Delivery from over twenty minutes away seems out of the question... especially for a place that doesn't even deliver in the first place. This would be the furthest we have ever got delivery from. DiBella's doesn't have a location in or near downtown Buffalo, but our Rochester friend insisted they are a must try. Interesting enough, they have three locations in the suburbs of Buffalo and most of us Buffalo people have never had food from there before despite hearing about them.
Our Rochester friend convinced Dave the manager and Brian the assistant manager from the Tonawanda location on Niagara Falls Blvd. to deliver, but we needed to meet a $50 minimum order. There weren't any prices on their website so we had to ask also. We originally were going to order from here Monday, but the order would have been called forty minutes before our lunch time and we didn't meet the $50 minimum then.
Today, we had 11 people ordering which would put us well above the $50 minimum. Orders ranged from a Godfather, which was Genoa Salami, Capicola, and Spicy Ham, to roast beef and corned beef. We could say exactly what we wanted on it to the kind of cheese, peppers, oil, etc. A large cold sub was $8.19 and a medium was $6.19. No one got one of Grandma DiBella's Old Fashioned Large Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies for a $1.25, but one of us did get the small box of two dozen mini chocolate chip cookies for $5.89. We were going to fax our order in, but they didn't have a fax machine so we called a day ahead to place our order.
The delivery arrived about five minutes earlier than expected so their timing was fine by not being late with the longer than usual delivery distance. This was the first time two guys came to deliver... one was the manager and the other was for directions. All the subs came in one big box and the manager presented us with a 10% coupon on sub party platters. Gladly enough, each sub had a name on it instead of what it was so it was easy to pass around. This was a solid start before we began eating into the food.
We felt the weight of one sub in our hands and it was heavier than the average foot-long sub. It is only a bit longer than the twelve inch standard. The order came with some napkins and forks and over a dozen menus. Some of us worried if the hot subs would be cold by the time it was delivered. The hot subs were in red paper and they were still warm. The seven inch Red Osier Hot Roast Beef at $5.59 was smaller than expected, but still fine and warm. The cold subs had a similar appeal and taste to Wegmans. The bread is so nice that Wegmans paid big bucks to use their recipe. The meat was stacked high like Wegmans, however, one side of the bread was cut instead of both. The cheese had a great taste and the peppers had a kick to them. The cookies were freshly baked and much better than Chips Ahoy. Their large subs are all you really need to be full for hours.
The enormously high expectations built up from our Rochester friend were met. For not coming here late, writing the names on the orders, or messing anything up in the process of a big order to go out for a long delivery, they did really well. In comparison to other sub places, this ranks above most in Buffalo. Jim's Steakout, DiBella's, and Wegmans could be one, two, and three and they are each unique. We would do the sub platter next since it is cheaper than our current go-to sub platters from Prima.
Final Rating: 4.5 out of 5
DiBella's Old Fashioned Submarines
www.dibellas.com
1420 Niagara Falls Boulevard
Tonawanda, NY 14150-8431
(716) 332-2418
Friday, July 23, 2010
Friday, July 16, 2010
TGI Friday's
TGI Friday's is one of the most over-visited chain restaurants in America. This place on Main St. by Chippewa and Washington seems to be one of the few food attractions that are busy in its area, especially in the evening. It does marketing extremely well with their television advertisements and promotions. Imagine over a dozen us from work heading to Fridays together and ordering lunch right there. We wouldn’t have time… so we managed to get delivery from them.
The menu contains a lot of similar things and it's very narrow. Their prices are actually expensive for lunch and dinner portions as well as desserts. You might as well just go to a local restaurant instead with real cooks and people who want to work there. Since we are the Buffalo Lunch Time guys, we shouldn't be going to places like Fridays, Chilis, Applebee's, and so on since there are a ton of local places that are out there... at least in Buffalo and the suburbs there are. Fridays does provide a family-friendly atmosphere along with a nice bar that has overpriced drinks. However, we managed to order for delivery for our first time ever from TGI Fridays on this Friday. We pulled off getting the manager from TGI Fridays to make the delivery if we had enough people. This would be their first delivery.
