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Fanning The Flames of Flavor: Saffire Grill

Clarence is one of the fastest-growing towns in Western New York, so it follows that its continuing population spikes are going to coincide with more new restaurants within the 14031 ZIP code, especially along Main Street, which, for many of us “outsiders,” is the town’s main drag.

That’s good news for Clarence’s denizens, as well as those living in adjacent communities. That point was proven recently when we visited the new Saffire Grille at 9780 Main Street.

Country Cured Pork Chops: Two French chops char-grilled and drizzled with a sweet applejack sauce. Served with mashed sweet potatoes and sauteed French beans. BLT Lettuce Wedge: Crisp wedge of iceberg, double-smoked bacon, tomato, red onion, and cucumber with a creamy blue cheese dressing.
(photo: Rose Mattrey)

I’m the first to admit that I can get lost on Main Street in Clarence without even trying. For those looking for a landmark on the way to the Saffire Grille, watch for the established Kennedy’s Cove restaurant. Saffire Grille is its next-door neighbor. Critical mass, in my opinion, is a good thing in the restaurant business and these two complement each other nicely.

The Saffire Grille is on the site where Palermo restaurant was located for many years. Before that, it was a hot dog stand.

It’s a small (seats 46) handsome restaurant, with lots of mirrors and sapphire-blue walls. The name of the restaurant is a blend of that word and “fire” as utilized in open-flame grilling. The restaurant’s logo? A blue flame, naturally.

Saffire Grille is a family project for chef Chet Michalski and his wife, Lynne, who does its marketing, and Chet’s attorney brother, John, and his wife, Sue, who handles the bookkeeping.

Chet has a long resume that includes work as a chef in New York City, Italy and on cruise ships. He ran his own catering business and, before he and Lynne packed their bags and moved from Connecticut back to Chet’s hometown, sold crab by the crate for a Baltimore company out of its New York City office. Saffire Grille’s menu, and the details with which its dishes are prepared and presented, reflect Chet’s culinary insights and skills. Working with Michalski is sous chef Scott Maynard.

Archil apple almond tart
(photo: Rose Mattrey)

We began our meal with two excellent appetizers—Eastern shore-style crab cakes ($10) and stuffed mushrooms casino ($7). The two crab cakes, served with cabbage-apple slaw and tomato garlic pesto sauce, were excellent. Blue crab cakes are unusual in Western New York. If we had closed our eyes, we might have imagined ourselves in Baltimore. The stuffed mushrooms were excellent —the filling of clams, walnuts, herbs and seasons wrapped over the edges of the mushrooms, keeping them very moist when they were in the oven.

Other appetizers on the menu include char-grilled, spice-rubbed shrimp with pineapple corn relish ($9) and Hawaiian sea scallops ($9)—fresh day boat scallops, caramelized and tossed in Hawaiian barbecue sauce and served over greens.

In lieu of a salad, I enjoyed a large bowl of the day’s soup—thick, smoky corn chowder with lots of bacon ($6). Perfect for a winter’s evening. The guest opted for a good Caesar salad ($7), lightly dressed with a subtle dressing. For $12, you can top the Caesar’s salad with chicken. You also can order pan-seared tuna at $7. For $14, the tuna is served on a bed of baby greens, bok choy and wakame with sweet chile dressing.

Also on the menu are the house salad Biagio ($5), mixed field greens tossed in a raspberry balsamic vinaigrette with tomato, carrots, cucumber and toasted sunflower seeds, and the “BLT Lettuce Wedge” ($5), a crisp wedge of iceberg lettuce with double-smoked bacon, tomato, red onion and cucumber with a creamy blue cheese dressing.

While there are many appealing items on Saffire Grille’s regular menu, I opted for an entrée that was an evening special. My pan-seared mahi mahi was accompanied by perfectly prepared pan-seared sea scallops and served over a wild mushroom ragoût ($24). The mixture of mushrooms in a thick-brown sauce struck me as an unusual accompaniment for the seafood, but the combination worked and was very satisfying.

Also on special were asiago roasted grouper with red wine sauce served with rice and vegetables du jour ($24), a bone in rib-eye steak topped with blue cheese and served with mashed potatoes and sautéed spinach ($26) and the Saffire Grille Trio, which included a “miniature” veal osso buco, lamb chops and a beef tenderloin kabob ($36).

The guest’s selection was the homemade ravioli filled with roasted eggplant served with an excellent goat-cheese tomato sauce and topped with toasted pine nuts ($18). He loved his choice and planned to take half home for the next day’s lunch, but our waitress forgot to bring the leftovers when we paid the bill.

Several of the menu items are listed as being accompanied by “your choice of two sides and sauce.” While the choice of sides is a familiar option at steakhouses, this is the first time I’ve seen a selection of sauces. But why not? The selections of sauces at Saffire Grille are pan gravy, black peppercorn, mushroom, Cabernet wine, scampi and white wine butter.

House specialties at Saffire Grille include the Vienna schnitzel ($18), pan-fried pork cutlet with choice of two sides (a perfect selection would be the homemade herbed spaetzle) and sauce, and roasted Long Island duckling ($24) served with a port wine/fig sauce and choice of two sides. On the steaks and chops section of the menu there are three steaks—filet mignon ($26), New York strip ($22) and sirloin ($17)—with choice of two sides and sauce and country cured pork chops ($19) drizzled with a sweet applejack sauce and choice of two sides. Seafood options include char-grilled or broiled fresh Nova Scotia salmon ($18), fresh line-caught tuna ($22), Eastern shore crab cakes ($24), each with choice of two sides and sauce, and shrimp scampi ($18) sautéed with lemon, white wine and garlic and served over linguine.

We closed our meals with two well-chosen desserts: Archil apple almond tart with homemade cinnamon ice cream ($6) for me and an unusual and delicious coconut flan with toasted coconut gelato and whipped cream ($6) for the guest. For chocoholics, there’s a “chocolate fantasy” at $7 that includes chocolate toasted almond mousse, flourless chocolate cake, chocolate ice cream and chocolate sauce.

Dinners are served at Saffire Grille from 4:30-9pm. Monday through Thursday and 4:30-10pm. Friday and Saturday. Reservations are recommended. Come warmer weather, there will be additional seating with a patio that is on the drawing boards.

Saffire Grille: 9780 Main St., 759-7980. Hours: Mon-Thu, 4:30-9pm; Fri-Sat, 4:30-10pm