New Theatre District restaurant opens

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - Perfetto Italian restaurant started serving up pasta and steaks on New Year's Eve, but Friday night was the grand opening ceremony.

Now Main Street's long-vacant Market Arcade complex is silent, no more. Kitty-corner across from Shea's is downtown Buffalo's newest Italian restaurant.

Owner Jay Haynes said, "We are an Italian steakhouse. We feature all handmade pastas, steaks. We have 24 craft beers on tap. We have a beautiful wine room behind you. And singing wait staff. So as you come down and enjoy the great food, maybe in front of the fireplace, you'll be serenaded by one of the wonderful, professionally-trained singers."

First-time patron Dave Williams commented, "Really, a nice place. Terrific. Good crowd. It's exciting to see something like this again in Buffalo."

Perfetto sits on Main Street between Tupper and Chippewa Streets - on the same block where construction is underway, to bring vehicle traffic back.

"The biggest trepidation I hear from a lot of people is, there's nowhere to park. The biggest parking lot in western New York is right behind us. You can access that from Washington Street or Main Street," Haynes said.

He added, "And you don't have to break the bank. You can come into Perfetto, enjoy a great meal. It's locally-made, and... you can eat for the same price as it would cost you in one of the franchises."

Three venues have tried to make a go of it in this building since 1995 - the Breckenridge Brew Pub, then the Empire Brewing Company, and most recently the Ya Ya Brewhouse.

"Regardless of what somebody else has done in this space in the past, I'm here, and I'm here to stay," Haynes said. "It all starts with attitude. The name itself, Perfetto, in Italian means "perfect." Not saying that we are perfect, but we certainly aim for that every evening."

Construction on this block of Main Street is expected to be "finito," possibly later in 2013. Eventually, the idea is to have a "complete street" - shared by cars, the Metro rail, bikers and pedestrians all the way to Canalside.