So I have been living in Baltimore for the last few months. A largely positive change, but I still long for the comforts of my former city. Buffalo, NY, I miss you.
Any person on the street would look at me like I am half-crazy. What? It is so COLD there. It’s miserable there. Nothing goes on there.
Well, things do go on there despite the cold. Buffalo, you are my gritty mistress. My first urban step-up from the boonies. I went to Seattle in March 2008, where everything was shiny, temperate, and peaceful. Yeah, a lot of grey and rain, so what. But I didn’t need my puffy! When I landed in the Buffalo airport, OF COURSE there was a blizzard. I was home again with a wave of relieved recognition.
I am going to start with my most immediate favorite familiar, a small coffee shop called Café Taza. It was around the corner from where I lived. 100 Elmwood Ave. Postage-stamp tiny. A bit easy to miss. We became acquainted one winter day when I stepped in for hot chocolate. And that spawned a love affair of sipped drinks and involving conversations. I made a lot of friends there. The regulars formed a cozy-crazy bohemian family. We potlucked and partied at each other’s places. I went there almost every single day.
The next favorite familiar was a chocolate shop called Chow Chocolat. I don’t know how I started with them, and I didn’t go there very much after a while (to the consternation of the owners), but I have fond memories. My last birthday party (actually, a co-birthday party with my fellow Piscean Joe) was thrown there. Their passion fruit chocolate hearts, salted chocolate bars, and sea-salt caramels are wonderful.
Another one was Lagniappes. Another tiny place, only this is a Cajun eatery. An autographed photo of Paul Prudhomme is stuck to the wall. I ate alligator for the first time there during Mardi Gras. My favorite sandwich was the Cuban, double pork temptation. Heart-attack happiness, really.
I am grouping the next two places together, as they are both breakfasty places within close proximity of each other. Betty’s and Towne. Betty’s is known for it’s brunches. I tried a turkey burger there once for dinner, and stuck to the brunches thereafter. I wouldn’t go there a lot, I saw it as a special-occasion type of place. Like when my parents or an out-of-towner came to visit. Or when you hadn’t hung out with another Buffalo crony in a long time, so you did Betty’s for brunch. I loved the tofu scramble or breakfast burrito. And the cornbread with jalapenos? Oh my.
Towne was my default go-to for the basic breakfast experience. A solid stack of pancakes. Excellent sausage. I could also custom-order an old college favorite there: fries smothered with cheese & bacon, ranch dressing on the side. They were open until the wee hours for the hungry bar crowd, so you went whenever you pleased. Flaming cheese at 2 AM!
These places are Allentown-centric, close to my home and heart. I want to go on with more, but these entries need brevity, so here are some of my favorite spot shots: Allen Street Hardware steak sandwiches. Kuni’s for the freshest sushi. Spot Coffee java or mocha milkshakes. Globe Market for sandwiches, soups, and salads. Schwabl’s in West Seneca for beef on weck. Falafel Bar for falafel and smoothies. Bacchus for a fabulous gorgonzola steak, cheese plate, and a wine bar chill-out. 99 Fast Food for Vietnamese. Uncle John’s authentic Chinese menu. Anderson’s for custard. Gabriel’s Gate for a burger. Café 59 for sandwiches, soups, and great chocolate-chip cookies. Snooty Fox for real raspberry mojitos. Santasiero’s for pasta fagioli and ravioli. O and Sakura for more good sushi. Taste of India for yummy Indian buffet. Ted’s for hot dogs. Dolci for cookies, gelati, and sorbetti. Taste of Thai for Thai. Merge for every kind of diet. And Zillycakes for cupcakes, of course.
Anchor Bar ain’t all that. Despite being touristy popular and the originator of the Buffalo wing, they don’t have the best ones. Though do go on Latin Jazz Project night. Wing sauce on your face and caliente rhythms, you can’t beat that.
