Extra Helpings: Blogger Dinner At Chowder House Cafe

One of the self-imposed job requirements I have for myself as a food blogger is the responsibility to help drive as much traffic as possible to the independently owned, northeast Ohio restaurants as I can. My routine modus operandi is to do this via anonymous restaurant visits where I show up unannounced, do not identify who am I or why I am there, and pay for everything I eat. While this may work for the first visit or two, when my identity is eventually discovered, my relationship with the restaurant and the chef is bound to shift.

The first two times I reviewed Chowder House Cafe back in October and December of 2009, Chef Louis Prpich had no idea of why I was there or what I intended to do. Having no website of their own at the time of opening, my initial review served as the landing point for many, many Google searches for the restaurant (and still does, actually). It must have been one of my readers who alerted him to the fact that someone had not only written about his restaurant once, but twice. He reached out then by leaving a comment on my second review. Interestingly, he reached out to me again about a year later in October 2010 with an email.

Seeking to harness the power of those most concerned with writing about the vibrant food scene in Cleveland and Akron, he wondered if I would mind stopping by the restaurant before the dinner shift on a Saturday evening. When I arrived, we sat down at a table in the back of the restaurant, he brought out a few dishes for me to try, and systematically began to pick my brain about the notion of doing a blogger dinner. A blogger dinner, for those of you who don't know, is where a restaurant will organize a comped (meaning, free) dinner for local food bloggers in the hopes that they will then return to their respective blogs and write about it. While writing honestly about gratis meals is a tricky affair, I always make it a condition of attending such a meal that I am free to write about my experience, good or bad.

After making some recommendations about how best to structure a menu for food bloggers (we are an adventuresome bunch, after all), I agreed to bring together several of Cleveland's and Akron's top current food bloggers; Chef Prpich was tasked with putting together the menu. We had originally scheduled the dinner for a Tuesday in December before the Christmas holiday, but because of bad weather, had to reschedule to last Tuesday. At 6:30 PM, representatives from six blogs, evenly split between Akron and Cleveland, convened at the restaurant for what would be a nine course tasting menu.

Here was a list of the courses we were to be served tonight:


Wisely, Louis put together a list of roughly half of the items coming from his seasonal menu and half what he would consider "specials" that might rotate in and out depending on ingredient availability. Before starting the meal, the chef came out and gave us a nice background of the highlights of his culinary career. Having graduated from Pennsylvania Culinary Institute, he had founded and run several kitchens in the Cleveland and Akron area, including the original Grotto location in The Valley, Coaches, and Office Bistro. It was in 2009 he decided to open Chowder House Cafe as a small little cafe featuring fresh seafood and homemade cuisine that would still allow him to balance his work and personal life. The cafe has been such a hit, however, that they've already expanded into another area of the building and grown from a small, one page menu to two full pages of seasonal, sustainable, locally purchased food whenever possible.

Introductions now finished, he directed our attention to the first course, soup. We each had our choice of the signature potato-less clam chowder, the lobster bisque, or the traditional French onion soup. Having already had the clam chowder, I went for the French Onion Soup:


Topped with a crouton and melted and bubbly cheese, the soup was delicious. The onions were soft, the broth was both slightly sweet and savory, and it really did a good job of warming my soul on this cold wintry night. I heard moans of gastronomic ecstasy from diners around me, equally enjoying their soup selection. When you go, gentle reader, start your meal off with a bowl of soup. You won't go astray.

Our second course was Crudo:


Consisting of thin slices of raw tuna, scallops, and walleye, the fish had been dressed with Meyer lemon and olive oil and topped with a warm, wilted arugula salad. The fish was immaculately fresh and gave off no hint of off-smells or flavors. In fact, the flavors were remarkably clean and blended together quite harmoniously. The wilted salad also gave a nice temperature contrast to the fish. Chef Louis had clearly designed tonight's menu to impress and by the end of course two, every single person sitting at that table was definitely salivating for more.

