WNYfood: Adventures at Wegmans

WNYfood: Adventures at Wegmans: My friend Bonnie, has a twenty something son, who recently moved into his own apartment.  Let's call him Sherlock. Yesterday, Sherlock c...

Adventures at Wegmans

My friend Bonnie, has a twenty something son, who recently moved into his own apartment.  Let's call him Sherlock. Yesterday, Sherlock called his mom for some advice.  He said, "Hi Mom!   Tyler ran over a rabbit this morning on his way home from work, and he wants to make chili or something out of it." Tyler is Sherlock's roommate.
"What?" Bonnie was horrified.  "Is this a joke?"
"No Mom, I'm serious.  I know you're an awful cook, but we didn't know who else to ask.  You might have a cookbook around someplace, right? And before you say anything, I know they have rabbit on the menu at some fancy restaurants!"
"Sherlock, for god's sake! I don't think you two should be cooking and eating road-kill! I highly doubt that restaurant's serve highway accidents on their menus!  And no, I don't have any cookbooks that have  rabbit recipes."  Actually, she only has one cookbook called "Duncan Hines and You".  It was printed in 1958.
"Never mind Mom.  Tyler's googling it now.  He says we're going to make stew."
"Well make sure he googles "rabies" and "wild rabbit diseases" while he's at it.  I don't think this is a good idea!"
"Mom, I'm sure that boiling the rabbit will kill any germs it has.  We're off to Wegmans! Thanks!"

Bonnie received this picture and a text a little while later.

The text said " LOL. I wonder who's it is! And why is it spotted?  Hahaha." .


And then, a few minutes later.

 "Wegmans has everything!"

 

 

 

 

 

And after that:

 "Too bad Tyler didn't run over a couple of these!"

 

 

 

And then finally:

"This looks like those meatballs you tried to make once! Somebody canned them!"

 

 

This morning, when she hadn't heard from Sherlock, she called to ask how the stew turned out.  "Oh, sorry. I thought you heard the fire alarm. (Sherlock and Tyler live around the corner.)  We made the stew, put it on the stove,  and then got distracted by the hockey game.  By the time we smelled it,  we burned a hole in the pot, and it made a mess all over the stove.  Mr. Moore ,the Fire Chief, says hello! He said my kitchen skills must be genetic. He said I should only cook things outside, like Dad, and only then, if I'm away from trees. Mr. Moore said its good that I have learned how to man a fire extinguisher early in life. I laughed and said that I've had my own since I was three.  There was no real fire though, just  tons of smoke!  And don't worry!  We ate.  We bought some subs at Wegmans just in case. See, I did pay attention to the important things!"   

 

Me: "Where do you want to eat tonight?"

Exceedingly good-natured husband:" I don't care, you pick."

Me:"I don't know what I want.  I'm looking for suggestions.

Good natured husband:  Well, I'm up for anything.  It's ok, you pick."

Me: "I said I'm looking for suggestions."

Slightly impatient husband:"I picked last week, it's your turn."

Me: "No you didn't. We had Mexican because you wouldn't pick then either."

Obviously impatient husband: "Every time I pick somewhere, you shoot it down!"

Me: "That's why they're called suggestions.  What are you in the mood for?"

 Nearly at wit's end  husband: "Fine, let's go to that new seafood restaurant."

Me: "Nah, I'm not in the mood for that,"

Irate husband "Son of a bitch."

Me: " I don't know why you get so pissy! Really, I just would like some help choosing sometimes!"

Long-suffering husband: "This is why I don't pick.  We're going to go where you want anyway!"


Have you ever had the above conversation with your significant other?  People have asked why I started the WNY food and restaurant group on Facebook, and now this blog. This was definitely a contributing reason.  I would love to say that we don't have this conversation anymore, but it wouldn't be true.  It actually happens more often, because now, when we go out with friends, they always say. "You pick.  You know where all the good restaurants are."  So the following occurs.

Me: "We are going out with (insert names here) next Friday.  Where should I suggest we go?"

Already surly husband: "I don't care."

Me: "Yes, you do.  Come on, I could use a little help here."

Husband mumbles something under his breath.

Me: "What? What was that? I couldn't hear you. Seriously what kind of food do (insert names here) like?"

Defensive husband: "How the hell do I know? They like food."

Me: "Ok, ok, but do you think they would like Thai? (insert name here) is a fussy eater."

Petulant husband: "Ask them!"

