20s Glamour in Buffalo

Parkside Candy 1927 interior

Parkside Candy on Main St. in Buffalo, NY

Meatball Sandwich lunch at Parkside

I drive up and down Buffalo's Main St. twice a day.  Parkside Candy catches my eye as a place that time has passed by.

Faded facade hides historic beauty:

The outside is rundown and in sad need of maintenance.  The wooden sign is weather worn, decayed and hanging by a nail.  The awning is tattered beyond existence.  And the brick and concrete of the entrance is crumbling.  The store displays are 4th of July, Christmas and graduation all at once in late April.  I thought Parkside Candy was out of business decades ago as their facade suggests.
(Plus the apparent abortion clinic on the second floor does not fit with the falsely 1950s cheery attempts of Parkside Candy's window displays.)

But my Buffalonian friends told me that Parkside Candy is a historic Buffalo landmark that is well worth a visit.

So finally I stopped in for lunch today.  And my friendly Buffalistas were right!

The inside is a tribute to 1927 with original floors, booths and woodwork.  There were few customers but the lunch was fun if a little white bread traditional.  The ice cream sundae was old fashioned and deluxe.

It really is the decor and beaux arts design here that is the story.  The oval room with the frieze work ceiling in plaster and the original mirrored oval wooden doors are outstanding.  You can easily imagine yourself as a patron from a past decade at Parkside Candy.

I cannot understand why the building is not maintained.  I understand preserving the beauty of its past and not marring the historic design.  But crumbling superstructure, a tattered awning and the weathered sign all give me the signal that the owners are not concerned with preserving the appearance or reputation of this long standing Buffalo tradition.

There is much here that is worth preserving and restoring.  The broken neon sign that fronts Main St. alone is worthy of a Buffalonion restoration.

Juici Patties in Jamaica

MoBay: Streetside market in Montego Bay, Jamaica.

This colorful scene in Montego Bay, Jamaica with these beautiful fruits was just outside a Juici Patties restaurant that we visited.

We met a couple on the pier and shared a taxi with them.  The wife had gone to medical school in Grand Cayman, and she was a huge fan of Juici Patties.
She raved about wanting a "juici pattie."
She said it was the must have food of Jamaica.  So we went with them to the Juice Pattie emporium to taste this wondrous dish.
We figured out later that the couple was pretty drunk and seemed to be there to get even drunker and though they loved the greasy, carb laden juici patties-- we did not.

The Juici Patti itself!

Juici patti is a greasy meat pie in a  doughy envelope.  The meat is not especially spicy, tasty or juicy.  It's like a fast food, McDonaldized version of what you think a meat pie should be laden with empty calories and no discernible nutritional value.

Dave & our friends waiting to get a Red Stripe

This comes under the heading of sometimes you meet great folks randomly while traveling.  Sometimes you taste awesome local specialties while on vacation ... AND sometimes you don't!  This day was a DON'T.

Our friends who we met at the pier in Jamaica were from Arkansas and taught us that they were Indians "dot not feather."   Though they were soused- they were fun enough until they started bickering.

Me and the fam in Jamaica.

Me and Vika in St. Petersburg, Russia

But that's ok- it was a fun experience I won't soon forget just like my new friend in St. Petersburg (see photo below) who we shared a fun impromptu dinner with while she taught us about the Russian people and what it's like to live in Russia.

Montego Bay, Jamaica

Breakfast at Bertha's Diner

Sidewalk advertising

Eat at Bertha's

Bertha's Diner on Hertel Ave. is under new ownership.
The decor is distinctly late Elvis, early tacky--yet delightfully mid-century Buffalo.

I didn't experience Bertha's with the previous management, but we enjoyed the food and classic old school diner experience when we went on Labor Day.

Belgian Waffles at Bertha's

I had the red, white and blue Belgian waffles.  They were a fantasm of blueberries, strawberries and whipped cream atop a fluffy light Belgian waffle.

The bacon at Bertha's, aka pig, was cooked to order crispy and good.

The staff was eager to please and ready to take on special requests.

And there's definitely a perk to seeing guys labor behind the counter on your food--that is if you are a female.

My husband enjoyed his "heart attack on a plate" -- eggs, hash browns, bacon and English muffin.  It was tasty goodness.  And they had Tabasco for us die-hard Louisiana folks.

 

Cash Only at Bertha's

Bertha's Diner is a cash only establishment.  So save up your pennies and sheckles and make a visit to Bertha's Diner on Hertel Ave.  It's a bit of nostalgic old school diner food and atmosphere in the heart of North BFLO.

Wendy's Son of Baconator & Wake n' Bacon

The Baconator and Son of Baconator

Wendy's Baconator and the Love of all things Pig

This post is a tribute to my husband, Dave.  Dave loves him some bacon or pig in any form.

Dave loves him some bacon.

My son and I witnessed this fact on our recent cruise, as Dave made frequent visits to the bacon trough on the ship's breakfast buffet for bacon re-stocking.  Yes, Carnival Cruise's Conquest has a well-stocked bacon trough.

