This is It Restaurant and Catering
440 High Street (near Jefferson)
Buffalo, N.Y.

by Laura McClusky & Mike Niman,
Gazette Culinary Arts Critics

The other day, we were listening to WBFO, Buffalo’s public radio station. Like often times when we listen to WBFO, we felt like the commentator was talking about some other city. She was bemoaning the "fact" that Buffalo doesn’t have many intimate eating establishments anymore -- small places, with "atmosphere" Readers of this column know, that’s not the Buffalo we know.

Take for instance "This Is It Restaurant and Catering" at 440 High Street. Valerie and Velton Singletary’s Soul Food Restaurant has about five tables, great food and a cozy "everybody-knows-everybody and if-they-don’t-they-will-real-soon" atmosphere.

This is how it works, first you order up some good food (maybe some Baked Chicken [$7.00] or a Ham Dinner [$6.00]), and then you sit down and chat. Few folks chat only with the folks they came with, everyone chats with everyone, customers with customers, customers with cooks, everyone with everyone. It’s the kind of place where the walls between folks are broken down and community is built.

Whether you’re here to sit and have a meal, or to bring some food home, "This Is It" gives you a warm family place to catch up on the weeks events, or find out about up-coming activities. What you’ve got here, like most of the restaurants we review in the Gazette, is a small, intimate restaurant with a whole lot of atmosphere! This is the Buffalo we know. WBFO please take note.

Atmosphere alone won’t keep you coming back though. The food’s gotta be good. So let us tell you about the Pork Chops ($7.00) — two big, meaty, tender, tasty, pork chops, breaded, fried and smothered in delicious pork gravy. Fabulous! And the Pepper Steak ($7.50), a fine cut of T-bone, tender and generous, smothered in green peppers and pepper gravy. Very nice! Also on the menu are Ox Tails ($7.50), Beef Liver ($6.00), Turkey Wings ($7.00) and Spaghetti ($5.00 - only on Wednesdays}. Servings are generous.

With every meal you get two sides and there’s usually plenty to choose from. The cole slaw is good, but nothing that special. The Northern beans, however, are great. They’re cooked with bacon fat for a nice meaty, smoky flavor. The black-eyed peas also have a nice smoky flavor that compliments their natural earthy taste.

The big surprise was the mixed vegetables. We didn’t really want the mixed vegetables, but since the food is cooked fresh every day, they start running out near closing time. No more mac and cheese and no yams — so we chanced the mixed veggies. Many places simply pass off some frozen vegetable medley with a touch of butter. That’s not what you get at "This Is It." Their mixed vegetables consist of yellow squash, zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli and carrots cooked together to make a natural sweet sauce enhanced with butter and a hint of pepper. A different, more delightful, blend. Also available are string beans, corn, mash potatoes and dressing and Pinto beans. You can order sides separate though at a $1.50 a serving they are a bit pricy. Greens are $2.00 and Macaroni and Cheese is $2.50.

No meal its complete without dessert. Various cakes ($2-$2.50/slice) and pies ($1.50/slice) are available, and peach cobbler ($1.75) too! The coconut cake is sumptuous!

The weekends are special at "This is It." That’s when the Barbeque cooker gets fired up to produce ribs and chicken. If they’re anywhere near the quality of the rest of the food, they’ve gotta be good.

So stop by and enjoy one of Buffalo’s many intimate eating establishments, where you can enjoy great food and a healthy community atmosphere. Closing time is 7 PM, so be sure to get there early when you’re choices are wide. "Oh Taste and See That it is Good"