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Niagara restaurant reccomendations


torakris

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What an incredible meal we had at On the Twenty last night. After breakfast, lunch, and hors d'oevres at the Hotel, we were ready for a meal like this and boy did it deliver!!

There were three guys including myself, all executives of a Les Marmiton chapter in New Jersey.

We started off with the Tame Game Taster for an appetizer. It was served on a three compartmentized dish. It had the following items:

Wild boar in phyllo, garlic and garbanzo,

Lamb and sour cherry, pine nut aioli,

Duck confit and pistachio, hibiscus dressed cress

and was $15

One of the guys had a special app with Fois gras.

For entrees we had:

Roasted veal tenderloin under béarnaise relish,

sweet pea croquette and Pinot Gris~roasted tomato essence

$35

Maple~ mustard crusted Australian lamb rack,

smoked eggplant and a carrot~cumin coulis

$40

Sterling Silver beef striploin

with bone marrow brulee, potato and truffle terrine,

creamed spinach and Cabernet~glazed baby vegetables

$38

All the entres were superbly executed and absoluteley delicious!!

For dessert, rather tha have yet another Creme Brulee, we decided to finish with a cheese course. We had all 6 cheeses that they offered. They were:

Monforte Dairy – Goat Grapps

Whole milk goat cheese from Niagara on the Lake, aged 3 months

and bathed in grappa. Mild, sweet and beautifully balanced –

a perfect accompaniment to fresh fruit

~ ~ ~

Monforte Dairy - Paradiso

Buttery soft sheep milk cheese from Niagara on the Lake.

Complex flavour profile with decadent mouth feel.

~~ ~

Les Dependances Du Manoir - Rougette de Brigham

Pasteurized cow milk cheese from the Brigham area of Quebec.

Aged for 6 months and soaked in Apple Cider: it is sweet, creamy and very fruity.

~ ~ ~

Berthaut – Epoisses

Unpasteurized cow milk cheese from the Burgundy region of France.

Washed daily with a locally produced Eau-de-Vie, this cheese is earthy

and rich with a strong flavour.

~ ~ ~

Paron – Parmesan

Locally produced cow milk cheese made in the style of Italian

Parmigiano-Reggiano. Aged for twelve months with an

additional year of in-house, cellar aging.

~ ~ ~

Les Dependances Du Manoir - Geai Bleu

Mild Blue Cheese from Quebec with a crumbly texture

and a very sweet flavour - Dry and very aromatic.

All cheeses are 2 oz. Portions.

We had a visit from Kevin (the chef) at our table, and VOILA!! a most memorable meal was had by all. I didn't mention wines, but I can assure you there was plenty poured. I, being the designated driver(I don't drink so It's a job I often volunteer for) allowed the others to imbibe in the grape juice at ease.

Thank you, Oh Canada for a most wonderful and delicious visit. I take home (besides a bottle of wine for my wife) a real sense of the pride and friendly disposition that the people of Canada have and it has shown in the craftmanship in their winemaking, food preparations and exemplary service in the dining room.

President

Les Marmitons-NJ

Johnson and Wales

Class of '85

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Eric, I'm glad you had such a wonderful time. My two dinners at On the Twenty within recent months have both been flawless. I spoke with Kevin Maniaci this morning, and he was very pleased that you had enjoyed the experience!

I have to get down to cook with you guys sometime soon...

Cheers,

Ross

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Eric, I'm glad you had such a wonderful time.  My two dinners at On the Twenty within recent months have both been flawless.  I spoke with Kevin Maniaci this morning, and he was very pleased that you had enjoyed the experience!

I have to get down to cook with you guys sometime soon...

Cheers,

Ross

Toques off to you and the Niagara gang Ross. BTW. They had us on and off the plane last night twice so I chose to spend a night in Buffalo and i took an AM flight this morning. What a fiasco!! Did you get the pictures?

eric

President

Les Marmitons-NJ

Johnson and Wales

Class of '85

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What an incredible meal we had at On the Twenty last night.  After breakfast, lunch, and hors d'oevres at the Hotel, we were ready for a meal like this and boy did it deliver!!

There were three guys including myself, all executives of a Les Marmiton chapter in New Jersey.

We started off with the Tame Game Taster for an appetizer.  It was served on a three compartmentized dish.  It had the following items:

Wild boar in phyllo, garlic and garbanzo,

Lamb and sour cherry, pine nut aioli,

Duck confit and pistachio, hibiscus dressed cress

and was $15

One of the guys had a special app with Fois gras.

For entrees we had:

Roasted veal tenderloin under béarnaise relish,

sweet pea croquette and Pinot Gris~roasted tomato essence

$35

Maple~ mustard crusted Australian lamb rack,

smoked eggplant and a carrot~cumin coulis

$40

Sterling Silver beef striploin

with bone marrow brulee, potato and truffle terrine,

creamed spinach and Cabernet~glazed baby vegetables

$38

All the entres were superbly executed and absoluteley delicious!!

