Restaurant Review / Casual food, gourmet style
Another high-end dining experience for downtown Niagara Falls
Published: January 03, 2010, 12:30 am
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NIAGARA FALLS—They say that good times—a great movie, a special meal—are that much better when shared with good friends.
We had a good time and a great (for the most part) meal at a nice downtown restaurant recently, an enjoyable experience intensified by the inclusion of a special friend.
They call them Meagan-Squared in the theater department at Niagara University, my daughter Meagan and her good friend Meghan. A couple of true drama queens, their bubbly personalities gush over and infect those around them, an affliction typically characterized by rampant smiles and rambling conversation.
This was our company for a recent trip to Caffe Lola on Third Street.
One of the newest installments in the downtown “entertainment district,” Caffe Lola occupies a storefront just off Ferry Avenue, next door to the popular restaurant Wine on Third.
Not a whole lot to look at, Lola consists of several tables and a curving counter amid some chic fixtures: mirrors, art-glass lamp shades and a coat rack that for all the world looks like a herd of deer that had been to the taxidermist.
It’s kind of hip, with contemporary rock ’n’ roll on the sound system.
A single employee—on this night, anyway,—manned the entire place, which included the “kitchen,” located immediately behind the counter.
The food is prepared right before your eyes, in a no-frills manner. In fact, the entire operation is no-frills: you seat yourself, come to the counter to order and pay for your selections upon placing said order.
Meghan admitted to being a little worried about the lack of waiters—or help of any stripe, for that matter. But she said that she was “pleasantly surprised” that the ““quality of the food made up for the lack of service.”
My daughter was put off somewhat by the lack of fountain drinks. Lola serves up locally produced Johnnie Ryan sodas in the bottle, and there’s also a self-serve coffee area, but that appeared to be about it when it came to liquid refreshments. A little more selection would have been nice, but I can understand the desire to feature a local product and we made do quite satisfactorily.
For all the lack of amenities, Caffe Lola doesn’t lack in creativity when it comes to its rather limited menu. It also doesn’t lack for cost—entrees ran from $12 (butternut squash ravioli) to $17 (lobster macaroni and cheese), while panini sandwiches were somewhat more reasonable at $7 (quattro formaggio, the “ultimate grilled cheese”) to $12 (the “knuckle sandwich,” lobster with mascarpone and saffron aioli). “Small plates” of appetizers ranged from $4 (sweet potato fries) to $9 (smoked salmon pizza with goat cheese and chives).
We had a couple of appetizers to share, the sweet potato fries and “Lola’s favorite,” a fried boursin cheese with raspberry coulis ($7),a bowl of soup, two paninis and two entrees. We didn’t even sample the great-sounding desserts, and our bill came to nearly $80, which seemed kind of steep for four people dining at a “fast casual restaurant.”
At least (for the most part), it was quite tasty.
I started things off with the tomato orzo soup ($4), which was on the thin side but surprisingly featured a spicy kick on the back end. It was very good.
Our opinions varied on the appetizers. The fries seemed popular, with comments ranging from “lots of honey” to “I liked the crunchy brown sugar” scooped on top. I thought they were OK, but nothing special, but I was overruled.
I wasn’t too keen on the “Lola’s favorite,” either. Wouldn’t be my favorite because it was simply too heavy with garlic. My wife loved it, though, with the crispy exterior hiding a warm center and the raspberry drizzle over the top setting it off nicely. We spread it over a baguette that was provided.
Everybody seemed to enjoy their main dishes, with the slight exception of myself. My short rib macaroni and cheese ($15) consisted of a large plate or curly pasta with fresh cheese (I couldn’t tell what type) melted over it and topped with thick slices of meat. I expected a thick concoction, and it wasn’t; it was thinner and kind of greasy, at least to me. My wife thought it was great, however.
The meat was tender enough and fairly tasty to me, but again not quite what I was expecting. Again, my wife gushed over it. She wished she had ordered it herself.
Her Bistro tenderloin panini ($10) was more to my liking, so maybe we should have just switched. Topped with horseradish aioli and caramelized onions, it was a melt-in-your-mouth sandwich with awesome flavor. Highly recommended.
Meagan ordered the chipotle chicken panini ($8), which was served with roasted peppers. She loved the sauce and made quick work of not only the sandwich, but also the homemade, multicolor chips which seemed to be of a sweet-potato nature.
Meghan went with the gnocchi ($12), which was served with a basil pesto cream sauce with pine nuts. She, too, loved the sauce, which she originally was hesitant to order.
The ladies also gushed over their salads which accompanied the meals.
Dessert on this day consisted of a collection of homemade gelatos, with flavors ranging from apple crisp to egg nog, but we were all too stuffed to participate. Too bad, because they sounded delicious. Maybe next time.
Caffe Lola tries to be accommodating, even offering a nice selection of kid’s plates for $4.
Only time will tell if its particular brand of pricier, wannabe gourmet, fast casual food flies with the local crowd.
In order to survive in this setting, it’s going to have to pull in a fair share of locals, in addition to the tourists. Wine on Third appears to be doing all right with a somewhat similar set-up; the question is, can two such places survive side-by-side?
Hey, we need all the creativity we can get, especially downtown, so here’s hoping they can.
Caffe Lola
507 Third St., Niagara Falls (282-5652)
★★★
(Out of four)
Favorite dish: Bistro tenderloin panini
Needs work: Drink selection
Healthy choice: Roasted eggplant panini
Price range: $7 to $17
Service: Sparse but OK
Noise level: Low
Wheelchair access: Yes
Parking: On-street, rear lot
Kid appeal: Acceptable
•••
Hours: Opens at 11 a. m. Monday through Saturday; stays open until 2:30 p. m. Monday and 9 p.m. all other days. Closed Sunday. Check out the restaurant’s Web site at www.caffelola.com
e-mail: niagaranews@buffnews.com
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