Cutting edge minus the attitude: Mike Andrzejewski By Kevin Purdy If you’ve eaten at a restaurant in Buffalo and bragged to your friends about it, chances are Mike Andrzejewski once cooked there—or might be there now. He’s done classical French, high-end American, and New Orleans, and many white-napkin stops inbetween. For the moment, he’s dedicated to working deeply, creatively in sushi—with the forearm-length tattoo to prove it—but don’t expect him to grow old with his menu. From busboy to über chef As a teenager, Andrzejewski asked Russ Salvatore, after three awkward weeks as a busboy at his Italian Gardens, for work, any kind of work, in the kitchen. From there, the kid who lived “the perfect suburban childhood” in Kenmore climbed the ranks at the Pierce Arrow, learned about high-volume cooking and its discontents at Crawdaddy’s, tried his hand at the “New American” New Orleans cuisine, and found his “earth-shattering culinary moment” in the kitchen at the Rue Franklin. From there, he took higher-level jobs at Warren’s, Biac’s, and, for ten years, as executive chef at Oliver’s. After launching a successful Pacific-Rim-themed Thursday night at that fine dining institution, Andrzejewski and his wife Sherri (herself an experienced pastry chef and Oliver’s veteran) melded their love of Pacific culture and seriously fresh seafood to open Tsunami. The Asian/fusion-style restaurant launched before that phrase became restaurant cliché and featured, among other eclectic touches, a giant eel, Tony, in a 175-gallon tank. In 2005, a serious motorcycle accident took Andrzejewski’s leg and might have ended a career that requires a whole lot of standing, but he bounced back and kept Tsunami open until the ice storm of October. Before 2007 was out, he retooled and focused his craft into a dedicated sushi restaurant, SeaBar, in Williamsville, and a downtown spinoff in 2008. Spinning sushi Splitting time between SeaBar’s suburban (5235 Main) and city (475 Ellicott) locations, with his wife handling many of the staff and management issues, Andrzejewski has room to invest heavily in his seafood, much of which is flown in from Hawaii, and all of it explained thoroughly to the wait staff. Both Tsunami and Seabar have scored press and attention for curiosities like sushi tacos and the beef on weck roll—seared, rare tenderloin and rice in a beef carpaccio wrapper, with horseradish cream and caraway seed flourishes—but it’s the plating and pure reverence for his product that distinguish Andrzejewski’s dishes. “I relish the opportunities we get to be improvisational with our seafood,” he says. “It’s not just a forty-hour-a-week job. If you aren’t getting the chance to do something great, or at least fun, with the food, it’s not something you’ll spend too long doing.” Noodles will do the job Surprisingly even-tempered and meek for a battle-hardened chef (at least outside the professional kitchen), Andrzejewski says he keeps it simple when it comes to eating at home. “A great meal is a breakfast with great bacon, fresh eggs, and real maple syrup,” he contends. When eating at home during the week, it’s usually Asian noodles—not the ten-for-three-dollars variety—with complements of Corn Pops and popcorn, and Zetti’s pizza for a treat. When time permits, Andrzejewski says he’s loved eating at Tempo, still makes it back to Oliver’s when he can, and finds Shango to be seriously underrated. Despite the implied dedication to sushi his intense, traditional woodcut-style sliced-fish-and-knife tattoo would imply, Andrzejewski says he may move beyond a strict focus on maki, nigiri, and sashimi some day. “If I think about it, I have a daydream about a Mexican restaurant, one that’s really, well, serious, which is needed [in Western New York]” he says. “Whatever I end up doing, the food’s got to be real. It’s got to taste good.” Kevin Purdy is a freelance writer who contributes to Lifehacker.com. SUBSCRIBE NOW Back to the Table of Contents Back to Top