Made In Buffalo

December 6, 2012

I finally did it! I had two of Buffalo's finest hometown dishes: the super famous (Buffalo) wings and the not-so-well-known Beef on Weck. 
Buffalo wings have their origin at the Anchor Bar. Most locals would recommend to stay far away from this place but that doesn't stop the many tourists that flock to the bar. I followed this advice two years ago when I lived in Buffalo for a few months. However, when I found myself with some extra time at the airport over Thanksgiving, I decided to take the plunge at the Buffalo Airport Anchor Bar.

Don't know what all the hate is about because I thought these were crispy and light and tasty. My only complaint: my friend and I ordered the HOT wings and they definitely tasted like MILD. Makes me wonder what the SUICIDAL wings taste like. We also tried the Spicy BBQ, which were flavorful but not spicy either. Not too bad for my first Buffalo Wings in Buffalo since I was here two years ago.
Another Buffalo speciality is the Beef on Weck. Weck is short for a kummelweck roll, which is topped with salt and caraway seeds. Inside the sandwich is roast beef and horseradish. Unique, to say the least. The first time I tried one was at a local bar/restaurant that had a kummelweck roll that looked like snow was covered on it since there was so much salt on top. I had to scrape the salt off the roll because I was getting such a shock of salt in every bite. I wasn't too much a fan then but wanted to give it another go.

The other day I visited a local fast food restaurant, Anderson's, which is famous for its roast beef and custard. This might not be the best place to get a Beef on Weck but I wanted a quick bite and it happened nearby while I was running errands. The sandwich first off was a bit lukewarm. The salt wasn't as offensive as the first time I tried the sandwich, but the horseradish almost near killed me. I was seriously tearing up and crying from the spicy pain but did get my sinuses cleared. After scraping off some of the horseradish, I was left with a dry and a not-so-special sandwich. I would have preferred an Arby's Roast Beef, but then again, I love Arby's so this isn't saying much. (I might be alone on that declaration but don't hate. It's my thing.).

I'm going to have to take a field trip to Charlie the Butcher for my last attempt at Beef on Weck since Serious Eats declared it to be the Best Beef On Weck in Buffalo. Until next time...

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