From the people that brought you Bar Bill in East Aurora, comes 189 Public House literally right next door (with the address of 189 Main Street). This Southern-influenced jazzy gastropub is a far cry from its neighbor, which might be ill-advised considering the perpetually long lines for tables at Bar Bill. On the other hand, it’s perfectly positioned to pick off those who don’t want to wait so long and want something a little bit different.

As for me, I ordered something far different. I went with the Giant Meatball Sandwich. This was topped with marinara and mozzarella and served on a bun with a choice of sides. Diverging from my normal path of fries, I picked corn on the cob for no reason other than the fact that I really never see corn on the cob as an option.

The corn on the cob was a good choice, however, the rest of the meal could have used a little work. For starters, a bun was a bad choice for these meatballs, as there was essentially no good way to eat them. A baguette or hoagie probably would have worked better, but instead i had to work to cut apart the balls into chunks that wouldn’t squeeze out of the bun with each bite. Secondly, the balls could have been a bit juicier. They weren’t dry, per se, but a little more moisture would have gone a long way. Nonetheless, they were quite flavorful and the marinara sauce was pretty nice as well.

While my Giant Meatball Sandwich could have used a few tweaks, it was still pretty acceptable. Nonetheless, I was left thinking a Bar Bill sequel would have been a much better use of the space than 189.

Chicken Wings (or Buffalo Wings to everyone else) can be found pretty much anywhere in Buffalo. And while pizza places around the country have tried to introduce wings as a side to pizza over the last few years, this is nothing new to La Nova Pizza. With a location in the city and another in Williamsville, we made our way to Williamsville to get all of their goods.

Little did we know that this location was more of a carry out situation, but we grabbed seats at basically the only stools available and placed our orders. We began with some of their hot wings, then topped it off with their bacon cheeseburger pizza. And before I go any further, I should also mention that my buddy got some Bar-B-Que Wings “from the Pit” that had no business being as good as they were. Much of this was due to the fact that they were actually grilled and had perfect char to go with the rest of the flavor.

But as for my food, the wings were certainly tasty. By no means was their sauce amazing, but it was better than average and at a heat level that most people would find comfortable. The pizza we ordered was massive, sliced into squares and oozing with cheese (mozzarella and cheddar), ground beef and bacon. It also had tomato sauce, which was actually the best part of the pizza. Sure, the cheese, beef and bacon were great. I mean, how could those things not be? But that tomato sauce really solidified why La Nova was a worthy pizza joint to visit.

Having now visited La Nova, it is obvious to me why nationwide pizza joints want to capitalize on the addition of wings. The trouble is that to do so, they have to really care about their wings, like by preparing them the way La Nova does. It doesn’t hurt to make a damn good pizza either.

As a fan of Mexican food, I often find myself fighting against Mexican food pretenders. Yet, when a restaurant embraces its non-authenticity I am all for it as long as it’s good. Cantina Loco in Allentown is one of those places that isn’t feigning authenticity, but it has apparently been crazy popular since opening back in 2011 and I hoped that would mean good things for the food.

We started with an order of their chips and queso (you know, after a round of drinks). It was a good way to start out the meal, because the queso was a delicious mix of cheese and chili flavor with flaky-thin chips. I would have preferred more queso, but the dip was actually so rich that just a little bit on each chip was plenty.

As for my main course, I ordered one of their special tacos, specifically the pork belly variety. This came with a pineapple and red pepper relish, cilantro, some melty cheese and of course the belly of the pork. Ordinarily I would have ordered without the relish because of the red pepper, but I was told it was sweet and crossed my fingers that it would taste nothing like the nasty vegetable it originated from. Oh yeah, I also ordered a side of refritos (refried beans), because I was in the mood to be gassy.

Fortunately, my wishes came true for the taco relish. It was undoubtedly sweet and actually pretty tasty. Overall, the tacos were pretty good-sized and had a fair amount of meat. In a nice twist, the pork belly was actually kind of pulled apart instead of coming in big fatty chunks, which made them unique. Yet, while the relish was good, there was simply too much of it. I had to scrape a good deal of it away to get through to the other flavors of the taco, which was a shame but at least manageable.

The refritos were a nice little side that taste good on their own, tossed on the taco and even dipped in with the remaining chips. They were different from your ordinary Mexican restaurant refried beans because individual beans were actually visible, but then Cantina Loco isn’t an ordinary Mexican restaurant. Even so, it is a good spot with a some unique eats and with just a little more balance it could be even better.

After the disappointment of Theodore’s Red Hots, I thought I would see if Ted’s Hot Dogs, the one that started up in 1927, was any better. After all, they had plenty of time to perfect the recipe. This time, though, I went with a meal deal because I had a coupon and because two chili cheese dogs in one night obviously isn’t enough for me. So, along with the chili cheese dog I ordered fries and a drink.

