Perfetto

**EDIT — Forget everything I said about them. They are awful and closed without telling anyone! No way to contact them about our party we booked or getting our deposit back. Stay away from anything owned by Jay Haynes. This isn’t the first time he has pulled this stunt in Buffalo with a restaurant **
Went in tonight to book a party for June. Ended up staying for dinner and we were very happy that we did.
We talked to Bruce, the head chef, in order to book the party and choose the food for it. He was extremely accommodating and worked within our budget. We were able to tailor the party to our specific needs and provided many different options for the menu and drink accommodations. We loved that we will be able to use the whole back room near Washington street for our party.
So glad we stayed for dinner, because it was delicious. We were able to try out many of the menu options that we picked for the party and they exceeded our expectations.
Beside all this, we were extremely pleased with our service. Tanya was both personal and professional. She made great suggestions and was very attentive.
We appreciated the fact that the head chef and waitress worked together well because we noticed they helped each other out and had a great dialog.
Can’t wait until our party in June! From our experience tonight, it should be wonderful.

We came for dinner as a group of 12. I have been for happy hour but never for food. We were treated very warmly at the bar, and enjoyed the $ 15 bottles of wine. As we were a large party, we sat in the private area at the front of the restaurant. Our waitress was very attentive and our food was delicious. One person in our party received her meal much later than the rest of the group but this was a highly apologized for error and was also removed from the bill. We had a great evening!

I went to Perfetto saturday night for dinner, and I have to say I was surprised… for several reason. The first was that it was so slow on a Saturday night. I made a 7:30 reservation for myself and my date… and it was empty when we walked in, but that did not stop us from having a wonderful time! My second surprise was our waiter, Michael. He has to be, one of the best, most enthusiastic (without being annoying or over the top) waiters I have ever had the pleasure of dealing with. He was so passionate about the restaurant and the food.
The food was excellent. I had the seafood cannelloni; it was stuffed with lobster and crab I believe, and topped with a wonderful cream sauce and cheese. My date had the wild mushroom ravioli. It was delicious, and also topped with another fantastic cream sauce.
The wine selection was good, but what made it great was that they offer about 10 bottles at the price of $ 15 each! Where can you go and get a bottle of wine for $ 15 in a restaurant?! And they weren’t garbage bottles either. We had a Ste Chapelle Riesling… not the highest end Riesling out there, but good nonetheless, and a bottle I have definitely paid more than $ 15 in other restaurants. For dessert, we shared their chocolate pâté. We were both very full, but it sounded very interesting, and Michael spoke very highly of the dessert. It reminded me of a shredded flourless chocolate cake, served with fresh whipped cream and berries.
All around it was a lovely experience. The décor is fantastic, and the glass walled wine room in the back very cool and modern. We had an excellent time at Perfetto!

I had to write another review after coming here a few more times. I have season tickets to Sheas and coming to perfetto before and/​or after a show is always something to look forward to. The bar has a large selection of beer on tap, including IPAs like flower power which is delicious! The food is delicious! I recommend the eggplant Napoleon. Yum! They have gluten free and vegetarian/​vegan options. The lunch specials are pretty sweet too. My office orders lunchh from here all the time. I recommend the arancia salad which has mixed greens, candied walnuts, golden raisins and a citrus vinaigrette. Perfetto!

