Photo x Jessica Kelly
About the Buffalo Bucket List Challenge: Getting healthy, nailing that promotion, sorting our your finances – they’re all respectable resolutions. But frankly, they’re boring af, which is why we here at Step Out Buffalo are challenging you to really step out of your comfort zone in 2017 with the Buffalo Bucket List Challenge. We know it can be difficult to constantly come up with new and exciting ways to enjoy your time here on planet earth, and more specifically Western New York, so we’re doing the work for you. Every Wednesday this year we’ll publish a new Buffalo Bucket List Challenge post with a fun / interesting / exciting / unique “task” to try.
For more info on how to win prizes by actually accepting this challenge and participating via Instagram, read more here! It’s easy, promise.
Week 5: Try Escargo
This week, we’re tossing aside the pizza and wings (calm down, just for one night) to expand your horizons. With the mention of eating escargo – AKA snails – I pretty much always get the same response – wrinkled noses, grossed out looks, and nervous crazy eyes, until, that is, I ask if they’ve ever tasted it. Guess what the answer usually is? A big fat NO.
And to that, we say “Don’t knock something ’til you try it, people!”. Escargo, in case you were wondering, is a cooked land snail. The texture is chewy, similar to that of a steamed clam or squid and the flavor of the snail itself is earthy, much like a mushroom. It generally takes on the flavor of whatever they’re cooked in which is often something delicious and widely loved, like a garlic and lemon butter sauce.
So where can you get it? We thought you’d never ask. 😉
Hutch’s
1375 Delaware Ave in Buffalo
(716) 885-0074
Hours: Monday-Thursday 5-10pm, Friday-Saturday 5pm-12am, and Sunday 4-9pm
hutchsrestaurant.com
Hutch’s has an escargot dish that includes wild burgundy snails in a Pernod (an anise-flavored liqueur) garlic butter for $13.50.
Webster’s
102 Webster St. in North Tonawanda
(716) 264-4314
Hours: Tuesday and Wednesday 4:30-9:30pm, Thursday 4:30-10pm, Friday and Saturday 4:30–11pm
webstersbistro.com
Webster’s sautée features snails smothered in a garlic, shallot, white wine, butter sauce and tops it with a puff pastry to soak up the delicious sauce for a whopping $11. Because, why not.
Daniels
174 Buffalo St. in Hamburg
(716) 648-6554
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 5-10pm
daniels-restaurant.com
Daniels’ escargot dish is served with tomatoes, roasted garlic, and open ravioli for $13.
Rue Franklin
341 Franklin St. in Buffalo
(716) 852-4416
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 5:30–10pm
ruefranklin.com
Rue Franklin offers their snail sauteé with spinach and garlic for $16.
Raclettes
537 Main St. in Buffalo
(716) 436-3244
Hours: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday 12-9pm, Friday 12-10pm, Saturday 4-10pm, and Sunday 11am-3pm
raclettesbuffalo.com
Raclettes, the new French restaurant in town, serves their escargot with – surprise! – more garlic, shallots, and wine for $12.