Our third course was a Portobello Streudel using fresh phyllo dough from Athens Food and served with a small salad and a pool of house-made demi:


The mushrooms had been poached in cabernet sauvignon and mixed with Provolone before being wrapped in these burrito-esque logs and subsequently baked until perfectly golden brown. The phyllo was so delicate that the outer layers broke into a thousand little shards when I first lowered my fork into the streudel. The filling was rich and earthy, and the Provolone lent a nice creaminess to the filling. The veal demi-glace saucing the plate added another layer of richness and flavor.

For our fourth course, Chef Louis gave us the second of what would be five courses involving seafood, Baked Oysters:


These were Chincoteaque oysters that had been shucked, topped with spinach, bacon, Manchego, and sherry cream and then broiled until golden brown. Each diner got three oysters and I have to tell you, these were rich and decadent. Each of the ingredients lent its own flavor without taking away from any of the others. The oyster, essentially protected on the bottom by the shell and the top from the toppings, were plump and juicy.

For our fifth course, plates of Crabcakes with Oven Roasted Creamed Corn arrived at our table:


This was an interesting plate of food. While the crab in the crabcakes had come already pre-picked and packaged, there was also no filler in the cake itself. This led the cake to have a very intense crab flavor. Normally paired with a sauce remoulade, the creaminess instead came from the creamed corn, infused with cream and Adams Reserve white cheddar cheese. The small salad in the back of the plate had cleverly been dressed with a jalapeño vinaigrette, adding a modicum of chile heat that caused it to pop on my taste buds.

Our sixth course was an item that I have actually never had before, line caught Wild Shark:


Seared nicely and finished in the oven until perfectly cooked, the fish had the texture of swordfish. Had one sworn off of meat in favor of fish, this particular dish would satisfy that primal urge for meat. The Caribbean spice-rubbed shark filet was served over a julienned vegetable medley of baby leeks, bok choy, and red peppers and finished with a ponzu fish sauce. This was an interesting pairing of protein and vegetables and up until this point in my life, I would have expected to see something like salmon in its place. The shark, however, stood up well to the other flavors on the plate.

It was also at this point in the meal where the chef stopped and informed us that he always tries to make responsible choices for the fish he serves at the restaurant. Believing firmly in the role of sustainability, he pointed to the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch website to determine which fish he bought and which he passed on. I am in total agreement that this is a great website which I use all the time when determining which fish selection I will be having for the evening. Since the website is perfectly browsable on my smartphone, I have it with me wherever I go.

By this point in the dinner, the strain on our guts was beginning to manifest itself with moans from the diners and physical stretches to make sure we had room for the remaining three courses. Course number seven was a recent addition to Chowder House's menu, Cassoulet:


This incredibly hearty meat and bean casserole had been made with chicken and homemade pork sausage, confitted in duck fat and stewed with white beans before being topped with a garlic-infused, almost Panko-like bread crumb and toasted to utter perfection. It was interesting to note that when Chef Louis originally put this on the menu and made it with the more traditional ingredient, duck, he could barely move them out of the kitchen. Changing the protein to chicken and pork sausage apparently made this dish highly accessible because it is now a wonderful seller. After tasting the earthy, creamy, rich and complex flavors, I could tell why. While the crudo course was probably one of my favorites for how light and delicate it was, the cassoulet course was right up there for the complexity and depth of flavor.

Our eighth, and final savory, course was a Proscuitto-Wrapped Monkfish over House Stewed Tomatoes:


Monkfish is considered to be a "poor man's" lobster. It has a similar texture, but I find it isn't quite as sweet as lobster meat can be. That being said, the monkfish was cooked properly and more importantly, served over the most luscious stewed tomatoes that I have ever eaten. When Chef Prpich stopped back in to check on us, he told us that during the late summer months, when tomatoes are at their peak, the restaurant madly stews and jars these tomatoes for the cold winter months. Sadly, he informed us that they are about to run out of their reserves of this dynamite condiment until the summer months bless us once again with ripe tomatoes. The tomatoes were acidic, savory, unctuous and sweet all at the same time. Simply amazing.

