Located in the village of Hamburg in between Tina’s Italian Kitchen and Coyote Cafe, O’Briens is part steakhouse and part butcher/deli/specialty shop.  All of their beef is hormone-free and from a local farm located in North Collins; the animals are all pasture raised and then finished with corn feed from a farm in Geneva.  They supervise the entire process, have their own butcher and ensure the quality of their product from start to finish.  Locavores are sure to be pleased and the shortened supply chain also helps them keep competitive with their prices.

There has been a ‘Cupcake Renaissance’ of sorts in Western New York and Michael Wulf from Swirl’s Cupcakery is part of the group that is leading the way.  At only 19 years of age, he is one of the youngest restaurant owners I’ve met and just opened Swirl’s Cupcakery in November 2011.  Located right behind Taste and Tantalus on Main Street in East Aurora, his shop is in a great location right in the middle of the village.  He’s been getting some buzz around the internet and just recently was on CW 23′s Wingin It a few months ago.  Michael took some time out of his busy schedule of baking cupcakes and running a business to answer some of our questions, here’s what he had to say about his favorite places to eat and hang out in WNY…

Alli and I really really love East Aurora….there I said it.  As city residents there’s an unnecessary shame in admitting that you really like the suburbs, or at least certain aspects of the suburbs.  No, were not planning on settling down and having 2.5 kids, but the small village of East Aurora is incredibly cozy with several restaurants and shops that we really enjoy, add bars within walking distance and we’re sold.  This last Saturday was our second visit to Elm Street Bakery, the first was an impromptu visit based on curiosity after hearing all the buzz about the place.  Unfortunately, we had dinner plans later in the day, so we limited our first trip to just two slices of their wood fire pizza but promised that we’d return the following week.  After we finished our second meal there this weekend, Alli and I realized we have found a new favorite place to eat.