We only had the menu online to look it and it was very confusing. The items were duplicated all over the menu and they stressed Jack Daniels sauce all over it. The prices were not listed and some of the items didn't list if it came with a side or not. Their sections are broken down vertically so you would have to tilt your head to read the section. Since the menu online was messy, we called and requested a menu faxed to us with the prices. The person on the phone did so by writing the prices on a paper menu, which was easier to read, and it was faxed within a few minutes. This was the fastest fax we’ve ever had. Usually when we request a menu to be faxed, it rarely comes in. We were impressed most by this place since the person did it so fast and wrote the prices on it. We ended up faxing our orders with our names on each order to them about two hours ahead of our lunch time and called to confirm it. There were sixteen people who ordered today and the most popular item ordered, as predicted, was the Jack Daniel's Chicken Sandwich which did come with fries.
Some of us do have a problem though with the pricing. The average cost of a sandwich and even a salad was 10 to 11 dollars total. If we found a menu for a local place no one has heard and saw it cost that much for a sandwich, people would be turned away and call it an outrage. We would know since it has happened several times before... but since this is Fridays and people are familiar with the name and marketing of it, it is okay to spend that much on lunch. The problem is not many people take the risk and spend $10 on lunch from a place they know nothing about.
Our food arrived ten minutes earlier... that is, if we gave them the right address. Our Rochester friend gave him his old working address, but thankfully they came before noon. The daytime manager Mike delivered in his car and he said this was his first delivery order. He was hesitant at first over the phone to do it, but it now sounds like he would do it again especially with the right address. All the orders were in one big box. None of them had names on them though. Instead, the orders were written on them. Plates, napkins, ketchups, and so on were provided. For everyone who ordered Jack Daniels something, the sauce was on the side and everyone seemed to have liked that better than if the sauce was already on it. The sandwiches were juicy and big with some flavor. We were all impressed by the food even if it was from a chain. The food didn't go wrong. It’s also what you can expect from a chain in quality and size.
TGI Friday's is expensive place for lunch and people are still willing to pay because the food is not that bad. There are other choices out there and this isn't something we would go to often for our lunch. However, since we got a large turnout and everything pretty much came as ordered and enjoyed by many people, we might change our minds on that especially when we don't want pizza.
Final Rating: 3 out of 5
TGI Friday's
www.tgifridays.com
601 Main Street
Buffalo, NY 14203-1488
(716) 854-6000
The menu contains a lot of similar things and it's very narrow. Their prices are actually expensive for lunch and dinner portions as well as desserts. You might as well just go to a local restaurant instead with real cooks and people who want to work there. Since we are the Buffalo Lunch Time guys, we shouldn't be going to places like Fridays, Chilis, Applebee's, and so on since there are a ton of local places that are out there... at least in Buffalo and the suburbs there are. Fridays does provide a family-friendly atmosphere along with a nice bar that has overpriced drinks. However, we managed to order for delivery for our first time ever from TGI Fridays on this Friday. We pulled off getting the manager from TGI Fridays to make the delivery if we had enough people. This would be their first delivery.
We only had the menu online to look it and it was very confusing. The items were duplicated all over the menu and they stressed Jack Daniels sauce all over it. The prices were not listed and some of the items didn't list if it came with a side or not. Their sections are broken down vertically so you would have to tilt your head to read the section. Since the menu online was messy, we called and requested a menu faxed to us with the prices. The person on the phone did so by writing the prices on a paper menu, which was easier to read, and it was faxed within a few minutes. This was the fastest fax we’ve ever had. Usually when we request a menu to be faxed, it rarely comes in. We were impressed most by this place since the person did it so fast and wrote the prices on it. We ended up faxing our orders with our names on each order to them about two hours ahead of our lunch time and called to confirm it. There were sixteen people who ordered today and the most popular item ordered, as predicted, was the Jack Daniel's Chicken Sandwich which did come with fries.