We went to Perfetto 2 months ago for our monthly dinner group. It was my first time there and upon walking into the restaurant, the place is very spacious and inviting. The interior design is very modern. I thought this restaurant had a lot of potentials. At first, the staffs were very friendly.
There were about 15 of us, so I understand it takes a little longer for the food to come out. However, the waiter didn’t inform me that the entrée that I ordered was no longer available until all the food came out for everyone. What happened was some of the old menu were still circulating around the restaurant and the chef took the entrée I ordered off the menu. The staff apologized and I ordered a pasta dish which came out about 10 – 15 mins later. At that point, I would have still given Perfetto a 3.5 stars because the staffs were friendly and the food is fine (from the appetizer to the salad to the pasta, they all tasted fine but nothing special). There was a birthday girl within our group, so one of the waiter sang happy birthday in Italian and opera style, I thought that was cool.
Then here is why I give them 2 stars:
We got our bill and they were very accommodating and gave us separate checks. However, they didn’t give me anything like a free dessert or take the salad off my bill even though they waited till everyone’s food to come out before they tell me they don’t have my entrée, so I had to wait around, hungry when the rest of the group eat. Not that this happens to me a lot, but when a restaurant I have been to messed up on my order, they will do something to make up for their mistakes (even Applebee’s has done that, where they completely missed my order and ended up giving me the entrée for free). I didn’t expect anything from them, but maybe at least apologize again when they give me my bill?
Then, my friend had to leave early, so she gave me her money to pay her bill. There were still a big group of us at the table. However, a waiter chased down my friend and rudely asked her if she has paid for her meal. Also, I paid with cash for her bill but they never bought the change back until my fiancée asked for it. The staff did have a little attitude when we asked for the change. Did they expect a 50% tip?
Also, there was a band playing, but they weren’t that good. Even though we were in a room with the door close, we could still hear them, which makes it harder to carry on a conversation during dinner.
Another thing is, we ordered 2 pitchers of sangria for the table and they were $ 45 each, which I thought was way overpriced. The sangria wasn’t even that good, it tasted a little water down. I have had better sangria at an Olive Garden.

First visited Perfetto for Happy Hour after work one day. The bar is very impressive, and the restaurant is dark and swanky. They have a great selection of beer on tap, and they serve it in a frosted glass… nice!
Have been waiting for the lobster roll to be available for lunch and finally came here and ordered up this true New England gem. I’ve had my share of these from visiting family in Rhode Island and taking trips in the summer to Newport, RI for the best lobster rolls on earth. So when I find out a place serves lobster rolls in Buffalo, my mouth starts to water and I get excited to relive those New England summer memories. At $ 14 for lunch I thought it was a little expensive for one average size roll served with homemade potato chips. The lobster was good and I could taste it for the most part, but it had too much mayo on it. The key to a great lobster roll is just a touch of mayo, because you really want to taste that lobster meat. Also I noticed some of the meat was stringy, which could mean two things. One the lobster was a very large and the meat gets like that in the tail, which is perfectly fine. The other reason could be the meat was overcooked, which is never a good thing when cooking lobster. I believe it could be the first reason, because the meat was still tender. Overall it was good roll, but far from the best.
Noticed they had other good options for lunch and may return. However, the dinner menu looks really expensive for a dinner visit, so I might just stick to the happy hour and the occasional lunch.

I went to Perfetto this weekend with friends for a special night out. Perfettto has some real positives and negatives. On the positive side, the waiter was very attentive and sang a song from Phantom of the Opera as well as some Puccini. The restaurant is truly beautiful, too. On the negative side, the food was seriously mediocre. I had red snapper, one of my favorite fishes, which was overcooked and covered in a weird tomato and olive sauce. The sauce did cover up how poorly the fish was cooked, but it was a strange sauce for red snapper. The dish came with potatoes some of which were overcooked, and others of which were a bit hard. Everyone at the table had something called the box salad, which was a huge amount of lettuce wrapped in thinly sliced cucumbers. The dressing was tasty, but the salad was mainly uninteresting.
This place has some promise. Terrific location. Beautiful place. Good wait staff. But the kitchen is uneven and, I hate to say it but… I think they need a new chef.

