CAFE 422

One of the many pluses of living in the Mahoning Valley, as I've said time after time, is accessibility to some of the best restaurant food anywhere in the country. Conversely, one of the minuses is that restaurants come and go. Sometimes, the demise falls under the Who Cares? category; other times, not so much.

As longtime Valley residents (my husband Jack from birth and me after we got married), we well remember the bustling U.S. Route 422 "Strip" that was lined with wonderful places to eat. At the heart were Alberini's, El Rio, Cafe 422, Jimmy Chieffo, Cherry's Top of the Mall, The Living Room and the Town and Country where we got to see big-name Kenley Players after the shows at Packard Music Hall. The parking lots overflowed every evening, and at least once a week, our car was among them.

Today, these treasures are gone, the most recent of which to close its doors is Alberini's. That is, with one notable exception: Cafe 422. The folks who started the place back in 1939 - the late Guerino "Greenie" Abruzzi and Orazio Rossi - are long gone, but the restaurant was sold to Serdar Dede a few years back. Since then, he's kept the name, the hot peppers in oil and good food, and in 2012 he opened a second location in the former Rusty's Southside Grille in Boardman.


Our first visit for review purposes was at the original location with our usual friends Jerry and Barb from Niles - on Valentine's Day, no less - and the first time we've been there since it changed hands. The interior configuration hasn't changed much from what we remember, but it's been updated. The main dining room now has windows that reflect the Route 422 scene, for instance - much more airy and light. In another area, a large bar dominates (we sat in this section).

Needless to say, I had to try the hot peppers in oil as an appetizer ($3.50) - diners no longer get a free dish as was the custom long ago. Water was poured automatically - which I always take as a sign that customers are well cared for. Right after we ordered drinks and entrees, our server returned with a basket of fresh bread and butter.


Immediately, we dug into those hot peppers in oil. While I'll say they're different from the ones I remember, they were quite delicious (and hot enough to be not too popular with the others at our table, much to my delight).

It took us a while to decide on entrees, but decide we did. Barb chose the broiled salmon with lemon butter sauce, one of several three-course dinners priced at $17.99. They come with soup or salad, one side and a dessert (chocolate cake, raspberry cheesecake - her choice - coconut cream pie, tiramisu, creme brulee, a brownie sundae, Italian spumoni or ice cream. How's that for choices?

Jack finally picked the Italian-style whitefish, sauteed with hot peppers, olives and onions in a light marinara sauce ($16.99), but not before he asked if he could substitute less hot peppers - certainly, our server said.

Jerry and I are huge walleye fans, so we couldn't resist the walleye over sauteed greens, one of the specials of the day ($17.95). He chose a Caesar salad, while I went with wedding soup. Since the entrees also come with a side, I asked what my choices were, but the server said the sauteed greens counted as the side and I didn't get a second. Not a big greens lover, I almost switched entrees, but when our server said the fish was ample in size (and did I say that I love walleye), I stuck with my original decision.

The results? For openers, the wedding soup definitely ranks among my top three favorites; the flavorful broth is filled with a couple of tiny meatballs and veggies but not to the point of having very little broth. If there's a downside, it's that it comes in a very tiny cup - I'd love to have enjoyed a few more spoonsful.

Barb's salmon was excellent, and Jack's whitefish was a goodly size with an abundance of veggies in the topping (he did say he could have done without a few of those olives, though). Jerry and I loved the walleye as expected, but as it turned out, it's a good thing I also loved the sauteed greens. Had I not, the filet wouldn't have come close to filling me up; I hadn't eaten much the whole day to "save up" for our special Valentine's Day splurge. On the whole, we all agreed the meals and ambience here are wonderful and a refreshing change from our usual casual dining - but we also agreed prices are a bit on the high side so it's not a place we can afford to visit very often.


We didn't waste a lot of time heading to the Boardman location - also with Jerry and Barb in tow - but this time it was for lunch (Jack took this photo of the three of us). The building is quite impressive, and the decor is absolutely elegant. Soft muted grays and browns blend comfortably with blonde wood tables with comfy chairs.

There's a separate lunch menu as well as a daily specials list; our server said the menu is virtually the same as Warren, although Boardman doesn't have the three-course specials. Here, too, we had a tough time making up our minds. I was the first to decide, although I fluctuated between Cajun tilapia over orzo for $7.99 or clam linguine with white sauce at $9.99 (the latter won out). Opting for soup over salad, I ordered pasta fagioli instead of clam chowder.

Jack was in a fishy mood as well, choosing parmesan crusted haddock with sauteed greens and tomato vinaigrette salsa plus a salad with sweet-and-sour dressing for $9.99. For Barb, it was eggplant parmesan with a salad (the blue cheese dressing added a $1.25 upcharge). She also asked if she could have the standard red sauce on the eggplant and just olive oil on the accompanying pasta and was told that would be no problem.

