Bar Reviews

Winery Reviews

Restaurant Reviews

41 West Bar and Grill
Alaimo's
BJ's
The Caboose
Club 35
Coughlan's Pub
Coyle's Pub
Down Wind Cafe
Ellicottville Brewing Company
Heenan's
Lil Magill's
Muldoon's Irish Pub
Old Main
Sunny's
Valentine's
Johnson Estate Winery
Noble Winery
Schloss Doepkin Winery
Seven Vines Winery
Twenty-One Brix Winery
Vetter Vineyards Winery
21 East Cafe
Aldo's
American Legion Post
Aunt Millie's Family Restaurant and Bakery
El Azteca
Best Buffet
The Brick Room
Buster Brown Bean Company
Central Station
China King
The Colony
DeJohn's Italian Restaurant
Demetri's on the Lake
Ellicottville Brewing Company
East Side Grill
Four Seasons
Four Corners Diner
Gobbler's Knob
The Golden Griddle
The Green Arch
Intermezzo Coffee House
Lena's Pizza
Liberty Cafe
Locovore (Nature's Network)
Mary's Deli
Mongolian Buffet
Nomad's Place
Payne's Kettle and Keg
Rocco's
Sheridan Diner
The Sugar Shack
The Sunset Bay Restaurant
Tom's Family Restaurant
Tuscany Grill
The Upper Crust
The Vineyard
The White Horse Inn
The White Inn
Wing City Grille
Wolf's Run
Zebro's Harbor House

Bar Reviews


When I worked at Time Warner, I swore that if I ever got a better job that was local, I was going to celebrate by having a drink in every bar in Fredonia. I did my bar run on 10/15-16/2010.

Sunny's -- 43 Water Street -- permanently closed
Sign on the door says they sold alcohol to minors.

The Caboose -- 64 West Main Street -- permanently closed
For sale sign on wall. I don't think I've ever seen this place open. I know people who inspected it with a thought to buying it, said it would take several thousand to get it up to code.

Valentine's (formerly Coyle's Pub) -- 12 Water Street -- 10/15/2010 8:15PM
$2.50 for a Killian's draft. The beer was tepid, not cold. The band was still setting up, live music at 10PM Drink specials on a huge blackboard, I apparently missed Happy Hour by half an hour but there was only one other customer in the place. Very plain decor, beer signs on the walls, a huge fish tank on the bartender's island. No kitchen!

Old Main -- 24 Water Street -- 10/15/2010 8:45PM
$3 for a Labatt's Blue Light, it was cold. The brick walls and black ceiling provided a suitable background to the random Halloween decorations. Crowded with college kids. 3 TVs. The pool table sat unused, but the beer pong table was in full use with a line waiting. Dress code for coeds seemed to be tight dresses. Jukebox playing. No kitchen!

Muldoon's Irish Pub (formerly Alaimo's) -- 26 Water Street -- 10/15/2010 9:10PM
$2.50 for Killian's on draft. Five customers in the bar. Permanent Irish decorations on the bar with halloween decorations over them. A collection of assorted frogs surrounds the Budweiser sign. One wall is covered in firefighter patches, another wall is covered in customer photos. DJ booth in back currently empty. 2 TVs and a beer pong table. No kitchen! A 'second' bar, The Hairy Lemon is upstairs, you have to go through Muldoon's to get to it. I have not seen it open for business.

Lil Magill's -- 13 Water Street -- 10/15/2010 9:50PM
5 TVs, an electronic dartboard. The place is so packed with college students, there's no room to sit down. I left without ordering a drink.

Heenan's -- 19 East Main Street -- 10/15/2010 10:15PM
No sign on the outside until April 2011. Not a college hangout, an older crowd. 2 dartboards, a popcorn machine but no bowls available. 3 TVs in bar area, side room has additional TVs Pool table. Bar decorations mostly license plates and bumper stickers No kitchen!

41 West Bar and Grill -- 41 West Main -- 10/16/2010 8:30PM
$2.50 for Killian's draft, served in a plastic glass! 12 TVs, band still setting up, a few token Halloween decorations here and there. No sign of a food menu, but the flash sign is advertising wings and fingers, $0.40 each and Friday fish fry. Kitchen open 4:30-8:30PM. one electric dartboard behind the band stage Walls decorated with sports memorbilia, mostly Bills, Sabres, and local high schools. One table is painted to look like a basketball court, another painted for beer pong games.

Coughlan's Pub -- 47 West Main -- 10/16/2010 8:45PM
$2 Killians served in a Killian's glass! 5TVs, one electronic dartboard, popcorn machine, but the popcorn is heavily salted Wall decorations are photos of bar patrons and sports memorbilia. One token Irish flag. No stage for a band, no kitchen!

BJ's -- 51 West Main Street -- 10/16/2010 9PM
Place is so packed with college students there was nowhere to sit. I left without ordering a drink

Ellicottville Brewing Company -- 34 West Main -- 10/16/2010 9:15PM www.ellicottvillebrewing.com
$2 for an Amber Bock, they brew their own, 15 kinds of draft beer. 4 TVs, no band stage, but their webpage says they have bands come in. For $20 you can get a Pub Card which is good for a year and entitles you to discounts on food and drinks. It was a peaceful bar with quiet music playing until the college bar hoppers caught up with me. They were wearing pub crawl t-shirts that they were trying to get autographed in every bar.

Club 35 -- 35 Water Street -- 10/19/2010 10PM
There's actually a story behind this. A bar was closed down for selling alcohol to minors. A DJ from another bar asked town officials if there would be any problem getting a liquor license if he bought the bar. He had no previous connection to it. He was told no problem. He bought the bar. The town officials denied him a liquor license because there were already too many bars in Fredonia. Stuck with a mortgage payment and no income, he came up with what I thought was a brilliant solution. He boarded over all the windows and then opened up Club 35, a non-alcoholic soda and juice bar... with nude dancers! When the outraged town officials checked the law, they found the same thing he did. Strip clubs and nude bars have to follow very narrow regulations or face the loss of their liquor license! He even told the newspapers that if he got a liquor license, the girls would be packing their bags that evening. After two years of wrestling with the town officials, he bought a bar in Dunkirk and sold Club 35... to the girls themselves. The bar is owned by the dancers who work there.

I paid a $10 cover charge and $3 for a Sierra Mist, which made this my most expensive stop of the night. When I got there at 10PM, no one was dancing yet. They started later. The place looks like an old disco, with a DJ booth and a stage with two poles. There was a pool table in the corner. And bedrooms in back. Yes, bedrooms. Signs advertised a 'couch dance' for $22 and 'bed dance' for $49. I thought the prices were rather odd-ball, why not just $25 and $50?

My life got busy with one thing and another. However to celebrate my birthday, I decided to hit the two bars I missed on my original bar run.

Lil Magill's -- 13 Water Street -- 4/2/2011 10:30PM
$2 Labatt's draft. 5 TVs, electronic dartboard, blasting music, not nearly as crowded as the last time Male to Female ratio, about 60:40, most of the women wearing tight skirts and playing darts

BJ's (formerly Down Wind Cafe) -- 51 West Main Street -- 4/2/2011 10:45PM
$2.50 for Labatt's Blue bottle 1 TV, 2 electronic dartboards, 1 foosball table decor is mostly unframed paintings, benches run the length of the side wall assorted paraphenalia hangs from the ceiling The bar top is sticky, I don't think they ever wipe it down. Food service in back

Restaurant Reviews


A brief word of explanation. My wife's thesis advisor was Dr. William Rappaport. Nearly 20 years ago, he created a small handout of places to eat around the University of Buffalo campus for an Association for Computational Linguistics conference held at UB in 1988. It now has its own website ( http://www.cse.buffalo.edu/restaurant.guide), includes restaurants throughout Western New York and is cross-referenced by cuisine, location, rating and reviewer. Needless to say, Chautauqua County is not well represented. I've decided to correct the matter by creating my own restaurant review website for Chautauqua County.

A word about my rating system: 1.) It's subjective, YMMV. How could it be anything else? 2.) My ratings are based on expectations for the type of restaurant that it is. A '3' is dead average, exactly what I expected when I walked in the door. So, if I give a '4' to a sandwich shop and a '3' to a romantic restaurant, that doesn't mean I'm taking my wife to a sandwich shop for Valentines Day. It means the romantic restaurant was exactly what I expect of a romantic restaurant while the sandwich shop has a really great hot pastrami sandwich.

That being said, a fast-food chain follows rigid standards so each restaurant in the chain is exactly like every other restaurant in the chain. So, it would be highly unusual for a fast-food restaurant to get anything except '3 out of 5'.

Landmark references: Main Street is marked as Route 20 as you head out of town. Bennett Road is better marked as Route 60. Wendy's and McDonald's are kitty corner where Route 20 and Route 60 intersect. From there, the restaurants are listed in order going north on Route 60. Vineyard Drive starts where Thruway Exit 59 meets Route 60. Bob Evan's and Applebees face each other on the corner of Vineyard and Bennett Road.


Restaurant: Buster Brown Bean Company
Type: Coffeehouse
Location: 33 Church Street, Fredonia, NY 14063
Date: Saturday, February 16, 2013 & Friday, March 8, 2013
Rating: **** out of 5 stars

After work, off on a quest to find the perfect Friday Fish Fry. This time, my wife found one on WGRZ's website right in town. We went to Buster Brown's Bean Cafe, site of the former Nomad's Place, site of the former Hook and Ladder, etc.

