Taking a second bite: Sample, Buffalo

The fresh raspberry mojito, $8 and worth every penny.
Downtown epicure Matthew John Pasquarella doubted, at first, that Sample could survive in Buffalo. But he’s been lured back so many times he’s starting to reconsider.
I first wrote about Sample over a year ago. I liked the food – small bites, carefully assembled – but didn’t think [...]

A bite to remember: Beijing Night Market

Cheery vendor at Wangfujing Night Market, one of Beijing’s eye-catching nighttime snack midways. (Photo by by Flickr user kmomo.)

With Olympics-bound tourists making plans to visit Beijing, it’s an appropriate time to celebrate one of the most outstanding sights in the city: the night markets.
I’ve never had the pleasure myself, but so many tourists have documented [...]

A bite of Cuba: La Cocina Criolla, Buffalo

The right fixins, encased in crunchy pressed bread. At long last, the Cubano done right.
Opening up a Puerto Rican restaurant on Niagara Street across from Niagara Cafe, the longstanding veteran of the area, must take a lot of nerve.
The last place to open at 544 Niagara St., El Sugar Bowl, lasted a year or two. [...]

Helping the Burmese in Buffalo

The temples at Bagran, Burma. (Photo by Flickr user mandalaybus.)

I know nothing about Burmese food, but I know a good cause when I see one.
Burmese refugees in Buffalo are holding an event on Sunday, May 18 to raise money for their typhoon-ravaged country. It’s from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the International Institute of [...]

Video: Making scallion pancakes

蔥油餅, otherwise known as scallion pancake. (Photo by Flickr user strwang.)

The latest installment of my Elements column in The Buffalo News shows you how to make scallion pancakes, the crispy Chinese appetizer. Here’s the print article with the detailed recipe.
They’re a little work, and there is flour involved. Halfway through the first batch you’ll be [...]

Comfort me with caramel: Chicken kho

A few minutes and a splash of caramel sauce delivers a savory supper.
One of my favorite ripoffs of Vietnamese home cooking is a technique called kho. It’s comfort food, like an Irish lamb stew of a French coq au vin. In kho, proteins like chicken, tofu or catfish are stewed in a mixture of caramel [...]

Chopsticks at dawn: Ming Cafe, Buffalo

The pork dumplings were tender-skinned and flavored with chives.
Perhaps it is the lack of high-quality Chinese dining options in Western New York that makes the arguments over Chinese food so vehement. My homey favorite is a slop pit to you. What you hold forth as the best lo mein in these parts, I will castigate [...]