Waffle Cone with Fresh Strawberries (which won for best dessert).
As it was raining, we went down Huron to Pearl Street, bypassing the crowds, and walked rapidly to the car. Despite the rain, it was another great year!
Things we missed:
This year, we can't think of any one thing in particular that we were sorry we couldn't try. We always have regrets about not being able to sample everything, but nothing stands out as an "Oh, I wish I had tried some of that ..."
2002: Bringing Buffalo Back Home
I was pretty bad about writing up this year's ToB. In fact, this part is going to be written an entire year after the event, with the help of a map/menu from it and my own flawed memory. Here's what I remember:
Things we enjoyed:
We followed our usual route of starting at Court, going South to the end, crossing over in front of M&T Plaza, going back on the East side of Main Street to the northern end, Then on the West side of Main back to Court.
I had the Crab and Shrimp Bisque from the Park Avenue Grille; Giacobbi's Trattoria, from where I usually obtained this dish, wasn't represented this year, but the dish from this restaurant was just as good.
The Meat Pockets from the Tropical Bakery were very good, and this restaurant's first appearance at ToB was a good one. My annual helping of Bing's Artichokes and Bruschetta Combo didn't fail to disappoint, either. Oh, and their Buffalo Goo Ice Cream was great!
Caribbean Experience's Jerk Chicken met the need of another ToB tradition.
Romanellos's Roseland's Waffle Cone with Vanilla Ice Cream and Fresh Strawberries was a nice dessert, and a nice way to end the day.
Things we missed:
Buffalo Chicken Wing Chowder from Carmine's Restaurant sounded intriguing, and I have no idea how we missed this. I'm also sorry I missed the Grilled Tequila Lime Chicken with Black Bean Salsa from the Old Red Mill, and the Creamy Cajun Chicken Portabella Pasta from Orazio's sounded good, also. I think part of the problem is that we follow the same route every year, and by the time we get to the northern end, we've filled up on entrées and are working on desserts.
2003: Luau on Main
This is the first time in at least six years that I was not able to go, due to soreness from a lithotripsy that was performed on me the day before. However, I was able to attend "by proxy", as Laura and the kids brought home some goodies for me, based on a list I made using the on-line map/menu as a guide. So, here goes:
Things we enjoyed:
For starters, I had a helping of one of my traditional dishes, Bing's Artichoke Gratinee. This was followed by a bowl of Buffalo Chicken Wing Chowder from Le Metro, a tasty dish of chicken chunks, celery and carrots in a Buffalo chicken wing sauce-style broth, topped with bleu cheese. I don't know how I missed this last year, but it was yummy!
Next was a Black and Blue steak sandwich from the Old Red Mill, which was a piece of Cajun-blackened steak on a roll with bleu cheese. Very tasty, and the bleu cheese in this sandwich went well with the aforementioned chowder.
Dessert consisted of the Red Coach Inn's Brownie Sundae, which survived the trip home pretty well (a few minutes in the freezer re-solidified it), and Chocolate Dipped Gran Marnier Strawberries from Orazio's, which were messy but delicious.
Other dessert items I saved for the next day were the Mud Bar Brownies and Quarter Pound Cookies from the Montana Mills Bread Co., a place we patronize regularly, but one of those ToB booths which are good for using up extra tickets.
Laura said that she'd go again just for the Artichoke Fritters with Gorgonzola Sauce/Dip from the Park Ave. Grill. Jill really enjoyed the Potato Wedges from Buffalo Wild Wings, and Tom focused mainly on desserts (six in all), his favorite being Banana Foster from Coffee Bean, and his least-favorite being Peach Cobbler from Soul Food Shack (he liked it in general, but didn't care for the crust).
Things we missed:
For me, the event itself.
However, even though I wasn't there, I felt like I was,
and have a T-shirt to make it feel even more real.
