Restaurant Review: Sato is certainly "Home"

Mrs. QCLA and I ventured over to the newest restaurant in Buffalo last night, Sato, located in the old O3 cafe on Elmwood Ave (2 doors down from Spot Coffee) for some appetizers and entree's.

We decided to get the Vegetarian Fried Gyoza Dumplings as a "small plate" appetizer. 6 came on the plate with a traditional dumping dipping sauce, and they were very well done. We both enjoyed them greatly (having three a piece) and while it was a smaller amount of food, i was happy that i had the room when the entree came out.

Before i get to the entree, I will say that i've had good quality Ramen in both Honalulu's Chinatown, and in Beijing, China. Which were both, understandably, amazing.

So was this. I was exceptionally happy with the Vegetarian Ramen. We both ordered the dish, and added in sprouts and garlic as extra's. A big, hot, steaming bowl of Ramen was delivered to our table shortly later and i was impressed.

Beer: All Grown Up: Blue Monk Review & Award

For any of you who have visited the Blue Monk on Elmwood ave, you know how 1) Magical and 2) Overwhelming, the beer selection can be. It's truly a beer drinkers paradise on tap, with 100+ selections available at all time.

Well it's officially been confirmed, The Blue Monk has been named the "Best Beer-Centric Restaurant in New York State" by RateBeer.com.

From The Buffalo News:
 “What appeals to beer geeks is selection, selection, selection,” said Joseph Tucker, RateBeer.com, executive director. “What we’ve been seeing is beer travel. They’ll come up with a tour, and Buffalo will be on the tour. If they’re anywhere in the area, they’ll stop in to places. They’ll target them.”

Not to mention the pairing of beer along with all the delicious food they serve makes for a great night out with friends and family. (QLCA and Mrs. QCLA were just at Blue 2 Friday's ago and enjoyed great food, great beer, and great company!)

So head on down to 727 Elmwood ave if you enjoy a great beer.

Tappo Restaurant Review

After being open for a a half a year or so now, QCLA and the family went to Tappo Restaurant (Tappo meaning "Cork" in Italian) for the first time.

We should have gone much, much sooner.

For appetizers, we ordered both the Plain bread with an olive oil dipping bowl, and cheesy bread. Both were excellent. The olive oil had a small little "kick" on the end which was delicious (and different, in a good way) and the cheesy bread was plenty cheesy. One thing about Tappo is they sure don't skimp.

For dinner, I had the alfredo. It was the perfect amount of richness, not over the top, not underwhelming, the sauce was a medium thickness and the flavor was perfect. (i, as always, sprinkled some crushed red peppers over top.)