Restaurant Week Recap #4: Cecelia's Ristorante in Buffalo

To wrap up my Restaurant Week adventures, I planned a girls night with some of my best friends from high school. I'm fortunate that so many of my close girlfriends growing up still live around me! 

We chose Cecelia's Ristorante, located on Elmwood Avenue. As with most places on Elmwood, they don't have a parking lot, but I was able to score a great spot just outside the restaurant on the street. 

The Italian restaurant is a trendy spot in Buffalo with a great outdoor patio. The inside boasts a large bar, and plenty of seating, but can get crowded quickly - especially during happy hour. The atmosphere is laid back, fun and flirty. It is a great spot to bring a date in Buffalo. Come summertime, the patio is hopping and it's a wonderful place to people watch. 

The Restaurant Week special included an appetizer, entree and cannoli for dessert. But before I get to the food, let's talk about the martinis. They boast a long martini list to choose from. I opted for the Bellini and it was tasty and not overpowering. Other good choices are the Lemon Drop, Pomegranate and Berry Snapple. If you are looking for a great deal, they offer 1/2 priced martinis Tuesday - Friday from 4:00 - 6:00pm (only available at the bar).  

For my appetizer, I chose the margherita pizza, which was honestly a meal in itself (see picture on the right). It was tasty, and while I couldn't finish it all, it was great for sharing with the table. They offer it under their regular pizza menu, and while I wouldn't necessarily go to this restaurant for pizza (try Siena, Rocco's or 800 Maple), it was a good starter. 

One of my friends chose the Caprese salad (also on their regular menu) and it was a gorgeous presentation, generous portion and delicious. To be honest, all of our appetizers were great. Others at my table chose the stuffed banana peppers (which were on the spicy side but had good flavor) and a Caesar salad (tasty). Our meal was certainly off to a good start. 

Before I get to our entrees, I want to point out how much I enjoyed the fact that the Restaurant Week specials were actual normal menu items for the restaurant. Many times, Restaurant Week specials include dishes you can't normally get at the restaurant, and while it is usually something delicious, I'd rather have a regular menu item so I know if I should come back or not. 

For my entree I, and a few others at my table. chose the Chicken Brushetta (cutlet floured & sauteed with grape tomatoes, basil, goat cheese in a lemon white wine sauce served over whipped potatoes). The dish had me at "goat cheese" but honestly everything about it was delicious. The chicken was breaded perfectly and cooked well and the lemon white wine sauce complemented everything on the plate. The whipped potatoes has so much flavor and all together it was a perfect dish. I would go back for this dish alone. 

Everything else my friends had (penne broccoli, chicken parm) looked great too and everyone enjoyed their meals. The portion sizes were good, there were not really any leftovers, but you definitely felt full and satisfied. 

Girls nights out are so important and Restaurant Week gives you a great opportunity to get together with friends, family and co-workers (although who really needs a "reason"?). I'm already counting down to the Fall Restaurant Week!

Thanks for the memories, Restaurant Week!

Caprese Salad (so pretty)

Restaurant Week Recap #3: Butterwood Sweet & Savory in Buffalo

Cheers to good food, Buffalo and new friends. In January, I started up the Lovin' On Buffalo book club. On Friday night, we hosted our second meeting to discuss "Buffalo Memories, Gone But Not Forgotten" at Butterwood Sweet & Savory. The restaurant is located inside the recently restored Hotel Lafayette. It is located on the lower level in what I'm told used to be the "speakeasy" of the hotel. To put it simply, the restaurant is gorgeous. It boasts gorgeous architectural elements, has plush seating for diners and has a gorgeous bar and display area for baked goods they sell. 

The restaurant is considered a "full service fusion restaurant that focuses on modern cuisine." They offer fun appetizer selections, small plates that feature foods from around the world, inventive entrees, handmade pizzas, and more!  The Restaurant Week special included either soup or salad, an entree and a chocolate lava cake for $20.13. 

