Wednesday - Dinner out at O'Connells

We always try to go out for a fancy dinner when my folks are in town and have been making the rounds here in Buffalo. We've found some wonderful places (and some not so wonderful), but we'd heard a lot of buzz about O'Connell's from foodie sources and have been excited to try it. The welcome we received from Kevin O'Connell senior inclined me to love the place right away - welcoming, friendly, and totally at ease. This is a man I'd like to know forever and I exchanged about three sentences with him! What an opening! The menu at O'Connell's is seven courses for $40. Yes, you read that correctly. Seven courses $40. The first course is fixed (a truffle soup this week), but you get two or three choices for the rest. The food was nearly flawless, inventive, and interesting. We had very few criticisms (and they were minor) and I kept declaring each dish "my new favorite". We had a WONDERFUL time. That said, this is WAY too much food. We took seven small boxes home and I felt way too full even with that. We didn't learn if the ala carte menu (served at the bar) is available in the dining room, but I hope to go that route next time. And there will be a next time, even if I have to tell them to skip ahlf my courses and I'll pay for them anyway :)

Friday - Out to dinner at The Wine Thief

M and I had an unusual Friday date night (we usually go out during the work week) and went to a relatively new Buffalo establishment, The Wine Thief. It's a wine bar in the Elmwood Village, with a cool bar and a small number of tables. From the moment we walked in, it was clear that it was a hot spot in town. The place was packed. Luckily for us most of the patrons wanted to sit at the bar and we wanted a table. A short wait later, we had a cozy table for two. The noise level from the crown hadn't dimmed much, but sitting for dinner was much nicer than standing.

We both LOVED this restaurant. We split a cheese board (pick three cheeses from a list of 8 or 9) with a sage derby, a Manchego, and a blue. All were fabulous and we loved the olives, grapes, and grilled bread. Also, there was a TON of cheese. You could easily make a meal of the cheese board and another small item. Thankfully, we didn't. Michael's lobster risotto was perfectly don't with a nice bite to the rice and a ligthness you don't associate with most restaurant risottos. The sour cherry sauce it came with was overly sweet to our taste, but we both thought it was a good "concept" and worth the risk. My pasta bolognese was perfect. I mean it perfect. The sauce was very vegetable-y (carrots, celery, onions) with perfectly cooked meat and the right level of wine. Just like the risotto, it had a lightness that is completely unexpected out.

All in all a big home run. We'll definitely be back.