As a lover of Buffalo’s local restaurant scene, I make it my mission each year to visit the Local Restaurant Week website, browsing menu upon menu to find the perfect spot to visit for my first stop for dinner.

After browsing the list of participating restaurants, I decided on the Liberty Hound, the recently-opened restaurant located right along Buffalo’s waterfront. Not only had I never been there, but after seeing its featured menu on the LRW website, I was determined to try one of the choices for the first (of three) courses offered: “She-Crap” Soup.

Upon arriving at the restaurant, my friends and I were greeted warmly by the hostess and ushered to our table. We noticed the great vibe immediately; it was busy, well-lit, and the selection of music, which ranged from Colbie Caillat to modern jazz, was refreshing. Glancing at the menu, I was immediately relieved to find that what was listed as “she-crap” soup on the LRW website, was in fact she-crab soup, a cream-based chunky crab soup in which I had no interest.

In addition to its usual menu offerings, the Liberty Hound prepared a special menu for Local Restaurant Week, which provided diners with a three-course meal for the price of $20.12. For the first course, diners could choose from crab cakes, she-crab soup, or a roasted beet salad. For the second course, diners were provided the options of Bolognese, fish & chips, shrimp & grits, or mushroom risotto. The third and final course was a rum cake.

Due to a gluten-intolerance, I opted to order from the regular menu, as only the salad appetizer and risotto entree were gluten-free. My boyfriend, Joel, ordered from the Restaurant Week menu, choosing crab cakes and pasta Bolognese.

We started the meal with crab cakes and a basket of fries (see photo below), which were both delicious. The fries were drizzled with truffle oil and Parmesan cheese and were cooked perfectly; even better was the fact that they arrived in a bowl large enough to swim in, instantly catering to my love of fries and dislike of sharing them. 

For the meal I had the pork belly tacos, which were phenomenal. The pickled onions and cilantro immediately made me think of Lloyd Taco Truck, and the crunchy texture of the pork belly suggested extensive preparation. The pasta Bolognese was delicious, with what Joel stated to be the perfect cheese to meat to pasta ratio.

We ended the meal with rum cake, which, although I can’t vouch for personally due to my gluten allergy, was delicious as indicated by Joel’s smile and silence while consuming it.