This lunch place is unique since it's a culinary arts school in the Buffalo School District and they serve lunch as part of their hands-on experience training. It's been around for over 50 years and they have about 400 students enrolled in the program.
Upon entering, we were impressed to see all the students in clean uniforms and wearing gloves with the restaurant itself was very clean. Behind the counters are students in chef uniforms cooking, carving, and serving in different stations and looking quite professional at it. There's also a back room where they do their official cooking in and they have a banquet facility. The soups you can serve yourself for $2.99 as well as the salad and fruit bar. The lunch operates like a cafe so it is quicker than having a waiter coming to you at a table. In opposition, you can't pre-order or have delivery and it's a bit of a walk than the norm. It's much nicer inside than City Hall but clearly not as spacey. Most people don't know it has lunch for the public despite being on Chippewa. They are open for lunch from 11:15 am to 1:30 pm.
Don't let a cafe served by students throw you off. At first the thought of using precious lunch time and venturing into having high school students make our lunch did not appeal to some of us. Their lunch menu is pretty classy offering what could even be dinner style entrees for affordable prices. One of us said the food might be too heavy for a lunch. On their site, they post the daily specials for that week. Besides their own website, there's hardly any mention on the web about them. Some of their specials just for this week are Italian Eggplant, Grilled Salmon, and Roast Lamb all for about $7-8. If you are a seafood lover they have different selections depending on the day. Herb crusted cod, Grouper Oscar, Grilled Salmon, Baked Haddock, Stuffed Rainbow Trout, and Battered Fish. If you are not a seafood lover, step up to the hot carving station. Their sandwiches are huge and tasty and you also get a cooked side or two with it. One of us had the hot carved turkey sandwich on a wheat roll and it was perfect. The turkey was extremely juicy and a plentiful amount with side items to choose from such as potatoes, salads, and more, all for $6.25. They also have a deep fryer unlike some places around here to cook up some fries. They also have pizzas by the slice for $2.55 and homemade desserts. The Butterfinger cheesecake was nice and soft without overbearing it with any flavor. It was more than meets the eye. We noticed in this restaurant is a common problem you will find at most restaurants; they only serve Coke products, as opposed to having the Pepsi or Coke option. We do in fact understand that they have contracts with the vendors, but personally we would like to see some soft drink choice.
We got the impression that everything here seems big and fresh, and it is. They carve in front of you, grill, and even put the onion rings or French fries in the fryer for you. It'll take some more time than usual, especially if you are at the carving station, but the end results are satisfying to try again.
Final Rating: 4.0 out of 5
Emerson School of Hospitality
www.buffaloschools.org/Emerson.cfm
70 West Chippewa St
Buffalo, NY 14202
716-816-3018
5 comments:
dude, I'm sure this place is located fairly close to many downtown businesses...and the walk down from "here" to chip is not far!
as for the pepsi coke thing..what's the point, you will never have the option unless you go to a grocery store. and dude, pepsi and coke offer the same options of soda..just different names.
and of course they don't deliver..they are not teaching kids how to deliver food in cars.
ha sorry for another rant. otherwise, good post.
I agree on the pop.. This place is only open for you said 2 hrs a day. Why would they carry two types of pop. I think we are getting a bit too picky now. Remeber it is a school- maybe they are trying to be cost efficient and raise some money for the school not please everyone's pop taste.
I would love to comment here, but in the interests of full disclosure, my cousin runs the place. I can say I do like the comments and I will pass them along.
smarterthanvinny
who cares about the soda (real people don't say pop), you are there for the food!
I love this place! I first went here during the World Juniors hockey tourney. Now, it is always on my to do list when I come home to Buffalo! Great meal, great value and it supports the city kids! Check it out!
Post a Comment