Excellent fish, not quite the perfection of Kettle and Keg last week, but very good. Slightly more expensive. Soups, dinner, alcohol cost about $40. It's a coffee house during the week, a bistro with live entertainment on weekends. My wife and I had breakfast burritos with a friend one Saturday morning (also excellent!), but this was our first dinner here. Surprisingly, the owner took the mike and started belting out a song. He's very good. He looks young enough to be in his thirties, but he has a heck of a repretoire of songs of his grandfather's age. He was also flirting with my wife :) serenading her with "It Had to be You." After we finished our meals, we ordered more alcohol and stayed for the entertainment. My wife ordered a glass of wine he was out of, next thing I know she's up at the counter, he's got half-dozen open wine bottles and he's letting her sample. We closed the joint, three and a half hours after we first got there.


Restaurant: Four Corners Diner
Type: Diner
Location: 2705 Main Street, Sheridan NY 14135
Date: Friday, February 22, 2013
Rating: ***-3/4 out of 5

Formerly known as Sheridan Diner, formerly known as Gobbler's Knob. It's the diner in Sheridan. It was a Friday, it was Lent, and I was looking for a fish-fry. They're newly re-opened. The decor has not changed much since the last re-incarnation. They've managed to squeeze a restaurant booth into one corner, but the rest of the place is still small tables and chairs. Normally, they're only open for breakfast and lunch and closed by 2PM, but for Lent they're open until 7PM on Wednesdays and Fridays. When I drove by a few days later, I saw the outside sign was changed and now they're only open late on Fridays. We both ordered the Friday Fish Fry special. A generous piece of fish, served with coleslaw, macaroni salad, and french fries. I think the slaw and salad are storebought, and the fries were frozen before frying, but the fish was good. They're newly opened, so no beer license yet, and they can't take credit cards yet. Fortunately, they take checks, or I would have been washing dishes that night. :) The blackboard menu was advertising Fat Boys, which the waitress says are a type of short submarine sandwich and very popular. I'll have to go back and try one.


Restaurant: Payne's Kettle and Keg
Type: Bar and Grill
Location: 243 Lake Shore Drive East, Dunkirk NY 14048
Date: Friday, March 3, 2013
Rating: ***** out of 5 stars

It's a Friday during Lent, so naturally I wanted to go out for a fish fry. Just for grins, I googled "fish fry Fredonia" to see what would come up. I then googled "fish fry Fredonia NY" to eliminate those wonderful sounding restaurants in Wisconsin. :) Interestly, this place did come up that I wanted to check out. We had to drive around the block twice before I lucked out and got a parking space someone was pulling out of. It was a ten-minute wait for a table. And the tables were so close together that you had to suck in your gut and turn sideways to pass between some of them. That said, it was possibly one of the best fish fries I've ever had in my life.

It's your typical bar and grill. Bar in front, restaurant in back. There's a vaguely nautical theme to the restaurant, with seashells and models of ships and lighthouses, along with a few nautical paintings on whitewashed walls. The windows are curtained with the same red fabric as the tablecloths which has anchors and ships when seen close up.

The seafood menu is only available on Fridays. That's what everybody was there to eat. I don't think I saw a single adult order anything else. To me, this says worlds about the food. They could have used at least one more waitress as the place was packed to the gills and the women were moving at a near frantic pace to keep all the customers happy. We each ordered an Amber Boch to drink (tall glass!) and cups of clam chowder (no bowls available, just cups) for $.99 and I ordered a shrimp cocktail for an additional $.99. The cups were somewhat small, but excessively so. The New England Clam Chowder was very good. We speculated that they don't offer bowls to keep from running out. The shrimp cocktail was packed solid with mini-shrimp.

The fish was fried haddock and they were generous pieces, fried without being overly greasy. The meal comes with fries, slaw, potato salad, macaroni salad, bread and butter. We loved the meal, my wife's only complaint was that the tartar sauce was so-so and she wants to come back to try other menu items during the week. Two beers, two meals, three appetizers, just under $30.


Restaurant: Tuscany Grill
Type: Grill
Location: 450 East Main Street, Fredonia NY 14063
Date: August 11, 2012
Rating: *** out of 5 stars

The Tuscany Deli moved into a former nursery. The empty greenhouses are still standing. For the last couple of summers, they've set up a trailer in the parking lot to serve grill food. Only grill food; burgers, hot dogs, fries, chicken, sausages, etc. No veggies. There are 'combo meals' (meat, fries, drink) of various sizes but they wouldn't let my wife substitute onion rings for fries even though they're the same price on the side. So we both ordered Italian sausages with onions and peppers, one as a combo meal with fries, the other with drink and onion rings ordered separately. It came to $19.

The place is cash only. No debit or credit cards. No bathrooms. One trash can, they could have used a few more. If you're downwind, it smells like a grill for quite a distance. There's six picnic tables with sun shades immediately around the trailer, there's another half-dozen in the nearest empty greenhouse in case of rain. We started out at an outdoor table but moved inside the green house due to heavy winds. The seagulls are hopeful and will snap up anything that drops, but they're too scared of humans to actually be a pest.

The Italian sausages were quite good, however even the generous portion was dwarfed by the huge toasted roll it came in. We ended up feeding half the roll to the gulls. The onion rings were a little bit overdone for my tastes. The fries are a bit greasy but huge portions. We saw a couple order one large fries and two drinks. It was large enough to be a meal for both of them.

The grill is only open during the summmer. I saw no indication of how long the season is or what hours it's open other than a small sign on the door of the trailer saying 'Closed Sundays'


Restaurant: Best Buffet
Type: Chinese
Location: 10514 Bennett Road, Dunkirk NY 14048
Date: Various
Rating: *** out of 5

This is the other Chinese Restaurant in Fredonia. The food is marginally better at China King. Seating area in front, two long tables in back. There's a small grill in the back corner with hot American food like sausages. The soups are very good. I could make a meal of just their hot-and-sour soup alternating with their won-ton. They don't understand cheese. In theory, you don't need a knife because all chinese food is cut into bite-sized pieces before it reaches the table. In practice, they need to cut some of their bite-sized pieces smaller. They serve crab claws, but no crackers. My wife and I have learned to bring our own. The bathrooms are clean and slightly oriental in flavor with painted mirrors.


Restaurant: Wolf's Run
Type: Diner
Location: 12795 NY438, Irving 14081
Date: July 16, 2012
Rating: ***** out of 5 stars

Normally, I brown bag it for lunch. We had gone out for dinner on the weekend, so there were no leftovers for my lunch. At lunchtime, I punched out at work, drove down the road to the diner I pass everyday and walked in. The sub of the month was Supreme, so I ordered that. It was ready in about 15 minutes. I paid for it and drove back to work. It was a kind of cross between an assorted sub and a philly steak sub with hot grilled meat and fresh veggies. It was possibly one of the best subs I've ever had in my life. The restaurant decor is typical diner. There's a gas station attached to the diner. I don't know what the bathrooms are like, I didn't use them.


Restaurant: The Colony Restaurant
Type: Fine Dining
Location: 876 Main Road, Irving NY 14081
Date: April 6, 2012
Rating: *** out of 5 stars

As usual, we were going out on Fridays in Lent for fish fries. It was also my birthday so we decided to hit a restaurant slightly upscale. They have a fish platter, but it's $37! It consists of scallops, shrimp, clams casino, catch of the day and a lobster tail. We settled for a cup of clam chowder each ($3.50) and the fried haddock special ($10).

It's more elegant on the inside than it looks on the outside. Soft music playing, subdued lighting, live plants in the window and room partitions to divide up the room and baffle some of the sound.

My Sam Adams beer came in a Sam Adams glass! The chowder was a bit heavy on the dill and celery and actually had a green tint to it. The fresh bread was very good. The plate was huge with two generous pieces of fish, coleslaw, potato salad and fries. The fish was very good, the slaw was not overly sweet like most places, the fries were so-so. The potato salad was good, but a bit starchy. Both the chowder and the soup were made with red potatoes, skins included. A bit pricey, but a nice place to celebrate something.


Restaurant: DeJohn's Italian Spaghetti House
Type: Italian
Location: 26 West Main Street, Fredonia NY 14063
Date: October 28, 2011
Rating: *** out of 5 stars

First of all, the place does not take credit cards. There's an ATM in bar now, but it charges a fee. The bar is in the front of the building, the restaurant is in the back. The bar has the shortest ceilings I've ever seen in a public building. I'm 5'6" and there are points where the ceiling is brushing my hair. Typical bar with neon in the windows and bar mirror covered in bottles.

The restaurant in back is much nicer. You're in a greenhouse which overlooks the parking lot. The ceiling are much taller, the walls are painted with faded murals of Italy which really need to be touched up. The flowers everywhere are all plastic, along with most of the statues which gives the place the feel of an Italian garden. The tables have red and white checkered tablecloths. Fake tiffany lamps hang from the ceiling.

We ordered the appetizer platter ($8), which was mostly deep-fried stuff with various dipping sauces; a half carafe of merlot ($13) which was a good wine, if not great; my wife ordered the rigatoni with sausage ($8); while I ordered ravioli platter ($8.50) which came with cheese, mushroom, and beef filled raviolis. Dessert was homemade cannolis ($2.50)

The service was efficient and friendly. The bathrooms are in the bar, and should be remodeled as they strike me as older. At the very least, a fresh paint job.