Some of us do have a problem though with the pricing. The average cost of a sandwich and even a salad was 10 to 11 dollars total. If we found a menu for a local place no one has heard and saw it cost that much for a sandwich, people would be turned away and call it an outrage. We would know since it has happened several times before... but since this is Fridays and people are familiar with the name and marketing of it, it is okay to spend that much on lunch. The problem is not many people take the risk and spend $10 on lunch from a place they know nothing about.
Our food arrived ten minutes earlier... that is, if we gave them the right address. Our Rochester friend gave him his old working address, but thankfully they came before noon. The daytime manager Mike delivered in his car and he said this was his first delivery order. He was hesitant at first over the phone to do it, but it now sounds like he would do it again especially with the right address. All the orders were in one big box. None of them had names on them though. Instead, the orders were written on them. Plates, napkins, ketchups, and so on were provided. For everyone who ordered Jack Daniels something, the sauce was on the side and everyone seemed to have liked that better than if the sauce was already on it. The sandwiches were juicy and big with some flavor. We were all impressed by the food even if it was from a chain. The food didn't go wrong. It’s also what you can expect from a chain in quality and size.
TGI Friday's is expensive place for lunch and people are still willing to pay because the food is not that bad. There are other choices out there and this isn't something we would go to often for our lunch. However, since we got a large turnout and everything pretty much came as ordered and enjoyed by many people, we might change our minds on that especially when we don't want pizza.
Final Rating: 3 out of 5
TGI Friday's
www.tgifridays.com
601 Main Street
Buffalo, NY 14203-1488
(716) 854-6000
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
La Nova Pizzeria
Today for some us was our one year anniversary at work. We came in the same time exactly a year ago and to celebrate, we decided to have our own pizza party luncheon. After going against from going out, we decided for pizza yesterday, but we didn’t know where yet.
We haven’t reviewed La Nova because our Rochester friend was not impressed by the La Nova pizza at the Valero gas station on Elmwood. This pizzeria does have the strongest reputation in Buffalo for years now as the best pizza in town. They are also notoriously famous for their mafia ways too, but that’s old news. Their prices are a bit higher than the average, but it is always worth it. Of course, they are not within walking distance to downtown from their West Ferry original location we ordered from. Their other location is consistently great for the suburbs on Main Street in Williamsville. They’ve been number one on best pizzas lists in Buffalo for years and they earned the prize as best independent pizzeria in the United States… it even still says so on their plates. They are so famous now that their wings are starting to get more attention than Duff’s due to Duff’s never showing up at wing fest and no marketing. La Nova ships out their food via airplane anywhere in the country. Marketing outside of Buffalo has helped this place grow.
We called an hour ahead of time and it would take 45 minutes to get here. We could tell the person was talking softly over the phone and abruptly said bye after we asked for plates and napkins. It sounded like she didn’t want to be there today. As a result, the plates did not arrive, but the delivery guy came on time. Luckily, we still had La Nova plates and napkins leftover from a previous visit months ago. You can imagine their suburban place is more friendlier than the North Buffalo one. Our order was a sheet pepperoni pizza and 20 medium wings for five people… hopefully that wouldn’t be too much food for everyone... and it really wasn’t after all. We originally came in on this date a year ago as 9 people. 1 left the day of, 1 recently left, 1 didn’t have cash today, and 1 decided to go to the dark side today by ordering a happy meal from McDonald’s.
There never have been more complements to a pizza during a lunch period than today. We went as far as calling this pizza beautiful while seeing it in the pizza box. There were only a few slices left after our lunch period. The pizza was juicy, moist, and soft. There were no burnt brown or black areas on the crust. It was easy going down... it was just amazing and delicious. We wish we could eat this pizza more often. A couple of the people who got McDonald's today realized how small their food was and wanted some of this pizza... they each got a slice and wanted more. Their wings also scored well. Usually wings from pizza places are just alike and nothing too superb as opposed to getting them at bar. These wings, however, are above the scale on wings from a pizzeria. They are better than the average wing.