I started with their "Sweey & Savory" mini salad which was incredible. A bed of lettuce came wrapped inside cucumber with candied beets, avocado, a tomato relish and a citrus vinaigrette. It was topped with truffle frites. and served with a small puff pastry. The flavors were incredible. It was a gorgeous presentation and left me wanting more. Others in my party ordered the Caesar salad and the soup of the evening which was a surf & turf soup and everyone was very impressed.


My entree (pictured right) was a braised short rib that sat in a french onion broth and was topped with a crouton and cheese. It came served with a side of vegetables. The short rib was executed perfectly and was breaking apart and filled with incredible flavor as I ate it.

As someone who gets French Onion soup almost everywhere I go, I was extremely pleased with this version. The broth was flavorful and the cheese and crouton topped it off perfectly. The presentation was nice and I quickly had nothing left on my plate. 

Other entrees at our table included duck, strip steak and salmon.  Everything came out looking beautiful and there were numerous ooh's and ahh's as people ate. The group, most of who had never been to the restaurant before (myself included), were just in awe of such a wonderful evening of food and friends. 

To finish up our meal, we were given a chocolate lava cake. It would not have been my first choice, since I'm not a big fan of chocolate, but it was the only option for Restaurant Week. If you are a chocolate lover, it was a perfect dish. It was extremely rich and gooey. It was a little too chocolaty for me, but I enjoyed the little I did eat. It sat over a fruit puree and some fruit and that was absolutely delicious. 

Within the restaurant, they have the Butterwood Retail Bakery outlet that has delectable pastries, pies and new artisan breads. Everything in the case looked great. 

The Hotel Lafayette has knocked it out of the park with their restaurant choices. Between the Pan Am Grill & Brewery, Butterwood Sweet & Savory and the upscale Mike A's, there is really something for every budget and palate. As for Butterwood Sweet & Savory, the food presentation and taste makes it very "upscale", but it is not priced as high as many upscale restaurants. 

I left there knowing for certain I'd be back with my boyfriend, and am excited to hear they are offering great nightly specials including Bring Your Own Wine (no corkage fees) on Mondays & 1/2 priced bottles of wine on Wednesdays. They are open daily at 11:00am and open at 10:00am on the weekends. They also offer a weekend brunch that I've heard great things about. If you are looking for somewhere to take Mom for Mother's Day, this would be my recommendation. 

The vision and dedication Rocco Termini had for The Hotel Lafayette, and his hard work on new ventures he is undertaking in the City are helping to reshape Buffalo as an incredible destination and place to live. After our meal we had the chance to tour around The Hotel Lafayette, and hearing stories of how rundown this place was years ago, I'm just so thrilled to see the turnaround and look forward to seeing what's next for Buffalo!

Casear salad (left) and Sweet & Savory mini salad (right)

Chocolate lava cake

For more reviews on Butterwood Sweet & Savory check out:   

Restaurant Week Recap #2: Coco in Buffalo

If you haven't been down on Main Street near the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus recently, there is a lot of work going on to create a new transit station along with new buildings that will house the University at Buffalo's School of Medicine. The plans look gorgeous, and they will bring a couple thousand students and staff into downtown Buffalo on a daily basis once they are completed.

Nestled on Main Street across from the Medical Campus is a cute little French bistro, Coco. Coco opened back in May 2012 under the ownership that ran Le Metro (now closed) in the Tony Walker Plaza in Williamsville. 

If you are driving down Main Street, you may miss it unless you are looking closely. The restaurant doesn't have a large sign. Coco has a blue painted exterior with black awning and lights hanging from it. Once inside, though the space is small, it is very inviting and comfortable. The atmosphere is casual and the wait staff was friendly.

We arrived about 20 minutes before our reservation, so we grabbed a seat at the bar and enjoyed a bottle of wine (the Zum Riesling - only Riesling on their menu, and it was delicious). The bar area is trendy and they offer a fun cocktail menu as well as a wine list and good beer on tap (including Flying Bison Rusty Chain).

