Before the main event in Buffalo proper (see: the Gabriel’s Gate post, the one with the historical placard and my dignity intact), there was this: a quiet dine-in plate with a side salad in Amherst, one of Buffalo’s suburbs, apparently a training session for the real thing. No restaurant name visible, but salad-as-side suggests someone at the table was trying to keep things balanced. It wasn’t me.
If you’re in the area anyway: Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village and Ellicott Creek Park are both solid Amherst detours before you commit to the wing capital itself.
Update: A Couple of Real Candidates
Closest real options in the Amherst/Eggertsville area, though neither is a certain match for a low-key ‘warm-up’ stop: Anchor Bar – Amherst (4300 Maple Rd — the original birthplace-of-the-Buffalo-wing chain) or Duff’s Famous Wings (3651 Sheridan Dr). Both are well-known chain locations rather than hole-in-the-wall spots, which is a mild tension with the ‘warm-up lap’ framing, but they’re the closest real candidates.