The Steer Restaurant and Saloon
3151 Main St, Buffalo, NY 14214
(716) 838-0478
http://www.curtinrestaurants.com/the-steer.html
Nestled in the hub of the university district the steer saloon and bar is an updated ol’timey establishment. It’s sophisticated yet laid back interior is inviting with a large central bar and lining vintage bar stools. There is also an area off to the side that hosts large big screen tv’s perfect for game watching or a hangout with your favorite pals. It’s the kind of place where you can stop in, grab a beer and play a game of darts, and at the same time have a quiet meal.
The dining area is spacious with a variety of sized wooden tables and chairs. I visited the restaurant as a work lunch affair in a group of 10. The waitress split our check, but did not come back to make any change, and our water glasses were quite empty throughout the meal. One unique experience I had at this establishment was when we paid our bill and left to go on our merry way, our server chased us down in the middle of the parking lot and accused us of jipping her $3 which “comes out of her paycheck!” She requested all of us to come inside and have the matter straightened out. Quite embarrassing, as our large group had to parade back into the restaurant and mathematically work out everyone’s check. Come to find out it was a “system error” or they say it was. Anywho, if we hadn’t already tipped her she wouldn’t have had a nice chunk of change.
Now on to the food! I had a slow cooked pulled pork sandwich with a side of Mac and cheese. The pork sandwich was the highlight of my meal. Juicy barbecued pulled pork and creamy coleslaw on a lightly toasted roll. You can tell tender love and care goes Into a sandwich like that. It’s the kind of sandwich where you shed a tear because your last bite is gone. Just fork’n awesome! The Mac and cheese however was opposite! I like my mac and cheese cooked el dente with hot and gooey cheese, that you can see dripping strings of it as you lift the fork into your mouth. The Steer’s mac and cheese was a huge disappointment. First of all, these was no cheese! How can you call something mac and cheese if it doesn’t taste like cheese? I think the main culprit was the ricotta, which did not have a strong taste and melded with the pasta. It was baked and burnt, and the kicker is…it didn’t even come with the meal! One drawback to the Steer is everything is priced separately, at least for lunch. The pulled pork sandwich was $7 by itself, and I may add…totally worth it and a side of the gosh-darn awful macaroni and cheese was a ridiculous $4. Next time I’ll just get the sandwich.
Now I’m guessing wait staff does not typically chase their customers out of the restaurant…just a bad day perhaps, so I’ll give the place 2.5 out of 5 forks.
Besides the wait staff, the food is decently priced, (although it’s no bargain deal) the interior is pleasant, and it has a good ambiance to it. Just don’t get the mac and cheese, you’ll be glad I warned you.
Fork'n Delicious 