Restaurant: Tom's Family Restaurant
Type: Family Restaurant
Location: 935 Route 5 & 20, Irving NY 14081
Date: March 16, 2012
Rating: ***** out of 5 stars

Tom's Family Restaurant is on the same intersection with Sunset Bay Restaurant, which I've already reviewed, and kitty-corner to it. There's a vaguely nautical theme to the place with plastic fish and seascapes and lighthouse border wallpaper mounted on the walls, and plastic 'stained glass' panels of beach scenes dividing the booths. Several aquariums strategically placed as well. The front wall of the building is a half-greenhouse, which is probably the best seat in the house on sunny days.

We came for a Lenten fish fry. In addition to the regular plastic menu, we got a printed handout with the Lenten specials, most of the fish selections were a dollar or more off the regular price. We each ordered the fisherman's platter. The haddock was large and quite good, the scallops were delicious, the shrimp were quite good. My clams were good, my wife's were slightly overdone. The restaurant does not have an alcohol license, so we had lemon-lime and iced tea. Service was fast and efficient, despite the place being crowded for Lent.

The dessert menu changes daily. Actually, there is no menu, there's a large refrigerated display case in the front room where you can look over the desserts before ordering. The wait staff can also rattle them off for you. The portions are generous. Their single cream puff would nearly be a meal in itself. The majority of the desserts were various cream or fruit pies, with eclaires, cream puffs, cheese cake and carrot cake. We shared a slice of cheesecake. Heavenly. Prices very reasonable.

EDITED TO ADD: We went back on March 30th. The waitress not only remembered us, but our food order as well. This gal is good!


Restaurant: Central Station
Type: Diner
Location: 332 Central Avenue, Dunkirk NY
Date: March 3, 2012
Rating: *** out of 5 stars

The place was reviewed in the then-current issue of the Chautauqua Star, so we decided to try it out. We were afraid that since it had just been reviewed, it would be mobbed, but it was actually empty except for one other table. Normally, it's only open 7AM to 3PM, seven days a week, but they stay open until 8PM on Fridays in Lent to serve fish.

There's a vague train theme to the restaurant but it's confined to the logos on the menu and a wooden version on the back wall, along with historical photos of old trains and depots from the area. There's also a couple of old lanterns in the window as props.

It's a diner, one room with eight tables and a second room with another six tables. There's also stools so you can eat at the counter, but they're so poorly placed, you literally cannot get to them if the table in the back is occupied. In addition to the front door, there's a side door leading to the 'park', a widened alleyway with a few planters and benches. I imagine it's convienent for employees at the other businesses that open onto the park.

The menu is the usual slick plastic coated affair, however you also get a photocopied menu that is hand-written with all the stuff they now serve since the other menus got printed, mostly chicken, subs, sandwiches and wraps. There is no alcohol, beer or wine listed. I was mildly amused to see that the salt and pepper shakers didn't match. The salt shakers were the standard glass with metal top you expect to see in a diner, the pepper shakers were the throwaway plastic ones you buy for your picnic basket.

We ordered bowls of New England Clam Chowder and Fisherman's Platters. The latter were advertised with homemade macaroni salad, potato salad, and coleslaw. Apparently the breakfast menu also has homemade hollandaise sauce for the eggs benedict.

The waitress was a chubby tattooed goth, reminding me of Paulie Parette from NCIS. :D I counted 3 cooks in the kitchen. Considering there was only one other table of six, and only one person came in for a pre-ordered 'to go' order, it should now have taken as long as it did for us to get our food. It wasn't as bad as the American Legion Post last week, but it was still overly long. The waitress forgot to bring us our chowder when it was ready and only brought it out after the platters which may have compounded the problem. Because it had a chance to sit and cool, it was only warm, not hot from the stove. It was good, but I would have preferred it to be hotter.

The fried haddock was good and nearly twice the size of what we got at the American Legion Post the previous week. The clams were overfried to the point of being barely edible. The slaw was a bit sweet, the macaroni salad was good. The shrimp were pre-peeled before being dipped and fried so I didn't have any shrimp tails to deal with, a nice touch. The haddock was very good. The newspaper review recommended the dessert menu, but the dinner portions were generous and we were quite full. The service a bit under par, but the food was good and portions generous. Three stars out of five.


Restaurant: American Legion Post
Type: Lenten Fish Fry
Location: 156 E. Main Street, Fredonia NY 14063
Date: Friday, February 24th, 2012
Rating: 1/2* out of 5 stars

It's Lent. It was Friday. We like to go for good Fish Fry. Normally, the paper publishes a list of Top Ten Lenten Fish Fry. They didn't this year. The American Legion Post on Main Street serves a Lenten Fish Fry, Fridays between 4:30 and 8. We went. NEVER AGAIN. We arrived at 6:30. And waited. They had two waitresses, they could have used four. The menu was one page; large haddock, small haddock, shrimp, scallops, and fisherman's platter which is a small haddock, shrimp, & scallops. Alcohol is only for members, due to their limited liquor license. We ordered scallops and a platter. WE WAITED OVER AN HOUR FOR OUR FOOD! Listening in on other tables, we were not the worst case. One table waited TWO HOURS. I was getting ready to leave when our food finally arrived. It wasn't bad, but then it's hard to screw up fried fish. When we got our check, I picked it up. The waitress came around to my side of the table, and started reading the bill aloud while I was trying to calculate a tip. I told her to stop and SHE GOT HUFFY WITH ME. We got charged for refills of our pop. Considering we had to wait an hour for food, we should have gotten the drinks comped. So, long wait, a much belated apology, rude wait staff, mediocre food and the men's room was out of paper towels. HALF A STAR OUT OF FIVE.


Restaurant: Sunset Bay Restaurant
Type: Diner
Location: 954 Main Road, Irving NY 14081
Date: Wednesday, July 8th, 2011
Rating: ***** out of 5 stars

Wednesday is All-You-Can-Eat Clam Night and I am in lurve! Big, hot, juicy, steamed clams and ice-cold beer! Just $19.50. Yum!

Despite the apparently completely different address, this place is just down the street from Aunt Millie's. It's on the corner of Main and Alleghany Roads, kitty corner with Tom's Family Restaurant. Not to be confused with the Sunset Grill directly across the street from Aunt Millie's.

It's a plain brick building, one and a half stories, with the upper story in siding. You can enter either via the bar on Allegheny, or from the restaurant parking lot on Main. There is lots of parking. Inside, it's a drop panel ceiling, white walls, a few black and white paintings for decoration and lots of woodwork polished until it gleams. The tables are faux marble and the chairs are wooden with padded seats. They also gleam. The bar is just another dining room except it has a bar along one wall, it doesn't have a 'tavern' look to it.

Our waitress was prompt, polite, friendly and efficient. The first round of clams is a platter of 16, with a side-order of french fries. 'Refill' platters are an even dozen. You get two fresh lemon slices and a little cup of butter with each platter. All the condiments you could want for clams and fries are in the little rack on each table; ketchup, mustard, salt, pepper, red Tabasco sauce, green Tabasco sauce, and malt vinegar. I finished off 4 dozen clams (the extra 8 were from my wife's plate that she couldn't finish).

I have no idea what the rest of their food tastes like. The rating above is strictly for the Clam Special. MMMmmmmm. Clams with butter, clams with salt and lemon juice, clams with malt vinegar and red Tabasco, clams with butter and lemon juice, clams with...


Restaurant: Zebro's Harbor House
Type: Seafood
Location: 8254 First Street, Westfield NY 14787
Date: June 13, 2011
Website:
www.zebrosharborhouse.com
Rating: ***** out of 5 stars

Our friend Jim was in NY visiting family. He stopped by to visit us on the way back. He wanted someplace to eat that was non-chain, not too pricy, and seafood. We took him to Barcelona Harbor House only to discover it's now Zebro's Harbor House, which is actually owned by the Zimmerman Brothers and not by someone named Zebrowski. So, it's the Z BROther'S restaurant.

I don't know why they have a 4-digit street address. The street itself is barely a block long. It's also just a tad hard to find. Take I-90 to Exit 60 and go North on Route 394 to Lake Erie. When you get to the stop light on Route 5/Lake View Road/Main Street in Barcelona Bay, continue going straight. No, really, that's a road. It ends a block later at First Street which is also a block long and has nothing but waterfront restaurants. Zebro's is the first one on the right.

The bar is heavily zebra themed. All the chairs have zebra-print fabric, there are zebra paintings in zebra print frames, there's a light-up reindeer lawn ornament that's had its antlers sawn off and the body decorated with black felt stripes to make it into a zebra. The fish tank even has zebra colored decorations in it. Fortunately, we were led to tables in the back where we could look out over Lake Erie. The restaurant is lightly nautical themed with oars and life preservers mounted on the wood-paneled walls. Large windows afford a wonderful view of Lake Erie from nearly any table. We got one of the corner tables.

Unfortunately for Jim, mid-June is too early for clams or oysters which he has a fondness for. I ordered the fried Perch which is local-caught, my wife and Jim both ordered the broiled Wall-Eyed Pike which is also local-caught. We also ordered a bottle of "green" Sauvignon Blanc, it had been made from organic grapes. For appetizers, we all had a cup of New England clam chowder and we split an order of Rumaki, chicken livers with water chestnuts and bacon. The clam chowder was excellent, thick, chunky and tasty. The Rumaki came with a small container of teri-yaki sauce for dipping and was quite good. The dinner salad was a nice little salad with red cabbage and carrots and onions and such but a bit disappointing, I could have fit the entire salad into a teacup. Considering that this is an upscale restaurant and salad greens are cheap, I felt we should have had larger servings. The Sauvignon was dry, but then I prefer a dry wine.