Jerry broke ranks by going with a sandwich, prime rib with sauteed onions, peppers and mozzarella on ciabatta bread ($9.99). He picked a salad with sweet-and-sour dressing.

We also got a loaf of delicious warm bread before our entrees arrived. The lunch portions weren't huge - we all polished off every single bite - but each was well worth the price in terms of size. Barb raved about the eggplant, mostly because it was an exceptionally thick chunk and the coating was crispy, just as she likes it. The pasta seemed to have an overabundance of butter rather than "straight" olive oil, and our server confirmed Barb's assessment, adding that there was a bit of garlic in there as well. The extra cost of the bleu cheese dressing, Barb said, was money well spent.

Pasta fagioli's never been a favorite (I ordered it simply because I didn't want a salad or clam chowder). But this was quite different; light pink, relatively thin broth filled with tiny pasta rings and other goodies. I doubt I'd want an entire bowl, but I wouldn't hesitate to order it again - although those salads, with a variety of greens - looked great as well.

My linguine was especially tasty, with no shortage of shredded clams. After I added a few sprinkles of hot pepper seeds, I was in pasta heaven. Meanwhile, Jack deemed his fish excellent, and he said the greens were unexpectedly flavorful and the tartar-like dipping sauce was unique and delicious.

Jerry - who's usually the most loquacious of our foursome, for the most part chowed down quietly until every bit of his sandwich disappeared. Did he like it? "Kick-ass! he pronounced.

If you go:

Cafe 422
4422 Youngstown Road S.E.
Warren, Ohio 44484
(330) 369-2422

http://www.cafe422.com

Open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. The Boardman location is open on Sunday only for private parties and one hour later than Warren on all evenings.

CLEATS CLUB SEAT GRILLE

It's not all that hard to be a "sports bar" these days; just install a working tap with half a dozen beers, hang a few NFL and NHL posters on the walls, tune the TV sets to ESPN and add those words to the restaurant's name. Voila -- a home run!

Except not so fast; a name and a few half-hearted end runs at making the place look or smell like a gym do not a sports bar make. But if you started out as a place dedicated to [ahem] athletic supporters -- and your chicken parts have been designated as the "official chicken wing of the Cleveland Indians" -- I think it's safe to say you qualify.

Such is the case with Cleats Club Seat Grille on Elm Road in Warren, which moved into the building once occupied by another favorite of mine -- the Ground Round. The latter, much to my disappointment, not only left the building but the entire state (well, almost; the restaurant in Toledo was still operating at press time).

My husband Jack and I don't get over to the Cortland side of Warren very often, but when we do, it's most often nowhere lunch time -- and even when we were hungry, we always passed by Cleats to head for Enzo's on up the road or over to Up A Creek Tavern on "old" Route 82 in Howland Township. But we always said we'd have to try the sports bar sometime.

Then, we ran into an old friend at one of the events at the Eastwood Expo Center in Niles, and he -- like many other folks -- asked about our days as "official" restaurant reviewers at The Business Journal. No, we said, that's long gone, but now I'm writing a blog and always looking for good places to go. Turns out he and his wife are "regulars" at Cleats, where she insists the burgers are the best anywhere.

It doesn't take much to motivate us -- and besides, we both love burgers and a sports atmosphere -- so within a couple of weeks we decided to give it a try. First, though, we checked to see if the restaurant has a Web site -- and we got a surprise: Far from a single location, Cleats was founded in 1996 in North Royalton, Ohio, and at last check has 12 locations, all in Ohio and most in the northeast part of the Buckeye State.

Cleats is, the Web site spells out, a "full-service sports-bar/restaurant featuring a comprehensive menu complete with salads, wraps, burgers, sandwiches, ribs, quesadillas" -- and of course those wings (and, I hasten to add, 22 "signature" wing sauces). Inside, there's a fairly large bar section with those high tables; besides that, we spotted something like three other rooms with tables and booths, so this place can accommodate a fairly large crowd. The walls are decorated with sports-related photos and memorabilia, and of course, the requisite big-screen TVs hung in strategic spots.

Perhaps more important, signs told us we could get 23-ounce domestic draft beers for just $2, which we consider a real bargain. There are other beer specials during afternoon pro and college games, but that didn't include now -- those $2 puppies will do just fine almost anytime.

As we perused the menu, I spotted zucchini planks as an appetizer for $4.99 with marinara sauce for dipping. One of my favorites -- probably because they make me think I'm eating healthy even though they're deep fried -- I just had to sample them here. For my main course, I had to try that other special -- wings. For $8.99, I got 12 that we could share, choosing garlic parmesan sauce (which our server confirmed is butter-based -- I don't like buffalo or "red" sauces of any kind).

