The Buzz: This Week in Buffalo

Hot drinks, cool cats, and a forecast from Don Paul

Quote

“Bad day? Coffee. Good day? Coffee. Stressed? Coffee. Tired? Coffee. Confused? Coffee. Bored? Coffee. We got you!!”

— Chalkboard sign in front of Penny’s Coffee Shop on Main Street downtown

Hold my coffee and watch this! Buzz wrestles a tiger. Photo by Ryan Lysarz.

Earning Our Stripes

The Buffalo Zoo opens early on select Saturdays just for members, 9 to 10 a.m., and lures us in with free hot coffee or hot cocoa — both of which we love regardless of season, temperature, or time of day. (Add red wine and you've got the trifecta.) Saturday, coffee in hand, we raced to the big cat area to meet the new tiger, but instead met her ahem, wardrobe. There, before our astonished eyes, was a tiger pelt, an actual tiger pelt, laid out like a lounge rug. And yes, we wrestled it. A docent named Megan educated us: The tiger’s stripes, we learned, are on the skin, not the fur. The zoo brings this pelt out for special occasions — Wines in the Wild, say. As for the tiger’s origin, Megan shrugged. “I don’t know where this fellow came from,” she said.

Christmas in July

As long as there’s hot coffee and hot cocoa in play on a sweltering Saturday, why not add another wintry treat — hot tea? Leaving the zoo, Buzz went to explore the Clinton-Bailey Market — click here to read about our adventures. And we wandered into Snowy Owl Tea in the historic Buffalo Niagara Food Terminal. In this beautiful boho space, proprietor Tara Bystran-Pruski coaxed us in the direction of blends that make good iced tea. But no, we went rogue and went home with the hot stuff — Orange Chocolate, and a figgy blend with the aroma of carols and cookies. Haul out the holly — we need a little Christmas now!

100 Percent Chance of Laughs

We break for a forecast from meteorologist Don Paul. He popped up on Facebook with a classic throwback photo …

The dashing Don Paul.

… and the announcement: “I'm back on News 4 tomorrow, Wednesday from 4 to 11 p.m., and Friday from 5 to 11. Since you folks haven't seen me in a while, if I no longer look like this on your set, it may be time to pony up for a new Zenith!” Ha, ha! Cute! And it just got funnier. Our quick-on-the-draw friend Jim Corbran zinged back: “And if you DO look like the photo, it's either Happy Hour where the news is on the TV, or time for new glasses!”

Portrait of the artist in a black frock. Annie Philippone was spotted at sea.

Songs in the Key of Sea

On the Moondance Catamaran on Wednesday, a celebrity sighting: the rocking piano chanteuse Annie Philippone, aboard with her husband, Don (the second dashing Don to appear in today’s column). Tall and golden-haired, Annie looked like a supermodel in a chic black floral print dress. The frock, she said, helped her set the right tone in the recording studio, where she had spent the day. It added that touch of authenticity. Another such touch? She’s thinking of releasing her new album on vinyl. (Do it, Annie — we’re ready with cash in hand!) How else to create those vintage vibes? Annie let slip that she may have, just may have, hustled a whiskey flask into the studio. Now that’s authentic, we agreed. Anything for art!

The buzz

Celebrity endorsement: Annie Philippone has joined the ranks of free subscribers to this publication! If you haven’t yet, what are you waiting for?

And speaking of celebrities, swing by Lounge Academy at Johnny D’s this Friday from 5 to 9 p.m. Howard, the guy we married, is entertaining for Happy Hour — and you never know who might stroll in for a martini and a melody.