The perch was generously portioned and not overly greasy. The baked potato came with sour cream on the side. The dinner rolls came not only with butter, but with honey butter as well. Jim and Karen said the Pike was good, but just a little heavy on the lemon-pepper spicing. Most entrees run $15 - $20


Restaurant: Ellicottville Brewing Company
Type: Family Dining
Location: 34 West Main, Fredonia NY 14063
Date: May 24, 2011
Website:
www.ellicottvillebrewing.com
Rating: **** out of 5 stars

I've previously reviewed EBC as a bar. This was the upstairs dining room. One of the UU committees I'm on held a dinner meeting there. It's a large brick building, a former warehouse. I think there's an elevator in back. The staircase is just a bit steep. The walls have large windows, so everything is well-lit and sunny. The tables are well spaced so there's plenty of room to maneuver between them. I ordered their standard Brew-burger for $8, thought about a French Onion soup appetizer for $5. They do brew their own beer on premises, so I ordered the Black Jack Oatmeal Stout which was quite good. The condiments for the burger and fries not only included the standard ketchup and mustard but also malt vinegar. I can't remember the last time I didn't have to specifically request malt vinegar.


Restaurant: The Brick Room
Type: Fine Dining
Location: 49 West Main Street, Fredonia NY 14063
Date: April 26, 2011
Website:
http://www.brickroom.biz
Rating: *** out of 5 stars

There's a program called "Dining Out for Life" ( http://www.diningoutforlife.com) where on one day of the year, restaurants volunteer to donate 25% of their proceeds for that day to fight AIDS. The Brick Room is normally closed on Tuesdays but they opened their doors to participate in this program. It was their first year with the program. My wife and I decided to try them out. It may have been a mistake.

The building is one long brick room with a drop ceiling. All the tables are small wooden tables, the kind you expect to rock and be unsteady, but they were all adjusted correctly. The kitchen is all the way in the back. On an uncrowded night, you can watch them cook your meal. This was not uncrowded night, the place was very crowded and very noisy. In their defense, this charity function may have been their busiest night of the year. The front door was propped wide open to let in the outside air and help keep the heat down.

We were greeted by 'AIDS Ambassadors' who welcomed us and thanked us for participating in this charity event. They recognized me from my public appearance as Bronson Alcott for the Margaret Fuller show, but they thought I and my wife were David and Sally! :)

The menus were printed on a single page. I don't know if this is their standard practice or if these were higher-priced menus for the program. Selections were limited: 2 kinds of appetizers; 2 kinds of soup; 2 kinds of salad, spinach and caesar. Entries started at $20, Wine by the Glass $5 and up, a bottle of risling cost us $29. We shared an appetizer of Pan Seared Scallops; scallops, tomato, red onion, chorizo, basil and parsley seared in olive oil. My wife had the Pork Tenderloin, I selected the Shrimp and Angel Hair Pasta. The food was quite good, but a bit more expensive than we usually spend when we eat out. We'll have to come back again some other time to see if the menu is different during their regular hours.

One small surprise, when I went to the bathroom, I followed the signs down a corridor at the back of the building and found myself in the back room of Coughlin's Bar to use their bathrooms. They're apparently have the same owner and the bar was the source of the occasional cheering we heard because the Sabres were playing the Flyers in the playoffs.


Restaurant: Rocco's
Type: Italian Restaurant
Location: 44 Orchard Street, Fredonia NY 14063
Date: April 29, 2011
Rating: **1/2 out of 5 stars

We had gotten into the habit of going out for fish frys on Fridays in Lent. We were quite fish-fried out, but we still wanted to go out, so we decided to try out the neighborhood Italian place I discovered when a road accident forced me to detour down a side street. Numberous internet reviews spoke highly of it. We were a little disappointed.

It's in a residential neighborhood between houses. If you're focused on driving, you can actually the neon beer ad in the window and the small sign advertising the restaurant itself. An empty lot across the street provides adequate parking, but it could be paved.

The front portion of the building is the bar, the middle section restaurant seating and the back end of the building is the kitchen. Everything is wood paneled, brown for the bar in front, white for the restaurant. Decor is very subdued, a few random license plates in the bar along with the owner's honorable discharge from the navy. No decorations in the restaurant. Bathrooms between bar and restaurant. The wait staff wears solid black with no nametags, I didn't realize how much I depended on them to remember our waitress' name.

We ordered the mussels ($9) as a shared appetizer. They came 24 to the plate and were very good. We asked for extra bread to sop up the juices. :) The dinner salad was uninspiring, straight lettuce with a few shreds of red cabbage and carrot. The specials board is posted near the kitchen, but is behind a table of diners and impossible to read unless you stand right up next to a table of strangers.

For the main course, I ordered the lasagna ($13) and my wife ordered the eggplant parmesian ($13). We also ordered a bottle of Jacob's Creek Merlot to accompany our meal ($26, a 100%+ markup over the liquor store!) The entrees were so-so, the pasta was nearly tasteless, tomato sauce was acidic. Parmesian cheese has been sprinkled around the edges of each plate. I would have preferred a container on the table so we could season our food with it instead.

While we were dining, a couple from my UU church came in. We talked for a few minutes. He raved about their fish fry. His lady is a dyed-in-the-wool vegan who won't eat meat, fish, dairy or eggs. We ran into her again the following day while grocery shopping and she said she had to make-do with a large salad, not much better than our dinner salads.

I'm giving the place a low score because it was a little bit overpriced, considering the mediocre quality of the food and the complete lack of atmosphere of the restaurant.


Restaurant: Mary's Deli
Type: Take out Pizza and Sub shop
Location: 100 West Main Street, Fredonia NY 14063
Date: Numerous occasions
Rating: *** out of 5 stars

Technically, this is a chain as they also have a location in Dunkirk, but as chains go, I don't consider two to be a very big chain. When we don't feel like cooking, we either order a pizza or a couple of subs from here. It's strictly take out. There are no tables or bathrooms, just one bench which is usually half filled with neighborhood newspapers such as the Chautauqua Star or the Jamestown Word.

The food is acceptable. We don't order onions on their pizzas because they don't seem to do it right. The fried mushrooms are good and we always get a side order regardless of what else we order. When we get subs, we tell them to skip the mayo because they're stingy with the mayo and you only get a small smear. We add mayo and pepper sauce to them when we get home. I really wish they would invest in take-out flyers. It's a pain having to look them up in the phone and try to remember what they have available.


Restaurant: 21 East Cafe
Type: Coffeehouse
Location: 21 East 2nd Street, Dunkirk NY 14048
Date: Saturday, April 9, 2011
Website:
http://www.lvoccread.org/21-East-Cafe-and-Bookstore.html
Rating: *** out of 5

For the past several years, the Literacy Volunteers of Chautauqua County have been holding a monthly used book sale fundraiser. This spring, they acquired space in the historic 1900 Crocker Sprague building and opened a combination coffeehouse and used bookstore. It's a coffeehouse, so while there's an extensive selection of coffees and teas and pastries, the rest of the menu is extremely limited. They offer a sandwich of the day ($10) and a soup of the day ($3 cup, $5 bowl) and that's it. The food is from Mustard Seed Restaurant in South Dayton NY. http://www.themustardseedrestaurant.com The coffeehouse is staffed by two women volunteers and is only open on weekends, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. They occasionally have musical performances in the coffeehouse.

The various coffees, expressos, lattes, and such range from about $2 to $3 depending on what size, what flavorings, etc. The assorted muffins, pound cake slices, sweetrolls, etc. also range from about $2 to $3. My wife and I can usually get a coffee, a tea and two pastries for about $10. All proceeds go to Literacy Volunteers, which makes us feel good about stopping there every Saturday morning. All coffees are Fair Trade.

The bookstore portion of the building is in the back room. You can enter the building through the coffeehouse in front, or the bookstore in back, but if you want to go from one to the other (or use the bathroom) you have to pass through a small middle room where the cafe has its pantry and several of the volunteers have their office desks. Given the arrangement of the building however, I don't know any other way you could set it up. Hardcovers are $2, paperbacks $1, children's books $0.50 Certain select books are priced more expensively. The stock rotates often enough that its worth the bother of dropping in every week.


Restaurant: Wing City Grille
Type: Sports Bar and Grill
Location: 10450 Bennet Road (Route 60),. Fredonia NY 14063
Date: Saturday, April 9, 2011
Website:
http://www.wingcitygrille.com
Rating: **1/2 out of 5

The building is a former Ponderosa. We ate there a few times before it closed. Booths along the walls, tables in the center. Wing City advertises itself as a sports bar and grill (21 TVs!), but actually they've got a fairly extensive menu with steak, chicken, fish, sandwiches, salads, burgers, sea food, etc. They boast 21 different flavors of chicken wings including mild, medium, hot, x-hot, xx-hot and nuclear (must sign release). To check out the other flavors, click on the menu on their website.

I ordered a double order of chicken wings in Irish Pub flavor with a tall draft. My wife order the veggie wrap with a well-drink. No appetizers. Irish Pub is a combination of BBQ, Jack Daniels and just a hint of cajun to make them spicy. They made me sweat, but not cry. It's a sports bar, most of the TVs were tuned to various sporting events. If you're looking for a quiet intimate restaurant, this isn't it. However, that's not the reason for the low rating. With a double order of wings, a wrap, a well drink and a draft, the bill came to over $40. We were actually there during Happy Hour, which means both drinks should have been half price. The food was typical bar food, not horrible but not wonderful either. Far too expensive for what we got, hence the slightly lower rating. We won't be going there too often.


