Buffalo Rising Online

Hello Chef O'Connell, It is good to see you make this fine restaurant your own, you were wise to do it slowly. Some have a hard time with change. What you have created in your restaurant and with your menu is both current and forward thinking. For me it is exciting that you are open for lunch. I will be in to see you soon and will introduce myself. For now I wish you the very best.

girl 16, I apologize about your experience at my restaurant. If I had know that evening about your problem I would have surely tried to fix the situation. I also apologize that the bar was to loud for you, We worked real hard to seperate the bar from the main dining space. I take pride in the way my new restaurant looks and have recieved compliments on both the food and the ambiance. But that does not excuse the bad experience that you had. Again please accept my apology for your evening, next time, if there is a next time please let me know you are in the building and I will be sure to make your evening extra special. Thanks for your views, all the best.

Kevin O'Connell, Jr.

After further research, the night in question was this past Saturday. This night we were very busy at the bar and some people might have been a little louder than others. I believe that the meal sent back was a frizzee salad that was said "to be, to compacted" this salad is frizzee with lardoons and a fried egg. It was cleared and asked to be replaced, that meal was taken off the bill and for the record no bar stools were knocked over. This is not a way to say that your opinion is not welcome, I just like to be clear to the people reading this post the situation. I do take offense when you refer to my restaurant as a "trading places" episode. Some people worked very hard and very long hours to make this dream of mine come true and I will not let their work be put down. Agagin I am sorry you did not have a good time, but I stand behind my people, my restaurant, and my food.

Kevin O'Connell, jr.

if memory serves...doesn't classic frisée aux lardons salad call for poached egg?

dougk, you are exactly right it does call for a poached egg, but we like to soft fry an egg in a ring mold. It is just taing a classic and personalizing it a little. Not to mention everyone loves a good fried egg!!!!

Kevin O'Connell, Jr.

chef kevin, thanks for the confirmation, riff the classics to your hearts content

dougk, no prob, we ran this as a special a while back with the poached egg, but most of the customers left the egg on the salad (scared them a little I think). Since we have put the fried egg on, the customers have really taken to it a little better. I love eggs so you could scramble them and put them on and I would eat it, but hey give them what they want and they are happy!!!! (At least some of them)

Kevin O'Connell, Jr.

Chef O'Connell,

I truly respect you for caring as you do, it shows honor and commitment. One more reason you deserve your dream to come true. You know what you are doing...you deserve to do it!

chef kevin, i conditionally agree with you about giving customers what they want, soft-fried egg on your salad...ok, fine; however, there are just some things i wouldn't send out of my kitchen - no goofy plates intended for customers attempting to distinguish themselves from the peasant past and the laboring masses

dougk, I don't quite understand the last part about goofy plates...remember I am just a dumb cook so please elaborate.

Kevin O'Connell, Jr.

ktoy, I am working on revising the list currently, though we do have some fantastic french selections in that $40 to $60 range. Not to mention these are vintage selections 96' la Grange 97' Petite Figec 97' Phelan Segur and so on. I have been a little strapped trying to find good french wines for reasonable prices in this market, but I am still trying. And to answer the question on the Croque-monsieur or the Croque-madame..we do have it, we have a tartine of the day and the Croque-madame frequently is our tartine of the day. I am glad you enjoyed your meal and hope you will dine with us again. Next time please let your server know who you are and to tell me and maybe I can find some good "value" wine in my cellar for you!!!

Kevin O'Connell, Jr.

chef kevin, here ya' go...woman guest arrives at birthday dinner party with a large aluminum foil dish, demanding its frozen contents be prepared for her; another customer claims he's lactose intolerant, visits the kitchen to announce "NO MILK PRODUCTS PERIOD" -- and scarfs down ice cream for dessert, the pain in the ass just thought the quickest way to get special preparation, attention, or food substitution was claiming he's allergic to it.

chef, i guess when guests comes to a restaurant, customers should know every place has what wine folks call teroir, a personality... i always felt this is a bistro damn it, do you really think i'm going to whip up a tzatziki appetizer for you, when i have some perfect moules to plate, if greek is what you wanted go to opah! down the street, just don't expect ari to have tarte tatin for desert, ok?

I don't quite understand the last comment but that is ok... sorry.

Kevin O'Connell, Jr.

ktoy, thank you for understanding my dilema!! I am currently working with a small boutique wine company out of New York City. They seem to have a lot of great buys, the only problem is that they are hit and miss on vintages and labels...BUT I WILL NOT REST UNTIL WE HAVE A GREEEAAATTT AFFORDABLE FRENCH WINE LIST!!!!!!!!!

Kevin O'Connell, Jr.