Once the rest of our group arrived, we sat down for our 6:00pm reservation. Sometimes, with big groups, and especially during Restaurant Week, you can feel crowded in your seat. I really appreciated the open feel to this restaurant. The arrangement of tables is well laid out and the dining area is gorgeous. 

The menu for Restaurant Week included a starter, entree and dessert. Between the six of us in my party, we tried each of the starters and they were all delicious. I chose the pea & carrot aranchini with arborio rice and mozzarella (pictured, left). I've tried aranchini at a few restaurants before, but this one was seasoned and cooked perfectly. The crispy exterior gave way to a flavorful mix of cheese, rice and vegetable. It sat on a bed of lettuce that was the perfect compliment to it. My boyfriend ordered the roasted red pepper bisque, and while it did have a bold spice to it, it was tasty too. 

For the entree course I went back and forth all day on what to order, everything looked great. I ended up going with the "Bagels & Lox" dish (pictured below) which was an incredibly creative and inventive dish. Playing off the traditional bagel and lox, the entree was a piece of pan seared salmon in an "everything bagel vinaigrette", with a cream cheese and chive risotto. It was topped with a beet marscarpone and had a chopped egg garnish. All I can say is, WOW! The entire dish came together beautifully, and getting a little piece of everything made the flavors burst. My salmon was cooked perfectly, and the risotto was outstanding. As I finished up my last bite (debating on whether or not to lick the plate clean), my boyfriend commented, "You clearly didn't like your dinner."

My boyfriend and one other guest in our party ordered the Moroccan chicken on the menu that came paired with a couscous with dried fruit and nuts. They both enjoyed it a lot, but said it needed a little more seasoning.

The other two Restaurant Week entree dishes were also ordered at our table: Porcini & Marscarpone Pierogi and the Steak Frites. Everyone enjoyed their meals, and there was very little left on plates. I had a chance to try some of the rosemary frites and they were amazing. Among some of my favorite french fries! One of the guests in our party commented that this Restaurant Week adventure was up there as her favorite. 

Our meals closed out with our choice of either a chocolate brownie with ice cream, a rhubarb shortcake (what I chose), or a unique avocado mousse. All the desserts were great!

We looked at the regular menu at Coco and it includes pizzas, entrees, and a handful of different types of mussels. While we were at the bar, another patron ordered mussels and they looked and smelled incredible. We all agreed we needed to come back for another meal and get them. 

With Restaurant Week wrapping up in a few days, I'd say that Coco should be a "must squeeze in" if you can fit it into your schedule this weekend. Call for reservations ahead of time. 

I love Restaurant Week in Buffalo for so many reasons, but the number one reason is because it opens my eyes to restaurants I hadn't heard about before. I didn't know Coco existed prior to looking at the participating restaurants, and I'm glad that the group I was going out with was looking to try something new. There are so many "hidden gems" throughout Buffalo and Western New York, and Restaurant Week gives local restaurants the chance to shine. Coco certainly did for us! 

Moroccan Chicken

Rhubarb Shortcake...a sweet ending to a perfect meal!

For more reviews on Coco check out Urbanspoon:

Restaurant Week Recap #1: Mangia Ristorante & Caffe in Orchard Park

Welcome to Local Restaurant Week! One of two weeks out of the year totally dedicated to the great food this area has to offer. Restaurants offer dinner specials for $20.13. It's an excuse for me to go out to eat at least half the week because, "I need to blog about it". This week is no exception. I've set up reservations at a total of four local establishments starting with Mangia Ristorante & Caffe in Orchard Park. I'd previously been to Mangia for a fundraising event, but hadn't eaten off the dinner menu. 

