I first heard of the plans to designate Hertel Avenue as Little Italy from my friends at the First Amendment Club who pointed out the story in last Thursday’s Buffalo Rocket.  This is a great idea to keep the ball rolling in a neighborhood that is bucking the trend of urban decline.  This is a great way for the City to say “thank you” to the private sector that has willingly invested in this North Buffalo neighborhood.

Some local leaders gaze down the bustling Hertel Avenue business strip and proclaim, “Now that’s Italian!”

A move is afoot to market the thriving commercial district as Buffalo’s “Little Italy” - and not just because Hertel is home to the Italian Heritage Festival every summer or because the Italian Heritage Parade is held there in October.

Several business and government leaders point to a cluster of businesses that have Italian themes. A one-mile stretch has more than two dozen such establishments, including restaurants, dessert shops, pizzerias and a bakery. Other business include a boutique that sells Italian gifts, an imports store, meat markets that serve up Italian specialties, a tailor shop and an Italian deli.

And don’t forget the large population of Italian-American residents living in North Buffalo.

Delaware Common Council Member Michael J. LoCurto, who is leading the marketing effort, said proclaiming the strip Buffalo’s “Little Italy” makes sense for many reasons.

Click here for a slideshow of Little Italy.

Source: Buffalo News - Council member pushes Hertel as ‘Little Italy’

 

Art & Photography, Food & Dining, North Buffalo | No Comments »

Big Government politicians go to Washington, D.C. or your state capitol with a pen - to write new laws and expand government programs.

Small government politicians go with an eraser - to reduce, remove, repeal, and roll back Big Government powers and programs.

Big Government politicians go to Congress or the legislature to do Big Government’s work.

Small government politicians go to UN-do Big Government.

Big Government politicians are held back by their own “Do Nothing” allies.

Small government politicians are held back by our own “UN-do Nothing” allies.

Numerous elected politicians proclaim their support for smaller government. Many campaign for reducing and removing waste from federal and state government budgets.

But they Un-do nothing. Few even try.

They carp and complain and campaign against Big Government. But they UN-do nothing.

They do NOT introduce bills to reduce, remove, repeal, or roll back Big Government programs or spending.

They do NOT try to amend spending bills with a dramatically lower spending amount.

They do NOT introduce bills to repeal Big Government laws and regulations currently on the books.

They do NOT try to dismantle or cut back existing Big Government economic and social programs.

This applies at all levels of government.  We need to bring the accountability and decision making back to the people.  The only way to do that is with a plan to decentralize government.  Decisions and programs need to be taken out of the hands of the Federal and State governments and transferred back to the communities.  Only then will the people making decisions also have to live with the consequences of those decisions.

Read the rest: All That is Necessary for the Continued Growth of Big Government is for Us to UN-do Nothing

[tags]government, spending, budget, social programs, politicians, libertarian, smaller government, decentralize[/tags]

Buffalo, Government Waste, New York State, North Buffalo | No Comments »

At 10:20 PM it was snowing like a bitch.  As I’m writing this, the rate of snowfall is increasing.  While I was poking my head out the front door to take a picture, an amazing sight was presented to me.  The parking violation’s douche bag was still driving around in his little white pickup truck at this hour.  He probably gets triple time pay for tagging parking violators during periods of snow.

North Buffalo | No Comments »

I stopped with a friend Sunday evening, at 8:30pm, for dinner.  The Empire Grill takes orders until 9pm.  This was my first time here.  I’ve heard some mixed reviews, the negative seeming to be the result of new restaurant syndrome.

I ordered the Seared Sea Scallops in a lemon, caper, butter sauce with a side of spinach and a potato torte.  The cost of the entree was $16.00.  The scallops were good, perfectly cooked with the hint of brown crust from the sear.  The sauce was average.  There was little lemon or caper flavor, at least the scallops were good enough to hold their own.  Five scallops were included, 3 of average size and 2 that were on the small side.

The spinach was very good, kind of a creamed spinach with some cheese mixed in.  It was not overly creamy and the spinach, itself, was the star.  The potato torte, described by the waitress as kind of like scalloped potatoes in a crust.  Her description was pretty accurate, the “scalloped” potatoes had a crispy out crust similar to puff pastry.  It was one decent size concoction, not individual pieces of potato.  The flavor was good, however there was a greasy note to the overall presentation that detracted from the overall quality.