A few things on my list that my family didn't get because they either wouldn't have transported well, or were too inconvenient to obtain, included: Bourbon Wings from Chester's, Crab and Shrimp Bisque from the Park Ave. Grill, Creole Seafood Cakes from Meister's Grill, Buffalo Hot Nuts from the Bavarian Nut Co., Jerk Chicken from Caribbean Experience, and Buffalo-Style Popcorn Fish from the Old Red Mill. Oh, well, some things to look forward to next year …
2004: A Star-Spangled Taste
After last year's problems, I was really looking forward to attending this year. Once again, the four Yearkes and the three Ragaus were on a mission! I also feel good that I am writing this only a week after we went, so the information and impressions are still fresh in my mind.
We started with the usual drill: Fernback Ramp, Court to Main,
purchase many tickets, walk towards Church Street to start at the
beginning. No sense repeating all that again.
Things we enjoyed:
My first dish was the Haddock Super Sandwich from Bailey Fish & Seafood, which was absolutely delicious, messy, and fun. It's a full haddock fish fry in a pita wrap, complete with fries, cole slaw, and tartar sauce. While I was enjoying that, Laura was trying the Artichoke Fritters from the Park Avenue Grille, which turned out to be her favorite dish of the event.
I followed up the Super Sandwich by heading across the street to Kabab and Curry; I've never been sure if Indian/South Asian is a style of food I enjoy, and have always declined lunch invitations to such places because I didn't know if would enjoy it, so I figured this was a perfect chance to find out. I ordered the Chicken Makhani and Basmati Rice, and it was very tasty, with a hotness that really snuck up on me. I beelined to the Pepsi stand across the street, and told the woman who served me that they had a great location! Oh, and Laura tried the Vegetable Samosa, which was also very good. Kabab and Curry is about a mile from our house, on Transit Road near Maple, so we may just stop in some time when we're in the mood for spicy stuff.
Next up was a New Orleans-style restaurant, The New Rendezvous, as I love NOLA cooking. Their Seafood Gumbo was very good, with lots of shrimp, but I couldn't judge the hotness because my mouth was still reacting to the Chicken Makhani. Two booths down was the Lafayette Tap Room, where Laura and I split a Zesty BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich. In fact, while Laura was getting the sandwich, I went across the street to Spicy Thai for some Crab Rangoon, which we also shared. The pork sandwich was good but not remarkable, but the crab rangoon was extremely good, and much different from what we usually get at our local Chinese takeout restaurant.
Of course, the Taste of Buffalo would not be complete without Bing's artichoke dish, which this year was the Artichokes Combo; however, where previous years' combo had Artichoke Gratinee and Bruschetta bread, this year the Artichoke Gratinee was combined with a deep fried artichoke, which was very, very good. Next booth over was the Hamlin House, where I tried the Cajun Chicken Filet on roll, which was disappointing, as the chicken was not very spicy and it was an ordinary hamburger roll, which was kind of cold and cooled down the chicken.
I took a break for a while, and didn't try anything again until we got to Cameo's, where I tried the Turkey Portabello Mushroom Dumplings, which were not very tasty, in my opinion. It was at this point I decided I was burned out on main course-type dishes, and moved on to the desserts. A Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Waffle from Orazio's was just what my taste buds needed. I decided to stop at this point, as there were many foods I wanted to try, but no room in the tummy for them. I went to the Edy's Grand Ice Cream booth near the Tops Stage for a Grand Light ice cream sample, and listened to some great music while my companions went to the end and came back. This would be the end of the food tasting for me.
On the way out, we used up the remainder of our tickets at the EM Chrusciki Bakery, getting some delicious Pastry Hearts and New York Style Cheesecake with Topping.
Things we missed:
Unfortunately, I ran out of room by the time we hit Huron Street, and only sampled a couple of small desserts on the way back. I'm going to propose to the gang that next year we start at the Chippewa Street end for a change, as this is not the first time I've been forced to skip some of the wonderful foods at that end of the event.
2005: Safari on Delaware
This year's event featured a big change, a move from the traditional Main Street venue to Delaware Avenue. Organizers believed that spacing the booths around Niagara Square and up Delaware (a much wider street than Main) would make it less crowded and congested, and after attending I have to agree. I'll still miss walking up and down Main, where the different squares lent themselves well to the various bands and other acts, but this worked well, too.
