Carol Fisher-Linn
Then and Now…Circa 1985: 10 Restaurants with a Vision for what it is Today….
From our Ellicottville Chamber of Commerce site, there are presently twenty-two restaurants or eateries serving Ellicottville, nineteen of which will be participating in this weekend’s delicious event. In 1985, when the Taste of Ellicottville began, there were far fewer. Tips Up (who wouldn’t pay a king’s ransom for their salad dressing recipes?) was here, as was Madigan’s (Ellicottville’s Irish Pub), the Birdwalk (an antique shop you can buy the table and chairs you ate from), The Barn (yes, a legitimate 100+ year old horse barn), The Gin Mill (so many memories made under all the memorabilia on the walls), The Silver Fox (an old 1800’s fur barn turned into the only steakhouse in town), Carson’s (ice cream service out of the window) and The Crystal Palace (“high-end white tablecloth dining”- a lot glitzier than the American Legion the building once housed – now part of EBC). The building currently the home of Watsons Candies once held Sad Sack’s Pizza (remember the clown sign?) and Kuk’s (sure miss their hoagies) The Ellicottville Depot (the train left the station, or is it the station left the train? Who can forget February beach parties?). Judy Roush remembers that The Buffalo Ranch had a booth that first year – although not a restaurant, they sold bison meat. Who remembers the largest Bison herd east of the Mississippi was once on Horn Hill? It was my go-to spot to welcome summer solstice, up on the hill, under the stars in the black sky – just me, a glass of wine, and the grunting herd. Magic! According to Judy, one of the Taste founders, there were about ten restaurants/businesses involved in that very first Taste.
Traveling through dining/entertainment history with folks like Laurie Barrett, Betsy Peyser, John Burrell, Judy Roush and others of the “old guard” we came up with a few names of dining establishments, some old, some still here, that you might remember as you explore your own memory: The Hearth, Holiday Inn, Pitillo’s AmberGoblet/Gioni’s(Joanies?)/My Place aka Rusty Nail, Judy’s L’s 25th Street Café, Adair’s Barrel of Goodies, Armand Burke’s Holiday Haus/Whole Hog (where everybody knew your name and you often served yourself before gathering in a circle for singing some good old Irish songs: “And it’s no, nay, never, No nay never no more, Will I play the wild rover, No never no more” Aye, those were some good times, lassies and laddies.
Lacking a full list for that period, join me for a walk down memory lane and visit some of your other old haunts and pause to resurrect and enjoy some memories: Balloons (Monday Madness and Karoake), Cadillac Jack’s (Gladys, The Pink Cadillac), The Chute by the Ellicottville Inn (a place for rousing pool games), Dina’s (elegance and wonderful fine dining), Fenton’s at the Ellicottville Inn (the dining room favorite of skiers for multiple generations), Handlebar (named after Greg’s ‘stache – always the best listener, a fun, local place), The Hearth (how many holiday dinners did you enjoy there?), Heaven’s Brew Coffee (made espressos and cappuccinos more accessible in Ellicottville), Jules and Johnnies, Kabobs (brought middle-eastern food to Ellicottville), and Spot Coffee (great coffee and dessert – loved their couches).
The Taste has come far in forty years. From struggling to keep it alive just to bring people into Ellicottville, to wearing hard hats as head gear during one of those early years of major highway construction just to keep the event going, to barely making expenses, to now bringing thousands of visitors to the Taste every year. “We can do this” by 4 business owners (Tips Up, Madigan’s, Birdwalk and The Barn) to see Ellicottville flourish turned into “look what we’ve done!”
Nineteen local restaurants are set up café-style throughout the village, serving up small bites and signature dishes that showcase the best of Ellicottville’s culinary scene. Check out the full menu of samplings the restaurants have to offer on page 8; every booth has four or five choices.
Come early, stay late or stay over, August 9-10. The Village offers a parking lot behind Martha Street offering you free, safe, lighted parking, handicapped spots, and quick access to the village.