Ouch... Kevin O'Connell Jr.... it looks like today, you can run and hide from your past mistakes but the truth and Google eventually catch up. Maybe WGRZ will catch up with this story and send their redcoats to do a hard hitting investigation of the story... right? Because, after all, they tout that they are a "fair and balanced news source" and would not let the WNY public get cheated, right? Question, would this make you a member of the WGRZ "friends and family plan"? Are you getting special treatment?

It is apparent that if WGRZ ignores this public knowledge that they are a bunch of hypocrites and have their own agenda that only is tailored to their views. Kevin Jr.proved that he is a fraud and a cheat with his failed business in Montana and the criminal actions that followed in his wake. He should pack up now and go back to Montana and see how they deal with you. You are lucky you made it out of that town without being tarred and feathered or incarcerated. How could you think that this would not be tracked back to you and that you would be caught? It is all traced via the credit cards and your account... DUH?!

Now what are you going to do for the fair people of this fine city of Buffalo? Looks like this goose is a little too cooked and frankly overpriced. The news agencies should get a look at this....Kind of stings when the shoe is on the other foot... huh? Maybe you could get into meteorology?

PLease do not use personal attacks on my family, this is an issue that I am personally dealing with. This is no way connected to this establishment, and to imply it does is not only unfair but also reckless!!! I ask anyone to come and look at my record while this restaurant has been open. I am not running from my problems as stated in the above post. I am facing these issues head on, and plan to do so with dignity. Nothing has "Caught up to me", and if you need to label me as a fraud and a cheat, then by all means you have that right. The people that know me and that I care about, know me and that is all I can ask for.

ACTUALLY I WENT BACK VOLUNTARILY, GFMT YOU DON'T KNOW ME OR THE SITUATION SO DON'T COMMENT ON THINGS YOU HAVE NO IDEA ABOUT. I DO NOT OWN THIS RESTAURANT, AND CHEATCHEAT IF YOU BELIEVE THAT BUFFALO SHOULD SHOW NO REMORSE THAT IS YOU OPINION. I AM CLEANING UP THE MESS AND YOU SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT THIS WILL MOST LIKELY RUIN MY BUSINESS AND EVERYTHING I WORKED FOR HERE IN BUFFALO.

SO CONGRATS YOU ALL WON!!!

Honestly Kevin, I hope you and your family gets through this whole ordeal with some dignity. It really stings having to be called out into the harsh light of public scrutiny for mis-steps and bad decisions in your past. Something you may have considered, keeping your past in mind, would have been keeping a lower profile in promoting this new enterprise in Buffalo. Also, by selecting a different spokesperson and promotional person you probably could have deflected any ill will towards the new restaurant, once these truths emerged into the public.

The old saying goes “you should not do the crime, unless you are willing to do the time” and that totally applies here. But do you think it ends there? You opened that door and crossed that ethical bridge with the good people of Montana a few years ago and now they have spoken. I think what irks most of the people here is that you went back to Buffalo looking for a new beginning putting on airs of haute culture and refined living, hoping that nobody would discover this basic trust violation and crimes against your past patrons and customers. If we went to a culinary school (or any business school for that matter) and looked in a text book there would probably be a section in there on ethics and gaining trust with your customers. You are lucky to have the financial backing of your family to help you try to get a second chance here. I really do think that you wanted to try and do the right thing the second time around. The only problem I see is there are still people that feel the sting of what you did to them. What exactly did the victims do to you, other than try to help your failing restaurant and financial problems, by handing you that credit card in the first place? Where did the $40,000 go? By the way everyone, we pay for these crimes with our higher interest rates and fees from the credit card companies.

Soooo…. now that the cat is out of the bag, the good people of Buffalo have choice to make. Do we give Kevin O’Connell Jr. another chance to win back our trust? I am not out to ruin anyone here, just speak the truth without any Buffalo Rising spin and pageantry and prevent this common thievery from happening again in this community, just like it happened to them in Montana. Will that be Visa or MasterCard?

Bon Appetite and best of luck with the sentencing.

I did not come back to buffalo looking for a new begining, I simply returned to me home because my wife and I were having a baby, and my restaurant closed. I understand everyone makes mistakes, and I have admitted to mine. this has been going on for years not just recently. It has just come out recently, and I have stood up and admitted my wrong doing. I am not at all proud of what happened, nor do I feel this one action determines the whole person I am or am trying to become. I am a person that gives back to my community, both here in Buffalo and when I was in Montana. I hope people give me a second chance to prove that I am a "good guy". That decision will be up to everyone that reads or hears about this story. Again I admit that I made mistakes, and that is all. I hope that is enough, because this will be the last time I address this situation, and as for my family and friends, they should not be brought into this this is my deal and anything blogged about should please leave them out of this, as they have nothing to do with it. I understand people concerns and there ill willed feelings toward me, but it is reckless and unfair to attack me family through this time.

