Cute little art space on Oliver St in NT for small performances and gallery exhibitions…read more Give local art some love!

Great location, right on 16 in Holland. I got a cute set of…read morealuminum coasters at a reasonable price. There's a lot of variety, the shop is well organized, and the proprietor is knowledgeable. Go see this interesting collection of artifacts. Try it!

Great little place for antiques. There are a lot of framed paintings, antique tableware, ceramics,…read moreglassware, etc. The staff is very friendly. The prices are very reasonable, and much lower than I have seen in antique shops in larger cities. It is worth the drive.

Beer vs Wine. Paired with food. At the Hideaway Grille…read more The Hideaway Grille has done three similar events. Once a year more or less. I think once with wine and once with beer. This time with both, together, head to head (so to speak). Upon arrival the bar was already hopping. Happy hour started at 5:30, and it was happy when I arrived sometime after that. They have these homemade chips on the bar that are fantastic. Not sure if they are an everyday thing or not, but Id go back for those alone. Truffle oil and garlic is a great match with potatoes, and when those potatoes are cut in house it just gets better. The event worked like this - assigned seating, the owner of the Hideaway knew many of the guests so she was able to put tables together that worked really well. By the end of the evening, Table 5 was the rowdiest, but each table had a great time. Before each course the beer and wine choices were described by the associated beer and mine masters. Each was chosen with the food in mind. I drink far more wine than beer, but I found both selections each time were a great choice. On occasion the beer outshone the wine, and vice versa, but there was no clear "miss" and some clear "hits". Our first course was a shrimp & lobster bisque (I did not sample that but the table loved it). I have to say both the beer and wine went nicely with it, as was the case for each course. I say this as the soup was cream based and both the beer and wine choice took that into account. The second course was a stuffed chicken, it was a perfect size, perhaps 4 bites. Easy to cut, the chicken was moist and tender. Very nice. A sherbet followed to "cleanse our palettes". Then came the risotto - which for me was the fav of the evening. The risotto came with two seared scallops, which were nicely seared. I enjoyed the scallop, but loved the risotto, with hazelnut throughout. I asked if that was on the menu, and I then learned many of these dishes were created for the event. Perhaps a dry run for some new menu items? Id vote for the risotto. Then came the pistachio and gorgonzola crusted filet. Also terrific. My filet was medium, I prefer very rare and for me it would have been a knockout that way. However, even more cooked, the flavors were terrific and happily devoured by all. They came with a potatoes, but I cant comment on that, I simply enjoyed the filet too much to get to the potatoes. The dessert was some sort of rich chocolaty thing, which tasted great, but for me the dollop of whipped cream (which was soooo much more than just whipped cream) and the homemade sponge candy were the stars of the plate. This coming from someone who pretty much never choses a chocolate dessert, and I ate half the actual dessert too. It was very very good. That pastry chef can bake. All in all, if you have a chance to come to the next event you should. This one was $50/ticket (tax and tip not included), and well worth it for the food, the drinks and the FUN. There were even some raffles, bottles of the evenings wine raffled off. Fill disclosure, I won one, but this review was already being written in my head, so no undue influence. Their facebook page is the way to keep up with what's happening at the Hideaway Grille. https://www.facebook.com/hideawaygrille?fref=nf Thanks to Alex L (CM) and Yelp for making me aware of this event.

If you are a real Buffalonian, you've probably been to the Annual Italian Heritage Festival at…read moreleast once. If you're just visiting, I recommend you go to see for yourself. This event is definitely all about the food, and it's huge. Definitely come hungry and enjoy Italian and Italian-American staples like pizza, sausages, meatballs, arancini, pasta, etc., as well as plenty of sweet desserts. With over fifty vendors this year, Hertel Avenue was transformed into a bustling, crowded marketplace. In my opinion, the atmosphere is rather intense. People are eating, drinking, socializing, and catching up with friends and family. The air around the festival is always heavy with the smell of smoke and frying onions and peppers. Believe me, lots and lots of grilled Italian sausages are floating around during this festival. Unfortunately, apart from tables near the main stage, which must be reserved in advance for a fee, there is nowhere to sit and eat comfortably. Lots of people are walking and eating or standing. I even saw someone use the top of the trash can as a table, yuck. As I mentioned, there's a main entertainment stage, if you like the Frankie Scinta vibe. The demonstration/cooking tent is a fun place to visit as well. The best way to plan for the special attractions is to simply check out the website. I think it's worth it. On the practical side, it's important to wear proper footwear. Because of the big crowd, I had to be extra careful not to get stepped on or have my toes run over by a baby stroller. It's wild. I guess that's the beauty of this festival. Fun fact: I ate my first raw clam many years ago at this festival while on vacation in the States :). Those were the days when carousels, rides, and similar attractions were still part of the event. It was probably more kids/family-friendly than it has been in recent years. Perhaps it will return someday.

