http://www.comfortzonecafe.com/component/option,com_jb2/view,rss/ description http://www.comfortzonecafe.com/component/option,com_jb2/PostID,26/view,post/ The results are in! We ran our Sandwich contest at the end of June and the feedback was great. This past month we've run each of the entries that we recieved on our menu as the daily specials and asked the customers who tried it what they thought. Here are the highlights: The Nor' Easter - we sold a lot of this sandwich and people really enjoyed it, the kicker was the cranberry mayo that we spread on the bread - we will be adding this to our rotation of specials sometimes and the Multigrain bread it was served on is sure to become a staple on our menu because it was so good! The Hawaiian - this one was my favorite! {but not the winner :(  } the housemade pickled ginger with a spicy brown mustard and grilled pineapple was an awesome treat and those who tried it really enjoyed it. Limburger with Onion on Rye - This generated more conversation (and more smell) than anything we've ever put on our menu! People who like Limburger were so excited to see it on a menu and to get that special treat, we heard lots of childhood memories and everyone wanted to share how they liked it served the best. Those who didn't like it - including some of our kitchen staff - turned up their nose, but I kept reminding them that they didn't know if it was good if they never tried it! There were a few other entries but the winning entry actually sold out in just a two days and everyone enjoyed it. The entry came from Brad from Niagara Popcorn and it was a very simple request "Roasted Red Peppers with Gruyere". I hunted WNY for an affordable Gruyere cheese and found that the price ranges from $12/pound (if you buy it in BULK) to $22/pound...making it a very pricey cheese for sandwiches. Gruyère Cheese is a hard yellow cheese, named after the town of Gruyères in Switzerland - we actually thought it tasted very similar to a standard swiss cheese when melted with the peppers. SO, we are going to be adding a Roasted Red Pepper with Swiss Cheese Panini Melt brushed with herb infused olive oil - it's not quite the same as using Gruyere, but it will make it able to be the same price as our other sandwiches so we can all afford to enjoy it! AND it makes Brad our contest winner! Stay tuned throughout the fall as we'll be updating our menu with some new sandwiches (including Brad's) and some new ingredients that we think you'll all enjoy :) http://www.comfortzonecafe.com/component/option,com_jb2/PostID,25/view,post/ It is with a fond memories and a hopeful spirit (and a little childish glee - which I'll explain later) that I write this entry. As of Friday, July 15th 2011 at 3pm, the Comfort Zone Cafe will no longer be on Elmwood Avenue. We are passing the torch to another wonderful family owned and operated business who are anxious to get their start in the "big city". We have be in business for three years on Elmwood Avenue, and while we've made many friends and GREAT customers, it's time for us to head back home (that's that childish glee I mentioned). We will truly miss the wonderful people that we've met in the city and I will definitely be spending lots of time in the area enjoying all the things our city offers us. As a small town girl though, I have to admit, I am very excited to get to go back to my roots in Hamburg and work there with my family and customers that I've been missing the last few years.  BUT THE REAL REASONS I'M WRITING THIS is that I wanted to give you a little heads up on what you can expect to find at 1002 & 1004 Elmwood Avenue as of their opening day on July 16, 2011! Straight from one of the owner/operators to my inbox - "Ashker's is a family owned and operated cafe, with three other locations (Youngstown, Lewiston, and Niagara Falls). We serve fresh juices, smoothies, and coffee beverages. Look for our soon-to-come ice cream and frozen yogurt desserts! Ashker's looks forward to continuing on the warm and comfortable service and atmosphere offered by Comfort Zone Cafe. The focus of our menu and atmosphere is health and wellness, offering a fresh variety of breakfast and lunch options, such as wraps, paninis, salads, and baked goods." I for one am excited to try out all that Ashker's has to offer to the Elmwood strip. Over the last few years I have seen a demand for healthy food options, ice cream, and a juice bar - so I expect great things from them! I hope that you will show them the acceptance and loyalty that you have given us over the last 3 years on Elmwood and that they too can be a part of the family that resides on Elmwood Avenue from year to year. With my sincerest gratitude and an ache in my heart, I would like to thank you all for your support and friendship on the strip these last 3 years. I will truly miss being a part of your mornings, helping you start your day out on the right foot, and experimenting with new tastes, soups, and creations for us to experience together. Thank you to my friends (aka customers) on Elmwood Avenue, Zenia Manager, Elmwood Avenue Comfort Zone "How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard." ~Carol Sobieski and Thomas Meehan, Annie "The world is round and the place which may seem like the end may also be the beginning. " ~Ivy Baker Priest http://www.comfortzonecafe.com/component/option,com_jb2/PostID,24/view,post/ Well, it's been awhile since I've chimed in with an update so I thought I'd fill you all in on the latest at the Comfort Zones. 