One of the most romantic restaurants in the region is hidden away in the restored Borden's Milk Factory in Niagara Falls. Walk into AG Inspired Cuisine and the urban chic décor has a sultry feel, enhanced with passionate colours, creamy mother-of-pearl accents and boudoir drapery. It could be Paris or New York, but Niagara Falls? Nawww.
It's true! Executive chef Cory Linkson's calls his cuisine “continental French with strong regional influences” and his dishes are as stunning on the palate as the restaurant is to the eyes. Linkson admits to designing menu dishes by how the seasons and local harvests inspire him. What he doesn't admit to in this cozy 50-seat restaurant is that the food is more important than the customers.
Of course, this is good news for anyone looking for consistently pleasing food and a chef who likes to take risks with the menu. Take, for example, his interpretation of classic surf and turf. Linkson locals it up with Lake Erie pickerel and braised beef ribs, then throws a bit of fennel pollen on the accompanying brie and smoked tomato tart with leek and horseradish fondue ($31). This is a dish that elevates any special reason for dining into an extraordinary experience.
Linkson's style is inspired by the seasons and how they make him feel. Snow on the ground ignites a hankering for savoury dishes, something braised or perhaps a creamy, meaty polenta. Linkson explains, “In the summer I figure a way to cook everything on the barbecue; in the fall I'm tired of it and I'm happy for the crock pot season.”
There is no lunch service at AG. That's when Linkson goes shopping at the local farms. “Of course anyone can do it, we're so close to them (farms). I go on my own time, use my own car and gas, but the alternative is not something I could be proud of,” explains Linkson of his passion for local foods.
Included in Linkson's shopping trip is Rick Jackson of Just Veggin in Niagara-on-the-Lake. You've probably seen the sandwich board on East West Line with vegetable sales only on Saturday mornings. Cory has an arrangement with Jackson that is more akin to a drug deal than a vegetable purchase. He drives to the giant vegetable patch and looks for his white cooler full of vegetables sitting on the side of the road. He empties the contents and replaces it with a roll of cash, then drives away.
Linkson is connected to the regions top growers like Arden Vaughn of Lake Land Meats and the MacSweens of Quiet Acres Farm. He gets meats and game from Lake Land as well as whatever is growing from Arden Vaughn's large garden. Arden has set up many deals for Linkson with other farmers including driving into a parking lot in the dusk of an autumn day and buying lamb ribs out of the back of a truck. Quiet Acres is where he finds unique veggies such as garlic scapes and zucchini flowers, the vegetables that will impress his diners with unique dishes.
In addition to buying local, everything at AG is made fresh to order and the menu changes upon Linkson's whim. “I like to change things (menu dishes) every few days.”
I asked Cory where he'd like to see himself in another 10 years and he replies “right where I am, behind a stove just like this in a great restaurant just like this. I'm a restaurant guy,” he laughs. “I grew up in a restaurant, my parents owned a chain of pizzeria's. In 10 years I'll still be working in a restaurant, not a chain but one like this where I can be as creative as I want.”
The restaurant opened only four years ago and Linkson says “it is possible to have a vision in Niagara Falls and stick to it.” He talks of his steadily growing local cliental as “supporters,” but we all know that no one “supports” a restaurant. People return when they get consistently great food and perceived value – it's Linkson's strength.
AG Inspired Cuisine has a 100 per cent VQA wine list that Linkson is proud of. The restaurant is inside the Stirling Inn, a true boutique hotel. Check the website for their Valentine's specials or drop in Friday or Saturday evenings after 9 p.m. for tapas and cocktails with live entertainment. A variety of tapas are offered from $1 to $3. It's a great way to try Linkson's cuisine.

Photo caption
Chef Cory Linkson calls his cuisine “continental French with strong regional influences”