I came here again tonight with three of my girlfriends before we went to the theater… and I must say that everything… the setting… the service… and the food… was just as WONDERFUL as the last time I was here.
I started with the «Baby Greens and Citrus Salad»… baby greens, clementines, shaved fennel, and candied walnuts were topped with a wonderfully light and yet flavorful dressing. Fresh bread and the same wonderful olive oil and red pepper almond pesto that I had last time was brought to the table.
For my entrée I had one of the nightly specials… «Moroccan Chicken». Now when it was described to me by the waitress I was told that it was a bone-​in chicken breast. Well, that’s a big no-​no for me (yup… bone phobic) so I asked if it could be made with a boneless breast instead. The owner came out and said that it could, but he was a bit worried that it might be a little dry. I said that I’d rather have my chicken a little dry than with bones and that that dish sounded soooooo good. Well, my friends, that «Moroccan Chicken» was made boneless for me… it was not at all dry… and it was TOTALLY AMAZING!!! Two breast halves were delightfully seasoned and topped with a sauce containing golden raisins and cinnamon. And, it was accompanied by fingerling potatoes and both fresh green beans and perfectly cooked asparagus spears. DELICIOUS!
My friends all had the Caesar salads and the lobster ravioli (so compatible are they!) and they all ooohed and aaahed over their meals. We were four very happy and well fed ladies. So well fed, in fact, that we didn’t have room for dessert. Next time… and there will be a next time for sure! SUPER YUM!!!

The best part of our meal was the appetizer…
The waiter was either hung over or very ill… Either way, he shouldn’t have been serving people. He could barely read the specials and desserts off of his list and walked away without asking if we wanted coffee with dessert. When he brought dessert, my husband asked for coffee and he scooted away again before I could tell him that I wanted some too… very strange.
We were asked by one of the singing waitstaff if we would like a table side song. I said ‘yes’ as it was our anniversary… he never did the song, but did sing to the table of 4 women next to us… I ordered the lobster ravioli which were chewy and a little fishy… not impressed
On a good note…
The stuffed peppers were very good. Rich and slightly spicy. We had tickets to Shea’s and were able to be seated 15 minutes prior to our reservation. We made it to our show with plenty of time to spare.
I’d go back for appetizers and drinks before a show, but that is it…

Great looking space inside… It’s huge/​and feels upscale… they have multiple seating areas.
The food had really fresh ingredients and the presentation was real nice. I had the pork belly appt which was a good size and tasted delicious and the shrimp and polenta appt which were 3 of the largest freshest shrimps i’ve ever had. However, even thought the main ingredient was great the other items on the plate didn’t really fit together. Also, the vegetarian dinner (acorn risotto) looked cool but tasted so so. Also, the service could use some improvement.
I look forward to coming back as they become more established and whenever we have plans downtown. We went there right before a show at towne and had a nice time. This place is hands down so much better that places like bijou grill next door which seems to only open for shea’s events.

Came here for lunch with a living social deal on a Friday afternoon
Ambiance: dim lighting, great space, cozy
Service: super friendly
Food:
–Italian California Chicken Panini $ 10: chicken with avocado, bruschetta, & [forgot!]; the bread was crispy and garlicky! yummmm! so much flavor! absolutely loved the avocado in it!; nice portion! had leftovers!
–3 Alarm Burger $ 12: made to order hamburger stuffed with yellow peppers topped with pepper jack cheese & spicy aioli; ordered medium, and we got it medium :) melted cheese was gooey deliciousness!
*Both sandwiches were served with a generous portion of french fries. The fries were also very delicious!
*So stuffed! My friend and I split the two sandwiches and we both took home leftovers!
Definitely come here for lunch!
Note: parking is metered street parking and the meters don’t accept dimes. one of the workers said they take dimes. She said the meters take anything but pennies. I went out to feed the meter with dimes and wasted $ 1.00. meh. Just an FYI.