Our gargantuan task nearly completed, there always seems to be room for dessert, right? Our ninth course was the classic Creme Brulee, Chowder House-style:


The creme brulee itself was fairly standard, but the inclusion of a cayenne and chocolate tuille and a cocoa infused whipped cream really amped the dish up. The vanilla infused custard was super smooth and creamy and the tuille added a nice textural contrast to the dish. The only part of this dish I was a little disappointed with was the lack of chili kick from the cayenne pepper. Otherwise, this was a fantastic way to end our journey from "soup to nuts." While it's obvious that Chef Prpich had time to prepare for us and present only his best dishes, I think I can safely say that our expectations were equally as high coming into this meal. Having sat through this momentous meal, I can safely say that he delivered with aplomb.

Our meal at its inevitable conclusion, we thanked our host and servers, left a tip for the waitstaff that we thought was commensurate with the value of the food we had eaten tonight, and headed back out into the cold January air. Going into the dinner, I already knew two of the other food bloggers in attendance. One of the benefits of tonight's meeting was the opportunity to meet three more. The incredibly cool thing about these dinners is that in addition to being able to talk about the cuisine of a local chef or restaurant, you get to hang out with some very cool people.

As I have done in the past, I highly recommend you check out Chowder House Cafe. The restaurant is incredibly charming, the chef has the desire to present local, seasonal, and sustainable food in a way that truly highlights the ingredients, and the vibe of the place is ... well, just really cool. They currently don't have an alcohol license, but the chef informed us before we left that they are working on the final stages of getting a beer license. Of course, should you want wine or beer with dinner, you are free to bring your own and they will charge you a nominal corkage fee for opening and storing your beverage of choice.

I encourage you to check out the other bloggers' entries regarding last Tuesday's dinner. Links to their articles are provided for your convenience:

* Interesting Akron
* Carano's Cucina
* Fun Playing With Food
* The Chubby Cook
* Eating Around Town

(I'll update this list as more articles post, so check back.)

Brioche French Toast Throwdown

As much as I try to keep up on restaurants' new and seasonal menus, often times I only discover the presence of something new only after I see a mention to it in the myriad of Internet sites where I read about food. Perhaps I'll see something mentioned on Facebook or Twitter. Many times I've discovered something interesting to check out when I read the weekly food column by Lisa Abraham at the Akron Beacon Dealer on Wednesdays.

On a recent Saturday, I was joined by fellow food blogger Kathy from Carano's Cucina and her friend, Lynn, at the Howe Meadow Farmer's Market. Afterward, we were looking for something filling and local and decided to check out the Golden Goose Restaurant in neighboring Cuyahoga Falls, OH. Now, I have written about my experiences at the Golden Goose before and have walked away quite impressed with the quality of not only the homemade diner-style food being served in the restaurants, but also the quality of the breads and pastries being made from scratch every day by pastry chef, Michael Bruno.

As we walked through the front door at around 10:30 AM, it was immediately apparent that they were still in the middle of a very busy breakfast service. As I checked the daily specials board, the first item I noticed was the brioche French Toast. Many restaurants use Texas Toast or challah for their French Toast. And, in fact, The Golden Goose regularly offers a French Toast made from challah on their menu. However, the thought of the more decadent and butter-laden brioche version made me give into my Pavlovian urges.

As we sat down at the table, I immediately pulled out my new smartphone (yes, sadly, the G1 has been replaced by the HTC Incredible, another Android phone) to update my Facebook and Twitter status. Unbeknownst to me, I would later get a comment from Chef Louis Prpich of the Chowder House Cafe reminding me that they, too, had brioche French Toast on their Sunday brunch menu as well. It's been a while since I did a "throwdown," but I thought that this was as good a chance as any to compare the two offerings.

After placing our order today at The Golden Goose, our server returned shortly afterward with our breakfast. Here was a shot of the French Toast:


Along with this platter of griddled goodness came a little stainless steel pitcher filled with warm syrup:


At $9.50, this was definitely more expensive than the challah French Toast listed on the menu. But with my first bite I could see where the extra cost came into play. The thickly cut brioche slices had been dipped into a standard egg batter and perfectly griddled. They were crispy on the exterior and creamy in the interior. The strawberries were fantastically ripe and lent both a sweetness and tartness to the dish. While butter was provided, I didn't find it necessary to add any. The warm syrup was a wonderful touch, but I was sad that it wasn't real maple syrup. I wasn't sure that this plate of food would fill me up, but it most certainly did.

