Sylver’s Place and Cha & Chill open, BBQ headed to Falls, and a Bengali snack primer

After a decade dedicated to broadening craft beer choices in Western New York, the Griffon group is finally making its own.

Griffon Brewing opened Feb. 4 in Youngstown, near Old Fort Niagara. It’s the fifth Griffon operation, following Niagara Falls, Clarence, East Aurora, and Lewiston, but it’s the first time partners Ed Webster and Ken Scibetta get to sell their own brew.

It took nearly four years, but the 6,000-square-foot space that last held Melloni’s Market Place has become a taproom and restaurant after a $1 million renovation and brewery installation. Griffon Brewing’s menu is much broader than the usual taproom trio of cheeses, meats, and fried whatnots, though not the full Griffon restaurant lineup.

That means vegan shiitake dumplings ($9), Korean popcorn chicken with gochujang aioli ($12), and They Only Have One Salad ($12), a vegan crunchfest of golden beets, kohlrabi, brussels sprouts, broccoli, carrots, kal, and radicchio, with toasted almonds and sesame-ginger dressing.

Cheeseburgers start at $11, topped with chili and fried onion straws, served with housemade kettle chips. Pizza ($14-19) comes in Roman and Sicialian styles.

The celebratory ribbon-cutting party has been set for March 4.

“We’ve been in the business 32 years, and this is the biggest thing we have ever done in our careers,” Scibetta said. “We are more known for beer than any other restaurant, once having over 275 taps between four locations,” he said. “To finally make the natural progression, to own a brewery and make our own, is a dream come true.”

Griffon Brewing, 200 Lockport St, Youngstown, 716-205-6456, griffonbrewing.com

Hours: noon-10 p.m. Sunday, 3 p.m.-midnight Thursday, 4 p.m.-1 a.m. Friday, noon-1 a.m. Saturday. Closed Monday-Wednesday.

OPENINGS

Sylver’s Place opened Jan. 23 at 300 Pearl St., in the Olympic Towers lobby.

Owner Sylver Cooley has started feeding office workers and others with soups, salads, sandwiches, and breakfast fare like french toast. Beverages available include fresh-squeezed juices, smoothies, and coffee drinks.

Read the menu at sylversplace.square.site. Phone: 716-544-6691.

Hours: 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesday-Friday. Closed Saturday-Monday.

Chaa & Chill, a Bengali snack and tea operation, opened last week in Bangladesh Plaza, 3101 Bailey Ave. 

Owner Talka Bakht already operates Al-Aqsa Supermarket, 1350 Fillmore Ave., a Bangladeshi-centric grocery store with a restaurant counter in the back.

Hours: 4 p.m.-9 p.m. daily. Phone: 347-520-9699.

REVIEW

Hayes Seafood House in Clarence is the only full-spectrum sit-down seafood specialist for many a nautical mile. The family-run operation is the only place in town bringing New-England-style crumbed fried seafood feasts. Drawing from the freshness of the Hayes Seafood retail counter, daily specials make Hayes the place to head when you really just want a nice piece of fish. (Paid subscribers.)

SMOKE SIGNALS

Parker’s Pit, a Niagara County takeout barbecue joint, announced its upcoming upgrade to a sit-down restaurant at 10158 Niagara Falls Blvd., across from Niagara Falls International Airport.

“We are so excited to share this with you all,” wrote Parker’s Pit owner Mark Bruning. “We have a lot to work to do to get this up and running for y’all. Stay tuned.” 

Bruning has provided smoked meats to the public since 2022 at his 9998 Ridge Rd, Middleport takeout spot. The space that Parker’s Pit will occupy was last Como at the Airport.

BENGALI SNACK PRIMER

Since Chaa and Chill is at least the second Bengali snack shop in Buffalo, after Buffalo Tea Chat, 2235 Fillmore Ave., this is an appropriate time for a minor primer in Bengali snacky nomenclature.

Chatpati, or chotpoti, is a bowl of potatoes, stewed yellow peas, onion, and spices topped with tamarind chutney, cilantro, and crunched-up puri wafers.

Fuchka is Bengali-style pani puri, golf-ball-sized semolina batter poppers filled with hardboiled egg, potato, onion, and cilantro dressed with a shot of tamarind sauce.

Jhal rice is a crunchy chaat-like snack of puffed rice, tomato, cucumber, and coconut.

Bakarkhani are sweet buttery flatbreads, like big croissant cookies, often enjoyed with tea.

MORE READING FROM CHELUS

This week on the Nittany Epicurean, I wrote about the 2021 Buglioni Valpolicella Ripasso Classico Superiore Il Bugiardo DOC, the 2016 Lytle-Barnett Brut Rosé and the 2018 Hoopes Sophie’s Block Syrah Oak Knoll.

• Mr. Galarneau told us of the instant delicious hit that Pham’s Kitchen has become [Four Bites]

• Raha Coffee House, a Yemeni coffee house, has opened in Black Rock [Four Bites]

• Community Beer Works has agreed to purchase Thin Man Brewery [Buffalo Rising]

• Gusto released its annual community fish fry guide [Buffalo News]

• Brett loved his taco experience at D.A. Taste [Step Out Buffalo]

• Brett also wrote about Edison’s Proof & Provision in Allentown [Step Out Buffalo]

• Brian’s Buffalo Beer Briefs had news of Big Ditch’s new rewards program, Froth Brewing’s fifth anniversary and more [Step Out Buffalo]

• On the latest episode of Four Bites Show, Andrew spoke with Kevin Thurston about whether diners are dead [Four Bites]

• Andrew wrote about a Niagara Falls classic – deep fried calzones from Michael’s [Four Bites]

Have a suggestion for a story or article? Contact me via email, message me on Facebook through the Nittany Epicurean page, tag me in a post on X @michaelchelus or send me a DM on Instagram @michaelchelus.

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