In response to Governor Walz action to close restaurants and bars effective tomorrow at 5pm, Evelyn’s and Muffy’s Basement will close immediately. We are researching the possibility of providing curbside takeout of some of our menu items during this time so that we can at least continue to pay those employees who will be most heavily hit by this closure and cover the ongoing costs of keeping the business…well…in business. Thank you to everyone who has reached out today. We appreciate our community so much. We hope and pray you and your loved ones all stay well during this time.

DEAR FRIENDS OF EVELYN’S AND MUFFY’S BASEMENT,

Right now, we plan on being open during our normal operating hours. Currently, the CDC is recommending halting the gathering of more than 50 people for the next eight weeks. As you know, we are a small restaurant. Our total capacity is 29 people in Evelyn’s and 24 people in Muffy’s Basement. With that in mind, we will be limiting the number of customers we have seated at one time and will not take reservations for more than 4 people…keeping our total capacity lower than usual with more space between seated tables.

In addition, although we always pride ourselves on cleanliness and sanitation, we will take extra precautions to do our part and help limit the spread of the Coronavirus. Our employees will not come to work if they have any signs of illness. We will be diligent in our sanitation methods, making sure we follow strict hand washing and personal hygiene methods, while also sanitizing menus, tables, chairs and door handles between customers. We always use a sanitizing dishwasher for our food prep materials, glasses, utensils, plates and bowls. We will also offer a limited food menu, only serving items that are thoroughly cooked after being prepped.

In the event it is required that we temporarily shut our doors until a time when the virus has slowed, we will alert you through social media and our website.

We sincerely appreciate the support we are receiving from our customers. We know this is going to be hard for so many.

Every year as the weather gets colder, Evelyn’s starts cooking up our popular Cranberry Mulled Wine. It is a favorite and we get asked often for our recipe. We don’t have secrets at Evelyn’s, so we thought we’d share!

First of all, a little background on the origins of Mulled Wine. Mulled wine, or spiced wine, is a beverage usually made with red wine, along with various mulling spices and served hot. We can thank the ancient Greeks for coming up with the original mulled wine. They weren’t the type of people to leave extra wine on the table and there was always a part of the grape harvest that didn’t make it into the “good” wine. So, in order to prevent waste (and to make sure as much alcohol as possible was palatable), they would dump spices into the wine and heat it up.

Mulled wine really took off in the Middle Ages. The added spices were believed to make people healthier and had the benefit of tasting much better as well. The selection of wine wasn’t so great back then and it’s not like people could drink the water.

The common version of mulled wine today comes from Victorian England and is often served as a holiday season drink (in moderation, of course).

At Evelyn’s, we serve mulled wine as a tasty treat to warm our guests during the cold winter months. So, this holiday season, mull a batch for your guests using our easy recipe. It will warm them up and your house will smell awesome. Most modern-day versions have orange, cinnamon, nutmeg, a (cheap) dry red wine and a bit of port or brandy. Our recipe features Buffalo Rock Winery’s Cranberry Wine, apple cider and a mix of spices. It’s an easy recipe, but to make even easier, you can get excellent pre-mixed mulled wine spices at select grocery stores and The Abundant Kitchen in downtown Buffalo. We just use our own spices since we go through so much of it.

In a medium size saucepan over medium heat:

• 2 cups apple cider
• 2 cups Buffalo Rock Cranberry Wine (or an inexpensive sweeter red wine or red blend)
• 10 whole cloves
• 5 whole allspice berries
• 1/4 orange (do not peel)
• 2 whole cinnamon sticks

Bring all ingredients to a soft boil and then turn heat down to simmer (you don’t want it to continue boiling or you’ll burn off all the alcohol…don’t want that!). Simmer on low heat for 20 minutes.

Strain mulled wine through a sieve or cheesecloth into a thermos or carafe that will keep contents warm. Serves approximately 4 8oz cups. Serve in a coffee mug with an orange wedge or cinnamon stick (or both).

Evelyn’s has been open for one year.  Looking back, it seems like Evelyn’s has been in downtown Buffalo forever.  Not in an exhausting forever, but an “I feel like I’ve belonged here forever.”  Thank you to all of our customers and the community for making this year one of the most fulfilling and challenging years of my life.

I get asked alot for the story behind Evelyn’s.  I am not a chef who formerly worked tirelessly in someone else’s kitchen.    I have not been in the industry forever and finally opened my own place.  I do not come from a family of restaurateurs.  Evelyn was not in the business, she was simply my grandma whom I loved and missed and I knew she’d be tickled and think “it was the berries” that I named this new adventure Evelyn’s Wine Bar & Bistro.

The story is, I simply did not understand why downtown Buffalo did not have a place like Evelyn’s and I wanted to own and be a part of a place like Evelyn’s.  It’s such a beautiful and special downtown. Quaint shops, cobblestone street, old buildings, old-fashioned movie theater.  Why wasn’t there a place like Evelyn’s to eat and have a glass of wine?  You probably know the rest if you’ve read the “our story” page on our website.

But, also…the timing was right.  I was in an unfulfilling job, I had a desire to be a part of the community, I had the support of the city and chamber of commerce (thank you!), and I had entrepreneurial experience.  Most of all, I have a supportive husband and two daughters who gave me the courage to take the leap.  It was the perfect storm of circumstances. So, I did my research, I met with industry experts, and I built my business plan.

There have been many challenges and some frightening slow days and weeks.  But, most days have been absolutely wonderful.  I have a great team of employees.  They are fun to work with and they care about Evelyn’s and want you to enjoy your time here.  That has been a blessing. Best of all, we have very special customers.  You come in happy, you want to support us, you ask how we are doing, you share your kind words of encouragement… and many of you come back again and again.  I think that is rare in the industry.

So, thank you!  Thank you for your business.  Thank you for making this endeavor enjoyable and fulfilling.  We hope to see you this week as we celebrate our One Year Anniversary.  We have a number of fun activities planned for you.  If you can’t make it in this week, we hope to see you very soon!

Sincerely and in gratitude,

Kristi Paul

Yesterday, I had a very informative conversation with a veteran about his service dog.  We’ve had a few people come in to Evelyn’s with dogs that are service dogs.  Coincidentally, I also received an inquiry yesterday asking if we allow “well-behaved” dogs on our new patio.

I love dogs.  We have three at home… who aren’t always well-behaved.  But not everyone is a dog person, especially where they eat. So, what is our stance on dogs at Evelyn’s?

First of all, the question on service dogs is already defined federally through the ADA (American Disabilities Act). Under the ADA, a service animal is a dog “that has been trained to perform tasks or do work for the benefit of a person with a disability. The tasks or work the animal does must be directly related to the person’s disability.”  They cannot be turned away by a restaurant and I wouldn’t want to turn them away.  I learned a lot from my veteran friend on what service dogs do for their companions and how a service animal is defined by the ADA.  All I can say is please don’t come in to Evelyn’s claiming your dog is an ADA defined service dog — if it is not.  Minnesota has made that illegal.   But more importantly, it’s just shameful.  Service animals do so much good for those who truly need them.  It saddens me that we have to have a law because so many have posed their dogs as service dogs, when they are not.  As much as we love our dogs and like to be with them, it hurts those who truly need them in public places like restaurants.

As for dogs on the patio.  Here is the thing…as much as we love our dogs, not everyone does, especially in a closely confined area where they are eating.  So, we have decided to make the new patio out back dog/pet-free.  BUT, we do have two nice dog-friendly bistro tables in the front of our restaurant where dogs are welcome. We hope this addresses the needs of the dog lovers and non-lovers.