Review: At Waxlight Bar a Vin, a delicious, thoughtful antidote to the Buffalo blues

Wondering if Buffalo can have nice things? This crew has answers, starting at $4

Waxlight gives me hope for the future, as in: I hope these chicken nuggets with ’nduja return to Waxlight in my lifetime.

In the days since another promising Buffalo Bills season ended in disappointment, I’ve been hearing the traditional folksong of the Buffalo people once again. The Buffalo blues goes like this: “Why can’t we have nice things?”

Fans suffering from crushed dreams have my sympathies. As something of a heretic on Buffalo sports fandom, my heart was marked safe from falling hopes. A decade ago, I switched my rooting energies to Buffalo’s kitchen teams. (See “My Name Is Andrew, and I’m a Buffaholic,” published in 2016).

There are winners and losers in the restaurant game too, and plenty of ways to get abused by officials. But you have much better chances of spending $200 on entertainment and ending the night happy with the ending.

Especially at places like Waxlight Bar a Vin. Six years along, the Black Rock restaurant has a three-year streak in James Beard Awards, the national restaurant honors that include the entire nation. (Michelin stars are more famous, but its inspectors only visit 11 communities in the United States.)

Ricotta toast has just-baked freshness, fresh cheese, and fresh herbs, at Waxlight

Waxlight’s Beard honors, including its top-five finish in 2024, are in the “Outstanding Wine and Beverage Program” category. A name that’s somewhat misleading, judging from a friend’s response: “That’s nice, but I’m not much of a wine connoisseur.”

In fact, the award category is for how the restaurant’s food can be paired with its beverages, encompassing elements of food, drink, and the expert service required to help people see stars.