Buffalo Beer & Food Your source for local beer & food info

Between the “Biggest Loser” contest I was in ending recently and Premier Gourmet aggressively slangin’ out da house at 20% off for a hot minute before they moved (peep their website, the new place sounds awesome – beer taps and a cheese cave and whatnot), I figured it was time to try some beers. I hadn’t really tried anything since having a Dark Intrigue at Christmas time (it’ll knock your socks off), and what do ya know? It’s warming up (shadily), and our favorite breweries all have their Summer Ale on the shelves — albeit in many cases alongside their Winter offering that’s yet to sell out.

I’ve never much wanted to get involved with lemony summer ales. I mean, they serve their purpose, they’re not the worst thing ever, but I’m not a huge fan. I do love me some hefeweizen though. To me, it’s one style that can be enjoyed equally at any time throughout the year.

Mission Brewery Hefeweizen Review

One of the 20% off random grabs I made at Premier was the pictured Hefeweizen from Mission Brewery in San Diego, California, billed a “German Style Wheat Beer” on the bottle. Figured I was in for a treat, and it did not disappoint.

This brew pours orange, and cloudy-as-hell, with a dainty white head of thick bubbles that dissipate fairly quickly. The aroma is of tart wheat, clove and a little bit of spicy green apple. It almost smells like a cider or lambic, but not quite as crisp. It’s got that murky wheat backbone to it…

On the draw, the carbonation gives this tasty hefe a real pfeffervescent mouthfeel. The flavor, up front, is clovey with some fruit — again slight apple, maybe hints of pear (shit with cores) — in the middle, giving way to a lingering crisp wheat and clove aftertaste. The is where I start to notice the more subtle banana.

This is a pretty solid American-brewed wheat. The tartness you found in the aroma becomes more noticeable in the flavor on later sips, which is a plus for me). It’s not what I’d expect from a hefe, but it has a uniqueness I can appreciate amid the sea of boring American hefes like Circus Boy and UFO (sorry, just not my thing).  I’d like to try more than one bottle, and some fresh, to see if the way I had it was the way it was supposed to taste… the bottle didn’t lead me to believe that.

But it was good. You should buy some.  It’s like 5.3% ABV and costs less than $2 per bottle. Or you can wild out on a six pack for like $10.99.

Brooklyn Brewery Summer Ale

Another item I picked up for 20% off was a $12 pack of Brooklyn Brewery‘s Summer Ale. This one that I’ve tried in years past, but never reviewed. It’s pretty darn good. Or maybe I just like beer? Both I think.

This is another not-your-average-lemony summer brew, though it’s not so different from other local examples like Hop Sun and Mow Master. These are all summer ales that forego the lemon zest for a nice, uber-light, yet hoppy ale.

The beer pours a transparent piss-yellow color (appetizing, right?), with a billowing 3/4 inch white head. The aroma is thin, sticky malt and light, citrusy hops. The beer tastes like it smells, but has a subtlety I can really appreciate. It packs a lot of flavor into a quaffable package. The light body, nice carbonation, pale grain flavor and crisp, quenching hoppiness make this 5% ale one that you could crush on a hot summer day even more easily than your favorite light American or Canadian macro.

Did I mention this one comes in cans? Grab some for the golf course, or the next time you’re rocking an open container. It pretty much looks like a Pepsi Next can while your hand is around it, so you might as well.

You can get a 12 pack of this one pretty much anywhere for about 15 bones. Sure, it’s twice the price of Genny Light – but the trade off is worth it sometimes (I love Genny Light, though). One strange thing is the can reads, “BREWED BY THE BROOKLYN BREWERY, UTICA, NY.” But that’s just semantics. Try some soon. Ok. Ok.

[This article was inspired by Derek Buono's editorial in the newest issue of Beer Magazine].

Let’s face it..the craft beer industry as a whole is currently booming, and has been for several years now.  The numbers and projected growth charts are out there, but forget about all of the figures for a minute.  Need “real” proof that the industry is growing?  Walk into a Sunoco gas station and grab a growler.   Check out the beautiful display of international brews at your local Wegmans.  Create your own 6 pack while you’re there.  Drive by, or better yet, stop into Niagara Tradition on a Saturday afternoon.  Don’t forget to order an IPA the next time you’re at Applebees.

