Wine connoisseurs assert that novice tasters should never pair red wine with fish, white wine with red meat, or excessive wine with jury duty. Lap up today's Groupon in moderate proportions: for $25, you get $50 worth of wine, tapas, and gourmet fare at Wine on Third in Niagara Falls.
Boasting cocktails, beers, and more than 40 vino varieties from wineries, Wine on Third also has a full menu brimming with elegant entrees and noshable tapas. Divvy up small-plate selections, such as grilled bruschetta topped with fresh gorgonzola and a warm honey drizzle ($9) or empanadas stuffed with chorizo sausage, manchego cheese, grilled onions, and braised arugula ($11), on the patio or in the dining room lined with local artwork and surveillance-camera shots of champagne-popping calamities.
The fine-dining entree menu (served after 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday) is a gastronomic playground of steaks, chicken dishes, fish, pasta, soups, and salads. The applewood-bacon-wrapped, maytag-blue-cheese-glazed fillet, served with truffle-and-wild-mushroom risotto and cabernet demi-glace ($35), rarely leaves the house without its suggested wine pairing, a sterling meritage ($10). Meanwhile, the linguini and steamed littleneck clams engage in philosophical conversation before plunging arm-in-arm into a homemade chardonnay garlic-butter sauce ($15).
Reviews
Buffalo Spree magazine reviewed Wine on Third. OpenTable reviewers give Wine on Third a 4.4-star average, and four Yelpers award it a 4.5-star average.
- It’s a fine dining room and wine-and-tapas bar in the center of Niagara Fall’s sometimes rowdy Third Street bar district. It’s a local business that has stayed open and expanded, nothing to sneeze at in itself. – Kevin Purdy, Buffalo Spree
- The food was amazing. Very crafty and decadent. Considering the unique menu and specialized food preperation [sic] the prices were very reasonable and the service was great. – OpenTable reviewer who dined on 1/28/11
Wine on Third
The sound of honking horns, chattering pedestrians, and singing puppets fades away when diners duck into Wine on Third’s dimly lit dining rooms. Here, the din of Third Street is replaced with soft music and tinkling wine glasses. Diners perch along a lengthy wooden bar sipping red, white, and sparkling selections from the eatery’s comprehensive wine list, which was awarded the Award of Distinction from Wine Enthusiast Magazine. Small plates of tuna sashimi, assorted cheeses, and greek dips flood tables throughout a spacious dining area flanked by vibrant local artwork where guests linger over last bites of New York–style cheesecake and final sips of sweet martinis. Branching out beyond satiating taste buds, the elegant eatery plays host to special events including art shows and live music throughout the month.