By default, this should be the pizza to welcome any outside visitors to Buffalo. It is what Buffalo pizza is all about… from the overall flavor, to the rise of the dough, to the size of the crust, to the essence of the sauce, and to the appearance and taste of the pepperoni and cheese... the blend of all of that was phenomenal. This is Buffalo pizza at its finest.
Final Rating: 5 out of 5
La Nova Pizzeria
www.lanova.com
371 West Ferry Street
Buffalo, NY 14213-1947
(716) 881-3355
We haven’t reviewed La Nova because our Rochester friend was not impressed by the La Nova pizza at the Valero gas station on Elmwood. This pizzeria does have the strongest reputation in Buffalo for years now as the best pizza in town. They are also notoriously famous for their mafia ways too, but that’s old news. Their prices are a bit higher than the average, but it is always worth it. Of course, they are not within walking distance to downtown from their West Ferry original location we ordered from. Their other location is consistently great for the suburbs on Main Street in Williamsville. They’ve been number one on best pizzas lists in Buffalo for years and they earned the prize as best independent pizzeria in the United States… it even still says so on their plates. They are so famous now that their wings are starting to get more attention than Duff’s due to Duff’s never showing up at wing fest and no marketing. La Nova ships out their food via airplane anywhere in the country. Marketing outside of Buffalo has helped this place grow.
We called an hour ahead of time and it would take 45 minutes to get here. We could tell the person was talking softly over the phone and abruptly said bye after we asked for plates and napkins. It sounded like she didn’t want to be there today. As a result, the plates did not arrive, but the delivery guy came on time. Luckily, we still had La Nova plates and napkins leftover from a previous visit months ago. You can imagine their suburban place is more friendlier than the North Buffalo one. Our order was a sheet pepperoni pizza and 20 medium wings for five people… hopefully that wouldn’t be too much food for everyone... and it really wasn’t after all. We originally came in on this date a year ago as 9 people. 1 left the day of, 1 recently left, 1 didn’t have cash today, and 1 decided to go to the dark side today by ordering a happy meal from McDonald’s.
There never have been more complements to a pizza during a lunch period than today. We went as far as calling this pizza beautiful while seeing it in the pizza box. There were only a few slices left after our lunch period. The pizza was juicy, moist, and soft. There were no burnt brown or black areas on the crust. It was easy going down... it was just amazing and delicious. We wish we could eat this pizza more often. A couple of the people who got McDonald's today realized how small their food was and wanted some of this pizza... they each got a slice and wanted more. Their wings also scored well. Usually wings from pizza places are just alike and nothing too superb as opposed to getting them at bar. These wings, however, are above the scale on wings from a pizzeria. They are better than the average wing.
By default, this should be the pizza to welcome any outside visitors to Buffalo. It is what Buffalo pizza is all about… from the overall flavor, to the rise of the dough, to the size of the crust, to the essence of the sauce, and to the appearance and taste of the pepperoni and cheese... the blend of all of that was phenomenal. This is Buffalo pizza at its finest.
Final Rating: 5 out of 5
La Nova Pizzeria
www.lanova.com
371 West Ferry Street
Buffalo, NY 14213-1947
(716) 881-3355
Friday, July 9, 2010
Dragon Express
Today's order was for nine people and this was our first experience with them. They deliver and they are located behind the Hyatt which is just slightly over the average walking distance. There is no competition out there along that section of Main and Huron when it comes to Asian food. There should be a sushi place on Main St. there, but there isn't.
Most of us got the lunch specials. They are about $5 total. Chinese meals are usually the most affordable lunches to order from. The order was called in a couple hours ahead of time and the orders ranged from Sesame Chicken to dumplings to a pint of shrimp lo mien.
