Restaurant Review / Dining on the river
A place to eat well and still maintain a budget
NIAGARA FALLS — I’m old enough to remember — which also means I’m old enough to forget again five minutes from now — a little shack at Buffalo Avenue and roughly 77th Street that served primarily sandwiches out back and ice cream through the front windows.
One of its main attractions was its waterfront access. Not on the Big River, mind you, but the Little River. I can even recall pulling up occasionally in the old aluminum fishing boat with the cranky 25-horse Evinrude and running up to get some supplies during a busy afternoon chasing bass around the grass — Grass Island, that is.
Ahh, those were the days. I can’t recall the name of the place back then (this is going back to the mid to late ’70s), but it’s had several reincarnations since. The thing is, it seems to get better each time, and the latest manifestation as Justin Tyme on the River seems to be the best one yet.
Billed as “Niagara’s only family restaurant on the river,” JT offers breakfast, lunch and dinner via dine-in or takeout, as well as catering. They’ve even developed a nice little landing down along the water to make it easier for watercraft to pull up and enjoy a leisurely lunch while taking advantage of our natural resources.
Like I said, this is easily the finest incarnation this site has seen in my lifetime. Here’s hoping they don’t get too carried away with things, however, and try to make it into more than what it actually is, which is a nice, affordable family restaurant.
I say that because on our recent visit, I noticed several “new” offerings on the menu, and we each decided to try one. To be completely honest, the $15 choice sirloin steak dinner really wasn’t all that “choice”—definitely not to the standards a $15 steak should meet.
The rest of our meals were excellent, though, which leads me to a bit of advice that seems to work well with businesses of this type: Stick to what you do best and don’t try to overextend.
Justin Tyme, which formerly occupied a smaller space a little farther up Buffalo Avenue and more off the waterfront, makes nice use of its enlarged environment. A NASCAR-type theme runs throughout, right down to the menu itself, but it manages to avoid being overwhelming to those nonbelievers. Sorry, Dale Jr.
Without further ado, gentle people, start your engines!
We were all hungry, so we kicked things off with the spinach-artichoke dip appetizer ($5.99). Served with tricolor tortilla chips (how patriotic), the dip was tasty and thick, but there wasn’t a whole lot of it to share among four people.
We didn’t plan it that way (or even discuss things ahead of time), but we all managed to gravitate to the “new” selections on the dinner menu. Teresa opted for the Chicken Monterey ($9.99), daughter Meagan the vegetarian went for the baked ziti ($7.29), friend Eugene had the braised beef liver and onions ($7.99) and I, of course, had the 12-ounce steak platter ($14.99).
Along with a choice of potato (except for the ziti), the entrees also came with a choice of soup or salad. I selected the vegetable ravioli soup, based on its seeming “uniqueness,” while the other three all went with the baked French onion (additional 30 cents).
All the soups were excellent. The small crocks of French onion featured bubbly, melted cheese oozing over the sides and a nice clear broth teeming with onions and croutons. Nice flavor. My vegetable ravioli was, indeed, on the different side, with loads of vegetables in a brownish broth that seemed a mix of gravy and tomato. The ravioli pillows were stuffed with something, but I couldn’t quite make out what. Tasty, though.
One thing I can say about each of the entrees: You didn’t walk away wanting more. Two large, thin slices of liver covered half the plate; the others were equally ample. What wasn’t covered with entree was taken care of with hand-cut French fries, which were really good.
Back to the liver: tender and tasty, overflowing with sauteed onions, and a nice brown gravy atop it all. “The best liver I’ve had today,” Gene joked, adding that it was “really, really good.”
The baked ziti is billed as being “smothered in mozzarella and provolone cheese.” They weren’t kidding. The cheese was actually thick in some spots; gooey and very tasty. The sauce was OK — not the best, not the worst —but the overall effect was very pleasing. And there was more than enough to take a good portion home.
The Chicken Monterey was quite good, as well, with its grilled onions and peppers and Monterey Jack cheese topping being nicely set off with a flavorful barbecue sauce. They also offer a Chicken Daytona, with bacon, Monterey Jack and a honey mustard sauce. According to the menu, it is one of their top sellers.
My plate was completely covered by either steak or fries. In fact, I gave half of the fries to Meagan, and still had plenty for myself.
The steak, as I mentioned earlier, didn’t quite meet my expectations. It was an ample slice, on the thin side, and was probably a little more well-done than I would have liked (I order my steaks “medium”). It was still tender enough for the most part but lacked the flavor of a really good steak.
I would rather have had a juicy New York strip or Delmonico or something along those lines—even if it had to be significantly smaller to maintain the price — for the better flavor. But maybe I’m being a little too picky.
By the time we got done with all that, we had no room left for dessert, although there seemed to be some interesting possibilities. Perhaps next time.
You can eat well here and still maintain a budget, and there is a nice selection of burgers, wraps and other sandwiches. They also purport to offer the area’s “best breakfast,” but that, too, will have to be judged at some future time.
As far as “only family restaurant on the river,” we’ll go one step further. How does this sound: “The best family restaurant on the river!”
Justin Tyme on the River
7611 Buffalo Ave., Niagara Falls,
(283-1339)
★★★
(Out of four)
Favorite dish: Baked ziti Needs work: Sirloin steak platter Healthy choice: Liver with onions Price range: Most meals under $11 Service: Excellent, friendly Noise level: Quiet Wheelchair access: Yes Parking: Connected lot Kid appeal: Plenty
Hours: 8 a. m. to 2:30 p. m. Sunday; 8 a. m. to 8 p. m. Tuesday to Thursday; 7 a. m. to 9 p. m. Friday and Saturday. Closed Monday. Visit www.justintymecafe.net for a 10-percent-off coupon.
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