Thank you

Guess the chef called everyone in his address book that still likes him and told them to come comment. Not to dance on anyone's grave, but this guy is loud and arrogant. It takes real arrogance to steal that kind fo money from people and his foods all pomp and no substance. He couldnt take the heat or make the cut in a real fine dining kitchen. His peers have all known that, we've said it since the beginning. It's about time the public knew it too.

Guess the chef called everyone in his address book that still likes him and told them to come comment. Not to dance on anyone's grave, but this guy is loud and arrogant. It takes real arrogance to steal that kind fo money from people and his foods all pomp and no substance. He couldnt take the heat or make the cut in a real fine dining kitchen. His peers have all known that, we've said it since the beginning. It's about time the public knew it too.

Just a quick note on this, O'Connell made some absurd choices & he's going to end up in jail for a while, that's what happens. The people whose cards were used- I'm sure -were not ultimately responsible for the money.Yet some of you are treating this as if it's the crime of the century. What about National Air Cargo/Christopher Alf, a slightly greater injustice & this guy is going to literally walk away & continue to prosper.

I never drank the Kool-Aid or believed any of this BS in the first place...he has already began serving his time right here is this public forum. Pray for him, he is going to need it. Also, Alf is a freaking poster boy for greed and corruption and should do time. They are doing what they do to all white collar criminals, hit them in the pocketbook. Let's not split hairs, he got greedy and took a legitimate business and exploited everyone with paperwork and accounting tricks. The Government paid Chris Alf and his corporate thieves with contracts he used our money to buy the houses, cars and real estate, the taxpayers money, by bilking contracts and falsifying documents using his poor pawn employees to throw under the bus. America, this is your enemy that destroys our country from within. This a-hole needs a collective punch in the face from honest Americans and taxpayers. This is corporate white collar greed personified, right here in our own backyard. Do not look up to scum like this because they cheat, lie and steal their way to the top and then insult you with these injustices and their over-priced luxury items. I hope they all his material and possesions turn to dust in front of his eyes as they haul him away into investigations and eventually jail. Put him with the Rigas clan. Greedy corporate bastards. All of them.

wow, i think someone should define "mistake"...kinda sounds more "thought out" eh? should i go here, i'll pay cash thanks

One of the first times a Blo chef makes a nationally recognized foodie blog its for this:

http://ahungerartist.bobdelgrosso.com/2008/03/another-chef-succumbs-to-satan.html

ktoy - would someone who had committed the same crimes as O'Connell but without his connections been able to move to another city and state and be the chef at another restaurant? I very much doubt that!

Reality- Connections? His connection is to a meteorologist, not Frank Clark.

zen my point was that his father who is a weather reporter (not a meteorologist as he doesn't have the education to be called that) owns the freakin' restaurant! Sorry that you're too dumb to understand that.

Furthermore, no one said that he is the only person to ever do this type of crime or that it doesn't occur frequently at banks, etc. the interest in the story is the fact that it was done by an individual who had attained, and I hate to use the word in this context because this is Buffalo and not the Food Network, "celebrity chef" status locally through various posts on BRO and in ArtVoice as just two examples. You're right, if a bank employee had done this it wouldn't have been on the cover of the Buffalo News or discussed so much on this website - the fact is that it was a prominent local chef who did this and it received attention accordingly!

I am still waiting for the rest of the story. If O'Connell pled guilty to credit card fraud of almost $45,000 and will face the music regarding over $7,000 worth of bad checks when they have the cold hard evidence against him, one can only imagine how many others he stole from that never realized it or couldn't prove it. I suspect it is many times what he has pled guilty to. Ask his former partners at his failed restaurant how much he cost them. There are also stories of a string of bad debts and welshed bets left in Montana with more than $5,000 owing to the local country club accompanied by stories of him cheating in golf tournaments and friendly play getting forcibly evicted from one golf tournament only to spend the night in jail in GF. Just dessert for a thieving lying chef in my opinion. Bob

We've been listening to this guy talk long and hard about his restaurant for a long time. He's bragged all over town about his skills and qualifications which he can't back up. He's talked bad about other chefs behind there backs.. He's BS'd every where any one would let him. I've never heard him give his dad credit for owning the restaurant or contributing in anyway. He'll always take the credit- even when there isn't any to be had. It makes sence that his dad would own it if he was facing charges. Don't think any one would want to shoot him down if he wasn't such an arrogant blow hard.

"SO CONGRATS YOU ALL WON!!!"- K.O., jr.

Perfect example. Sounds like something my 11 year old would say.