The delivery came five to ten minutes earlier than the said arrival time... better to come that early than one minute late. Everything was in one big box. Inside the box there were plenty of forks, napkins, side sauces, and fortune cookies. However, there were no names written on the orders or any menu numbers so we had to look at the food from the clear lids to determine whose is whose. The names on the orders were requested and the guy on the phone even wrote down the names on the check. Each one came with pork fried rice no matter what. One of us ordered white rice instead, but got the pork fried rice in the lunch meal container as the white rice was on the side in a half pint.
The food was warm and delicious. No one complained. The lunch specials looked like every other Chinese place's lunch special we've had that came in one of those reusable containers. The most popular order was General Tsos chicken, which was great. The hot & spicy chicken appeared with a pink sauce and it attended to be hot, but it wasn't really. There also wasn't enough chicken in it, but it was still a nice lunch meal. There was a lot of food in each lunch meal for the price spent.
We would definitely order from this place again. The prices are right and delivery wasn't late, but it's just like the rest of the Chinese places around. The Chinese food here might be a slight better than the rest though, but it doesn't offer sushi or Japanese dishes like some places do which would offer a bigger variety and crowd.
Final Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Dragon Express
www.allmenus.com/ny/buffalo/245730-new-dragon-express/menu
525 Main Street
Buffalo, NY 14203-1712
(716) 842-0909
Most of us got the lunch specials. They are about $5 total. Chinese meals are usually the most affordable lunches to order from. The order was called in a couple hours ahead of time and the orders ranged from Sesame Chicken to dumplings to a pint of shrimp lo mien.
The delivery came five to ten minutes earlier than the said arrival time... better to come that early than one minute late. Everything was in one big box. Inside the box there were plenty of forks, napkins, side sauces, and fortune cookies. However, there were no names written on the orders or any menu numbers so we had to look at the food from the clear lids to determine whose is whose. The names on the orders were requested and the guy on the phone even wrote down the names on the check. Each one came with pork fried rice no matter what. One of us ordered white rice instead, but got the pork fried rice in the lunch meal container as the white rice was on the side in a half pint.
The food was warm and delicious. No one complained. The lunch specials looked like every other Chinese place's lunch special we've had that came in one of those reusable containers. The most popular order was General Tsos chicken, which was great. The hot & spicy chicken appeared with a pink sauce and it attended to be hot, but it wasn't really. There also wasn't enough chicken in it, but it was still a nice lunch meal. There was a lot of food in each lunch meal for the price spent.
We would definitely order from this place again. The prices are right and delivery wasn't late, but it's just like the rest of the Chinese places around. The Chinese food here might be a slight better than the rest though, but it doesn't offer sushi or Japanese dishes like some places do which would offer a bigger variety and crowd.
Final Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Dragon Express
www.allmenus.com/ny/buffalo/245730-new-dragon-express/menu
525 Main Street
Buffalo, NY 14203-1712
(716) 842-0909
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
The Avant Espresso Bar
This was the first place we tried out last summer and it was one of our favorites. It was well within walking distance, peaceful, and reasonable. This is the small cafe inside the Embassy Suites hotel. We always went there about once a week last summer and it was a nice escape from work in a new, calm environment. Some of us at work also thought it was the best place around, but that was before we started discovering other places nearby.
The problem is the food was never that exciting to go back and the selection was way too scarce, since it is a hotel. The coffees they have take a while to make as it’s Starbucks® coffee coming in the Starbucks cups. They serve pre-made wraps, salads, and pastries, though the pastries are usually too expensive for too little to try out. You really can't go with a group of people too. They have a slow service sometimes based on one person there and they have no reason to be that slow. Salsarita's serves dozens of people every few minutes. If a dozen people showed up at Embassy’s cafe, expect to wait about twenty minutes before you sit down with your food. However, a dozen of people will never be at this place.
The entrance is through the front glass doors on West Huron, not on Delaware which is where Della Terra is. When you walk right in from West Huron, it's straight ahead. The service is open from 7am to 6pm each day. They have different premade foods each day. If you're expecting one of your favorites to be there that you had last week, it might not be there the next time. They have a very limited selection. Their soups were a hit. They are best around and they’re always extremely hot. The soft drinks are expensive and it'll cost almost two bucks.
