BUFFALO, N.Y. — Whether you're on the hunt for fresh bread and pastries, wood-fired pizzas, a chef-prepared meal with family and friends, or a cozy cocktail in the speakeasy, Elm Street Bakery is a one-stop holiday shop.
"It's definitely a destination, you feel like you're in a little storybook," Executive Chef Valentina Garcia Montano said.
"When November first hits, you put on your running shoes," General Manager Priscilla Pilon said. "A lot of people come in and get their gift cards, we do baskets that people can come in and put items that we sell in the market for gifts, so those are pretty popular."
Some of the seasonal specials that Chef Valentina and Sous Chef Paul Haefner are serving up from the bakery's open kitchen lately include sweet potato latkes, belly on the rib, and peri peri chicken.
"From every step, everything is made from scratch nothing is sourced outside, it's beautiful. I love it," Garcia Montano said.
Now back to that speakeasy.
"Not only do we have the bakery going on, but we also have across the parking lot the General Riley House," Pilon said. "Upstairs, we have just opened it as a cocktail lounge. You can get small plates up there, and you can also get anything that's on our bar menu downstairs. It has a really cool vibe down there. It has prohibition-style bar downstairs. It's supposed to be one of the best kept secrets."
Elm Street Bakery is Tuesday and Wednesday from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., Thursday and Friday from 8 a.m. - 8 p.m., and Saturday from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
The General Riley House is open Thursday through Saturday from 5 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Th Speakeasy at the General Riley House is open Wednesday through Saturday from 4 p.m. - 10 p.m.
For more details, check out Elm Street Bakery's website.