My Friday Favorites!

This week has been more stressful then I would have liked, but I'm looking forward to this weekend with my friends drinking some wine and white water rafting. I can't believe we are entering the last week of July, this summer is flying by! Enjoy it! -B

{A trip to Channel 2 to promote Turn the Park Pink next week at the ballpark, I like those 2 pillows}

{Behind the scenes}

{A little golf on a Monday}

{I'm looking forward to some laughs this weekend with some great friends}

{My parents are the best - sending me pictures at Wines in the Wild this past Wednesday, I should work at a Zoo}

A Great Place to Go for Wine Wednesday!

It’s been months of planning to make time to visit Providence Social. Finally a few Wednesday’s ago Nicole and I took advantage of are monthly get-togethers and enjoyed their wine night specials!

The minute I walked in I fell in love with the place I loved the bar area and the old school music from the 50s and 60s era - a place that makes me think of my childhood memories when my parents would make me listen to their oldies music {now a days I catch myself singing to some of that same music, I guess that’s what happens as you get older}. The dim lighting with amazing light fixtures makes for a pretty atmosphere. The dining area is pretty open – leaving you and your party not feeling on top of other people... like you find at some other restaurants in the area.

Wednesdays make for great wine deals! $4 for a glass, $16 for a bottle! You can’t beat that price. For the amount of wine Nicole and I drink when we get together - it was a great deal!

From the outside- it’s not what you would expect when you walk in. The pricing is affordable and offers a good selection of food that can be shared. Now, I'm planning a time to go back and check out their brunch! From what I see on social media it looks like they put together a nice Sunday Funday!

-B

Friday Favorites!

{Volunteering is one of the best things I could ever do - the reward is priceless}

I've been kind of "MIA" this past week, but I've been busy thinking of new ideas and posts to bring to my site. I hope you enjoy your weekend and Happy Valentine's Day! xoxo

-B

{I'd love to design my own wine tasting.. maybe one day}

{I've been cooking a lot more and nothing beats homemade stuffed peppers!}

{I just love the furniture at Globe Market on Hertel}

The Broadway Market

Growing up on Fillmore Ave, the Broadway Market has been a permanent staple in my life since I was a child. While it was more of a "booming" neighborhood when I was younger, now it is only a hot spot to go during the Easter season. People {I lose that word loosely} are scared or have a bad perception of the area where the market stands in their head. While I will agree that the neighborhood has deteriorated as I've gotten older, the market still has a lot to offer. The last few weeks I visited the market to pick up some essentials, such as meat from Lupus Meats and homemade pierogi's from Pott's Deli. Not only are these staples that have stood still at the market for years, there are also wineries that offer wine sampling, Gridlock Lacquer offering handmade nail polish for sale and Hands and Paws Cookie and Treats that offer doggie treats for man's best friend. There are also a handful of other local stands that sell seasonings, baked goods and misc. items.

Its sad to see what I think is a staple in Buffalo, falling apart and not being able to get the funding it needs to replace the roof or fix the cracks in the floor. Sometimes you need to put a little more into a building than just a coat of paint. I think the City of Buffalo should put more than just a few hours of their time into this Buffalo staple and market the Broadway Market as a place to go throughout the year and not just at Easter time...

Its great to see all the great things happening down at Canalside, but in my opinion there are other areas we should focus are attention on as well and not just half ass it {excuse my language}. The Broadway Market is just a short trip away and my hope is that people can see the life that it still has and what it could be if it just got a little more TLC.

Broadway Market on Facebook and Twitter.

-B

{Those are some big pickles!}

{A look inside the market}

{They have plenty of horseradish if you need any}

A Little Sake at the Saigon Café

With everyone's busy schedules now a days my friend Nicole and I try to meet up at least once a month to catch up at a new restaurant in the area with wine and food. A few weeks back we met at the Saigon Café {which happens to be in a new location on Elmwood since Oct. of 2014}. While I was waiting I figured I would get a sake flight {its been a while since I had one and it took me back down memory lane when I visited my cousin in Japan}. The Black and Gold was my favorite!

Once Nicole arrived I ventured over to wine, we stayed at the bar and order a bunch of food!{See what we ordered in the pictures below} I had never been to Saigon before so I was going off of Nicole's expertise {she did an awesome job, everything we had was delicious!}.

{Vietnamese Hot & Sour Soup}

{Pad Se-Ew with Chicken}

We also order the Curry too, but I didn't snap a pic. of it. ..It was a Tuesday evening so while the bar area wasn't that busy, the dining area had a decent crowd. People had also been coming in and out, picking up the take out food they had called ahead for {I think this is a nice service to have and gets bonus points in my book!}. The overall feel of the restaurant was cozy and nice. I loved the lighting, and the windows, Saigon is located on the corner of Elmwood and W. Utica so you can see everything going on outside, which I liked.

If you've ever been what are some of your favorite dishes? What are your thoughts on the new location? Do you like, don't like? Share them with me!

-B

Friday Favorites!

What a week Western New York has been through. While we still have a lot of snow to remove and some time before we can get back to any sort of "norm," Western New York residents have shown that they are strong and they can get through anything...together! Make the most of the situation you are in and remember to stay positive. Have a safe weekend!

-B

{Need to stock back up on my wine supply}

{Only two weeks away from Deck the Halls Runway. Go to DTHrunway.com for more info}

{Even though I'm ready for Snowvember to be over with, I loved seeing us get some National attention the last few days}

{Jim Kelly on ESPN}

Snowvember - Buffalo for Real!

With all the snow that has fallen over Western New York in the past 24 hours, I thought I would post some of my favorite pictures from people {including myself} that posted on social media what's going on in their neck of the woods. The weather has been the talk of the town, making National headlines and while some up North have only seen a couple inches, this storm has cost the lives of a handful of people. It's important for everyone to remember to stay inside and let the emergency personnel and first responders do their jobs. In times like these I'm even more happy and proud to say I live in Buffalo - "A city of good neighbors," always coming through and helping each other in times of need and showing each other some #Buffalove. Stay safe and warm!

-B

{Tuesday Nov. 18 - Picture taken via news station showing the Lake Effect Snow band between Downtown and the Southtowns}

{Tuesday evening - photo taken by news station showing the NYS Thruway}

{My friend Tara enjoying a glass of wine outside her home Tuesday evening}

{Airplane view}

{Outside my house on Wednesday morning}

{The sun shining and the snow taking a break Wednesday late morning}

{Photo via Buffalo Bills - Snow on the field and in the stands at Ralph Wilson Stadium on Wednesday}

Celebrity Chef Culinary Extravaganza!

Last week I had the opportunity to attend the Celebrity Chef's Culinary Extravaganza at Ilio DiPaolo's. What a night it was, an eight course meal, after dinner cordials and Chefs Michael Obarka from Ristorante Lombardo, Dan Buckley, Dr. Andy Cappuccino, and Chef Michael DiPaolo and staff all put their special touches on the food while is was paired with delicious wines from Marchesi de' Frescobaldi.

The money raised from the dinner goes directly to the Ilio DiPaolo Scholarship Fund. Dennis DiPaolo and his family are huge supporters of the Western New York community so it was nice to give back to them. Overall it was a nice evening full of good food, drinks and company.

-B

{Special Guest: Lamberto Frescobaldi}

{Lots of wine glasses and shrimp tails to start the evening off}

{The Filet was the best, I thought}