Cole’s Brunch

Mimosa

I’m a sucker for brunch. Especially a brunch with good mimosa specials! Cole’s is one of my favorite Sunday brunch spots not only because they are a Buffalo staple, but they have $12 mimosa carafes and a creative Bloody Mary menu with about 10 different options.

We were able to grab a table on the patio on this gorgeous sunny day. Always good people watching on Elmwood!

Huevos Rancheros

Coles has a huge brunch menu with many different sweet and savory menu items. I normally go sweet, but this time I went savory with the Huevos Rancheros – fried eggs smothered with ranchero sauce, cheddar cheese, yellow Rice, black Beans, and Pico De Gallo. Seriously to die for.

My friend ordered the Aztec Benedict which is a twist on a traditional benedict with a poached egg and Canadian bacon on an English muffin but topped with an avocado & chipotle hollandaise, served with a side of home fries.

Aztec Benedict

Other options on the brunch menu include a hangover burrito, breakfast panini, orange cinnamon french toast, burgers, and salads. Something for everyone!

I highly recommend checking out Coles Sunday brunch. They also have a great dinner menu – check back for a blog post on that soon!

Coles is located at 1104 Elmwood Ave.

Sunset Drinks & Appetizers at Liberty Hound

Liberty Hound is a really special restaurant because they are one of the very few options right on the water in Buffalo. I recently stopped in for some dinks and appetizers with friends after a beautiful sunny day at Canalside.

We went in the evening knowing there would be a decent wait for a table, so we put our names in and got drinks at the bar first. The have many local beers on draft and about 15 signature drinks. I started with their “Liberty Mule” which was really refreshing after a day in the sun.

For dinner we were seated on the patio and had a beautiful view of both the water and the huge ship at the Naval Museum that is right next to the restaurant. I highly recommend coming here for the view alone. It’s a major plus that the food is delicious too!

My friends and I tried out a couple appetizers: calamari, pepper dip, and the Mediterranean flatbread with hummus, kalamata olives, arugula, and feta cheese. Honestly, the pepper dip wins the award for most delicious. We could not stop raving about how delicious it was; the perfect combination of spicy and cheesy.

Although we only had appetizers during this visit, Liberty Hound does have many sandwich and entrée options that sound very appetizing. I am determined to go back soon to try the entrees out before summer is over, so check back for an updated post soon! I’ll try my best to order more than the binge-worthy pepper dip.

Liberty Hound is located at 1 Naval Park Cove.

Sinatra’s

Sinatra’s has been a family favorite of mine for years now. It’s a great place to go for celebrations because they have delicious food and high-end service. Having been in business since 1981, this past year the moved into a new building right across the street. The new location is much more modern and can serve twice as many people.

During this visit, we were celebrating a birthday and went a little overboard with food and wine! We started with a couple appetizers including the Antipasto, Artichoke Francese, and a Clams Casino special.

For my entree, I wanted something traditionally Italian. The Meatball Ravioli did just the trick! The meatballs are huge and unbelievably flavorful, and the ravioli nice and cheesy. I would definitely order this again. The rest of the table ordered the Veal Parmesan, Shrimp and Lobster Scampi, and the Strip Steak.

Whether it’s your birthday, graduation, or date night, make sure to head over to Kenmore Ave for a fine dining experience!

Sinatra’s is located 945 Kenmore Ave.

Parkside Meadow

Turkey Club

Located across the street from the Buffalo Zoo, Parkside Meadow is the definition of your neighborhood pub. Originally a candy and cigar store in the 50’s, it had been vacant for 30 years when a local couple purchased the building and turned it in to a history-rich restaurant with casual food and drinks.

It is nice how kid friendly the restaurant is. On this particular day I met some of my family members after they spent the morning at the zoo. The server immediately brought over some crayons to entertain the kids so the adults could enjoy a refreshing mimosa!

Hummus Wrap

The menu has many sandwich, salad, and comfort food entrees. I ordered the Hummus wrap with lettuce, tomato, cucumber and delicious sesame dressing. It tasted really fresh and the french fries were perfectly crisp.