Craft beer is available everywhere these days.  You know that.  But let’s rewind ten years.  I was only 18, and house parties were all the rage. That meant kegs of the cheapest beer money could by (and no $50 deposits), 30 packs of  Busch or Keystone Light,  and even my parents Koch’s light.  Hell, Edward 40-hands with Old English.  One thing was for sure: I couldn’t taste the difference between Cascade and Amarillo hops.  I’m not 100% sure that I even knew that hops is one of the main ingredients in beer.

Isn’t that the way that it’s supposed to be?  I’m not so sure anymore. Are we creating a generation of beer snobs? College kids are certainly buying into the craft beer scene.  Need proof?  Go to EBC in Fredonia on a Thursday, Friday, or Saturday night.   The bar will be crowded. I believe the only macro they serve is 22 oz bottles of Coors light, not that you’ll find anyone actually drinking it.  You will see 21 year olds with blueberries floating atop their flute glass, some ordering their third pint of “Hop Bomb”.

These observations always make me question two points:
1) How is the industry growing steadily with such a lack of advertising?  You don’t need to be a marketing major to question this.

2) Where the hell are these kids getting money to drink craft beer every weekend. What ever happened to scraping up $7.95, most of it change, to fund as many Natural Ice cans as possible?

Light lagers and macros will always have their time and place.  You’re not going to play beer pong with barley wine, power hour with an imperial stout, or order an oak-aged Pumking at the next Bills game.  However, the younger that people are getting into craft beer, the younger their taste buds are going to crave bigger beers.  It’s great for the industry. Who needs advertising?  Also, with student loan percentage rates set to increase by nearly 4%, I’m sure you’ll be able to get a craft beer package tied into your next Stafford loan.

I guess I have answered my own questions.  Does anybody want to come over and play quarters with some mead?

Where? Cole’s and Mister Goodbar.

What kind of beer? “Frank” is a pale ale.  It is CBW‘s flagship beer.  Who can turn down a good pale ale?

“The Whale”, which is a brown ale, will be their second offering.  It will not be available tomorrow, but I’m pretty excited to sample it in the near future.

I’m going to keep this post short.  As soon as I’m able to sample CBW beer and hopefully meet the dudes/tour the brewery, I will have a detailed write-up posted.

The message:  Go to Cole’s or Mister Goodbar (or both), and support Buffalo’s newest brewery.  Judging by their Facebook page and their blog, the guys at Community Beer Works seem really cool and down to earth, so drink the hell out of their new offering(s).

On your way home from the bar, why not stop by Village Beer Merchant and grab a 6er of your favorite Flying Bison offering?  Keep supporting Buffalo Breweries and local Buffalo businesses in general!

Cheers to CBW, I’m looking forward to watching your business grow!

Santa was kind to me this past Christmas.  I received a ton of brewing ingredients and some new equipment.  One of the kits that I unwrapped was Hex Nut Brown Ale from Midwest Supplies.  I brewed it on January 2nd, and bottled it on January 22nd.  Now, I have a slight beef with glass carboys which prevents me from ever wanting to ferment in them.  As you may have guessed, I hate cleaning them.  Yes, I’m lazy.  So I took a different approach this time: I fermented in the bottling bucket.  On bottling day, I decided to give Cooper’s Carbonation Drops a try.  I was able to grab these at Consumer’s Beverages in Orchard park, for $4.99.

Tired of inconsistent carb levels? Try these out!

Here is some information on the drops:

“Coopers Carbonation Drops are a unique easy-to-use homebrew carbonation system. Each drop has the ability to fully carbonate one 12-oz bottle, with two drops fully carbonating a 22-oz bottle. Each package contains 60 drops, enough to bottle 6 gallons of beer. Coopers Brewery Carbonation Drops are 27% glucose and 73% sucrose. Coopers Brewery Carbonation Drops contain no additives, preservatives, fillers or binders. Just 100% ease in bottling.

Usage: Coopers Carbonation Drops are designed to make bottling a breeze for all levels of homebrewers. Simply add one Coopers Carbonation Drop to each 12 oz bottle (2 drops if using 22 oz bottles) prior to filling. Fill bottle to within 1-2 inches of the top and cap as normal. Store at fermentation temperature and your beer will be fully carbonated within 3 days. No more measuring, racking or uneven carbonation levels.

Note: For best results, a week after bottling, flip the bottles over a couple of times to help mix in the sugars.”

So, how did the batch turn out?

