Restaurants in Lackawanna

When diners step into The Pomegranate and see kebabs, rice, and flatbreads decorating the menu, they might expect a typical Mediterranean meal. But the scent in the air should soon convince them otherwise. In the kitchen, chefs surprise nostrils and taste buds with Persian cooking's subtle combinations of herbs and mild spices, such as dried lime, rose water, pomegranate paste, and mint, combined according to secret family recipes in order to create a delicate, full flavor that dances across the palate. Their stews—including the signature chicken stew with walnut and pomegranate—simmer for hours, and house marinades result in tender, tongue-mesmerizing kebabs from fresh chicken, beef, and lamb. Yet not all the magic happens out of sight. The chefs grill their meats over an open flame before diners' eyes, hypnotizing, beckoning, and grabbing their attention without using cartoon hands made out of smoke. To maintain its authenticity, The Pomegranate imports its basmati rice and stocks the kitchen with fresh and healthy ingredients, which it transforms into meals for meat lovers and vegetarians alike.

With its wood-fired brick oven, mural of a seaside Italian village, and traditional recipes passed down through generations, Carmine’s Italiano re-creates the charm of Sicilian dining. Familiar staples such as baked lasagna and stuffed eggplant parmesan benefit from Old-World flair: handmade meatballs, mediterranean olives, and rich italian cheeses. At the same time, the Cajun pan-seared sirloin and barbecue-chicken pizza pay tribute to the restaurant’s American home so that chefs don’t have to stab a flag into each plate of spaghetti.

While sinking into a medley of shrimp, clams, and scallops or surprising tongues with the chicken Bryan’s sun-dried tomatoes and goat cheese, guests absorb the comfort of their surroundings. Blue-padded chairs, sandy walls, and crisp white tablecloths contribute to a family-friendly ambiance, whereas private parties and wedding receptions benefit from the curtained skylights of a special dining area. Rectangular planters blossom with leafy greens around the room’s half walls, adding a splash of color to the space’s earth and wood tones.

Chefs at ¡Toro! Tapas Bar infuse their genre-defying tapas with creative fusion cuisine such as bison quesadillas and saffron lobster. Waiters transport small- to medium-size plates to glossy red tables, where diners share bites family style, as mixologists behind a dramatically backlit bar fill goblets with more than 100 wines. High ceilings with exposed girders soar above the space, and terra cotta walls bear abstract paintings that, if stared at long enough, reveal a 3-D image of which diner will pick up the bill.

Proprietor Nick Kotrides’s open-kitchen concept offers Empire Grill patrons a low-flying bird’s-eye view of chefs plating hand-cut 12-ounce steaks and Cajun shrimp alfredo. Modern light fixtures and floor-to-ceiling windows keep the two-story diner bright and welcoming, and semicircle booths surround a stocked bar. Flat-screen high-definition televisions and free WiFi let patrons tweet their most up-to-date thoughts on big games and sated stomachs inhibiting their ability to digest the importance of big games.

The cooks at Scarlet populate their menu with creative seafood and steak dishes as well as an assortment of grilled pizzas. Diners can enjoy shrimp and grits with andouille sausage and a hot-pepper cream sauce or taste lobster tail with lemon and garlic shallot butter. Bacon and gorgonzola mashed potatoes accompany prime cuts of filet mignon, and grilled pizzas rest on housemade dough.

Francesca's Ristorante Italiano's eggplant fra diablo won Taste of Buffalo's 2012 Pat Sardina Memorial award for Best Comfort Food, but that isn't the only item on the eatery's menu that could have qualified. Other dishes with sumptuous, rich flavors include the eatery's rustic Italian pizzas, which chefs paint with a signature red-wine sauce or garlic-cream-cheese spread, as well as the osso buco with tender, slow-cooked beef shank and oyster mushrooms packed into ravioli. While navigating forks through tubes of housemade manicotti stuffed with ricotta cheese, patrons can enjoy the melodies of occasional live music or launch paper airplanes off the outdoor patio. Dark wood accentuates the fully stocked bar, replete with wine, beer, and cocktail makings.