Good Time Rating: 5 out of 5 boozy milkshakes
Wheelchair Rating: 4 out of 5 hardwood floors
12/06/24
Buffalo, NY
Have I mentioned my kid is awesome?
We're talking straight A's, stellar parent teacher conferences, Honor Roll, Principal's Award. She speaks two languages and she's precociously polite. I love her so damn much.
We let her pick the restaurant to go out and celebrate her achievements. Small Blonde Child (SBC) voted for Mr Sizzle's and it wasn't hard to see why. They specialize in milkshakes, burgers, and fried chicken sandwiches that taste like Chick-fil-A can suck it.
We've been there a couple times before, but I've always used my cane and not my wheelchair. I rolled up filled with trepidation that I was about to ruin one of my own favorite restaurants for me. What if the accessibility was terrible? What if they were rude to me because of the chair??
As you can probably tell from the rating, I was (mostly) pleasantly relieved. There are a couple drawbacks. Parking is street only. This has been no problem for me on previous visits, but on a Friday night Mr. Sizzle's was happening. Still, we didn't have to park too far - just a short roll down a sidewalk that was in pretty good shape.
Then I came to the entrance ramp. It's a bit of a doozy. Quite steep, but not unmanageably so. The real problem is the doors. The first set of double doors open outward and then the second set also open outward. That meant I had very little room to grab the door, back up, and maneuver myself inside. And I was meant to accomplish that tricky maneuver while holding myself steady on a ramp. Perhaps a more practiced wheelchair user could have managed it, but folks, I could not. The love of my life had to hold one door open for me while SBC held open the other, and I muscled my way up the ramp.
Once inside, it's all wood floors smooth enough to roller skate on. Nice wide walkways, spacious bathrooms, even pretty good spacing between the tables! It's upscale casual. You stand in line to order your food at the counter and order your drinks at the bar.
Oh yes, drinks. Six paragraphs and I haven't yet brought up that you can get milkshakes with booze in them. I got a cinnamon crunch shake with rum, and it tasted like horchata and love. I'd rank it just a little over hubby's milkshake - cookies and cream with rum. SBC got a decidedly non-alcoholic peanut butter chocolate shake which she immediately devoured with a spoon while mostly ignoring the rest of her dinner. Which is a shame, because the rest of the dinner was fantastic.
I went with the I Love Honey sandwich - a fried chicken breast coated in spicy honey like a boneless wing. I don't know if that chicken has ever seen a freezer but it certainly didn't taste like it. Got it with a seriously generous side of fresh made chips and some kind of sour cream dip.
Their whole menu seems to thrive on decadence. You can get a burger with poutine on it. You can get a burger sandwiched between two grilled cheeses. You can get Mac and cheese with hot honey and bacon. It's a stoner's dream and a cardiologist's nightmare.
We had a couple very small issues with our order- a sandwich that arrived with mayo when we asked for none, and SBC's milkshake was thick enough to build a tiny snowman with. SBC refused to send anything back, so we didn't give them the opportunity to fix it.
The most important thing was that she was happy with her celebration dinner. Because she is very much worth celebrating.
I always email the business after to suggest improvements. Folks, this was the best response I've seen yet. The owners not only said they would take my suggestions with regards to the front door and run with them, they also invited me to come in and suggested more improvements! I will keep you posted on how that meeting goes, faithful readers.
Now on to an unrelated note:
MIKE & POP'S UPDATE
It wasn't until after I posted my review of Mike & Pop's that I got a second response from the owners. This one came from Mike, not Pops (although it's hard to say - they're actually both called Mike). Mike's message was a far cry from the previous "we will most certainly look into your recommendations." This one had an action plan - they're reversing the hinges on the bathroom door so that wheelchair users can close the door behind them, and installing grab bars next to the toilets.
In my own very small way, I feel like my little blog is having an impact on my community. So good on Mike & Pop's for taking ADA compliance seriously.
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