Johnny D’s checks all the boxes and then some.

A former Delaware North executive – Chris Harter – is opening Johnny D’s in the famous EB Green’s Steakhouse, inside the Hyatt Regency Buffalo. Harter, who told me he came from nowhere and anywhere (laughing), was brought back to Buffalo from Atlanta by Douglas Jemal of Douglas Development (owner of the building), who told him: “Go back to Buffalo and open this restaurant!” » Until then, Jemal and Harter had not been able to get along, but Jemal eventually realized that Harter was the only one who could make the operation work. Really hard work.

Previously, Harter worked in Buffalo, North Delaware, for three years. He told me his move to Atlanta was short-lived before he received the phone call from Jemal, which prompted him to return to Buffalo – a city he was happy to return to. It didn’t take much convincing. All it took was a trade deal that would benefit both parties, without too much risk.

What Harter has done with the space is pretty impressive. With an open kitchen, private meeting room (accommodating up to 70 people), sumptuous main dining room, funky sunken bar, indoor garden atrium and large patio, Johnny D’s is a refreshing addition to downtown restaurant landscape. . I couldn’t believe it when I walked in and saw iconic Buffalo musician Jackie Jocko’s piano glowing in the corner. Jocko used to tickle the ivories back in the day, when EB Green’s was “the place to be”. Now, Howard Goldman will revive the piano player role at Johnny D’s, which will be open seven days a week, starting today.

Our preview of the restaurant yesterday was a real eye-opener. It was easy to understand why Jemal was so desperate to bring Harter back to Buffalo. For Harter, the devil is in the details. Over the years, he opened and owned a number of restaurants, led countless high-profile operations, and served as president of the Patina Restaurant Group during his time in Buffalo. Restaurant Informer reported that he retained the positions of president and general manager at Restaurants Unlimited in Seattle, Legacy Restaurants in Houston and Levy Restaurants in Chicago. As my wife keenly pointed out, this is not the first rodeo of this type.

Speaking of a Texas rodeo, similar to EB Green’s magic recipe, Johnny D’s is going to offer some pretty mean steaks, including prime steaks and chops – 8 ounces of filet mignon, a rib-eye aged at 22-ounce dry bone-in, a new rack of Zeeland lamb and a double-cut pork chop, for example. Other interesting menu items include sushi rolls, classic Caesar, wedge salad, roasted heirloom carrots, shrimp and grits, chicken fried steak, Faroe Island salmon, pappardelle and macaroni with wild mushroom cheese.

The kitchen is run by Kenneth Legnon, former private chef for Jeremy Jacobs, owner of Delaware North. The front of the house is orchestrated by manager Michael Stanley Gallisdorfer, who eschewed the Richardson Hotel operations. Together, this team has created an impressive steakhouse that will appeal to anyone hoping for the kind of sophisticated, fine dining experience most found on Transit Road near the airport. This is the type of fine dining experience that proliferated downtown Buffalo in its heyday.

Do you want some sun? Johnny D’s keeps its promises. Want something sublime? They have that too. There is a setting for every occasion. While it may be reminiscent of EB Green, it has been completely revolutionized to become the type of dinner club you would expect every major city to have (at least one of them). Harter checked all the boxes. Then he added a few more boxes and checked them too.

Currently, Johnny D’s is slowly rolling out the menu, until they get their feet wet. In the meantime, the temporarily reduced menu will still get people talking, and the cocktail program will get toasts accordingly. We tried a few cocktails, and they were sensational…especially the blood orange margarita with jalapeño and the heirloom tomato martini, which was a huge home run.

In the same way that Jemal told Harter to returns to BuffaloI’m here to tell you to return to city centerand try Johnny D. Whether it’s having sushi and a cocktail at the bar, or enjoying a sizzling steak while chilling to jazz music (or Lou Reed, Joe Jackson on the music playlist), or even attending a clambake on the terrace this summer, this dynamic dinner club is here to please and here to stay.

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