Five Miles of Tasty Bliss on Sheridan

s w e N o l a f f u B e h T

Enjoying the fare at Ted's Hot Dogs in the Town of Tonawanda are Jean Kemp, left, and Mary Brindley. FNicikv Agero /m Bufifalloe Nsew sof tasty bliss on Sheridan By Bruce Andriatch

Published:July 31, 2012, 12:07 AM 12 Comments

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Tweet 16 More photos Updated: August 1, 2012, 4:29 PM

Between 1946 and 1968, the owners of five family businesses decided to open locations on a 5mile stretch of an eastwest thoroughfare north of the city line. In some of the cases, it didn't make a lot of sense for them to build on property on this road that at one time was accurately described as the middle of nowhere. But they did.

All five of the businesses are still there today and still packing in the abouttonolongerbe hungry. Maybe you've heard of them: Louie's; John & Mary's; Anderson's; Ted's; and Duff's. The five iconic restaurants either got their start or cemented their legacies on that road that came to be synonymous with guilty gastronomic bliss.

Buffalo may be the heart of Western New York, but Sheridan Drive is the stomach.

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Louis Turco was living the American dream in 1951. He had a steady job at Bell Aerospace, a wife he loved and a child on the way. But he was restless.

"My Dad was kind of a renegade. He wanted to go into business by himself," said his son, Angelo.

Out for a drive one night, he spotted a truck stop not far from the Niagara River. He had always wanted to own a restaurant, so he convinced his wife that this was the place. Louie's was born.

The cinder block building is still there, but it's hard to see it because once you get close, the aroma of footlong hot dogs and freshly made Curly Q Fries is almost blinding. That smell is better than any advertising Louie's could buy.

The success of that stand led to growth for Louie's, which has two other locations in Western New York and two in Western New York South, aka North Carolina.

Louie's Original Foot Long Hot Dogs is not technically on Sheridan Drive, by the way, but that's news to most people who eat there; its address is 69 Grand Island Blvd. Angelo Turco said he refers to it as "the foot of Sheridan."

Unlike the other four restaurants mentioned above that offer indoor seating, Louie's maintains that hot dog stand feel it has always had. Partly because of that, the original Louie's Original also is the only one of the four that does not stay open year round. It's a summer place.

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I can't be objective about Anderson's. It has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. My friends and I used to hop the fence in my backyard and could be waiting in line for a pint of black raspberry on Sheridan two minutes later.

All four of my children are current or former Anderson's employees. I still go there often enough to worry that I might have a frozen custard problem.

Obviously, I'm not alone. The little custard stand that Carl Anderson brought from the Bronx to Kenmore Avenue in 1947, before opening on Sheridan in 1953, is now a sevenrestaurant chain. All but one are operated by his family.

The Town of Tonawanda was still mostly undeveloped land when he and his wife, Greta, decided to build their flagship on Sheridan. His daughter, Holly, told me he had a notion that the town was about to be the next big thing.

"He was pretty archaic in other areas, but as for his decisions about the business ... they were very futuristic," she said. One of them was to add roast beef sandwiches to the menu in the 1960s, which might have seemed like a strange combination, but it worked.

The Sheridan Drive location underwent extensive renovations in 2008, creating indoor seating by adding what amounts to garage doors. That has allowed Anderson's to modernize while maintaining one of its great summertime traditions: the line of customers that stretches from the ordering window almost to the cars zooming by on Sheridan.

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The story of Ted's started with the Peace Bridge, when recent immigrant Theodore Liaros began selling hot dogs out of a toolshed that was used by workers until the span was finished in 1927. Twentyone years later, he made his first incursion into the burbs, opening the place on Sheridan that still stands today.

Like his friend and longtime acrossthestreetbusinessneighbor, Carl Anderson, Liaros made his move without knowing what was about to happen to the town in the postwar boom years. At the time, it was not a popular decision.

"His attorney told him, 'Ted, you're nuts. I advise you not to do it. That building is in the middle of farmland,'?" said his granddaughter, Thecly Ortolani. "But he had good foresight."

Apparently. Although the hot dog competition would eventually include Louie's to the west and Pat's to the east, Ted's continued to thrive and grow.

Today, there are seven Ted's locations in Western New York and one in the Phoenix area. An eighth is on the way, on the footprint of the old location on Union Road near the Walden Galleria.

