Windows in Niagara Falls by Jamie Kennedy

Jamie Kennedy has long been associated with local, seasonal cooking in the Toronto area (some say he led the movement) and now he’s spread his wings to Niagara Falls where he treated some lucky guests to a dinner atop of the Sheraton Hotel’s Windows restaurant overlooking both the American and Canadian Falls.

Born and raised in Toronto, Kennedy has cooked for 37 years, now runs the Gilead Cafe (our meeting point before driving down to Niagara Falls, has a successful catering biz, JK ROM and once ran the Jamie Kennedy Wine Bar. Throughout his career, Kennedy has been dedicated to using local, seasonal, organic and sustainable ingredients and what better place than to showcase local (Canadian) ingredients than Niagara Falls?

Visitors to Toronto will usually to include a day trip to Niagara Falls to look in awe at the sheer power that is “The Falls” and perhaps visit one or two of the wineries in the now thriving Vineland of Niagara. Jamie Kennedy has teamed with wine aficionado and esteemed writer of all things Oeno to pair the food with local Niagara wines.

Chef Kennedy will be doing the Toronto to Niagara run on the QEW on an almost daily basis but he’s entrusted the helm of the kitchen to like-minded chef Ross Midgley who shares Kennedy’s food philosophy. The moment you arrive in Niagara Falls you hear the roar of the enormous amounts of water constantly falling and once the elevator doors opened to the Windows restaurant, you are treated to one of the best views overlooking The Falls. The American Falls are directly across and the Canadian Falls (horseshoe shaped) are south and to the right.

Our evening began with a Spring Salad of Soiled Reputation (from the farm of the Manic Organic fame) with Easter radishes and sorrel vinaigrette.

Next up was a Spring Minestrone with braised rabbit and an herb pesto that perked up the soup when you swirled it in.

The main was a duck duo of confit and seared duck leg served with schmaltz (fat) potatoes and a sour cherry glaze.

Dessert was a camomile tea spiked with Amaretto and served with a panna cotta topped with a rhubarb gelee and more delicious Niagara wines for those that lingered waiting for the lights to shine on Niagara in the Spring night.

Having driven back to Toronto and passing through the more touristy Clifton Hill (wax museums, etc), one also passes the diner’s wasteland of roadhouses and “food so dumb that high school students can cook it” restaurants, its hard to believe that Jamie Kennedy’s Windows will do anything other than succeed.

Niagara Falls was screaming for a restaurant for the meticulous gourmand and Jamie Kennedy has answered the call.