The Food That Made Buffalo Famous

Chicken wings, beef on weck, charbroiled hot dogs - Buffalo is renowned for its mouthwatering regional delicacies. Here's a quick guide to the foods that made Buffalo famous.

In 1964, Terressa Bellisimo made an impromptu snack for some patrons who were enjoying an evening at the Anchor Bar, her family's bar and restaurant. She took some chicken wings that were left over from the day, deep-fried them, added some hot sauce and served them crisp and hot. Her friends loved them and gradually other restaurants throughout the city - and eventually the world - began serving this new delicacy. You can still find the Anchor Bar (716-886-8920, left) - and hot, medium and mild wings - at 1047 Main Street in Buffalo. You can also wing it at countless other pizzerias and corner taverns.

Another of Buffalo's unique taste treats: thinly sliced roast beef piled high on a kummelweck roll (a German kaiser roll sprinkled with caraway seeds and pretzel salt and baked again for several minutes until crusty) dipped in au jus and spiced with fresh hot horseradish. Best found at Charlie the Butcher's two locations at the Ellicott Square Building downtown (716-855-8646) and on Wehrle Drive (633-8330, right) in suburban Williamsville. First-rate beef can also be found at Schwabl's (716-674-9821) in West Seneca, Eckl's (716-662-2262) in Orchard Park and Laughlin's (716-842-6700) at the corner of Franklin and Tupper in downtown Buffalo.

According to Eat Your Way Across the U.S.A. by Jane and Michael Stern (Broadway Books, 1999), "Western New York is probably more fanatical about frankfurters than any other place in the country.what makes them great is the way they are cooked: over coals that infuse each link with pungent smoke flavor and burnish its taut skin with a seared crust." Buffalo's best charbroiled hot dogs can be found at various Ted's (716-834-6287, left) and Louie's (716-877-6618) locations and at Taffy's (716-675-0264) in Orchard Park.