When you frequent diners as much as I do, you notice that the menus are often similar. What distinguishes one place from another are the small things, and these small things add up to either a great or not-so-great experience.
Take, for example, bread. Restauranteurs can choose store bought, which is easier, or they can do what the Village Kitchen Family Restaurant does, and bake it fresh every morning.
What sets the Village Kitchen apart are a series of details — starting with the homemade bread — that create a down-home dining experience that’s more thoughtful, and food that’s better-tasting, than most.
We heard good things about this spot, which opened four months ago in West Seneca, and decided to go exploring. The Macedonian Family Restaurant, there for around 40 years, formerly occupied the space.
Steve Krasted, the chef at Village Kitchen, owns Charlie’s Diner, a popular spot in East Aurora, and has been cooking since he was 13 years old.
“My grandma told me if you want to eat, you have to learn to cook, and that was that,” said Steve. “She taught me to cook, and I loved it.”
Steve makes clear, however, that his son, Brian, makes all the decisions for the Village Kitchen; he’s just an advisor. He’s temporarily stewarding it, you could say, until his son finishes law school.
Server Susan Ananiadis displays the chicken souvlaki at the Village Kitchen Family Restaurant. (Derek Gee/Buffalo News)
The cozy eatery houses booths on one side, tables in the center and a long, curving breakfast counter, where diners can sidle up and hear bacon sizzling, eggs cracking and pancake batter splatting the griddle as Steve fills one order after another while chatting with customers.
We started with a cup of vegetable soup, clearly homemade ($3). Next came the Daily Special, a breakfast platter of scrambled eggs, home fries, rye toast, ham and French toast ($10). Here’s what set it apart: two hearty slabs of griddled ham, crisped-to-perfection home fries, thick-cut rye bread and French toast made with their homemade cinnamon bread. It arrived with a dollop of butter and shower of powdered sugar.
The Reuben features three pieces of crisped rye bread sandwiching layers of house-made corned beef, stuffed with sauerkraut and drizzled with Thousand Island dressing. Accompanying the Reuben were the crispiest, fluffiest fries, that Steve said he discovered around 15 years ago.
“They’re basically coated French fries which prevents the potatoes from absorbing grease,” he said. “It’s why they’re almost greaseless on the plate and stay hot.”
Homemade pies are on display at the Village Kitchen Family Restaurant, (Derek Gee/Buffalo News)
We couldn’t finish without a slice of the homemade pies dotting the counter, made by the former baker at the now-closed Earl’s Diner. We tried their most popular — caramel apple crumb — a hefty slice for only $3. It was topped with ample buttery crumb topping and filled with toothsome, cinnamony apples.
The Village Kitchen is the kind of place where you’ll be served by a waitress who says, “I like to know my people.” It’s the kind of place where you may have the best French toast you’ve ever had and where you’ll also find perhaps the best Reuben that you’ve ever had. And, amazingly, it’s the kind of place where the already low prices include tax. (It’s also very clean.)
If you’re looking for cheap, delicious eats, you cannot do much better than the Village Kitchen.
Village Kitchen Family Restaurant
2195 Clinton St., West Seneca (398-5572)
Hours: 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily
Wheelchair-accessible: Yes
Gluten-free options: French fries
https://buffalonews.com/2019/04/24/village-kitchen-family-restaurant-offers-tasty-eats-exceptional-value/ 2019-04-24 11:00:06Z
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