Lebanese Fatoush Salad at Niagara Falls' 755 Restaurant
SOURCE: BUFFALO NEWS
BY: ANDREW Z. GALARNEAU
When people ask me for suggestions of where to eat in Niagara Falls, they are always surprised to hear me extol its Lebanese glories.
Italian, sure. But hearing that they ought to point their Lebanese hungers at the City Market, off Pine Avenue, leaves them puzzled. So let this serve as your periodic reminder that the 755 Restaurant and Lounge, 755 W. Market St., serves some of the best Lebanese cuisine around.
Kabobs are outstanding, in beef, spiced ground beef and chicken ($10-$12). The vegan sampler ($10), of hummus, babaganoush, falafel, fried eggplant, cauliflower, pita bread and lemony tahini sauce, is an ode to the possibilities of vegetables.
Yet my first recommendation is always the fatoush ($6/$11). It’s a first cousin to the bulgur-parsley-tomato mixture called tabouli, but it’s more fun because it’s got crunchiness built right in. Built on chopped romaine lettuce, topped with crispy shards of fried pita bread, it gets more crunchiness from radish, and juiciness from tomato and cucumber.
Then it’s set off with a bracing dressing of fresh lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil, flavored with sour sumac and aromatic mint. This salad is on every Lebanese menu, but when you see the difference at 755, you’ll turn to the rest of the menu with fresh eyes.