Write up in the Buffalo News about Riley Street Station!!!

http://www.buffalonews.com/entertainment/gusto/story/353603.html

Club Watch: Riley Street Station is on the right track

Riley Street Station successfully transforms railroad landmark into a classy pub

BY TOM WATERS - Special to The News
Updated: 05/23/08 8:07 AM

Enjoying Riley Street Station are, from left, sitting, Chrissy Marchetta, Brittany Gagliardo, Kelly Dudek and Jon Derr; standing are Andrew Wheeler and Stephen Murak.">

Photos by Robert Kirkham/Buffalo News

Enjoying Riley Street Station are, from left, sitting, Chrissy Marchetta, Brittany Gagliardo, Kelly Dudek and Jon Derr; standing are Andrew Wheeler and Stephen Mura

Bartender John Deibel works the taps in Riley Street Station.

There’s a certain gulty pleasure to be had in sitting at the rail of a bar on a Sunday afternoon. While others were out flying kites with their families or washing their cars while the weather held up, Lindsay and I were holding down the bar at Riley Street Station.

A trio of folks was waiting for the kitchen to open when we breezed in at 2 o’clock. Another older couple took turns smoking cigarettes out front and sipping glasses of soda at the bar. A kind, older woman took our order and, feeling kooky, I opted to go with a mysterious-looking brown bottle of Irish whiskey. A plain-looking bottle can either be a sign of something really good or deplorably awful, but my double was smooth and potent. A pitcher of Bud Light, the aforementioned double and a plain iced tea rang up to a shockingly cheap $10.50. Lindsay was flattered that she got carded for proof of age. I was neither surprised nor emotionally devastated that I wasn’t.

The bar area was swank and lavish with a black and tan horseshoe-shaped bar, stained dark brown support beams overhead and a light pink and black motif on the walls. An antique model train took a permanent pit stop above the bar. A regulation pool table sat near a far wall under an oil portrait of W. C. Fields and Al Pacino. Keeping in line with the railroad theme, a neighboring wall featured a conductor’s hat and a red bandana. A row of railroad emblems lined the wall over the entrance. A vintage black-and-white photo of the building back when it was an honest to goodness railroad station hung from the far wall. The overall impression was a strange yet functioning blend of Irish pub and railroad bar.

Not content to have just one patio, Riley’s has a nonsmoking patio in the front with a black, cast-iron border and a patterned awning and a smokers’ patio in the back with plastic lawn furniture and a wooden fence. We grabbed a smoke out back and admired the plywood outdoor bar while marveling at the concrete steps that led up to the railroad tracks, the old lamp posts that they’d painted green for decorative purposes and a boarded-up elevator shaft that must have served as an elevator for handicapped passengers. It gave us a strong sense of how much the area — make that the world — has changed in the last 150 years.

Dave (my future father-in-law) showed up and ordered a can of Genesee “premium beer,” his lager of choice. A separate whiskey bar beckoned to me from the left of the building like the lure of a siren, but we were told it was only open on Fridays, Saturdays and during booked events. A shiny copper beer at the front of the bar stood as an example of the management’s recent rebeautification efforts.

For 4 in the afternoon, there was a respectable crowd lining the bar with nary a spare stool in the house. After perusing the menu, Lindsay ordered the loaded french fries for $5.99. It was a generous plate of fries topped to the hilt with sour cream, real bacon, cheddar cheese and fresh fries that I was more than happy to help her with.

By the time the conductor in my head was shouting “Last call,” I had concluded that Riley Street Station was like no other bar I’ve been to. What a novel idea it was to convert a historic landmark into a classy pub.

Riley Street Station

27 Riley St., East Aurora

825-2244

Scene: Folks in their 30s to 60s with a yen for great food and cheap drinks.

Music: Open mic on Tuesdays, live bands every Saturday featuring Sky, the Riley Street Band, Teardrop and the Whiskey River Band.

Dress Code: Anything goes.

Drinks: Bud Light and Yuengling on tap and bargain-basement drink prices. Whiskey bar access on Fridays and Saturdays.

“It was like no other bar I’ve been to.”

Do You Emish?!

Friday Night at the Grill, we had a band named Emish come to play for us.

Emish is a celtic rock band primarily stationed out of Orange County, NY. (Same place as Orange County Choppers). One of the band members went to highschool with me, she plays the fiddle and is from the Western New York area, therefore they come back this way to play a few times a year.

Venturing into local music world, we have come across some pretty good bands. Some are cover bands, others play their own music. Many of these bands are decent and put together entertaining shows. However some of the others are not all that great, but they are able to put together a show that you'd be able to enjoy after a few drinks. Actually I usually find that as a general rule the more inebriated you become, the better the music becomes.

