Buffalo Rising Online

May 25th 2007, 8:19am By Adam Fix

One of my favorite summer activities is grilling in my backyard with friends. There is little more enjoyable than relaxing by the grill with a drink and taking in the evening, especially after a long day. Even if it isn’t a common practice in your household, this Memorial Day weekend is the perfect time to host a barbecue.

A trip to Willowbrook Farms Grocery, located at 92 Niagara Frontier Food Terminal (just across the street from the Clinton/Bailey Farmer’s Market), is ideal for those looking to stock up for such an event. The complex is massive, and there is a constant flow of trucks loading and unloading groceries packaged in food service-size quantities. The Food Terminal serves as a restaurant and food service supplier, but is also open to the public, allowing anyone to get wholesale prices on a wide variety of meat, canned vegetables, sauces, and much more.

The wholesale prices are excellent, and the quantities large enough to stuff all your guests. As of May 24, five-pound bags of hot dogs sold for $2.59/lb, and 10-pound cases of beef patties for $1.95/lb. Another popular grill item, shrimp, starts at $4.25/lb for two-pound bags. Other necessities, such as Frank’s Red Hot Sauce, Chiavetta’s marinade, baked beans, coleslaw, and potato salad, can all be purchased at low prices.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that, in addition to the grocery section, Willowbrook Farms has a separate beverage supply company- billed as Buffalo’s “newest and largest”- with an outstanding beer selection. The choices range from the cheap, popular Pabst Blue Ribbon (35 cents per 12-ounce can!) to the outstanding Rogue Dead Guy Ale ($9.70/six pack).

A nice complement to a summer evening meal in the yard would be Harpoon’s UFO Hefeweizen ($6.50/six pack), an unfiltered wheat beer with a light, crisp, citrusy taste. Try it with a slice of lemon to accentuate the citrus flavor. Abita’s Purple Haze ($7.80/six pack) is another solid choice- an American-style wheat beer, brewed with raspberries for a sweet and tart taste.

For the kids, 2 liter bottles of pop start as low as 50 cents. Chips and other snacks are also available.

The grocery section is open Monday-Friday from 6 AM-4 PM and Saturday from 6 AM- 12 PM. The beverage company hours are Monday-Friday from 8 AM-5 PM, and Saturday from 8 AM-3 PM.