After vowing not to come here due to the majority of negative reviews, I couldn’t take it any longer and had to see what this place was all about.
We opted to not come here for dinner, instead just check out the scenery at the bar (like many Unilocal reviewers recommended). So our Friday date night dinner turned into a more casual night heading out to Perfetto’s with no reservations and only bar seating intentions…
Upon our arrival we entered through the Main Street entrance, where we were greeted by the pleasant host. We proceeded on to the bar, where at 7:30pm on a Friday we couldn’t find two open seats together. This is a very large bar, so there were a decent amount of people here. There was one open seat at the far left corner, where we chose to stand and look over the drink menus. After sitting here for about an hour as the night went on, I decided I didn’t like this seat. Right next to this area in the left corner is the waiter/​waitress station. We were unlucky enough (or if you’re bored… lucky enough) to hear all the conversations between the waiters, waitresses, and bartenders.
One important thing to mention… I tried looking up the menu online prior to our visit, but was unsuccessful in finding anything. I stumbled upon a website, where the menu section said «coming soon». I guess I kept my fingers crossed we were going to like it…
I ordered a st. germain gin drink off of their cocktail menu. It was an OK cocktail, worth $ 10? Eh I don’t think so. I have had better drinks at Trattoria Aroma for less. My boyfriend had a bottled beer ($ 5). At this point we were starving, a little annoyed we both weren’t sitting down, and kind of wishing we had made dinner reservations. Oh well. We asked the bartender for a menu and to our surprise weren’t impressed at all. After glancing over the appetizer list for longer than 15 minutes, we both agreed we couldn’t find any two things we would actually want to order and consume. I was hoping to find a calamari dish (there was a calamari salad. no thanks), stuffed banana peppers, brushetta, meatballs, I don’t know. anything appealing. The ONLY thing I would have considered ordering were the crab cakes. However at that point I was so disappointed with the menu and the lackluster drink for $ 10 that I just wanted to go elsewhere to get my hands on menu that I wouldn’t have to study and try to convince myself to find one thing I might want.
We paid for our two beverages and left.
The atmosphere is gorgeous. Warm, inviting, cozy, and modern. This place is really large and can accommodate a lot of people… always a Buffalo plus. I might return if in the area for a drink just because I like the ambiance. On the other hand I won’t return for any type of dining. Not only did the appetizer menu portray itself as completely unappealing, but the entrée menu didn’t strike my fancy to anything above and beyond the ordinary. And $ 46 for a 10oz. filet… I know of many other restaurants where I can get a really good filet mignon for $ 28-​$ 36.
I would highly recommend they get an up and running website and menu online STAT.

I’ve been meaning to leave this review for weeks. I debated back and forth, as I didn’t want to pile on the low rating train for this place, but it has to be done.
Summary: This place needs a new chef STAT!
I live in the neighborhood, so I very badly WANT this place to thrive. My husband and I decided to try it on Valentine’s Day. We saw the Unilocal reviews, but decided to try it ourselves (after all, MAYBE they had made improvements– I was wrong).
The good:
First, as everyone has said– the interior is beautiful and HUGE. The bar would be a really cool place to catch a Sabres game on a weeknight or to go for happy hour.
They have singing waiters! Such a unique treat. On Valentine’s Day our waiter (sadly, I have forgotten his name) was a good waiter AND a beautiful singer. I know there have been a lot of complaints about the wait staff, but we actually had good service. Although he did mention that a lot of his friends that were hired have since been let go because «being a good singer doesn’t automatically make you a good waiter.»
The bad:
I called to make reservations and I was told the time I wanted was booked full and I had to reserve an earlier time. When we arrived at the restaurant that night, there were a lot of empty tables. It never filled up as the night went on, I thought that was weird. However, I did hear the waiter saying to another table that the kitchen was very backed up, so perhaps that explains the situation. The kitchen clearly needs help– as I explain next.
The ugly:
I ordered a stuffed chicken breast. I think it was stuffed with a rolled up piece of a salami (I’ve never been a big fan of lunch meats) — that’s it, nothing else. The «salami» was lukewarm and the taste was incredibly overpowering. It ruined the entire plate of food and for nearly $ 30, I was very disappointed. It came with a side of blue potato wedges. They were clearly undercooked (you have to cook blue potatoes longer than regular potatoes– even I know that!) and difficult to eat.
My husband ordered lobster ravioli. The lobster was tough and the edges of the raviolis were hard. I think that plate cost nearly $ 40, if I recall correctly.
Whenever I tell someone about our experience here I always preface it by saying «I feel so bad saying this, but…». It really is sad that a place that looks so nice and is in such a nice location is selling such overpriced, just plain bad food. Please get a new chef and save this place, I want to see it do well– I really do!
PS– NINE filtered Unilocal reviews? Sketchy…