However every now and then, we come across bands like Emish. They were actually really really good. Completely original with a great sound. I liked them so much that I picked up their CD after the show and have been listening to it all week.

I highly recommend checking these guys out. They're worth it.


They have myspace too! (myspace.com/emish)

Dinning in Philadelphia

One of the things I miss the most about Philadelphia are the multitude of restaurants. Specifically the BYOBs.

Philadelphia has developed into a haven for the BYOB establishment. Reason for this is that liquor licenses are very hard to get and very costly, so in lieu of a wine cellar and liquor offerings. These restaurants have decided to focus solely on the food and allow patrons to bring their own beverage.

What an awesome benefit this is. Not only does it save money for those going out for a good meal, but you get the opportunity to decided on what type of wine/beverage you want and no longer are restricted to only what is offered in house.

In my time in Philly I would go to a BYOB about once a week. Exploring a different one each time, trying to hit them all. But as time progressed, the BYOBs grew and grew in popularity. To the point where there were just too many of them.

The following link is an interactive map to the locations along with information on each of them in the city. This truly is a concept I would love to see other cities across the country start to implement. Myself however, I'm in the bar business, which consists of selling drinks, so I have no plans of being the first to start this trend. But I still would love to see other people bring it to the area.Philadelphia BYOBs

This past weekend, we went to a fairly small and quaint BYOB called La Baia.

La Baia is only a short walk from my house in Philly so I have gone here a few times. Like most, they have a very tight dinning area, and a small menu. I always prefer to choose one of their specials as they seem to be always the freshest and best options the restaurant has to offer. If you are ever in the Philly area and looking for a good BYOB, be sure to check out this place. Although, there are so many good ones you really should do your homework before making a commitment. Also, be sure to make reservations, a day in advance if possible because the places fill up fast.

After La Baia, we met up with a friend of mine who is attending Med school in Philly. We ventured up to Northern Liberties to a belgium beer house called Belgium Cafe which is a sister establishment of a famous restaurant that I used to live across the street from called Monks. These places are really cool restaurant/bars to go to if you are into exotic beer. They have many different kinds and flavors from all over the world. Actually you won't be able to find any of the more common american beers. Very cool places to check out if you're in Philly, and they have some great oysters too!

The other thing I love about Philly is that each establishment in the city offers some sort of Sunday Brunch. Even the small bars put together a deal for drinks and food to start your Sunday off on the right foot. Personally I have a hard time drinking early in the day on Sundays, but I have never had a hard time eating. So I for one love brunch (as long as it doesn't interfere with football.)

This particular trip we went to brunch at the lone bar/restaurant in the newly developed graduate hospital area of the city. This is where my house is located and just a short 3 blocks from my front doorstep is the SideCar Bar. I have actually only been to the Sidecar for brunch, mostly because of its convenience but I would say it is pretty standard brunch... in a good way. Each brunch offering includes mimosa and a mix of sandwiches or some sort of breakfast plate. And the large portions of each allow you to quietly stuff yourself to help get you on the right foot for a lazy Sunday. That being said, I do not recommend Sunday brunch unless you don't have any plans for the rest of the afternoon. If you are planning on being productive, I would suggest just sticking with the coffee and bagel.

Weekend in Philly

This past weekend, my girlfriend and I took and extended weekend and turned it into a short mini vacation to Philadelphia, PA.

Both of us had gone to school in this area, and subsequently lived there for a few years post college. I for one still own a house in the city and am about to have three new tenants moving in this May. So I wanted to make one last final walk through of the property before they moved in to make sure everything was in good working order.

In addition, my girlfriend's old roomate's birthday was this particular weekend as was my college alumni rugby game. So with a few pretty good reasons to head down for the weekend, we set off on our 360 mile drive from Buffalo to Philly on Thursday night.

The drive usually takes approximately 6 to 6.5 hours so we didn't get in until after midnight, and being exhausted from the drive just called it quits and packed it in until the morning.

Luckily for us, the weather treated us particularly well. Upon rising on Friday morning we set off to stroll around the city with our dog "Brewski".

We started the day with breakfast of egg sandwiches and coffee in Rittenhouse Square. Rittenhouse Square is quite possibly the nicest place to be in Philadelphia. As stated in wikipedia, Rittenhouse Square is one of the five original open-space parks planned by William Penn in central Philadelphia.

Rittenhouse is the elite area of philadelphia that boasts the highest property value and the most posh of all shopping areas in the city. It is where people in the city who wish to be seen go to stroll around, and therefore those of us who enjoy to people watch, sitting on one of its many park benches provides you with endless amounts of visual entertainment.

