TAKE ONE Cool and creative cuisine at Juniper By Jessica Keltz; photos by kc kratt Juniper’s balsamic braised pot roast. After months of waiting, this August Elmwood Villagers welcomed Juniper, a stylish new restaurant in the former home of Tru Teas and Annie Adams Jewelry. Juniper, owned by former Chop Chop colleagues Kate Elliott and Lindsey Malinowski, embraces its location, offering discounts to 14222 residents every Tuesday night. The décor and mood also embrace all the Elmwood Village has come to be known for—it’s upscale without being stuffy, including unique details like the slightly more casual upstairs dining room and the arty ladies’ room, also upstairs. Upon visiting, my initial question for the waitress was, with a name like Juniper, how is your gin selection? I was pleased to find out they carry all the standards—Bombay Sapphire, Tanqueray, Beefeaters—as well as Hendrick’s, rarely seen in Buffalo. Strangely, though, there is no drink menu. But I enjoyed my Hendrick’s and tonic just the same. The beer list is worthy as well; it includes Great Lakes and Flying Bison on tap alongside favorites like Stella Artois, Hoegarden, and Boddington’s, plus a gluten-free selection, in bottles. We saw bottles of wine stored alongside the bar, but a list was neither presented nor requested. Before appetizers arrived, the waitress brought us foccacia flavored with orange zest and served with a ricotta cheese spread. Not being a huge fan of sweet-instead-of-salty, I would have preferred plain old rosemary foccacia with olive oil or even a few slices of baguette, but we couldn’t argue with how warm and fresh they were. Next came the edemame falafel, served with garam marsala flatbread, greens, shredded pickled beets, and a pinkish beet compote that tastes much better than it looks. One order includes two falafels, two small triangles of flat bread, and two small vegetarian dolomades—the perfect amount of food to get our appetites going. We loved it, particularly the warm, slightly crisp, savory flatbread, and the falafels were a bit moister than what you would find elsewhere. For our main course, we tried the balsamic braised pot roast and the smoked tofu paella. The pot roast itself drew praise, as did the fingerling potatoes served under it. My friend could have done without the lemon and olives that also accompany the dish, describing them as “just pretentious” and adding nothing to the meal. She is of the opinion that upscale comfort food should be content to be just that, and not be heaped with needless flourishes. Juniper’s edemame falafel served with garam marsala flatbread, greens, and shredded pickled beets. Meanwhile, I loved the tofu paella. The waitress told us the tofu is smoked with nori to give it a seafood flavor while keeping the dish completely vegetarian. I did not taste seafood, but found the tofu to be unusually flavorful, as were the “saffron pearls” (yellow Israeli couscous, distinguishable from their more common North African counterpart by their much larger size) and vegetables beneath. This dish made wonderful savory leftovers the next day as well. Even the mildly spicy, smoky red sauce served atop the tofu was just perfect. We also received a community vegetable, which is brought to the table at no extra charge and consists of whatever the chef prepares that day. When we visited, it was a dish of wine-braised local beets with peppercorns and inch-tall chunks of corn on the cob. The beets were wonderful, braised until quite soft, but not mushy. The corn, while good, was a bit hard to get off the cob and actually consume. Other entrees at Juniper include a lamb shank, chicken Budapest (with smoked paprika), and shrimp penne with an orange saffron artichoke ragout. Though veggie dishes number not more than two or three, the ones that do exist are unusually creative (tempeh shepard’s pie with lentils, anyone?), making Juniper a great special-occasion choice for the meat-free set. And for omnivores, what’s not to love about a place that offers lamb, duck, chicken, sausage, and beef? “Upscale comfort food” is an apt description for the meat-and-starch combos that make up most of this menu. Juniper also offers a small but well-considered dessert menu with items such as a crème brulée trio and, our selection, chocolate truffles flavored with bacon, peanut butter, and rosewater. We described the bacon truffle as smoky with “hard things” in it that we supposed could be the bacon. The peanut butter was spicy but otherwise not especially flavorful, and the rosewater just tasted like plain dark chocolate. Perhaps we should have tried the crème brulée. Still, chocoholics will enjoy the intense dark chocolate flavor of all three. Entrees at Juniper fall in the $20–30 range, with soups and desserts at $6, and appetizers and salads around $10. Its stylish yet warm décor and high-end meat and potatoes selections make it a great choice for a spontaneous date night or a special-occasion dinner with an old friend. Dinner is served until 11 p.m. on weekends, with the bar open to 2 a.m., and a brunch on Sundays as well. Juniper 810 Elmwood Ave., 885-5239 www.juniperelmwood.com Jessica Keltz is an attorney and freelance writer in the city of Buffalo—but, sadly, is ineligible for the 14222 discount at Juniper. SUBSCRIBE NOW Back to the Table of Contents Back to Top