Chowder House Cafe, Cuyahoga Falls

Chowder House Cafe
(8 out of 10)

2028 Chestnut Blvd

Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio 44223

(330) 794-7102

Chowder House Cafe

Chowder House Cafe recently became the new occupant of one of our old favorite places to go.  Formerly Jimmy's Cafe, the Chowder House Cafe had a lot to live up to.  Jimmy's always had amazing art, showcased in rotating displays, as well as all over the walls.  The old cafe was also big on live music, and we've been to various jazz and acoustic shows there over the years.  After our evening was complete, it was good to see that some things don't change, and those that do, change in amazing ways.

First and foremost, the parking situation has to be addressed.  Like many smaller eateries, Chowder House shares a lot with other businesses.  The only parking in the lot that is available to CH customers is in the back of the cafe.  There are roughly 10-12 parking spaces available and, believe us, they fill up quickly.  We can see how this would be a reoccurring problem, and the CH tries to manage overflow parking by posting signs that direct customers to park in the CVS store parking lot across the street.  At first, we were disappointed because it was pouring rain outside and we did not want to schlep across grass, mud, and puddles to get to the front door.  Upon parking, though, we agreed that parking at CVS is possibly closer to the front door than the back lot parking spots.

The outside of the cafe is colorful and, even with the gloomy, dark skies and rain, it stands out among many surrounding businesses.  Upon walking in, you're greeted with a warm glow from dim lamps and various candles spilling light across the small dining area.  Yep, we said small.  The cafe is a smaller restaurant, easily manged by 2 or 3 servers.  When you walk to your table, the first thing you notice is the unique decor.  The walls look like they are splashed with paint, but not in a weird, messy, sticky way.  Everything that adorns the walls and windows has meaning and purpose.  Pieces of glass, ornaments, ribbon, and ceramic shapes hang from window treatments in many colors.  The kitchen is semi-open, framed by beautiful stained glass and wood paneling.  The cafe has the feeling of the beach, reminiscent of a small shop that belongs in a southern vacation area.  A welcome mini vacation from the gloomy Ohio winter.

Chowder House Cafe welcomes patrons to bring their own wine to enjoy with their meal.  They do charge a $5.00 corking fee though, so plan for that charge to be added to your bill.  Speaking of the bill, be aware that Chowder House Cafe only accepts check or cash.  The menu is simple and elegant, focusing mainly on seafood items (if you don't care for, or are allergic to seafood, don't fret!  Keep reading!). 

• Starters: We ordered the Crab Gratin: Crab and lobster blended with a mascarpone and gorgonzola bechamel, baked and served with crostini.  Pretty tasty.  The bread was toasted perfectly, and the gratin was served with a beautiful golden brown crust.  The lobster and crab pieces were not very noticeable, and the entire dish was light and buttery.  We would have liked a little more seasoning added to the gratin, however, we'd rather add our own salt and pepper than have an overly seasoned dish.  The portion was generous, we had at least half of the gratin left after the bread was gone!
• Soups: We had to order the Lobster Bisque: Made with lobster, cream, and sherry, served with a large piece of bread.  This soup was so good that the noises we made during our first bites hardly sounded appropriate for mixed company (or public for that matter).  The bisque was very thick and had huge chunks of sweet, tender lobster.  It was the winner of the night.
• Dinner:  Aside from various salads and sandwiches (which all were tempting and sounded delicious), Chowder House Cafe has an eclectic dinner menu, including Seafood Pasta, Cassoulet, and Three Little Pigs (ten ounce boneless pork loin chop wrapped in bacon pan-fried,  and set atop roast pork shoulder finished with Ohio apple cider demi served over mashed potatoes).  Dear Lord.  Although tempting, we decided to go with the Kobe Steak Burger: ten ounce Kobe burger topped with gorgonzola cheese served with pickle variations and roasted mashed potatoes.  When Kobe is on the menu, you cannot resist...and we were SO glad that we didn't.  This burger was massive, and the pat of gorgonzloa on the top complimented the tender steak burger perfectly.  The pickle variations were two different types of pickles: one sweet and one hot, almost like a banana pepper-pickle.  A steak sauce was also served with the burger, and it was a spicy addition.  The potatoes were creamy and well-seasoned, mashed up with the red skins mixed in.  Simply amazing.

At the end of our meal, we were so stuffed that we weren't able to partake of the incredible dessert that Chowder House offers.  There is a dessert case that is visible from the tables.  There were various types of cakes and pastries that looked delicious.  We'll have to return and try some next time :)

Overall Impression/Rating:  Chowder House Cafe lacks in parking, but brings it with fresh, inventive food that is simply incredible.  Not a place for crowds, this would be a perfect spot for a romantic night out.  The menu is moderately priced, with most dinner entrees from $12-$20, and sandwiches from $8.  The decor of the cafe itself is like an art display, and the gentle light from the candles create an intimate setting.  Good show, Chowder House, 8 out of 10!

The Lockview, Akron

The Lockview

207 South Main Street

Akron, OH 44308-1301

(330) 252-5128

The Lockview

 

I have to make a confession... I had been looking forward to going to The Lockview for months before I actually made it there.  I had been told that it was Akron's response to Melt, the incredibly successful and delicious gourmet grilled cheese restaurant out of Lakewood.  I went in with pretty high hopes.

I embarked on this particular journey with my counterpart from Cleveland.  Although enthusiastic, he wasn't as excited as I was about the prospect of a delicious grilled cheesery in Akron.  We arrived around 6:30 pm on a Friday night.  There was parking available on the street, which was nice.  There is no parking lot, so if we had arrived any later, we would have been walking pretty far (which would have been obnoxious since it was in the high teens that night).  If it had been a bit warmer, it would have been nice to check out Lock 3 or any of the little shops that are peppered along Main Street.