Me: "There's no need to shout.  They said wherever we choose is fine with them. So where should we go?"

Dismissive husband: "Let's just go to a steak restaurant.  Everyone likes steak."

Me: "We  just had that a month ago with (insert names here).  I know, let's go to that new place that just opened.  Everyone seems to love it!"

Defeated husband: "Kill me now."

My friend, let's call her Bonnie, is a terrible cook. She has been known to put on a pan of water to boil, and then forget about it for hours, until all the water evaporates and the pan itself starts to cook.  Her husband, Bobby says that in their house they don't have pot roast, they have roast pot.  He can't cook either.  Here's a few examples of Bobby's cooking prowess.  He says he doesn't like to cook hot dogs on the grill, because "they roll off all the time." He was also unaware that lighter fluid is unnecessary with a gas grill. He once made me a cheeseburger and forgot take off the plastic cheese wrapper. "I didn't know you were supposed to!" he joked.  Cooking on the grill is the only cooking he has attempted, because "if there's a fire, it'll be outside."  Out of all my friends, they, by far, have the cleanest kitchen. If they go anywhere near it, their dog starts to chew it's own tail. They use their oven as extra storage space. Bonnie accidently set off the self-cleaning setting once and cooked a blanket. (I've changed their names so they remain my friends)

Bonnie and Bobby, as a result, eat out quite a bit. One of the places they love, is Athena's on Young St,  in the city of Tonawanda.  Athena's  is a friendly, "Where everybody knows your name"  kind of place that always has good, stick to your ribs, home style comfort food at an affordable price.  They offer a broad menu, that includes souvlaki, pork chops, meatloaf and mashed potatoes and breakfast all day, and daily specials.  They have the meals Bobby and Bonnie would cook for themselves at home, if they could, but Athena's does it for them. The waitress might calls them "sweetie" or "honey" and they like it.  She wants them to have a good meal, and wants them to come back. They have dessert racks with pie, and there is always another waitress wandering around with a coffee pot offering refills.  Athena's doesn't have a website, but they do have plenty of loyal regular customers, mostly from the neighborhood. They also have many long time employees, because it's a fun place to work.  At peak times during the day, there is often a wait for a table. 

Athena's, and neighborhood places like them will never make the top ten list of area restaurants, but they easily make the top "place to go" list of their many regulars. Just ask Bobby and Bonnie. At Athena's  everybody does know their names.  Their real ones.

Athena's Beef Souvlaki
 

It's restaurant week in WNY, which is a great time to check out new restaurants, or old favorites at a customer friendly price.  Or then again, is it?  It can also be a recipe for disaster if it's not done right.  After all, this is an opportunity for restaurants to attract new business, not to alienate potential new customers.

Years ago, I worked in a restaurant, and by far, the most stressful time was the holiday season.  If all went well, we provided a great dinner to families and friends who all had fabulous service in a cheerful welcoming atmosphere. And on most days, I can say that happened.

  I do remember one New Year's Eve where everything went wrong from the moment dinner started at 5:00.  We had a package deal where everyone pre-ordered their choice at the time they made the reservation.  Many either forgot or decided to change their minds on arrival, which resulted in running out of the most popular choice well before midnight.  I still shudder when I remember an irate male screaming at me in the middle of the dance floor, demanding that I get him the lobster dinner he ordered. (I was the hostess)

So is it a fair way to judge a restaurant?  I think it is.  If a restaurant is well organized and plans things right, this can be a win-win for both the customer and the restaurant.  Things will go wrong during this week.  It's how a restaurant recovers is the important part, and what the customer will remember.  So go out and find your favorite new restaurant, and tell everyone about it.

This is the very first post of my very first blog, so please bear with me as I go through the growing pains.  This blog is intended to be a sister to the facebook group I started with the name of WNY food and restaurants.  That is intended to be a go-to place if you are looking for a good place to eat in the WNY area, or to find information on farmer's markets, butchers, food trucks and the like.  This blog is intended to be a place that allows for expanded information on all of the above, and more.  This picture is from Bar-Bill in East Aurora.  It is a picture of their delicious Roast Beef.  It's so delicious, I forgot to take a picture of it until after I took a big bite out of it!  Fortunately, I remembered before I ate the whole thing.  Otherwise, there would just be a picture of some potato chips scraps, because that's all that was left.  Well, lets hope this blog improves as it goes along.  But welcome!!!!