(I have to apologize here: I forgot to write this up at the time, and it's now seven months later, so my memories of what I ate and what we did are a little fuzzy.)
After parking in the Fernback Ramp, instead of taking Court Street to Main, we walked the other direction, towards City Hall. We wandered around the East side of Niagara Square for a bit, to get our bearings and take in the much different layout. Many of the activities, including those for the kids, were in the square itself, and made for a nice central area out of the traffic flow.
Things we enjoyed:
I started out with a Potato Pancake from Scharf's, just because it sounded good, even though I get these every time we go there. I followed it up with some nice, spicy Jerk Chicken with Beans and Rice from Caribbean Experience (and a Pepsi, of course!).
Moving around the Square, I stopped at Bing's for some Artichokes Gratinee, an annual favorite that I can't miss. I followed that up with a visit to the Pearl Street Grill and Brewery booth, where I enjoyed their Cheese Tortellini in Tomato Basil Cream Sauce.
The West side of the square didn't have much that appealed to me, but we enjoyed standing in the shade of the entranceway of City Hall to eat. The art deco artwork that adorns this building is pretty cool. Even if you don't like that style, you have to admire the amount of work that went into it.
Moving closer to Delaware, we purchased some Ribbon Fries from St. Angelo's Restaurant, which we had seen many people carrying. They're more like a hot potato chip than a French Fry, and very, very good.
My final entreé of the day was Crab & Shrimp Bisque from the Park Avenue Grille. I really like seafood soups and bisques, and this was excellent.
I don't have a lot to say about dessert, surprisingly. I guess I was in a rare mood this year, but I didn't have too many sweets. JP Bullfeather's Chocolate Sin Dessert sticks out in my mind, as does Bing's Mint-O-Potamus Goo, but I don't think I had much else in the dessert category.
Things we missed:
Off the top of my head, I can't think of anything. I'm sure there are some fine foods we would have enjoyed, and I kind of missed being on Main Street, but the whole new experience of being on Niagara Square and Delaware Avenue made this year unique.
So, there's my annual writeup, better late than never. We had a lot of fun, as usual, and can't wait for 2006!
2006: We be Jammin' on Delaware!
This was our fifteenth Taste of Buffalo, if I am remembering correctly. The Caribbean theme was not emphasized as much as I thought it would be, but the event design was pretty nice and I couldn't resist getting a T-Shirt. As with last year, it was in Niagara Square and on Delaware Avenue, and as always our good friends the Ragaus joined us.
We parked in the Fernback Ramp, a bargain at $3, and entered Niagara Square from Court Street. As we had pre-purchased tickets from Tops, our first mission was to find the Tops tent so we could redeem our voucher for the free knapsack. Once that was done, we redeemed our ticket vouchers and started walking the booths from #54, the last one numerically.
Things we enjoyed:
That booth happened to be the first one on my list, El Sugarbowl Take-Out, where I tried the Sorullos de Maiz (Corn Sticks with Cheese). which had a nice cornbread-like taste. Next to them was the The Basket Factory, and their Seafood Bisque was very good, with big chunks of seafood and very hot. The Rouladen (Rolled Steak) from Scharf's Restaurant was good, very juicy and with a tasty stuffing, and Jill always loves their Potato Pancakes. Next up was a Carribean Citrus Pork sandwich from the Red Mill Inn, which was good but did not have a distinct citrus taste in my opinion. My next stop was at the Lafayette Tap Room booth, where I tried their Jambalaya. The bowl was filled to overflowing, and had a big chunk of what I am assuming is Charizo sausage in it. A good value, and so spicy I drank an entire bottle of water afterwards! Tom tried the Chicken Makhani & Basmati Rice from Kabab and Curry, and to my surprise really enjoyed it. Planters Peanuts had a booth where they were giving away free samples, and I tried their Sweet and Crunchy peanuts, which reminded me of Beer Nuts.
Of course, no trip to the Taste of Buffalo would be complete without an order of Artichokes Gratinee from Bing's, and Laura and I actually split an order because they give such large portions. We hit another freebie, Turkey Hill ice cream, which was very good and very cold and hard considering the hot day. Passing City Hall, I stopped at Eddie Ryan's for their Dutchess (Beer Cheese) Soup. I love beer cheese soup, and haven't had it since the Flying Tigers restaurant closed. By that point, I was getting pretty full, and coasted the rest of the way around the square.