As we went to the front of the restaurant to pay our checks, we ended up getting into a conversation with both Michael and his wife at the pastry case:


They had just put out some freshly baked Morning Glory muffins that really looked delicious:


Filled with all sorts of good-for-you ingredients like carrots, oats, and coconut, had I not already hit my sweet quotient for the day, I probably would've ended my meal with one of these.

Fast forward to a Sunday following my visit to The Golden Goose and you'll find me standing at the front door to The Chowder House, just a few short blocks away. When I walked through the front door, I was pleased to discover that a room directly ahead that had been previously unused in my last two visits had been opened up with additional seating installed. When I asked the hostess about it, she showed me around and indicated that they had needed to add the additional tables to handle the larger crowds. Good news, indeed.

As I had shown up shortly after the Sunday brunch began, I was actually the first patron of the day. The hostess handed me the brunch menu, which seemed almost superfluous given that I knew what I would be having.

Here was a shot of the menu:



Hah! This time I spied two items on the brioche French Toast that the Golden Goose's version lacked: warmed Ohio maple syrup and applewood smoked bacon.

Soon my server returned with a nice steaming mug of the decaf for which I had asked:


I often like to pair unsweetened bitter coffee with sweet foods. I like the combination of these two flavors. I went ahead and placed my order and within about ten minutes, this was what I received:


Instead of providing the maple syrup in a pitcher like the Golden Goose had done, the kitchen had used it to sauce the plate instead. I dipped my fork tines into the maple syrup and tasted it. The delicate sweetness of real maple syrup made me sigh with contentment. But something else made me sit up in my chair. The syrup wasn't warm, but room temperature. Quickly working through the possibilities, I touched the rim of my plate. Yep, room temperature as well. Perhaps the syrup had been warmed at one point, but by serving it on room temperature plates, the temperature of the syrup quickly reached equilibrium with the plate.

I also noticed that the slices of brioche used for the dish were thinner (but still a nice size) than the pieces used at the Golden Goose. Here was a side shot of the French Toast stack:


Overall I enjoyed the French Toast. I did think that the very center of the bread slice was just a tad dry, but a dip in the syrup quickly fixed that. The strawberries adorning the plate also were fresh and ripe and tasted delicious. The mascarpone "stuffing" didn't do a lot for me as I discovered when eating a small bit by itself. Essentially a combination of mascarpone and butter, it didn't feel as much like a filling as it did a slightly sweetened, cheesy piece of butter one would normally apply to a breakfast item of this type. The flavor of the mascarpone was present if you tried the compound butter by itself, but it got a little lost when eaten with the rest of the French Toast.

Finally, the applewood smoked bacon:


I always appreciate a nice contrast to something sweet; this side fit the bill perfectly. Nicely smoked and just salty enough without being overpowering, the bacon paired perfectly with the French Toast. Actually, I found myself dipping the bacon into the maple syrup before eating heavenly bite after bite. Having nearly finished every bite of this $9 brunch item, I indicated to my server that I was ready to pay the check.

So now that I've described my brioche French Toast experience at both places, which one do I consider to be the best? The problem I run into is that they both were quite good. Each also had an item or two that could be improved. I missed having actual maple syrup and a nice salty side with my meal at The Golden Goose. I missed having warm syrup and the mascarpone filling didn't quite hit the flavor button that I think the chef hoped it would. And since they were virtually equivalent in price ($0.50 difference), I can't use that to determine a large value difference.

In the end, I'll have to give the very slight upper hand to the Chowder House Cafe. The inclusion of the applewood smoked bacon and the use of real maple syrup adds just a bit more balance to the overall plate. That being said, I think you'd be happy with either dish. Also note that the version at the Golden Goose was a daily special and not always on the menu. Get it if they're offering it, but you can count on the Sunday brunch menu at the Chowder House to always have it available.

Extra Helpings: More From The Chowder House Cafe

After my last wonderful visit to Chef Louis Prpich's restaurant Chowder House Cafe in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, I made a mental note to myself that I needed to return soon for another experience. Sadly, given my crazy holiday schedule, "returning soon" turned into a several month hiatus. Finally, however, I had a free Friday night and I just so happened to be in that part of the world. Knowing that it might be tricky (if not impossible) to get a table without a reservation on a Friday night did enter my mind, but I decided to throw caution to the wind and go anyway.

