DISH MAGAZINE MARCH 2020
MYSTERY GUEST LUNCH
A shrimp scampi
with capers, olives,
cherry tomatoes and
lemon wine sauce, from
the brunch menu at Zobud Bistro.
A Ceasar salad with
shavings of Romano
cheese at Zobud Bistro.
Zobud Bistro
IS A GREAT NEW SPOT TO DINE
BY ANNETTE TOMLIN
Editor’s Note: One day, during a delicious lunch
at Michael’s Restaurant on Pine Avenue with my
friend Annette Tomlin, vice president at Bank on
Buffalo in Niagara Falls, Annette suggested the
idea of a “Mystery Guest Lunch,” where we share a
meal with someone she thinks would be fun to chat
with at a new or interesting local restaurant. What
follows is Annette’s report of our first outing.
J
ust like pairing the perfect wine to
your menu, having an enjoyable lunch
with my long-time friend Michele DeLuca
and my mystery guest Cyndi Burnett was
an ideal match.
We met recently at the Zobud Bistro,
located at 1879 Whitehaven Road on
Grand Island. This exquisite Mediterra-
nean restaurant is well-worth the drive
over the bridge. It is a quaint spot with
lots of charm, white linen tablecloths,
and candles on every table. It was a bright
24
and sunny afternoon, so the details of
the room were exposed. It was clean and
fresh, and I immediately felt very com-
fortable.
Our waiter, Jim, quickly greeted me
when I arrived. He asked me if I lived on
the island. A question he said he asks ev-
eryone to satisfy his curiosity. You can see
Jim’s experience in service very quickly.
He took me to a table where I could see
the entire room. A large group of women
was sitting at a table close by. They were
laughing and enjoying their time togeth-
er. As I scanned their table, I was struck
by the lovely presentation and generous
portions of food on their plates. I couldn’t
wait to look at the menu.
As I waited for the rest of my party
to arrive, I reviewed the menu to see what
appealed to me. I asked Jim if they had
any vegetarian offerings. He said that
because everything was prepared fresh to
order, he could accommodate most of the
options as vegetarian.
My two guests arrived, Michele DeLu-
ca, the editor of Dish Magazine for the
Niagara Gazette and the Lockport Union-
Sun & Journal, and my mystery guest,
Cyndi Burnett, a creativity and education
specialist, who is also my younger sister.
Cyndi recently launched an online
platform for educators to help develop
more engaging and creative lesson plans.
She is a former professor of creativity,
who has written seven books about
parenting, teaching, and living a creative