2011 has already started as a pretty good year for us, we just hit 400 fans on facebook and our new campaign is going really well. If you're not a fan of the Comfort Zone on facebook yet you should really jump on that bandwagon! A few times a week we post a riddle, trivia, or fun thing for you to do, and as prizes we give a tons of FREE stuff! We've had some great response from these and we're just getting started. Click here if you want to like us on facebook and start getting in on the fun! Zenia http://www.comfortzonecafe.com/component/option,com_jb2/PostID,22/view,post/   So, we've had a few new things happening around here, and I've been falling in love with my job all over again. I've been working at this cafe for almost 13 years now, and as you can imagine, it can get a bit monotonous if I don't actively try to spice it up a little every now and again. So, some things I've recently discovered I love: Banana Plants (actually an Ensete) - I love it, it's so cool! We've been pruning him and hoping we can keep it alive during a cold Buffalo winter. If anyone has any hints about this PLEASE share! Raspberry Cupcake Lattes - I drink mine with skim milk and it's still great! Shopping at the Farmers' Market! Ok, I know I'm late to this concept but I'm just happy I've discovered them! We are so lucky in Buffalo to be blessed with farms in a lot of surrounding areas and great markets every week. The Clinton-Bailey market is open everyday and on Saturdays on Bidwell Pkwy and in Hamburg there are markets too! I'm very excited about this new discovery, but I think Cindy would have preferred if I had stayed in the dark because I think my addiction's become a little pricey. I'm not going to lie, I have been to the market 3 times in one day at this point, and even gone to more than one market in a day as well. I learned how to deal with brussel sprouts right off the stalk and about several kinds of squash I hadn't cooked with before. It's definitely been an eye-opener and I don't think I'll ever go back - sorry Cindy! Niagara Popcorn's Peanut Butter Popcorn BARK! This is probably one of my new favorite snacks, it's chocolate, peanut butter, and a little salty all in one package, now tell me, how can you go wrong!!! Well, unless you're me and you work at the Comfort Zone and you want to buy & eat the whole stock we have to sell...then that could go wrong... Roasted Apples and Apple Chutney - If you've never had either of these run out right now and get some local apples so you can try it! I've been a roasting fiend lately and roasted apples top my new list. The flavor of the apple is heightened when you roast them and they are just SO good. I've been using them on paninis, but they're pretty good to just eat too, I bet they'd be good in oatmeal for breakfast too! Lastly, I have a new found love for pumpkin pastry hearts. I don't know why this idea didn't come to me until 2010, but I'm glad it got here! For years we've been making raspberry hearts and they're SO good, but this year I thought, why not try making a pumpkin filling for my hearts, and man am I glad I listened to that voice. Dangerous for my diet to work around? Yes. A wonderful end of the work day or along side my coffee breakfast? YES I highly suggest everyone try at least one of the things on this list that you haven't tried before.  The old rat race can be a bit boring sometimes, but if you're always trying to find something new to spice things up you can't go too far wrong. Sure, there are a few failures along the way when you're experimenting, but if you keep trying you're sure to find something good amongst the not so great! ~Zenia "Every man can transform the world from one of monotony and drabness to one of excitement and adventure." Irving Wallace http://www.comfortzonecafe.com/component/option,com_jb2/PostID,23/view,post/ Well, it's the first of December in Buffalo and suddenly it looks like it. It's snowing and blowing outside for the first real snow of the season, although it doesn't seem like it's going to stick. Either way, it's gotten me in the mood for the holidays more than I was the last few days when it was raining and gross out. So, my point? 