Empire Grill By Alan Bedenko “The opening of a significant new restaurant in Buffalo is always an occasion met with considerable buzz. The opening of an architecturally gorgeous restaurant where a surface parking lot once stood is met with community cheerleading. Empire Grill is a new venture set up by an experienced local restauranteur who also owns Toro and Flaherty’s. It can best be described as a trendy, postmodern diner, with a modern yet inviting interior design—i.e., not stark. There is a full bar, which is not generally seen in diners, and the dining room itself is on two stories. The menu is comforting in that it has some typical diner fare including breakfast and Greek specialties, but it is eclectic and inventive, as well. I had heard stories that the service at Empire Grill was poor when its doors first opened. Our visit was for lunch, and my server was excellent. He was speedy and friendly. The same can’t be said for the greeting at the front door, though. On a blustery afternoon, we entered a half-empty restaurant and were greeted by two hostesses: one who seemed a bit flustered, and one who seemed a bit brusque. (When I come into your restaurant, greet me as if you’re happy to see me, not as if I am the newest burden with which you must contend.When I enter your establishment, don’t tell me it’ll be a ten-minute wait for a table of four when I can see about ten such tables that are set and unoccupied.) Upon being seated after a brief five-minute wait, our server quickly brought us water and menus. The bad service scuttlebutt was not affecting our lunch. We started with some chicken wings in a caramelized ginger sauce. It was extraordinarily sweet and sticky—more than the stickiest BBQ sauce you’ve ever touched—but very tasty. The ginger flavor was prominent and exotic, and we thoroughly enjoyed this Chinese-influenced take on the wing. They were served piping hot with nowhere near enough wet-naps. The Empire Grill’s certified Angus hamburger is also excellent, and the fries are good. There is a hamburger that I’ll try in the future called the “Jiffy burger,” featuring smoked bacon, cheddar cheese, and peanut butter as condiments. Next we tried the flatiron steak sandwich with mashed potatoes, fried onions, and romesco spread, which involves tomato and peppers. The steak was tender and moist, and the toppings were excellent, although they overdid it a bit with the spicy romesco. Overall, it was a very good and inventive sandwich, and not what you’d expect to find in a run-of-the-mill diner. The grilled roast turkey and Swiss sandwich was absolutely delicious.Served with bacon on sourdough bread and dollops of Russian dressing, it was rich and grilled to perfection—a hearty, comforting antidote to a cold day. The parsley coleslaw is homemade, creamy, and very satisfying. This is a nice antidote to the competing Italian eateries on Hertel, and free wi-fi is an added bonus. The management of the Empire Grill is sensitive to the fact that word of mouth has been somewhat negative when it comes to service. If something isn’t quite right, or is taking too long, tell the server or ask for a manager.They need to know a mistake has been made, and ought in fairness be given an opportunity to right it. Based on our experience, we will return. Empire Grill 1435 Hertel Ave., 446-0700 Alan Bedenko (abedenko@gmail.com) is a lawyer who lives in Clarence. Back to the Table of Contents Back to Top