Author: Christa Glennie

You may have heard of Hank Shaw. Especially if you’re into cooking, foraging, fishing, hunting, or other methods used to obtain your dinner besides a trip to the supermarket. A cook and James Beard award-winning author, Shaw’s popular website, Hunter, Angler, Gardener, Cook and five cookbooks have cemented his position as a modern-day authority on what many see as old world skills. According to the tagline, Shaw’s latest, Hook, Line, and Supper, focuses on the preparation of fish and other water dwellers caught in rivers, lakes, streams, and seas. Its publication is the reason Mr. Shaw will be in town…

Read More

Last week I spent some time traveling around the city with a handful of Buffalo’s latest real estate investors. The Sacramento/Buffalo contingent has been busy buying up seven impressive properties. I had the chance to check out two of the recent acquisitions – an apartment building located at the corner of Lexington and Ashland and another pair of apartment buildings found at 1106-1110 Main Street. All total, this group of investors has acquired 200 units in a very short time period, and their intentions are to fix them up and rent them to quality tenants. I spoke with Dane Chapin…

Read More

The recent opening of Havana House Restaurant and Sangria Lounge totally flew under my radar. Not until I received a call from a friend who told me that the joint establishment had opened did I venture through the doors. When I arrived to Havana/Sangria on Saturday I found myself immediately taken with the external ambiance of the two adjoined buildings. There was something about the colors… soft greens and glowing reds drew us inside where we were met with the most unusual hostess station. The station was made out of two floor-standing bongo drums – very clever and extremely eye-catching.…

Read More

After hosting a four hour bike tour of the Inner Harbor, Cobblestone District, Old First Ward, and Erie Basin Marina this past Saturday, a couple of us peddled our way home. Along the way (you can never go directly home) we came across a beautiful corner garden that appeared to spring up out of nowhere. The garden (top photo) is located where Rabin Terrace and West Huron come together, a mere block from City Hall. I’m always looking out for interesting pocket parks, and although this little lush oasis is private, it still offers passersby the opportunity to experience the…

Read More

If you think that the micropark BuffOLA dog park has been successful, then get ready for more great barkpark news. Jay ‘Micropark’ McCarthy has announced a fundraiser in order to support many of the amenities that the park will need once the mid-summer move takes place. From Jay: “Now that we have the new site identified within LaSalle Park, we also have a price tag that comes with it. We are looking to raise money give us the ability to buy dispensers, ground cover, benches, big rocks and landscaping. We need these amenities to increase the status of the park……

Read More

JP Gillespie, co-owner of Sunday Skate and BMX, was recently asked to submit an article to Skateboarder Magazine on the skate scene here in Buffalo. JP told me that the opportunity to showcase Buffalo as a skate-friendly city in a national publication was very cool (see article). Buffalo was featured in both print and on-line… the best places to skate, eat, hang, skateshops, skateparks, and nightlife. “It’s nice to know that you don’t have to explain to people anymore that Buffalo has a great skate community,” JP told me. “Now we get phone calls from people asking us to showcase…

Read More

On July 5th from 2pm-8pm Rock Harbor Village will be hosting an event that will raise money for bike-friendly activities in Buffalo. The event will feature a number of community organizations that have made a commitment to Buffalo biking. The list includes Buffalo Blue Bike (bike co-operative) and Verve Dance Studio (Shane’s breakdancing studio). A series of bands will be performing including The Mom and Dad Parade, Bev-Beverly, Fashion Expo 1990, Sleeping kings of Iona and Besnyo. The event organizers are hoping that people consider arriving on bikes, as the purpose of the event is to promote cycling in the…

Read More

Bryan Bryndle and Tara Tara Dejoseph recently opened Tabree at 423 Elmwood Avenue. Visitors should not be fooled by the small interior seating area – a walk through the dining area will reveal one of the largest outdoor patios in all of Buffalo. The combination of a quaint, dimly lit, indoor setting and the expansive outdoor escape will offer diners the chance to choose between two completely different experiences. Last Sunday we tested out Tabree’s Sunday brunch menu, then on Thursday we popped in to have dinner with some out-of-town friends who claimed that it was one of the best…

Read More

While checking out the recent Gus Macker basketball tournament last week, I snapped a shot with The Statler in the background. Of course the hideous The Barnes Firm awning was still intact, which was no surprise considering I had once heard that we could expect the awning to remain for a number of years. As the rest of The Statler’s cheesy skirt was pealed away last summer, the maroon monstrosity on Niagara Square remained. Apparently the law firm had it written into a lease that the awning would remain up for advertising purposes. That’s why I was shocked to see…

Read More

While waiting for a couple friends for lunch at the Buffalo Central Library (Fables Restaurant), I began to wonder around. Mainly I wanted to get a good look at The Buehl Building, otherwise known as Burchfield’s ‘Rainy Night Building’. From the main floor vantage point the corner where The Buehl sits looks very impressive. After gazing upon The Buehl for a few moments I began to head back to the restaurant… and that’s when I came across a set of five glass benches that took my breath away. As I didn’t immediately see the plaque explaining the history and the…

Read More