Many of us are fans of the pit beef sandwich, so here’s a different take on that flavor profile: West Seneca, New York’s Schwabl’s. West Seneca is part of the Buffalo-Niagara region. It’s an old-school restaurant that’s come as you are and has been in business — in one form or another — since 1837. In fact, it’s considered the third oldest restaurant in Western New York and one of the oldest in the United States. Anthony Bourdain has enjoyed eating here, but the servers are very down to earth and sweet. In fact, I saw them eagerly make happy some elderly customers who wished they had ordered their beef another way.
They make thick, roasted beef sandwiches to order. The secret to the flavor is two things: they don’t have the lighter fluid taste of a pit beef sandwich and they use Kummelweck rolls. Kummelweck has a coarse salt topping with caraway, it is neither too soft nor too firm. The salt crust adds depth of flavor. The restaurant uses the freshest rolls baked daily. I found out that Wegman’s — an upstate NY grocery store chain with a couple of locations in the Baltimore area — sells Kummelweck rolls. I learned that there is no saving the rolls for even a day. It makes a different and it won’t matter if you wrap them, freeze them, dry ice them or anything. The beef itself is plentiful, tender and juicy.
Their food is house-made, including the chunky mashed potatoes. German potato salad, pickled beets and coleslaw are all popular accompaniments. No pre-mixes are used for their extensive and classic cocktail repertoire, only fresh juices. Their signature drink for this summer is the quite refreshing Ebenezer Punch, with orange and lemon juices, Southern Comfort and a splash of lemon-lime soda.
They also serve the local microbrew, Flying Bison Brewing Company’s Aviator Red. I found it to have a deep cocoa-like flavor.
Luxe & Down-Home Cuisine/Culture/Travel/Style 