I’ve been drinking this ale since the beginning of February, and they continue to taste better and better with time.  This is certainly not a beer that peaked early in the aging process. I highly recommend purchasing this kit if you are craving a nice brown ale.

As for the drops, I’m going to rate them very high.  We’ll say 4.5/5 if you’re someone who likes numbers.  The process was very simple, I didn’t have to worry about racking, and all of the brews have had a very consistent carbonation level.  However, there are a few “issues” worth noting:  The directions on the bag say that the beer will be fully carbonated in 3 days.  WRONG!  I refuse to fully judge a beer for at least three weeks after bottling, so why did I think that a magical sugar tab would speed up the process? (Read: Coopers Marketing 1, Scott 0.)  As I tasted these brews off and on for the first three weeks after bottling, they were barely carbonated, and I thought that the drops had ruined the batch.  I was wrong, but you have to give them time, which any good home-brewer should already know.  It definitely took a full three to four weeks after bottling for these brews to be enjoyable, which is par for the course.  The directions tell you to flip the bottles over a few times to help mix the sugars.  I didn’t bother with this step, and it did not seem to effect the finish product (read: delicious homebrew) in any way.

The drops had one other small issue:  Many of the bottles have a white residue toward the top.  This does not effect the taste/carbonation, but it just looks ugly when you crack open the bottle.  I’m over it, and you should be too.

Overall, if I’m looking for the easy out, I would use this product again.  It seems as though those who have experimented with Cooper’s Drops either love them or hate them.  Based on convenience and very consistent carbonation levels, I’m going to say that I love them!*

*(Sample Size: 1 batch), take it with a grain of salt.

Eat your heart out, batch primers and homebrew purists.

*Note: This is an update.  I originally posted the wrong location of the new brewery.  Thank you to those who corrected my mistake!

Last August, I was very excited to find signage for Mainspring Brewery.  I wrote about it here.  The Hamburg/Orchard Park area is the perfect area for this type of business.  The fantasy of quitting my day job and opening up a brewery/restaurant in this area has become a reality for some brave entrepreneurs.  After some problems with the original location, I was afraid that Mainspring would not be located in Hamburg at all.

You can image how excited I was to come across this Business First article a few weeks ago.  Mainspring Brewery is slated to open in Fall 2012. The location?  Right across the street from where the signs first appeared. This happens to be the vacant Pennysaver building, located at the corner of Buffalo and Union.

The restaurant will feature seven “in-house”  brews, and one “guest” tap.  Steve Bystran, one of the entrepreneurs, says in the same article that dining will be “upscale casual”.  (Read: don’t expect simply wings, fingers and burgers).

Mainspring Brewery will be about a 5 minute walk from where I live.  It has the potential to be my new go-to hangout.  I am beyond excited.

Follow Mainspring Brewery’s blog here.  You can also follow them on Twitter (@Mainspringbrews) and Facebook.

To the fine dudes at Mainspring–you should consider hiring me as a part time bartender…just a thought.

Living in Hamburg, I am always on the look out for the next hidden gem located just outside of the city.  A few weekends ago, after much debate on where to eat, Jake and I decided to make a trip to  Buffalo’s Best Grill.  With such a clever name (ahem), who wouldn’t want to drive to Orchard Park and give it a shot?

Located on Southwestern Blvd., in the heart of Car Dealership Heaven, Buffalo’s Best Grill sports a fairly standard pub style menu, with a better than average tap and bottle selection.  18 microbrews are available on tap, including offerings from Flying Bison and Great Lakes.  The newly renovated bar and dining room has the modern-industrial look.  You know, dark hard-woods, granite/marble table tops, exposed bricks and duct work.  I’m actually a huge sucker for this look in a bar setting– it adds to the overall atmosphere.  Ty Pennington would be proud.

Our waitress was very friendly and quick with bringing out our drinks.  I went with a 22 oz glass of Great Lakes Conway’s Irish Ale, while Jake drank a few pints of Flying Bison’s Rusty Chain.

With both of us skipping lunch that day, and then indulging in a  few home-brews at my house, we were damn hungry.  Why not order two appetizers?  We went with the deep fried ravioli and loaded fries.

The ravioli were fried to perfection, cripsy on the edges, while soft in the middle.  The crusted Parmesan cheese added to the flavor.  The loaded fries were good, but not great.  The taste was there, but they were predictable and could have used more cheese.  Regardless, we devoured them in about five minutes.