Like Theodore’s, the Sahlen’s dog went onto the charcoal grill until it was nicely charred up. Then it got the nacho cheese squirt and a ladle of chili. The deal came with fries and a drink, and for my drink I ordered Loganberry pop because it intrigued me.

For starters, no one should ever drink Loganberry pop. It might truly be the worst beverage concocted by man, tasting like pure sugar with a funky/terrible flavor. I couldn’t blame Ted’s for having a horrible fountain drink, but I could blame them for somehow having a chili less flavorful than Theodore’s. This is actually a feat because Ted’s seemingly discovered there is something less than no flavor. The hot dog itself was good, but that was almost masked by the nothing on top.

The fries were fine, but they were also pretty normal. I’d like to say they’d be better with chili and cheese, but having tried that combo on a hot dog, I wasn’t so sure.

In the end, I would love to continue eating Sahlen’s hot dogs, but I can definitely do that in the comfort of my own home. Usually I don’t make such comparisons because we go out instead of preparing food. But these are hot dogs. They require so little effort and even less than going to a hot dog spot.

Buffalo is not a new city. In fact, it’s so old that they have a place called Ulrich’s 1868 Tavern. The 1868 means it first opened in 1868, you know, three years after the Civil War concluded and the first year of the Meiji Restoration. So the place is old, and despite some recent renovations, Ulrich’s definitely maintains the old world charm that makes it easy to picture old shipmen in the 1800s hanging out with Buffalo wenches.

Despite the apparent misgivings of my waitress, I decided to have one of their specials for dinner. It was called the Holstein Schnitzel and was basically a variation on their regular weinerschnitzel with a fried egg on top. I picked chicken over veal and while the menu said it came with potatoes, I decided to get an additional side of mac and cheese because it was supposed to be damn good.

Unfortunately, when the schnitzel came out, it appeared to be the veal variety and also had a bunch of sauerkraut. These were both disappointing and although I told the waitress it was the wrong meat, she seemed confused and I just decided to go with it. Unfortunately the kraut juices effectively destroyed the potatoes, but the schnitzel survived for the most part and was pretty good despite being the wrong meat. The egg was perfect and runny, but could not make up for the kraut.

The mac was just as delicious as billed, though. It was perfectly creamy and the noodles were cooked perfectly. If I were to go back to Ulrich’s, I would just load up on mac and cheese. I can’t imagine anything better on the menu and very few things go better with beer in a tavern 146 years young.

Mexican food and subs seems to be a combination prevalent in Buffalo. In trying to account for this, I’ve come to the conclusion that both are delicious after a few drinks. Still, a lot of things are delicious after tossing a few back, so I’m not quite sure how this combination formed. Nonetheless, the curiosity brought me to Elmwood Taco & Subs in Elmwood Village, where they have another surprise to throw in with the tacos and sandies.

After much contemplation, which is necessary when deciding between two intrinsically different food types, I decided on a sub. I went with chicken tender, because I actually still hadn’t had one (unless you count the stinger) and this seemed just the place to start. Now, for those of you that don’t know Buffalo, chicken tender subs are actually spicy like wings and I went with their hot sauce (as opposed to medium or mild). It came with cheese (white American), lettuce and tomatoes, and I immediately rejected the latter two toppings. I also snagged an order of waffle fries with cheese. I can never say enough about waffle fries, so I had to get them.

The 12 inch sub was bigger than I expected, but quite tasty. I was a big fan of the spicy sauce and the way the chicken filled out the sub so nicely. The waffle fries came in a bag and was also much bigger than I expected. Despite looking pale and white, they were actually nice and crispy, going perfectly with the cup of cheese that smartly came on the side in order to avoid sogginess.

Elmwood Taco & Subs was a nice little spot in a cool part of town. The food seems nice and consistent; the kind of place I could see myself regularly if it was closer. It wasn’t spectacular, but then it is hard to be too amazing with subs and waffle fries were a nice touch. If I make it back, I’ll have to shift over to tacos and see what that could offer.

Beef on Weck may sound like some sort of disgusting mistake, but it’s really just roast beef on a roll with salt and carraway seed. Despite its relative simplicity, it’s a huge deal up here in Western New York. One of the supposed best is Charlie the Butcher, which has more than a few locations around town, including one in East Aurora. The East Aurora location, though, is is an express and resides within a gas station.

