VERNON'S CAFE

If you've read the introduction to my Mahoning Valley Eats & Treats blog, you know the reason I started it in the first place is that I truly believe the restaurants here are the best you'll find anywhere. With few exceptions (like crab cakes on the Maryland coast, shrimp at the North Carolina Banks), no matter how much you pay or what the restaurant's cache, the quality of the food won't be any better than you can get in this neck of the woods.

Right at the top of my list of reasons my husband Jack and I make that claim is Vernon's Cafe. Back in the day when we could afford to eat out more often than we can now that we're both retired, I'm guessing we had dinner there, on average, once a week - and never once were we disappointed. In between, we enjoyed greeting, meeting friends and eating in the banquet, often the site of special occasions like wedding receptions, office parties and such.

Up front, I'll say that while Vernon's is far from the most expensive place in the world - you'll find wonderful dinner entrees from $9 to $12 or so - but given our changed economic circumstances in recent years, it's enough that we simply don't go as often. That said, we got a hankering to go once again and decided to try lunch. In addition to banquet space, there's a relatively large dining room and a separate bar, where, because it's more casual and intimate, we always prefer to sit. We opted to get there around 1 p.m., thinking we'd miss the lunch crowd. That we did, but barely; quite a few folks were still there, although two of the four tables for four on the bar side were empty (happily for us).

Vernon's is known for a great wine selection, and although there's no on-tap beer, our server told us they've got just about everything from domestics to top shelf. And, we learned, they're delivered with tall, frosty glasses for those who want them.

There's a list of specials that changes daily, and while we looked those over our server brought a basket of thick, fresh Italian bread. Vernon's keeps bottles of herb-infused olive oil on each table - delicious for dipping that wonderful bread (we always add a few shakes of sprinkle cheese as well).

On the specials list, my first inclination was to try the linguine with bluefoot white shrimp and proscuitto ($10) or the sauteed chicken livers with mushrooms, onions, wine, rice and green beans ($7). Jack thought long and hard about the stuffed pepper with smashed Yukon gold potatoes ($8).

That's before I spotted the petite grilled salmon over angel hair pasta with tomatoes, scallions, asparagus and scampi butter sauce ($9.50) from the regular lunch menu - that one just called out my name. Jack, too, picked from the regular menu - his all-time favorite linguine with red clam sauce ($9), and you can get it with white sauce as well.

With our entrees come garden salads, with a choice of Italian or raspberry viniagrette dressings, both made in-house. Both are delicious - he picked one and I the other - and I said yes to our server's offer of topping it off with fresh ground pepper.

Both our entrees, as expected, were to die for; the portions were quite sizable for lunch, and both of us expected to take some home. Well, that didn't happen; paying no mind whatsoever to the possible consequences of overeating, we kept on shoveling it in until our bowls were completely empty - a testament to how fabulous both dishes were.

As we were lamenting our lack of self-control, though, Jack reminded me of the main reason we love Vernon's: The food here is creative. Almost all the entrees have some kind of unique touch - something we'd expect to find in big-city restaurants where, I hasten to add, we'd also expect to pay a lot more. 

The majority of our restaurant forays happen in the company of good friends Jerry and Barb from Niles, and Vernon's is no exception. This time, though, we went for dinner, and since there was no room in the bar, we were seated in the dining room. I must say that one of the reasons we prefer the bar side is that the dining room always seems a bit too crowded, as one of our friends noted on this visit so I guess I'm not alone. But since we managed to get a table against one of the walls, it was less noticeable than if we'd been at one of the tables in the middle of the room.

To start, we dug in on that wonderful bread and olive oil dip; three of us had ordered salads, while I had the wonderful wedding soup, which I absolutely love. In part to save on the cost, all four of us ordered waster and nothing else to drink, and - wonder of wonders, our glasses were refilled without our having to ask.

Our entree selections were all over the map; Jerry ordered the Chicken Saltimbocca ($14), two chicken breasts smothered in cheese and asparagus, which came with those Yukon gold smashed potatoes. Jack chose his favorite chicken cacciatore ($14), also two chicken breasts but with peppers, onions and other vegetables in a flavorful sauce.

Barb loves lamb, so she was more than willing to spend a little more for the Colorado chops ($17.50). And when I saw the blackened swordfish with rice ($17.50), I was hooked.

Needless to say, we were extremely happy with our choices. Jack's had the cacciatore many times, and it was delicious once again; Jerry's saltimbocca was a very generous size with outstanding flavor.

Barb was thrilled; the lamb chops, which were beautifully presented, included asparagus and au jus - and the only time she stopped saying "Wow!" was when she was eating. My swordfish was a very large chunk, and the blackened seasoning was quite spicy (wonderful for me, but it was a little too much for the other three, who liked it very much but said they wouldn't want more than a bite or two). The rice had an excellent flavor as well and the grilled vegetables made a perfect complement.

If you go:

Vernon's Cafe
720 Youngstown-Warren Road
Niles, Ohio 44446
(330) 652-1381
http://www.vernonscafe.com

Open 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday; closed Sunday. Since 2011, Vernon's also operates the V2 Wine Bar Trattoria on Federal Street in downtown Youngstown (http://www.v2byvernon.com).