We made the drive out to Orchard Park on a gorgeous spring night in Buffalo. The sun was shining and I didn't need a jacket. When we arrived at the restaurant, it was busy, and we took the last parking spot in the additional lot they have for guests. We were a few minutes early for our reservation, but were promptly seated at a table near the window in the back room. A few other tables were already enjoying their meals, and we were shocked by the enormous portion sizes! 

Our waitress shared the specials for Restaurant Week with us, as well as some other specials for the evening and we took a few minutes to decide. I, however, had the menu up on my computer at work all day, meticulously looking it over and trying to decide when I had a free moment. Every entree special they offered was something I'd eat, but I finally settled for a pasta dish, mainly because they are an Italian restaurant. 

The special at Mangia included your choice of salad (mixed greens with a balsamic dressing or a Cesare with anchovies), one of five entrees and a cannoli for dessert. They also are offering $20.13 bottles of Mondavi wine. 

Being a Polish girl, I'm not the proper critic of Italian food, but I brought along my Italian boyfriend and his Mom and Aunt, who grew up with traditional homemade Italian dishes from their Aunt Pat and other family members. The perfect place to start our meal then, was with some of Mangia's homemade meatballs in their red sauce. Our server brought a plate of meatballs out and I watched as their faces lit up as they sampled them. "It's the closest I've ever had in a restaurant to what Aunt Pat used to make." My boyfriend's Mom, Debbi said. The recipes truly have the "homemade" taste to them, and you feel lucky to be a part of the family for the night!
Along with the meatballs, we were brought out a basket of bread and pizza bread which was incredible. The olive oil to dip it in was outstanding too, with the perfect mix of seasoning. 


For our entrees, my boyfriend and I both chose the Penne Al Gorgonzola (pasta sauteed with chicken, spinach and sun-dried tomatoes in a gorgonzola cheese sauce). The pasta was cooked perfectly and the flavors all came together well. The cheese sauce was a little on the heavier side, not to say it wasn't delicious, and was very filling. The portion size was very generous and between my boyfriend and I, we took one plate home with us. 

The other entrees our table enjoyed were the Pollo Picatta (boneless chicken breast floured and sauteed in a lemon caper wine sauce served with roasted red potatoes and vegetables), Chicken Parmesan (not part of the Restaurant Week specials), and the lasagna. Everyone was extremely happy with their dishes and again the portion sizes were very generous. I sampled a little of the lasagna (which was the largest portion of lasagna I've ever seen) and loved the sausage inside. It had a little spice to it and really stood out in the dish. I'll be enjoying some of the leftovers tonight for dinner! 

The meal finished up with a large cannoli for each of us. My boyfriend rarely will eat dessert, but will always have a cannoli. For him, it wasn't his favorite, as the cheese was seasoned with a little bit too much nutmeg. For me though, I enjoyed every bite! 

Our meal at Mangia kicked off what I expect to be another fantastic week of dining out in Western New York. Mangia is located at 4264 North Buffalo Road in Orchard Park. They are open Monday - Saturday and serve lunch starting at 11:00am. They are open until at least 10:00pm, 11:00pm on the weekends. They were definitely worth the trip for us (from the Northtowns)!

Also on tap for this week are Coco, Butterwood Sweet & Savory and Cecelia's. We will have post reviews the day after those meals as well! 

Have you made a reservation to check out one of 200 locally owned establishments throughout WNY? If you have the time to spare, put aside the money and make a point to get out this week and explore all the great food Buffalo and Western New York have to offer!

Enjoy!

Pollo Picatta (left) and Chicken Parmesean

For more reviews on Mangia Ristorante & Caffe check out Urbanspoon: 

Restaurant Week Recap #3 - Parings Wine Bar in Williamsville

For my third adventure during Restaurant Week I went to Parings Wine Bar on Main Street in Williamsville with two of my best friends from high school Mel and Kristy. We had a reservation for 6pm, but I was running early and pulled into the parking lot around 5:45pm. I was immediately greeted with a tiny parking lot, and only saw two available spaces for the three of us to park in. Luckily someone was leaving right when Mel pulled in and we were all able to park without hassle.