1st, I should be headed home to decorate instead of sitting here and writing this, but 2nd, our new merchandise is finally here and I'm pretty excited about it! We got a big shipment of stuff for the holidays, but almost none of it LOOKS like it's for the holidays so they're great presents for year round use! Some of our new stuff includes awesome magnets, fridge notepads, and mugs with fun animals and sayings on them such as a picture of a puffin that says "Stud Puffin" or an image of giraffe necks and heads that says "It's been a LOONNG day". Oh yeah, and the cows that say "Pasture Deadline", the moose hopping in the car that say "Text Moose-aging", and the bears and beavers that are having bads days and say "Life's a Bummer". We also have some new holiday wall hangings that are a great price and light up so they add some light to your wall, they're battery operated too so you don't have to find a place near a plug without having the cord showing. Oh yeah, and let's not forget the 7 or 8 different Garfield mugs with some of his classic sayings and some AWESOME disappearing mugs that change when you put hot liquid in them. Ok, you may be saying, wow Zenia, you're way to excited about this, but to you I say - STOP IN AND CHECK THEM OUT! I bet you a free pastry heart you won't be able to read the magnets and mugs without letting out a little chuckle or at least a big grin :-D Zenia "Live nutty.  Just occasionally.  Just once in a while. . . And see what happens.  It brightens up the day!" ~Leo Buscaglia http://www.comfortzonecafe.com/component/option,com_jb2/PostID,21/view,post/ Wow, it's been a long time since we've posted here, things have been a bit wild around here, which is great. Lately we've been looking to update our menu and add some different options for our customers. I've been craving some new, crazy, out-there drink lately and I'm having a mental block on anything good. We have had some luck on the food end though, here are a few new things we've added in the past few months that you should come check out! Zucchini Boats - Grilled Zucchini stuffed with cooked veggies and topped with parmesan cheese. They're REALLY low in calories and fat, they're vegan friendly (when you opt out of the cheese), and they're gluten free! Samoa Lake Effect - a coffee drink that tastes just like the girl scout cookie. At Elmwood we added ice cream and milkshakes, which was new for us. Iced Green Tea Cherry Blossom Green Tea A wide variety of Vegan Cookies that are absolutely AMAZING. Elmwood's also found a new soup that most people seem to love, it's a creamy soup called Georgia Peanut Chicken and it has a little kick to it with that familiar Thai Peanut Sauce flavor, chicken, and  veggies. I just love coming up with new things and I get such a kick out of it when people like what we've come up with. Here are a few things I'm thinking of trying and I'd love some feedback as to what people would enjoy seeing on the menu every once and awhile. New Syrups: Bacon, Watermelon Habanero, or Salted Caramel Bacon, I know it sounds gross but some of the drinks could be good! Think about this, a milkshake with vanilla icecream, a little bacon syrup, and a chocolate drizzle. OR, how about a maple cupcake with bacon frosting (this idea comes to us from Cheryl who works at Eastern Hills CZ and is an AMAZING baker!) Cucumber Boats with a summer salad stuffing Banana Boats with a fruit filling Limburger Cheese sandwiches I know most people probably cringe at this idea, but I happen to like Limburger and I can't think of anywhere you can serve it. As a fan of Limburger I don't ever buy a whole block without someone to share it with, but I would order it out if I saw it, would you!?! These are just a few ideas, like I said, I'd love some feedback! Zenia "Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen." http://www.comfortzonecafe.com/component/option,com_jb2/PostID,20/view,post/ April's almost over and we're finally getting our April Showers. We've been busy around here launching some new products and working on hiring some new staff to get ready for our upcoming busy season. A month or so ago we added a Cupcake Latte to our menu which has quickly become a favorite amongst our sweet coffee drinkers. Also, for the summer we've added a new Lake Effect special. For those of you who haven't tried a Lake Effect before, they are cold, "blenderized", coffee drinks that have other flavors such as Cookies and Cream, Mocha, or the ever popular Vanilla. Our newest addition is the "Samoa Cookie" Lake Effect that tastes just like the Girl Scout Cookie, with a hint of coffee, coconut, caramel, and a nice drizzle of sweet chocolate. In other news, Hamburg has been expanding their menu to offer a wider variety for the lunch crowd. Recently they added a Build Your Own Wrap option as well as a Daily Special Stuffed Baked Potato. Some potato options you can expect to find are things like the Pepperoni Pizza Potato, Greek Souvlaki, and Reuben Potatoes, among many others. Elmwood had its first Poetry Reading last month and it went over very well. We will be holding one again this month on May 8th, click here for more information.  