Saturday, March 28, 2009

Local Restaurant Week, a Review

Local Restaurant Week, which Whitney posted about a couple of weeks ago, is wrapping up and I hope it has been a huge success for all of the restaurants who participated. My husband and I went out to The Blackthorn (on Seneca Street in South Buffalo) last night in celebration of Local Restaurant Week. The Blackthorn is close to our house, and every time we go there we have had good service and good food. It also has the added advantage on Friday nights of having one of the best fish fries in Buffalo. The Local Restaurant Week special was a glass of wine/pint of beer, an entree, and a dessert for $20.09. We bypassed the special in favor of the fish fry.

Dan got the full works--beer battered with french fries, cole slaw, and pasta salad on the side. I went for the "lighter" option of broiled fish, steamed vegetables, and a baked sweet potato. That is the great thing about the Blackthorn fish fry--you get a real choice for what kind of fish you want (they also have breaded, lemon garlic, and something else I can't remember off the top of my head), and what kind of side dishes you want. They also have a real variety of dishes on their regular menu, so there are options for everyone whether it is a Friday night or not. Plus, the main bar is known for its selection of whiskey and of course they always have Guinness on draft. It has a family-friendly Irish pub atmosphere and though it is always busy the service is always good.

The Friday night fish fry is definitely a very Buffalo thing. Growing up in St. Louis I remember it as something the Catholic churches would have during Lent but that was about it. It always seemed weird to me to go to church for a fish dinner, and my family wasn't Catholic, so I never had a real fish fry until I moved here ten years ago. While I certainly couldn't eat one once a week (though I know there are some folks who do) it is a food tradition in this town that I enjoy.

I give The Blackthorn my thumbs up as having the best fish fry in town. Does anyone else have a favorite?

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