National Girlfriends Day and National Resurrect Romance Week: where to go on your date night

Celebrate National Girlfriends Day (photo credit: Getty images)

Western New York is full of fantastic romantic restaurants. Whatever your tastes, whether it's Vietnamese, Chinese, Italian, Polish, or a restaurant that focuses on in-season local proteins and produce or vegan, you're sure to find somewhere to take your significant other to celebrate National Girlfriends Day.

Juniper on Elmwood is a new-to-the-area restaurant focusing on vegetarian and French cuisines using locally grown foods and local products. In the kitchen you'll find chef Kate Elliott preparing her fabulous menu of delicious dishes. Juniper can be found at 810 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo (716) 885-5239. All reviews of this restaurant give it  minimum of 4 stars and describe the restaurant as modern yet cozy, fancy yet comforting at the same time. It is a fine dining restaurant and the prices reflect this, but you can find 8 dishes on the Pub Menu under $15, and these are rotated often.

May Jen has been a Kenmore Avenue fixture for many years. May Jen offers your typical Chinese-American fare, but you'll be pleasantly surprised by their take on them. Located at 47 Kenmore Avenue, Buffalo (716) 832-5162, May Jen has about 8 tables and is a small, comfortable, relaxed restaurant. Fine dining without the fine dining price or dress code. This reviewer highly recommends the fresh spring rolls with shrimp (2/$3.50), wonton soup ($1.40 per bowl), Seafood Wor Bar on Sizzling Platter ($13.95 enough for two), and dish with Crispy Beef and General Tso's Chicken ($15.95 enough for two with leftovers). The General Tso's chicken is not your ordinary greasy, overly breaded unidentifiable as chicken dish. This dish has hearty chunks of chicken that are lightly battered and fried and served with a delicious untypical hot and sweet sauce.

Need your fix of Vietnamese food? Check out Red Pepper, located at 3910 Maple Road, Amherst (716) 831-3878. Another small restaurant with maybe 8 tables and 5 booths, you may have to wait on a Friday or Saturday night for a table. If you like Pho, then you'll need to try the House Special Beef Pho. A medium bowl (HUGE!) will set you back only $5.95 and a large bowl (GYNORMOUS!!) is only $1 more. Start your meal with the fresh spring rolls. In the mood for Chinese food instead of Vietnamese? Red Pepper has an extensive Chinese menu also. The wonton soup is delicious with small, tender wontons stuffed with delicious pork filling ($1.50 per bowl). The Happy Family ($17.50) is enough for 2 people and is of excellent quality, as is the Dragon & Phoenix ($13.95).

For Italian food, check out Ilio DiPaolo's Restaurant & Ringside Lounge (3758 South Park Avenue, Blasdell (716) 825-3675) has an extensive menu of fine dining Italian dishes, as well as an early bird menu, as well as a lunch menu, and an extensive Tour of Italy wine list. Not to be missed is minestrone soup, deep fried gnocchi, the seafood fra diavolo and the Abruzzi platter. Finish off dinner with a delicious cannoli and espresso. Reservations are highly recommended, especially on the weekends.

Delicious Polish food can be found at the Polish Villa located at 1085 Harlem Road, Cheektowaga (716) 822-4908. It's as fine dining as you can get in a Polish atmosphere. The restaurant is comfortable and cozy and the food is excellent. Get the Polish Platter if you want a little bit of everything(pierogi, golumbki and kielbasa) or indulge your desire for kishka or czarnina. There is something for everyone who loves Polish food.

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