Like the other four iconic restaurants, Ted's is a muststop for expatriates visiting home. As if anyone needs a reminder, Ted's has bought ad space inside Buffalo Niagara International Airport, just in case.

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The John & Mary's brand was wellestablished by the time John and Mary Guida came to Tonawanda in 1968. The original location on Harlem Road in Cheektowaga opened in 1952, and a second on Transit Road in Depew followed.

John & Mary's has had two bites of the Sheridan Drive apple. The first location opened at Sheridan and Colvin on the site of the old Brinson's DriveIn. The family closed that location when it moved to the current site at Sheridan and Ashford in 1974, a block away from Ted's.

When the newer Sheridan location opened, it created a kind of takeout heaven that also included the Red Barn next door and Pat's just up the street.

John Guida, the third generation of the Guida family to work in the business, said the other places were never thought of as competition because they were selling different food.

"To me, competition would be the same food. We each were unique," he said.

Only at John & Mary's can you get the signature Abomb, Italian sausage with peppers, onions and hot sauce. (Eat it too late at night and it might come with a side order of regret.)

Today there are nine John & Mary's restaurants, all of them operated independently either by family members or close friends of the Guida family.

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Duff's is the only one of the five not in Tonawanda and not the name of the person who started it, but it's close on both counts. In 1946, Louise Duffney started the business at the corner of Sheridan and Millersport Highway in Amherst as a gin mill.

Duff's did not start serving chicken wings, its signature menu item, until 23 years after it opened, when Louise started to make wings so that her son Ron could stop buying them from another restaurant. After that, Duff's reputation began to grow, but it was still a hidden treasure. Like another Western New York institution, Mighty Taco, it was largely a latenight place that attracted a postbar crowd.

Jeff Feather, who today coowns Duff's with Louise's son, Ron, said the turning point came in 1982 when Buffalo Evening News restaurant critic Janice Okun visited and wrote a positive review (3½ stars). That's why a framed copy of that review still hangs on the wall.

Suddenly, Duff's was a destination. Families started coming. The doors eventually opened at 11 a.m. to accommodate the lunch crowd. It now closes at a more respectable hour of no later than midnight, as opposed to the former closing time of 3 a.m. And customers learned that if they ordered their wings hot, they were about to have a gustatory experience they would never forget.

Today, the argument about whether Duff's or the Anchor Bar has the best wings in Buffalo continues to rage, but the restaurant's success is not up for debate. There are seven Duff's locations, four in Western New York and three in the Toronto area.

Not bad for a gin mill.

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The conversation often turns to food when I see people from my past who have moved away. One of my best friends is home from Texas and he already has been to Duff's and Old Man River and probably will hit some others I mentioned before he returns.

True, these are just restaurants, but they also are a part of our collective shared experience. In some ways, they are themselves just like old friends. They might not always be good for us, but they are there when we need them, and they never fail to make us smile.

There are a lot of reasons people who no longer live here hunger to come home. But thanks to what they continue to experience on Sheridan Drive, we can at least be pretty sure they're not hungry when they leave. [email protected]

Comments SORT: NEWEST FIRST | OLDEST FIRST

@BOB CATALANO I think Bob is feeling a little neglectedawww. Great article. Maybe you could write about the microbeer drinking crowd Buffalo has so many good restaurants and bars that provide delicious beers. Cheers!

NICOLAS GIANGRECO, WILLIAMSVILLE , NY on Tue Aug 14, 2012 at 10:12 AM

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Mr. Andriatch, Your stories about first ring suburbs are noted. Now, how many stories have you done about 2rd or 3rd ring suburbs? And how many were Amherstcentric. (I suspect most)

BOB CATALANO, DERBY, NY on Thu Aug 2, 2012 at 10:09 AM

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Bob: You are of course welcome to your opinion on any topic, but I have to respond to this latest one regarding my alleged prejudice against anything south of Buffalo. This column was the seventh I have done in this series. Of the other six, one was on the Palace Theater (Hamburg), one was on Chestnut Ridge (Orchard Park) and one was on BobOLink (Orchard Park). So when you say I'm afraid to "venture far from the safety of the Tons AmherstClarence corridor," you're just wrong. To paraphrase our late senator, you're more than entitled to your own opinion, but not your own facts. Cheers.