The loaded fries were tasty, yet predictable....

Our food came out of the kitchen super fast.  Honestly, as we were still gnawing at the appetizers, it might have been too quick.  Quick service is always appreciated, but let me chew and swallow the last of my appetizer(s) first.

Jake ordered the pulled pork sandwich.

It smelled and looked quite tasty.    He reports that the sandwich was  above average. The roll was good, the sandwich was loaded with tender, juicy pork, and tasty sweet BBQ sauce (but not too much). As for the ‘slaw, he says it was not too sweet, nice and crispy. What can you really say about coleslaw?

As for my beef on weck, it was very good.  The roll was loaded with salt, which wins over my taste buds every time.  The portion of beef was generous and it was tender and juicy.  Yes, i ordered a side of fries and I ate every last one.  The portion of fries was a bit skimpy, which seems to be a recent trend at many restaurants.

This was an overall great experience.  A former biker bar has transitioned nicely into a family friendly bar and restaurant.  The menu has something for everyone and the prices are very reasonable.  Two appetizers, three sandwiches (a beef on weck for my wife to go) , and three micro brews  for just a little over $50.  Come for the prices, stay for the laid back atmosphere.  I need to make another visit during the next Sabres game.

Check out their daily specials and full menu.  To follow suite with most sports bars in the area, they do offer plenty of drink specials during Bills and Sabres games.  This is always appreciated by our die-hard fans.

Yes, I am biased.  Chef Mike Andrzejewski was a teacher of mine at culinary school, and there is no one better to learn from.  Do not question it.  Just go to SeaBar.  You will be amazed.

Pork Enchiladas:  Dare I call it a first-look at his newest venture, Cantina Loco? Slow-roasted pork shoulder smothered in smokey bbq sauce, gooey cheese, crisp scallions, and fresh cilantro.  This dish could easily feed a family of forty and it only costs $9.

Crispy Frog Legs with Black Garlic Sauce:  I’m so glad this was a special the night I went.  They were seriously the best pieces of fried food I have ever tasted.  The delicate, airy batter gave a nice crunch to these precious little gems.  The meat reminded me of alligator, but more fresh and delicate.  Think of a very light, very clean tasting seafood.  The black garlic sauce added a salty, sweet, and earthy bite that was delicious sopped up with the rice.

Best Spicy Tuna:  The name says it all.  A perfect balance of creamy, crunchy, and spicy goodness conveniently rolled up into a single bite. So so good.

Pork & Shrimp Shumai:  Think of an asian-style meatball wrapped in a steamed wonton.  This is one of my favorite dishes because I still remember learning how to make them. My girlfriend thinks they have a slight ‘poo flavor’ however (without actually knowing what poop tastes like…I hope).  Although this dish is not on the menu, it’s a pretty regular special.  The homemade kimchi was nice and spicy, and still had an excellent crunch to it.  Chef Mike’s signature sesame dipping sauce is to die for.

There are so many top-notch dishes to order here that you might be tempted to give the old binge-and-purge a try.  Other show stoppers most definitely include the one-of-a-kind beef on weck roll, and Bourdain’s last meal (foie gras, pork belly, and fried  marrow).  A lunch menu is also offered up from 11:30 to 2:30, and it includes a few special items along with most of the regular menu.

P.S.  It might not hurt to ask for a sake Jello shot.

Seabar Restaurant

Website:  www.seabarsushi.com

Located at:  475 Ellicot Street, Buffalo, NY 14203

Call:  716-332-2928

Hours:  Lunch – Monday – Friday – 11:30 – 2:30
Dinner – Monday – Thursday 4:30 – 9:30; Friday & Saturday 4:30 – 10:30

Price Range:  Special Rolls $6 – $13 Appetizers $8 – $18 Entrees $16 – $26

When my home brewing hobby was in its infancy, I would wander the internets like a zombie prowling for tender human flesh, relentlessly and listlessly seeking out tips, tricks, and new recipes to try out. I’m not sure how that simile contributes anything to my lead here, I’m just excited to watch The Walking Dead tonight. But, I digress.

In the beginning of my quest, I got a lot of good information from the book The Complete Joy of Home Brewing, by Charlie Papazian. There are others of its sort, but this one seems to be the most popular. This book is packed with all the info you need to know as a budding home brewer, from basic descriptions of ingredients and equipment, to all-grain brewing techniques and a bunch of nice recipes. The book is undeniably a great resource for any one starting out in home brewing.