The rest of the table ordered a turkey Reuben on grilled rye, and the Russel St Turkey club with applewood smoked bacon, lettuce, tomato, dill mayo & topped with a fried egg on grilled sourdough. The kids had grilled cheese sandwiches which I may have stolen a couple bites…

Chocolate Peanut Butter Dessert

At the end of our meal, we were surprised with a peanut butter chocolate cake because the server overheard that we were celebrating a birthday. These small touches really add to the experience and we are likely to come back sooner rather than later!

Parkside Meadow is located at 2 Russell Street.

Rin Thai Bistro

Rin Thai Bistro

Rin Thai Bistro is a cute little restaurant with delicious food in the heart of the Elmwood Village. I went for the first time today for lunch with some of my coworkers. The have a nice little patio for the summer months and a few tables and bar stools along the wall for inside seating.

We started off with some appetizers, including the Chicken Satay, Moo Ping with sticky rice, and Crab Rangoon.  My entree was the Pad Thai with chicken, which was very flavorful. You can pick your spice level for your food from 1-5. Since it was my first time at Rin Thai, I stayed on the safe side with a level 1. A couple of my coworkers were brave and ordered level 5 and said it was spicy but not too over-the-top, so I’ll know to go a little hotter next time.

The rest of the table ordered the Red Curry Chicken, Fiery Udon, and Sesame Chicken. One person is gluten-free and the restaurant was very accommodating. We all thoroughly enjoyed the food and agreed we will have to come back again soon!

Rin Thai Bistro is located at 988 Elmwood Ave.

Tappo

Tappo Rooftop

Tappo is one of my favorite restaurants in Buffalo. They have traditional Italian dishes in a really trendy atmosphere. In the summer, you can dine on their rooftop patio that is spacious with plenty of seating, has a lounge area and a full bar.

Another awesome thing about Tappo is that they have $16 bottles of wine and champagne which is very inexpensive and typically unheard of in the city.

Stuffed Banana Peppers

Along with a bottle of prosecco, we started with the garlic cheese bread and one of the appetizer specials, which was a stuffed banana pepper topped with a sunny side up egg.

Since I’m a sucker for goat cheese, I ordered the Goat Cheese Crespelle for my entrée which is basically a crepe filled with goat cheese served with banana peppers and both an alfredo and a red sauce. Best of both worlds!

Goat Cheese Crespelle

The other entrees ordered were the Shrimp Risotto with roasted cauliflower and lobster beurre blanc, the Meat and Cheese Lasagna (which is huge!), one of the Rigatoni specials, and the meatballs. Everyone was really happy with their choices!

Tappo is located at 338 Ellicott Street.

SATO Brewpub

SATO Brewpub

I was excited to go to SATO Brewpub because I have never been to a Japanese restaurant that brews its own beer! I loved the location right away. Fun fact: it’s located in the Dun building which was Buffalo’s first skyscraper.

It’s kind of inconspicuous at first so make sure to look for the red logo on the front door. You walk down a flight of stairs where the restaurant is located in the basement. There were only two of us dining, but there are many large tables so it would be a good place to come with a large group as well.

As a brewery, they have about 6 of their own beers on draft. I tried the “Rabbit in the Moon” which is a table beer based on a traditional Japanese house green tea. It was refreshing and went well with my meal. Next time I want to try their Pear Ginger Saison which they happened to be out of on this day.

Now for the food. SATO Brewpub is an “Izakaya” – a casual Japanese gastropub meant to be a place of socializing over small-plates and beer and sake.

Since an Izakaya is known for small plates, I had to try a couple! I ordered the Ume Chicken Gyoza, Chicken Katsu served with Japanese BBQ sauce, and Steamed Bun with stout braised BBQ pork, cucumber, kimchi. Delicious! Three small plates were the perfect amount for one person.

My friend ordered the Green Curry Ramen. With chashu chicken, cilantro, bean sprouts, coconut milk, lime, fried onions, red bell pepper, and lemongrass oil, I definitely plan on ordering it next time I come to SATO Brewpub!

 

SATO Brewpub is located at 110 Pearl St.