Hoagies' Heroes

Scott Roberts May 16, 2009 at 9:54 am food Digg this Article

Buffalo Boys Hoagies Sandwiches Tomas Arana and Eric Richter bring the tastes of Buffalo's sandwiches and wings to Moiliili

Courtesy of the Honolulu Star Bulletin. Written by Jason Genegabus.

Honolulu residents no longer have to hop on an airplane to get an authentic taste of the East Coast, thanks to the efforts of restaurateurs Tomas Arana and Eric Richter.

When the pair opened Buffalo Boys Hoagies on April 3, they realized a dream of working together -- and for themselves -- to bring the foods of their hometown to a new audience on Oahu while also providing a taste of home for expats now living on the island.

"We get visitors from Buffalo (N.Y.) every day," Richter said last week during an interview at the restaurant. "I know the population dropped by 50 percent there, but I didn't know they all moved out here to Hawaii!"

The menu is relatively straightforward at Buffalo Boys -- steak hoagies, chicken fingers and Buffalo wings dominate, although more health-conscious types can opt to order one of three salads available. Hoagies are made with 100 percent top sirloin steak, finely chopped into "nickel-sized pieces" and served on freshly baked bread from Ba-Le.

"The hoagie is similar to a Philly cheesesteak, but we don't use Cheez Whiz," explained Richter. "We use all fresh vegetables ... and then we have our sauce that we put on it -- our 'secret' sauce."

The choices here are just like the ones at Jim's Steakout, a Buffalo-based chain of sandwich shops located throughout that city. Richter, who briefly lived here in the mid-'90s before moving back home, spent the last 15 years helping his uncle grow the business from three locations to its current roster of 10 shops throughout the greater Buffalo area.

Arana, on the other hand, elected to remain in Honolulu after moving here to attend college, holding down front-of-house positions at the Hard Rock Cafe Waikiki, 12th Avenue Grill and Restaurant Epic. He was finally able to convince Richter to return here six months ago, once plans to open the first Buffalo Boys location were finalized.

IN ADDITION TO providing a taste of upstate New York, Arana and Richter also offer a glimpse of what late nights in Buffalo were like for the two.

Buffalo Boys stays open until 3 a.m. six nights a week, catering to hungry (and tipsy) college students from nearby UH-Manoa along with service industry workers on the late shift. Both Arana and Richter have fond memories of spending their weekends with friends over massive platters of Buffalo wings.

"We get the late-night 50, sitting here with five or six people," Arana said, referring to a 50-wing platter that's on the menu (10-, 20- and 30-piece orders of Buffalo wings are also available). "It's a nice sight because you don't see a whole bunch of wings like that here. ... It's like a tradition in Buffalo to go out for wings."

Slathered in Frank's Red Hot Sauce, Buffalo wings are fried for at least 15 minutes to get them nice and crispy. Just don't expect any type of breading or coating, and don't even think about asking for ranch dressing -- it's all about the bleu cheese when eating your wings Buffalo style.

"Buffalo people say they make up their own hot sauce, but it's just Frank's," said Richter. "That's the secret."

Six weeks into their new venture, the pair acknowledge hopes to expand to the North Shore and Leeward coast, but realize they need to build a following in Moiliili first.

They're debating whether to make an attempt for a liquor license and are looking into ordering satellite TV service to show Buffalo Bills games during the NFL season.

"If the numbers are there, we'd like to get out to Kapolei," said Richter. "A lot of people from the mainland recognize these types of sandwiches."

Arana agreed, adding that he "can't believe that we've replicated the same sandwich" as the ones he remembers eating back home.

"In fact, it's even better," he said. "It's amazing!"