When I started working in downtown Buffalo in the late 1970s, there were stores and restaurants. Most have disappeared. My office was in the Ellicott Square Building, whose elegant façade still (blessedly) graces lower Main Street. One of the fun things to do on Fridays was to run across Main Street to a little luncheonette called Hughes. The retro décor—large windows, wooden trim on the walls, tall stools at rickety tables—made me feel like a 1950s career girl grabbing a bite to eat in a black-and-white movie. To order, you shoved yourself through the crowd standing two deep at the counter and tried to get one of the crabby people behind it to stop ignoring you. When that happened, you placed your order, took it from the server, and went to one of the stools to eat. I loved their greasy but crunchy little fish fillet served on a soft white roll, with tartar sauce and coleslaw. I think it was 99 cents. Generally I read the Courier Express while I ate, but on good days a cute guy might sit at the stool next to me and start a conversation.

I don’t know what happened to Hughes, but there have been several lunch places in its location since. Occupying the space now is Chop Chop, a cheery venue serving delicious and wholesome food to the career people of a new century.

When you enter the restaurant from Main Street, the day’s selections are written on a floor to ceiling chalkboard to the right. The restaurant doesn’t supply paper menus, so it is a good idea to check their Web site before you go because there is a large variety and you will need time to mull your options. Trying to consider choices while standing on line and reading the board can cause an immediate loss of concentration and decision-making ability. The food is prepared in front of you at stations—one for salad, one for noodle and rice bowls, one for soup, and yet another for sandwiches and stromboli. This leads to a quick filling of orders, and the restaurant’s name is derived from both the chopped salad ingredients and the speed at which the very fresh and healthy food is prepared. Chop chop.

Starting with the salads: Six toppings and dressing are included in the basic edition. Beef, chicken, and shrimp, all cooked with great sounding spices, are available to well, beef up the salad if you’d like.

On my first visit to the restaurant, I was pulled to the noodle station by the heavenly fragrance of garlic being stir-fried. I asked for the dish that smelled so divine. It proved to be tofu, mushrooms, cellophane noodles, and, of course, garlic, cooked quickly and served in a Chinese food container. I know a lot of people turn their nose up at tofu. At Chop Chop, it is marinated and roasted by chef Kate Elliott, and is delightfully flavorful. The vegetables and noodles make for a light and yummy dish.

My friend Jennifer, taking her food tasting role very seriously, ordered salad with panko-crusted chicken (in a lime vinaigrette), sweet potato soup, and a cookie. The lime vinaigrette on the slightly peppery chicken tasted like spring. The greens sparkled with freshness. The sweet potato soup’s velvety texture and buttery flavor lingered on the tongue. The cookies are giant, and the ingredients taste just the way they should—unadulterated butter and sugar and flour and whatever other goodies are baked in. The specials run about $8 or $9; salads are between $7 and $10.

Chop Chop

We enjoyed our meal so much, we came back the next day, bringing co-worker Marianne and friend Monica to sample even more of the menu. This time, I enjoyed a stir-fried rice/shrimp combination with lots of garlic, warmth from pepper and a very crisp and clear sprinkling of carrots and peas. Monica opted for the basic salad, with a red wine vinaigrette that she loved. The salad was enormous, and much of it traveled home with her for dinner. Marianne and Jennifer each tried half of a smoked turkey sandwich on house-made cheddar bread with pieces of avocado and onion, accompanied by a cup of soup—tomato-basil for Marianne and black bean for Jennifer. The quality of the ingredients and the attention to flavor combinations in all items won accolades from both. Marianne and Monica did have one suggestion: Both tea drinkers, they would like to see more variety than Lipton’s on offer. Coffee, by the way, is local brew from Parkside.

The restaurant is painted in a brilliant orange, and the interior curves around from Main Street to the park by St. Paul’s Cathedral. Mary Begley’s art—large paintings with bright colors—adorn the walls of one of the two seating areas. Jason Hickerson’s black-and-white photos occupy the wall by food line. The music selection is very modern. Some group called Postal Service was playing while we were there. I had never heard them before, but want to hear more. The vivid colors of the restaurant, the cooking fragrances wafting through the air, the music, and the palette on the plate jiggle your senses.

It is terrific to have great little lunch places springing up in this section of downtown. Chop Chop is right next to the Globe Market, another favorite eatery with a second location on Elmwood Avenue. It, too, serves well-prepared fresh food. At the moment, Chef Elliott is developing a spring menu. She and owner Deborah Clark (owner also of Delish on Elmwood) plan to introduce smoothies and homemade ice cream sandwiches (a Delish creation) shortly.

One observation: Restaurants rely heavily on plastic throwaway dishes and utensils. It was encouraging to see Chop Chop using silver cutlery and Chinese food takeout containers. It would be a huge step forward if the restaurants and their patrons could keep on working to find more environmentally sound ways to present such fine food.

Lastly, breakfast may be had here as well. Deborah says made to order omelettes, egg and cheese sandwiches on rolls, house made muffins are all available, but absolutely no toast is served! We’ll have to get in early some morning and try it out.