Fortunately, for all of us it is not a posthumous tribute.  Though quite possibly Dave risks shortening his life for his conspicuous and frequent consumption of pig.

A risk he readily admits is worth the price.

Pig Good!

Dave's motto is "PIG GOOD." 

Would Tony Bourdain endorse this?  I think yes.

Dave thinks that the pork industry missed the boat when they passed on "Pig Good" as their marketing slogan.

Though I tend to agree on this.  I drew the line at sampling the Baconator at our recent Wendy's visit.

I limit my consumption of processed foods for several reasons.

• One because there are usually much better things to eat.  
• I'm concerned about the longterm health effects that the inflammation of veins and arteries from eating fried and processed foods causes.  

• And because the calorie count is sky high and you are left with that yucky taste in your mouth afterward.

Nough said.

Wendy's Single with Cheese

I have been known, when facing a desperate moment of hunger in a restaurant desert (think Sahara desert of poor choices not rich, yummy dessert) to chomp a Wendy's Single with cheese.

And as fast food burgers go, it is not the worst you can do.  But if I read the nutrition report at the Wendy's counter, which I frequently do, I will change my order to water with lemon and run screaming out of the restaurant.

But David will stay behind and order the SON OF BACONATOR.

It's a good thing David isn't Jewish.  He could never keep kosher!

Wake n' Bacon

Check out this awesome bacon alarm clock called the Wake n' Bacon!  Life is sweet.

I plan to get Dave a Wake n' Bacon for Christmas this year.  Don't tell him, it's a surprise.

DeAngelo's Pizzeria in Baton Rouge

Blue Cheese Vinaigrette salad at DeAngelo's

DeAngelo's offers a consistently good meal.

And, yes, their specialty is pizza but I ordered one of my favorite salads!

I remember when Louis DeAngelo started his pizzeria in the Hammondaire shopping center on Airline Hwy in Baton Rouge.  He started with a New York style pizza concept and you could get "a slice" like you can in "the city."

Then he got big.  Then he got bigger.  Now he has so many restaurants in different areas that I have lost track.

Somewhere in all that his wife, Kristen, was my customer at my maternity and breastfeeding store, Mother's Best.  I helped her with several pregnancies and babies.

Recently while waiting out a huge traffic snarl in Baton Rouge from a wrecked butane tanker truck on I10, I stopped at DeAngelo's on Jefferson Highway for lunch.  My lunch date couldn't get through the traffic, so I dined alone.  This may explain the delay my server had in approaching my table, she probably thought I was waiting on another diner.

I ordered one of my favorite salads that they serve.  Notice that I said ONE of my favorite salads.  Yes, their salads are a well dressed complete meal.  And they are happy to bring me extra lemons.

Yes, DeAngelo's still offers a consistently good meal.

What to do in New Orleans between gumbo and beignets?

Thin fried catfish at Walk On's in New Orleans

What to do in New Orleans between gumbo and beignets?

Answer:  Eat bar food. 

Walk-On or Walk Off in New Orleans

Walk On's in New Orleans offers basic bar food choices and table side beer taps (though I didn't try one on this visit), and it's a good stop when you are fatigued from the French Quarter and tourist food (or just got off a Carnival Cruise like we did).

Buffalo chicken sandwich at Walk On's

The Buffalo chicken sandwich was the best of what we ordered.  It comes with waffle fries which were pretty tempting but no pickle!  Boohoo!  No pickle, a heartbreaker.  My son liked it and I sneaked a bite (or two).  It got a thumbs up rating.

Fried Catfish

I wanted some catfish and decided to try the fried catfish platter.  The waitress explained that it was their "new and improved" thin cut.  The thin fried catfish was too thin.  It was square bits that you could read a newspaper through--really!  It seemed like a dollar and cents management choice for some really cheap catfish as opposed to something to please the palate.

Walk On's, GO BACK TO REGULAR FRIED CATFISH!

Pita Pit at LSU Northgate: $1 Beer

The Northgate area at LSU is rich with junk food choices and fast eating emporiums.  There's Louies, Buffalo Wild Wings, Cane's, Wendy's and of course CVS drugstore.  My son dines regularly at all of the above.

A BUCK FOR A BREW

But I stopped into the Pita Pit recently for the first time.  First thing that caught my eye was $1 BEER. 
Yes, a buck for a brew!

This probably explains why it was ALL YOUNG GUYS in the restaurant when we visited.  Their beer menu included $1 and $2 beer selection--pretty sweet!

Gyros and Falafel

Gyros salad

We had the Gyros Salad and Falafel Salad to avoid the carbs in the wrap.  They were served in styrofoam boxes even though we were dining in.  College kid style.

The salad was very basic-nothing to write home about.  The falafel was reheated on the flat top grill and had a bitter re-fried unpleasant taste.  I will not try this again here.  The Tzatziki sauce was too thick almost like a dollop of sour cream with a couple of herbs thrown in.  Thumbs down on this one.

