BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – After closing shortly after opening last year during the pandemic, the Elmwood Village’s Iron Tail Tavern (802 Elmwood Ave.) is back open for business.
The restaurant, currently in a soft-opening phase, has a new menu dedicated to farm-to-table, organic, and seasonal items. They’re planning a grand opening for Nov. 4.
Iron Tail Tavern is owned by Jon and Jacqueline DiBernardo, who also own The Delaware.
Chef Malik Von Saint has taken over the kitchen, and says that farm-to-table is an important tenet for him.
“You’re helping out the local community, and most importantly, health,” Von Saint said when asked why it’s important to eat local.
The current menu includes offerings like butternut squash and mulligatawny soups, acorn squash salad, and chicken confit legs. You can find information on the farms where the food came from on the menu. At the bar, you’ll find locally-made wines as well as a collection of cocktails and mocktails and beer.
Chicken confit/PHOTO: Malik Von Saint
Despite the upscale offerings on the menu, Von Saint says the atmosphere of the restaurant is casual.
“You can wear whatever you want,” he added.
Iron Tail will also be offering a gourmet menu for dogs, which Von Saint explains will be made separately from their humans’ food – with fewer spices, but still organic and healthy.
“100 percent of the proceeds will go to the Buffalo Animal Shelter,” he explained.
It won’t be Von Saint’s first time serving up fancy meals to four-legged friends. For several years (with the exception of last year, due to COVID-19) he has been crafting three-course meals on Thanksgiving for the animals at the shelter.
“A couple of years ago it was Thanksgiving and I was bored, I started thinking about the dogs at the shelter, who is going to take them out and feed them?” Von Saint explained.
He had some leftover food at Hotel Henry (where he worked at the time) and began researching how to make it into pet-friendly meals.
“It became an event – we took in a lot of donations,” Von Saint added.
Von Saint said he plans to get back to work cooking Thanksgiving dinner for the shelter animals this year.
Iron Tail Tavern is now open for dinner at 5 p.m. Monday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Sunday brunch starts 11 a.m. Oct. 24.
Kaley Lynch is a digital reporter who has been part of the News 4 team since 2016. See more of her work here.