Eating Out in New York State

Amherst, NY: The Grapevine Restaurant and Catering, 2545 Niagara Falls Blvd. Phone (716) 91-7799 Denny and I have been saying for years that we're going to stop here and today we did stop for lunch. If the quality of their lunch is any indication of their dinner, we'd recommend it. The restaurant itself is located in an older house on the corner with a lot of parking. Which is good, because it appears to be quite popular with the locals. The interior of the restaurant is tastefully decorated, with linen tablecloths and napkins as a nice touch. There are several large salt water aquariums built into the walls and a large free standing display near the entrance. It also appears that the owners are working on building a nice outdoor patio for dining in good weather. As to their food, Denny had the clam and chowder soup and the Reuben sandwich with fruit (instead of fries) and I had the chicken tortilla soup and ham on a baguette sandwich as part of their soup and sandwich special. Both of us enjoyed our soups and sandwiches. Reasonable for the area. (6/2011)

Ashford Hollow: Carson's Ashford House, 9219 Route 219, Phone (716) 942-3840. A homey restaurant in the middle of nowhere. Decorated with lighthouses and model trains that circle the main dining area, Carson's serves American-style food at a reasonable price. We've eaten breakfast and lunch there but have yet to try their dinners. They do advertise a prime rib special that sounds good. (8/2006)

Grand Island: Brick Oven Pizzeria, 2131 Grand Island Blvd., Phone (716) 773-4445 Good pizza, good subs, nice wine and beer selection. New York prices. (12/2005) Edited 1/2007: Still good when we returned 12/2006.

Currents Lounge, Holiday Inn Grand Island, 100 Whitehaven Rd., Phone (716) 773-1111 Nicely decorated, floor to ceiling windows with a view of the Niagara River. Very expensive, food is average. (12/2005) 

 

John's Pizza & Subs, 2131 Grand Island Blvd., Phone (716) 774-0020 Good hot Italian subs. (12/2005)

Jalapeño Loco, 2800 Grand Island Blvd. Phone (716 ) 773-8748 Brand new, standard choices nicely prepared. Pricey. (12/2005)Edited 12/2008 Out of business.

Town Cafe , 2352 Grand Island Blvd., Phone (716) 773-7373 Wonderful wedding soup and the locals go for the all-you-can-eat fish. The owner will greet you like a long-lost friend while the guys sitting at the bar tell goofy jokes. Good food and a fun, homey atmosphere. Reasonably priced for NY. (12/2006)

Lake George: Olde Log Inn, 2814 Rt. 9, Phone (518) 668-3334 Built like a log home, rustic and warm inside, outside patio with a view of the surrounding mountains. We had the Friday special fish fry for a late lunch/early dinner. It was a piece of scrod on a long bun with creamy cole slaw and hand cut french fries. Denny also had the most wonderful cup of clam chowder that was rich and filled with bacon and tender clams. Iced tea and lemonade rounded out the meal although there is a full bar there which is popular with the locals. The meal was reasonable, the tea/lemonade prices a bit high even for a tourist area. Everything was good and the waitress/owner was friendly and efficient. We would come back here. (6/2011)

Tamarack Inn, 440 Canada St. Phone (518) 668-5400 Also built with a log cabin appearance, rustic and comfortable inside, but at breakfast the food here was simply decent. Cheese on the omelets was extra, there was an extra charge for the homemade wheat bread which looked suspiciously like storebought bread, texture-wise. We were disappointed. (6/2011)

Lewiston: Hillview Cafe, 1439 Ridge Rd., Phone (716) 754-4007 Denny and I ate lunch here; Denny had the sausage sandwiche with onions and peppers and a cup of split pea soup, I had the ½ sandwich and soup special which was a ham sandwich on a baguette with a cup of the beans and greens soup (think bean soup with spinach greens cooked in with ham and bits of bacon—yum!) Reasonable and good, the place is unpretentious and liked by the locals. (6/2011)

Lockport: Breakfast at Tiffany's, 4074 Ridge Road, Phone (716) 438-7950 A small restaurant located on the corner of Ridge Rd. (Rt. 104) and Cambria/Wilson Rd., the interior is rustic with wood tables and chairs made from logs and horse pictures on the walls. Denny and I ate breakfast and dinner here and the quality was erratic. At breakfast my Western omelet was wonderful (if you overlook the slice of American cheese just laid on top of the omelet) but Denny' chicken fried steak was a bit gristly and rubbery. At dinner his chopped steak was good, covered with a pile of green and red peppers, onions, mushrooms and gravy. My beef brisket sandwich had tender meat, but there was a bit more fat and connective tissue on it than I would have liked. They just need to watch their meat butchering a bit. I did really like the cream of spinach and broccoli soup created by the cook. Reasonable, friendly staff. (6/2011)  Edited October 2012: Breakfast at Tiffany's is now closed.

One Eyed Jack's Smokehouse, 5983 S. Transit Rd., Phone (716) 438-5414  Excellent BBQ.  I had the Pigken sandwich which was a combination of pulled pork and chicken with a honey garlic sauce while Denny had the Memphis pulled pork sandwich topped with coleslaw and a mustard BBQ sauce.  The hand cut fries were good, the macaroni salad was bland and lacking in pickles/pickle relish (okay, maybe that's an Ohio thing).  Nice staff, pleasant surroundings, reasonable prices for New York.  (10/2012)

Newfane: The Rib House, 2990 Lockport Olcott Rd. (north of Lockport) Phone (716) 778-7910. A prime example of why you should try the local small town restaurants. Terrific meals, great service, reasonable prices in the small dining room of a converted house. (7/2004) 

 

Ransomville: Country Roadhouse Inn, 2989 Ridge Rd. (Rt. 104) Phone (716) 791-4316 Okay, this meal was heavy on the deep-fried stuff; an appetizer platter of fried cheese, fried cauliflower and mushrooms, fried onion rings and chicken tenders, followed by a swiss-mushroom burger for me and a BBQ bacon cheeseburger for Denny which we each split and shared (and I took home half of each of that). Delicious. If you're up for it, you can play sand lot volleyball with the locals afterward at the side of the restaurant. (8/2006) Edited 9/2007: We stopped by for Sunday breakfast and it was okay but nothing to write home about. They do have the biggest mugs of coffee I've ever seen. Edited 8/2009: Service lousy for dinner and they were "out of mashed potatoes" for a hotshot at 5:30PM. Don't bother eating here.

Springville: Apple Dumplin Restaurant, 521 S. Cascade Dr. Phone (716) 592-0171 Pleasant surroundings, expensive for a lunch but tasty. (7/2004)

Warrensburg: Gino's Pizzeria, 3742 Main St, Phone (518) 623-3000 The pizza was huge, but heavy on the grease. The sign says Pizzeria and Restaurant, but there's only a few tiny tables jammed into what appears to be a standard pizza carry-out place. Light on the sauce, light on the toppings. Eh. (6/2011)

Williamsville: Le Nova Pizza, 5151 Main St. Phone (716) 634-5151 Pretty good for New York style pizza (we still prefer a very thin crust) and good wings. (9/2010)