Bucci's

The mark of a good Italian restaurant is not the food, or at least not all about the food. When Brittney mentioned that she was thinking about going to Bucci's with her boyfriend she most likely had in mind an quiet romantic dinner, but word got around. This unassuming little restaurant with a little red awning next to an often passed by little convenient store, who would want to stop there? By the time they arrived we were waiting, her parents, brother, sister and me, so much for the romantic night, but it was Bucci's, we could not pass up the opportunity. The mark of a truly great restaurant is its ability to draw people, diets be damned, with just the whisper of its name. Half way through the meal I looked up and found that we had entered a cheesy Olive Garden commercial, albeit with vastly superior food, with everyone sneaking bites off each others plates and spontaneously breaking in to That's Amore, and unfortunately the Spice Girls.

They have the atmosphere of a cozy family restaurant, but they also have the food to back it up. I started with the French onion soup, cheesy and delicious, and followed it up with the mussels in garlic sauce. The mussels are incredible, but the high light of the dish is sopping up all of the extra butter with their fresh bread, and we where lucky to get it fresh out of the oven. I could not help myself from reaching across the table to steal some Gnocchi from Brittany's plate. My favorite thing on the menu is the Gnocchi in Blush sauce, and luckily the portions are so large and the sauce is so rich that there is always plenty to take home, which I usually steal, now I get the mussels and the Gnocchi, and don't worry it is just as good the next day. I was so good in fact that I traded a mussel for a second bite when I got caught stealing.

I could not resist trying everything on the table and had to trade mussels for bites of the veal, chicken and eggplant Parmesans, all great. By this point in the meal I was running low on the mussels for trade, it was a large portion but between being hungry and the frequent trades I was getting low, and I still had not tried the Special Potatoe Crusted Tilapia with fresh grape tomatoes and capers in angel hair pasta, luckily Krista's mother had ordered it, and she was sitting next to me, within stealing distance. I snuck one quick bite. And it was not enough. I had to go back for more. I spent many years working in a seafood restaurant and I know how what it takes to get make a relatively bland fish shine, and I was still not prepared, even after all the other offerings I had tried, for the amount of flavor in this fish, the tomatoes and capers paired perfectly with the light crust with out over powering the fact that it was a perfectly cooked piece of fish I was eating. I usually expect the natural flavor of a good piece of meat to be masked by a heavy sauce and over abundance of cheese at many Italian eateries, not so here. Here was an accent to the natural flavor.

I could not put my finger on it, was it the decadently rich sauce on the Gnocchi, the subtle accents that highlighted the Tilapia, trading bites with friends, having fresh hot bread to wipe up the last of the sauce on my plate (and on the plates next to me), I don't know, but something made this a great night out. I guess I will have to go back again and find out!

Cheers,

Steve

Sakura

About 2 weeks ago, I ventured to Akron to visit my favorite girls: Susan and Stacey. Steve was out-of-town for an interview and I felt the need to escape to the wilds of the "other" northeastern Ohio city. Susan was dealing with a sick little one, so after I quickly stopped by and gave the hard working Mama a hug and a smooch for little Nathan, I made my way to Stacey's place.

We decided it was an excellent night for some delicious sushi. I was really excited because I know that Stacey favors this sushi place over my favorite, Sushi Rock. Every time we have been to S.R., I've been reminded of how it isn't as good as Sakura.

Sakura is nestled in a small shopping center across from the West Market Plaza on Medina Road in Akron. You may not notice it for anything more than a small Japanese take out joint (if you weren't looking close enough). When we parked, I was honestly a little apprehensive...the decor of Sushi Rock is gorgeous and modern...and this looked like "just another tiny Japanese restaurant". When we walked in, I noticed the it was cozy and pleasing to the eye. No decor "over the top", but does that really matter when the food is great?

We arrived at about 8:00pm and had to wait for about 20 minutes to get a table because it is a small restaurant and were busy. This is usually a good sign.

Once we were seated, our server popped over immediately for our drink order. I guess I was excited and not paying attention, because I ordered a large Sake...whooops. I think that is usually meant for two people and since Stacey is allergic to several things...we weren't sure if she could have it. It was a good thing that she was behind the wheel that evening. ;)

We had perused the menu when we were waiting, so I thought I was ready to order. However, then they brought out the "specials" menu. I was super excited because I saw exactly what I wanted on the specials menu that was missing from the regular menu...the Philadelphia Crunchy Roll. Healthy? No, but soooo delicious! Salmon, Cream Cheese and Scallions...deep fried. My kind of sushi.

I also ordered some spicy tuna roll and shrimp tempura roll. I have to admit, I have tried the rolls that are more geared toward the raw fish lover and no matter how many times I try it or where I try it...I just can't get into it. I like sweetness in my friends from the ocean. The fresh "out-of-the-ocean" taste has never wowed me. I order my salmon well done. I enjoy deep fried goodness, spicy tuna rolls and everyone's "ultimate sushi favorite" California roll. Living with a fiancé that lived in Japan, I have been given my share of the fresh delights and tried hard to like them...but alas they go in the "I don't like" box with raw tomatoes and most mushrooms. Sorry mushrooms...I want to love you too!

Stacey ordered the Alaska roll with smoked salmon and avocado, and the tuna roll. She also enjoyed some Japanese ice cream made with rice called Mochi. More on this interesting ice cream here. You can find it at Trader Joes. It is a perfect snack for Stacey since she is allergic to wheat products and anything that tastes great made with rice...is good news for her. Stacey was, as usual, very pleased with her dinner.

Needless to say for me, everything was fabulous. I felt that the freshness of the rolls was on par, if not better than Sushi Rock. This is a great place to venture to if you are in the hilly city of Akron.

Sake it to me baby,

Krista