The Farm Shop is an oasis of freshness in the Elmwood Village.
A teeny, tiny oasis, around the corner on Ashland from its mailing address, so it’s easy to miss.
Founded in 2013 by dairy farmer Patrick Lango as a showcase for local food artisans, Farm Shop has played an outsized role in improving the eating lives of Buffalonians.
Butter Block, now among Buffalo’s best bakeries, started at Farm Shop. Colleen Stillwell brought not even a dozen croissants to see if they would sell. Butter Block found its audience, and grew into a Five Points destination.
These days, Farm Shop is the province of Kelsey Gurtler. The former goat herder maintains its mission, as well as shelves, coolers, and displays of other people’s work. Thursday through Sunday, Gurtler greets shoppers with the freshies. That’s an array of farm-fresh vegetables, fruit, and eggs, plus freezers loaded with take-and-bake options and chicken.
Then the bakeries. Thursday afternoon you might meet Emily Gonzalez, who makes conchas, the crackly-topped Mexican sweet rolls, as Colibrí Panadería.
Manchester Place Baking Co.’s Canadian butter tarts are standards. So are Savage Wheat Project’s breads thumbprint jam cookies, iced cinnamon rolls, and garlic cheddar dinner rolls
Looking for the good stuff? Farm Shop’s open Thursday through Sunday. Follow along at instagram.com/farmshopbuffalo.
235B Lexington Ave. (door on Ashland)
Hours: 3 p.m.-7 p.m. Thursday, noon-5 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday. Closed Monday-Wednesday.
REVIEW: Colony Seafood and Steakhouse is one of the best reasons to point your GPS at Irving, Exit 58 on Interstate 90. There’s a good reason the restaurant’s name is “seafood and steakhouse” instead of the other way around. Half a mile from the Lake Erie shore, the LaBarbera family puts on a seafood spectacular, including native Lake Erie walleye, perch fingers, and cioppino, plus a bevy of beefy options. (For patrons, later this week.)
LAST CALL FOR INDIAN 101: The last Four Bites 101 summer session seminar is Aug. 6 at Alibaba Kebab, 827 Military Road, Kenmore.
Enjoy a buffet of Indian classics while I explain what’s in it, how it’s made, and answer questions.
You get fresh buttered naan, beef kebabs, tandoori wings, chana masala chickpeas, basmati rice, and potato-and-peas samosa vegetable pastries with spicy green and date-tamarind chutneys, and gulab jamun for dessert. Plus a mango lassi yogurt shake.
Event starts at 6 p.m. Tickets, $30, include tax and tip. Seats are limited; get yours here.
ASK THE CRITIC
Q: Are there any locally made versions of scrapple, the liver mush of Pennsylvania Dutch country?
— A. Sittler, Hamburg, via email
A: You’re in luck. You live in a town with Moriarty Meats.
Five days a week, customers looking for all sorts of things walk into Tom Moriarty’s butcher shop at 1650 Elmwood Ave. So many walk out with what they were looking for — and things they just discovered they needed.
Not just scrapple, but bacon, pork rillettes, beef bacon, and meatballs. Smoked ham hocks and shaved smoked ham. Then the sausages: Chiavetta’s chicken sausage with Chiavetta’s seasoning built in, smoked linguica, Cumberland, chicken Mexican fiesta corn, choriqueso, hunter’s sausage. Moroccan and Mediterranean marinated chicken thighs. (See above.)
Moriarty Meats is open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday.
More local food and restaurant stories compiled by Michael Chelus of Nittany Epicurean:
- Mr. Galarneau visited one of my favorite wing spots in Buffalo – Adolf’s Old First Ward Tavern [Four Bites]
- Andrew also told us how to cook chicken right every time [Four Bites]
- Chef Darian Bryan was interviewed in Larkin Square [Buffalo News]
- Aloha Energy opened in the former Squeeze location on Elmwood [Buffalo Rising]
- Brett put together a list of nine local food challenges including The Pizzasaurus Rex at Say Cheese! Pizza & Comic Book Café, the Sand Dock Sundae at The Silo and more [Step Out Buffalo]
- Sarah planned the perfect day trip to Crystal Beach including a stop at Rizzo’s House of Parm [Step Out Buffalo]
- Christa told us about Buffalo’s latest favorite pop-up – welldone.chicken [Buffalo Spree]
- Armstrong’s Beer Co. is coming to West Seneca [Buffalo Beer League]
- Brian’s Buffalo Beer Buzz told us about a new release from Thin Man Brewery, an updated look for Ellicottville Brewing Company’s The Charge American Lager and more [Buffalo Beer League]
- Brian also told us why lager tastes better in summer [Buffalo Beer League]
- Even though she eats at a new restaurant each week, Francesca told us why she will keep coming back to Labyrinth in Allentown [Buffalo News]
- Sunshine Vegan East is opening a second location on Fillmore Avenue [Buffalo Rising]
- Sarah also wrote about Indigo Chapel [Step Out Buffalo]
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