“For the Love of Buffalo” Guest Post: Roost, Buffalo NY
Justin, an avid pizza eater, knew what he wanted before we even ordered drinks. He did make it a point to ask the server/bartender before making his final decision, but when he suggested the ‘Fig Pizza’ as well, his decision was sold. I had hoped for ‘Chicken Wings’, so I could get the full effect of an upscale “Pizza and Wings” night in Buffalo, but with the frequently-changing menu I had just missed that opportunity. I quickly decided on a pasta we had in Italy a couple years ago, ‘Trofie’ and was hoping I wouldn’t be too disappointed. It is with absolute disbelief I can report, the dish was so close to what I remembered it to be in Italy. It came out fairly quick for being so busy, served pipping hot with perfectly cooked pasta and flavors of tomato, kale, asparagus, and spicy sausage. Justin’s pizza was on point as well, crispy (but not too thin of a crust –how it should be for Buffalo), flavors of fig, prosciutto, and gorgonzola in every bite.
To drink, almost everyone at the bar was drinking wine or champagne so that was the only thing that would quench my palate that night. With a unique and nice sized wine list I decided on the Touriga Nacional from Portugal, a pour worthy of the entire meal I might add. Justin, not a beer drinker, went for his first mixed cocktail of the night, a traditional Manhattan, which was perfectly executed.
Although full from the generous size portions of pizza and pasta, we needed to try dessert. There were two. Which we never agree on, so indeed we got both. Mine was a perfect portion of three-dollops of deconstructed cheesecake, on top of a very thin cinnamon cookie with a caramel orange marmalade, and a mint leaf. Pastry quality dessert coming out of this pizza kitchen, now I’m impressed. Justin’s dessert choice, a flour-less chocolate cake with caramel malted milk, on top a dark chocolate bark with a medley of peanut, coconut, and pistachios. It was the chocolate cake to end all typical boring chocolate cakes.
-Ashley Eason
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Thanks Ashley for whetting our appetites and readying us for a weekend out! We are excited to follow Ashley as she continues to explore the food scene in Buffalo, and hopefully I can coerce her to continue sharing her thoughts here for you all. Happy almost-weekend!