Buffalo Rising Online

I have always wanted to eat in a restaurant that was not on ground level in Buffalo. I would like to see a restaurant and bar open in a building that overlooks the city and the water. I think there used to be one on the top floor of the HSBC? I know there is a private club that offers these views, and maybe a corporate cafeteria. As far as the food goes, a restaurant like that would need to appeal to the masses and would serve the basics. Pastas, steaks, salads, etc.

Aren't there enough places going down the tubes as it is? We are going to see a lot of places going bust this winter. I'd put Baccus at the top of the list. Our population is shrinking but yet people like Todd keep opening up new places. The cash that fuled those crazy dreams is gone, gone, gone. Yet a good Mexican place would be welcome.

Good, authentic, delicious Mexican would be a relief.

Real French is necessary as is a French bakery. So sick of those little tasteless Italian cookies I could die.

Fast food/drive thru that's good, decent, whole food. We have very few drive thru options here--donuts, boston market, ets/might taco and burgers. There are lots of great drive thru places with fresh food on the west coast.

Real Spanish food would make my heart happy, but I don't know if Buffalo could keep a place like that busy and open. I know I'd do my best.

Imaginative high end American classics- hand cut fries with aioli trio, hand-formed grass fed burgers, mac and cheese with class...

As long as people in Buffalo keep thinking being a vegetarian is cool: Modern fine dining with a commitment to organic/grass-fed/etc and a lot of really top-notch Ubuntu-quality vegetarian options. No all veg restaurant is going to fly in Buff unless it's sandwiches and soups. But a high end joint with good ethics could make a lot of vegetarians very happy by catering to their tastes for better food and still serving the carnivores. Strict kitchen standards would need to be in place here. Don't want your veggie burger grilled in the same spot that Bessie was.

Anyone brave enough to open a restaurant this year had better have a pretty thick cushion. I fear we'll see a lot of the little guys close in late winter. Hopefully we'll only lose the yucky ones.

Shame on any WNY resident who visits any chain in this economic climate.

saveoldbuffalo-

There are amazing restaurants serving great, quality food in the city of Buffalo. Get out there and try one or two. If I lived in the suburbs, I'd agree with you, those chains and mom and pop dinner places (think Grapevine) don't serve food unless its covered in red sauce or comes from a fryer. "Bruschetta chicken"? No thanks. "Buffalo chicken salad". Get me out of here.

And you're right that there are a lot of restaurants that could use a Ramsay makeover, but you could say that about any city...including New York. The restaurants that are making the right choices night after night don't get enough press and don't always have customers that appreciate what they're doing, but they are out there. And to your point, I think there are quite a few joints that could qualify as a "NYC style metropolitan place". You just need to get out more.

Oh, and by the way, it is hard to make great tasting quality food in an area full of people who think Chef's is good food, people looking for giant portions of bland re-heated frozen/canned crap for very little money.