Escabeche

Love this place. The food is always fantastic, the service is always excellent.
Tasting menu has been great every time… although sometimes very out there with what they offer; but I respect them for pushing the boundaries in trying new things rather than doing ‘safe bet’s’ like many other restaurants in this kind of category do.
If you stay on Saturday night, the buffet lunch on Sunday here is fantastic to wake up to!
It’s pricey, but worth it if you want to stay at NOTL in style.

I like this place but it seems really overpriced. We had dinner for our anniversary last week and it was good, not exceptional. My low fat vegan husband is really difficult to cook for but we gave them a heads up about his dietary concerns 3 times and he got a decent polenta dish. But it wasn’t creative. It seemed that the chef put together something at the las moment when other chefs in town went out of their way to accommodate his picky ness. I had a chicken dish that was good, not great. I would recommend Stone Road or TReadwells for outstanding.

I took my mom to Escabeche this past Mother’s Day for brunch buffet. This was my first visit to this restaurant located inside the gorgeous Prince of Wales.
The restaurant did an excellent job to cope with their Mother’s Day brunch theme. Once we walked in the restaurant reception, we were greeted with several friendly and cheerful faces by saying «Happy Mother’s Day» to my mom.
We were both given a mini pot of roses when we were paying the bill. This really made our days:)
We were given a nice table by the window as per my reservation request. The restaurant manager and servers checked on our necessity several times without too disturbing at all.
As to the buffet food, I would not say it was excellent but well worth what we paid for $ 38 per person. There were roast beef, roast turkey, French toasts, egg benedict, sausages, bacons, omelettes, pasta, hot soup, smoke meats, smoke salmon, salads, fresh fruits, breads, croissants, etc., and of course variety of desserts.
The restaurant arranged a musician playing harp during the first half of the brunch. Cool!
All-​in-​all, it was a very nice experience!

We celebrated our anniversary there for Sunday brunch. However, it is nothing special even though the price is good. Servers are nice and professional. We might head back and try their regular lunch or dinner menu. Hopefully, it will give us surprise.

The best place to start the morning in Niagara-​on-​the-​Lake is here at Escabeche at the Prince of Wales Hotel. If you are hungry and here on the weekends, there is usually a brunch buffet that is much nicer than the word buffet suggests. Carved ham service and eggs benedict are available. But the draw here is to experience coffee and breakfast served with silver and silverware. The coffee is a good roast and brew well and served in a silver carafe. There is just something nice and upscale with such details early in the morning. There is a Starbucks in town now as well as a Balzac’s but coffee is simply so much better seated in one of the town’s more posh hotels as you watch tourists start to come. The pasty basket is a nice pairing. But every item on the breakfast/​brunch menu is exquisite.
High tea is an experience. Pricey but it completes an English service.
For a romantic dinner with an experimental menu, Escabeche offers something the other hotels and restaurants do not offer. One early spring visit seemed to have been inspired by bacon in all variants. Bacon powder and bacon broths. Sure.
The Prince of Wales is about experiencing gentrification from another era. Sterling in parts but a luxurious experience for a fair price if you’re looking for a silver experience.
This hotel and its restaurant is the spirit of Niagara-​on-​the-​Lake.

Epic Fail! — I made a reservation at this place for High Tea… and traveled from Chicago to have it.
I planned a nice Valentines day weekend with this visit as one of the pillars of the trip. When I arrived I was told that I did not have a reservation even though I had a number. Even more ridiculous was that I watched them seat walk-​ins while we waited… but they would only let us sit in the restaurant next door. I went to the management and they did not even check into it, they just validated the Tea rooms rebuke. The town is nice and there are lots of shops… eat (or Tea) somewhere else.

Went with a group of four for New Year’s Eve and had a great time. The fixed menu selections were all delicious (I had the venison), and the staff were very helpful. Great cocktails and wine list.

