On the way to New York, we stopped in Buffalo to visit family. While there, one of the family took us to a relatively new gastropub, The Phoenix, aptly named because it rose from the detritus of Buffalo's economic decline and is now part of the revival of a number of similar projects in the city's ethnic neighborhoods.
It was well after 9 on Friday night, and the place was hopping. And as busy as they were, the hostess, bartender, and the waitstaff were not too busy to smile, greet you warmly and make sure that you got what you wanted in a hurry. And that was very much appreciated after a day-long sojourn filled with airport food and airline "snacks."
The menu at The Phoenix is limited but very creative. When I saw the size of the kitchen (postage stamps come to mind), it's easy to see why they limit the menu. But it didn't stop them from having a pretty extensive selection of chalkboard specials, one of which I had and, in my opinion, it was nothing short of a brilliant riff on the iconic Buffalo sandwich, "Beef on Weck."
If you're not familiar with that, it originated largely with a roll produced by the long-closed Kimmelweck Bakery in Buffalo. It's essentially a Kaiser roll with coarse salt and caraway seeds, and it's delicious. My wife and I like them so much that every time we visit Buffalo, we call up the nearest Wegman's and order two or three dozen. We then take them to one of our relatives' homes and wrap each individually in Saran, box them up and FedEx them to ourselves back in Montana. It's our Sunday morning treat, so we have between 12 and 18 weeks' worth.
I digress. The "Beef on Weck" riff by The Phoenix was a flatbread version of the sandwich. Actually, the kitchen baked up some naan and then put the Kimmelweck toppings -- coarse salt and caraway on top. Then they loaded with flatbread with tender shaved beef, melted white cheddar, very pungent horseradish and fresh baby spinach leaves.
We also sampled a few other dishes, including menu staple Shrimp and Grits. Lest any of you think that a sausage-maker in Buffalo, New York cannot make andouille sausage every bit as good as a sausage-maker anywhere in Louisiana, do not be so sure. This kitchen knows how to do Shrimp and Grits and the addition of andouille sausage disks made locally was pretty darn tasty.
We also tasted two soups -- clam chowder and black bean. They were both quite good and well-made, but could have used a more effective soup warmer, because they came to the table only luke-warm. Also on our tasting list was the banana pepper and cheese dip appetizer. And I could not resist the side of polenta fries with lemon aioli.
I loved The Phoenix. I loved the atmosphere, admired the renovation they did of an old and decrepit shot-and-a-beer bar, I enjoyed the service and -- as you no doubt deduced -- the food. If you ever find yourself in Buffalo, make your way to the Black Rock section and go to The Phoenix. You won't regret it.
We're in New York City now and I'll have a few things to say about the food I've eaten thus far and will be eating over the next couple of days -- but you'll have to wait until next week for that.
In the meantime, here's the video and recipe from this past week's episode of Kitchen Guy -- my Mother's Day special: Red Velvet Pancakes with Cream Cheese Glaze.
And here's the recipe
For the Pancakes:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups buttermilk*
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 Tbsp red food coloring
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup butter, melted
For the Cream Cheese Glaze:
6 oz. cream cheese, softened
6 Tbsp butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup milk, or more to make glaze looser if desired
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
*If you don't have buttermilk, add, 2 Tbsp of white vinegar to regular whole milk.
Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt and set aside.
Pour buttermilk into a separate bowl and add in sugar, beaten eggs, red food coloring, vanilla and melted butter. Whisk until well-combined.
While whisking, slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Lumps in the batter are okay.
Heat a griddle or the largest skillet you have and grease the surface.
Ladle out a scant quarter-cup of batter onto the heated grill. Cook until the pancakes have bubbles on the surface and the edges begin to cook. Flip carefully and cook opposite side until pancake is cooked through.
To make the cream cheese glaze, with an electric mixer, blend together cream cheese and butter and until combined and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in remaining ingredients and mix another minute or so, adding additional milk to thin the mixture if needed.
The picture above shows the pancakes after I used a heart-shaped cookie cutter to make "pancake hearts." Drizzle the glaze over the pancakes and garnish with fresh berries.
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