Restaurant: Sheridan Diner
Type: Diner
Location: 2705 Main Street, Sheridan NY 14135
Date: Friday, April 8, 2011
Rating: ***1/2 out of 5

The restaurant formerly known as Gobbler's Knob was sold and is now under new management. We decided to try out their Lenten Fish Fry. For $8 you get a huge piece of fish, two hush puppies, macaroni salad, potato salad and coleslaw. All three salads are obviously out of a commercial package and a bit heavy on the mayonnaise. The coleslaw was a little bit on the sweet side as well. However, the fish was quite tasty and you get a big piece for your money. It was sufficiently filling. The iced tea was pre-sweetened.

We had been here a couple of times when it was Gobbler's Knob. The turkey display case in the corner was gone. Other than that, the decor hasn't changed. The menu is written on a black board on the front wall as well as printed on plain paper at each table. The tables are sufficiently small that you can span them with your elbows. For two it's cozy, for more, you have to push a couple of tables together. There's also a counter where you can sit on bar stools. The kitchen is in the corner of the room, you can watch them cook your dinner and you can smell it! The bathroom is through the kitchen into a small side room.

As I said, it's new management, so no beer license yet and their not yet set up to take plastic. Cash only. We'll go back another time to try a non-fish meal.

Update: There may not be another time. There's a sign on the building that says "Public Auction -- Sept 10".


Restaurant: Liberty Cafe
Type: Bar and Grill
Location: 21 Prospect Street, Fredonia NY
Date: Friday, April 1, 2011
Rating: **** out of 5 stars

We first heard about Liberty Cafe in the local paper. It had just been re-opened under new management. It also made the paper's top ten list for Lenten Fish Fry in Fredonia, so we decided to give them a try. There's parking behind the building, but it's an unmarked gravel lot and I think it could hold a few more cars than it did if it was paved and had designated spaces instead of people parking anywhere they wanted. The place was crowded and we had a 20 min wait for a table, but considering we were supposed to be in a great place for a fish fry on a Friday during Lent, we decided it was worth the wait. We had a drink at the bar. Interestingly, the bar sells mixed drinks and bottled beer, they don't have beer on draft yet.

I went with the fish fry, the house special. My wife ordered the broiled haddock as she wasn't in the mood for deep-fried anything. I thought the service was fairly fast considering that this was probably their busiest time. I got a huge piece of fish, fries, coleslaw and macaroni salad. Tartar sauce was in a commercial squirt bottle, not unlike ketchup. I don't think I've ever seen that in a restaurant before. I found the meal hot, tasty and filling. It was not overly greasy the way most deep fried fish are. It was also inexpensive at just over $8.


Restaurant: Mongolian Buffet
Type: Chinese Buffet
Location: 3513 McKinley Parkway, Orchard Park NY 14219
Date: Saturday, October 9, 2010
Rating: ***** out of 5 stars

I know this isn't in Chautauqua County, but it was so wonderful, I had to write it up. :) It's a slightly overpriced standard Chinese Buffet, $12 per person on weekends. The ones in Fredonia are only $10. But, I have to say, it's got the largest variety I've ever seen in a Chinese Buffet. The cold bar, in addition to the usual boiled shrimp and mussels, had oysters on the half shell. Their won-ton and their sweet and sour soups are wonderful. There were more varieties of prepared shrimp than I've ever since in one place. The buffet also had squid, two kinds of octopus and frog legs! For a regular dinner, it's a bit pricey, but for a special occasion, it might be worth the price.


Restaurant: The Sugar Shack
Type: Pancake House
Location: 7904 Route 5, Westfield, NY 14787
Date: Sunday, August 15, 2010
Rating: ***1/2 out of 5

The Sugar Shack is only open Saturday and Sunday morning during the summer. The building is half cafe, half gift shop with all items made by local artisans. The only item on the menu is the pancake breakfast. Three pancakes, each larger than the plate they are served on, with 2 bacon strips or 2 sausage links, and one egg cooked to order. The egg and meat are served on top of the pancakes. The fruit cup is commercial packed, right out of the plastic container. The juices are all served in cans.

That being said, it's a quaint place to have a pancake breakfast. The cafe has large windows that look over woodlands with bird books perched on all the window sills so you can try to identify what you spotted. The place is famous for the 21 flavors of fruit syrup that you can buy to take home. They also make their own maple syrup with a state-of-the-art maple oven and they give tours of it on Maple Syrup weekends (www.mapleweekend.com)


Restaurant: The Green Arch
Type: Diner
Location: 41 West Main Street, Brocton NY 14716
Date: Sunday, August 8, 2010
Rating: *** of 5
Website:
http://www.greenarch.us

One of the last Mullholand Diner Car products known to be in operation. The decor has been maintained as an old-fashioned diner car. Numerous historical photos on the wall. Breakfast is served around the clock. I had the Green Arch special; 2 eggs, toast, bacon, home fries for $6. It was okay. My wife had the three egg omelet but didn't like because they used processed cheese in the omelet. There are no vegetarian dishes, all the side orders are deep fried, ie onion rings, potato wedges, chicken nuggets, etc. Service was fast without the waitress hovering over you. They're only open until lunch hour the first part of the week, evening hours from Thurs to Sun. Street parking or you can use the community lot half a block down.


Restaurant: Nomad's House
Type: Asian
Location: 33 Church Street, Fredonia, NY 14063
Date: Sunday, June 26, 2010
Rating: ***** out of 5
Website: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fredonia-NY/Nomads-House/111222902248855

Nomad's is tucked away around the corner from the park in the center of Fredonia. Ask someone where the old "Hook and Ladder Restaurant" used to be. It's a small building attached to a historical building in downtown Fredonia that used to be a fire hall. H&L was your stereo-typical greasy spoon. I never ate there. Nomad's remodelled the place completely, it's much cleaner. The decor is vaguely asian, but not in-your-face decor. Officially opened May 1st. We went there for a late lunch after our organizational meeting about the UU auction. They have exactly one item on the menu, stir fry. It's a sit-down restaurant but you order at the counter like a fast-food place. You pick your starch (lo mein, brown rice or white rice), your meat (chicken, steak, vegetarian), your choice of vegetables (local grown is highlighted in a different color) and your sauce and they stir fry it all up for you. The kitchen is wide open, there's no dividing wall. You can watch them prepare your meal. They do not skimp on portions and because you pick what you want it's very vegan friendly and locovore friendly. Wifi available. Will be eating here more often.
Edited to Add: It closed on March 5, 2011


Restaurant: Locovore (Nature's Network)
Type: Soup and Sandwich Shop
Location: 40 E Main St, Fredonia, NY 14063-1821
Date: Saturday, January 23, 2010
Rating: *** out of 5

Nature's Network is a locally owned natural foods store. The owners are members of my UU church. "Locovore" is just a couple of tables set-up in the back of the store. You can literally reach out and grab a box of detergent off the shelf from your table. :) The name comes from the fact that all the food served is locally grown from the nearby farms. Because of this, there are no printed menus. The day's selection is written on a chalk board at the front of the store. Prices are always the same: $5 for a sandwich, $6 for a bowl of soup, $3 for a cup of soup, $1 for a hot beverage, $1.50 for a cold beverage.

I went there this weekend with my church group. I can't fault them for serving time because we came in as a group and they were still trying to run the natural food store while waiting on us, not to mention they're also the cooks. I had a cup of the broccoli-cheddar soup and an egg-salad sandwich and pop. The food was good, and literally everything was homemade. The other downside is that there are no bathrooms. Make sure you go somewhere else before you come to eat.

Update:Andrew and Jane sold the natural food store. The new owner can't afford a cook yet. So, no more Locovore.


Restaurant: Intermezzo Coffee House
Type: Coffee house
Location: 12 Park Place, Fredonia NY 14063
Date: multiple occasions
Rating: ****1/2 out of 5
Website:
http://www.intermezzocoffeehouse.com

Being a member of a UU church, you're a member of committees... and you attend meetings. Every two weeks, a large number of meetings are held at the church, and then we wander across the street to the Intermezzo Coffee House for "Tea With Terry" our minister. We used to hold it at the White House Inn, but the prices kept rising, so now we meet here instead.

The building is a bit narrow, but extends back a long ways. The coffee bar runs along one wall most of the way to the back. The walls have art from local artists for sale. Occasionally the coffeehouse has live musicians. See their website for schedules.

I usually order coffee and a sandwich. The sandwiches are large and quite good. Their hazelnut coffee is some of the best I've ever had, and the refills are free. I've found the service to be a bit slow, but to be utterly fair, there's five or six people there on an early Saturday afternoon when suddenly 15 to 20 UUs walk in the door and start ordering. One of these days, I'll go there when there isn't a UU meeting to see how fast they are under normal circumstances.
Edited to Add: New owners. It's now The Green Tea Room. New review at a later time.


Restaurant: El Azteca
Type: Mexican
Location: 3953 Suite A, Vineyard Drive, Dunkirk NY 14048
Date: Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Rating: **** out of 5

The restaurant is actually in the Tops Plaza, hence the "suite" designation. This is the second Grand Opening it's had. It originally opened when the new Tops store did, however a few weeks later it was shut down because the entire staff was illegal immigrants. My wife and I managed to eat there once before it closed, but I misplaced my notebook with the review in it.

