Nectar of the Gods

A few weeks back when Buffalo was still fooling itself that summer remained in session, MT and I enjoyed a most delightful date night out on the patio of Bacchus in downtown Buffalo. Bacchus is a seasoned veteran on the 716 dining scene with a decade under its wine-soaked belt and in no way does it show its age!

As I write, I fear my snaps of the night do not truly capture the amazing tastes we were presented with. Each dish was outstanding and worth every shekel shelled out. Bacchus boasts a world-class wine list (anthology is more apropos) and a helpful, unassuming staff to help guide you through.

Cheese plate: choose four was the option. From top center we had Cabot Cheddar, Purple Haze, Saint Andre Triple Cream and Chocolate Stout Gouda. Perfectly accented by the fried pear as I recall. 

Caesar Salad with Parmesan crisp. Rivaled my out-of-body experience of City Winery in NYC!

BLT salad: a snazzy take on the wedge salad. House-made bleu cheese dressing, crispy pancetta, heirloom tomatoes. Home run straight outta the park!

Carbonara gnocchi. This dish was astounding. Creamy carbonara cut by savory pancetta and peas tossed with home-made pillowy gnocchi. MT legit had to take the plate away before I started licking it!

Another angle of the simply magnifique Carbonara. 

While definitely not a spot to hit up on the reg if you're a pleb like myself, splurging at Bacchus will leave you with very satisfied belly and absolutely no spenders' remorse. Truly worth every copper splashed out and one of the top places showcasing Buffalo's culinary greatness!

Bacchus Wine Bar & Restaurant

56 W. Chippewa St.

Buffalo, NY 14202

716.854.WINE

Friday Night at Vino's

Every Friday night without fail, my parents dine out. Usually, they frequent the storied Wellington Pub on Hertel for its renowned fish fry. The last Friday I was home over Christmas however, we shook things up a bit and decided to check out Vino's on Elmwood & Amherst.

Cozy back dining room at Vino's

Vino's has been around for over 7 years now and is a favorite eatery of dear family friends, the H's. Surprisingly, I had never been to classic Italian dining establishment and took full advantage of my parents' delegation of restaurant choice.

Off we ventured on a very cold and snowy night, yet as soon as we entered Vino's we were greeted not only with warm heating, but the warmth of personality. Vino's has the feel of an extended family dining room with photographs covering nearly every inch of the walls, lush dark carpeting and deep mahogany furniture. The matriarch of this family-run restaurant saw to us right away and brought us to a table towards the back. The place was packed at 6:30 with families and friends gathered alike for a post-holiday meal.

Stuffed peppers & "mafia" glasses

We ordered a carafe of the house red and were offered the option of chilled "mafia" glasses to which we clearly said, "why not"! The menu is quite simple, with classic Italian pasta-heavy dishes. The pasta entrees all come with a salad to start which I love also!

We chose the stuffed peppers to share as an appetizer. The peppers were just right: the perfect ratio of sausage stuffing and not soggy at all.Next came the mains. My mom ordered the spaghetti with pesto; my father the Charles Diavolo (spicy!); and I went for the sausage cacciatore with ziti. The portions are large, so it is definitely wise to split a starter as you will not have room! The pesto was fresh and delicious, perfectly comforting for the cold night! My dad's diavolo was nicely balanced with spice and sauce. Personally, however, I think my sausage cacciatore was the winner!The tomato sauce excellently complimented the sausage and vegetables... honestly words are escaping me in describing but it was utterly delicious!

Sumptuous sausage cacciatore

The Moms digging into her pesto

The shining moment of the night however, was when the matriarch gave us free desserts as she was concerned about placing us next to a large party. We weren't in the least concerned and didn't even notice! It's that level of service and consideration that sets Vino's apart from your standard Italian-American restaurant. The food was outstanding and the staff were second to none! I was extremely impressed and very delighted we finally checked out this fine Buffalo establishment!

Dessert on the house!

If you are in the mood for great food, friendly atmosphere and stellar service, Vino's is your place!! The price is certainly right as well!

Vino's
1652 Elmwood Ave
Buffalo, NY 14207
716.332-2166 

Eataly!

Heirloom tomats @ Eataly!

As we all know, Italy has bestowed a wondrous gift on the world with its simple and amazingly delicious cuisine. NYC's Eataly in Chelsea is as best a representation of the nation as you can get other than the real deal. I finally ventured there this past Saturday and I truly felt like I died and went to foodie heaven. Eataly is a market, an apertivo spot, a bakery, a restaurant and wine purveyor all in one glorious location.