I cringe to give Perfetto a two-​star rating. However, it was a cringe-​worthy experience…
Hey, let’s start with the good. Perfetto is in a great location, adjacent to the Market Arcade in the Theater District. Ample parking, even if you do have to pay for it, and is an architecturally and aesthetically beautiful space. The owners seemed to spare no expense in recreating this spot into something Buffalo can be proud of. I am absolutely certain in years to come Perfetto will be the crown jewel of restaurants in the Theater District.
What else was good? Talk to their server, Peter. Peter will tell you a great story about how he came to work at Perfetto which should absolutely be part of their marketing.
People love a good story; this one is uniquely Buffalo. Go there. Find him. Ask him to tell it. Peter give you a sense of ownership over his job, the restaurant and even how they take care of their patrons. I love to hear someone that feels that way about what they do.
Perfetto has Opera Singing waiters! Which is awesome and also, unique. We didn’t get one for our Friday night meal, but we got to enjoy some of their singing from afar.
Now, the not so good. Which why do you go to a restaurant such as Perfetto? Well, two reasons, right? The experience and the food. Neither would have rated above a 1-​star, honestly.
Our waiter, bless his heart, was probably new to the job. I get it. We all start somewhere. He didn’t dump plates in our laps or anything, but he seemed unsure of himself and spoke so quietly I had difficulty hearing him at times. So maybe he’s learning. It’s not a critique on him, but an employer needs to know the skills of their customer facing employees and position them for success. Give the guy some back-​up until he displays confidence. Just my opinion. It’s more fair to him, and your customers.
I have a tendency to compare the quality of food and the quality of service to the price the restaurant asks for it. I think that’s fair. In this case, the quality fell well below what the asking price would leave you expecting. I ordered a lobster bisque which was by far the saltiest soup I have ever had. You could cook Ramen in water from the Dead Sea and it wouldn’t have been this salty.
My entrée was a seafood pasta dish — grilled scallops and shrimp (3 scallops, 2 shrimp to be exact) over a bed of angel hair pasta in a cream sauce. Not to belabor the point, but the pasta was so over-​cooked and was in so much sauce, within minutes of being served the meal all I had was this congealed blob on a plate.
Present me with a spaghetti-​like pasta and I will twirl it. I couldn’t twirl it. I felt like eating it with a paste spatula might have been more efficient.
My date ordered a filet. My theory on steak: if you can put a piece of meat in a marinade overnight and remember to not burn it on the grill, you can cook a steak to perfection. And this steak, was just ordinary. Nothing remarkable about it.
Give Perfetto some time to work out all the kinks. I never leave a low rating unrevisited so I will go back some day in the future and give them another shot at impressing me. Plenty of people here gave them 5-​stars, so I know they’re doing something right somewhere.
And yes, unrevisited is my word. I made it. You can’t have it. Well, you can use it, but give me credit. ;)

