Anchor Bar Buffalo Wings
Wednesday - 9 June 2004 - Niagara Falls, New York:
Yesterday, we woke to warm sun and decided to linger. Not that Pulaski is so
wonderful, but our campsite was very wonderful and we needed a day to relax
and do a little bill-paying, RV maintenance and serious napping. Yesterday
afternoon, we did take a drive up to an inlet, attached to Lake Ontario by a
narrow canal and called a pond. We stopped at an Irish Pub, called the
Irish Wig-Wam (?) and enjoyed a nice meal, lakeside. It was 90 degrees
yesterday! We enjoyed our shore-line drive and learned more about the 1814
naval battle in the area.
What a great day we had today! This morning we heard a roar when we woke and
realized it was waves crashing onto the shore! Now, I can't tell you they
were surf-able, but they were really pounding the shore - more like the
ocean than a lake - no matter how Great the Lake. You can see from the
earlier photo, the lake had been smooth as glass.
Later today we had an appointment for RV repair, so we had to leave our
dream-of-a-campsite on the bluff overlooking Lake Ontario. We drove along
104, passing through Mexico, Texas, Oswego and even Greece on our way to
Niagara. We followed the scenic road along the shore whenever possible. The
views were nice, through small towns and past farms and hundreds of apple
orchards. At Hamlin Beach State Park, we stopped for a picnic lunch.
Hamlin Beach State Park
What we look like on the road
After lunch, I enjoyed the nicest treat! On Sunday, in
Burlington, we stopped at a famous chocolate shop,
Lake Champlain Chocolates, and bought 6 pieces of heaven. All dark, of
course. I bought two molé, 2 ginger and 2 caramel. The molé is a dark
chocolate truffle with lime and cayenne pepper! First, you taste the lime,
then the sweet chocolate and then you feel the fire of the cayenne. Wow,
that was wonderful. The dark chocolate caramel is... well, dark chocolate
covered caramel (with a walnut-half on top). Today, after lunch I had a dark
chocolate-covered ginger. What a taste sensation! The ginger was really hot,
and the chocolate was just the perfect complement. The interesting addition
to these wonderful flavors, is that the chocolate had been in the fridge (it
was 95 degrees), so the ginger was COLD! It was a really special treat.
I have two pieces left and I'm not sharing.
I have written previously that we had an appointment to have our air
conditioner repaired in Niagara. It was miserable driving today! We had
called a big dealer/service place and they said they were booked up for
weeks and couldn't help us... but they would order in the washer/dryer door
handle for me (I can replace it myself). When I phoned them, they would not
take my credit card or phone number. "No problem, we order this part in all
the time and if we don't have one, we will order it so it will be ready for
you on Wednesday or Thursday..." We did find another RV repair place,
sanctioned by Country Coach to do the repairs. This afternoon, we arrived in
Niagara around one o'clock. The fancy RV place did not have the door handle.
They did not order the door handle and would not because it needed to be
overnighted and they didn't have my name, credit card or phone number!
The place where we had our appointment, Wolfe's RV Service
looked like a busy shop - but very small. When we pulled up, two men came
out and greeted us by name, and said they were waiting for us! Turns out it
is a Father-Son shop and they were the nicest guys you could ever want to
meet. They are both named Tom Wolfe. In ten minutes, Tom (son) had the air
conditioning duct work spilled out like intestines. Seems it is a good idea
if you actually attach the end of the duct to the vent in the dash! Can you
believe Country Coach neglected to do this? There is also a failure in the
"H" valve that switches the dash ducting from heat to air conditioning. In
the meantime, Tom and Wolfie (Dad) checked-out all the other little troubles
we are having and phoned Country Coach and all the parts will be here Friday
- including the washer/dryer door handle and a new water filter! These guys
are GOOD. And, really, why would we want to leave our campsite (1 mile away
from their shop) when they can just come HERE and do the repairs? Just when
you think service is no longer important, you meet two guys named Tom!
We were so happy! Our campsite was located and was very nice. The owners are
from Seoul and very friendly. Our neighbor just bought his RV and hasn't a
clue what he is doing, so DT is helping him. It is just warm fuzzies all
over the place tonight here in New York.
And speaking of warm... yes, it is a scorcher. Heat and Humidity. So what is
good to eat when it is hot? Spicy food! And since we are just a few minutes
from Buffalo, we drove in to town and had Buffalo Wings! DT and I just love
Buffalo Wings and have sampled them all over the country in our contest for
the Best Wings. The winner, so far, was a tie between a sports bar on Hilton
Head Island and a sports bar in Pensacola, Florida. All bets are off after
tonight. When you go to the place that created the dish, you have to cede.
The Best Buffalo Chicken Wings in America are found at
Frank & Teressa's Anchor Bar & Restaurant in Buffalo, New York, where
(to date) 247 million wings have been served! (Take that, Ronald.) Oh,
goodness, they were divine. Crunchy on the outside, as DT loves them - and
moist and spicy, as I love 'em. We found a seat at the bar, ordered 20 wings
and devoured them all. We were going to get another 10, but declined. DT
says we can just drive to Buffalo (25 minutes) every night for dinner! (It
takes us that long to get to our favorite restaurant every Saturday night at
home!) We met fun people, and enjoyed looking at all the STUFF completely
covering every square inch of wall, bar, ceiling and posts of this fun
restaurant. Funny thing - the anchor bar actually has a nautical theme and,
in reality, is an Italian Restaurant (sounds confusing). But I wonder who
ever orders anything other than wings??? We were both surprised - Buffalo is
really a nice little town.
The Anchor Bar
So after dinner, we arrive back to the campsite, only to
find a note on our door. It is from Tom and Wolfie. They would like to come
by tomorrow and get right to work on the things that don't need parts. Only
in New York, kids, only in New York.
RV Park:
Niagara Falls Campground
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