For dessert, rather tha have yet another Creme Brulee, we decided to finish with a cheese course.  We had all 6 cheeses that they offered.  They were:

Monforte Dairy – Goat Grapps

Whole milk goat cheese from Niagara on the Lake, aged 3 months

and bathed in grappa. Mild, sweet and beautifully balanced –

a perfect accompaniment to fresh fruit

~ ~ ~

Monforte Dairy - Paradiso

Buttery soft sheep milk cheese from Niagara on the Lake.

Complex flavour profile with decadent mouth feel.

~~ ~

Les Dependances Du Manoir - Rougette de Brigham

Pasteurized cow milk cheese from the Brigham area of Quebec.

Aged for 6 months and soaked in Apple Cider: it is sweet, creamy and very fruity.

~ ~ ~

Berthaut – Epoisses

Unpasteurized cow milk cheese from the Burgundy region of France.

Washed daily with a locally produced Eau-de-Vie, this cheese is earthy

and rich with a strong flavour.

~ ~ ~

Paron – Parmesan

Locally produced cow milk cheese made in the style of Italian

Parmigiano-Reggiano. Aged for twelve months with an

additional year of in-house, cellar aging.

~ ~ ~

Les Dependances Du Manoir - Geai Bleu

Mild Blue Cheese from Quebec with a crumbly texture

and a very sweet flavour - Dry and very aromatic.

All cheeses are 2 oz. Portions.

We had a visit from Kevin (the chef) at our table, and VOILA!! a most memorable meal was had by all.  I didn't mention wines, but I can assure you there was plenty poured.  I, being the designated driver(I don't drink so It's a job I often volunteer for) allowed the others to imbibe in the grape juice at ease.

Thank you, Oh Canada for a most wonderful and delicious visit.  I take home (besides a bottle of wine for my wife) a real sense of the pride and friendly disposition that the people of Canada have and it has shown in the craftmanship in their winemaking, food preparations and  exemplary service in the dining room.

Sorry I did not see this post sooner. I am a wine distributor in NJ, specializing in Canadian Wines. Cave Spring Cellars ownes the Inn on The Twenty and is one of the vineyards I represent in NJ, also, Peller, Hillebrand, Peninsula Ridge. They all have fabulous restaurants. Next time you travel up there, be sure to email me as I can give you lists of restaurants and provide suggestions of tasting rooms as well.

Bouquet du Vin

http://www.bouquetduvin.com

ameyer@bouquetduvin.com

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  • 4 months later...

Hi, my girlfriend and I will be back in NF in june for the annual wine country pilgrimmage. While most lunches will be taken in NOTL, we're hoping to find some good restaurants in NF for dinner. I know the city is dominated by chains of saturated fat and huge portions but is there such a thing as a good restaurant.

I've heard good things about Casa Mia and 21 Noir. How about Wolfgang Puck? Any good idea will be appreciated.

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Inn on the Twenty is supposed to be good. (http://www.innonthetwenty.com/)

I ate at Wolfgang Puck's in Florida and found it no better than most thin crust gourmet pizzerias in Toronto. You must remember that eventhough he does have some chef credentials, his restaurants are basically a chain.

Avoid almost everything on the strip.

Mark

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Puck's in Niagara Falls is a nice place with more than adequate food.

The Chinese Chicken Salad is one of my favorites. Pizza was good.

Had found it equal to other Puck's. We even had one in outer Toronto for a while but the location closed.

Planning to go back next week too so that might be considered an endorsement.

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I can understand the original poster's point about not wanting to drive and have a few libations (something others have seemed to ignore). A cab is not an option to NOTL either and would cost well more than dinner.

Although I have never been there, the steak place in Casino Niagara looked interesting and appeared to have a very good wine list. I recall they bought many bottles at the LCBO auction a few years back - was a little tough to bid against that bank roll. I think the name may have changed but it used to be called 21 Club. The menu at 21 Noir looks OK http://fallsviewcasinoresort.com/?SiteID=0...Profile+17+Noir but appears to be trying to be all things for all people - which I can understand - but really lacks much direction. My understanding is that Casa Mia is about 10 minutes away although never been there. I hear Capri might be OK. I am sorry but I think you are correct that the options are very limited.

officially left egullet....

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Thanks mkjr. We'll probably give Casa Mia a shot. We need to book one more dinner and we'll play it by ear there I guess. We'll have a lunch at some winery restaurant, probably Hillebrand since I've heard good things and the wine is equally good.

Just didn't want to end up at Hard Rock Café or Kelsey's like last time.

