Chew On This	by Peter Koch

O3

Three cheers for Main Street! Or at least three new eateries, two of which promise to raise the profile of a stretch of downtown that is slowly experiencing rebirth, and one that breathes new life into an already successful suburban retailer.

Everything Elmwood’s Snyder location has expanded its business model to include an organic café, O3 (4446 Main St., Snyder, 204-0031). Proprietor Gary LaMartina and his wife, Kelly, opened the café about a month ago inside the retail store. “O3,” which stands for “Organic Three,” is trying to “change the attitude of organic eating,” according to Gary. He says that everything is homemade by him and his wife, from soups to sandwiches, salads and side dishes. Every ingredient possible is organic, and the cooking has an Italian flare, in keeping with the LaMartinas’ ancestry. The café boasts a full raw juice bar and serves espressos and cappuccinos. O3 is currently open from 10am to 6pm, but will stay open an extra hour starting in mid-November for the holiday shopping season.

Next week, the up-and-coming 800 block of Main Street will add another feather to its cap with the opening of 888 Main (888 Main St., 362-0161), an Italian bar/restaurant. Dan Campieri, former owner of Mercury Theatre and Jupiter Room, is the proud proprietor. 888 Main will serve gourmet pizzas and pasta, steak, seafood and chicken entrées alongside vegetarian options. A vegetarian for more than 16 years and a vegan for the last eight, Campieri says that the soups will be strictly vegetarian or vegan. The bar will serve beer and wine only, and will specialize in imports and microbrews such as Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse, Otter Creek Stovepipe Porter, Southern Tier Raspberry Wheat, Brooklyn Lager, Anchor Steam and Peroni. The renovations, which have been going on for two years, has restored two large, glassed storefronts to the streetscape. The main entrance opens into a barroom painted in rich red and orange with a fireplace and two tables in back. To the right is a large, partially elevated dining room with several high-backed booths and freestanding tables. The restaurant is set to open Wednesday evening, and will likely be open for dinner only initially, beginning at 5pm Monday through Saturday. Soon, though, Campieri hopes to open for lunch, too, taking advantage of the nearby thriving medical campus.

Dan Campieri, right, with bartender AJ Fries.

Further down the road, both literally and figuratively, Scott and Jaclyn Wisz plan to bring a European-style confectionery and café to the Swan Building on Main. Chow Chocolat (731 Main Street) will feature chocolate, lots of chocolate—artisan chocolates, truffles, bonbons, molded and filled chocolates. There will also be a café with real hot chocolate, coffee drinks and tea, and the Wiszes will sell baked goods from their six-year-old baking business, Cookie Confections. The couple was trained at the French Culinary Institute in New York, so they wanted to bring the European taste to Buffalo. “It’ll be something that you would see in London, Paris or Belgium,” Scott says. “It’s not just generic chocolate made with hydrogenated oils or vanilla flavorings…everything’s done the old-fashioned way.” Another, interesting twist to the business is its focus on being green. “We’re very conscious of composting and recycling the materials we use, everything will be eco-friendly.” That means disposable cups that are compostable, made from corn, napkins made from 100 percent recycled materials and organic products like sugar, fair trade chocolate and fair trade coffees. The Wiszes plan to open Chow Chocolat on Friday, February 2, in time for Valentine’s Day and a grand opening event that will last the whole weekend.

Briefly…

Two culinary traditions recently united in North Buffalo, as chef Sam Reda joined the DiGiulios at their Hertel Ave. restaurant. DiGiulio & Co. (1673 Hertel Ave., 446-1673). Reda, born and trained in France, has worked in several kitchens in Buffalo, including Zuzon American Grille, Biac’s World Bistro and, most recently, Buffalo Chophouse. The DiGiulio family has been active in the local restaurant scene for over sixty years, and the most recent establishment is a collaboration between Joanne DiGiulio and her daughter, Deanna. Reda expects to have his own changes incorporated into the menu within a month’s time.

Correction: Last week’s Chew On This incorrectly identified the owner of Delish! and soon-to-be proprietor of Chop Chop—Deborah Clark—as Deborah Parker. We regret the error.

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