I arrived at 7:30 PM to find that while the place was definitely hopping, there were still a small handful of tables available. The hostess showed me to my table and left me with the menu. It turns out that the regular menu is exactly the same as it was last time, which kind of surprised me a little bit. I had commented in my previous blog that the menu seemed a little simple; I had kind of thought that after being open for several months now that it would've been tweaked somewhat. Fortunately, as was the case last time, there were some additional daily specials. I don't want to get ahead of myself in this review, but I do think I should warn you, gentle reader, that both times I have eaten here, the daily entree specials were significantly more expensive than the regular menu items. It's not that I don't think the entrees were priced inappropriately. But I think the servers should make you aware of the prices when they are describing the specials given that they can be twice the price of the regular menu items.

While the potato-less clam chowder was still on the regular menu, I decided to go with the daily soup special, a rustic sausage soup:


First, the good. This soup had a marvelous flavor to it and was excellently seasoned. It very much reminded me of an Italian Wedding Soup without the pasta. The sausage, which had been sliced instead of crumbled, added a nice meaty texture to the beef broth based soup. I would take a hot cup of this soup on any cold winter day. Unfortunately, I didn't receive a hot cup of this soup today. In fact, it was barely lukewarm. To add insult to injury, the piece of bread served with the soup was beginning to go stale. I'm assuming that this bread had been sliced at the beginning of dinner service and was just now being placed on my plate.

For my dinner entree, I decided to go with one of today's specials, braised beef short ribs over mashed potatoes and asparagus. Here was a shot of my dinner when it arrived:


You'll have to forgive the "glitter" effect in the above photograph; the fat suspended in the sauce and the flash on my camera didn't play well together. Overall this was a solid dish. The short ribs were tender and very soft. The mashed potatoes were obviously handmade as they still had a bit of lumpiness to them (which I actually preferred). The roasted vegetables, carrots, onions, tomatoes, and whole garlic cloves were a wonderful addition to this hearty dish. The asparagus, while not in season right now, actually had a sweetness to them that made me think about late spring and early summer when this vegetable is at its peak. I had only two critiques, one major and the second minor. First, both the meat and the potatoes just needed a tiny bit more salt. I think it would've really made the flavors on that plate of food really pop. Second, and sadly, a bit more serious, was the discovery of an entire bay leaf hiding in the sauce:


In the darkened restaurant, I didn't actually see this before putting it into my mouth and only after starting to chew did I realize I had something inedible that needed to be fished out. Bay leaves are obviously a wonderful way to add aroma and flavor to soups and stews, but because they are a choking hazard need to be fished out before serving the food to your guests. While not as bad as finding, say, a used BandAid in my food, it still shouldn't have happened.

That being said, it didn't stop me from cleaning my plate:


After finishing my entree, I decided to take a fifteen minute break (the dining room was now mostly empty, so I wasn't worried about being accused of "camping") before proceeding with dessert. I did, however, decide to have a cup of decaf while I waited:


Fortunately this was one choice they had added since my last visit. Previously, only regular coffee was available. Speaking of beverages, I overheard another server talking about the restaurant's wine policy. When my server returned to check on me, I asked her about it. Currently the Chowder House Cafe does not have a beer and wine license. However, if you bring your own beer or wine, there is only a $5 corkage fee. For those that don't know, a corkage fee is a charge for opening the bottle of wine and providing you with wine or beer glasses. $5 seems entirely reasonable to me. Hopefully they'll be able to secure their own license soon so that they can begin offering their own selections.

Having sat for a few minutes and digested, I finally made the decision to move forward with dessert. Since I had tried the chocolate torte the last time I was here, I went with the only other dessert available, the caramel pecan cheesecake:


Both the chocolate torte and the cheesecake are made locally by a home-based baker named Bernie Tetzel. I have searched what seems to be the entirety of Google and found nothing reliable about her or her business. Apparently she supplies many local restaurants with desserts. Since I enjoyed her chocolate torte the last time I visited, I figured the cheesecake would be a home run, too. It was. Sort of.

