Plus Concha Eclipse Edition, Broadway Market bougatsa, and fastnachts intel from readers

Turkish cuisine has landed in Western New York, just a mile from Buffalo Niagara International Airport. 

At 38 Patrick Lane, in the eastern side of the Wegmans plaza at Dick Road and George Urban Boulevard, Sofra Turkish Cuisine has become Buffalo’s best option for manti, iskender kebab, lahmacun, and other works of Turkish culinary genius.

That’s because the closest Turkish places are in Rochester. As Evi, with a restaurant (315 East Ridge Road) and bakery (2973 W. Henrietta Road) has made the drive worthwhile. Now that there’s a convenient, competent outlet open every day but Monday, here’s your chance to finally try Turkish cuisine.

Here’s a primer to four all-star Turkish dishes available every day at Sofra, with photos from As Evi Ridge Road.

Lahmacun is fresh-stretched dough topped with a beef-pepper-parsley-spices mixture, baked and served with lemon wedges and salad for folding into a packet of your own design.

Pide are open-topped dough boats carrying cargoes of cheese and meat. A favorite is karisik (“mixed”), with pastrami, salami-like sausage, ground beef, and kashar cheese.

Iskender kabab is a layer of pita bread drenched in butter and tomato sauce topped with shaved beef doner meat, and yogurt.

Manti are tiny beef-stuffed dumplings in garlicky yogurt accented with chile.

More on Sofra, including a full elaboration of the sweets counter, coming up in Four Bites.

Sofra Turkish Cuisine, 38 Patrick Lane, Depew, sofrarestaurantandbakery.com, 716-901-7200

Hours: noon-9 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday. Closed Monday.

REVIEW: Gene McCarthy’s Old First Ward Brewing Co. has the best taproom menu in town, courtesy of a capable kitchen crew and dishes with as much personality as the surroundings. If you’re hungry for only-in-Buffalo experiences, consider a place where thoroughly modern satisfactions are rooted, firmly and unmistakably, in Old First Ward soil. (For paid subscribers, later today.)

WILD WINE TASTING: On March 28, Justine Powers launches Funk and Fermentation, her Elmwood Village natural wine shop, with a free tasting session.

At 587 W. Delavan Ave., just off Elmwood Avenue, Powers welcomes the public from 5 p.m.-7 p.m. to try something different. Powers offers wines gone wild, produced with less rigid recipes, producing dramatically different vintages.

How are natural wines different?

“Winemakers worldwide are experimenting with grapes, fermentation practices and packaging,” Powers said. “The end results are extremely unique products that range from traditional-tasting to ‘weird’ or ‘funky’- mostly due to native yeasts and the environment in which the wines are produced. 

These wines differ from your standard plonk because instead of trying to recreate the same exact wine year to year, like a lot of large producers, the winemakers producing natural wines let nature do its thing – from no forced watering to open fermentation tanks.”

If that sounds like your cup of tea, Powers would be happy to go deep over a sip, 5 p.m.-7 p.m. March 28. Can’t make it? More tasting events are set for noon-3 p.m. April 13, noon-3 p.m. April 27, and 5 p.m.-7 p.m. May 2. 

Funk and Fermentation, 587 W. Delavan Ave., funkandfermentation.com, 716-235-8608

GREEK EASTER: Amid all the kielbasa and placek at Broadway Market this shopping season, don’t miss the bougatsa blossoming amid the pussy willows. Custard baked into crispy phyllo dough and dusted with powdered sugar, bougatsa are Greek pastries made at 999 Broadway by Michael Giokas, That Greek Guy Bakery.

ECLIPSE EATS: Stepping up to the historic occasion, WNY Empanadas offers the Concha 2024 Eclipse Edition. Corn husk ash makes its sweet topping black, against a ring of white pastry cream. For $4.50, it’s a sweet souvenir. Order here.

EVENTS: The next session of Burmese 101 at the Downtown Bazaar is April 16.

For $35, you can’t get a better introduction to Burmese cuisine. Six courses and a lotus flower cookie, plus a chance to ask Pattaya Street Food chef-owner Elizabeth Sher what’s in the chicken curry puff. Buy tickets here. 

Next up: Ethiopian 101 with Abyssiania Ethiopian Cuisine chef-owner Zelalem Gemmeda, May 21.

ASK THE READERS

Judging from the number of readers pitching in with fastnachts intel this week, the lenten fried dough has some principled fans. 

Best for me is Wolter’s Bakery, 5225 Sheridan Drive, Georgetown Square. German-style baked goods. I looked at some in Tops, just a square donut. – Paul Schwartzmyer

D & L Bakery, 424 Penora St., Depew. Ownership passed to siblings, doing it part time for now. Great Polish bakery for years, just picked up two loaves of rye yesterday. Get there early. – Bob Stoczynski 

Try Wolters Bakery, a real old fashioned German bakery. Great real kummelweck too, and real pumpernickel with raisins. – Tim Cotter

MORE READING by Michael Chelus

This week on the Nittany Epicurean, I wrote about the 2020 Feudo Maccari Saia Nero d’Avola Sicilia DOC, the 2021 Eila Violet Pinot Noir and the 2022 Iris Vineyards Willamette Valley Chardonnay.

• Mr. Galarneau told us of his door to Chinese exploration – Peking Quick One [Four Bites]

• Andrew interviewed Kelcey Gurtler of the Farm Shop on the latest episode of Four Bites show [Four Bites]

• Nine and Night is now reopened in Black Rock [Four Bites]

• Not only will you be able to support the Buffalo AKG on 4/10 at its annual spring fundraiser, but you’ll also be treated to delicious food and drinks coordinated by Chef Ross Warhol [Buffalo Spree]

• Christa asked six of Buffalo Fish Fry Babes’ “Babes of the Week” to share their favorite fish fry spots including Bailey Seafood, Rodney’s and more [Buffalo Spree]

• Christa also told us the story behind Buffalo Fish Fry Babes [Buffalo Spree]

• Newell spoke with Chef Valentina Garcia Montaño and Dr. Michael Stanley Gallisdorfer of Cucina Restaurant at The Richardson Hotel on the latest episode of the Building Buffalo Podcast [Buffalo Rising]

• Sad Boys Brewing is celebrating its first year in business [Buffalo News]

• Remedy House will reopen under the ownership of Brent Martone and his business partner, Christian Wilmott [Buffalo Rising]

• Brian’s Buffalo Beer Briefs told us about Wayland Brewing’s first ever Spring Beer & Food Festival on 4/6, the launch of a new imperial beer series from 12 Gates and more [Step Out Buffalo]

• Dalfonso’s Italian Imports is coming to Buffalo’s Five Points neighborhood [Buffalo Rising]

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