As a random side bar, girls nights absolutely rock. There's nothing better than catching up with your best friends, especially when you haven't seen them in a few months. If you haven't spent time with your friends lately, give them a call and plan a night. I know schedules are crazy, but it's time well spent.

Alright, so Parings. When we walked inside Parings, we felt like we were walking into our Grandma's houses. You immediately come upon stairs that lead upstairs and a room to your right. We had no clue where to go. There was no one anywhere around us, and no one greeted us. One of the waitresses walked out from a room down a hall and pointed through the doors to the right. We made our way in, still no clear hostess station, and someone finally directed us to a table.

The only way I can really describe the restaurant is like this: Pretend you take everything out of your house, and all you have left are the walls. Then fill it with small cafe style tables and chairs, some couches and fake trees and plants and that is Parings. They do also have a decent sized bar, but it felt awkward in the space. The flow of the restaurant layout was extremely odd to me and my friends. It is broken up into a few rooms, that each have a handful of tables in it, with a few high rise tables here and there. Some of the couches serve as one seat at a four seat table, and the couches, all different, were not my style. The walls were painted a pink color with floral curtains. I asked my friends during the meal how they would describe the style and Kristy said, "Umm, I guess homey? You can quote me in your blog too."

We were seated in the far back room (there were four tables in our area), and no one else was back there with us so we felt comfortable and had plenty of room. Our waitress handed us the menus and explained their restaurant week menus to us and gave us some time to look it over. One thing I noticed immediately was that there were no glasses on the table for water, and we weren't asked if we wanted any. I typically always, even with a glass of wine, want water too. There was also no bread service.

For the first time in the history of eating out (at least for me) all three of us ordered the exact same meal from the wine, to the appetizer to the entree. We all started off with a glass of Riesling which was great. They do have an extensive wine list, but I'd expect that from a wine bar. As our appetizer, we ordered the coconut shrimp (one of my favorite things in the world) and it was absolutely delicious. The spicy sauce it came with was right on the mark, and the shrimp was cooked perfectly.

For our entree we chose the Bacon Lobster Mac & Cheese, which is an award winner for the restaurant and it absolutely delivered. Sometimes with restaurant week, chefs give you a smaller portion size, but this dish was huge! We all took half of our meals home. There was a generous amount of lobster in mine, which impressed me, and it was so delicious and tender. The cheese sauce was phenomenal and the bacon pieces on top were a great addition. Although, a few bites into the meal, Mel pointed out we were all going to hell eating meat on Friday.

The food really redeemed the restaurant for me, and I happily enjoyed my leftovers, which still tasted as delicious. Overall, I had a great night, but I think it had more to do with the company than the atmosphere of the restaurant. The meals we had really were delicious, and I would definitely go back for the lobster mac and cheese (which normally costs $17).

Parings is a relatively new restaurant that opened in 2010. They are definitely on the right track with the food, but I think the space itself needs some work. Maybe it just wasn't my style, but I felt like it was just all thrown together with whatever they could find.

The address for Parings is 5893 Main Street (right next door to Milo's Restaurant), and they are open Monday - Saturday for dinner (they open at 3pm) and late night drinks. If you want to make reservations you can call (716) 630-5951.

For more reviews on Parings Wine Bar, check out:

Restaurant Week Recap #2 - Oliver's Restaurant in Buffalo

Oliver's has always been a mysterious restaurant to me. When I lived in Kenmore, I drove past the small black building on Delaware Avenue so many times wondering what it looked like on the inside, and how the food was. I knew the food was expensive (and to be honest, out of my price range on most nights), so that's why I never tried it before. But along came Restaurant Week, and I finally decided to go! It was a date night with my boyfriend Geoffrey, and we had a reservation for 7pm on Thursday (3/29).

