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.)

Restaurant Review: Well La-Tee-Da!

QCLA took a nice walk into Allentown from our humble abode on a beautiful Wednesday evening for a nice dinner at La Tee Da on Allen Street, next to Rustbelt Books, and it was absolutely perfect.

First off, the ambiance of the entire place is very inviting, nice and cozy in the main inside area, while feeling a little bit upscale, it's not stuffy at all, and they have a great semicircle bar right at the front. As you walk through, you realize what the main attraction really is, the patio in the back. It is absolutely gorgeous. A full bar, a live band that plays every Wednesday night (The Mick Hayes Band), playing great dinner tunes that you find yourself bobbing your head to. ("Superstition" gets me every time). Talk about being able to enjoy a nice summery evening in Buffalo.

Let us Merge

We went to Merge Restaurant (website here ) Wednesday night for a nice dinner. The restaurant itself has great ambiance and a great location on Delaware ave, near the Chippewa District. They specialize in Vegetan and raw food (but have meat and vegetarian dishes). I ended up having the salad and a side of mac n cheese (real adventurous, i know!) and my wife had a vegan mushroom hash. It was a mushroom stew served with fingerling potato hash. She thought it was truly delicious, "everything was very fresh and there was a side range of assorted mushrooms in the stew".

The service was also fantastic, very prompt, very friendly. If i hadn't been so tired we probably would have had a drink at the nice bar in the back. Plus there's a small stage right in the middle, so the occasional live performance happens, which would be great for dinner and drinks.

Overall i would recommend giving Merge a chance!

(click to enlarge camera photo picture)

That's Amore'

We went to the Buffalo Italian Festival this weekend, and it was my first time trying the festival out. (Being the good Polish/Irish boy i am, haha). If you were there for food, this was absolutely the place to be! Delicious food as far as the eye can see. There were also plenty of rides if you wanted to bring the kids down, and of course, what would any good festival in Buffalo be without a beer tent and live music. Pigging out to cannoli while hear "play that funky music white boy live" is quite the experience.
I would say great for kids, and people's who want to eat, i would have liked maybe a little more to do for the late 20/early 30 something crowd, but hey, who's complaining?

More than a little Taste

I had to roll myself into the office this morning, from the wonder that is the Taste of Buffalo. I had a glutenous 2 days (yes, went both days), indulging in Greek, Italian, Deep Friend (yes its own nationality: Buffalonian) and many deserts and more. Cecelia's Fried Cheese ravioli's with tomato sauce were awesome, as always. Our friend Kaylee had some great smelling Mediterranean food, and i really destroyed some great desserts. Its a miracle i fit thru the door after the walk home!

Dancing next to Tandori's Indian Restaurant (camera phone pic, click to enlarge)

In the shadows of city hall (camera phone, click to enlarge)

Taste taste taste!

This weekend Buffalo is hosting their huge annual Taste of Buffalo, the largest two day food festival in the United states! With over 50 restaurants, 7 wineries, and 450,000 attendees, it is a big, gigantic, food paradise. Plus with new healthy options, and opportunities for smaller portions, it has something for everyone!

So stop on down and try the appetizers, entrees, deserts and more!

http://www.tasteofbuffalo.com/

French Quarter Cafe

So on a rather chilly summer nite we decided to warm ourselves up with some Cajun food in Allentown at the French Quarter Cafe.

Highly recommend it if you're looking for some inexpensive, but delicious Cajun food. I had the Eggplant (vegetarian) Po' Boy and a side of baked mac and cheese. Both good. I always like mac and cheese with some crispy baked crust on it, but it was smooth and delicious.

Liz had the Vegetarian Jambalaya, which she described as "delicious and full of fresh seasonal vegetables. Huge portion for the price, and a delicious savory sauce." Sounds about right to me!

So stop on down to the Allentown district and grab some delicious Cajun!

(Camera phone picture)