Days of Black Sheep culinary anarchy behind him, Chef Steve Gedra has time to aim on focused menu
As chef-owner of The Black Sheep, Steve Gedra earned a reputation for gleefully coloring outside the lines.
At his Connecticut Street restaurant, Gedra sold me deep-fried poppers of housemade ’nduja, whole poached Oles kohlrabi, and a dish labeled Nacho Trotter ($50). That was cheddar-jalapeno sausage made from a locally-raised heritage-breed pig, black beans, queso, chips, and a footlong hoof-tipped shank.
I ate it all, marveling at Gedra’s blend of locally sourced ingredients, international inspirations, and chaos, the farm-to-table version of the Anarchist’s Cookbook.
So last year, when Saint Neri announced Gedra would be its chef, I was intrigued. Saint Neri, which opened last year in the former Vera Pizzeria space. Like that early champion of Buffalo cocktail culture, Saint Neri aims to expand the definition of what sort of coolness Buffalo may abide.
Sam Amoia and Michael Woltz wanted the place they opened in their hometown to sport a European private club vibe. Saint Neri comes to the party dressed in the sort of floor-to-ceiling finery unheard of round these parts. The interior of a gold jewelry box, with plush seats, swooping tapestries, and Versailles-lite light fixtures I had to look at twice.
Ah, the quiet. How refreshing. In my advancing age, trying to converse over a bumping sound system is frustrating as trying to do Olympic mogul downhills on one ski.
In keeping with the Saint Neri theme of restraint, the food menu is small, six dishes. Plus, it must be said, a caviar page. Now there’s one restaurant in Buffalo that can hook you up with Royal Daurenki ($95), Tsar Imperial Ossetra ($160), or Kaluga Hybrid Royal ($200) caviars, with housemade creme fraiche, dill, and Saratoga chips.
Dabblers can opt for the chubby caviar sandwich ($18), a one-bite splurge that posits a dab of Royal Daurenki on a toasted potato roll.
That said, there’s also an $8 meatball slider. A single, singularly tender meatball on a garlic-butter-griddled bun, with fruity tomato sauce, mozzarella, and pancetta.
Stuffed deep-fried rice balls, aracino ($10) change with the season at Saint Neri. Ours had a core of husky bolognese ragu, arriving on verdant emerald pesto with a topknot of chile threads.
It takes skill and timing to produce gnudi ($18), ricotta-based dumplings, that arrive light, like Saint Neri’s, not leaden. Accented with green garlic and lemon, a fivesome of pasta pillows fit the small plate theme.
The Plato Dale burger ($24), on the other hand, will set a hungry person right. Grass-fed beef, careful searing, and American cheese on a toasted bun adds up to a two-handed burger that is well worth the required handwashing later.
Carbonara ($25) is rich enough already, but we stirred in the egg yolk nested in the bucatini noodles, and the plentiful brunoised guanciale, adding to its reckless unctuousness.
Chocolate budino ($14) dressed with whipped cream, luxardo cherries, and pistachio praline is what’s for dessert.
Check out the room with a mid-two-figure investment at happy hour, 5 p.m.-7 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday. That cheeseburger is half off, meaning $12, and a slate of cocktails are $10. The caviar chubby and aracine are also half price.
Maybe the chill Paris club vibe, rich that whispers instead of shouting, isn’t your thing. There’s only one way to find out.
Even if it’s not your cup of chartreuse, no worries. The cheeseburger will be there to make your stop worthwhile.
At that range, with time to pick his shots, Steve Gedra don’t miss.
220 Lexington Ave., saintneri.com
Hours: 5 p.m.-11p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 5 p.m.-2 a.m. (kitchen closes 9:30 p.m.) Friday, Saturday. Closed Sunday, Monday.
Prices: plates $8-$25, caviar $18-$425
Parking: street
Wheelchair accessible:
Gluten-free: Possibly, ask server
Vegan: No
#30#