I am impressed! Perfetto is a classy addition to downtown Buffalo. After reading all about the new restaurant, I was extremely excited to try their food and experience the atmosphere everyone is raving about.
It was a Saturday night, and our group of four didn’t have a reservation. They were completely booked when we called, but we were still able to sit in the bar area and have dinner. The bar area has ample amount of seating and is very relaxed. It was cozy, spacious and not too noisy. Background noise is crucial for me whenever I dine out. It wasn’t uncomfortably loud and I appreciate that in a restaurant. However, if you wanted a really quiet dinner, they offer seating in the bar area that is enclosed in glass so that people can enjoy their dinners without the noise from a crowded bar. Nice design!
We had great service from a friendly bartender. She was always smiling, and eager to answer our questions. Even though she didn’t know a great deal about specifics on the menu and certain items, I didn’t hold it against her. The place has not even been open one month, and she isn’t a regular server. As the night progressed, she got busier, but she did not forget about us.
Our food was really delicious. I had the free-​range chicken with spinach, ricotta gnocchi, and foie gras gravy. Everything was flavorful and the portion was just right. The buccatini carbonara was also extremely tasty. I stole many bites of my boyfriend’s meal. I recommend this dish to someone in the mood for a comforting pasta dish. They were a little skimpy on their bread which had only one tiny slice per guest, but that is probably a good thing. Otherwise, we would all be full before the meals even arrived! Also the roasted red pepper pesto spread they served with the bread was yummy.
I thought the restaurant was beautiful. It has a comforting, but modern feel. The tables are all spaced appropriately to give guests privacy while dining. I am looking forward to returning to try some of the seafood dishes. I am really thrilled for such a lovely addition to Main Street downtown.

Wow, huge and intimate at the same time. The service here is impeccable. It’s like they are straight out of a movie or something. They love their jobs and why not. Jay is an amazing owner and It seems like he’s a pleasure to work for.
The food is awesome. First off, the chef Anything with the gnocchi will do. Dana White is the chef. He cooked at at a little place in Buffalo called The Mansion. His sous chef Adam is kinda sweet too. He’s only cooked for a hand full of people, Oprah, Obama and now me. Holla!

I hate to write a negative review about this place because it has a lot of potential and is a truly beautiful restaurant. In fact, one of the most aesthetically pleasing restaurants in which I’ve dined here in Buffalo. For that reason alone, it is worth coming here and checking it out. Sit at the bar and drink some wine and eat some appetizers.
Unfortunately, my dining experience happened to be the most awkward experience I’ve had. I get very uncomfortable when complaints have to be made to the kitchen. Read on …
My stepdad ordered a filet mignon. $ 46. No problem with the price tag, but it better be good … he ordered it medium. It came out WELL. If you appreciate good meat, you know that a well done steak is basically inedible. Not to mention the fact, if you are paying $ 46 the cooks better know how to prepare the steak to order.
So we sent it back (so uncomfortable for me! I assured the waiter that the rest of our food was good).
Another 30 minutes while we enjoyed the ambiance, wine and company … steak comes back out… cooked properly, thankfully. But it was not at all tender, with no special flavor at all. Tasted/​felt more like a strip steak. And the sides were rock hard and inedible, as if they had been sitting around waiting to accompany steak #2.
My stepdad couldn’t even finish it. And if you know him, you know that this is saying quite a bit — I haven’t met anyone who loves steak more than this guy!!!
The manager, the chef and the waiter all apologized profusely. Which was *greatly* appreciated and saved this restaurant from only 1 star. They removed the steak from our bill.
While I appreciated the way the disaster was handled, the experience left me with a bad taste in my mouth. This is supposed to be a high-​end restaurant. And with the price tag of $ 46, you sure as hell better know how to prepare a filet mignon. You could order a delicious steak at many restaurants in Buffalo for much less.
I hope this experience was a fluke and that they figure it out. For now, I won’t be returning unless it’s for wine at their beautiful, spacious bar.

