Buffalo Rising Online

Christa Glennie Seychew

An Ottawa based television production company has announced a search for the star of its next cooking show. Knight Enterprises has produced a number of popular series which run on Canada's Food Network (and its affiliates) including: “This Food That Wine”, “Cook Like a Chef” and “License to Grill”. Their programming is currently seen in over 90 countries and has led to the publication of six bestselling cookbooks.

"We're looking for someone who is fun, articulate, charismatic, and passionate about food and cooking," says Executive Producer Chris Knight, according to the press release (YUM's phone call was not returned in time for publicatio…

Sarah Rose Stone

This past Saturday was opening day for the Elmwood-Bidwell Farmers Market. Every year I head off to market with my reusable shopping bags, fully prepared to do my part by purchasing lots of yummy produce. Week after week last year, I would find myself refilling a veggie drawer that was already half full. I began with the intention of using all of my produce over the course of the week, but I found that on some days I was too busy to cook the meal I had purchased them for. Some weeks I even had to throw some of my rotten produce out. I always felt guilty. but, this year, I have a plan.

Here’s where Just Pizza comes into play. Sunday night has become “clean out night” in our house. Whatever is left in the veggie drawer from the previous week has to go, and I’ve decided that homemade…

Michael Franco

Growing up on Buffalo’s West Side, I fondly remember the building at 1085 Niagara Street as the Italian restaurant, Darone’s Fargo Grill. Darone’s has always held a special place in my heart because it was one of the restaurants my parents and grandparents would take me and my brothers for a great family meal.

In 1988, Marco Sciortino purchased the building from Andy and Joe Darone. Since then, Marco has been the owner and chef of Marco’s Restaurant, and has started his own tradition of serving fresh, high quality food in his friendly, neighborhood restaurant. Marco’s is the kind of place you go when you want to relax with family and friends and enjoy consistently great food. Speaking of family, Marco’s sister Dana is a server at the restaurant and their mother, also named Dana, is a server in addition to holding the title of dessert chef. But we’ll delve into tha…

Christa Glennie Seychew

We’ve seen websites offering coupons and discounts at Buffalo-area restaurants come and go. A cursory glance at the front window of many smaller establishments reveals an assortment of timeworn stickers advertising their connection to sundry restaurant-related coupon books and internet businesses. In my opinion, most of these concepts are just that--concepts. And when put to work, they often fail to meet the rigors of the highly nuanced dining industry and a clientele that is looking for a deal that is straight forward and without hidden costs.

Coupon books work for some, but not for others. Dealing with all of the rules associated with using one of these coupons can often ruin the dining experience. Often restaurants will sign up for a two or three year contract with the businesses behind the coupon book, and then end up closing for business. I myself have gone, coupon …

Kate Sorice

North Buffalo’s Hertel Avenue stands out as a great place to work and play. Among other things it is home to a great selection of restaurants offering a variety of cuisines including Middle Eastern, Japanese and Contemporary American.

A friend of mine lives in North Buffalo, and when I mentioned to her that I wanted to try a great, reasonably priced restaurant on Hertel, the first name that came out of her mouth was Café GarAngelo.

It is a small, bustling Italian restaurant nestled in the block between Lovering and Virgil Avenues, near Chateau Buffalo and the Aladdin Market. When I arrived at the restaurant on a sunny Thursday right after work, the first thing I noticed was the restaurant’s homey feeling. The rear dining room is decorated wi…

Christa Glennie Seychew

Buffalo Rising's monthly Sunday Suppers feature focuses on delicious one-pot recipes that utilize local products. Even better, these recipes are offered to us by area chefs, who are passionate about using fresh, locally sourced ingredients. In co-operation with our partner, Slow Food Buffalo, this month we're pleased to present you with a zesty recipe from Chef Chris Silverstein, owner of Lagniappes, located in Buffalo's own Allentown.

Bouillabaisse (boo-yah-base) is on the menu today, but not just any old bouillabaisse. This recipe is for Louisiana Bouillabaisse, whose style is in keeping with that of Chef Silverstein's cozy little New Orleans influenced restaurant.

Traditional Bouillabaisse hails from Marseilles, France. The name comes from the process by whic…

Christa Glennie Seychew

Wednesday we talked about the reaction to a previous post which generated comments regarding whether or not Buffalo’s restaurants offer quality, contemporary food. With that question many other points were raised along with a glut of opinions regarding the current state of Buffalo’s restaurant scene. This situation spurred me into thinking about what the definition of modern food is and who in Buffalo is preparing it. I decided that over the course of the following weeks I would ask this question to chefs that I knew and those that I would interview for other posts.

Over the course of the past month I have spoken with Adam Goetz, chef and owner of SAMPLE in Allentown, JJ Richert, chef and owner of Torches, Mike Andrzejewski, chef and owner of Sea Bar in Williamsville, Chef Bruce Wiezsala of O’Conn…

Todd Schoepflin

This just in: Buffalo has a lot of great coffee houses. Actually, that’s an obvious statement and not news to anyone. We all know that Buffalo offers many fun places to grab a coffee. I wonder what makes a person prefer some places more than others. My favorite coffee house happens to be Café Allegro. I always feel at home there. Maybe it’s the cozy chairs that remind me of past apartments, or it might be the general laid-back atmosphere. Whatever the reason, I find it the perfect place to get away from the hustle and bustle of daily life.

There are many concoctions from which to choose. I like The Shorty–espresso, white chocolate, caramel syrup, and vanilla syrup—priced reasonably at $3 for 16 ounces. A few weeks ago I enjoyed one along with a piece of raspberry pie. Life was good with my sweet treats and some time for people-watching. A young woman seated n…

Christa Glennie Seychew

A little while ago I posted a story about a local musician vying for the attention of Anthony Bourdain's Travel Channel television series, “No Reservations”. For those of you who missed that story, here's the link, but we can sum it up by saying that Buffalo, thanks to Mr. Starr's fine work and the votes of many BR readers, came in among the top four finalists.

Though Buffalo and Mr. Starr didn't win the contest, producers of Mr. Bourdain's program were pleased with all of the finalists and have promised to include them in some way in an upcoming program. But most of you know that, since once Mr. Starr secured Buffalo's seat amongst the most serious contenders, major media outlets in the area picked the story up.