Update and correction on the GYROS:
The gyros was good - as reported to my by my husband and son.  But steer clear of the falafel.

Falafel salad

Bottom Line Cliff Notes:

LOCATION:  Good
BEER:  Cheap
FOOD:  Meh

Go for the CHEAP BEER, skip the falafel and gyros.

Hooray for Bouray Pizza at Red Zepplin Pizza

Thin crust pizza cooked well at Red Zepplin

Fun bar decor at Red Zepplin's

New Bouray Pizza with Boudin

I'm a frequent flyer at Red Zepplin's on Perkins Road.  I started eating there shortly after they opened right in front of my gym, at the time Spectrum Fitness.

We tried their new Bouray Pizza yesterday.  The Bouray is topped with boudin, jalapenos, andouille sausage, red onion and mozzarella.  It was a tasty cajun style pizza with just the right amount of spice.

It was so good, we forgot to take a picture until we were down to the last slice!

Last piece of Bouray pizza

Summer is too hot to sit outside on the patio

The patio is pleasant at Red Zepplins (when no one is smoking out there).  But August is too hot in Baton Rouge for outdoor seating at lunch time.

Red Zepplins has only a few tables inside and can get noisy with all the hard surfaces for noise to echo off of when a table of small children is present.  

They had only one waitress on staff at lunch time yesterday and service was a bit slow.  Maybe someone called in sick.  But with pizza this good, they should staff for more customers.

Effie's Lil Kitchen: Hidden Gem

Good food, good coffee, good service = fun place

Effie's Little Kitchen offers breakfast anytime and free coffee.

Need I say more?

Veterans Wall at Effie's Lil Kitchen

We recently enjoyed eggs, grits, hash browns and bacon for breakfast here.  They cooked our bacon extra crispy on request.  The biscuits were good also.  The cook is eager to please and said they would fix breakfast for us any time of the day.  This is an unusual treat as most diner style eateries cut off breakfast time at 10 or 10:30 and can be super strict about it in an almost punishing manner.
Not so at Effie's Little Kitchen!

We liked it when they brought out big jars of Smucker's preserves and set them on the table for us.  They really make you feel at home here.

Butter Rescue

This is one of those hole-in-the-wall destinations that adjoins a convenience store gas station that I would not have stopped into had I not needed butter one evening this past Christmas while baking cookies.
In desperation, I jumped in the car in search of a pound of unsweetened butter to finish my holiday baking.  Our home is in a rural area of Louisiana.  The nearest grocery store is about ten miles away.  I stopped into the convenience hoping they had real butter but they did not.  Effie's Little Kitchen was open and they sold me a pound of butter from their kitchen to finish my Christmas cookies with.

War Veterans

The owner and staff are friendly and eager to please.  The restaurant decorates it's walls with photos of service veterans in the community from World War II, Vietnam and more recent, as well as historic photos of the local schools, such as Lafargue Elementary School.

Entrance to Effie's Lil Kitchen

Jukebox

Cheesey Grandpa's is kitsch fun

Say CHEEZ at Grandpa's Cheesebarn

Grandpa's Cheesebarn is a fun stop in OHIO

We stopped off here to eat lunch as we drove through Ohio.

It was a fun and lively diversion.  Grandpa's Cheesebarn is old timey, Americana, good clean fun.

There's not a lot of healthy food on their menu.  Come on it's Grandpa's CHEESEbarn!

I selected a turkey wrap which was bland but tasty.  They don't offer a whole wheat wrap, so  we gave up and started in with chili cheese fries.  The portion was a little on the small side and I was surprised to see so many kidney beans in the chili on top of the fries.

Chili cheese fries

Service was friendly and prompt.

We had ice cream after lunch and it was delicious.  But how can you go wrong with ice cream?


Then the must-do here is to shop their cheese shop upstairs where they sell deli style cheeses, meats, preserves, pickles and such.  The downstairs sells cookbooks, chatchkis, dried bean mixes etc.  Most are fun but over priced.  So we browsed and window shopped.

Pulled Pork BBQ in Mississippi

Go for the fried catfish and pulled pork

This was my third visit to Jake & Rip's.  I've had the fried catfish and the pulled pork BBQ platter.  Both were good.  Though I would prefer a choice of BBQ sauces--maybe a hot one in the mix.  The pulled pork serving is generous--kind of like good 'ol boy, I ride a tractor for a living big.

Pulled Pork BBQ platter

Pulled pork platter comes with cole slaw, baked beans and a half an ear of boiled corn.

But the side portions are small and the corn on the cob was frozen.      This is inexcusable in the middle of the summer in Mississippi.
The baked beans were good with a sweet but vinegary flavor.

Dog Patrol

The waitresses here are friendly and helpful-despite the picture here of the bartender texting.  They wear tee shirts that say "dog patrol" as Jake & Rip's is named for the owner's two bird dogs.

Bar decor

Waitress texting behind the bar

Jake & Rip's is deep in the heart of Ole Miss Country