NIAGARA FALLS, ONTARIO – The Niagara region has a reputation for great food and fabulous wine. A weekend visit in September hammered the point home in tasty fashion.
One of the top places to check out, especially given this worldwide talk of a maple syrup shortage, is the Maple Trail at Maple Leaf Place, just a minute or two north of the Falls on the Niagara Parkway.
It’s a lovely, bright shop with folks who know just about everything you can imagine about maple syrup. For example, did you know that 71% of the world’s production of the sweet stuff takes place in Canada, or that 91% of that Canadian production comes from Quebec? I would’ve guessed maybe one-half Quebec, not 91%, but there you go.
Head syrup maker Tony Lin explained that their mission at Maple Leaf Place is to promote maple syrup from Ontario, which lags in production behind not only Quebec, but also New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
Maple syrup bottles at Maple Leaf Place in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Photo Courtesy Maple Leaf Place.
I visited in September and also learned you can only tap a maple tree for sap three times without damaging it. Each tap provides about 45 litres of sap, so the maximum amount you can get from a single tree is about 135 litres. Boiled down that provides just three litres of syrup per tree.
It’s bottled right I the shop, at around 168 degrees Fahrenheit.
Myself and several other Canadian travel writers got to sample several styles, from lighter to dark, which was terrific. The lighter syrups had a bit of a vanilla flavour, while I got toffee notes from the darker stuff.
“Not unlike rum tasting,” I said to Lin, who nodded his head in approval.
The Maple Trail offers free admission, a free tasting bar, a free maple taffy experience and free demonstrations of their bottling, capping and labelling procedures.
Maple Leaf Place in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Photo Courtesy Maple Leaf Place.
In addition to making maple syrup in store, you can buy a wide variety of maple candies, including maple ginger, maple chutney and maple salad dressing. There’s also a soft serve ice cream place, a “Hungry Moose” food court and an enormous gift shop with everything from sweatshirts and coffee mugs to indigenous carvings.
Down in the heart of the Falls, we ventured into the Old Stone Inn for a fabulous lunch and cocktail experience at their Flour Mill Restaurant. The bartender made a wonderful Hibiscus Blooms with 12-year-old Gibson’s Whiskey, edible flowers, lemon, hibiscus simple syrup. egg whites and Jryall Hibiscus bitters. We also sampled a Violeta Blossom with Tanqueray Ranford Gin, Gifford violets, pineapple, citric lavender concord grape simple syrup and violette tincture that was as tasty as it was beautiful.
The menu features such treats as seared scallop, venison tartare, maple mustard pork belly, half lamb rack and warm confit rabbit.
The hotel has its original fireplace from 1904, which is gorgeous, and an indoor swimming pool. There’s a summer patio for good weather, and cabins or igloos in winter with hot chocolate.
Craft cocktails at the Flour Mill Restaurant, located at the Old Stone Inn in Niagara Falls, Ontario. JIM BYERS PHOTO
It’s a family run place and a real Niagara gem that I had previously overlooked on all my visits.
Niagara Falls has many excellent dining options, and one of the best is Table Rock House Restaurant. Not only are the views of the falls amazing, but the food is terrific. The restaurant is FeastON certified by the Ontario Culinary Tourism Alliance, and they try to get all their products from Ontario, and then Canada.
The views are to die for, and the interior is quite striking as well.
I enjoyed an excellent veal tenderloin when I was there in September. The menu also features cedar plank salmon, oven-baked Georgian Bay pickerel and Manitoulin Island rainbow trout fritter, balsamic and rosemary chicken, and a butternut squash and goat cheese Bauletti Pasta.
The desserts also are terrific. Look for plenty of great local wines and beers on the menu, as well.
Sparkling wine from Ravine Vineyard in St. David’s, Ontario. JIM BYERS PHOTO
Another great dining option is nearby Ravine Vineyard Estate Winery in St. David’s, where they make terrific pizza and serve a lovely, colourful watermelon salad. They also have an aging room for their house-made charcuterie. We sampled their dry sparkling wine and several deep, spicy red wines, including the luscious Lonna’s Block Cabernet Franc. I didn’t try any this time, but their Chardonnay has won international gold medals.
The outdoor dining space features great views of the rolling hills and vineyards.
WHERE TO STAY
I had a great room at the Hilton Fallsview Hotel and Suites, with a nice view of the US and Canadian side of Niagara Falls.
