THE KIDDIE GOURMET
W
— by Barbara Blackburn
e
visited
Mandy’s to
savor the Hot
Pepper Cakes ($7.50) that
garnered a rave review from
another restaurant reviewer.
Delighted we were to find a
Mandy’s Kids’ Cafe menu,
decorated with a beehive and
monkey drawing. While kids
are waiting for their choice of
five entrees, including a drink
— each $5.00 — they can
connect the dots. The choices
are Chicken Fingers,with
fries, Grilled Cheese with
fries, Cheese Quesadilla with
fries, and Pasta.
If you are not a pepper
person, you can order a spe-
3796 Clinton St.
cial of the day, as Dad did.
West Seneca, NY
His Fish and Chips ($6.95)
(716) 771-1553
was served as strips of bread-
ed fish partnered with Cole
~ SPOONS ~
Slaw and a choice of Fries.
FOOD 4/5
Though he ordered the fresh
cut fries, the crinkle ones ap-
peared on the plate. The piec-
SERVICE 4.5/5
es of fish may have looked
like fish sticks, but they qual-
ified as a fish fry. Dad was
FAMILY
especially pleased with his
FRIENDLY 5/5
soup of the day: Clam Chow-
der, a Friday item served on a
Monday. Loaded with clams
in a slightly salty cream, it lived up to its
identity as clam chowder and not clam
The owner, Dave, named the restau-
flavored potato soup.
rant after his daughter Amanda. When we
Under Wings and Things, most of
were there, it appeared to us to appeal to
the
offerings
are quesadillas: Chicken
all ages, with seating for kids, tables with
Quesadilla
($9.95),
Stuffed Hot Pepper
chairs, high tables with stools, and seats
Quesadilla ($10.50), Vegetable Quesadil-
around the bar. The afternoon we visited,
la ($9.95), Shrimp and Bacon Quesadilla
a collection of generations reminded us
($11.95), and Steak Quesadilla ($10.95).
of a “watering hole” in West Seneca, with
Don’t forget that the kids’ menu offers a
friends enjoying lively conversation over
quesadilla, too.
food and drink.
Mandy’s Cafe
I found my Hot Pepper Cakes in the
appetizer section, along with some other
noteworthy items: Shrimp Sundae driz-
zled with wasabi/sweet chili ($5.95) and
Stuffed Hot Pepper pizza ($8.95), just to
mention a few. The two good-sized cakes
were built of cheese, bits of sausage, and,
of course, the hot peppers, which were
not excessively hot enough to use up the
side slices of Italian bread.
Another way to enjoy the Hot Pep-
per Cake is to order one of Mandy’s sand-
wiches: Fried Bologna and Hot Pepper
Cake — with onions and cheese ($9.95).
Then there is The Bomb ($10.95),
chopped steak, fried onions, hot pepper
cake, and special sauce.
You’ll notice the Ghost Burger
($9.95) on the burger menu. When asked
about the burger, our winsome waitress
said that the cheese was hot, like Mon-
terey Jack. As an extra, ghost cheese is
$1.00.
Mondays and Saturdays you can or-
der 50 cent wings, but only in orders of
ten or more with the same sauce. The lat-
est addition to the wing sauces is Asian,
which I bet is quite tasty.
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y
t
r
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Desserts were not in abundance that
day; we settled on the available cheese-
cake ($3.95), served in a puddle of choco-
late syrup, striped with red syrup, topped
with a cherry, and perched on the sprayed
whipped cream. The dessert matched the
Valentines Day decor, which probably
will turn to St. Patrick’s Day, by the time
you read this.
Mandy’s logo on the menu is a par-
rot, a colorful bird, perhaps represent-
ing the colorful food choices. We think
you stand much more than “a ghost of
a chance” to eat well here without a big
budget.
Check out Barbara Blackburn’s food
blog at culinarrations.wordpress.com
March 2019 WNY Family 71