JIMMY BUFFETT's MARGARITAVILLE ~ Niagara Falls ON

Picture it: Niagara Region. June 2012. 

I was at a conference for work at Brock University and Niagara College. After a long day of sessions and seminars, the culinary school and brewery/wine at Niagara College gave us some wonderful tasting and creations. We then had some free time down at the Falls, and Heather and Kristen and I decided to grab a snack, a drink, and a drop in to the Casino.

We made our way up Fallsview Boulevard toward the casino, and Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville was right across from the casino. The ladies thought margaritas sounded good, and I was sure I could get wings.

Jimmy Buffett sure soaked one song for as much as he possibly could. I mean, it's a restaurant based on a song. If your looking to have a party atmosphere in a chain bar, this is the place to go. Live bands, hockey games, airplanes inside a bar, surfboards and tiki lounges. There was a dude on stilts walking around the place. Crazy. Loud. Fun.

Our waitress was Tamar, who was friendly and over the top in character for the restaruant. She was quick to refill my Pepsi and check in on our needs.

Heather and Kristen enjoyed their margaritas. They also shared some Volacano Nachos ($16.95). Nachos that were pilled higher than their heats. I have never seen a place give a plate of nachos that large.  "Topped with chili, cheese, guacamole, sour cream, jalapenos, tomatoes and scallions."

I found wings on the menu. Huzzah!

I went with the "Chicken Wing Cornucopia" and I don't know why it's called a cornucopia, which Wikipedia describes as "from Latin cornu copiae) or horn of plenty is a symbol of abundance and nourishment, commonly a large horn-shaped container overflowing with produce, flowers, nuts, other edibles, or wealth in some form." I didn't feel this was a horn of plenty, with 8 wings and some celery sticks for $13.

It came with a side of blue cheese. This was a massive cup of blue cheese, but I was put off by the muffin-top baked greasy look it had. It wasn't cold. It tasted like blue cheese dip, but like it had been baked, and it was overpoweringly pungent. Did not enjoy.

 The wings looked really good. In length they were not generous, about a medium. In meatiness it was a medium. The wings were slightly crispy, and they were sauced nicely.

HOT

Actually, Hot Buffalo. This was a lie. It was Medium Buffalo, but as wings are always a challenge, no one would order medium, so they just renamed medium hot. This was a good flavoured sauce, but unfortunately was extremely salty. I finished the wings, but the salty factor was a big problem.

HAWAIIAN CHILI

Hawaiian chili sounds unique and a bit mysterious. I've had Thai chili, or sweet chili, but Hawaiian? I imagined some spicy pineapple flavour. Nope, just plain sweet Thai chili. Sweet, minor kick, but nothing original or pineapplely about it.

FINAL SCORE:
This place is tourist trap restaurant in all it's glory. Its fun and over the top. Lots of Margaritas that are big and I'm told enjoyable. Nachos are ginormous. Wings were ok, a little deceptive in descriptions, and very salty. But a good meal was had by all, and this was a fun place to hang while away on business. 4.5/10

Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville
6300 Fallsview Boulevard  Niagara Falls, ON
margaritavilleniagara.ca

RUBY TUESDAYS - Niagara Falls ON

Goodbye, Ruby Tuesday
Who could hang a name on you?
When you change with every new day
Still I'm gonna miss you...

On the Bonsai 6th Floor's 3rd Annual Niagara Falls Trip, I took the opportunity to try the wings at a largely American chain that has little representation in Canada: Ruby Tuesday. Named after the Rolling Stone song, this family eatery is located on Niagara Falls' Clifton Hill; a menagerie of neon lights, wax museums, haunted houses and more Canadian tourist crap than you can shake a stick at.

With the Falls, Ripley's Believe it or Not, and Louise Toussaud's Wax Museum behind us, Diane and I took our tired legs to the largely empty Ruby Tuesday's.

THE SCORE:

SIZE of WINGS: medium to large
HEAT: 4/10
WET NAP FACTOR: 4.5/5, wet like the falls and stains like a mf!
PRICE: $9.95 (10 Wings)

EXTRAS Info

SAUCE CHOICE: Mild or Hot
SIDES: comes with celery and blue cheese dip
WETNAP: NO WETNAPS despite the wetness and stain factor, but lots of napkins
DEEP FRIED, GRILLED, BATTERED: deep fried the ways I like's em
WING NIGHT: none advertised

OTHER: free refills on coke, but at #3.19 a coke, I better get refills!!!

I was a bit worried when I ordered the wing because there was only 2 sauce flavours, and there was only one size option. You might be asking, why is this a potential problem? Well, restaurants that don't do wings well often have this combination, as if wings are an after-thought. But Ruby's was able to deliver.

The sauce was traditional Frank's with butter (heavy on the butter), which was good, but despite the deceptive jalepeno pepper on top, was not hot. I was very happy with the wetness, but as stated abovel, I was not happy about no wetnap as this sauce stains the fingers a deep red.

One other big complaint was the price: this place was expensive. I don't know if its the chain, or just the fact that we were in the Tourist Trap capital of North America, but my meal was way too much.

A highlight was one of the side dishes; the cheese fries. The fries on their own were mighty tasty, but these were topped with cheese, bacon, sour cream, and a side of ranch dressing. Diane agreed these were the best part of the meal. Well, I still like the wings. The service was good and as Nee pointed out, our waitress picked up on our subtle hints for service.

I liked the wings at Ruby Tuesday's, but the next time I'm back at the Falls, I will probably check out another eatery on my wing adventures.

Still, I'm going to miss you

RUBY TUESDAYS
4943 Clifton Hill, Niagara Falls (and other locations)
rubytuesdays.com