Had the most incredible experience at this new downtown restaurant this recent Saturday night. First I will mention I’m a total foodie. I go out to eat often and had years of restaurant service first hand before landing myself at a corporate job. With these things in mind I feel I am both forgiving and yet critical in my dining experiences. That said…
LOVED EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS PLACE!!!
First the food, because that’s one reason we all use Unilocal.This is the first time I’ve bothered to write a review and not just read one based solely on this wonderful experience. I went with my husband and a few work friends. Everyone loved everything we tried. The seafood impeccable. I feel a lot of seafood is bland or improperly cooked. This was perfection. The pork chops my friend ordered were tender and delicious, not overcooked like so many other places. Gorgeous presentation of everything I saw come by our table as well.
The ambience was fantastic. Definitely an upscale feel but it didn’t feel pretentious either. Very welcoming as well as a fantastic location downtown right in the theatre district. I can only imagine how packed this place will become with it’s outstanding reputation so far as well as its proximity to Shea’s.
Lastly the service was AMAZING! I have struggled to find great service in the city of Buffalo, NY. I’ve lived and dined in many major and small cities a like and I have consistently been displeased by the sloppy or simply rude and inattentive service with exception at a few establishments. To my GREAT pleasure… Perfetto was PERFECT. Our server was on top of our every need, constantly anticipating what we could want next. He was funny and charming which really personalized and enhanced the overall experience and his tip. He made you feel like you were his first priority despite how busy the restaurant was. From walking in the door all the way to the time we left it felt like we may have well been celebrities.
I know this was a bit long winded but again I can’t express how much we truly appreciated our dining experience and highly recommend this restaurant to anyone and everyone. We will definitely be going back… as much as possible. Happy Eating fellow Unilocalers!

This review is based on my experience during the grand opening night. I went expecting long wait times, training issues, and possible kitchen snags. The night contained all of these growing pains, but the owner of Perfetto handled the situation perfectly in exactly the way you would expect from a fine dining establishment, and these incidents are not reflected in my overall review.
I was very excited to go on opening night. The previous 2 reviews for the soft opening lunch were both 5 stars. I noticed this morning as I prepared to write this review that both diners enjoyed an off-​menu entrée selection. I wish that had been a known option last night.
We arrived at 6pm to an already crowded bar. The hostess took our coats and said that she could seat us immediately even without reservations. As she led us to our table, we walked by a very romantic alcove of tables positioned around a fireplace. When I asked if we could be seated there, she informed us that a band was coming at 8pm and they were going to be setting up in that space. I will be sure to call ahead next time and reserve a table there! It looks like an awesome setting and you can still see the activity at the bar (as well as the tvs with ESPN on).
We were seated at a small table by the railing and Peter was our waiter. After we were seated, Peter introduced us to another waitstaff member who is an opera singer and asked the gentleman to sing for us. Apparently most of the waiters are singers and have a repertoire of songs ready to entertain you. The singer began a piece in Italian and stopped after about 30 seconds, which I was very glad of. He sang great, I think the timing of him singing and us sitting down was just bad. While he sang, I felt like I should be giving him my full attention which meant I couldn’t look at the menu or talk to my dinner companion. I am sure he sensed that I wasn’t entirely comfortable and he graciously ended the piece and promised to perform for us later if we asked him. I think it’s a cute gimmick and I’m sure other people will love it. I might have enjoyed it more at the end of the night while I was finishing my last glass of wine instead of it happening while I was trying to get settled in and decide on food.
Deciding on food became the hard part of the evening. There wasn’t anything on the menu that reached out and grabbed me other than the prices, which I thought were high even for the theatre district. For what they are charging, I expected to see linen tablecloths and an actual ice bucket for the wine, not a wine coozy that didn’t keep the wine cold. If I’m paying for ambiance, then they need to step it up another notch. The place is gorgeous, just more steakhouse than fine dining.
We weren’t offered bread and Peter forgot to tell us what the seasonal soup was, but I think these oversights were just first day jitters.
We ordered calamari ($ 11) and a salami/​cheese platter ($ 16) as appetizers. See picture. Call me crazy but I think $ 16 is too much for 7 slices of salami, 5 crackers and 7 portions of cheese. The calamari was good and I think fairly priced.
We couldn’t decide what entrees to order and finally opted for the veal bolognese and the red snapper with muscles. The dinner menu was solid with a variety of options, just nothing creative or distinctive that I HAD to try.
Our entrees arrived and were plated well. If I didn’t know that truly amazing food could be found in Buffalo, I would have thought the entrees were great. They were «good» but not great. They were prepared perfectly but just didn’t inspire me to eat more. This is where I think being able to order off-​menu and get something truly inspired by the chef would have been helpful. There is potential in that kitchen, I just didn’t see any of the inspiration I was hoping for.
The best thing we ate had to be the flambéed rum soaked bananas over vanilla ice cream. I half thought they would do the flambé table side, that would have been super classy, but they didn’t. It still tasted wonderful though and was the highlight of the evening.