When we arrived the parking lot was completely packed, offering Valet service, so we found a spot on the street. The valet parkers greeted us as we walked through the parking lot and in we went!

When you walk in, there is a small foyer area with a coat check and doors to the restaurant on the right. Once you walk in you are greeted by a gorgeous grand piano and a big bar area that was fully stocked.  The walls and decor are dark (greyish walls and black leather chairs) but it surprisingly is not very dark inside. As we were seated, I felt like I stepped into a 1920's lounge, and I suddenly wished I wore a sparkly dress and Geoffrey had on a fedora. It has a very classy and sophisticated look and as I scanned the crowd, my boyfriend and I were easily the youngest in our area (if not the whole restaurant).

I have to admit, I was surprised by the inside of the restaurant (after frequenting the other restaurants owned by the same people), and while I'll admit it wasn't totally my "style", I felt thankful and lucky that Buffalo has a place like this.

Our server promptly came over to say hello and fill our water glasses, and we asked for a wine list. Wow! What a wine list! It has to be one of the biggest, if not the biggest selection of wines I've seen. Since my boyfriend and I differ on our wine choices we decided to each get our own glass as opposed to a bottle. The wine list by the glass is considerably smaller, but still a good variety. A typical glass of wine costs between $8 - $10.

The only menu we were given, and I am wondering if it was because we looked out of place, was the menu for Restaurant Week. We had already looked it over a million times at home with our mouths watering, so we ordered our dishes along with a spinach loaf.

To say the bread was great would be an understatement. I could have eaten four more loaves of it! The spinach was cooked perfectly and mixed in with lots of butter and spices. It started off our meal perfectly. My first course was the lobster bisque and it was delicious. My only gripe was that there were too many scallions on the top as a garnish. For me, it took away from the bisque a little bit. Geoffrey had the soft polenta and ricotta rapini, cappicola, olive and sweet pepper. The presentation of the dish was absolutely stunning and I felt like I was judging a plate from the finale of Top Chef. The polenta was delicious and the whole combination of flavors was absolutely outstanding. I was happy for my foodie boyfriend, and could tell he was in food heaven.

For my second course I ordered the baked scallop and shrimp cannelloni artichoke, leek, fennel, tomato-sherry sauce and Chervil salad. The presentation again was beautiful and the dish tasted even better than it looked. I loved the filling of the pasta, and the pasta was cooked to perfection. Geoffrey ordered the duck leg confit risotto butternut squash, chicory, cherries, chilies & marscapone. My boyfriend took one bite of it, and when he looked up I thought he was lovingly looking into my eyes, but it was the risotto. I think he said during the course of the meal how much he loved it ten times, and was still talking about it when we drove home, went to bed, and woke up. I have to admit though, it was pretty outstanding. Having had risotto the night before at Prime 490, and loving that, it didn't even compare.

The food at Oliver's is in a class of its own, and I was ecstatic I finally had the pleasure of trying it. While I can say I don't think I'll be dining there again (mostly for financial reasons right now), Restaurant Week gave me the chance to try it out and share my experience with all of you. As I age, and hopefully have more expendable money, it would be a perfect night out to celebrate something special.

If you are wondering about typical prices at Oliver's, their specialties normally run between $31-$41. They have small plates from the range of $12-$25 and appetizers are between $9-$15. The prices are high, but the quality, presentation and taste of the food is worth it. Trust me.

There's still a few days left this week to get out on the town and eat local. If you can, please do!

For more reviews on Oliver's check out:

Restaurant Week Recap #1 - Prime 490 in Buffalo

PLEASE NOTE: Prime 490 has CLOSED since this post was written. 

It only comes around twice a year, but for those two weeks, I'm in food heaven!!! I'm talking about WNY Restaurant Week, which started March 26th and goes until April 1st. Local restaurants offer a three course meal for $20.12 and give people the chance to explore over 100 local restaurants.