In spite of the book’s value as a resource for aspiring brewers – we are living in the 21st century, here. Unless a Walking-Dead-esque zombie apocalypse does happen in our near future, you can find all of the information in this book fo’ free online — you just need to have patience, and an ability to make judgment calls when you read completely contradictory information from two different sources. I would never advise someone not to buy the book, I’m simply saying it might not be a critical element to anyone’s success in brewing these days.

Beer-Recipes.org

Early on, I had the naivety to think I’d learned all I needed to know by watching a 15 minute instructional DVD on brewing, and brewing my first recipe kit. I quickly stumbled upon Beer-Recipes.org and started digging up recipes. This site is a database of self-submitted recipes, organized by style. There are recipes on the site for all skill levels, and almost all styles of beer (even some ciders and meads).

The site has potential to be a great resource, but I will state that I’ve brewed some of my least favorite beers based on recipes from beer-recipes.org.  I recommend approaching this site with caution, as a beginner. Remember that some random submitted each recipe, and there is no room for comments to validate their claims of greatness. I recommend developing your knowledge of how ingredients work together in your brew kettle, and understanding what defines your own personal tastes. This will allow you to glean info from the recipes submitted here and tweak them to suit your tastes.

HomeBrewTalk.com

HomeBrewTalk.com is a forum for home brewers to share info, and discuss their passion for the hobby and craft of brewing. The site is widely used by brewers of all skill levels, making it a tremendous resource for… brewers of all skill levels.

On this message board, you can find recipes (with plenty of comments, suggested tweaks, collaborative efforts on perfecting the recipe, etc.). There are tips and discussions on commonly-faced home brewing problems, information on vendors of brewing supplies, and a whole lot more. You can bet that if you’ve had an issue with brewing, someone else has had it too, and asked about it on this forum. You can also bet they received several different replies about how to address the issue – which is part of the beauty of the forum as a resource. Because the information is coming from different brewers with different styles, you can try out various methods and decide what works best for you.

Whenever I have brewing conundrum, or am looking to formulate a recipe I’ve never attempted, I inevitably wind up culling some type of info from HomeBrewTalk.com. The forum has helped me craft better and better recipes, and evaluate the pros & cons of different styles and approaches to brewing. I’ve adopted some brewing techniques from this forum (including this stove-top all-grain/partial-mash brewing method), having evolved my style from the recipe-kit-instruction-sheet method of brewing to creating my own shortcuts, time savers and quality control methods, many based on tips from HomeBrewTalk.com. I highly recommend checking out this forum.

Hopville.com

I found Hopville.com as kind of a beautiful accident.  I was Googling recipes and stumbled upon this site, which is an amazing free resource for home brewers, particularly those looking to craft their own recipes.  Their Beer Calculus recipe builder will help you nail the style you’re trying to brew with minimal effort. There are multiple commercial brewing software options available, but I have never invested in any, personally, so I cannot comment. I find it hard to justify, as I have been able to make some pretty good brews without paying a cent beyond ingredients and equipment, in part thanks to Hopville.com.

I have increased my use of the Beer Calculus tool and started saving my recipes in 2012, and each brew that I’ve done this year has been pretty darn good. I can’t attribute that solely to Hopville’s Beer Calculus recipe calculator, but it’s definitely not hurting!

On top of that, Hopville lets you peruse other members’ recipes, by style, follow brewers whose recipes pique your interest, and a lot more. It’s a great site to browse and their Beer Calculus tool is an invaluable resource, provided to you for free. God bless the internet!

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I highly recommend checking out the resources discussed in this article. With that said, one other great source of information is your local home brew supply store. In the Buffalo / Western NY area, this means Niagara Tradition, on Sheridan Dr., or Dunkirk Homebrew, located on Route 20 near Fredonia. Both of these stores are run by folks that really, really know what they’re talking about, and are more than willing to provide some help and answers to any questions you might have. Not to mention, both stores have most of the ingredients and equipment you need for most styles… so why order online and pay for shipping?

Support your local home brewing shop!

Oh, and when the roaming hoardes of walking dead do turn up, “Relax, don’t worry. Have a home brew!”

