Weekend Happenings

Last weekend my son and his girlfriend went to their high school Winter Ball, aren't they the cutest couple.  I may be a bit biased but I think they are so adorable.  Once again I was reminded how shopping for girls, which I do not have, looks way more fun than shopping for boys.  Her dress is so cute, I just loved it.

 

Enjoyed a romantic dinner at Medici House. 

 

and Sunday brunch at Betty's.  It was my first time there and the food and service were both excellent.   

 

This chocolate and strawberry French toast casserole with a salted caramel sauce creamed it's going to be a "Good Morning". 

Sunday Brunch

I had brunch with my girlfriend's Sunday, it was so nice to catch up and just talk about life. I often forget how important it is to make time for such things. I get so caught up in daily necessities, kids, work, cleaning, games, etc., that I forget to stop and cultivate my friendships.

It’s great that there are so many places in Buffalo doing brunch on Sunday's now; we decided to go to Shango Bistro and Wine Bar. The vibe is soulful cuisine from New Orleans, which was very good. They have a full bar where on Sundays you can also get Mimosas and Bloody Marys.

They seem to get pretty busy for brunch so I would recommend reservations. The service was great and the food was delicious. I had the shrimp with grits and it was excellent the grits were cooked just right, which can be hard to do. The stuffed French toast was excellent too, the brie cheese filling was nice and subtle, not overpowering.

I think bunch is such an idea meal.  You can relax because it's a Sunday morning, its a great way to try new resurants because it is more reasonable then dinner and you don't feel as rushed.

 

 Stuffed French Toast with brie cheese filling and a banana caramel rum sauce

 

New Orleans barbecue shrimp with bacon cheese grits and poached eggs

Around Here Lately

I love fall, the trees, the clothes, the food.  

Elm Street Bakery Haul - East Aurora, NY

Elm Street Bakery - East Aurora

The Elm Street Bakery in East Aurora is amazing.  The baked goods are so fresh.  They often have gluten free options avialable.  The pastry in the picture is a strawberry-rhubarb pastry, delicious.  They offer a variety of fresh breads, scones, cakes, cupcakes and cookies too.  I love their molasses cookies.  On Saturdays they have cinnamon rolls, I guess am going to have to get their early to try one. 

What I really love is going for dinner or lunch.  Their salads are made from organic produce from local farms.  Their meat is also from local, organic or grass fed farms.  The pizza is made to order in wood burning pizza ovens and the crust amazing.  In addition, they also offer a nice selection beer and wine. 

Mayer Brothers Cider Mill

Recently, I have enjoyed two treats from Mayer Brothers Cider Mill, thanks to my dear friend Roger, donuts and caramel apple pie. I am not really a donut person but these were so, so good. The apple cider donuts were moist, because they are made with their cider, and perfectly cakey. I prefer a cake donut.  The maple donuts had just the right amount of maple flavor, not overpowering.

The caramel apple pie is a must for Thanksgiving, but I think if I served it again I would drizzle more caramel over the individual pieces.

However, you must get there fast because the bakery and store are only open through Thanksgiving. I'm definitely heading back before they close for the season.
The Cider Mill Store will open this year from August 17th until Thanksgiving.

Hours are 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.

1540 Seneca Creek Rd
West Seneca, NY
14224-2522
716-668-5260

East Aurora Farmers Market

The East Aurora Farmers Market has a great selection of fall vegetables, fruits, Mums, pasta, chocolate, baked goods, soap, local farm raised meat, cheese and more. Luckily, the Farmers Market is open until the weekend of Thanksgiving.

The Viking Lobster Company

Last weekend was my dear friend Roger's Birthday. Luckily, he picked The Viking Lobster Company for his dinner celebration.

 One of the great things about the restaurant is they don't serve alcohol so you can bring your own.  This saved us money, because we tend to drink a lot and we were not limited to an overpriced wine list.  Plus you can bring the wines you really enjoy.  As you see we each brought a bottle of wine, good thing there is no corking fee, and somehow we manged to drink it all. 