The theme, of course, is Aztec. There are back-lit aztec symbols in the tables and chairs area and wall paintings in the booths area (Sorry, no human sacrifices! :D) We got the customary free chips and salsa. We both found the salsa mildly hot and a bit watery. Green and red habenaro hot sauce bottles were included along with the usual salt, pepper and ketchup.

My wife ordered the Mushroom Quesadilla, I had the Burrito Deluxe with one chicken burrito and one beef. The food arrived quickly and hot. Mexican music played quietly in the background. There is a sports TV in the bar, but we couldn't hear it from the restaurant area. My wife found the gualcamole disappointing, and the rice and beans only so-so, but said the quesadilla itself was quite tasty. My burritos came with shredded lettuce and sour cream. A couple of dashes of red sauce made them just hot enough to make me sweat without crying, just the way I like it. An experimental drop of green sauce on a salsa chip convinced me it was too lethal to play with. :)

There are Mexican and American beers listed on the menu as well as mixed drinks, however the State Liquor License Bureau hasn't finished dotting their i's and crossing their t's, so only soft drinks are available for the time being. Lunch for two, plus all you want chips and pop, $20.


Restaurant: East Side Grill
Type: Diner
Location: 22 Water Street, Fredonia NY
Date: Saturday, February 28, 2009
Rating: **1/2 out of 5

First of all, don't go looking for the diner on Water Street, it isn't there. It's in "The Alley". There are businesses that face Main Street in Fredonia. The Alley leads to community parking behind Main Street where you can enter many of the businesses from the rear. Some businesses actually face The Alley. I've already reviewed another restaurant there, Lena's Pizza. The East Side Grill is another.

As soon as you walk into the restaurant, you walk downstairs into The Pit. Only the bar is at ground level. The decor is wood and brick. Thankfully, there's no sports TV blaring, just a radio. The Quik Draw board is a little too prominent for my tastes however.

We were there because the local paper said it had one of the best Lenten fish frys in Fredonia. Unfortunately, we were there on a Saturday and they only do fish on Fridays. We returned the following Friday for the fish, only to be told that they had sold out of fish earlier in the day.

There was nothing decent on draft, so I ordered a Sam Adams Boston Lager. We ordered chicken livers as an appetizer. They came breaded and topped with bacon. Karen said they were the best she's had in a long time. She ordered a chicken, pepper and eggplant pasta with French Onion soup. I had the honey dipped chicken with onion peels instead of fries and a side salad. The soup had a good broth, not salty and a generous portion of onions. The salad with 1000 Island dressing was ok. The dinner rolls and butter were a pre-packaged disappointment.

The pasta and the chicken were both decent, but nothing note-worthy. The onion peels were mildly spiced, which surprized me. The veg of the day was green beans. Meal for two, including tax and tip, just under $45. In summary; nothing decent on draft, food acceptable but slightly overpriced, and unable to get 'one of the best fish frys in town', Two and a half stars. We may try for the fish fry again, but we're not going to be seeking this place out again any time soon.


Restaurant: Aunt Millie's Family Restaurant and Bakery
Type: Diner
Location: Routes 5 & 20, Irving NY
Date: Thursday, October 2nd, 2008
Rating: ***** out of 5

I couldn't find an address other than Routes 5 & 20 in Irving NY. For those who are not local to the area, the routes don't intersect, they merge. There's about a mile or so of road that's both routes. That's where the restaurant is.

The decor is basic diner without that chain restaurant feel. There's a couple of faux stained glass windows hanging near the windows to catch the light. For the holidays, there's an eclectic mix of halloween ceramics in the windowsills. There's a sunroom extension for sunny days and a back patio which is only open in the summer. The place has both booths and tables arranged in small rooms for a cozier feel, with a lunchroom counter just inside the door.

The menu offers sandwich platters, italian food, salads, and homestyle dinners such as turkey, meatloaf, etc . Everything on the menu is homemade! Everything! We were there for lunch. My wife ordered the grilled ham and cheese sandwich, I ordered the sloppy joe. We had onion rings on the side. The sandwiches were delicious, tasting just like homemade comfort food. The sloppy joe came without a top bun, and the hamburger was nicely spiced, not just burger and tomato sauce. My wife loved her grilled sandwich. The onion rings were not prepackaged like you get at the drive-thru, these were cut from real onions and deep fried right in the kitchen. I'd almost be willing to bet they dill their own pickles!

The 'and Bakery' in the name is not just an addition. They have an honest-to-goodness bakery on site. All the desserts are homemade. My wife ordered the apple pie, I had the daily special; banana-strawberry cream pie. Again it was all home-made, no canned pie filling, handmade pie crust. Even the whipped cream was real whipped cream and not commercial topping. If it had been whipped any more, it would have started becoming butter.

Two lunches, unlimited refills on drinks and two desserts, and everything homemade, all for less than $25. We'll be stopping by there again.


Restaurant: Lena's Pizza
Type: Pizzeria
Location: 18 Canadaway Street, Fredonia NY 14063
Date: Sunday, July 22, 2007
Rating: ****1/2 out of 5

I'd be willing to bet cash money I could find Fredonia natives who couldn't tell you where Canadaway Street is, but they'd be able to give you directions to Lena's without a problem. The storefronts in downtown Fredonia (both blocks) face Main Street. Behind them is a large community parking lot. There are several entrances to this parking lot. At the back of the lot are the backyards of houses that face the next street over. One house is turned around so it faces the parking lot. That's Lena's. It's a former house, former toy store, now a pizza parlor. According to the map, two of the parking lot entrances are the ends of Canadaway Street. There are no street signs saying Canadaway, just green signs saying "Parking" with an arrow. On the map, it looks like a street, in real life, it looks like a typical parking lot. You simply don't think of it as being a street.

That being said, neither of us felt like cooking after Viking Village, so we ordered a pizza. I gotta say, it's one of the best pizzas I've had in years! Delicious! We had a 14" pizza with onions, mushrooms, black olives, and sweet peppers for $15.20 plus tax. The onions were a little raw for my taste, but I realize that this is the way the average person likes onions on their pizza, so I can't complain. They're one of the few places I know that offers anchovies. Pizza hut doesn't. They also have the traditional side orders, subs, wraps, wings, fried mushrooms, etc. but we didn't order any, so I can't review them.

I'd be willing to give this place a perfect five, except for a few oddities. It's open 11am - midnight Thurs, Fri, Sat. and 4PM - 10PM the rest of the week. I guess they're not interested in non-peak hours. I suspect the vast majority of their orders is for take out. There's a couple of booths if you want to eat your pizza there, but go easy on the Pepsi, because there aren't any bathrooms. Finally, they don't accept checks, credit or debit cards, it's strictly a cash operation. I can understand if they were just starting out, but they've been there a couple of years now. I'm not used to carrying large amounts of cash with me anymore.


Restaurant : The Golden Griddle
Type : Family
Location : 323 Washington Street, Jamestown NY (corner of 4th and Washington)
Date : Sunday, April 29, 2007
Rating : **** out of 5

The Heronter herald decided to change the location of the monthly heraldry breakfast. We think it was a good decision. To get there, take Main street downtown (and down hill!) to 4th Avenue. Turn right on 4th (it's one-way, so you can't turn left). Drift to the left-most lane and turn left at the traffic light onto Washington street. The restaurant is on the corner, next door to it is a city parking lot. On Sundays, the lot is empty and you don't have to feed the meters. I have no idea what parking is like during the week.

The Golden Griddle occupies the bottom of a three story building. I have no idea what's on the other two floors. My first guess would be apartments. The logo sign for the restaurant is kind of amateurish, but that only lends to the charm. They're only open for breakfast and lunch, seven days a week. New hours are posted on flyers taped to the door and windows.

Service was fast and efficient, the waitress was there within seconds of us sitting down. The menu was breakfast on one side, lunch on the other. I ordered the Western omelet with a side order of sausage links. My wife ordered the same with sausage patties. After we handed in our menus, I noticed the daily special board on the wall. It might have been nice if there was an notice on the menu as well, I might have ordered from it. I'm not asking for much, a handwritten sheet of typewriter paper would have been sufficient.

The food came quickly, it was good, it was hot. The links were slightly over-done without being burnt, but my wife's patties were fine, so it may have been a matter of a few seconds too long on the grill. The waitress brought ketchup and refilled the coffees without being asked. We had to take our bills up to the counter to pay them, the waitress doesn't take them.

It's not open in the evenings, so we couldn't use it for after shire meetings, not to mention the fact that we'd fill the entire restaurant to overflowing, it's just not that big. But for a heraldry breakfast or a guild meeting, it's just about perfect. The food, the service and the price were all better than Friendly's Restaurant
Edited to Add: It's now Lori's Kountry Kafe, but nothing else has changed.


Restaurant: Demetri's on the Lake
Type: Greek / Family
Location: 6-8 Lake Shore Drive West, Dunkirk NY
Date: Tuesday, March 27th, 2007
Rating: *** out of five

The address is slightly deceiving. Central Avenue terminates at Lake Shore Drive. Lake Shore Drive East and West addresses extend away from Central Avenue. The restaurant is reached by driving up Central Avenue, crossing Lake Shore Drive as if you were heading towards the docks and then turning into Demetri's parking lot.