We approached the outside of The Lockview and were greeted with a sort of "college bar" feel.  The lights had a yellow hue, outside and in.  When we walked in the door, we were immediately pushed out of the way by a group of guys coming out of the restaurant.  Translation: Very little space in the entrance/waiting area.  We elbowed our way through to get inside The Lockview.  After putting our name in, we were given a wait time of 35-40 minutes.  Not too bad, considering any Olive Garden or O'Charley's would have quoted you at least an hour and a half (but we're getting away from the mainstream!).  

While inside waiting for our table, I was shocked to see the incredibly long chalkboard above the bar.  It was divided in half by a flat screen TV, playing an old black and white movie.  I was in awe of the colorful words made of chalk that spelled out dozens of different beers available. 

**Side note: One downside to waiting inside: You are literally standing right next to someones table.  Seriously, butt in face action.  Uncomfortable for all involved.

We sat down in the back of the restaurant, which was a bit roomier than the front and middle portions.  The place is not big whatsoever.  The wall to the right has mirrors on it, creating the illusion of a bigger room.  That helped because, without it, it would have felt claustrophobic and cramped.  We opened the menu to check out the grilled cheese offerings.  **WARNING**  If you enjoy eating meat, your choices are limited.  The menu can be accessed on their website, but I'll comment on a few items:

• Appetizers- We did not try any, however, they look delicious and worth a try.  I'm most interested in the Lockview Croquettes: Panko crusted mashed potatoes mixed with cheese, deep fried, and served with chipotle ailoi.  Yum.

• Gourmet Grilled Cheese Sandwiches- Due to lack of meat (and two very hungry foodies), we opted out of the sandwiches that got the most hype.  Some did sound tasty, like the Number Five: Goat cheese mixed with diced portobello mushrooms, caramelized onions and roasted garlic, topped with swiss cheese on multigrain bread. 

• Although most were meatless, there were sandwiches that featured bacon and pepperoni.  There was a cute touch though: each gourmet sandwich was served with a side of cheddar goldfish crackers!

• Signature Sandwiches-  This is what we came here for.  I ordered the Black Forest Ham Sandwich: Black forest ham topped with grilled pineapple, swiss cheese, and BBQ sauce, served on country buttertop bread. My partner in all things cheesy got the Chicken Cordon Bleu Sandwich: Grilled chicken breast topped with black forest ham, swiss cheese, and honey dijon mustard, on ciabatta bread.  YUM. 

• I customized the Black Forest Ham Sandwich by adding some peppery arugula to it.  My cohort then asked to change the cheese on his Chicken Cordon Bleu Sandwich from swiss to pepper jack.  This elicited a strong negative reaction from our server.  She stated, "We do not switch out cheese when we are this busy."  We were both taken aback, and then my partner said, "I don't even like swiss cheese though... maybe the taste of the mustard will cover it up."  The server looked at us for a moment, and then turned and left the table.  Besides the blatant poor customer service, this lead us to believe that, possibly, some sandwiches could have been pre-made (yuck).  We hope that this is not the case. And, for the record, they weren't even that busy :P 

While waiting for our food, we each had ordered a beer: Bombshell Blonde and East India Pale Ale.  The IPA didn't disappoint, while the Bombshell lacked any sort of "explosion".  Unless you're a beginner with beer, go for one of the IPAs.  We ended up getting a second beer, Founder's Centennial IPA, on draft.  Best beer of the night.  If you visit, you MUST try that beer!
 

We were seated next to an art exhibit that was being featured that weekend.  The exhibit showcased local artists, and made for good conversation pieces while waiting on our food.

As we finished our beers, we saw the server approaching with our sandwiches... the next 15 minutes or so was spent in happy silence (you'll see why..)

 (Chicken Cordon Bleu)

(Black Forest Ham with Arugula)

 
We swapped one half of a sandwich with each other.  The fries were included and were really good.  Hand cut is always a favorite!  The Chicken Cordon Bleuciabatta bread was a little soggy as well.  The real winner of the night was the Black Forest Ham.  The salty ham and sweet, juicy pineapple went together perfectly. The bread was buttered, toasted, and crispy.  The BBQ sauce was not apparent, but we decided that the sandwich was better without it.  I think that adding arugula to this sandwich is a must.  It broke up the salty and sweet flavors with flashes of crisp, fresh, spicy goodness.  The sandwich itself was really thick, and they were generous with the portion of fries.  It was delicious.

Overall Impression/Rating 
Here's the scoop: The Lockview is no Melt.  We learned it, came to terms with it, and we moved on.  However, for a cool place to eat with a unique menu (and an endless list of beers), it's worth the trip to check out.  Parking is hit or miss- be sure to wear your walking shoes, just in case!  If you're watching your spending, it's wallet friendly.  Our bill for two sandwiches and four beers came out to less than $35.  The best part is, you can check out the menu online and actually see the prices of the food (a rarity for online menus).  The beers were not expensive, and it was nice to try something new.  The wait wasn't unreasonable, but it was cramped.  Don't expect to be floored (or substitute your cheese!), but we give this a 7 out of 10.  

**Feel free to post any comments or questions- or let us know what you think!








 

Independent Akron

Welcome to Independent Akron, the project designed to find, experience, and review many of Northeast Ohio's independently owned businesses.  We're out to find new hangouts, restaurants, boutiques, and entertainment venues.  We'll do the research, post pictures, and review each unique spot.  We're open to suggestions- send us an idea and we'll go out and review it!