Steak Escape sizzles

Fast food convenience, high quality fare

Review by Joshua Maloni
Photo by Susie Falter
Niagara Wheatfield Tribune, January 31, 2008

Linda Bruno and Rich Lyons of Steak Escape, 2260 Niagara Falls Blvd.

Usually, cuisine critics don’t review fast food restaurants. There’s no point in writing about pre-packaged menu items generally made via assembly line.

Subsequently, a request to investigate Steak Escape seemed out of the order. The eatery, after all, is a chain with franchises in 100 cities and 28 states. Chances are, you’ll see the same menu boards detailing the same sandwiches and sides at any of those sites.

However, the Steak Escape located at 2260 Niagara Falls Blvd., just past the Niagara Falls International Airport, is far from generic. On multiple occasions, this writer has been satisfied, in terms of entrée creation, with the number of choices offered and speed of service. Each was cooked to order, and server Linda Bruno and cook Rich Lyons paid careful attention to every detail in providing me with the meal I sought.

Steak Escape boasts the use of high quality ingredients, fresh-cut potatoes and rolls. That makes a big difference in taste, and sets the eatery apart from most other chains.

On a recent trip, I tried the seven-inch “Grand Escape,” dubbed “America’s Favorite Cheesesteak.” I paired that with a loaded, smashed potato. My dinner partner opted for a seven-inch meatball sub and a side salad.

Both plates were agreeable. The steak and cheese grinder, though not the world’s best, was tasty, and suitably topped with grape seed oil. Happily, the ingredients were not buried in an oversized roll, but were lined generously within the bread. The potato was, indeed, loaded and smashed. Lyons sliced, diced and pounced on the spud before handing it off to Bruno for a cheese sauce and bacon bath. Yummy.

“That looks right up your alley,” my guest correctly noted as he enjoyed a fresh salad, comprised of leafy lettuce, cucumber and tomato, topped with house dressing. The meatball sub, he said, “is good; nice flavor.”

A second trip to Steak Escape resulted in the acquisition of a chicken parmesan sandwich and a regular order of french fries. The main course was tender and juicy. The crispers needed salt, though, and sprang to life with a sprinkling or two. With a minor correction, the fries unquestionably surpassed those found in your typical cartoon burger joint.

Steak Escape offers more than a dozen sandwich varieties. Each combination can be made into a submarine or wrap. Four can be served hot or cold. Moreover, each entrée is pictured with symbols representing onion, pepper, mushroom and pineapple. This affords customers the opportunity to see what a sandwich comes with, and the option to add or subtract toppings.

For those more health-conscious, the eatery offers grilled, garden and side salads. And those delicious potato products? Each is made with zero-trans-fat peanut oil.

If there is a drawback to Steak Escape, it’s that the restaurant swings a little on the pricey side. At each visit, my meal cost more than $10. That said, the cost reflects better ingredients, which is a fair trade-off. So too, the meals are so filling, you’ll likely skip dinner, as I did after a lunchtime visit.

Value meals, including a seven-inch sub, small fries and small drink, cost $7.49. A 12-inch combo retails for $9.49.

For more information on Steak Escape, call 731-5505.