We had been running errands all day and neither of us felt like cooking, so we decided to eat out. It's actually two restaurants. Demetri's is downstairs and is laid out like a typical family restaurant. Katerina's is a upstairs lounge with live Greek music. It's not open until summer. I'll return then to review it.

You can order the type of meal you can order in a typical family restaurant, chicken, pork chops, steaks, burgers, etc. but they call themselves a Greek restaurant, so we ordered Greek. I ordered the Greek combo dinner. Admittedly, it was exactly what was advertised, beef and chicken souvlaki with a gyro slices. I expect something more from something that calls itself a combo platter. At the Red Lobster the seafood platter has shrimp, scallops, fish and clams. At Towne Restaurant, the Greek platter includes moussaka and spanakopita as well as the souvlaki and gyro. Just souvlaki and gyro seems kind of plain.

The meal was good and filling. I had two beers with my meal, they ended up costing more than the meal itself. It wasn't a great Greek meal, but it was a good one. Platter and two beers: $24.


Restaurant: China King
Type: Chinese
Location: D & F Plaza, Central & Millard Fillmore Avenues, Dunkirk-Fredonia line.
Date: Saturday, February 17th, 2007
Rating: ***-1/2 out of five

It's two restaurants in one! I don't know the full story behind this place, but I'm willing to make a guess. I think China King started out as a take-out only place and then when the building next store went out of business, they bought it, built a doorway between the two and opened an elegant sit-down all-you-can-eat chinese buffet restaurant.

The original building is still a take-out place with a couple of cheap plastic booths with linoleum tables. You can walk in and order take-out meals. You could probably eat at the booths, but I've never seen them in use. The menu is overhead of the order desk.

The building next door however, has it's own separate entrance, with a hostess who will seat you in the dining area. The decor has paper lanterns, oriental paintings, mirrors and sculptures with flowing water to provide a pleasant sound. There's another banquet hall in back for the occasions when they're busy enough to fill the front area.

The food service area has four long steam tables. The food bins are frequently refilled during the day, but we've learned not to go during the last hour they're open because they allow the bins to empty out rather than waste food. I find the food marginally better than at Best Buffet, another all-you-can-eat chinese buffet restaurant literally two blocks away.

Lunch and dinner are basically the same, differing in price by about $2 per person. Dinner has crab legs and more varieties of soups. There's a token effort of American food with pans of pizza slices and chicken wings. I've convinced myself those are for the kids who have to eat with their folks but don't like chinese food. I don't think they fully understand the concept of cheese. One of the offerings is steamed mussels with melted cheese. I've tried it, I like both items, but combining the two is like putting steak sauce on ice cream, it just doesn't work. Fortunately, they offer regular steamed mussels as well.

The back table isn't a steam table, but a cold table. It has jello, fresh fruit, pastries, chocolate, vanilla and rice puddings, and dill pickles. I don't understand the pickles. Best Buffet also offers dill pickles, but they have an american grill where you can get hamburgers and hotdogs, so it makes slightly more sense there. Best Buffet also has a cold table which is a salad bar. I'd like to see a salad bar at China King.

My one complaint is the location of the bathrooms. The only bathrooms are back in the take-out section. You have to walk to the back of the rooms and down the corridor to the other restaurant. If it had been me, I would have added two additional bathrooms to the front of the mostly unused banquet room in back.


Restaurant: The Upper Crust
Location: 27 East Main, Fredonia NY
Type: Coffeehouse / Soup and Sandwich Shop
Date: Wednesday, January 24th, 2007
Rating: **** out of 5 stars

The Uppercrust, est. 1990 (says so right on the back wall!), has a very limited menu. Two or three soups, half a dozen sandwiches, baked goods, and the usual varieties of caffeine you find in a coffee shop. Personally, I don't know the difference between an expresso, a latte, or a cappachino, nor am I interested in learning. I'm a computer programmer, coffee is hot and black and comes in a mug. Period. I'm afraid I can't judge the quality of their coffees.

The baked goods are on display in a bakery display case. It's the usual assortment of muffins, cupcakes and cookies you might order with a coffee or a light lunch. If it's not there, you can't order it. They do the baking during the slow periods of the day. On the plus side, it's always fresh. They also do a good business around Christmas time with pre-ordered cookie platters.

The limited sandwich selection might account for their speed. I was there with friends from UU and I got my order served within two minutes. I had half a club sandwich and an iced tea. I had been pre-warned to order half a sandwich unless I was starving because their sandwiches are huge. The advice stood me in good stead. I found half a club to be quite good and quite filling. Several of my friends raved over their cheese and broccoli soup. The bread may have been homemade, it was quite fluffed out like fresh bread, not wafer-thin slices like you get from the supermarket. Another advantage of the limited menu, is that if you're in a rush, you can call ahead of time and order it and they'll have it ready for you.

The ambiance is that of a beatnik poet's coffehouse, especially at night. I think that may be intentional. I'd like to see them replace one table with a stool and a mike and have open mike night poetry readings. I think they'd do a great business. The main table is a huge wooden monster and looks like it came right out of a butcher's warehouse. It's covered in graffitti. You can walk in off the street or park in the community parking lot behind the building and come in the back.

It's just about everything I expect in a soup and sandwich shop, the food is hot, filling, delicious and cheap. My meal was five dollars with taxes, not including tip.


Restaurant: The White Inn
Location: 52 East Main Street, Fredonia NY
Type: Fine Dining
Date: Saturday, January 20th, 2007
Rating: ***** out of 5
Website:
http://www.whiteinn.com

Last Saturday was "Tea with Terry", a bi-weekly lunch with our UU minister. It turned out that I was the only male who showed up. :)

A brief history of the site (from the menu and their website): "The property now occupied by The White Inn, once the exclusive domain of Indians, came into the hands of Dr. Squire White early in the 19th century. He was the first medical doctor to settle and practice in Chautauqua county. In 1811 he erected a wood frame house on this site. After a fire destroyed the home, Dr. White's son, Devillo, built a more substantial structure in 1868. The University Room and several rooms on the second and third floors are part of the original 1868 structure. The wrought iron fence surrounding the property dates from this period. The property stayed in the White family until 1918, when Miss Isabel White, the last remaining White family resident, sold the property to Murray Hill Bartley of Westfield, New York. Mr. Bartley expanded the property considerably, and in 1919, opened the hotel to the traveling public. Located on scenic Route 20, The White Inn flourished and became a gathering spot. In the 1930's, Duncan Hines discovered The White Inn, and was so impressed with the restaurant that he included the Inn as one of the 50 finest establishments that became his "Family of Fine Restaurants." Over the next four decades, The White Inn went into a period of languishing at the hands of several owners. But in 1980, two professors at SUNY College at Fredonia bought the property and began a thirteen year project to renovate the Inn. Since 1993, Innkeepers Robert Contiguglia and Kathleen Dennison have continued the tradition of excellence in outstanding food and lodging."

It's a magnificent three story brick mansion, painted white of course. I originally thought that was the reason for the name until I read the menu. We ate in "The Garden Room", a dining room with a rose theme. The wallpaper is white with red roses, the lace curtains have a white rose design with red rose tie-backs. The room dividers are rose printed curtains rather than the standard banquet hallplastic fold outs. The rest of the mansion is equally furnished in Victorian elegance. There are sitting rooms for informal meetings, wood paneled conference rooms upstairs for formal meetings, and there's a fireplace in the bar. It's an utterly gorgeous Victorian mansion. All that was missing was a wandering violinist, and I wouldn't be surprized if they have one periodically.

I ordered a Monte Cristo sandwich and iced tea. Since I was the only one at the table who ordered a meal that was hot and with meat, I figured I'd be served last. My food came out at the same time as everyone else's. The bread wasn't standard sandwich bread from the supermarket, it was the thick kind you associate with homemade. It may have been. The sandwich was huge, hot and tasty and it came with homemade hot potato chips, fresh from the fryer! All of the meals had very generous portions. They don't skimp on quantity or quality. One woman had ordered hot tea. The waitress brought her a teacup, a teapot of hot water and a wooden box. It looked like something a short pool cue would come in. When she opened it, it showed off their tea selections for the customer to make their own choice.

When we arrived at high noon, we were the only ones in the room. However, the place started filling up as we ate and was moderately full by the time we left. I was engrossed in personal conversations, so I didn't make note of how many servers were on duty or how well they managed to serve all the tables, but our table had no complaints about the service. My meal was $10, not including the tip. I intend to come back here during the dinner hour to review them again. I also intend to come back when they have a live music night. They also co-sponsor 'weekend getaways' with the Opera House and various community events.


Restaurant: Aldo's
Location: 3rd and Hill Streets, Jamestown
Type: Diner
Date: Saturday, January 6th, 2007
Rating: ***1/2 out of 5

I'm teaching Chainmail classes at the Scandinavian Studies Group at Jamestown Community College. Several other members of the SCA are also teaching Norse crafts as well. Classes are the first Saturday of every month, 10AM - Noon. After class, we went out to lunch.

Aldo's is a typical diner. It would fit right in on a Hollywood stage set. When we walked in, it took a minute or so before I could see. The lighting is a little dim and the blinds were all drawn. Specials are written on a 'light board', but it's directly in front of the door, so everytime someone comes in or out, the writing is washed out by sunlight. The carpets are well-worn, the wooden paneling well-scraped by chairbacks. The decor is plain. The bathrooms were what you'd expect in a greasy spoon.

I ordered iced tea and the gourmet cheeseburger platter. The latter comes with onions, fried green peppers and sauteed mushrooms on the burger and your choice of french fries, baked potato, home fries or mashed potato on the side. I went with french fries.