If you're only looking for really good Italian food and pastries and desserts and things and this…read moreis the place to go now. They no longer have all the fun games, like " I got it" or the water balloon game or anything else it's just all food now. No rides, nothing for kids. But the food is amazing. I went there just for Campi's Pizza & Angelo's Italian Desserts. I was extremely satisfied. The pizza never fails me from there. It is always so good and since Campi's is too far to go just pick up a pizza and come home. I have to depend on the Italian heritage festival every year just to get my pizza. Angel is not located anywhere near here as far as I know so again I have to go to the festival just to get my good desserts. They had many other food stands, but I didn't try anything else out except for Romeo and Juliet's bakery. I know what I like so that's what I go for. You have got to try Campi's -White Pizza with the Greek olives on it. They have a few different kinds of white pizza, but the plain or one without all the veggies and without the artichokes and stuff is the really good one.. But they also have many selections of pizza to choose from

Such a lovely night! I went for the VIP preview party. Such a good crowd of people and a diverse…read morerange of art. I love the location they chose! Big enough space that everyone had more than enough room to mingle and enjoy the art. And a mercedes van to take you to your car when you left!? Well done Echo!

Yelp is here too…read more Along with a large selection of artists/galleries (over 30) mostly from Buffalo but also other parts of NY state. There is photography, including some of the local scenes, paint on canvas, sculpture, media art and more. This is an annual event founded by Fritz Able, to showcase some of the terrific art from the area. They are coming from far and wide o see it. Today I heard people had come from NYC, DC and Miami, and those are just from hearing snippets of chatter. This weekend is your chance to see these artists and galleries under one roof. That roof happens to be the Buffalo Public Library's roof, which is a nice and easy to navigate building. The art starts outside with some colorful circles of art from a NYC based artist who was at UB for her studies some years ago. They lead the way in. There are some lectures at 12 today, which is what the $5 entrance fee is for. Tomorrow no lectures and no fee. There is something here for everyone's taste. And even if you find nothing of interest to your eyes or ears there is bound to be something for your stomach: Delish with coffee and muffins, Sun Burmese with black rice rolls and more, Askers, Nickel City, English Pies and of course some wine and beer for later, it's Buffalo. Come down, ride a bike or take the subway as there is not much parking around here, see what's happening on the local art scene. And pick up a handy Yelp reusable grocery bag just for coming. How can you loose?

I stumbled upon this awesome concert in my attempt to walk off my dinner…read more I've lived in the area for years and didn't even know this concert series was going on in my own backyard. The concert series is in its 17th year and I've been in Buffalo for the last 12! Talk about clueless! No wonder finding parking for dinner was such a pain! It was a lot of fun and the crowd was great. There were people of all ages and dogs too! There were also some people hula hooping too. The crowd was super chill and did I mention dogs? I love dogs and I find my happy place when I'm around them. The concerts are on the green space at Elmwood and Bidwell every Tuesday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. and free to the public. Lloyd's was there along with the Ice Creamcycle guy, Gelateria Luca, and Ashker's. The Elmwood Village Association was also there for any interested folks to join the association and collect donations. I'm looking forward to Neville Francis and the Riddim Posse! Last concert of the season is August 12th. Parking was a bit of a pain in the immediate area but if you're not afraid of walking 2 minutes, then there's parking aplenty. There was parking down by Forest Ave., on the side streets, and on Elmwood past Bidwell. Be prepared to parallel park like never before.