Interesting comments, do my research I have found out that his mother actually owns the restaurant. I don't know much about the ownership other than his mother is listed as the owner.

congrats to you winger I thought you were impotent........you actually can reproduce. GOOD FOR YOU!!!!

Just be sure to pay in cash!

As my name insists, I have done more research into credit card transaction at Mr. O'Connell's establishment in Kenmore. There has been zero complaints or "Charge Backs" on this current account. I have spoken with customers both lay and commercial customers and they say that theyhave never had a problem there. So I understand the anger of this community, but rest asurred that these actions happened in Montana, not in New York.

I don't know about y'all but the only thing I'm rest assured about is that "researcher" is in some way connected to this restaurant!

I can smell "Researchers" dirty clogs from all the way over here. That giant stained chefs coat of his is like a drive in movie screen advertising every thing he's got on the menu. Its good he's not cooking in his own kitchen anymore saves us ll alot of trouble pretending it was any good.

I have never hidden behind a fake screen name, I have always let people know who I am. There is no need for me to do that I have nothing to hide. People that say nice things about me or my restaurant you guys ridicule and bash. It is easy behind the cloak of a screen name. I need not do that, so when I do post I use my name. So you are not smelling my clogs sorry.

KOJR

I have been there a couple of times. Love it. I'll be back. In fact I went to the outdoor fest last year and had a great time. It was such a great time that it's 9 months later and I'm welcoming another child into our life. I'll be back.

5pm on a Saturday and our favorite chef is online defending himself. Any of you other chefs playing on the internet right before service? OK, researcher, how do you get a hold of credit card information information from a private company? Can I just call Visa and ask them if you've had charge backs? I don't think so. Whya would you do all of that "research" if you weren't involved somehow and it didn't benefit you? You've spoken with his customers and commerical accounts? B.S. How is that possible Buddy? Change your coat, wash your shoes, make your own food and we'll talk. Karma sucks.

This has been a long time coming!!! I am from GF and knew chef and his wife, his business partners and I am involved in the community. Everyone does make mistakes- I do not deny that. However, knowingly making the same ‘mistake’ over and over and over while in the mean time running up other peoples’ tabs, involving other peoples’ names and businesses, skipping town and not caring about it deserves a hefty punishment. Thankfully I was not among the diners whose credit card, and credit for that matter, was used. I bet if anyone reading these blogs had several THOUSANDS of dollars charged to them and had the task of trying to clean up the after math with the card companies would feel pretty strongly about making sure that the person that did it gets his in the end. Accident?!? Mistake?!? I think not.

The flagrant use of credit cards and tip lines seemed to be nothing new to the chef and some of the employees of Indigo. It is widely known in the restaurant community that employees of chef were encouraged to include the tip within the total while the trusting diner added an additional tip on the tip line. Advice: USE CASH IN HIS ESTABLISHMENT!!!

As for him moving back to Buffalo because of family- I do not think I can let him off so easy. I am sure he was trying to get as far away as possible. It doesn’t take long for the word to get out in a community of 60,000 of bad business practices, arrogance and public outbursts of temper. Question is – does he feel remorseful or even care? If he does, has he made right (not just monetarily) with the people this has affected?

He is a slightly above average chef. I say that having dined many times at Indigo. It is too bad of the decisions he has made because there may have been some potential there.

I ate at O'Cpnnells last week. The food was mediocre. I ordered strip steak ($44.50), but it was so bad that I took it home and gave it to my dog. I would avoid this place like the plague.

You see readers; I knew the people of Great Falls Montana would stumble on this page.... AND they also brought their own stockade and rotten tomatoes. I saw this one a coming folks. WGRZ removed all the comments on the story about O'Connell on their site and removed the ability to comment on the news story. So much for having free speech there on NBC and Gannett News. People HATE getting money taken from them, especially from a simple con like this one. There are many grifters to beware... If you claim to "serve the public" but in fact, STEAL FROM THE PUBLIC... YOU ARE A HYPOCRITE AND DESERVE THIS KIND OF TREATMENT. We don't owe you or your family jack sh!t, let alone any respect or dignity or recognition. You are a thief chef, congratulations. Attica is filled with them and our taxes are paying for them also along with our high credit card rates due to frauds like these. Why should we really care about your food and lame excuses for your crimes? I have bills and dreams too buddy, but I don't blame everyone else for my problems by cheating and stealing, I get to work and earn my money with my skills and my mind. This soft ethic sh!t is wearing thin on my nerves, as well as many others in the country. Not to get off topic but this is the same problem with our leaders like Spitzer, hypocrites who forget to serve the people that gave them the opportunity and the platform(=$$$) in the first place. Trust is something to be earned and respected, not implied and expected. Parents, teach your children these lessons. PLEASE!!