Not to mention, people bring their dogs their in droves, thus providing Brewski with lots of entertaining new friends to meet. We spent the morning there, just walking around before venturing down Walnut to do some window shopping. Unfortunately though we ventured into the city streets around 1pm on Friday. Also known as peak lunch hour. Needless to say, navigating through the crowds with a dog(a young energetic one at that) was neither fun nor entertaining.

After getting a little frustrated we ourselves felt it time to get some lunch but wanted to get a little further from the business center of the city, hoping that we could sit on a less busy sidewalk table where my dog wouldn't be going crazy.

So we headed south from Rittenhouse to South Street and came across a nice little Bar/Restaurant called the Ten Stone. I have been at the Ten Stone once or twice, as it was only a short walk from where my house was located, but never during the day so I wasn't too familiar with their menu. But I did know they had many cold beers on tap and ample seating on the sidewalk, pairing that with knowing it was quite a few blocks from the rush of the working professionals on lunch break, I knew it was a good fit for what we were looking for.

There we had a few Yuenglings, a salad and sandwich and then ventured back to the house. Feeling content, full and in need of some down time to prepare for the night ahead.

That night we met up with my girlfriends roomates at a place called the Manayunk Brewery. Coincidentally this is the same exact place I spent my 21st birthday at. Although I remember few things clearly from that night, I do remember it being a good time. And they had a Pizza counter upstairs in the bar. I found this to be very convenient at the time.

This past weekend, however I did not partake in any of the late night pizza eating though. There was a singles mixer there though, which allowed me to run into some friends of mine. Two guys who are known for always being on the hunt, so although I had no idea they would be there, and they didn't know I was even in town for the weekend, it came as no surprise to me to see them at a place holding a singles meet & greet party.

Sure enough, I talked to them for a brief second, but only long enough to throw them off their game. Then they were off, back on the trail of their prey. Watching this type of behavior never gets old.

A Common Misnomer About Pricing

When it comes to the bar/restaurant business, you'll find that everyone who is not involved in this business views themself as an expert consultant on how to make your establishment better. And I would say 9 times out of 10 their suggestions involve some sort of concept where you spend more money and reduce prices.

i.e. "You know what you should do? You should get this band to play here, they are expensive but really good. They always bring a good crowd, and if you ran a 2 for 1 special, you guys would pack this place and make a ton of money."

Well, thank you for you suggestion, but my response to you is that Communism also looked good in theory. Reality however is that it just doesn't work that way.

I can easily show how these pie in the sky ideas never work by using simple math.

Let's start with a drastically shorten equation for Profits:

Profits = Cost of Drinks * Number of Patrons - Overhead
or
Profits = X*Y - Z
where;
X = Cost of Drinks
Y= Number of Patrons
Z = Overhead of Drinks and Misc. Expenses

In the business world, the bottom line is always the profits. You want to run your business better to improve your profits while making the service you supply better for your customers. Cheaper service does not always mean better service, but cheaper service always means smaller profits. Which inturn lead to less opportunity to better your business. But lets take a closer look at the above suggestion about the band plus 2-1 drink idea to better our business.

The suggestion again was to hire a large band at a high cost (lets say $500 for round numbers) and then serve 2-1 drinks to attract a big crowd. Implementing this into equation format we get the following;

Suggestion:
Cost of Drinks = 1/2 X (half price drinks or 2-1 special)
Number of Patrons = 2Y (double the amount of people that show up)
Overhead = 2Z+500
(this is the part normally overlooked by these self proclaimed experts, and that is normally because they never see the costs associated with overhead so they don't event think about it. So to break this down, the overhead cost of the drinks would double (2Z) because you are selling double the drinks so you have to purchase double the inventory and then add on the additional cost of the 'great band' and you get a drastically elevated overhead.)

So now our new equation for profit, if we were to follow the suggestion would be;

Profits = 1/2X * 2Y - (2Z + $500)

=X*Y-(2Z+$500)

So essentially, by doubling the people that come by reducing the cost of drinks and adding on the cost of band, all that you as the business have done is drastically reduced your profits.

Now, if this equation format is a little too confusing, I will use real numbers to further illustrate my point.

Lets say, again for round numbers
x=$10 per drink
Y=100 People
Z=$500 overhead of drinks sold

Our original equation before making the change would be the following:

Profit = X*Y-Z = $10*100-$500 = $500 .... woohoo!!!

Our new equation after the change would be:

New Profit = 1/2X*2Y-(2Z+$500)

Where again;
1/2X= half price drinks
2Y= Double the amount of Patrons
2Z+$500=Twice the overhead of purchase price of drinks plus the cost of the band

New Profit = (1/2*$10)*(2*100)-(2*$500+$500)

= $5*200-$2000 = $1000 - $1,500 = -$500 .... Ouch!!!

