we had nine (six noobs) join for dinner on Elmwood in Buffalo at Tabree last night in a venue slightly smaller than Mattingly's walk-in bedroom closet. fortunately, we were comfortably seated on the patio in the back which was a bit larger.
i had a sampling of appetizers including: cod cakes over spinach (very good), seared scallops with a balsamic drizzle and crabmeat mousse (excellent) and some sort of wild mushroom pastry (very good).
i am not a choosy eater so usually if i find a side that strikes my fancy (balsamic is always a lure) i'll order the entrée whether it be beef, fish or fowl even though i prefer chicken. Tabree's menu is diverse and the dishes have eclectic sides which made it difficult for me to opt on an entrée. i ordered their filet mignon over maytag blue cheese, asparagus risotto topped with whole garlic cloves - it was the garlic cloves that caught my eye.
unfortunately, i probably spoiled the chef's intent by eating the 4-5 garlic cloves before even tasting the rest of the meal (they were delicious). the filet itself was good but the risotto was truly fantastic. also fantastic was their ravioli special. i had a taste of some halibut which was good as well.
the food itself was solid but it was somewhat difficult to hear the conversation on the far side of the table as the patio was packed. also, there were quite a few mosquitoes flitting about which was a minor annoyance. regardless, everyone seemed to enjoy the pleasant weather, the company and the food so i'm throwing out a B+ for Tabree and would recommend it for a try to anyone.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
carmelo's
hello all,
last night seven of us (three newbies) visited lewiston, ny and sampled the fare at Carmelo's. the gang started out with two of the appetizer specials - two meatballs and s swiss chard pancake. both were excellent.
no one ordered the same entrée and the dishes varied from pasta to seafood, chicken to beef. I ordered their bucatini all' amatriciana. this is the first dish that I tried that I enjoyed more than someone else's and it was fantastic - perfectly cooked bucatini in a spicy red sauce with salty ham (Guanciale) and red chiles. I also sampled their pappardelle with chopped veal which was also great (well cooked and tasty). I also had a taste of some white fish from one of their nightly specials but it didn't stand out like the pastas. I suppose everyone must have liked their meals as well since I didn't have a taste of any other dish.
based on what I did have, the thoroughly enjoyable conversations with friends, the pleasant surroundings and awesome drive down the escarpment (my favorite vista in western ny) I'm giving Carmelo's my highest grade yet.
last night seven of us (three newbies) visited lewiston, ny and sampled the fare at Carmelo's. the gang started out with two of the appetizer specials - two meatballs and s swiss chard pancake. both were excellent.
no one ordered the same entrée and the dishes varied from pasta to seafood, chicken to beef. I ordered their bucatini all' amatriciana. this is the first dish that I tried that I enjoyed more than someone else's and it was fantastic - perfectly cooked bucatini in a spicy red sauce with salty ham (Guanciale) and red chiles. I also sampled their pappardelle with chopped veal which was also great (well cooked and tasty). I also had a taste of some white fish from one of their nightly specials but it didn't stand out like the pastas. I suppose everyone must have liked their meals as well since I didn't have a taste of any other dish.
based on what I did have, the thoroughly enjoyable conversations with friends, the pleasant surroundings and awesome drive down the escarpment (my favorite vista in western ny) I'm giving Carmelo's my highest grade yet.
kuni's
greetings,
our group had the pleasure of eating at Kuni's this past wednesday. if you haven't heard of this western new york sushi staple you must not like japanese cuisine.
maybe it was just me, but the conversation seemed to take precedence over the food tasting (which may simply be explained by my love and familiarity with kuni's).
anyway, the group had a good time and thoroughly enjoyed both the food and company. i was not adventurous with my selections, choosing only the KFC (kuni's fried chicken) as a dish i have not tried previously. we started with one of my favorites, the wasabi shumai - pork dumplings wrapped in a wasabi wonton. excellent (except i only had one). i also ordered the hot, hot, hot fish salad. various pieces of seafood over shredded lettuce with a smattering of a hot chili sauce. very good. the KFC was good as well, breaded tender chicken nuggets served with soy sauce. i finished out the night with a lone eel and avocado roll. yum. the rest of the group was light on the appetizers as two ordered the rather filling sashimi combo.
looking back, i probably should have abandoned my kuni's staples and tried all new dishes. as far as i'm concerned, kuni's is the best sushi - rolls, pieces and miscellany in the area.
our group had the pleasure of eating at Kuni's this past wednesday. if you haven't heard of this western new york sushi staple you must not like japanese cuisine.
maybe it was just me, but the conversation seemed to take precedence over the food tasting (which may simply be explained by my love and familiarity with kuni's).
anyway, the group had a good time and thoroughly enjoyed both the food and company. i was not adventurous with my selections, choosing only the KFC (kuni's fried chicken) as a dish i have not tried previously. we started with one of my favorites, the wasabi shumai - pork dumplings wrapped in a wasabi wonton. excellent (except i only had one). i also ordered the hot, hot, hot fish salad. various pieces of seafood over shredded lettuce with a smattering of a hot chili sauce. very good. the KFC was good as well, breaded tender chicken nuggets served with soy sauce. i finished out the night with a lone eel and avocado roll. yum. the rest of the group was light on the appetizers as two ordered the rather filling sashimi combo.
looking back, i probably should have abandoned my kuni's staples and tried all new dishes. as far as i'm concerned, kuni's is the best sushi - rolls, pieces and miscellany in the area.
Route 5
summer must be around the corner because only four were free to dine out at Route 5 in Hamburg last night. fantastic view, a fantastic dessert, pedestrian food - the best part of the evening was the sun setting over lake erie and their bananas foster ice cream cake.
we started with their stuffed peppers and mozzarella salad. the peppers were alright and the mozzarella salad was interesting: sun-dried peppers wrapped in mozzarella cheese spirals with balsamic vinaigrette drizzled on top served over greens - sounds much better than it tasted.
for entrees, we ordered the goat pizza: goat cheese, sun dried cherries drizzled with balsamic (the balsamic was the lure but it was only faintly present in taste), panko crusted chicken cutlets with roasted red pepper sauce (interesting but a little too bland), their trout entrée (probably the best dish we ordered but still average) and penne pasta in a balsamic cream sauce (again the balsamic but missing in the taste). overall, very average. except for the bananas foster ice cream cake - ice cream cake with bananas in it with a chocolate and caramel sauce. awesome.
we have a lot of restaurants to choose from but I am very interested in choosing ones that people have enjoyed and those that have not been tried but have been recommended so please make suggestions of restaurants to try.
we started with their stuffed peppers and mozzarella salad. the peppers were alright and the mozzarella salad was interesting: sun-dried peppers wrapped in mozzarella cheese spirals with balsamic vinaigrette drizzled on top served over greens - sounds much better than it tasted.
for entrees, we ordered the goat pizza: goat cheese, sun dried cherries drizzled with balsamic (the balsamic was the lure but it was only faintly present in taste), panko crusted chicken cutlets with roasted red pepper sauce (interesting but a little too bland), their trout entrée (probably the best dish we ordered but still average) and penne pasta in a balsamic cream sauce (again the balsamic but missing in the taste). overall, very average. except for the bananas foster ice cream cake - ice cream cake with bananas in it with a chocolate and caramel sauce. awesome.
we have a lot of restaurants to choose from but I am very interested in choosing ones that people have enjoyed and those that have not been tried but have been recommended so please make suggestions of restaurants to try.
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