On today's visit, there was no one around. The pastries weren't there. Instead, just the premade selections were there and this time, they were labeled and labeled really well. The a/c can be felt, some soothing musical tunes can be heard, and a nice hotel waterfall inside can be seen. There's an elegant bar and of course no one is ever around that at noon. There's also a feeling this hotel is mainly for business meetings than visitors booking a room. It’s a great, relaxing atmosphere and the tall glass windows give a great view. They only had about three lunch meals to pick from today. One of us got the spicy chicken wrap and other got some shrimp croissant sandwich. Each one came with a small pasta salad inside. The containers were so hard to open so that shows they try to keep them fresh. Each meal was priced at $6.53 total. These are healthy, cool, and light selections which can appeal for a warm summer appetite. What some might consider mostly bland food, the taste was just fine and doesn’t need oil or grease on it.
One of the main reasons to go there is for the sitting environment and atmosphere. Also on the plus side, the food won't make you fall asleep in the afternoon. This is where to go for something healthy, light, and easy. It’s an alternate choice from fried foods especially since there are hardly any healthy places around. It might not fill you up, but that isn't a bad thing.
Final Rating: 3.5 out of 5
The Avant Espresso Bar
embassysuites1.hilton.com
200 Delaware Avenue
Buffalo, NY 14202
(716) 842-1000
The problem is the food was never that exciting to go back and the selection was way too scarce, since it is a hotel. The coffees they have take a while to make as it’s Starbucks® coffee coming in the Starbucks cups. They serve pre-made wraps, salads, and pastries, though the pastries are usually too expensive for too little to try out. You really can't go with a group of people too. They have a slow service sometimes based on one person there and they have no reason to be that slow. Salsarita's serves dozens of people every few minutes. If a dozen people showed up at Embassy’s cafe, expect to wait about twenty minutes before you sit down with your food. However, a dozen of people will never be at this place.
The entrance is through the front glass doors on West Huron, not on Delaware which is where Della Terra is. When you walk right in from West Huron, it's straight ahead. The service is open from 7am to 6pm each day. They have different premade foods each day. If you're expecting one of your favorites to be there that you had last week, it might not be there the next time. They have a very limited selection. Their soups were a hit. They are best around and they’re always extremely hot. The soft drinks are expensive and it'll cost almost two bucks.
On today's visit, there was no one around. The pastries weren't there. Instead, just the premade selections were there and this time, they were labeled and labeled really well. The a/c can be felt, some soothing musical tunes can be heard, and a nice hotel waterfall inside can be seen. There's an elegant bar and of course no one is ever around that at noon. There's also a feeling this hotel is mainly for business meetings than visitors booking a room. It’s a great, relaxing atmosphere and the tall glass windows give a great view. They only had about three lunch meals to pick from today. One of us got the spicy chicken wrap and other got some shrimp croissant sandwich. Each one came with a small pasta salad inside. The containers were so hard to open so that shows they try to keep them fresh. Each meal was priced at $6.53 total. These are healthy, cool, and light selections which can appeal for a warm summer appetite. What some might consider mostly bland food, the taste was just fine and doesn’t need oil or grease on it.
One of the main reasons to go there is for the sitting environment and atmosphere. Also on the plus side, the food won't make you fall asleep in the afternoon. This is where to go for something healthy, light, and easy. It’s an alternate choice from fried foods especially since there are hardly any healthy places around. It might not fill you up, but that isn't a bad thing.
Final Rating: 3.5 out of 5
The Avant Espresso Bar
embassysuites1.hilton.com
200 Delaware Avenue
Buffalo, NY 14202
(716) 842-1000
Friday, July 2, 2010
Gino & Joe's Pizzeria
This pizzeria is famous for being stuck inside an infamous mall of the Mainplace Mall. It must hurt business being around a disintegrating retail place since there’s nothing inside worth shopping. This pizza hardly counts for someone just to go inside it for this pizza… the Italian specialties and pasta specials are one thing, as we ended up getting delivery.
