Also, Where To Eat in Buffalo on Monday, Trio Reunites at Beacon Grille, and Food Authors at Larkin Square

by Andrew Galarneau

South Indian standout Nellai Banana Leaf opens its second location in Niagara Falls yesterday.

At 427 Third St., Niagara Falls, walking distance from downtown hotels and Seneca Niagara Casino, Nellai’s South Indian cuisine will be served buffet style as Nellai Leaf Grand.

A 25-dish spread, including vegetarian, vegan, and meat dishes will be on offer, and freshly baked naan for the table. A diner so inclined could fill their need for Chettinad chicken, mehdu vada, Hyderabadi chicken biryani, vegetable kuruma, and warm jalub gamun in one go.

Viswanath Jeyachandran, Antony Kulandairaj and Kalimuthu Chithambaram opened Nellai Banana Leaf in Clarence in 2019. With Niagara Falls’ immense popularity among Indian people, providing a South Indian alternative to the half-dozen Indian restaurants in Niagara Falls, which serve mostly Northern Indian cuisine.

“Niagara Falls is a mecca for Indians,” Chithambraham said. When he worked in Boston, his team of Indian colleagues wanted to see the famed cataract so badly that Chithambraham figured out a way.

He packed them in a car, and drove overnight from Boston to Niagara Falls. Chithambraham slept in the car while his coworkers rode the Maid of the Mist, and experienced Cave of the Winds. Then they would hit an Indian buffet, or McDonalds, and he’d drive them back to Beantown.

Pricing: free for customers up to age 5, $15.99 5-12, over 12 years old, $22.99. Takeout is $9.99 per pound. 

Those are cash prices: use a card and it’s 3 percent more. 

CASH OR CREDIT?

Since that last sentence is going to bother some readers, here’s the lowdown on cash versus credit use at restaurants and other small local businesses.

Credit card companies keep about 2 to 4 percent of every card payment. You paid the restaurant $100, but it only gets to keep $97 or so.

In a business where a lot of cards have to fall your way to make 5 percent profit, that might represent most of the restaurant’s margin on that meal. If that sounds preposterous, I would invite you to discuss the matter with any restaurant owner or accountant of your acquaintance.

That’s why many restaurants have started offering cash vs. credit pricing. It’s one more way to help them survive financially in a time of slim margins.

Hours: 11:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m. After this opening week, Nellai Leaf Grand will close on Wednesdays.

REVIEW: Tiny Thai, Wanthureerat “Kae” Baramee’s takeout and food truck operation, stands out among Buffalo’s Thai restaurants for the details in its dishes. Baramee grinds her own curry pastes, the complex spice-chile-herb mixtures flavoring – and coloring – Thai coconut curries. Crispy crab rangoon rolls, and blossom-shaped chor muang dumplings with chicken and peanuts are among the reasons to track down the Tiny Thai truck, order delivery, or visit 37 Chandler St. for pickup. (Later today, for patrons.)

Beacon Grille just might be the charm. It has the stuff: first-class food drawing from local providers, touched with fire from the wood-burning multi-level adjustable grill.

Bespoke cocktails from bar manager Frank Pusateri, hustling servers in uniform aprons, and a broad and deep dining room that will get sound absorbent treatments soon, said general manager Amanda Wieszala.

EVENTS

July 10 is literary-culinary crossover night at Larkin Square. 

Here’s your chance to meet Nardin alumna and award-winning cookbook writer Molly Stevens, noted cooking and cooks author Michael Ruhlman, and Ari Weinzweig, co-founder of Zingerman’s and author, most recently of “A Revolution of Dignity,” which asks, “Can dignity open the door to a revolution in the twenty-first century workplace?”

It’s 5:30 p.m.-7 p.m. at Meet & Eat Charcuterie, 799 Seneca St., one block east of Larkin Square. 

The authors’ books, for signing, will be available at the event, thanks to Talking Leaves.  

ASK THE CRITIC

Q: Out-of-town friends come for two dinners a year with us, Christmas and July 4 as they travel to family further east. This year the visit is on Monday. Any idea of where to go? Would appreciate any Monday restaurants, especially water-adjacent.

• Bonnie, Buffalo, via email

A: Monday is the cruelest day for Buffalo diners, and waterfront dining is not a Buffalo strength.

That said, here’s my suggestions.

Griffon Brewery and Gastropub, 115 S. Water St., Lewiston, has the only Monday night water view table on my list. Only 30 minutes’ drive from Buffalo City Hall, it’s the best water-view restaurant in Western New York. The menu is fun for all ages, vegan-friendly, gluten-sensitive, and the view never fails to deliver.

Lucky Day Whiskey Bar, 320 Pearl St. Happy Hour, 4-6 pm, features $25 Wagyu steak frites. But oysters and seafood towers, duck “cassoulet,” and brisket ravioli with kale and white beans beckon. Browse the whiskey library, the lineup of first-class cocktails, and bunker-like booths for cozy dining.

Casa Azul, 191 Allen St., fine Mexican, from vegan to fish to meat, with housemade tortillas and a killer queso skillet. 

Giancarlo’s Sicilian Steakhouse, 5110 Main St., Williamsville, fine Italian and housemade pastas in a genteel setting where top-rate service adds another touch of comfort.

Almaza Grill, 9370 Transit Road, East Amherst, Lebanese salads, kibbe, tableside fattoush, and Peruvian rotisserie chicken. Vegan and vegetarian friendly.

Family Thai, 150 Babcock St. and 863 Tonawanda St., extensive Burmese and Thai menu at both locations, with some of the kickiest Thai dishes around, especially its larb and tom yum fried rice.

Southern Junction, 365 Connecticut St., award-winning Indian-Texas BBQ joint. You have to stand in line to get your food, barbecue joint style. But when people sit down to eat, they don’t complain about the wait. 

More reading from Michael Chelus:

• Mr. Galarneau told us why La Oaxaqueña Taqueria is worth a stop off the Thruway [Four Bites]
• Amira’s Kitchen is opening a second location in the space that formerly housed Mr. Bill’s in Cheektowaga [Four Bites]
• Christa gave us a guide to local farm markets and urban farm stands [Buffalo Spree]
• The current edition of Francesca’s This week in Buffalo food told us of the return of garden parties to the Mansion on Delaware, expansion plans for Macy’s Place Pizzeria and more [Buffalo News]
• Bar operator’s tax warrant puts spotlight on WEDI’s Downtown Bazaar decision [Four Bites]
• Brett was impressed with the old world charm of the newly opened Foxglove Pub in Hamburg [Step Out Buffalo]
• Brian’s Buffalo Beer Briefs told us of the release of Imperial Hayburner from Big Ditch, a collaboration between Magic Bear Beer Cellar and 42 North and more [Step Out Buffalo]
• Buffalo Eats continued its Lost in Transit-lation series with a stop at Wind Japanese & Thai [Buffalo Eats]
• Andrea wrote about a gem in West Falls – The Blueberry Treehouse Farm [Step Out Buffalo]
• Christa told us how you can earn your Master Preserver Certification through Cornell Cooperative Extension [Buffalo Spree]

Andrew Galarneau is a veteran journalist and a founding member of The Buffalo Hive. This article was originally published at his site, Four Bites.