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Campofiorin, Trust me when I say that you will not be disappointed at Casa Mia. I eat there every time I go to the Falls and haven't had a bad experience and that is now going on twenty years.

For a family owned and run place it is very good.

ciao

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There isn't much right in Niagara Falls. NOTL is a much better bet. Casa Mia is wonderful, and although I haven't been I understand that 17 Noir (not 21 Noir) at the Fallsview Casino is very good, although pricey.

In NOTL, the newest kid on the block is Restaurant Tony Deluca at the Oban Inn. He is the former chef from Hillebrand, which is now steered by Frank Dodds (formerly at Langdon Hall). Solid choices in NOTL include Stone Road Grille, the Epicurean, Zee's and the Charles Inn. Hillebrand, Peller and Strewn are all good winery choices (for their restaurants).

Worth the drive 15 minutes west of the Falls is Zest in Fonthill.

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  • 2 months later...

I've been back for a little more than a week and here is what we tasted. First night, we ended up at Wolfgang Puck. Shared an app of bruschetta which was really good. Fresh and tasty tomatoes, freshly ground parmesan and great croutons. My girlfriend had the meatloaf which was really good with a definite taste of cumin and good mashed potatoes. I chose the veal schitzel. It was too big and needed the lemon to shine a little, way too greasy. The accompanying fingerlings were reallyg ood though. We shared a chocolate cake for dessert wich was just good. Service was sketchy. $110 for an app, 2 mains, a dessert and 2 glasses of wine, not impressed.

On the saturday, we walk in Zee's in NOTL for lunch and were lucky enough to be seated on the patio. My girlfriend had stuffed shells with a creamy sauce and asparagus. The pastas were delicious and the ricotta filling was amazing with a touch of lemon. I went for the ribs basted with a blueberry BBQ sauce. Perfectly cooked, not charred but almost black, the meat was falling of the bone. The orange and melon cole slaw was a little forgettable but the polenta fries with an accompanying roasted red pepper mayo was delicious. We opted for a frozen grasshopper pie for dessert which was decadent along with a shooter of white chocolate sauce. Half the price of Puck and way more delicious. Since that was hard to beat, we had dinner in a small pizzeria in NF.

The lunch was so good that we decided to go again before hitting the road. We got the exact same table. The girlfriend loved my ribs so much that she took it this time around as I went for the sirloin burger served on a cutting board with a small yet tasty salad. The meat was juicy and really tasty and topped with aged cheddar and some sort of rhubarb chutney. The bun was brioche like and almost had the feeling of a croissant. For dessert, we chose the chocolate cheese cake served with fresh berries, whipped cream and different chocolate shavings. Devilish again and just about $50.

Zee's was by far the highlight of our trip.

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  • 1 month later...
  • 3 weeks later...

I'm sorry we missed Zee's for lunch. While our dinner was very good, the lunch menu looks so much better!

We had dinner before theater there last week and it was lovely. They have wonderfully whimisal presentations. The mushroom and goat cheese app is terrific and the duck entree was very nice. My friends tried the quail, the pork and the sirloin and all were happy with their choices.

The night before was less successful with a decision to "wing it" once we got to the Falls. After seeing LOTR-the Musical and driving back from Toronto we were in no condition to make good choices. We ended up at the Happy Wanderer for German food. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't very good and the service was downright lousy. I know there aren't a lot of good choices at the Falls but this was pretty impressively disappointing.

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  • 8 months later...

We're taking my neice to Great Wolf Lodge( Canadian side) on June 25th. We'll be spending the Sunday night at another hotel ( Brock Plaza). Any recomendations for a good kid friendly place to eat( my neice is 9, but she'll try anything). I'd like to stay away from the tourist traps.

Edited by CaliPoutine (log)
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We're taking my neice to Great Wolf Lodge on June 25th.  We'll be spending the Sunday night at another hotel ( Brock Plaza).  Any recomendations for a good kid friendly place to eat( my neice is 9, but she'll try anything).  I'd like to stay away from the tourist traps.

Niagara Falls US or Canada?

Edited by rconnelly (log)
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there's a vietnamese restaurant right down on the main drag on the canadian side. it seemed to be the best non-tourist-trappy restaurant the night we were there last summer.... but it was closed on wednesday and after misjudging distances on a map and slogging like two miles uphill we ended up at outback. i swear i've never been so happy to have a giant ice cold beer. the crappy steak i could have done without.

anyway if i went there again i'd check out the vietnamese place, as long as it wasn't a wednesday.

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We're taking my neice to Great Wolf Lodge on June 25th.  We'll be spending the Sunday night at another hotel ( Brock Plaza).  Any recomendations for a good kid friendly place to eat( my neice is 9, but she'll try anything).  I'd like to stay away from the tourist traps.

Niagara Falls US or Canada?

Canada!!

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