Despite the odd choice of location, I got to watch as the lady behind the counter sliced off some beef, cut the kummelweck roll in half and dipped the top half into au jus and put the pieces together. It came with a side of horseradish for my own personal spreading on the sandwich. It turned out to be by far the best beef on weck I have had. Granted, it was only my second outing, but the beef was just made for a sandwich like this, without too much flavor so that the salt and carraway could add to it, while the au jus kept it all just moist enough. The beef itself could have been a little more moist, but wasn’t dry enough to complain. Plus, the option of adding my own horseradish was pretty great.

After this, I am eager to get out and try one of the full-on Charlie the Butchers. Yet even if I don’t make it, I know Charlie can make one damn good sandwich.

Downtown Buffalo hosts all sorts of fun events during the summer and so far none more fun than Thursdays at Canalside. But right by Canalside is place called Pearl Street Grill & Brewery, which is supposed to have some good things to eat and drink. As a man who loves brewery food, I was excited at the prospect of Pearl Street and after ordering one of their seasonal beers I took a gander at their menu.

What I found was exactly as I expected, as in burgers, sandwiches, pizza and all that good brewery food. I chose the Ditch Digger Burger, topped with double smoked bacon, cheddar and onion rings. Like the rest of the burgers, it also came with lettuce and tomato, plus fries. I ordered medium-rare without the lettuce and tomato, but failed to ask about pickles. As in many cases, this would be my undoing, as the burger arrived with a couple of nasty pickles.

Yet, while this was a bit of my undoing, the truth is that this was but a small aspect of the disappointment of the burger. There was also a stray piece of some unrecognizable vegetable laying upon the patty and the onion rings seemed to be hastily thrown upon the burger with no regard for order. While the bacon and cheese were good, as always, the patty left a lot to be desired. Not only was it overcooked, but it wasn’t even the overcooked that comes juicy from butter or some other juicifier. No, this was just working its way toward hockey puck levels, although not quite getting there.

The fries made a futile, but noble, attempt to redeem the burger. They were good, but I didn’t order fries with a side of burger.

In the end, it’s best to stick to the drinks at Pearl Street. They aren’t all good, but at least when you finish them you’re on your way to drunk instead of disappointment.

In a rare move since moving to Western New York for the summer, I consulted the interwebs to grab a meal at the last-minute. By this I mean that nearly every other spot I’ve hit up so far has been on recommendation from an actual human. On this occasion the interwebs sent me to Savory’s in Hamburg for brunch. We were seated immediately, but not before catching a glimpse of the specials.

And these specials looked amazing, especially the one that apparently stays up all the time: The Farm House Hash and Eggs. Normally “farm” is a red flag for an unvegan in a dish. It often signals vegetables, but in this case it was quite the opposite, meaning a load of bacon, sausage, kielbasa and ham (which was necessary seeing as we were in Hamburg). This came on a choice of hash browns or home fries (each with cheese), two eggs done any way and toast. I picked regular hash, sunnyside up eggs and rye toast.

Let me tell you, the interwebs pointed me in the right direction when it gave me Savory’s. My meal was nothing short of an unvegan dream. The bread was nice and buttery, the eggs were perfectly runny and the main hash of it all? Amazing. Just when you think there is too much meat, little slices of hash browns and cheddar cheese come through to maintain balance. In addition, Savory’s seemed to choose their meats wisely, each adding a unique bit of flavor without overpowering or getting blurred.

Based on their Farm House Hash and Eggs, Savory’s knows what they’re doing. Plus, they even have some badass-looking options on the sweet side for those so inclined to go that way. Hell, I might even try one of those out if I get back there again.

In the land of Western New York, a great battle is being waged over Americanized Mexican fast food. In one corner there is Taco Bell, perennial favorite around the country. In the other is Mighty Taco, a local favorite with just about as much connection to Mexico as general stability (read: none). Yet, I knew I had to try it out to see what kind of competition it is to the first love of my life.

I decided I had to try out a few items to really test out Mighty Taco. It began with two tacos, one with barbecue pork and the other with ground beef. They also came with cheese, tomato and lettuce, so I told them to hold the latter two crappy ingredients. I was given the option of white, wheat or corn tortilla and chose white (which I assumed meant flour) and also a choice of sauce and went with hot. The result was pretty good, although the pork was a bit too sweet. Neither were anything special, but they got the job done at a good price.

As for that other thing in the picture up above, it’s the Banderito from their specialty burrito menu. It’s filled with fajita steak, “Buffito” chicken (which apparently means actual grilled chicken with buffalo sauce), more chicken in apparent fajita form, lettuce, blue cheese and hot sauce. Of course I ordered without the lettuce and this was a wise choice. In fact, the Banderito was the best thing I had, it was quite tasty and while it doesn’t seriously threaten Taco Bell, it is a nice thing to have to switch things up every once in while.