NYC Tastes

Carte Blanche is one of the newest restaurants to pop up  on Buffalo Street in Hamburg.  This little strip is becoming quite the food & drink hub with hot spots like  Grange Community Kitchen  and  Hamm & Fatty's Beer Co.  now dotting the street.  Along with new restaurants comes new ideas like BRUNCH! Years ago Buffalo was completely devoid of a brunch scene.  Coming from NYC the pure absence of mimosas and Eggs Benedict in the morning was just shocking.  Luckily this new generation of spots understands the importance of this mid-day meal and Carte Blanche definitely understands the importance of morning after carbo loading with this incredible Toast & Jam Spread. Popovers and freshly baked bread served with a trio of whipped butter, bright raspberry jam and a buttery caramel sauce for those morning sweet tooth moments. These popovers were excellent; crusty on the outside with a warm, eggy interior perfect for slathering wi...

I've always wanted to dine at Daniel's Restaurant.  It's won accolades for "Best Restaurant" and "Most Romantic" spot in Western New York for years but somehow it just never felt like the right time.  I was either busy with family on our sporadic visits or worried about asking friends to join in on a pricey tasting menu.  But recently Daniel's went through a little revamp adding on a beautiful outdoor patio, creating new weekly events like Martini & Oyster Mondays and opening up for lunch every Friday with a special, much more wallet friendly menu from 12:00-2:00. We stopped in right around 1:00 PM and were able to get a table on the relaxing new patio outside without a wait.  A delicious bottle of Prosecco to begin and a few salads to share.  The Summer Special, a bright spinach salad topped with grilled watermelon, manchego cheese, marcona almonds and zesty vodka pepper gazpacho dressing. And the classic Daniel's Salad with tomato tar...

When I started this blog so many many years ago my very first post was about this tiny restaurant in East Aurora, NY the  Bar Bill .  My photos were absolutely terrible; the camera on my then flip phone had about one pixel, but my love for the incredible food at this spot was real.  So here's an update on this classic Western New York Spot on the 10th anniversary of NYC Tastes. People always argue over the best wings in Buffalo.  The contenders range from the birthplace of the wing The Anchor Bar, to Obama favorite  Duff's  but most people I know (at least those that I care to hang out with :) all agree the best place for wings is the Bar Bill.    They make all kinds of flavors from Honey Dijon and Tereyaki to Zesty Honey Pepper and Cajun but the best are always the Medium Style Buffalo Wing and the delicious Honey Butter BBQ. These wings are plump and juicy with crisp outer edges and a sweet buttery sauce that leans heavy on the spice f...

It's no secret the Western New York area has been in a major period of revitalization over the past 5 years. Downtown Buffalo is absolutely booming with gorgeous new parks, shiny cocktail/craft beer bars and farm to table restaurants.  That same rebirth is now expanding to the Southtown's with the most recent opening of Grange Community Kitchen out in Hamburg.  This airy new bakery/bar/restaurant comes from the former chef and general manager team from Elm Street Bakery in East Aurora. The similarities between the two restaurants are evident immediately. Delicious baked goods in the pastry case up front for breakfast, a short list of local beer & wine at the bar and a big pizza oven in the back churning out incredible sourdough pies topped with ingredients like Oyster mushroom, fennel sausage and spicy green pepper. The Porchetta Sandwich is a house specialty served on an excellent seeded bun topped with broccoli rabe pesto and pickled vegetable giardiniera...