The dessert featured your standard New York style lemon flavored cheesecake as the base. By itself, the cheesecake was quite tasty and the tempered sweetness from the custard went well with the bitterness of the coffee. The moistness of the custard was nicely in the middle of ultra-creamy and dry and crumbly. As a piece of cheesecake, I enjoyed it. However, the "caramel pecan" portion of the name only came from the fact that the finished cheesecake had been drizzled with a caramel sauce and then finished with pecan halves on top for garnish. There was no integration of these flavors in the actual crust or custard itself. As such, the predominant flavor I got when taking an entire bite was still lemon. It wasn't the dessert itself I objected to, but how it was described.

It wasn't until I received my check that I realized that the braised short ribs entree was actually $19. Was it worth $19? Yes. Should my server have mentioned this fact when she was describing the daily specials given that most of the other items on the regular menu ring in at between $7 and $10? Hell, yes. Granted, I can't be completely absolved of blame here as I could've asked. But like most people who eat out, if a price isn't given for a daily special, it is a reasonable assumption to make that it will be in line with what you can see on the restaurant's regular menu.

Needless to say, I was a bit disappointed with the food today at the Chowder House Cafe. Certainly nothing was inedible or had to be sent back to the kitchen and clearly the flavors were quite good, but several small and not-so-small problems made their way into my dining experience tonight that made it less stellar than my first experience. Since it is only Chef Prpich running the kitchen, I can only imagine that he was having an off night. I'm still recommending that you give the Chowder House Cafe a try, but make sure you heed some of the information I've given you today, especially if you are interested in the daily specials. I intend to return, and I think you should, too.

Extra Helpings: Chowder House Cafe

When I first moved back to Northeast Ohio from Columbus, I decided to settle in the residential suburb of Cuyahoga Falls. It seemed like a nice area with access to many of the businesses I would be frequenting as well as close to a number of friends. Several stores were even within walking distance, including a unique little coffee shop called Jimmy's Cafe. Jimmy's was an imaginatively decorated shop that was known for serving good coffee and several unique New Orleans specialties. As I had yet to hear the blogger siren's call, I never bothered to pay too much attention to it. It was with a bit of sadness that I later learned that the original owner had simply given up after a number of years and closed it down.

Recently while reading the online version of the Akron Beacon Journal, I discovered an article that said another area chef had bought Jimmy's, renamed it to the Chowder House Cafe, and decided to throw his hat into the ring. Chef Louis Prpich, known for his stints at other Akron eateries, decided to keep the funky interior and exterior decor and put together a rather simple menu that he could execute by himself. According to my server, they had only been open one week, but had seen some pretty good turnout based on word of mouth.

The Chowder House Cafe was located at the corner of Chestnut Boulevard and State Road in Cuyahoga Falls. More specifically, they were located at 2028 Chestnut Boulevard, 44221. Unfortunately no definite phone number or website could be found online at the moment. Hopefully both of these problems will be remedied with time.

I arrived around dusk and parked my car behind the restaurant. Here was a shot of the exterior:


Once inside, you turn right and enter the dining room. There were two areas, the outer area with smaller round tables and a spot in the back where simple square wooden tables lounged on a small dais. Noting the lack of really good lighting in the restaurant, I decided to sit at one of the wooden tables in the back because it appeared to have better lighting.

Once I got acclimated to my surroundings, I looked around to discover a veritable bare bones staff. Essentially there was Chef Louis Prpich in the tiny kitchen and just one server. With just a handful of tables available for guests, I can totally see one chef and two servers being able to easily handle the entire room. After a few minutes, my server arrived at my table, took my drink order, and dropped off the menu.

Here was a shot of the front:


And a shot of the back:


Clearly this was a simple menu. But it also made sense to start with something not overly ambitious. A single soup, several appetizers, salads, and lots of sandwiches, this menu conveyed to me that the chef was still finding his sea legs but was confident that what was on the menu was good. The special for the evening was a prime rib dinner as well as a French Dip sandwich au jus. Most items were between $5 and $9 and my server indicated that portions were large enough that if you got the soup and a salad or sandwich, you would be more than satisfied.