The service was OK.  I thought it could have been a bit quicker, especially when ordering drinks, considering this was a Sunday night and the restaurant was not full at all.

Overall, I would go back to this restaurant again, but I’m not sure when.  It was not the type of experience that would make me longingly anticipate my next visit.  The menu had some interesting sounding selections.  Wear a sweater if you are going to sit in the front window section on the main floor, there was a chilly breeze that periodically made its presence known.

Food & Dining, North Buffalo | 2 Comments »

If you are looking for a good Italian restaurant, I highly recommend Cafe Garangelo on Hertel Avenue. It is a quaint, family run place with delicious food and reasonable prices. Soon I hope to have an in depth review. I haven’t been there to eat in a few months, however I have never been disappointed in the several times I have eaten there.

Art & Photography, Food & Dining, North Buffalo | No Comments »

While I was filling my tank with gas at the A-Plus at Hertel and Colvin, I was wondering what to have for dinner.  A glance across the street provided my answer.  Joe’s Deli was beckoning.

Take out was the order of the day.  I opted for the VJR, don’t ask me what it stands for because I have no idea.  What mattered was the description of the sandwich.  Spiced Cappicola, Sahlen’s Ham, Salami, Provolone, with Mayonnaise, Weber’s Mustard, Sliced Tomato and Fresh Basil.  My taste buds started tingling as I read that list of ingredients.  I also inquired about the soups of the day and decided to go with Beef Barley.  A hearty barley soup is always a good choice on a chilly day.

While I waited for the food to be prepared I started to read ArtVoice.  I overheard a lady, who had just finished eating, offer her “professional advice” about how a reuben sandwich should be made.  She proceeded to tell the person working there that a bit less meat (I couldn’t believe it) with more cheese would lead to a better sandwich.  She prefaced her remarks with what sounded like her sandwich curriculum vitae.  She made sandwiches at UB (whoa! an expert).

The first time I ate at Joe’s, I had the reuben sandwich.  It was wonderful.  The corned beef was thinly sliced, flavorful and piled high.  I enjoyed the fact that this reuben was not your typical gooey mess.  The meat dominated, and rightfully so.  The amount of cheese, saurkraut and dressing was less than what one usually encounters.  This was fine with me, the corned beef was the star of this sandwich, served grilled on very good pumpernickel bread.

Today’s sandwich, the VJR, was very good.  The meats were all very good and the condiments complimented the sandwich perfectly, without overpowering the taste.  The Beef Barley soup  was hearty and flavorful, with a nice peppery zing!  Below is a picture of my meal.

Joe’s Deli offers a nice selection of specialty sandwiches, wraps, a salad station (you pick the ingredients), a build your own sandwich menu, side dishes (potato, tuna macaroni, orzo and pasta salads, as well as coleslaw).  Also available are muffins, danish/pastries, cookies and chips.  They serve a variety of beverages including Stewarts Soda, Fuze and juices.

Joe’s is truly a deli in every sense of the word.  The meats are all extremely fresh and very high quality.  Street parking can be scarce but Joe’s offers a free parking lot on the side next to Murray’s Tavern. 

Food & Dining, North Buffalo | 2 Comments »

The Yellow Goose store, located at the corner of Colvin and Linden, was robbed at gunpoint shortly after 9 am Monday morning.  This store has a history of robberies, most like due to the ease of escape utilizing the adjacent railroad tracks.

Chances are pretty good that this dangerous crime was a result of the failed war on drugs.  The current drug laws drive up the prices and makes criminal activity profitable.  If drugs were legalized, people desiring to use them would not have to resort to violent and/or property crimes to pay for their drugs.  Right now we have a situation that increases the likelihood of the average person becoming a victim of crime.

Doesn’t it make more sense to decrease the risk to citizens by legalizing drugs?  The only people suffering harm under legalization would be the drug users themselves.  They would also have the opportunity to straighten out their lives without having the stigma of being a branded criminal for life.  Being labeled as a criminal only increases the chances that they will continue to pursue a life of crime, rather than becoming productive members of society.

The only two groups that benefit from the failed war on drugs are criminals and the thousands of government employees working in the law enforcement and prison systems.  The losers are the taxpayers who foot the bill for a program that doesn’t work, yet costs billions of dollars every year.