A friend and I had the pleasure of dining at Perfetto during their soft opening and sampled firsthand the vision of what restaurateur Jason Haynes (Jay’s Hilltop Bistro) has for this new addition to Main Street Buffalo. And it’s a beautiful vision.
Perfetto is located in the 600 block of Main Street across from Shea’s in what used to be the Ya Ya Bayou Brewhouse which closed its doors in 2005 and had lain dormant until it caught Jason’s eye early last year. The utilitarian, warehouse look of the old microbrewery has, after being in a chrysalis for 7 years, been transformed into the very unique and beautifully inviting interior of Perfetto.
The interior:
Subdued colors of cherry, walnut and oak, textures of brick, wood and glass, bright light and cozy shadow each convey a different feel in every part of the restaurant.
At Main Street, the entrance opens to a full service bar and spacious dining area accented with plasma screens from which patrons can experience Buffalo Bills football and (fingers crossed) Sabres hockey.
To the left across from the bar is the private dining area complete with its own dedicated sound system which can host approximately 40 guests and is perfect for wedding parties, office celebrations, birthday bashes or ladies’ night out adventures.
More intimate dining can be experienced near the fireplace area where the ambiance of the fire and wall ensconced candle lighting can only bring diners closer together. We were doubly impressed when our server extraordinaire, Corey, treated us to a beautiful Italian sonata at tableside.
The sunken dining area and the adjacent «Eagles nest» (nickname) also provide different lighting and texture experiences as well as a view of the wine room where Jason intends to «stock our patrons’ favorite wines so they’re on hand when they want them».
At the back of the restaurant, with easy access to the Washington Street entrance and parking, is the dining lounge which can be used for group gatherings or corporate functions. The room is well lit, hosts comfortable seating and a 60 inch HDMI and Wi-​Fi equipped display monitor for corporate Power Point demonstrations or nostalgic photo presentations at your family’s anniversary or birthday celebration.
The Chemistry:
Bar Manager Antonio has worked diligently to create cocktails for the restaurant’s Specialty Drinks menu. I requested their signature Perfetto Manhattan made with Amaroso Sheep’s Dip Scotch Whiskey (there’s a story behind that — ask) and found it to be the smoothest I’ve ever tasted. Antonio promises to create more fantastic concoctions to impress us with.
The Cuisine:
We went off menu and placed ourselves in the capable hands of award winning Chef Dana White (ex of The Mansion on Delaware) who prepared 5 courses for us:
*Braised Oysters with Fennel Butter
*Oxtail Ravioli with Tomato Cream Sauce
*Box Insalata; Fresh cucumber and Heirloom Spinach topped with roasted Pine Nuts, Pomegranate seeds and Pomegranate and Apple Cider Vinaigrette
*Chilean Sea Bass topped with Gulf Shrimp over Polenta with PEI mussels, green beans and butternut squash.
*Crème Bruleé
The panoply of Chef Dana’s creations — the fresh, balanced and intricate flavor and texture profiles — were delicious and enjoyable. I wasn’t left wanting; I was left wanting MORE! I plan to explore more of his menu creations as soon as I return. Bravo Chef!
Jason’s Vision:
«We’re hoping that every time a diner comes to the restaurant they get a different experience.»
In Italian perfetto means perfect; an ideal not easily attained but, at Perfetto, it is their constant goal. Welcome to Main Street Perfetto!