We have also increased our options for Vegan soups here on Elmwood. We've tried some new ones such as a Roasted Cauliflower Soup, Tomato Florentine, and the popular 16 Bean and Split Pea soups. We are looking forward to the sunny weather here in Buffalo, May will be here soon. "April showers bring May flowers." ~Zenia http://www.comfortzonecafe.com/component/option,com_jb2/PostID,19/view,post/ Well folks, I just did next week's schedule and it's the beginning of April, amazing how the time flies. Our Tasting Parties are this weekend and I'm very excited about them, which I think I made apparent in my last post. I hope we'll see lots of people at them. We're doing the food a little differently & I think it will be nice. We're going to sample the food just like the drinks so there will be no buffet, just sample size pieces of the food, cupcakes, and all the drinks you can imagine, should be a great time. Our new expansion at Elmwood is going well, new people notice it every day. I'm very excited to say that we're finally getting ready to install the railing for the patio outside so our tables and chairs will be fenced in, that should be a BIG change here. We're also brainstorming some new ideas for the menu, we would love to get some feedback and ideas from our customers. We're trying to come up with a few lower calorie choices, along with a couple items that don't involve carbs so much (it's difficult to be on a low carb diet and then eat here every day of the week!) We're testing some ideas we have, but if you have any suggestions, please send them our way! The good news is that the sun is out in Buffalo today and the streets are full of people. I just love the feeling in here when people are ordering smoothies and iced coffees, everyone just seems SO much happier. Those are my updates for now, I'm sure there will be a lot more to say in the next few weeks! I hope to many of you at our tastings :) “No matter how dark the night, somehow the sun rises once again and all shadows are chased away”  ~David Matthew Zenia http://www.comfortzonecafe.com/component/option,com_jb2/PostID,18/view,post/ Well March is here and we've been running around keeping very busy! There are lots of exciting things going on at all the CZ locations this month. First of all, Congratulations to our Facebook winners, we reached 200 fans and awarded 2 lucky people with $25 gift certificates to the Comfort Zone Cafe. Second, the dates have been chosen for our annual CZ Tasting Parties! Elmwood's will be Saturday March 27th from 4-6 (with a possible 2nd session if tickets sell quickly) and Hamburg will hold theirs on Sunday March 28th from 4-6pm and then again from 6:30-8:30pm. For those of you who are not sure what a CZ Tasting Party is... Under $10 per person Unlimited Food Unlimited Drink Sampling (we'll take requests for those drinks you've always wanted to try but never have!) Possible Prizes for CZ trivia winners Tons of Fun!!! In case you couldn't tell, we're very excited about these parties. We have done them a few years now and they're just always so much fun for everyone involved, even those of us who "work" them. Tickets will be on sale starting the week of March 8th and space will be limited. In other CZ news, Elmwood is in full gear with the new cozy section and our newest healthy option, Wheatgrass Juice Shots. This stuff is amazing, the nutritional benefits are countless, if you're interested in learning more click here, or stop in and read one of Nature's Treats newsletters or brochures. Planning is also starting for our 2nd annual "Always A Bridesmaid" Event so keep an eye out for more information. Check out our photo gallery to see pictures from last year, it was so much fun and we're excited to do it again! Lastly, check out the entertainment calendar for March, we have a couple new musicians playing this month on Thursdays in Hamburg and on Elmwood. It'd be great if we had a lot of support for our local talent! Zenia "Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush."  -   Doug Larson http://www.comfortzonecafe.com/component/option,com_jb2/PostID,17/view,post/ Well, we're almost half-way through the month of February, how the time flies by. I am happy to report that the Quad-B Executive Conference Room is officially open and available for rent at our Elmwood Avenue location. The expansion now has cozy seating for approximately 14 people (17 if people cuddle up on the couches) with lamps and tables for studying, writing, or just enjoying that atmosphere. The Quad-B satellite office is staffed from 9am-5pm Monday through Friday (and sometimes Saturdays) so that people can drop off their computers for repairs and get to know the Quad-B staff. They are also available to meet with any business who is interested in their website or IT services. We are currently planning for our big open house event in conjunction with Quad-B Systems. On Thursday, February 18th, 2010 from 4pm to 7pm we will be holding an open house in our new expansion. There will be refreshments provided by the Comfort Zone Cafe as well as door prizes valued over $1,000! Please tell anyone who you know who may be interested in using the conference room and plan on stopping by to check it out! On a different note, Valentine's Day is sneaking up on us. For those of you who just can't think of what to get that special someone CALL US! (716-648-5779) Order by Saturday at 2pm and get a platter of pastry hearts in their favorite color, or a heart-shaped cake to show them how much you love them just in time for Sunday Night! Of course, don't forget the flowers to go with your special treat, for which I will shamelessly plug Expressions Floral and Gift Shoppe. Happy Valentine's Day Everyone, Zenia "Anyone can catch your eye, but it takes someone special to catch your heart."