Once on Delaware, I continued to take a break from tasting until we came to the Hamlin House, where I tried their Cajun Chicken Strips w/ Jack Blue Cream Sauce. I was a little disappointed that they were not spicier, in fact they weren't very hot at all, but they were good and the sauce was great. Also on Delaware, Tom tried the Mango Smoothie from the Clarence Center Coffee Co. & Café, and even though he had to wait almost 20 minutes he said it was worth it. One sour note about this stretch of the event was that the U.S. Immigration Service at 130-138 Delaware not only had their stairs roped off so weary patrons couldn't stop and rest on them, but had a security guard stationed to chase off people who perched on the stonework garden walls. Nice show of civic spirit, folks.
On the way back around the square, we stopped on the steps of City Hall to rest, and found they were having free tours, which are also offered year-round during lunch hour. The observation deck is closed because of the restoration work being done to the exterior, but we were able to view the murals in the lobby and go up to the 13th floor and sit in the Common Council chambers. It's a beautiful building, and I'm amazed by the amount of symbolism built into it.
I had waited on most desserts, saving those for the return trip, but I was so full that I only tried three of them. Cameos had a Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge Cream Tart that was very good. Tom went over to the Chester's Pub and Grill booth to get an order of their Fried Bananas Foster, which he found very good even though it was different from the Bananas Foster he's had elsewhere (these were sticks almost like a mozarella stick). We had watched many people walking around with the Double Fudge Torte from the Sweet Tooth, and that was terrific. I used my last three tickets on some Goo from Bing's, which is always a treat.
Things we missed:
In the past I've enjoyed the Jerked Chicken from Caribbean Experience, but passed this year because I didn't want to fill up too soon (but I did anyways). Chester's Pub and Grill had a couple of interesting dishes, Cajun Boiled Crawfish and New Orleans Chicken and Rice, but again I was just too full. I had already had seafood bisque, but if I had not then the She Crab Soup from Center Street Smokehouse and the Crab and Shrimp Bisque from Park Avenue Grille both would have intrigued me. The Park Avenue Grille also had a Buffalo Wing Burger that I really wish I'd have had room to try. Cameos' 3 Cheese Tortellini in Tomato Basil Cream Sauce w/ Asiago sounded good, as did the BW'S Barbecue Reuben from BW'S Barbecue (I love Reuben sandwiches, and a barbeque version sounded interesting). The JunkYard Dog (Loaded Fish Sandwich) from Ms. Goodies would have been fun to try, and I am curious about Burrito Bay's Hotzzarella Cheese Sticks.
As for desserts, I'm sorry I missed the Banana Surprise Pudding from Ms. Goodies, the Collosal Cashews from the The Bavarian Nut Company, and the Chocolate Sin Dessert from JP Bullfeather's, the latter of which I've had before and really liked.
Special-Guest Review from Laura:
The first dish I tried was the Crab Dip from "The Basket Factory." This was the only disappointing dish I had all day. It had almost no crab flavor. There were large pieces of spinach in the cheesy-looking dip, which reminded me of melted Velveeta, but with less flavor. There were nacho chips to dip in it, which were less than inspired, and the dish as a whole was very bland. Artichokes Gratinee from Bings were delicious, as usual, and the portion was large enough to share. Vegetable Samosa from Kabob & Curry was flavorful and, along with a sampling of my son's Chicken Makhani & Basmati Rice, reminded me that I'd like to try out this restaurant.
The Dutchess (Beer-Cheese) Soup from Eddie Ryan's was very flavorful and I really enjoyed it. It was very nice that it wasn't overly thick, as some cheese-based soups can be. I would definitely get this soup again. Onion Peels from Applebees were predictably good, but the dipping sauce wasn't as flavorful as ones I've had with a blooming onion from stands at the Fair or from Outback Steak House. The last "main course" dish I had was the Chicken Chimichanga from St. Angelo's. This was really delicious, hot & fresh, and just too huge. I wish they had offered a mini version (or just a half portion), as there are so many tasty things to try at "Taste of Buffalo." As full as I was already at this point, I still really enjoyed every bite!