When the ice tea came, I realized it was fresh brewed, not reconstituted from powder. However, the sugar rack was entirely sugar and I used the only two sugar substitute packets I could see. A quick glance at other tables revealed similar situations.

The food came to the table hot. The burger was done medium well and so good, I didn't even bother with any condiments. The fries got my usual treatment of ketchup and salt. I even got a side order of homemade coleslaw. I had thought that one of my choices instead of fries, but it comes in addition to the fries. It was a generous portion and served in a small glass dish. Considering I recently ate in a fancier place and got served slaw in a to-go container, I was mildly impressed.

Free refills on the iced tea. Food, not counting tip, was six bucks. It was a filling lunch too. At the counter was a certificate. WORD, a chautauqua newspaper, recently had a reader's poll. Aldo's had been voted "Best Local Diner" in Chautauqua County for 2006.


Restaurant: The White Horse Inn
Location: Route 60, Townline
Type: Family Dining
Date: Friday, December 29th, 2006
Rating: **** out of 5

The White Horse Inn is on Route 60, literally between the towns of Pomfret and Cassadaga. The two town welcome signs face each other across the parking lot. They might be able to fit more cars if they pave the gravel parking lot and mark spaces in it.

The restaurant was tastefully decorated for the Christmas holidays with a large plastic snowflake in each window and a silk white Poinsetta blossom on each table. The adjacent bar was slightly less formal in appearance and ringed with white icicle lights. Thankfully, there was no Christmas Musak blaring at us. There were slight inconsistancies in the presentation, cloth napkins, but plastic-coated tablecloths. The coleslaw sides were served in plastic to-go containers. The waitresses all wore black slacks with white blouses and black aprons. Judging by the variety of cuts and styles, these were personal garments rather than an official uniform. There is no clock in the dining room, but I could see the time in the clock reflected in the bar mirror. :D

Appetizers are in the $7-8 range, most entrees $10-20, all desserts are $5, prime rib is only served Thurs thru Sat. Since we were there on a Friday, we decided to try two of the Friday fish specials for $8. I ordered the sauteed scallops appetizer, a cup of baked French onion soup, the pan-fried haddock and a Labatt's blue. My wife ordered clams casino, New England clam chowder, the beer-battered fish and a diet coke because they were out of unsweetened ice tea.

The complementary bread loaf came pre-sliced with a small bowl of olive oil for dipping rather than the traditional packets of butter. The water glasses were cold and had lemon slices. My beer came in a bright blue glass with the Labatt's logo prominently displayed on the side. I don't know that I've ever had a drink served to me in a blue glass before.

The clam chowder had carrots and too much celery in it and was very watery besides. Karen didn't care for it. The onion soup on the other hand, was excellent and came with a pair of children's scissors as an eating utensil as well as a large soup spoon. Being completely ambidexterous, I had no problem holding a spoonful of soup in one hand while using scissors in the other to cut it free from the threads of cheese. I can't help but wonder how less dexterous people handle it.

The clams casino were good, but unremarkable. The sauteed scallops were huge, requiring that they be quartered before they fit in the mouth. There was a half-dozen of them and they were succulent. Two plates of them might constitute a meal in and of themselves. They were definitely the big find of the night.

Karen's beer-battered fish came with a side of corn salsa which was probably the perfect side dish to counter the slightly greasy taste from frying. My pan-fried haddock came with a side dish of pasta salad which included tomatoes. Both were cooked well and flaked apart with just a fork. I thought it a bit strange that a restaurant that regularly serves a fish fry didn't have malt vinegar as a condiment.

For dessert, we had the Colossol Carrot Cake and the Chocolate Kahlua Truffle. The carrot cake had pineapple and walnuts in the batter and was iced with a cream cheese topping sprinkled with coconut. Typically good, but nothing unique. The truffle was chocolate cake with chocolate Kahlua pudding mixed in, served in a sundae glass and topped with whipped cream, chocolate syrup and toffee candies. Very rich and very decadent, but it needs to be washed down with something appropriate. Neither my water nor my beer seemed to be the right choice.

We left the restaurant well-stuffed, sated, and satisfied. Appetizers, meal, drinks and tip came to less than $70.

We also drove by Four Seasons restaurant. It's boarded up. I can't say I'm surprized. We tried to eat there once. The booth seats are part of the table. Teenagers might be able to fit in those narrow confines, we couldn't, not comfortably. The music was too loud for conversation. The linoleum floor was filthy. I could only imagine what the kitchen was like! We left without ordering.


Restaurant: Four Seasons
Type: Family
Location: D & F Plaza, Central & Millard Fillmore Avenues
Date: Not
Rating: ZERO out of five

The booth seats are part of the table. Teenagers might be able to fit in those narrow confines, we couldn't, not comfortably. The music was too loud for conversation. The linoleum floor was filthy. I could only imagine what the kitchen was like! We left without ordering.
Edited to Add: It's been closed and torn down. We're hearing rumors of an Olive Garden at the same location, but so far, just rumor.


Restaurant: The Vineyard
Type: Family
Location: Vineyard Drive
Date: Not
Rating: ZERO out of five

The street is named for the restaurant. We never got a chance to eat there. It closed within a week of our moving to Fredonia, and was torn down shortly afterward. There's now a Dunkin Doughnuts in its place.

Winery Reviews


One of the things we did to celebrate our wedding anniversary was to give ourselves a tour of some of the wineries in the area. We intend to visit all of them eventually,


Winery: Schloss Doepkin Winery
Location: 9177 Old Route 20, Ripley NY 14775
Date: Saturday, October 29th, 2011
Website:
http://www.sdwines.net p | http://www.lakeeriewinecountry.org/wineries/schloss-doepken-winery

Old Route 20 is the portion of Route 20 that got cut off when they put the thruway in. It's a long dead-end road with nothing but farms on it. When we got to the turnaround at the end of the road, there was a crude sign pointing to a dirt road that said Schloss Doepkin on it. When we got to the end of the dirt road, we were at a farmhouse. The only indication that this was a winery was a well-weathered sign in desperate need of a paint job reading 'Wine' and a Mastercard/Visa sticker in the window. My wife felt extremely uncomfortable with the idea of walking in someone's house unannounced, so we left.
Wine sampled: none


Winery: Noble Winery
Location: 8630 Hardscrabble Road, Westfield NY 14787
Date: Saturday, October 29th, 2011
Website:
www.noblewinery.com | http://www.lakeeriewinecountry.org/wineries/noble-winery

The highway signs leading you to the winery are bottles on their sides. The neck points the way. The unofficial greeter was one of the largest German Sheperds I've ever seen. The building is an extended pole barn. Inside are displays of wine and winery paraphenalia for sale, e.g. fancy stoppers, openers, wine racks, T-shirts, sweatshirts, etc. A few tables set up near windows. There's also seating outdoors. The view is spectacular as you're high on an overlook and can see all the way down to Lake Erie. We chose to stay at the bar. Cheese platters are available for purchase, crackers are free. You can buy 5 tokens for $1. Most wine samples are 1 token, a few are 2 tokens. The sparkling wines are 5 tokens because the wine will go flat shortly after the bottle's opened. Once the bartender realized that we would be buying several bottles, he got a little careless about taking the tokens after each serving.


Winery: Johnson Estate Winery
Location: 8419 US Route 20 West, Westfield NY 14787
Date: Saturday, October 29th, 2011
Website:
www.johnsonwinery.com | http://www.lakeeriewinecountry.org/wineries/johnson-estate-winery

This was the first place that actually looks like a winery. It's a rustic looking wooden frame building with old farming paraphenalia in the garden area. The front patio is about the size of someone's porch with a slate floor, a couple of chairs and a milk can for decor. Inside, you can see the copper processing tanks. The fruit flies were a little annoying, but I understand that a sign of a good winery. Wine samples are free, with baked bread cubes to clean the pallet. No chairs inside.


Winery: Seven Vines Winery
Location: 7580 East Main Road, Westfield NY 14787
Date: Saturday, October 29th, 2011
Website:
http://www.7vineswinery.com | http://www.lakeeriewinecountry.org/wineries/seven-vines-winery

The building is a former car dealership. And it looks it. The winery is a year old this summer. There are a few tables and chairs in the building, but you still feel like you're hanging around a car dealership. We drank standing up at the bar in back. The wines are somewhat non-standard, and the names are mostly puns.


Winery: Vetter Vineyards Winery
Location: 8005 Prospect Station Road, Westfield NY 14787
Date: Saturday, October 29th, 2011
Website:
www.vetterwinery.com | http://www.lakeeriewinecountry.org/wineries/vetter-vineyards-winery

Again, this was someone's house, however a 'store-front' had been built on as an addition in back. Another slate patio, but no outdoor furniture. The furniture may have been put away in the barn due to the cold weather. A small very unfriendly dog runs loose on the property.


Winery: Twenty-One Brix Winery
Location: 6634 West Main Road, Portland NY 14769
Date: Saturday, October 29th, 2011
Website:
www.twentyonebrix.com | http://www.lakeeriewinecountry.org/wineries/21-brix-winery

The winery opened this fall. Our bartender told us the name is a reference to the sugar content of the grape. It's another extended pole barn. The porch is a concrete patio that wraps around the building. A sign says 'Please enjoy our patio' but there are no tables or chairs. The flower garden looks like the nursery just made a delivery the day before. There is a display area where you can buy souveniers and such.