Prova open at Fountain Plaza

Two things are essential to serving the downtown Buffalo lunch rush: speed and consistency.

That’s the aim of Prova @ The Plaza, a new breakfast and lunch spot at 40 Fountain Plaza. It is very much a group project. Owner Ciminelli Real Estate hired Marble + Rye owner Michael Dimmer, his brothers Robert and Sean Dimmer of Mr. Smith Agency and Fresh Catch Poke Co. owner Michael Tobin to conceptualize, open and consult on the restaurant.

The result is a one-stop shop for workday food-and-drink needs, from healthy prepackaged snacks to fresh breakfast burritos, and espresso drinks to slices of Sicilian pizza.

Orders can be placed three ways: at the counter, by self checkout or online. Food can be taken to-go or eaten in the tall and spacious dining room and on the front patio, which looks out at the historic Gold Dome building.

The menu leans Italian – hard-boiled eggs are marinated in an Italian and Japanese furikake mixture, and pizza is a large part of the offerings – but also features a lot of café staples, such as overnight oats, egg bites and bagels. Fresh Catch’s influence is evident in the DIY grain and salad bowls (which are gluten-free). Vegan options include a rice salad bowl, marinated olives and tomato pizza. Chef Dennis Danieu, who most recently worked as head baker at Jazzboline, is leading the kitchen.

For drinks, Prova offers coffee and espresso-based beverages made with Hudson Valley roaster Big Mouth coffee beans, sparkling water, soda, kombucha and bottled water from the refrigerated market section.

If you’ve ever been to Flint, the most recent restaurant to occupy the space, you’ll likely recognize some of the staff. Prova rehired several former Flint employees after its abrupt closure in February.

Prova is open from 7:30 am to 2:30 pm Monday through Friday.

I zig-zagged around the Taste of Buffalo on July 13, speed-walking to sample as many dishes as possible. Here’s what stood out.

KT Caribbean Cuisine’s palm tree fries – though they are really more like chips – were the most sensible street food because consumption didn’t require a fork, knife, napkin, hand sanitizer or covered table space. It’s also a beautiful dish. Thinly sliced ​​potato is crisped up then stacked kebab-style on a long wooden skewer and then eaten sideways as if on a candy necklace.

The dumplings from Moneybags Dumplings were also ideal for street eating, as each could be popped into your mouth in one fell swoop. The vegan soy mushroom dumplings, dark green from natural spinach coloring, were especially unusual and had a strong earthy taste. Moneybags’s black pepper noodles were a favorite bite because of the squishy consistency.

For dessert, banana came out on top as a surprising winner, thanks to two impressive dishes: a fried banana spring roll from Water Lily Cafe and a dense banana pudding from BW’s Barbecue.

For a full look at everything I had at the Taste of Buffalo, check out our video on Instagram (@GustoEats).

A new ice cream and hot dog spot is open in Cheektowaga. Shady Shack (2365 William St.) serves all the frozen favorites, including scoops of Perry’s, soft-serve, dairy-free Dole Whip and banana splits. Then there are the summer grill classics, such as hot dogs, burgers, Italian sausage, fries and chicken sandwiches.

The Dog & Pony Saloon (2115 Seneca St.) opened in May in South Buffalo. The summer menu features refreshing, seasonal items such as a peach salad and shishito peppers with tahini, alongside heartier options such as duck confit poutine, shepherd’s pie and shrimp and chorizo ​​risotto. Desserts come from Sweet Pea Bakery.

Stop by the Broadway Market (999 Broadway) on Friday afternoons to try My Mother’s Handz, a new soul food vendor. Owner Nakeeya Jones will be cooking and selling food – options include fried chicken, fish, collard greens and mac and cheese – only on Friday afternoons in the Broadway Market’s rotating commercial kitchen space. Her food is currently available on a preorder basis, so call 716-228-0929 on Wednesdays to place orders to be picked up on Fridays.

Local chefs are using summer flowers in creative – and eye-catching – ways. Look out for these floral foods and drinks around Buffalo.

At Marta’s Market, a new fast-casual Italian restaurant, bar and market in East Aurora, family recipes are on the menu.

Eat your way through summer at any of these Buffalo area food festivals.

Drink your pint in the sunshine at a local beer garden or brewery patio. Here are seven suggestions.

To spread awareness of the Buffalo Public Schools’ free summer meals program, which serves free breakfast and lunch to children through Aug. 16, a Bills legend is getting involved.

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