Fine Dining	'Twas a Gaudy Romance by Marla Crouse

Veal chop garnished with fresh vegetables and potato.

My friend and I traveled along the icy roads, past the airport and into an uneventful area of town. As we turned onto Transit Road, we saw the Gardens up ahead: a white gazebo, white Roman statues of all shapes and sizes, the white pillars of the entrance, the antique car collection with mannequin drivers and passengers in period costume, all flooded with light. I recounted a childhood memory of wondering, “What is that magical place?”

As an adult, my tastes have changed. I gravitate towards a more minimal aesthetic. Yet there still is that child in me, standing in awe of what the Salvatore family has created. Many have experienced the theme park/restaurant when attending a wedding, banquet or taking a loved one out for a special celebration. Regardless of your take on Salvatore’s Italian Gardens, it is a force to be reckoned with. Every Saturday night, the maitre d’ assured me, at least 600 people dine at Salvatore’s, while several hundred more are entertained in the banquet halls. It has been lauded many times over by local publications—perennially voted one of Artvoice’s Best Romantic Restaurants—and earned the Triple A 3 Diamond Award and the Millennium International Award of Excellence as one of “America’s top 100 restaurants of the 20th century.” When you enter the main lobby (the one with the crystal chandelier that is well over 20 feet in diameter) you will notice the numerous plaques attesting to its place in restaurant history. You will also be greeted by an extremely lifelike older woman in pearls, whom I politely smiled at until I realized she is one of the many mannequin “people” to whom the restaurant is “home.” There is a fake policeman, a fake jolly chef holding a wine bottle and many others who are scattered under the stars waiting to greet you. Oh, the stars! The bar and the three front dining rooms have an “evening twilight sky.” Look above for a minute and you are sure to be able to wish upon a shooting star.

It’s hard not to get caught up in the atmosphere. Your eyes catch something new and unusual every moment. Salvatore’s is set up to impress you with constant stimuli. There are more chandeliers, marble pillars and bronzed Remington statues than I could count. There are street lamp sconces, floor-to-ceiling beveled mirrors, plus floral etched semi-circular glass panes, lit up and used for a gentle separation of dining rooms. Richly colored wall-to-wall carpet, high-backed chairs, vases with huge bouquets of silk red roses and a wine wall are all included in the scene. The list goes on.

We were greeted by the maitre d’, who was friendly and charming. For all the restaurant’s visual pretensions, the staff is entirely kind and forthcoming. Despite the uniform tuxedos the staff wore, their unique characters showed through. I felt as if I was in the outlandish home of a large Italian family. The dining room was abuzz with activity. The attentive staff swooped by our table removing plates, de-crumbing and peppering dishes with a space-age peppermill. Jim, the maitre d’, explained that most of the servers have been there for a long tenure, many for over 10 years. Their professionalism shows.

The dinner menu and wine list are not going to surprise you with unique selections. Salvatore’s does not aim to re-invent the wheel, but to make as many people as possible feel comfortable. The appetizer choices are as expected: shrimp cocktail, escargots and artichoke francaise, to name a few. The entrée sections are divided into meat, seafood and Italian specialties. These choices included filet mignon, veal Oscar, salmon Wellington, osso bucco and brasciole. There is a “Dinner for Two” menu offering prime ribs of beef, chicken parmigiana and baked stuffed white fish au gratin, among other choices, for between $39.95 and $49.95 per couple. There is also a chateaubriand for two, carved tableside. All entrées include choice of Caesar or house salad, potato and vegetable.

Poached Salmon with a lobster dill sauce and vegetable.

We started with a combo bread plate of spinach bread and sausage bread. The bread was soft and warm, offering up bits of Italian sausage and a healthy portion of spinach. My shrimp scampi appetizer arrived: four nice-sized, well-cooked shrimp resting in a large pool of garlic and herb butter. The parmesan cheese topping the shrimp was saturated with the butter, making for a rather mushy texture next to the firmness of the shrimp. It needed some acidity to break up the heavy feel. My friend ordered an appetizer special—a hot stuffed pepper, deep fried and placed on a circle of red sauce. The rich flavor of the oregano-spiked sauce, the soft texture of the ricotta cheese filling and the heat from the pepper made it exciting.

Dinners came with a surprise. My friend had ordered the steak a la Russell, a tenderloin sautéed with mushrooms and Russell’s special seasoning. What we didn’t know was this was prepared tableside. A small cooking cart complete with burner was wheeled next to the table, and a floor manager began to prepare the dish. He started with a healthy amount of clarified butter in the pan and shook the special “Russell” seasoning on the meat. The lost art of tableside service came to life as flames flashed high above our heads.

My dish was rack of lamb prepared with fresh herbs and seasoned bread crumbs. I’m guessing the rack was from New Zealand, where lamb is grass-fed and tends to have more gamey flavor, and more fat then grain-fed American lamb. Served with the traditional mint jelly, the six-bone rack was plated with a swirl of mashed potatoes and assorted vegetables. This is what could use some work: The presentation of the sides is dated. The pastry bag swirl of potatoes sat next to previously frozen vegetables, and the flavors were unexciting. Rumor has it, however, that an update is on the way.

After our entrees, our server, Glen, offered coffee or espresso and a dessert menu with goodies including tiramisu, warm apple pie and a sinful chocolate creation. He was pleased when we ordered the spumoni ice cream cake brought in from Boston. The cherry and pistachio mixture was a fine way to end the evening.

Salvatore’s is a place many in Buffalo have visited. Each time you go is an occasion, and the gracious service and over-the-top atmosphere shine bright. Guests are happy here. Twice during the evening, parties sang “Happy Birthday” to their guest of honor as a sparkler twinkled on top of a dessert. As Valentine’s Day approaches, that’s something to consider: You and your date will have plenty to talk about!