BRUCE ANDRIATCH, NEWS STAFF on Wed Aug 1, 2012 at 04:50 PM

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In 1825 Canal Street was the jumping off place for the great western wilderness. Im told that the Larkin family was so afraid of the dangerous voyage to Chicago, they decided to settle in Buffalo and build their soap company. In the same way, Bruce Andriatch is afraid to venture farther south then say, Cheektowaga. Theres a whole wide world waiting for him in the 25 Towns of Erie County and beyond, but alas,he doesnt venture far from the safety of the TonsAmherstClarence corridor. Theres about 100 miles of beaches south of City Hall and legend has it one or two hotdog stands. Really.

BOB CATALANO, DERBY, NY on Wed Aug 1, 2012 at 02:52 PM

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It's been 35 years since I moved from Kenmore to California and my mouth waters reading about Ted's, Anderson's, Louie's and Duff's. Every trip back to Buffalo is carefully choreographed with multiple visits to each location. I remember back in the day when McDonald's opened on Sheridan...a distant second to Henry's Hamburgers on Delaware; Micky D's didn't rate high enough (and still doesn't) to be compared to the iconic eateries highlighted in your article. Every business trip to Phoenix includes a stop at Ted's; 2 well done dogs with pickle, mustard, ketchup and onion and the prior week's Buffalo News... a slice of heaven. After reading the article, I'm compelled to click on Expedia and book my ticket home. You can take me out of Buffalo, but when it comes to the comfort food you shared... you can't take the Buffalo out of me! Well done. Tim Templeton

TIM TEMPLETON, ESCONDIDO, CA on Wed Aug 1, 2012 at 02:47 PM

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These restaurants are my fondest memories of my hometown. Louie's Hot Dogs are my very first memory of going out to eat, and of course I got to ride the pony. I still crave and rave about John & Mary's subs. Only in Buffalo can you get subs this good. I've lived all over the country, and nowhere else even compares! Anderson's and Ted's were the beginning of my independence, being within walking distance but further than we had ever ventured before. The fact that they are all still thriving speaks volumes about the quality and excellence of the foods they serve. I could be wrong, but I remember Brinson's being at the corner of Sheridan & Military Rd. Have I lost my mind?

MEREDITH SANDERSON, DOUGLASVILLE, GA on Tue Jul 31, 2012 at 04:39 PM

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Oh, thank heavens I can now get here in Charlotte, Sahlens hot dogs at a local butcher, beef on weck at various restaurants, haddock fish fry and beef on weck at Lebowski's, and some really good wings (like Anchor Bar) at Taco Mac.....but there is nothing quite like going to Ted's...... and no Mighty Taco here....

DIANE ADAMS, CHARLOTTE, NC on Tue Jul 31, 2012 at 01:25 PM

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I still have my BILLS season tickets and I hit all of these places when I come home for the games. I also love: DiFlippo's in Lockport, Wagner's Roast Beef in Lockport, a steak and cheese sub at Viola's on Military in the Falls, hot wings at Kelly's Korner on Delaware in Buffalo, a stinger sub at Jim's Steakout, Mighty Taco....you wonder why I put on weight when I am home during the football season....GO BILLS!!!!

AARON SCHMIDT, OLMSTED, OH on Tue Jul 31, 2012 at 01:01 PM

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Also not mentioned are the Olympic at Sheridan & Military and Tom's on Sheridan & Bailey, both known for their wonderful Greek Hot Dogs, Soulvaki & Rice Pudding. These also are must stop into's when back in Buffalo.

JUDY SCOMA, SAN ANTONIO, TX on Tue Jul 31, 2012 at 11:37 AM

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Long Gone Pat's Hot Dogs were a mainstay. So were the often ticketed drag races up and down the short strip on Sheridan Drive in these youthful hangouts. Ooops ! forgot about The Red Barn fast food restaurant,Sambo's and short lived Wendy's .PS. There are quite a few Greek Family Restaurants peppered from one end of Sheridan Drive (Tonawanda) to the other(Clarence ), and other ethnic restaurants, and specialty restaurants. Enjoy the variety!

PHILIP JAMES JAROSZ, BUFFALO, NY on Tue Jul 31, 2012 at 10:21 AM

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