Ever the burger lover, Jack went for the Varsity Burger, choosing it with Swiss cheese, onion and mushrooms and well done. With it came a side of fries, and the whole wonderful mess cost $8.99.

The zucchini arrived first as it should have -- about six lightly breaded and fairly thick slabs cut lengthwise to make about slices perhaps 8 inches long and 2 inches thick. They weren't kept in the deep fryer long, and the dusting of parmesan cheese was a nice addition. I'd have preferred a different kind of sauce for dipping, perhaps horseradish based, but the marinara was quite tasty.

The wings weren't large as wings can go, but they were tender and that sauce is absolutely delicious. After fully expecting to take some home, we polished off the entire dozen in nothing flat.

Jack's burger was very large and good, although he said it was overcooked almost to the point of being burned. Unfortunately, I reminded him, that's a relatively common reality for those who prefer their meat well done (still, it shouldn't happen). The fries were quite good as well, but the order was huge and we couldn't eat all of them given everything else we'd consumed.

Quite satisfied with the results of our first visit, we ventured back in early afternoon on the Thursday before New Year's Eve day. There was no crowd, although we did see a few parents with young children and the bar side was packed. As soon as I sat down, I noticed the $7.99 Firecracker Burger, with pepper jack cheese, jalapenos and what's called "sweet heat" -- definitely a possibility, I thought, since the burgers are quite good here.

Once again, we decided to splurge on an appetizer, waffling back and forth to find one we'd both like. Finally, we settled on White Cheddar Pints -- deep-fried bite-size Wisconsin white cheddar cheese for $5.99. As we browsed, we noticed that several appetizer items are just $3 on Mondays, a factoid we filed away for later reference (and passing on to the readers of this blog).

Just as I'd almost decided on that spicy burger, I saw that Thursday is rib day; a full slab with cole slaw is just $10.99 (the rest of the time, a full slab goes for $16.99, so this is a really good deal. And for the record, it's available as dine-in or carryout). Perfect, I said -- I've been wanting to try the ribs here, and I'd be sure to have leftovers for another meal.

Not much of a rib lover, Jack chose a Hot Sicilian sandwich -- grilled ham, pepperoni, bacon, provolone, lettuce and tomato on a hoagie bun for $6.99 with one side (he picked fries once again).

I loved the cheese bites, which with the white cheddar taste a bit different than the usual mozzarella sticks. Even Jack, who isn't a big fan of melted cheese inside breading, ate several of them. The basket contained quite a few, and I discovered that they warm up better than back at home than do the mozzarella sticks.

The portions at Cleats are quite large, and Jack's sandwich came in two substantial halves, one of which came home with us (as did more than half that mountain of fries). It was delicious, he said, and proved it by polishing off the other half not too long after we got back home. I tasted the slaw that came with my ribs, which is mayonnaise-based and similar to what I make. It's very good, but since Jack is the real slaw-lover in our family, I gave him most of it, snitching a few of his fries in return.

As for the ribs, they aren't as meaty as some I've had, but they definitely rank among the most delicious -- and that Thursday price deal just can't be beat. The totally fork tender meat is smothered in a rich barbecue sauce that's literally finger lickin' good. We packed up more than half for later, and adding a few breaded deep-fried fantail shrimp gave us a fantastic New Year's Eve dinner for our own personal version of "surf and turf."

Our verdict? Yep, this is a sports bar. And yep, the burgers, ribs and inexpensive beer are almost guaranteed to turn us into regulars as well. Hey, maybe we'll see you there on Super Bowl Sunday!

If you go:

Cleats Club Seat Grille
3701 Elm Road
Warren, Ohio 44483
(330) 372-WNGS

http://www.cleatswings.com

Open seven days a week 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.

Enzo's Restaurant & Lounge

My love of Enzo's Restaurant & Lounge goes way back -- never mind how many years -- but I was working in downtown Warren at the time I first discovered it. My business colleagues and I loved to go there for lunch when our workloads permitted us a real lunch hour. Once my job moved to Youngstown, my visits necessarily were far less frequent, but now that my husband Jack and I are at least somewhat retired, we've rediscovered the place and fallen in love all over again.

In addition to enjoying a wonderful, leisurely lunch or dinner, though, I must note that Enzo's was the site of an even more joyous occasion: Our daughter's wedding reception more than a dozen years ago. At that time, Enzo's had just opened a banquet room, and she was looking for a place to hold the big event. All the huge well-known banquet halls were booked up a year or more in advance, and besides, her reception, with something like 125 guests, didn't require such a big facility. The minute she learned about Enzo's, she paid them a visit -- and went on to become the first wedding reception to be held there. Needless to say, everything was perfect, not the least of which was the food. To this day, we remember the wonderful time we all had there, and every once in a while one of the guests from all those years ago mentions the great surroundings and food as well.

