The Blind Pig

A blind pig, in the slang of Prohibition, was an illegal bar that dodged the law by charging admission to see some curiosity and pouring the liquor for free. The Niagara Falls restaurant that took the name keeps the wink — low light, vintage cues, a cocktail list built for settling in — but it hides nothing it does. The Blind Pig is a gastropub on Lundy's Lane with a wide Canadian-comfort menu and a kitchen that runs late every night of the week, and that pairing is the first thing to understand about how it gets used. Locals keep it as a regular table, and the long hours make it as useful at midnight as at noon.

The kitchen's calling card is fish and chips battered in Rickard's Red, the beer worked into the coating so the cod comes out dark and crisp, plated with fries, house coleslaw, lemon, and tartar. From there the menu fans out further than the pub label suggests. Bourbon-glazed pork belly appears twice — as a small plate with coleslaw and as an entree over rice and seasonal vegetables. The Big Pig Burger stacks aged cheese, pickles, and a secret sauce; the Cubano layers slow-roasted pulled pork, sliced pork belly, ham, and Swiss on a rustic bun; smoked AAA brisket goes onto a brioche bun with chili mayonnaise and crispy onions. Wings come nine ways, from honey garlic to Korean BBQ. And the fusion plates give the menu its personality: Wonton Nachos built for two on crisp wontons under chicken, bacon, and jalapenos, Korean fried chicken in a glossy glaze, buttermilk honey-glazed chicken thighs, and lobster folded through aged-cheddar mac.