There was a $30 minimum for delivery and they only deliver downtown. Their own website doesn’t work which is always a problem here when we want more information but luckily we had paper menus. The prices are relativity affordable and lots of us ordered calzones. About 15 people were in on this order. Originally one of us ordered wings, but changed it after the call once they told us they only carry boneless wings. This has got to be the only pizza place we tried that is like this. Also, the only drinks they carry are iced teas, but not a big problem.
Aside from the pizza, all the food arrived in one big box. Not only was the box huge, but so was the pizza box. The size was larger than we thought. We ordered a medium which was 16", but for only $12, this was a deal. It was like a large pizza. All the names were on the orders so they were easy to pass around and separate. There was even a smile face on one person's order. They gave us plastic knifes and forks, but they missed out on the napkins which hurt.
The best part of the meal was in fact the calzones and strombolis. They were enjoyed by all. The calzones all had a few bread holes on the top so you can see what you’re eating inside. The meat was great and the sausage exceeded our expectations. The dipping tomato sauce was liked also. The bottom of some of ours was somewhat burnt and the cheese was thick though.
The pizza was something one could expect to be served at a mall. It wasn't anywhere near great; it was just a typical thin New York style without anything special. It's got a look that won't appeal to most Buffalo pizza fans. It also was becoming cold too fast. It was just a pepperoni pizza though... the slices were big but had a lot of grease. We also didn't eat the crust on some of the slices as it was just too much for some.
They gave us a lot of food. Most of us couldn't finish what we ordered during our lunch time, which was unusual. The Italian foods and calzones were better than their pizza.
Final Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Gino & Joe's Pizzeria
www.gino&joes.com
400 Main Street
Buffalo, NY 14202-3702
(716) 856-4340
There was a $30 minimum for delivery and they only deliver downtown. Their own website doesn’t work which is always a problem here when we want more information but luckily we had paper menus. The prices are relativity affordable and lots of us ordered calzones. About 15 people were in on this order. Originally one of us ordered wings, but changed it after the call once they told us they only carry boneless wings. This has got to be the only pizza place we tried that is like this. Also, the only drinks they carry are iced teas, but not a big problem.
Aside from the pizza, all the food arrived in one big box. Not only was the box huge, but so was the pizza box. The size was larger than we thought. We ordered a medium which was 16", but for only $12, this was a deal. It was like a large pizza. All the names were on the orders so they were easy to pass around and separate. There was even a smile face on one person's order. They gave us plastic knifes and forks, but they missed out on the napkins which hurt.
The best part of the meal was in fact the calzones and strombolis. They were enjoyed by all. The calzones all had a few bread holes on the top so you can see what you’re eating inside. The meat was great and the sausage exceeded our expectations. The dipping tomato sauce was liked also. The bottom of some of ours was somewhat burnt and the cheese was thick though.
The pizza was something one could expect to be served at a mall. It wasn't anywhere near great; it was just a typical thin New York style without anything special. It's got a look that won't appeal to most Buffalo pizza fans. It also was becoming cold too fast. It was just a pepperoni pizza though... the slices were big but had a lot of grease. We also didn't eat the crust on some of the slices as it was just too much for some.
They gave us a lot of food. Most of us couldn't finish what we ordered during our lunch time, which was unusual. The Italian foods and calzones were better than their pizza.
Final Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Gino & Joe's Pizzeria
www.gino&joes.com
400 Main Street
Buffalo, NY 14202-3702
(716) 856-4340
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Hyatt's Grill
The first trip here was on a Monday and the grill wasn't there. There were a few people there that asked where did the grill go which was out there last Friday... much later we found out the grill is only there from Wednesdays to Fridays. There wasn't even a sign out there that said anything so it didn't look promising to go back and see if it is out there again.