Our "official" visit was in early April for a late lunch, and once again, we left with full stomachs, smiles on our faces and a pledge to not wait so long to eat here next time around. The decor is quite lovely with a decided Italian flavor -- Enzo's is owned by the Cantalamessa family, after all -- and there's a definite upscale ambience that's felt the minute you enter the lobby. To the right is the banquet facility; to the left is a small bar where you can wait for a table (or just pop in for a glass of wine, mixed drink or a cold beer). Almost straight ahead is the restaurant, which has a couple of dozen booths and a dozen or so tables. We also noticed a small outdoor patio that will be nice in warmer weather -- we'll definitely give it a try this summer!

Given the surroundings, you might expect to find outrageous prices -- but not so. We spent just under $9 apiece for our entrees (not including a couple of beers); we've spent far more than that at many "family casual" restaurants like Applebee's and Ruby Tuesday, all amid the banter of overly friendly servers who seem bent on becoming our best friends, the clatter of dishes and intrusive music and chatter from a half-dozen TV sets pointed at us from every direction.

At Enzo's, there's none of that -- the servers here are very friendly, courteous and helpful (they even bring ice water as soon as you sit down with no need to beg for it). Although business people clearly eat here often and you'll see lots of suits, sport coats and even an occasional necktie, you won't feel out of place if you wander in, as we did, in jeans. We also learned from our server that the restaurant's "regulars" haven't slacked off a bit despite the economy -- which also tells me something about how good, and reasonably priced, the food is here.

Two things we almost always get here -- wedding soup and linguine with red clam sauce -- we've always said are as good as you'll find anywhere. The wedding soup (I'm the one who loves it) is filled with all the usual greens, shredded chicken and those teeny meatballs, all swimming in an absolutely delicious broth. As for the linguine, it's Jack who claims that as his all-time favorite (I don't like red sauce on seafood). He love it so much, though, that he orders it at just about every Italian restaurant we've ever been to. So when he says this is the best, I'm inclined to believe him.

For him, then, the choice of entree was a no-brainer, especially since the cost is a reasonable $8.95 on the lunch menu. He chose the daily special soup of vegetable beef, which he pronounced delicious as he ate that and a slice of fresh Italian bread from the basket our server delivered with our soup.

The choice of entree for me, however, was a bit more difficult. I've always loved Chicken Francaise, for instance, and it's wonderful here, sauteed with lemon, wine and butter and also $8.95. Then there's the Fettuccini Prima Vera -- homemade noodles tossed with fresh vegetables and Alfredo sauce at $8.95. Most lunch entrees, I should add, come with either a tossed salad or a cup of soup (sandwiches generally include fries or onion rings). If you're there for dinner, expect to add three or four bucks to the lunch cost, but the portions are substantially larger and non-pasta entrees include either tossed salad or soup and a choice of potatoes, pasta, rice or vegetables. We've never had dinner here without bringing home at least half to enjoy another day.

Needless to say, there are plenty of salads and sandwiches here as well; when was the last time you had a real pizzaburger -- a choice of hamburger, sausage or a meatball served between two slices of pizza? The lunch version costs $5.95, by the way, and it's a real treat.

For this lunch, I finally settled on a new-to-me entree: Angel Hair Giardiniera, or angel hair spaghetti tossed in olive oil with snow peas, sundried tomatoes, red, yellow and green bell peppers, onions, mushrooms and romano cheese ($8.95). It sounded absolutely marvelous, and I was absolutely right. Light but spilling over with flavor, especially in the sauce, it's surpassed the Fettuccini Prima Vera as my favorite pasta dish. Although I struggled to make room, it was so delicious that I finished the entire bowl.

I digress a bit, but I must stop to share a little tip. Those who know me know I love anything hot and spicy -- I'll know I'm old when I can no longer wolf down a bowl of hot peppers in oil without suffering for days afterward. But in all my years of enjoying the spices of life, never once did I ever consider adding hot pepper flakes to pasta cooked in a white sauce. That was until I found a special linguine with white clam sauce at another local Italian restaurant -- the "secret" ingredient is (you guessed it), red pepper flakes. They add just the right amount of zing without changing the flavor of the dish.

So trust me: Although Enzo's Angel Hair Giardiniera is as close to perfect as you can get all on its own, try adding a couple of shakes of those pepper flakes. Bellissimo!

If you go: Enzo's Restaurant & Lounge
2918 Elm Road N.E.
Warren, Ohio
(330) 372-331­4
http://www.enzosofwarren.com

Open Tuesday through Friday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday noon to 9 p.m.; closed Sunday and Monday.