International House, the Theater District food court, bar, and ping-pong parlor at 617 Main St., has become 617 Main, making it even easier to find when you’re hungry or thirsty.
New owners David McLeod and Desmond Brown have added Evelina’s Kitchen, a soup, salad, and sandwich spot.
But the bigger news is next door: 617 Main will have the Market Arcade as an amenity. With the grand wrought-iron-lined three-story balconied space to spread out, events can draw on the building’s catering possibilities or engage their own.
“We are going to be bringing a lot of life back into this building,” McLeod said. “One of the ways we’re gonna be doing that is making sure that this atrium is used for a lot of social events.”
The main restaurants will continue to serve 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday.
“We’re also incubating a late-night kitchen that runs when the regular food court is closed,” McLeod said. That’s 3 p.m.-9 p.m. Sunday, 5 p.m.-10 p.m. Monday. The bar will be open until midnight on Monday.
McLeod offered thanks to the Sinatra/Campanella team and Mark Supples for making 617 Main possible.
“We also have access to next door, which is the Market Arcade atrium, through a partnership with Sinatra, so we allow people to also tap into that and rent that out,” McLeod said.
Supples, the previous owner, “was remarkably generous in handing over the business he built,” McLeod said. “He transferred it to me intact, with the kitchen equipment, fixtures, furniture and bar inventory in place, on terms that let us reinvest in the vendors from day one instead of starting from scratch. That kind of continuity is rare, and it’s the reason the vendors had somewhere to stay.”
Buffalo’s only public ping-pong tables were saved, too. They will still be folded away for special events, but while 617 Main is open, anyone can come in, ask at the bar for gear, and paddle their way to happiness, for free (at least for now.)
McLeod considered removing table tennis, before he realized how much it could mean to some folks.
“A father came to me, and he had his two sons with him,” McLeod said. “They’re grown, and you could tell that he’s not with his wife. He says to me, ‘I have these guys once every two weeks, and our favorite thing to do is to come here and play ping pong.’ Tears nearly came to my eye. The next day, I said, ‘Once we don’t have an event here, clear the tables, put the ping pong table back.’ ”
REVIEW: Lebanese rotisserie chicken epicenter Almaza Grill has become a part of the family kitchen for a fair number of Transit Road commuters. They stop on the way home to grab a chicken and some hummus, and maybe a piece of cake that caught their eye. Or settle in with a group for family-style feasts of chicken, kibbe, loubie bzeit green beans and garlic. The grilled meatballs called kofta have always rocked. Now you can try them simmered in fruity, semi-sour cherry sauce, a swoonful moment for cherryphiles. (For patrons, later this week.)
ASIAN PEAR ALERT: Catch the end of Asian pear season at Halmony Farms, 4567 Mapleton Road, Pendleton.
A ripe Asian pear is over-the-sink eating, Niagara County peach class. They’re hard to find fresh, but the U-pick at this Asian pear specialist is still open.
ASK THE CRITIC
Q: Looking for recs for drunken noodles, vegan please?
– E. Brooks, Buffalo
A: You can dig into outstanding vegan versions of this Thai stir-fried noodle dish at Tiny Thai, at 35 Grant St., with its entrance at 27 Grant St. Just specify vegan when ordering.
Same goes for City of Tonawanda’s Mr. Bowl, 221 Main St., where the rice pasta is housemade, as well.
Both of those places have a ton of other vegan stuff, too.
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