Today being Thursday, we walked there which took more than the average walk to lunch. The grill was out there by the hotel almost underneath some shade from the building and there was a sign on the ground saying Hyatt... the special was five dollars for a grilled sandwich, bag of chips, and pop. The choices were grilled Angus burgers, pulled pork, chicken breast, and Italian sausage. No hot dogs though which was smart because there's a hot dog vendor on the opposite corner. Also, it showed this is the only outdoor vendor in the area that will grill pulled pork so that's what we got.
We revised our order... instead of getting the $5 special we each got a pop, bag of pretzels, pulled pork, and an Angus burger for $8 each. The 6 oz. burgers were frozen before the guy put them on the grill so it took a while. That meant we ended up finishing our pulled pork sandwiches before getting our burgers. The condiments were pretty poor for coming from a hotel. They were just the normal packets of mustards and ketchups. There were two people working it... one for the cash and one grilling and they were quite unorganized. The cashier was struggling at giving change in a timely manner and the cook had bad timing on the grill. We over-waited for the burgers and they ended up being overcooked and burnt and almost not edible, but we still ate them.
The sandwiches each were put on a nice little plastic basket. The pulled pork sandwiches had a lot of meat in the them, but it was a bit salty. It seems like they mixed yesterday's meat with today's meat. The music was playing from the hotel outside and there were about ten tables with umbrellas. The smoke from the grill quite frequently blew in our faces while eating as we sat down. The view here was excellent. Main Street from the area we were at was nice, but it wasn't so nice. There are many vacant places along the street that had something and now have nothing in them and should because there were tons of people walking by. This means the hotel knew they were going to make business by putting a grill out there as the only real food attraction which is a disappointment.
By the Hyatt grill, it is a very enjoyable time. Being almost 5 minutes away walking distance means you are ways away from work so you feel more comfortable and not coming from work but at the same time, a slight rush to get back on time. We do recommend the pulled pork, however when we got back we still had the salt taste in our mouths leftover.
Final Rating: 2.5 out of 5
Hyatt's Grill
Corner of Main St. and Huron on Main St. behind the Hyatt hotel
Today being Thursday, we walked there which took more than the average walk to lunch. The grill was out there by the hotel almost underneath some shade from the building and there was a sign on the ground saying Hyatt... the special was five dollars for a grilled sandwich, bag of chips, and pop. The choices were grilled Angus burgers, pulled pork, chicken breast, and Italian sausage. No hot dogs though which was smart because there's a hot dog vendor on the opposite corner. Also, it showed this is the only outdoor vendor in the area that will grill pulled pork so that's what we got.
We revised our order... instead of getting the $5 special we each got a pop, bag of pretzels, pulled pork, and an Angus burger for $8 each. The 6 oz. burgers were frozen before the guy put them on the grill so it took a while. That meant we ended up finishing our pulled pork sandwiches before getting our burgers. The condiments were pretty poor for coming from a hotel. They were just the normal packets of mustards and ketchups. There were two people working it... one for the cash and one grilling and they were quite unorganized. The cashier was struggling at giving change in a timely manner and the cook had bad timing on the grill. We over-waited for the burgers and they ended up being overcooked and burnt and almost not edible, but we still ate them.
The sandwiches each were put on a nice little plastic basket. The pulled pork sandwiches had a lot of meat in the them, but it was a bit salty. It seems like they mixed yesterday's meat with today's meat. The music was playing from the hotel outside and there were about ten tables with umbrellas. The smoke from the grill quite frequently blew in our faces while eating as we sat down. The view here was excellent. Main Street from the area we were at was nice, but it wasn't so nice. There are many vacant places along the street that had something and now have nothing in them and should because there were tons of people walking by. This means the hotel knew they were going to make business by putting a grill out there as the only real food attraction which is a disappointment.
By the Hyatt grill, it is a very enjoyable time. Being almost 5 minutes away walking distance means you are ways away from work so you feel more comfortable and not coming from work but at the same time, a slight rush to get back on time. We do recommend the pulled pork, however when we got back we still had the salt taste in our mouths leftover.
Final Rating: 2.5 out of 5
Hyatt's Grill
Corner of Main St. and Huron on Main St. behind the Hyatt hotel
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