 

I'm not sure what was better the food or the service?  They both were by far the best I have had in a very long time.  The seafood was so fresh and cooked perfectly, which can be hard to do.  We ordered two of the Admiral's Feast so we could try everything.  Fresh scallops, shrimp, fish, crab legs and lobster.  We stared with clams casino and lobster egg rolls, unfortunately they were so good I forgot to take a picture.  You can also choose between soup, seafood chowder or a seafood gumbo, or a salad.  

 

I would recommend this place to anyone and everyone I could.  This is definitely the best place for seafood in Buffalo.  The food, the service and the casual, friendly atmosphere can not be beat.  I am already trying to figure out a time I can get back there.  Reservations are recommended. 

This Weekend

 Wegman's Salmon with a honey brown sugar glaze is really good and easy to make.  It comes on the cedar board with the glaze so all you have to do is soak the board in water for a little while and grill, delicious.

Mangia - Orchard Park

 

I don't get to do local restaurant reviews very often, not as much as I would like too. We went to Mangia in Orchard Park, NY on Friday night. It is a lovely Italian Restaurant with a nice atmosphere, exposed brick, a quaint patio and a beautiful bar with a great wine selection.

I started with the Crabcake Arancine, which is risotto mixed with crabmeat, breaded and fried with a Remoulade. I really enjoyed the crabcake. They did not skimp on the crabmeat which is nice because you could taste the crab more so then the risotto. The Remoulade was fine but I really just like to taste the crabmeat without any kind of sauce. I didn't try the Hot Stuff Peppers but I was assured they we excellent but very hot.

The Caprese salad was very fresh and well seasoned. This is one of my favorite salads.

For dinner, we both had the Lobster Ravioli in a Prosecco sauce. It was excellent, the ravioli were stuffed with a decent amount of lobster and the sauce was delicate and enhanced the flavor of the ravioli. I was stuffed but I could not stop eating the ravioli.

We were too full for dessert so we took the Tiramisu home for later. I have to admit this was the only disappointment of the evening. The Tiramisu was not good, it barely had any lady fingers, it mostly just too much run filled cream.

Seabar

Tuesday night I was lucky enough to have a much needed Girls Night Out, which means good food, good wine and most importantly great company.  We decided to go to the restaurant Seabar, which is located at 475 Elliott Street.  According to their website they specialize in innovative cuisine made with the freshest ingredients, concentrating in seafood and sushi.  I can honestly say they deserve all the wonderful reviews they have received.  The food was very fresh and modern.  The flavors were amazing.  In addition, I liked the fact that our server was extremely knowledgeable.  She gave us really accurate and detailed descriptions of the food, the wine and the cocktails. 

 Udon Noodles with Shrimp Tempura

Seafood Tacos

Raw Tuna, Avocado and Salsa (so good)

Vegetable and Salmon Rolls 

My cute coworker and friend, Jaclyn.

However, one of the best things I have ever tasted in my life happens to be the Chicken and Waffles.  The waffles are savory and served with maple butter then piled high with chicken. 

They tasted like the perfect mix of savory and sweet Asian flavors and the chicken was so moist and cooked perfectly.

You know the dish is special when you spend the next day sitting at your desk thinking about how you can get your hands on some Chicken & Waffles.

More Tanalus Food!!

Costini with mozzarella and an olive tampanade, yum!

Brie and asparagus pizza!

Food From the Weekend

I had two lovely romantic dinners this weekend. The first one was at Tanalus, in East Aurora. They have great pizza's but this time I opted for the stuffed ravioli with prosciutto, yum.

There food is always excellent. I can't believe I forgot to take a picture of the fabulous chocolate fudge cake.

Saturday evening I made a quite dinner for two at home, it was nice and relaxing. We cooked steak and shrimp on the grill. We also had a lovely tomato and mozzarella salad and a fresh loaf of garlic roasted bread from Wegman's, it is the best.