It's always hard deciding which restaurants to visit since I have a ton of places I love to frequent, but I always end up trying places I've never been to before. Prime 490 was one we tried to get into last year for Restaurant Week but the reservation slots didn't match up with our free time, so we missed out. I called a good two weeks in advance to make sure we'd get the time slot we wanted and we went Wednesday (3/28) evening. Our party of four was promptly seated in a nice U shaped booth and our waiter quickly came over to say hi and let us get situated.

Before I go on, I just want to give a shout out to local waiters, waitresses, hosts, bartenders, managers and owners. If I worked in a restaurant, I'd absolutely HATE restaurant week, and you could tell that some of the waiters (which we noticed at Prime 490, it was all waiters), were a little stressed. If you go out during Restaurant Week, cut these people some slack! They are offering you a ridiculously cheap meal, with more people than they are used to. Make sure you tip them well too!!

The atmosphere at Prime 490 is wonderful. It has upscale decor, without feeling snooty or over the top. The bold and colorful abstract artwork on the walls really give it a warm feel, and I think by the end of the meal I was calling it, "Upscale Buffalo". That's the thing about Buffalo, the city rocks, but we don't go over the top to show ourselves off, or have a "we're better than you" attitude. I felt extremely comfortable and like I fit in at Prime 490. I really loved the artwork and we all were commenting on it throughout the night. The hand blown glass lighting fixtures (also in bold colors) were absolutely gorgeous and a nice touch above our booth. There is ample seating in the restaurant and a good mix of tables, smaller booths and the bigger U shaped booths.

As part of Prime 490's menu for Restaurant Week, you were given a glass of wine to start your meal, followed by a salad and an entree. For the wine, we were offered either a glass of Chardonnay or a glass of Cabernet. Our party was really impressed with the wine, and you could tell they really spent time picking out the right wine to start off the meal. I had the Chardonnay, and while I'm typically not a huge fan of it, I really enjoyed this glass.

They had about 8 options for different entrees that included steak, pork, fish, pasta and shrimp. It really had something for everyone. Our table ordered the 12 oz. strip steak (served with potatoes and asparagus), the Char Siu Pork Tenderloin (Asian barbeque grilled pork tenderloin served with rice and asparagus), the Penne Ala Leonard (shrimp with plum tomatoes, red onion, sweet basil, garlic, asiago cheese, white wine & virgin olive oil), and I had the Shrimp Scampi Risotto. We also started the meal off with an appetizer of fried calamari, and while I'm not a huge fan of it, the people in our party who are, said it was outstanding.

I can honestly say that all of us absolutely loved our meals, and we tried each others and all agreed the food was great. My shrimp scampi risotto was delicious, and I really enjoyed the addition of some vegetables (onion and peppers) to the risotto. The shrimp was cooked perfectly and the seasoning of the whole dish was right on. The pork tenderloin with the Asian barbeque was absolutely delicious, and the portion size was huge! We all had some at our table and there was enough leftover to take home for another meal! The strip steak was cooked exactly like my boyfriend wanted it, and the potatoes and asparagus were seasoned well. The pasta dish was rich, but lighter than we all thought and absolutely delicious.

Above and beyond trying awesome local Buffalo food, I love Restaurant Week because it brings friends and family together. Life is crazy busy, everyone has conflicting schedules, but Restaurant Week is a great excuse to get together! It's a wonderful showcase of restaurants for local owners and it really made me so excited to see a completely packed house with a waiting list on a Wednesday evening.

Prime 490 is located in the City on Rhode Island Street, plopped down in a residential area near another restaurant, Left Bank. There is a parking lot across the street with ample parking and they are open Tuesday - Saturday from 5pm until 1am or 2am (2am on Friday/Saturday). To make reservations you can call (716) 882-3328.

If you are reading this and it is still Restaurant Week (March 26 - April 1), I encourage you to get out for dinner one night and try something new and local! It's a deal you cannot beat! Happy eating!

For more reviews on Prime 490, check out: