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Michael Kraus, owner of Caffe Lola, could have opened his restaurant anywhere.
The Lewiston-born chef, who said he has worked with some of the best local chefs in the business when he was a meal coach for Wegmans, decided to place his cafe on Third Street because he wanted to support the city where he now lives.
Community is important to this child of Love Canal. His family was relocated from his 101st Street home during the trials and tribulations of that chemical-ravaged community.
“It’s important to support the community in which you live,” he said. “For me it was very important that Caffe Lola become part of the fabric of Niagara Falls.”
Once ousted from Love Canal, his family moved to North Tonawanda. Then he “got lucky” and got a grant to audition and attend the Buffalo School of Performing Arts. While he has since left show business behind, he still performs daily from his open kitchen, surrounded by an eating area so patrons can watch his “show.”
Since Kraus opened Caffe Lola several months ago, it has become a favorite of those seeking casual but upscale contemporary dining faire in the downtown area.
While not classically trained, he uses French cooking terms like “mirepoix” (a mix of onions, carrots and celery) and adding wines to his sauces. He does give a nod to his working class city when he admits cheerfully that his recipe’s wines come out of a box.
His background is deep in local culinary expertise. Kruas has worked at both DiCamillios and Wegmans and credits both companies for his extensive education and food centered passion.
He is surely passionate about his new enterprise which he has named for his wife, because he always tells her “what Lola wants, Lola gets.”
Lola has a slick, modern interior and a menu to match. Kraus serves menu items like “grilled polenta with chicken bolganese,” and “lobster panino with saffron aioli.” Local “foodies” who frequent downtown restaurants would be hard-pressed to find any other dining location with such an expressive and unusual menu.
“I couldn’t be happier with how it is,” he said of cafe which has a burnt orange walls, sleek silve
“eat here and eat here often,” he laughs. “and tell your friends.
Of his increasing cliente, some of whom have remarked that his restaurant reminds them of Manhatten, he said: “If they walk away enjoying their food and enjoying the cafe, I’m estatic.”
When asked to share a favorite recipe, he thought long and hard before deciding upon his Chicken Bolgnese which is served at the restaurant with polenta. The recipe he shares below is what he describes as “a nice creamy tomato sauce,” which helps to create a “rich meat sauce and lots of flavor.”
Chicken Bolganese Sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound ground chicken*
l large carrot, finely diced
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 stalk celery, finely diced
l tablespoon of chopped garlic (two cloves), diced
1 cup of white wine
4 cups of marinara sauce (store bought or homemade)
1 1/2 cup of heavy cream
1/2 pound pasta, cooked and drained.
Can also add chopped fresh parsley, fresh ground pepper romano cheese and pine nuts for garnish.
(Ground chicken can be replaced with turkey or ground beef, or a mix of ground pork, ground beef and ground veal.)
Place olive oil in pan with medium high heat. Add ground chicken. Cook until brown and set aside.
Into the empty pan, add vegetables and cook over medium heat for several minutes until soft.
Add minced garlic. Cook for another minute and then add white wine to deglaze the pan, stirring in the brown bits remaining on the bottom and side of the pan from the chicken. Simmer for several minutes until you can no longer smell the alcohol smell of the wine, which means the alcohol has been cooked off and only the sweet flavor remains. (This is perfectly fine to serve to children as almost all of the alcohol has been cooked out at this point).
Add cooked ground chicken. Simmer for five to ten minutes. Add heavy cream into the pan, stir and simmer for several more minutes and ladle over cooked, drained pasta.
Garnish with chopped parsley and fresh ground asagio or romano cheese and pine nuts before serving.
Multimedia
Related Photos
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Chef Michael Kraus with his Chicken Bolognese in front of Caffe Lola on Third Street iin Niagara Falls.
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Photos by James Neiss/Staff Photographer
VIDEO: Making Chicken Bolognese at Caffe Lola
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