Danny's South - Dinner Review

The Danny's Restaurants are iconic Buffalo eateries. Both the airport location and the sports-bar-like Danny's South by Ralph Wilson Stadium serve up traditional Buffalo fare. Stuff like wings, beef on weck, and fish fries every night dominate their menu. Both locations feature a generous soup and salad bar with their signature Buffalo Wing Soup.

So last night I ate at Danny's South for the first time in years. Now is a good time to mention that after attending Liberty U. and eating in the dining hall, I had been turned off to the strange purple dish known as corned beef. And then St. Patty's Day '09 came and I sampled the real deal at Wegman's Market cafe. What a difference from the leather-like beef brisket served by Sodexho.

My point? Last night's corned-beef-and-cabbage special sounded particularly appetizing, and so I ordered. It came with the soup and salad bar, which was a disappointment. At Danny's Airport, compared to their entrees (which tend to be so-so in my experience), the salad bar is the sole reason worth going there. Usually soup and salad bar is all I get. The soups feature huge chunks of vegetables, meat, pasta, etc all in deliciously seasoned broth. Last night's soups featured grossly sweet tomato sausage, over-salty split pea, beef-noodle that looked so unappetizing I left it alone, and Buffalo Wing. Only the Buffalo Wing was good. It's a rich, cheesy cream soup with bits of chicken wing, wing sauce, celery, carrots, and (I believe) bleu cheese—all things Buffalo in a single pot—genius! Anyway, at least the salad bar had a nice array of greens, toppings, and dressings plus a selection of fresh breads.

So after an unappetizing start at the salad bar, my corned beef dinner came. It was served with potatoes, carrots, and nearly an entire head of boiled cabbage. The presentation was fabulous. The beef was too salty, but fork tender and very lean. The carrots were sweet and tasty, while the potatoes tasted like, well, canned potatoes. I would've liked to see fresh red-creamers with their skins still on. Not only does it add texture, but the skins are full of extra nutrients. The au jus sauce was very salty, and I was glad to leave it pooled at the bottom of my plate. The side of horseradish seemed odd. I don't like horseradish anyway.

Overall, I'd stick with Danny's Airport location, and even then, keep it simple. The soup and salad bar is where this Queen City eatery really shines.