7. 1. 6.

When I began this blog of mine over six years ago I never imagined the amount of love and passion I would have for the city that I am so lucky to call home. Having always loved this region I didn’t think it would be possible to find deeper meaning, deeper roots and deeper passions that I have come to find, but it has happened and there is so, so much to be grateful for in our region.

Since it is “716 day” I thought I would share my list of favorite (favorite!!) restaurants, venues, activities, events, and people I like to follow. I know I missed A LOT on this list (it’s so hard to think of it all), but take a look. Let me know what are some of your favorite things in the 716 - places you like to go, events you like to attend and people you like to follow.

Western New York may be a small region compared to big cities, but it has a ton of talent, pride and passion to share with visitors and those that are lucky to call it home.

Favorites broken down by category:

Brewery: Resurgence – Have you checked out their new location at 55 Chicago? If not, definitely put it on your list of things to do

Restaurants:

• Southtowns: Alchemy Wine Bar/The Grange

• Downtown Restaurants: Marble + Rye, Hearth + Press (especially before a show at Sheas), Hydraulic Hearth (love their outdoor patio in the summertime), Cantina Loco is my favorite spot for guac, and chips and they are my favorite spot for margaritas. Love Wasabi on Elmwood for Sushi

• Northtowns: Share on Main Street, TCB on Transit Road and Greens on Transit

Cocktails – Duende at Silo City is a pretty cool, chill place, Angelica Tea Room, Just Vino on Main Street, Blackbird Cider on Chandler Street, The Terrace at Delaware Park is a beautiful spot as well, those views of Hoyt Lake are BEAUTIFUL.

Dog Park: Hands down my Harlie girl loves the Knox Farm – whether its running around at the dog park or walking the trails it’s a happy place for her

Workout Spot: #REVLIFE is the best life. Any class at Revolution Buffalo is sure to be a fun time. It is my happy place. A place where I take in all the positive vibes that I can. I also love Love in Motion yoga. Kate and Kath bring those feel good vibes with every flow

Outdoor spots: Hands down The Outer Harbor is my favorite waterfront spot and a spot that I never get sick of. Whether it’s a run, walk, the views or visiting Tifft Nature Preserve it has a special place in my heart. Delaware Park and Artpark are also places I love to visit outdoors

Fun things to do: A fishing excursion with Brookdog Fishing is a blast and I highly recommend for anyone (at any fishing level). The Buffalo Pedal Tours are so much fun, Hatchets & Hops is also a fun place to check out as well as the Silo City tours with Explore Buffalo

Coffee Shops: Remedy House, Tipico, Public and Overwinter

Favorite places: The Buffalo Zoo (that’s a given; I mean if you know me you know how much I love animals (more than some people)). The Aquarium is another favorite spot. The Science Museum, kayaking, The Buffalo Central Terminal and the Broadway Market

Shops I love to visit: Anna Grace on Elmwood, Mod Nos on Hertel, Winkler & Samuels Wine Purveyors at 500 Seneca, Pegs Hardware

My spots for wings: Nine Eleven Tavern in South Buffalo is a hole in the wall, but the wings are one of the best in town (in my opinion), I am also a fan of Carbone’s on South Park and Duffs

Favorite social media accounts to follow/motivate me, locally here in Buffalo: Buffalo Boss Babes, Christy at Wild Blossom Hollow, Lloyds, The Buffalo Zoo, Adventures are Waiting (Jess Kelly), BKind City, We Must Dash, Indie Twenty (Rachel), Love in Motion Yoga, Balanced Bright Life (Jessica Reagan), West End Interiors, Yoga Steve (Steve Procknal), and Lauren from Rev @liittlelauren

Favorite summer time events: Jack Craft Fair and new this year – Door Open Buffalo/Explore Buffalo, I always try and visit Shakespeare at Delaware Park too, it’s a classic summertime activity in Buffalo. Wines in the Wild at the Zoo is also one I always go to. For me being an event planner I feel like I attend a lot of events not just plan a lot so when a new event is created or its an event I have never been to – that excites me more than a recurring event, unless it has “wowed” me.

My bucket list of things to do before summer is over: Visit the new Explore & More, A hot air balloon ride (this has been on my bucket list for years), learn/try to paddle board – all those years at the Harbor and I never had a chance to do it then, visit Shirt Factory in Medina, and take a class with Ren at Rise Fitness.

-B

"You always have a story with a cup of coffee"

A few weeks back I was looking for a local coffee shop to donate some product to an event I was helping out at. Having a couple places in mind, there was one that stood out from the rest; Overwinter Coffee. Located in the heart of downtown Buffalo, owners Ben and Josh didn’t hesitate when it came to helping the local community, just proving to me again that Buffalo truly has the best people.

Opening in May of this past year Overwinter sits on Genesee St. near the Hyatt, Rotary Rink and so many more landmarks. When I paid a visit to Ben last week I asked him an array of questions while I was sipping on the DELICIOUS cup of Peanut Brittle coffee. So here it is;

Was opening a coffee shop something you always wanted to do? he said he started roasting last fall and then him and Josh sort of just fell into it. The landlord of his building was looking for a cappuccino spot and the space was great for what they needed to do to roast the coffee beans and have a store front. It offers great traffic and was just to good to be true so they took a leap of faith and opened Overwinter.

The best part of owning your own business? Not having a boss, being able to do things without asking for permission and making the things he loves about coffee. What do you love about Buffalo? Buffalo loves Buffalo - people in Buffalo love seeing Buffalo succeed and make Buffalo better.

What makes Overwinter stand out from other local coffee shops in town? Overwinter offers single origin coffee’s, not blended. Their product changes with the seasons and they have a consistency of rotation changes. Their coffee names are more descriptive & illustrative to describe the coffee they are serving, that’s why you’ll find the name, origin and flavor notes on their menu.

Outside of the storefront, you can find their espresso at Perks Coffee Shop, Grindhaus Cafe on Allen offers their product, along with Fairycakes on Parkside, Pastry by Camille on Hertel and Maison Le Caer in the Market Arcade building downtown. Other items you can find on the menu at Overwinter are Biscotti for Everybotti along with other dessert treats.

When I asked Ben what his favorite drink is at the moment he said it depends, but sometimes he’ll treat himself to a breve macchiato, its buttery and creamery and just very good. He receives a lot of samples to taste thru and the one thing he mentioned is its “much more than coffee” - there is always a story with a cup of coffee.

If you are a coffee lover and haven’t been to Overwinter yet, I highly suggest you put it on your 2019 list of things to do. They offer classes on how to hand brew coffee which you can find here AND if you’ll be headed downtown to see the ball drop next week, stop in to Overwinter for a cup of coffee to

1. help you stay warm and 2. keep you awake to midnight

On one last note - a special thank you goes out to my friend Nelson for making the introduction for me to meet with Ben.

-B

*thumbnail photo is from Overwinter Coffee’s Facebook page.