Bar-Bill Tavern

Bar-Bill’s wings are so beautiful — each perfect drum and bow hand-brushed with sauce — that they look like props for a photo shoot. But they eat like Buffalo’s best: crisp-edged, meat-laden, and succulent, brushed with a choice of sauces that includes multiple heat levels (medium puts a pleasant glow on my tongue) as well as Cajun, honey-pepper, spicy Asian, honey Dijon, and Sicilian. On the endlessly appetizing Buffalo Wing Trail, this place is a highlight.

Beef on weck is no slouch, either. In fact, it’s right up there with the best. It is hand carved to order, sandwich by sandwich, of course. The beef is magnificent, but it differs from most. Whereas it is typical for the region’s beef carvers to shave the meat thin and pile it high, Bar-Bill’s sandwich artisan slices it relatively thick — maybe 1/5-inch — resulting in velvety pieces of juice-laden beef that fairly ooze juice and flavor. Pile this into a good roll spangled with coarse salt and caraway seeds and dunked in juice and you have one of the great American sandwiches. And, by the way, the cup of extra jus that comes with it is itself a bracing beef cocktail, taking each dunked bite of sandwich into an even more ecstatic realm.

Extraordinary as the food is, Bar-Bill also happens to be a great place to drink (and is open until 2am) . The beer menu features nine drafts, including several locally-brewed favorites, and countless bottles. Serious cerevisaphiles can pay $50 to secure their own personal mug, entitling them to $1 domestic drafts for life and discounts on all other drinks.

Do note: Bar-Bill is cash only and does not take reservations. It’s very popular, so waiting for a seat, especially a seat on the front deck, is not unusual.