Moving onto desserts, I only had room for two: The double fudge torte from Sweet Tooth, which was amazingly chocolatey; and the Mango Sorbet from Red Mill Inn which was very flavorful and not too sweet. It'd like to try this restaurant again, as it has been many years since I've dined there.
All in all, it was a wonderful "Taste" with very nice weather for the event and, as usual, an amazing turnout. I'm already looking forward to next year.
2007: Fun by the Forkful
This year, we decided to change our starting point. We all agreed that, in previous years, by starting at Court Street and working our way around the circle, by the time we got to the booths on Delaware Avenue we were too full to each much else. So, we walked through the square and behind the booths on Delaware so that we could start at the beginning.
The weather was great, warm with a nice breeze and clear blue skies, and City Hall looked great after its recent facelift.
Things we enjoyed:
I started off at booth 2, Cecelia's Restaurant, and found their Fried Ravioli with House Tomato Sauce a good way to start the day. Moving on to the Steer Restaurant, their Blackened Cajun Burger with Carmelized Onions & Crumbly Bleu was very, very tasty, served on a kaiser roll and with a nice crispy coating on the burger. Next up was Vegetable Samosa from Kabab and Curry, which Laura had enjoyed back in 2004, and which I found very good, especially with the [needtofindthenameofthis] sauce I drizzled on top. My biggest disappointment was finding that BW'S Barbecue did not show up, there was just an empty tent at spot 13. As I said last year, I had regretted not trying the BW'S Barbecue Reuben and wanted to make sure I did this year. Bummer. So, I backtracked slightly to Mobay's Caribbean Cuisine, and found their Jerk Chicken Kabobs with Peppers & Onions both very hot and very tasty (I think I drank half a bottle of water afterwards).
At this point we were in front of New Era Cap Company's new office and store, and decided to look around. What a beautiful building! The store has a wide variety of caps from different teams, and easily two dozen variations on Buffalo Sabres caps alone. It's an impressive place, and I for one am grateful that they made this committment to Buffalo and Western New York.
Something that Tom and I both found intriguing on the menu was the Rootbeer Cheesecake from Suzz's Cafe. We thought it was great, with a taste like a root beer float. I could not pass by a restaurant we enjoy going to, Cameo's on Niagara Falls Blvd., without trying something, and their Shrimp and Real Crabmeat Salad w/Rosa Marina Pasta was rich and creamy. The Chocolate Covered Hazelnut Banana w/nuts from the Park Avenue Grille was tasty but very messy, and they should probably think of a better way to serve it, as the chocolate dripped everywhere.
By the time we hit Niagara Square I was starting to get full, and hot as well. To the left of City Hall was Turkey Hill's booth, and we all got cups of their new Duetto ice cream, a combination of vanilla ice cream and cherry Italian ice, which was very good. The last thing I had was another dessert, Bing's Goo (oh, and Laura let me have a forkful of her Artichokes Gratinee just because I have to try this every year). And speaking of Bing's, Jill's favorite dish this year was their Crab Cakes.
Things we missed:
Again, I was extremely disappointed that BW'S Barbecue was a no-show, I have heard much about them and really wanted to try one of their dishes.
Other items that I ran out of room for included Ms. Goodies' Junkyard Dog (Loaded Fish Sandwich) (actually, we came by this booth early but I knew if I had this I'd run out of room for other things), Sorullos (Corn Meal Fritters w/Cheese) from Niagara Cafe, the She Crab Soup from the Center Street Smokehouse, the Chicken and Andouille Gumbo from Chester's Pub and Grill, Garris Bar-B-Que's Fried Okra, and the Crab Rangoon from Spicy Thai.
Just too many good things and not enough capacity. Well, if we start from Niagara Square next year maybe I can get a few of these. Actually, alternating our starting point in future years might be a good strategy.
