"My first visit...What a find! When you walk in the aroma let's you know that this is the real Italian deal, like grandma's house on Sunday. We all commented! First of all, the location is perfect close to everything but out of the hustle and bustle of any WNY area crowded city centers. There's plenty of convenient parking. It's deceptively large inside with 3 separate rooms and lots of seating. Just to be nit picky the decor doesn't match the menu or the exterior. Inside looks like 1980's modern instead of the NYC Little Italy neighborhood trattoria outside and the food it serves. Just a suggestion for the owners if you're thinking of staying around for another 10 20 years, invest in refurbishing/redecorating because the environment and atmosphere are almost as important as the food itself and sometimes that brings in the crowds. (think Chef's, Ilio DiPaolo's or The Village Eatery). People want to enjoy the surroundings too. Other than that, the place was clean and well maintained. The menu was spectacular. It had everything Italian you could ever want and the offerings were pure awesome old school dishes and pizza that will never go out of style. These cooks know the classics and there's no reason to change. It took 15 minutes for the four of us to decide what to order with so many great choices. The food: complimentary real bread sticks smothered in butter and garlic. I'm a garlic lover so there could have been more, but just enough to please everyone. The pasta fagioli is the classic and the best I ever had (meatless). Their cup is as large as a small bowl at other places and so filling. I was full after this, the bread sticks and a salad. The large bowl of soup style greens and beans were a tiny bit under seasoned. The broth was a little bland and could have been better if chicken broth was used, and again more garlic. The very large salads that came with some of the entree dishes were amazing. No iceberg lettuce, just the best tasting fresh greens and tomatoes. The bleu cheese and balsamic vinegar dressings were to die for a small but important detail. In general, all the food ordered was good to great and the servings were huge. Cons: The meatless lasagna was under seasoned for my friend's tastes, and it had a little too much ricotta so it didn't hold its shape once a fork was put to it. My eggplant parm tasted great but noticeably salty, probably from the salt used to drain the moisture during prep. Great sauce and seasoning. Also, there was a mountain of too much mozzarella cheese on top. My suggestion place a single layer of the eggplant slices in the dish and top it with a sprinkle of sauce and mozzie and repeat two more times (total of 3 layers of eggplant slices with a dusting of mozzie and sauce in between). Top with a thin layer of sauce and mozzie. That said, the baking and presentation was incredible. The serving was huge enough for three meals. It came fresh from the oven or broiler so hot that I couldn't touch the dish (the large pasta bowl it came in was served on a liner plate for safety). It was still hot when I boxed up the leftovers to take home. The chef really knows how to cook an old school parm. IT HAS TO BE BAKED and this was. It came with the cheese golden and bubbling with a small ring of cheese crust around the edge. This was the best I've had in a long time. It would have been the best ever except for the excess salt. I'm hoping the cooks will take my suggestion above, but I'll still come here and have it again whenever I have a craving. Most entree dishes offered a side of pasta (your choice) and a selection of three sauces. I had the penne with garlic and olive oil sauce I should have asked for extra garlic. Everyone else was completely satisfied with their meals and we're going back soon to try their pizza. The service was EXCELLENT! Great food and great potential. There's no reason this place couldn't compete with the best places around with a few modifications to the dishes, a boost to the seasoning and a consideration for new decor."