Sometimes it’s VERY NICE to dine like a princess! I’ve had afternoon tea here twice, and dinner here twice… including dinner before a play at the Shaw Festival this past Saturday night.
The service is very good… but the waiter appeared to be trying a bit too hard. We really don’t need to have every ingredient of the dish we’re ordering explained to us as we order… and then again as the food is brought to the table.
The two of us shared a perfect bottle of «Tavel Maby Domaine» rose which was crisp and wonderful. Nothing beats French rose in my book! Then it was on to an amuse buche of a tuna tartar which my dining companion absolutely loved, but I passed on… just not my thing. I’m sorry to admit, but I only like my tuna from the can, mixed with mayo and chopped celery, and smushed on a bagel.
For my first course I had the most delicious salad of organic field greens with toasted hazel nuts and blueberries. So fresh and delicious with a light, yet flavorful dressing. Then for my main course I had the «Pan Seared Scallops with Sweet Corn Coulis, Roast Poblano Peppers and Watermelon Relish». Those scallops were cooked perfectly, and the accompaniments were perfectly balanced and flavorful. For a side we shared the «Creamed Potatoes» which actually confused me. I was imagining something like a scalloped potato dish, but it was simply mashed potatoes… very tasty, but not what I had imagined. Maybe it’s a regional difference between Canada and the United States.
The desserts all sounded wonderful. I chose the blueberry crème brule. It was very rich and the sugar topping was a bit thick for my liking. It was actually difficult to crack with my spoon. The blueberries at the bottom were a great addition though.

My wife and I dined for our 25^th anniversary. Fisrt, I too had to request a window, and wait.
I saw on their lunch menu «Lobster Poutine», and had to try it. I asked our server, Brad, if they could prepare one as my appetiser. And they did. OMG, talk about heaven on a plate! Home made pommes frites, topped with Quebec cheese curds, some au jus, Nova Scotia Lobster, and all topped with Bearnaise Sauce! It was so so so good!
Then I ordered the Lamb Striploin, med rare. Well, it arrived medium, and I sent it back. Expecting to wait 15 minutes, I was surprised when Brad brought me another one, in less than two minutes. He said they had another one ready for another order, and gave it to me. It was perfect! Thank you Brad! My wife had the Artic Char, and it was delicious as well.
I would go back, but mostly to have the Lobster Poutine Again!

I ate here twice: once for my wedding menu tasting, and the other time from their pub menu. So my review is not based on their «regular menu” – although the items that were chosen for the wedding was very close to the actual restaurant dishes.
Moving right on to the food…
SALADS:
Select Hand Cut Leaf Salad — Has goat cheese, candied walnuts, dried cranberries, roasted pear and is coated in light sherry vinaigrette. Very refreshing yet warm at the same time.
Crisp Romaine Heart Salad — REAL BACON! Crispy, like chips! Great dressing, and great crostini instead of croutons.
ENTREE:
AAA Canadian Beef Rib Eye — It was a nice piece of steak! About 7oz or so (perfectly cooked to my liking, medium), and came with herb mashed potato and horseradish jus. Real jus.
Roasted Breast of Chicken — Bone in, skin on breast, and came with sour cream mashed potato with natural pan jus. Perfectly cooked, very juicy. «Comforting» comes to mind right away, albeit a little on the boring side.
DESSERT:
Traditional Crème Brulee — A proper crème brûlée. No shortcuts here. Just quality stuff. I’m not a custard fan, but this one had me.
Bitter Chocolate Cheesecake — Did not like this one. But then again, I hate cheesecakes, so… (threw up when I was a boy from eating too much of it)
Impressive selection of wines!
The most impressive part though, is the service. In my humble opinion, the best trained waiters in Canada. They are amazing. We had the pleasure of being looked after by Dan both times, who is one of the senior staff there. Words to describe the service: warm, polite, attentive to details, accommodating and comfortable. Other restaurants can learn a thing or two from here.

The tasting menu is amazing. I loved every bite and the wine pairing was excellent. Our server, Brad, was amazing and very accommodating at modifying the menu for us (I.e. allergies). It might seem pricey but I dare say it’s a bargain given the volume of wine.

The food was good, the service was excellent.
The hotel staff even drove my son’s stuffed animal to our cottage after we accidentally left it at our table. Our server was wonderful. Highly recommend it.