2008: 25 Years of Fun by the Forkful
This was the 25th Taste of Buffalo, and our 17th. We decided to go on Sunday because Saturday was blazing hot and we had another engagement we wanted to honor, and this turned out to be a great decision; not only did we get to attend two nice things in a weekend, but Sunday was pleasant with a nice breeze and sunshine. Our good friends, the Ragaus, rode with us this year and we parked, as usual, in the Fernbach Ramp. We crossed Franklin and entered Niagara Square through Niagara Street, passing through a large Ford exhibit.
I tried to stick to my two basic rules of thumb, which are: don't eat anything from a restaurant that I've already eaten at that restaurant, and try to avoid chain restaurants, even though they can be very good, stick to local places.
Things we enjoyed:
I started this year with a Philly Cheese Steak Ravioli from the Forestview Grill Bar Bakery, and it was really good. It was traditional ravioli dough with philly steak and cheese inside, then covered with a cheesy cream sauce and sprinkled with peppers and onion bits. This was probably the best new dish I tried this year.
Next up was the Banana Coin from Spicy Thai, which was very tasty. We decided to go clockwise around the square first, instead of our usual strategy of going up Delaware Avenue and then navigating the square counterclockwise, just for a change (hmm, while writing this I just read a note in last year's review to try alternating our starting point in future years, and I had completely forgotten about it until now). This change of routine gave me a chance to try the Chicken Portofino from the Avanti Italian Grill, whereas if we had gone our usual route I'd have either been too full or been out of tickets (or probably both). I appreciated they had a sample portion for two tickets, but would have enjoyed a full portion as it was very good, with a sauce that was both rich and light, as contradictory as that might sound. This was my second-favorite new dish.
Of course, no Taste of Buffalo would not be complete for me without visiting Bing's booth for their Artichokes Gratinee; as usual it was superb, but I wish they had a sample size as the regular size is quite large and filling. I then crossed over to the La Marina Restaurant booth for their Crab Cake with Cajun Cream Sauce, which was very good. It was just spicy enough without having to panic and grab for the Pepsi bottle, although I did take a healthy drink when I was done. After that I opted for a dessert, going to the Red Coach Inn's booth for their Chocolate Strawberry Crepes. The crepes were nice and light, with a chocolate filling kind of like pudding and garnished with strawberry slices and whipped cream.
I was tempted to get a Pierogi from the Polish Villa, but I was worried I would get too full too soon and we want to go there sometime soon anyways. So, I just took in the view of City Hall and the new construction on the corner of Delaware and Niagara Square while the others sampled various good things (Jill really enjoyed her potato pierogi).
The next booth I visited was Fat Bob's Smokehouse, where I had a sample of their Texas Chili, which was so thick it was almost more like stew, and full of good things.
Laura tried the Crab Cake Stuffed Shrimp from Carmine's Restaurant; I was going to try that but she said that while good she didn't think it was worth eight tickets for two shrimp, so I passed. I instead went to JP Bullfeathers for their Jack Daniels Glazed Chicken Fingers. The sauce was just right, not too overwhelmingly "bourbony" and sweet without being too sweet.
I mentioned in my 2007 writeup that I was disappointed by the absence of BW'S Barbecue, but they were here this year so I tried their BW's Signature BBQ Sausage, which was very good. I normally don't think of putting sausage and barbeque sauce together, but this worked nicely. A trip to Blasdell might be in order this summer to try some of their other foods.
Finishing off, I went to the end of the event (or the beginning depending on your perspective) for Fresh Clams Casino with Applewood Bacon Stuffing from Cecelia's Ristorante. The clams were meaty and the stuffing was spicy and tasty, and this was a wonderful final entree. I ended with a dessert, going to The Steer Restaurant's booth for Warm Apple Crisp with Hot Cinnamon Ice Cream, which was absolutely delightful. A great finish to another great year. Oh, and I'd have to say The Steer's staff were probably on the short list of booths having the most fun; when they put on Chumbawumba's song "Tubthumping", they were bouncing all over the place! It was great to see them really enjoying their work.
