Ribs Worth the Adventure

Have you ever bought a city guide, especially in large cities this is almost a must, but found that the descriptions weren't always what you exptected? Early in my New York City experience as an Executive Assistant on Wall Street, I needed to find someplace for my boss to hold a lunch meeting. She wanted someplace new. So armed with my city restaurant guide, I began to look for the perfect place. I went back to her with a couple of suggestions and she laughed, knowing that I didn't know the city yet. Her suggestion--take a couple of hours and go check out those places. I knew they were going to be "dogs" she never let you out of the office even for lunch.

Nevertheless I did take those couple of hours and got to know the streets and what was there. Well, last night the Impromptu Party Planner described to me what she found on Google about Lee's Barbeque. We both knew it was in the hood for real. But not necessarily by Google reviewers standards. We laughed till we hurt reading the reviews.

In the Buffalo City Guide, Lee's Barbeque Restaurant has a 4 1/2 star review. Not bad right? If you were visiting you might just want to visit, even though one review clearly states it is a take-out only. But what the heck--we can take them home, take them back to the hotel--whatever. The true of the tale is this:

As one reviewer stated "the neighborhood is a bit rough...but you get a lot of food for your money." The neighborhood is in one of the most notorious parts of the east side. Daily shootings aren't like they were a few years ago, and Lee's still sits on the same corner, amid closed stores, boarded up windows that were broken or shot out. Drug dealers and prostitutes all over, but Lee's has never moved. ER-BOD-EE in Buffalo knows Lee's Ribs!

I remember the first time a group of us went to Lee's to pick up ribs, they told me to stay in the car [I was the only Caucasian in the group]. I realized it wasn't necessarily for my safety, but theirs. I have learned so much since then. I had just moved to Buffalo, [that was about 25 years ago].

But today--Wooeeee, I can't wait until 6pm tonight. My plate filled with ribs dripping with Lee's special sauce, three-cheese macaroni and cheese, collard greens cooked with smoked turkey wing, coleslaw, cornbread, and cheese cake will be in my hands. Yummy

But my point today is this--Don't trust the maps to tell you about a restaurant, call them, check it out! And when in Buffalo, New York go to Lee's Barbeque and get a slab of ribs, slaw and fries--Happy Eating its worth the adventure!