Freshest of veg

B. Sprouts!

My friend K and I journeyed to Eataly with a mission of assembling a fresh salad and pasta dish for her birthday meal. When you enter the store on the 23rd St entrance, the colors of the vegetables are like an artist's palate. The produce is artfully arranged, beckoning you to select! We chose some arugula, french beans, heirloom tomatoes, sundried tomatoes and a red pepper. Next we moved to the cheese counter, where we eventually abandoned to the pre-cut cheese area as the line was slow and crowd was busy. You have to walk through the wine-tasting area from the vegetables which on a Saturday was a tad treacherous. We powered on and selected a delicious Gorgonzola and Parmesan reggiano before moving on to the fresh pasta section (again having to brave the tasting area madness). Oh the fresh pasta! Again, everything looked so good but we finally selected a spinach spaghetti, truffle & pecorino casonsèi, and spinach-ricotta ravioli. A simple tomato-basil sauce and a fresh loaf of bread and we headed to the checkout.

Eataly has a separate wine store next to the main space so I popped in there for the ever-important wine. Prosecco was obvi on the list, but boy was I in for a treat! After months of searching wine stores in the tri-state area I finally found my VINO ROSSO FRIZZANTE!! I originally discovered this wine at Taste of Emelia in Dublin and on some trips to Italy to visit one of my bests, AL. Until Saturday, I was only able to source the too-sweet Lambrusco so I was absolutely delighted. And the price was right at $15! Oh Eataly I will be back! Next time I'll go on a week day though as the crowds were a bit OTT and I wouldn't mind checking out the tasting area ;-)

Rosso Frizzante & the fruits of our labor

EATALY
200 Fifth Ave
New York, NY 10010
http://www.eataly.com/

Romeo & Juliet's: A Love Affair With My Belly

Whenever I'm home in Buffalo, I always, always, always hit up Romeo & Juliet's Bakery Cafe on Hertel Ave so this post is long overdue. R&Js is a North Buffalo institution and one of my all-time favorite places to eat. It specializes in panini, pizza, pasta, insalate, and the tastiest Italian desserts I have ever consumed, hands down! The menu fare is fresh, delicious, affordable, and made with the extra special ingredient of love. You can tell that this family-owned business of 15 years is directed by a passionate food lover and creator, Vito.

It's been quite difficult to choose which specific meal to discuss here as I have enjoyed numerous lunches, dinners, and sneaky snacks there over the years; I finally settled on my last visit there with my two friends K & A on a lovely Friday eve in July. 

A overjoyed by our insalates!

We sauntered down to Romeo's and as always were warmly greeted by one of my bests, B who works there. Did I mention it helps to have friends in high places? ;-) He got us a great spot outside under the awning so we could enjoy a bit of people-watching entertainment along with our meal. Drinks were ordered, a glass of Pinot for me and a highly-recommended blood-orange Italian sodas for K & A. The Pinot was perfection and the italian sodas wonderfully refreshing. You can get the bottled Boylan's sodas here but Romeo's also makes Italian sodas to order which is awesome. 

For starters, we shared the Spinaci Insalate with fresh spinach, gorgonzola, mushrooms, avocado, and olives topped with crisp pancetta, tossed with raspberry vinaigrette and the Insalate di Arancia that has mandarin oranges, walnuts, and raisins tossed with mixed greens and walnut dressing. As always, the starters were accompanied by homemade ciabatta with hummus & tapanade. The portions at Romeo's are very generous and always easily shared among friends. 

Pizza w/ blood-orange soda & Pinot

Feeling proud of ourselves for loading up on veggies with the insalates, we ventured on to some much-anticipated carbo-loading for mains. The DEK-oven pizza at Romeo's has won awards for years now so it was an easy choice that we would pick pizza as our main. Not so easy is actually narrowing down to one as the pizza combinations are all so delicious (and we definitely wanted to save room for dessert!) We settled on the classic Pepperoni and Mozzarella, so simple yet so so satisfying! 

PB mousse & pastaciotti: divine!

To cap off a most wonderful meal, we ordered two desserts from the bakery section: the Peanut Butter Mouse and the infamous Pastaciotti. Romeo & Juliet's freshly bakes their desserts daily and offers classics such as cannoli, tiramisu, napoleon, and many more luscious treats. Again, the portions are ample so do make sure to leave room, at the very least order for take-out, as they are not to be missed!

From start to finish, we thoroughly enjoyed our dining experience at Romeo's. The service as always was outstanding and the food, oh man the food! Absolutely amazing. Love is it at R&Js and I look forward to many more years of delicious dining here!  

Romeo & Juliet's Bakery Cafe
1292 Hertel Ave
Buffalo, NY 14216
716.873.5730
http://www.rjcaffe.com/index.html