CHEAP EATS
Nina's Custard: Mama's salad and more
All I could think about as I walked into Nina’s Custard was Hot Dog Heaven. Faithful Cheap Eats readers will recall that I thought that Heaven served, well, hot dogs, like Just Pizza serves just pizza, or, for that matter, Sheridan Surgical is on Sheridan Drive.
What? Really? Well, to get back to Nina’s Custard, I hear they have incredible soft custard, a large selection of hard ice cream, and all the usual chilly delights. But we weren’t there for that.
With the help of lifelong Buffalonians Pat and John, who enjoyed the cuisine at Mama Rose’s at Kensington and Olympic starting in the 1960s, we had already tracked down Mama Rose’s red sauce in some excellent pasta dishes at My Tomato Pie on Sheridan Drive. Now we were hot on the trail of Mama Rose’s salad dressing, whose secret recipe was preserved by this part of Mama’s family and is served to this day.
Mama’s salad ($3.68) was a nice mix of three types of lettuce —we identified iceberg and romaine— chopped egg and Swiss cheese in a large, clear plastic bowl. The homemade dressing was described as a combination of creamy garlic and French, which sounds simple enough to reproduce at home, but the blending is so distinctive that both John and Pat plunged their forks in and said “Mmmmm!”
A bowl of the minestrone ($2.95) was slightly above average. The broth was tasty, and it offered plenty of vegetables and pasta, but unlike the salad and its dressing, Pat said it didn’t stack up to the original in her memory.
The hot dog ($2.25) was satisfying. Although not charbroiled, it had a crisp skin and was served in a soft, fresh roll.
A special from the whiteboard—a “Ryan” panini for $5.99— was incredibly good. The chicken breast was tender and juicy, the peppers and onions cooked until sweetly carmelized, the provolone melty. Best of all, the bread was deeply ridged and toasted to perfection. I had them omit the hot sauce, and didn’t miss it.
Oddly enough, what we liked best after Mama’s salad was the side of lattice-cut French fries ($1.99), called Criss Cuts on the menu. Served seconds after being pulled out of the fryer, they seemed to be dusted with some subtle seasoning. Like Mama’s recipes, I can see how these fries could grow on a person.
Nina’s Custard is open from 11 a. m. to 11 p. m. daily. It is handicapped-accessible.
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