Lagerhaus 95 opened this week much to the delight of throngs of Sabres fans who stopped in to see the Cobblestone District’s newest watering hole (see history). Although I stopped in on a non-game night, there was still a lively crowd at the bar, and the dining area was full of patrons. Fortunately I ran into Sam Savarino who is co-owner of the establishment, developer of the project and resident of the building. He showed me around the stube and pointed out a lot of the design details that he was especially proud of. Some of the more interesting elements, other than the historic, industrial integrity of the building, were the features with Buffalo ties. For example, metal detail work from Rigidized Metals, a company located just down the Buffalo River, was utilized to create the bar. Much of the wood detail at the bar was reused from beams removed from White’s Livery (a West Side project that the developer is also working on at the moment). The recycled glass block and the earth friendly plaster on the walls was sourced by another tenant in the building – Blue Sky Design.
It’s nice to see action at the corner of Perry and Mississippi – the restaurant adds a second bookend to the Mississippi block and acts as a nicely visible billboard for passersby. The establishment is within eyesight of the First Niagara Arena and is also a short walk from the Metro Rail. The opening also goes a long way towards helping to create that critical mass that visitors to the district are looking for. Now can we get some more residential down there?
As for the food and drink scene at Lagerhaus, I was particularly interested in a speedy tap system that was set up out on the heated patio beer garden. The system fills up a perfect pint in 3 seconds. Although meat is not part of my diet, I was handed a third of a turducken panini, and I must say that it was one of the tastier formerly flying morsels that I can remember ever having. The next time I’ll pass on the freebie meat sample, and order up the truffled wild mushroom panini, which I have heard is out of this world.
Other items of note: Each glass is washed with a beer bidet. Come spring, there will be dedicated roof space to grow herbs for the restaurant. Architect is Silvestri Architects. Pub fare features Camembert fondue, schnitzel fingers, haus charcuterie, Spar’s sausage, hummus and olives… and there are also salads, a scallop po’ boy, a Deutsch Ruben, basil truffle fries and a bunch more to choose from. See lunch and dinner menu here. Day and hours of operation are found on the website below.