The Buzz: This Week in Buffalo

A Shakespearean legend, a Jurassic post office, and a guerrilla grocery app

Quote

“Get there early with your wine and sandwiches, and make sure to say hi! Don't say hi when I'm onstage. That would be weird.”

— Actor David Lundy, inviting Facebook friends to Shakespeare in Delaware Park’s “Richard III”

Such Sweet Thunder

Buffalo tips its cap to the late Saul Elkin, the brilliant, witty, and kind man who founded founder of Shakespeare in Delaware Park and the Jewish Repertory Theater. Everyone’s sharing stories, so here’s ours: We used to interview Saul for The Buffalo News. And once — back when we were single — we asked him to record a message for our answering machine. (People said to get a guy’s voice, you know, to throw off weirdos.) Saul didn’t hesitate. “No single woman lives here!” he declaimed in full Shakespearean thunder. Like everyone in Buffalo, we’re searching for the right words to say how much we appreciate Saul. So we’ll borrow from Twelfth Night, which just closed on Shakespeare Hill: “I can no other answer make but thanks. And thanks, and ever thanks.”

The Richardson Blues

The Richardson Hotel, on the day we learned the bar was closed. Photo by the Author.

The Richardson Hotel’s change of ownership is a pity. First, that lovely outdoor jazz festival we loved a few weeks back had to pack up and move. Then, just the other night, we met friends at the hotel’s bar — only to find it closed. That beautiful bar, with the killer happy hour! Why shut it down? A nice staffer said the closing’s only temporary. Let’s hope that’s true. If we do get an Act II, we have thoughts. Such as: As long as we’ve worked so hard to move past the site's asylum history, why does the present-day Psychiatric Institute have to be right next door? And while the main buildings look like a dream, why are others still boarded up like a jazz club in prohibition? Let’s give the whole place a real chance to shine.

Flashfood (What a Feeling)

Veggie Box No. 1. Photo by the Author.

Buzz just signed up for Flashfood — the app that lets you snag use-it-or-lose-it bargains from Tops, Dash, and more. It’s like a dating app for lonely food: Pull up a map, and you see what’s gotta go today. You can’t buy this stuff the normal way, in the store. You prepay on your phone. Shopping the Tops on Elmwood, Buzz chose kale for $1.80, Irish cheddar with whiskey for $3.50, and for $5, the mysterious Veggie Box No. 1. Inside, a clerk at Self-Checkout fetched our finds from the Flashfood fridge. The area was pretty bare bones …

The Flashfood fridge at the Elmwood Avenue Tops. Photo by the Author.

…. still, what fun to see the online deals come to life. Our $5 Veggie Box boasted 10 big bell peppers in every color. Nice! We’ll be back. And we have time. Later, browsing the app for fun, we found Dash had Cheesecake Factory raspberry cheesecake, hummus, and — wait for it — Crystal Light Drink Mix, best by March 17, 2027. Twenty-twenty-what? What’s the rush?

Signed, Sealed, Bewildered

Why does the post office on Hertel Avenue in North Buffalo still have a sign on the door telling us to wear masks and face coverings? Who’s running the place — Rip Van Winkle? Also, we miss those nice big commemoratives featuring national parks, soaring eagles, and scenes from 1776. Instead, we were offered Betty White — a legend, sure, but how did she leapfrog over Yosemite and the Liberty Bell? And finally, no, we don’t want a snake on our envelopes. We don’t care if it is the Chinese year of the snake. This is America. Give us a little glory with our glue!

The Buzz

Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m., Jack Rabbit on Elmwood Avenue is holding a Grateful Brunch, with the Buffalo Dead All Stars. Cute tribute to Elmwood Avenue’s old hippie days. … If you’re craving drama, music, and unexpected oyster action, swing by Johnny D’s at the Hyatt for the Friday happy hour, aka Lounge Academy, happening from 5 to 9 p.m. That’s where Howard, the guy we married, entertains — and where, last week, a crowd feasted on oyster platters with jazz in the air. Come raise a glass, meet some strangers, and maybe spot a duke in disguise.