 I challenge Mayor Byron Brown to put his money where his mouth is and work toward the repeal of the drug laws.  This would truly reduce quality of life crimes.  Right now we are getting nothing but lip service and no real solutions.

North Buffalo, Rants | No Comments »

Last night I was editing photos when the storm started to move in. I always like a good storm and pulled up the weather radar to get an idea if it would be heading right through North Buffalo. As I determined that I was right in the path of it, the thunder was getting noticeably louder. I ran out to my car to get my tripod. I never made a serious attempt before to capture shots of lightning. While I was setting up my camera a large bolt hit nearby and I lost power at home. It was out for a couple of hours. I quickly lit a couple of candles so I could see what I was doing. Shooting lighting involves a large degree of luck. My method involved using a long exposure (15 seconds) couple with an aperture setting of f/11. Once I made my best guesstimate of the camera settings necessary, I just kept shooting, hoping to catch a good shot. I took about 20 photos and managed to get lucky on the fifth one. The result is shown below.

Art & Photography, North Buffalo | No Comments »

After 3 visits (I live 1 block away) to the Italian Festival, I am ready to write this wrap-up. My award for best smelling booth goes to Artichoke French. The smell of garlic was heavenly.

Best tasting food item was a three way tie, I’ll have to go back next year and see if I can figure this one out. The winners are: Billy Ogdens Famous Stuffed Banana Peppers, Bing’s Crab Cakes and Mineo & Sapio’s Italian Sausage stuffed with Capicolla & Provolone, topped with peppers and onions.


Sorry Bing’s, I didn’t get a photo, but the crab cakes were delicious.

Today was a gorgeous day to walk around Hertel Avenue.

You never knew who you might run in to.

The kids always count on the slides for some fun.

The stage at the Colvin end always provides a nice variety of entertainment.

This couple was having a great time dancing to the music of The Chuck Cardone Italian Quartet.

Junction West put on a great show. They were the last act of this year’s festival and drew a large crowd.

This year, the organizers of the Italian Festival had a theme of returning to its roots. I’m not sure exactly what that meant, but they did a tremendous job. There were more local restaurants present, which is always a plus. There was a very interesting Leonardo Da Vinci exhibit inside Lunetta’s Restaurant. The man was a brilliant inventor, not just a painter. On display were copies of his original plans for several inventions, along with working models built to his original specifications. I can hardly wait until next year!

Events, Food & Dining, North Buffalo | 1 Comment »

I’m practicing, Jim’s Steakout is almost ready to finally open in North Buffalo. It is located in the former Quiznos (blech!) at the corner of Delaware and Avery. The help wanted sign was up a week or two ago and much progress has been made inside and outside the building.

This will definitely help the fuel economy, no more drives to the Elmwood Strip or the University District for a steak hoagy. This will also provide more variety at 4 a.m., Louie’s has been getting a bit stale. Not to knock their food, but variety is the spice of life.

North Buffalo | No Comments »

The ominous sky was a portend of the change in weather approaching this afternoon. The downpour and winds arrived minutes after I took this shot. The temperature was near 70, but dropped 15 or 20 degrees very quickly. The following picture shows what arrived to herald the cold fronts arrival.

North Buffalo | No Comments »

Money continues to flow to Hertel Avenue. More investment is evident by the facelift being given to the pictured building. Just to the left of the construction is the recently opened Chateau Buffalo. You can read a wonderful review of it in buffalo rising. Just to the right of Chateau Buffalo is Restaurant 1207. Among the offerings listed in the window is Chicken Souvlaki. From first glance it has all the charm of a neighborhood family diner. I am looking forward to reporting on the food in the near future. The variety of restaurants on Hertel has been expanding and the quality of the food, for the most part, is very good. This work is happening in the block between Fairchild Place and Traymore Street, just east of Terrapin Station. (click on the picture for a larger view)

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I’m guilty of rushing around and not really noticing changes taking place. I think that is pretty common for many of us. Today, while traveling down Hertel Avenue I made a point of really looking around. One of the first things that caught my eye is how the storefronts are becoming more colorful and appealing. Sure, everyone usually notices a new business, but it is the improvement taking place with established businesses that illustrates the fact that Hertel Avenue is alive and well! The same positive changes have been more noticeable in other areas of the City, notably Elmwood, Allentown and the Chippewa districts. I can’t wait to see more!

North Buffalo, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »