Sunday News: South American star Tortuga opening 2nd location in Kenmore
Orso Nero Pizza seeks investors, Maizal's Night of the Seven Moles, and lard sources
Tortuga Sandwich Shop plans to open a second location in Kenmore, bringing its South American flavors to Delaware Avenue in January.
At 3189 Delaware Ave., formerly Greek on the Street, Tortuga will offer its lineup of Peruvian, Argentinian, Colombian, and Mexican cuisine
Andrew Smiedala and his Bolivian wife Carla opened their restaurant four years ago in Sanborn, at 5835 Buffalo St. A mile from SUNY Niagara, the renamed Niagara County Community College, Tortuga has earned a steady following.
But a second location, closer to a million people, will allow Tortuga to ramp up its business, Smiedala said. The cashflow in Sanborn pays his employees and other expenses, but not him. Fortunately, Carla has another full-time job.
“Hopefully I can get to a point where I can start to pay myself a salary,” said Smiedala. “I haven't been able to do that for four years, so I would definitely like that.”
Interior work will require several months, so Smiedala is planning to open Kenmore’s Tortuga in January.
“I had a couple customers come in yesterday,” he said. “They had been to us once before, when we first opened. But they just never get to Sanborn very often. So I hope that a lot of the customers who have maybe tried us once, and they loved our food, and never have the opportunity to take the drive out here will be able to have Tortuga more often.”
REVIEW: Restaurant years are like dog years, but even more concentrated - the average dog survives longer than the average restaurant. With eight years in service, an extraordinary run for a restaurant offering fine dining drawn from local ingredients, The Dapper Goose remains one of the least-recognized stars in Buffalo fine dining’s celestial map. (Later today, for patrons.)
PIZZAIOLO SEEKS DOUGH
Orso Nero Pizza turned heads with its Neapolitan-style pies before owner Mike Diletti exited the West Side Bazaar in March. Williamsville Farmers Market denizens and pop-up customers have thrilled to his work for months.
Now he’s asking for dough. Orso Nero’s next stage will be a pizza-oven-centered trailer, so Diletti can fire pies wherever he likes. A properly outfitted rolling pizzeria will cost about $50,000.
Want a piece of the pie? Orso Nero Pizza is offering a 14 percent annual return, on investments starting at $100.
How? Working through Honeycomb Credit, a micro-investing platform for kick-starting small businesses. It charges a 4 percent fee, so you pay $104 to invest $100.
If proposed investments don’t reach $25,000, halfway to Diletti’s $50,000 goal, by the early December deadline, no deal. Investors get their money back.
If Orso Nero’s investment total tops $25,000, it’s a deal. Honeycomb handles the Securities and Exchange Commission paperwork and pays investors back. With the Orso Nero deal terms, a $100 investment would return $126, paid quarterly over three years, according to Honeycomb’s guidelines.
If you’re interested, here’s the Orso Nero Pizza investment page, complete with a video of Diletti making his pitch.
Editor’s note: When I heard 14 percent return, I thought “scam.” We live in scammy times. So I did the journalist thing and checked Pittsburgh-based Honeycomb Credit for ticks. I found none of the usual signs of financial companies that can’t keep their promises. That said, Honeycomb investments are unsecured debt. That means if the business shuts down or goes bankrupt, you could lose your money.
EVENT: Dia de los Muertos is a Mexican holiday dedicated to ancestors and those passed on. It’s also the happiest day of the year for seekers of deep-cut Mexican cuisine, because Maizal chef-owner Leonel Rosario offers an educational feast of seven dishes showcasing distinctly different mole sauces.
The Oaxacan chef might even offer dance for dessert, as Rosario and his wife Dolores did last year with a traditional “Jarabe Ejuteco,” complete with machete. Either way, Night of the Seven Moles is an evening to remember.
For tickets, $125 per person plus tax and tip, email tacos@maizalmexicankitchen.com.
NEW PLATE ALERT
At Pham’s Kitchen, the dynamite Vietnamese restaurant that bakes its own bread for banh mi sandwiches, a new entree on the menu caught my eye.
The BBQ beef short ribs plate ($17.75) remains a chew-off-the bone experience, but the caramelized beef was remarkably tender. A few questions revealed a clue: owner Vincent Pham chooses his beef short ribs himself, and cuts them himself, instead of buying them prefab by the case.
THANKSGIVING REQUEST
This question is for all the restaurants, bakeries, meat shops and other businesses with edible Thanksgiving efforts, and the people who love them..
Whatcha got?
At the request of patrons who pay my bills, I’ll research and compile a verified list of Thanksgiving options - from where to buy a pie or turkey to places open for sit-down dinner.
That Thanksgiving options story will be published to patrons on Nov. 10, to give folks time to shop.
If your restaurant is open on Thanksgiving, welcoming folks to sit-down meals, please or selling heat-and-serve meals or components, sides, pies, or what have you, please email me the details, including pricing and timing, at andrew@fourbites.net.
ASK THE CRITIC
Q: Can you find lard that’s locally produced?
Numerous readers
A: If you want animal fat, but not the industrially produced supermarket stuff, you have at least choices in the Buffalo area.
Moriarty Meats, 1650 Elmwood Ave., has lard from New York State animals at $6.99 a quart. Duck fat and beef tallow are available as well.
Rise N Swine Farmshop & Butchery, 9806 Wagner Road, Holland, sells lard for $3 a pound.
More reading from Michael Chelus:
Mr. Galarneau wrote about Rizzo's House of Parm - Matty Matheson's "love letter to Buffalo Italian-American" cuisine [Four Bites]
Fredonia's White Inn is returning to service [Four Bites]
The Dog and Pony Saloon in South Buffalo brings international flair to its bar food [Buffalo News]
Get your sweet potato pie from Cake Crazy in Cheektowaga [Buffalo News]
Brett visited The Caz in South Buffalo [Step Out Buffalo]
Chef James Roberts of Toutant told Christa how the perfect cinnamon roll is made [Buffalo Spree]
Sandy told us the store behind and gave us the recipe for the Turgeon Brothers' Twice Baked Cheesecake [Buffalo Spree]
Francesca put together a list of cozy food and drink spots like This Little Pig, Carmelo’s and more [Buffalo News]
Newell visited the newly opened Kitchen Little located in the lower level of the Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church on Elmwood [Buffalo Rising]
Andrea wrote about the bagels you’ll find at The Bagel Jar [Step Out Buffalo]
The former Thin Man Brewery on Elmwood is becoming a Lloyd Taco Factory [Buffalo Rising]
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