Review- Taste of Buffalo

Today I went to the Taste of Buffalo. It's not as big as the Taste of Chicago (which I attended last year), but it was just as tasty. The weather was warm, might be considered hot here, but nothing a ol' STL guy can't handle. Plus, the there was a great crowd. Good things always happen when I'm in an urban area. On top of all that, I met Bobby from "Hell's Kitchen." I don't care about the show one way or the other. (Personally,I like Chef Ramsay. I think his other show Kitchen Nightmares on the BBC is a lot better. But that's my opinion. I could be wrong.)

So, allow me to give a rundown of the places at which I stopped (in no particular order):

1. Ms. Goodies: I had what they call the Junkyard Dog. It's a fried fish sandwich with fries, slaw and hot sauce all on a pita. Not bad.

2. Village Desserts: I had to try something which labels itself the "ultimate peanut butter cookie". It was actually quite tasty. It had PB frosting, PB chips, and some chocolate on it.

3. Shannon Pub: I tried their potato chowder. Good flavor, could have used some bacon (or more bacon). However, let me caution you. Potato chowder does not pair well with blue Powerade. The weather was also a bit too warm for soup, but still good.

4. The Grill @ The Dome: Here I tried the Bourbon Shrimp skewer. The shrimp was grilled, and maybe a tad overcooked. But that's forgivable due to the crowd. Kinda syrupy glaze, but not too bad.

5. Red Osier: They tried to pass this off as a "prime roast beef sandwich." But everybody could tell it was a beef on weck. But, as beefs on wecks go, it was one of the best. However, 8 tickets for only half a sandwich was a bit steep, I think.

6. Kabab and Curry: I had this stuff called Chicken Makhani with Basmati Rice. Very tasty. The sauce for the chicken is a really bright reddish-orange. But, you get a great serving size.

7. May Jen Chinese Resaurant: People who know me know I'm passionate about Chinese food. They also know I'm a bit harder on Chinese places. But I'm also pretty generous. I tried the Ginger Garlic Chicken. Pretty Good. But I'm not sure that I would order it on a regular basis. I still enjoyed it, though. I could really taste the ginger, but not so much the garlic.

8. Carmine's Restaurant: I wanted to give this place I try. I saw it local TV yesterday and my interest was piqued. I tried the crab cake stuffed shrimp. It came with this spicy remoulade which brought a nice, pleasant delayed heat. The dish itself was really good. I could see making a trip there for these.

9. Fat Bob's Smokehouse: Here, I binged. I got both the STL-style ribs and the Pulled Pork sandwich. I'm a sucker for a good pulled pork. This one was good, but needed slaw on top of it. That's really the best (and possibly only right) way to eat it. But I digress. The ribs were tender, and just the right size. I could also see making a trip for the ribs.

10. Tandoori's: I had the chicken curry with rice. One of my companions today was a curry enthusiast, so that made the dish that much better. Good curry flavor. One of my fave dishes today.

11. Zebb's: This place is not too far from me, up Route 20. I tried their NY Chili. Probably my least fave thing of the day. i don't know what it is, but I can't seem to find good chili up here. Most of the places I've tried taste like spiced-up jarred spaghetti sauce. But, the place was highly recommended by a friend, so I'll give the rest of the menu a shot at some point.

12. Orazio's: This was the 2nd or 3rd place we went to. Here,I discovered my fave dish of the day They were these little balls of olives and asiago cheese, breaded and then deep fried. The best! A trek to this place is definitely in the not-too-distant future.

13. Spicy Thai: I tried the "healthy option" here. It was 3 steamed veggie dumplings. Incredible! Steamed just right, and with the right amount of soy sauce on top. A real delight.

14. Anderson's Frozen Custard: I needed to cool off. I got the Loganberry Ice here. It was cool, with a good loganberry flavor. Not a bad ending. However, it does not pair well with Labatt Blue.

All in all, this truly was one of the best days I've had during my year up here. I love the city of Buffalo, and now I love it even more now that I've gained some insight into its culinary treasures.