Buffalo, NY

[ol_ironstomach]

At DanielK's suggestion, I made a pilgrimage during our late summer vacation last year to Buffalo's Anchor Bar, the birthplace of Buffalo wings. Which were excellent, as you might hope, although the rest of their menu fell somewhere between forgettable and awful. Real Buffalo wings aren't complicated; the problem is that a whole lot of other chicken wing preparations get passed off as Buffalo wings, and now most of the country is confused about what a real Buffalo wing is supposed to be like. They're meaty. They're just deep-fried, then tossed in the sauce. Not battered, ultra-crispy, flabby, herbed, nor broiled. You just fry the things and sauce 'em.

wings at the Anchor Bar, Buffalo. 25 Aug 2009

Having said that, I don't have any local recommendations for you. I used to enjoy the ones at BWB (aka Buffalo Wings and Beer), but that was before I had the pleasure of having wings prepared by Buffalo expats, not to mention the post-race wing parties the track workers hold at Watkins Glen under the grandstands.

[DanielK]

I'll probably be ridden out of town for saying this, but ... these things look gross!

Just curious - but what strikes you? The shininess is the camera flash, BTW. They're just non-breaded fried wings, rolled in the Anchor Bar sauce (of which I brought a whole bunch of bottles home!)

[ol_ironstomach]

Hey, you don't think they hand out iron stomachs to just anybody, do you?

The shininess is the camera flash, BTW.

I've replaced the photo with a non-flash version, but of course it's going to be shiny...wing sauce is just hot sauce whisked into melted margarine or butter.

[Tweaked]

At DanielK's suggestion, I made a pilgrimage during our late summer vacation last year to Buffalo's Anchor Bar, the birthplace of Buffalo wings. Which were excellent, as you might hope, although the rest of their menu fell somewhere between forgettable and awful. Real Buffalo wings aren't complicated; the problem is that a whole lot of other chicken wing preparations get passed off as Buffalo wings, and now most of the country is confused about what a real Buffalo wing is supposed to be like. They're meaty. They're just deep-fried, then tossed in the sauce. Not battered, ultra-crispy, flabby, herbed, nor broiled. You just fry the things and sauce 'em.

wings at the Anchor Bar, Buffalo. 25 Aug 2009

ok, now I'm hungry for wings...curse you and your Iron Stomach!

[dcdavidm]

At DanielK's suggestion, I made a pilgrimage during our late summer vacation last year to Buffalo's Anchor Bar, the birthplace of Buffalo wings. Which were excellent, as you might hope, although the rest of their menu fell somewhere between forgettable and awful. Real Buffalo wings aren't complicated; the problem is that a whole lot of other chicken wing preparations get passed off as Buffalo wings, and now most of the country is confused about what a real Buffalo wing is supposed to be like. They're meaty. They're just deep-fried, then tossed in the sauce. Not battered, ultra-crispy, flabby, herbed, nor broiled. You just fry the things and sauce 'em.

wings at the Anchor Bar, Buffalo. 25 Aug 2009

Having said that, I don't have any local recommendations for you. I used to enjoy the ones at BWB (aka Buffalo Wings and Beer), but that was before I had the pleasure of having wings prepared by Buffalo expats, not to mention the post-race wing parties the track workers hold at Watkins Glen under the grandstands.

Next time you go to Buffalo, try the wings at Duff's (corner of Sheridan Drive and Millersport Highway, in suburban Amherst NY). Many Buffalonians believe them superior to Anchor Bar, which some say has jumped the shark. We have tried both often; Anchor has the history and atmosphere; Duff's has better sauce (and is closer to home).

[ktmoomau]

So this past weekend we had a wedding in Rochester. We were with another couple who like me had never been to Rochester or Buffalo. Having a little extra time on Sunday Hubby thought it would be a great idea to drive to Buffalo to get wings as he and our other friend love wings. So we drove and drove and paid tolls only to find that the Anchor bar was closed until 4pm too late for us. Duff's was closed all day. There were a couple other places we had past that looked interesting, but Hubby was not turning around so we ate at a Bob Evans on the way back to Rochester airport as there is really nothing in between. I was not happy. So as note call the Anchor Bar before trying to visit on holidays, they aren't always open. I was fit to be tied... at that point.

[ChiantiandFava]

Pt. 1

I also spent this past weekend in Buffalo/Rochester for a wedding. This is a bit of a trip review with culinary highlights so bear with me. I was an undergrad in Rochester so I wasn't totally ignorant to the area. On Friday the SO and I dropped in on the Buffalo Botanical Gardens. $6 admission is a bargain and the different rooms are thoughtfully arranged (orchids, desert room, ancient rain forest, etc.). My favorite was the Victorian Ivy/Herb garden. Pineapple sage is a feast for the senses...

For lunch we explored the Elmwood strip in downtown Buffalo, it was quite slow for a Friday afternoon. Our target was Kuni's for sushi but we settled for Sea Bar City (Kuni's is open for dinner only). The interior was dull and formulaic but the food was decent. I really enjoyed the spicy tuna rolls with a peppery cherry aioli (nope, I'm not a sushi expert) while the SO loved the texture of the scallop nigiri (but she is). We also had the hand-rolled trio, which was forgettable, and the edamame which could have used more salt. Still, it was a good lunch.

Not finding any of Sea Bar's desserts appealing we sought out Sweet Tooth, just a few blocks away. Had absolutely no problem finding parking during any leg of this trip, by the way. Very car friendly cities. Smelled delicious in here. Wished we had tried out the pastries a bit more but I was in the mood for some ice cream. The SO's pecan bar was fresh but the base was more crumbly than crusty for my liking. My ice creams, peanut butter and French roast coffee, were very tasty and (almost overly) rich.

On our way back to the car and on to the wedding we stopped in the Village Beer Merchant. Fantastic selection of craft beers and artisinal food/cooking products. The beers were a smart mix of East Coast, Belgian, and Belgian inspired. I picked up a bottle of Fantome Hiver Saison for $16. Probably a seasonal discount...