At a time where everything seems to be changing, restaurants that stay the course as others come and go take on an extra measure of gravitas. They are a rock families can return to, to ground themselves and recharge. Returning to those places after a time away, to find the satisfaction of their cooking undiminished, is like coming home. Except you don’t have to do the dishes.

In Niagara Falls, Fortuna's has been feeding families since 1948. Its veal Parmesan, the peppers in myriad forms and the red sauce are by now as much a part of the Niagara Falls landscape as a certain famed cataract. A recent visit with a gang hungry for throwback Italian-American proved that at Fortuna's, the dream lives on.