Buffalo
Highlight
- Had breakfast with the HK guys, as Lee San went to work early.
- Weather has turned cold again, but not as bad as last week. The sun is shining again by the afternoon.
- Another full day where I don’t even have time for lunch. Spent ages trying to get my mortgage worked out, which finally happened, probably just before the deadline.
- Didn’t have time to visit the gym again, as wanted to come home early to pack.
- Got my dry cleaning back, with my cashmere sweater re dry-cleaned and also the hole mended.
- Caught a taxi to Elmwood again, this time to a Spanish restaurant recommended by Amit…the service was the worst I’ve had for a upper class place in Buffalo, and the food was so so. The ribs were very nice, but the paella was really disappointing.
- The HK guys were so funny. It started snowing a little bit (like maybe 5 drops), and they got so excited.
- Managed to squeeze everything into my bags, so quite happy about that.
Food
- Hyatt breakfast:
- French toast and maple syrup
- fresh fruit
- beef and mushroom soup
- Toro dinner:
- Pomogranate martini
- Spanish Caesar Salad ($10) - with piquillo peppers, spanish olives, manchego & paprika crouton
- Braised Baby Back Pork Ribs ($14) - with mango bbq and Thai cabbage slaw
- Paella ($41) - Toro's signature dish that serves 2 to 3 people, made to order with saffron rice, chicken, smoked chorizo, shrimp, scallops, clams, mussels and lobster
Buffalo
Highlight
- Had to get up so early in time for a 7am call at the office, so the breakfast buffet was not even ready…ended up having Tim Horton’s for breakfast :(
- Finally got around to complaining about my dry cleaning. Managed to get $75 from them in voucher, and got my shirt recleaned for free. Not too bad for the effort.
- Decided to try out EB Green’s finally. There was no one there as usual, but I think the steak was better than the chophouse. The funny thing was when they served the baked potato and they ask if you wanted butter for your potato, and when you say yes, they drop about one block of the stuff there.
Food
- Tim Horton’s Cappuccino
- butter criossant
- chilli
- EB Green’s dinner:
- House Salad - leaves, walnut, mandarin, blue cheese, onion
- 8 oz. New York Strip ($26.00) with Baked Potato, butter, sour cream and chives
Buffalo
Highlight
- More boring work day, and long hours as usual.
- Stuck in meeting after meeting, where Lee San just asks question after question.
- Met Amit who is a foodie too, and he recommended he go to Cecelia’s. Had a nice dinner without Lee San and not by myself for once, so that was great.
- Even managed to fit in the gym beforehand.
Food
- Hyatt breakfast:
- French toast and maple syrup
- fresh fruit
Polish selection: Polish Sausage, Lazy Pierogi, Pierogi - Cecelia’s dinner:
- Stuffed Banana Peppers ($9) – Signature cheese filling, crostini, Italian vinaigrette
- Calamari ($8) – Crispy calamari, lemon herb aioli, sweet chilli sauce
- Taste of Italy ($17) – manicotti, eggplant parmegiana, breaded cutlet of veal, house tomato sauce
- Pischascio cake with strawberry cream
Buffalo
Highlight
- Got my breakfast for free again…I think they charged me wrong the first time….anyway.
- Harriot’s is under renovation, so all food is now served at EB Green’s… Maybe that’s why we get hot food now.
- Horrible day where I worked from 8am to 7:30 pm.
- Had another unexciting lunch at the canteen.
- Finally got to meet some of the IT guys I have been talking to for a long time at dinner, at the infamous Century Grill. I went with Lee San’s recommendation of Chili which turned out to be a dud of course, but the mussels were very nice. It was definitely fun to have dinner with people I have only heard about.
Food
- Hyatt breakfast:
- French toast and maple syrup
- fresh fruit
- chicken noodle soup
- Century Grill dinner:
- Century Nachos ($6.50) - Fresh Corn Chips, Jack & Cheddar Cheese, Jalapenos, Red Beans, Sour Cream & Pico De Gallo and Chicken ($2.50 extra)
- Spicy Chili ($3 cup) - Very Very Hot
- Apple Walnut Salad ($8.50) - Fresh Greens Topped with Crumbly Bleu & a Brown Sugar Vinaigrette
- Steamed Mussels ($8.50) - One Pound Of Mussels In A White Wine, Garlic & Butter Sauce With Grilled Bread
Buffalo
Highlight
- They had the full breakfast buffet again, but this time they didn’t charge me.
- Walked along Erie Canel Harbour. It was such a beautiful day, up to 7oC and no wind. The sun shining.
- There were lots of interpretive panels to read and hardly anyone around, os it was very peaceful.
- Toured around the main buildings. Buffalo has a lot of beautiful ones from the 1890s to 1930s, its heyday, and Art Deco style dominate. It’s kinda sad to see the city fade from its glory, but a lot of these buildings are now protected from demolition. Standouts were:
- Guaranty Building
- Erie Community Collete (Old Post Office)
- M&T Bank
- Electric Tower
- Old County Hall
- Buffalo City Hall
- The inside of a lot of these buildings are nice too, so I have to wait for a nice weather weekday to try to visit.
- Watched St Patrick’s Day Parade. It was so crowded, I’ve never seen so many people in Buffalo. There were so quite elaborate floats, and a lot of Irish Dancing, but other than that, they just seem to be lots of big trucks and people wearing green.
- Lee San didn’t want to do anything again afterwards, so I went to check out the Rotary Skating Rink myself. It wasn’t crowded, and it was only $3 to rent skates, but I was feeling a bit tired and didn’t want to skate around by myself, so went back to the hotel instead.
- Wanted to go to Duo the Italian restaurant for dinner, but only to find that it has closed down…so off to Papaya instead. Lucky the food was good, otherwise I would be so sick of that place.
Food
- Hyatt breakfast:
- scrambled eggs, potatoes, bacon, sausauge
- French toast and maple syrup
- fresh fruit
- Papaya dinner:
- Spicy Lemon Grass Seafood ($26.00) - Shrimp, scallop, squid, and fresh mussel, spicy lemon grass basil sauce.
- Asian Kiss ($8.50) - Vodka mixed with black raspberry liqueur and pineapple juice; topped with a float of champagne.
