Falafel afar

A couple of pieces of toasted pita, and you’re good to go
Oded Rauvenpoor, owner of Falafel Bar on Elmwood Avenue, says he’s opening a second outpost, on Sheridan Drive in Amherst. The building, at 3689 Sheridan Drive, was formerly Bamboo House.
Rauvenpoor said he’s looking forward to offering the falafel and Mediterranean favorites from his shoebox-sized [...]

Bacon me happy

There’s a guy in Springville named Giordano who makes this bacon
Homer: Are you saying you’re never going to eat any animal again? What about bacon?
Lisa: No.
Homer: Ham?
Lisa: No.
Homer: Pork chops?
Lisa: Dad, those all come from the same animal.
Homer: Heh heh heh. Ooh, yeah, right, Lisa. A wonderful, magical animal.
Could there be another meat product that [...]

Korean crunch

Run a knife around the drumstick knuckle before frying, and you get that neat lollipop effect, like the piece in back
Remember that Korean Fried Chicken article in the New York Times a few months back? The spicy-sweet sauce-slathered chicken served in Korea with cubes of daikon pickle?
Okay, well, I do. (Please don’t ask me what [...]

Romeo and Juliet head east

Since the discussion has gone on in comments, but I actually made a phone call, I thought I’d pop this into a post.
According to the cheery woman who answered the phone at the Hertel location, Romeo and Juliet’s is not only open, but expanding to Williamsville.
Starting Thursday, they’ll open in the former La Mezza Luna space [...]

Upper crust

I wouldn’t vote the antipasto off the table, either
There’s a lot of Italian places on Hertel Avenue, and I’ve only tried half of them, but I haven’t been too impressed. With one exception - Romeo and Juliet’s, at 1292-1294 Hertel Ave. (873-2600).
It was the pizza that brought me here. The thin-crust fans have been singing its [...]

Easy as pickles

Now that’s a pretty pickle
Really, whoever came up with the phrase “Easy as pie” should be beaten with a lightly floured rolling pin. Whipping up a flaky yet sturdy crust under less-than-laboratory conditions is practically a lost art, like building the Pyramids with hand tools, or voting.

Not these lovelies. Your daikon-carrot pickles are a simple [...]

Stanley’s not coming

The Stanley Cup, by I am Jacques Strappe.
For months, I wondered if the Buffalo Sabres’ regular season success had gone to their heads. They were playing as if their talent would carry the day, and oftentimes it did.
Until they ran into the Ottawa Senators, the squad that last year did everything this Sabres team did [...]

Good morning Vietnam

Gaze into my depths and tell me you are not moved.
Bun bo hue is one of the myriad noodle soups of Vietnam I had only read about, and hankered for from afar, because of blogs like noodlepie.
Red Pepper, on Maple Road, has bun bo hue on its menu, and I sank into a bowl of it [...]

Kitchen aid

Recipe Box, by Flickr user deardaisycottage.
There’s a package of chicken in the fridge. You think of the fresh broccoli that ought to be eaten as well. You know it ought to be cooked soon.
But how? Into what? The recipe wheel in your head spins round and round, slowing down until the pointer hits – the [...]

Passage to India

The Rava Masala Dosa at Palace of Dosas, as seen at Ahaar
Check out Ahaar: Pleasure & sustenance, a lovely blog with a mastery of Indian food from right here in Buffalo.
Mandira, the main author, started it about a year ago (Ahaar means “a meal” in Hindi.) She’s got loads of recipes and pictures – including [...]