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.

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.

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.