Things we missed:
As I mentioned earlier, a Polish Villa Pierogi would have been nice but I'll save that for a trip there. Worrying about filling up also caused me to avoid Eddie Ryan's Dutchess (Beer Cheese) Soup, but I had tried that in 2006 and knew that it was very good; Tom, however, had not had it before and really enjoyed his portion.
The opposite problem, being full (and out of tickets), stopped me from getting the Tropical Style Curried Chicken from Caribbean Experience, the Chili Cheeseburger from The Steer Restaurant, The Mobay (Tender Shredded Jerk BBQ Chicken on Coco Bread from Mobay's Caribbean Cuisine, or the Oreo Cookie Shake from the Clarence Center Coffe Co. & Café. Oh, well, maybe next year …
Special-Guest Review from Laura:
The Crab Cake w/Cajun Cream Sauce from La Marina was excellent, especially the sauce, but the Lobster Crab Cake from Red Coach Inn was even tastier. The Red Coach Inn also offered a coconut toasted almond shrimp which was delicious with its sweet, but not too sweet, dipping sauce. It would have been better with the tails removed, as the shrimp were so curly it was a bit hard to eat, but it was well worth the effort. Stuffed Mushrooms from the Fireside Inn looked nice, but I just couldn't pay $4.00 for 3 mushrooms, so I didn't give them a try.
Crab Rangoon from Spicy Thai was amazing. I try this dish at most Chinese restaurants that we go to, and this one was one of the best I've ever had - very flaky and light and more crab than cream cheese. Also from Spicy Thai was the deep fried banana coin, which was crispy and tasty. Strawberry Crepes from Polish Villa were disappointing - very bland and hard to eat (they were too rubbery to cut with my fork). Folks who've had them at the restaurant rave about them, so what I tasted was especially disappointing. The Cream Cheese Brownie from Panaro's was very good, but not as good as I thought it might be. The cream cheese didn't seem to have much impact on the flavor.
I thought the Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie from BW's Barbecue was going to be a drink, which didn't appeal to me, so I didn't buy one, but I sampled my daughter's and it was absolutely delicious. It was not a drink, it was more like a cream pie filling - very light & fluffy with delicious peanut butter and chocolate flavors both coming through. I was sorry I didn't get one for myself until I bought the Whipped Peanut Butter Chocolate Oreo Pie from Orazio's, which tasted every bit as good as BW's offering, but also included an oreo crust. It was my favorite dessert this year. I also tried the Double Fudge Torte with Raspberry Puree from Sweet Tooth (one of this year's healthy offerings). I love chocolate and raspberry and was disappointed that this bland dessert didn't have a lot of either flavor. My son let me taste his Mango Smoothie from Clarence Center Coffee Co & Café and it had a very fresh mango flavor - nice & sweet, but not sugary. The Navy Bean Hummus Pita, aka "The Blazing Saddle," from The Steer was huge, but a little bland for my taste. Their other dishes, especially the apple crisp with Hot (pink) cinnamon ice cream looked really good, but I just didn't have room at that point to give it a try. I often wonder why we don't go to the Taste of Buffalo two days each year instead of one, because there are always so many dishes we wish we had tried. I suppose the cost is what deters us.
Lastly, winner of most puzzling name for a dish, I tried the Chunkee Monkee from Craftsmen Café. It was a sort of no-bake peanut butter/oatmeal ball cookie. It was really tasty and I wish I had bought a whole bag instead of just a sample size portion.
Things I missed this year: I missed Sharf's, I can't resist their potato pancake. I couldn't find a chimichanga anywhere, and due to poor planning on my part, I never tried any of the delicious-looking cheesecakes. I could not find Taste of Buffalo t-shirts for sale anywhere this year. We have some from previous years and I had hoped to get one, but either they didn't sell them, or I never saw them. I don't think they had them last year, either.
I'm looking forward to next year's Taste of Buffalo. I hope they bring back Sharf's and the t-shirts. I wish they would limit the event to local restaurants, rather than including national chains, but I've never run out of things to try from local restaurants before I've run out of room and tickets, so I guess that works out okay. As usual, I came home from the ToB happy and full.
Conclusion
So, what's the worst thing about the Taste of Buffalo? Waiting for next year, of course!