A B.Y.O.B free concert event. Need I say more? A beautiful park, free music, dancing children,…read morelaughing families, what more reasons are needed to come to this weekly summer event? People have elaborate spreads or food from the surrounding restaurants. It can be as easy as you want or as fancy as you please. This is a simple fun filled family affair. If you haven't done it, your missing out.

Wow! Awesome rink! So I came here on. Wednesday night (adult…read moreretro night). It was also the start of the annual Borderline Jam which I was unfamiliar with since I'm just getting back into skating again but there were so many incredibly talented skaters it just blew me away! I am just an average rollerblader. I haven't hit a rink in a quarter century until this past week so I can't even remember how to skate backwards but I still go fast and just flying around the rink listening to music on a great sound system with fun lighting was enough to make me happy and get great exercise too! Admission is usually $10 (I had to pay $15 because of the special event). There are skates to rent but I know nothing more as I have my own. There are plenty of lockers and they are a quarter to lock each time (I was busy skating and never opened it again until I left). The key doesn't have a wrist band so make sure you have a pocket or a fanny pack or something to put it in. There is a snack bar with things like pizza, pizza logs, nachos, popcorn, etc. at a fair price. There are also some alcoholic beverages! There's also vending machines with plenty of snacks and drinks. There is an arcade too which I wanted to play but unfortunately almost every game was turned off and no one at the ticket counter - im not sure if it is like that every adult night or just due to the special event but I wanted to play some games! Staff was friendly but so were the people! Everyone that came up to me was just genuinely being nice and inclusive and not being a creep. That really made me feel happy and excited to come back. What I love the most was all shapes sizes ages colors genders styles and skill sets all harmonized as one. Everyone was really enjoying themselves, getting along nicely, if someone is coming around you fast they will make a noise so you know or they may gently touch you for a moment so you know they rounding you so no one falls. It was really a nice venue with wonderful people where you can feel safe and free from all of the silly arguments you see on social media, or rudeness you see out in the wild quite often. Whether your 80 years old and still able to fly around the rink, younger and full of dance moves on skates that make heads turn, average like me, or just starting out and need some help .. and people there will be happy to help you ... this is the place to be! I really look forward to coming here again soon.

Attended a birthday party. Fun time. Lively atmosphere. Loud music. Kids had a great time. Trainers…read moreare available for purchase- don't just take them because they will be confiscated! #IYKYK LOL

I'd like to start off by saying, I'm 100% no artist, lol. As it turns out, you don't need any real…read moretalent. The women in the studio guided us through each step. Side note, it's run & owned by ALL WOMEN! Huge bonus. Everything was provided, and there are so many choices. Most projects range in price from $30-40. We were working on plaques. We sanded, painted/stained, dried, applied an adhesive stencil, picked out colors, painted again, dried again then eagerly lifted the stencil for a finished project. I was impressed how well mine turned out, just like ones you see at a craft show. Parking.... I heard one of the owners say the have a 12 spot lot for free. I found street parking, across the street. If it's during the day, you'll need to pay through the 'Buffalo Roam' app, after 5pm is free

This is one of my favorite businesses in Buffalo. I try to support them as much as I can, and if…read moreyou come to my house, you'll see lots of projects from their website all over my abode. During COVID-19, StudioHue is offering a scaled back version of what crafts they offer, and is making home deliveries (within a 15 mile radius of their location on Broadway in the City of Buffalo) to provide you with some creativity during this time of staying home. The craft kits include everything you need. I went with the dog string art. I received the piece of wood, which had a hanging apparatus attached to it, a sponge paint brush, some paint, the color I chose, nails, and four things of embroidery floss, or the 3 colors that I chose when I ordered the product. This specific kit was $30 and was delivered to me on a Sunday morning. When I received the product Sunday morning, I also got a text message signaling to me that the delivery had been made. I painted the wooden board for my project in about 5 minutes, and let that dry. I then crafted the project in about 2 hours time five days after receiving the project, and the paint was still good to go. I highly recommend them to keep you sane and provide a little creative outlet.