While many of the starters on the appetizer list looked tempting, the chef's potato-less clam chowder finally intrigued me enough to order it. At $5 for a bowl it seemed a touch on the pricey side, but after receiving my portion, I though it was well worth it.


This was incredibly smooth and creamy without any of the grit that potatoes would bring to the party. The clams were tender but still just a little bit chewy to give the soup some nice texture. Potatoes are normally one of the ways clam chowders are thickened. As the potato cooks, it releases starch into the surrounding liquid which then gelatinizes when cooked to the proper temperature. The chef stopped by at one point to check in on me and I asked him about the technique he used to get such a thick velvety texture to his soup. Apparently he uses both a roux (flour and butter cooked together) as well as reduced heavy cream. The one downside to the soup was that the clams were just a touch too sandy for my taste. Purging the sand out of clams is an essential, but often difficult, task one must do to avoid the annoying grinding between the teeth sensation in the final product. I always expect a little bit in clam chowder, but Chowder House Cafe's version had more than would've liked. Flavor? A-/A. Grittiness from sand? C.

While the lobster roll initially looked like it might be my sandwich selection for the evening, when my server told me that they were serving a French Dip sandwich au jus made from the prime rib that was destined for the lone entree of the night, I was hooked. I managed to make it almost all the way through my soup when this plateful of food arrived, still steaming:


The bowl of brown soup in the foreground is actually the jus. It had actually formed a "crema" on top of the liquid. The potato chips on the back left side were standard run-of-the-mill chips and nothing special.

Here was a close-up shot of the sandwich:


Other than this being a pretty darn messy sandwich to eat, it was extremely tasty. The tender prime rib slices were moist, juicy, and really flavorful. The Italian seeded bun did its best to contain all of the moisture, but at a certain point, disintegration was inevitable due to all of the juice. In order to eat this with my hands, I ended up holding the still stable parts of the sandwich with one hand and using my spoon from the chowder to spoon the juices over each bite instead of trying to dip the sandwich into the bowl of jus. And before I forget, let me give three cheers for the jus. I tried a spoonful of the jus when my plate was first set down in front of me and let me tell you, this broth was beefy. It was rich and earthy and was seasoned just perfectly. If anything, it simply made the sandwich taste even beefier.

After finishing up my sandwich, my server asked if I wanted to try any of their desserts. Normally I am not really a dessert person, especially after consuming a huge bowl of very filling soup and a large meat-filled sandwich, but I decided to hear her out. Tonight they had a chocolate torte as well as blackberry pie. Being an avid fan of chocolate and an even more avid hater of blackberry seeds, I decided to give the housemade torte a try. Here was what I received after a few minutes:


Here was a shot from another angle:


The torte slice consisted of thin slices of chocolate genoise that sandwiched layers of chocolate cream and topped off with a wonderfully thick chocolate ganache. This would have matched wonderfully with the bitterness of coffee, but unfortunately all that was available was caffeinated and as it was getting late, I wasn't about to risk a night of tossing and turning just because I wanted a bitter counterbalance to the chocolate. To say that this dessert was a chocoholic's dream would be an understatement. The contrast in textures and flavors between the layers was nicely done and the moistness of the cake, which dries out easily, really came through.

My bill, including an iced tea I had ordered at the beginning of the meal, came to roughly $20. The sandwich was $8.50 and the slice of chocolate torte was $5. This was quite reasonable given the quality of the food. There are a couple of things to note before heading off to Chowder House Cafe and trying them yourself. First, they do not have beer or wine available yet, but are more than willing to serve anything that you bring yourself for a small corkage fee. Second, they are currently only accepting cash and checks, so don't forget to stop by the ATM and make a withdrawal before you show up. I suspect that as Chef Prpich settles into his newest endeavor, all of these other accoutrement will begin to fall into place.

I highly recommend you give the Chowder House Cafe a try if you live in Akron or find yourself driving through. They are open weekdays for lunch and dinner and only for dinner on Saturdays. Between the quirky decor and the delicious food, you are sure to find something that will tickle your palate and fill your stomach.