In-n-Out Burger is still the best in my book, and it’s too bad there isn’t one anywhere close to Buffalo.  But Five Guys was pretty freaking good.  Even though I kinda wanted to hate it,  I definitely thought about going back for seconds the next day.  What it lacked in freshness and cheapness it definitely made up for with size and condiments.  I guess the method of cooking a burger “well done and juicy” is executed by loading a dry patty up with a bunch of other sloppy, tasty shit, because that slogan just does not make any sense.

The standard cheeseburger with “everything” comes with two beef patties, ketchup, mustard, cheese, pickles, lettuce, tomatoes, grilled mushrooms & onions, and mayonnaise.  Two burgers, a regular size fry (which overflows a considerable amount into the bag), and a regular size drink was plenty for two, and came in at just under $20.

Be ready to get messy.

Five Guys Burgers And Fries

Website:  www.fiveguys.com

Location:  1 Galleria Drive, Cheektowaga, NY 14225 /

8248 Transit Road, Amherst, NY 14221

Call:  716-683-5501 (Cheektowaga)

716-636-5500 (Amherst)

Hours:  11 am – 10 pm everyday

Price Range:  No $1 menu, but its not “little fancies” either.

This is the first year that I have caved-in to the cliche of Valentine’s Day, and boy was it worth it.   I’m sure the highlights of my wonderful girlfriend’s holiday were the surprise breakfast and all of her gifts.  And I don’t mean to downplay my excitement about my new bottles of harissa infused olive oil and serrano-honey vinegar by any means, but I cannot get the bouillabaisse from Bacchus out of my thoughts.

You would think that a 7 o’clock reservation on theee holiday dining event of the year would mean a crowded, brash dining room with slow service.  That was no where to be found.  The casual elegance of this restaurant was the perfect setting for a romantic evening.  With subtle lighting, up-beat jazz, a cool bottle of bubbly, plenty of table space, and top-notch plates, what more could you ask for?

The everyday menu was just as eye catching as the specials for the evening, which made ordering quite the task.  The first dish we decided on was a duck risotto.  This quality, seasonal dish might be a little over-played, but it’s still hard to beat.  Pearls of rice studded with tender, unctuous, shredded duck leg confit, lightly steamed butternut squash, and crunchy, toasted pumpkin seeds generously filled a bowl topped with freshly shaved fennel and peppery arugula.  Considering the portion and mouth-watering ingredients, this dish was a steal at $12.

The second dish decided upon is what I’m considering a staple of the menu – steak and eggs.  This isn’t the steak and eggs you’d cook up at home though.  A gigantic, beautifully crimson-colored, paper thin slice of beef carpaccio covered the plate, topped off with an arugula and parmesan salad.  Just the right amount of truffle oil vinaigrette coated the greens, and paired nicely with a crusty slice of baguette and a perfectly prepared sunny-side-up egg.  This is simple yet elegant, well-prepared food that is too hard to come by in this city.

Now for the entrees, and that bouillabaisse that’s still haunting me (in a good way, not the spooky kind)…

My girlfriend ordered the ribeye steak with a gorgonzola crust.  Make sure you’ve got the appetite for this 16-ounce beast.  Cooked to a better medium-rare than I can manage, just the way she ordered it, there was no disappointing.  The bruleed crust complimented the meat with a pleasant tang, and the fingerling potatoes with spinach and a bacon vinaigrette were the perfect match.

Like I’ve mentioned several times already, I ordered the bouillabaisse.  Don’t ask me why someone who’s not that crazy for seafood would order this classic fish stew.  I guess I’m trying to let seafood finally catch my taste buds (get it?).  I cannot say enough how pleased I was with my decision.  The base of the stew was an aromatic tomato and fennel broth that had an intense kick from the homemade chorizo, and was finished with just the right amount of cream to balance it out.  Although they were slightly tough, the bright red shrimp popped brilliantly against the slate-black shells of the mussels.  Its been a while since I’ve had mussels, and let me tell you, I won’t be making that mistake again.  The only change I would make to the dish would be a nice caramelization on the scallops, but overall they were steamed just right.  Oblong-cut potato gnocchi added a nice twist to the dish along with some extra texture, and the fragrant punch of fresh parsley kissed every heavenly spoonful (in a romantic kind of way).  God, I need to at least get some more of that chorizo.

Bacchus Wine Bar & Restaurant

Website:  www.ultimaterestaurants.com/bacchus

Located at:  56 West Chippewa at Franklin, Buffalo, NY 14202

Call:  716-854-WINE (9463)

Price Range:  Small Plates $9-$15 Large Plates $20-$32