So essentially we went from making a $500 profit to having a $500 loss. Not such a good business move if you plan on sticking around.

I know there are probably several different arguments as to why it is sometimes good to take a loss, namely to increase awareness of your business and boost the number of patrons. But the bottom line always comes down to profits and loss. If you can't make money, you can't run a business and you'll be forced to close.

And if you still don't believe me, then picture it this way.

View your salary as your profits and your job duties as your service. Would you be willing to work at a job where instead of getting paid, you had to pay your company money out of your own pocket just so that you could do work for more people?

That doesn't make sense why would anyone ever pay to work if you didn't make any money?

And similarly, why would a business increase their expenses if it was just going to lose them money?

People Love to Dance to the Blues

I've been noticing lately that more and more people have been dancing at the bar when we have music every Saturday night. Even Tuesdays you'll see some people venture out into the middle of the floor during open mic night.

I find this entertaining because we really don't have a dance floor, just a relatively large walkway that allows for people to venture into and get busy busting some moves.

I've never really been a big fan of dancing in a bar myself, although I do love to watch other people do it. Personally I don't want to draw that kind of attention to myself willingly. When you are at a club or something with a designated dance floor area, its a little different because there are other people dancing around you, so its not like you're making a spectacle of yourself. But at a bar, you are essentially putting yourself out there because not many if any people are dancing with you. That being said, though, after a few cocktails I often find myself cutting some rug in the 'non-designated dance areas', so I guess its all based on your present state of libation.

This past Saturday was no different than others as there were several people dancing to the band we had playing. A good blues band, I really like blues, and I've found that this dancing phenomenon occurs most often when we have blues bands.


















(Some Patrons getting busy on the 'dance floor')

I found this pretty amusing video on youtube that clearly shows exactly what I'm talking about. It's of a blond woman working her stuff. Shes dancing right in front of the band, getting totally into the moment and apparently doesn't care that no one else is around her.

God bless her though for having a good time. After all, that's what it's all about.


When you think about it, Blues can really be described as Rock-n-Roll for old people. It has all the same type of music and beats, just slower and more enunciated. You can hear each chord and beat played, and you can understand what the singers are saying. The older you get, the more you appreciate being able to comprehend the music you listen to. Thus the reason your grandparents don't like Tool.

The other topic of discussion that this post could easily bring up is that of White people Dancing. But I'll save that for a later date. If you have ever seen the Dave Chappelle Show skit he does on different races dancing, this woman is dancing exactly like that skit depicted.

The skit aired in episode 203 of the Chappelle show with special guest John Mayer. Apparently it is nearly impossible to find on the internet... but it's hilarious. You'll have to take my word for it. Anyway, the basic gist of it is that Dave says that it's not so much that white people can't dance as it is that they just like to dance to different kinds of music.

"It's not that white people can't dance," he said, it's just that different musical instruments "speak to the soul of a white person" such as the electric guitar.

To prove this point, he brought John Mayer into a office conference room to play his guitar. Then all the people sitting at the table abruptly stopped their meeting, got up and started dancing around similar to the woman in the attached youtube video.

Unfortunately though, I still can't find a clip of it so you can just watch the following video again.

Chillin w/ Fritz the Kat, Brad the Mailman and Willis the Dog.

Last friday we had a local favorite come to perform at the Grill, that being Fritz the Kat. He has played for us before with his partner Brad the mailman. An interesting combination of names, but they themselves are an interesting duo.

I've actually known Fritz for a while. Growing both his parents worked with my father at some point in the bar business. His older brother would even serve as my babysitter at times.

Fritz has been involved in a couple bands in the area, namely playing with Tim Baldwin, Leon & the Forklifts and one of my all time personal favorites, 'Schwannoma'.

They play a funky, blues type of rock that is very unique. I enjoy listening to them because you never really know what you're going to get next.

The night was fairly mellow though, aside from hanging with one of my favorite drinking buddies, that being Willis the dog.









(Me and Will just hanging out)

Anyway, the night ended up with my struggling to stay awake sitting at the bar around 3am. It was literally one of those occassions where you are just sitting there where your eyelids get really heavy and your head begins to bob. I'm sure it must have been a pretty entertaining if anyone would have noticed it, luckily though I don't think anyone did.

Lately, I find it very difficult to stay up till 4am on Fridays. I think in large part due to my day job that requires me to wake up at 6am. That essentially means I have to be awake for a solid 22 hours if I'm going to make it to 4am. Not saying that I don't ever do it, but it has been increasingly difficult. I guess that must mean I am getting older.