The summer has gotten away from me. Now, the days are getting shorter, football’s in full swing, and normal life as a Northeast Ohioan will soon resume. Now it is time to reflect on some of our fun food adventures of the summer – and there’s one morning meal that has been quietly lurking in the back of my mind for far too long.
Seemingly out of nowhere sprung a bustling little breakfast/lunch cafe and bakery that is sure to blow your mind. The Blue Door in Cuyahoga Falls, our new fave weekend destination restaurant, is now so familiar that I can barely remember life before it opened. Since it is slightly out of the way for us, we end up stopping in late on a Sunday morning, after developing a laundry list of (mostly imaginary) things we MUST accomplish in Akron. And of course, they are PACKED. Fortunately with only two of us (we opt to roll kid-free on this excursion) there is rarely a wait. This level of culinary intensity is so unique for this area, it’s a miracle we can even get a table. Since I’ve waited so inexcusably long to share with you, I have accumulated far too many food fotos. But before getting to the eye candy, might I share a few reasons why Blue Door is a real success here in Northeast Ohio.
In an attempt to transport myself back in time a few weeks to my fabulous honeymoon, I will be writing a short series of blog posts about our favorite eateries in San Juan, Puerto Rico. All of them were in Old San Juan, since we opted to rent an apartment in the city for the week instead of going the resort route. Our apartment, Caleta 64, was just across the street from El Convento, and within walking distance of the two Spanish forts (dating as far back as the 1500’s), as well as shopping galore, and a plethora of restaurants, bars, and coffee shops. Our first Puerto Rican obsession was coffee. Enter Caficultura, recommended to us by our host at Caleta 64 and Old San Juan aficionado, Betsy.
After checking out some reviews online, we decided to trust the masses and try Tommy’s Diner. A little off the beaten path and a couple miles west of our hotel downtown, Tommy’s was crawling with people.
As the reviews suggested, Tommy’s has got every detail of the diner vibe covered, from the black-and-white checkered floors to the shiny red vinyl booths. Even our waitress looked the part with a scarf tied around her head and bright red lipstick. Love it! Continue reading
You have to start somewhere, and I’m starting two miles from home at local favorite, Samantha’s. Yesterday, I started off my birthday there with a delicious breakfast, which I have to say is my favorite meal of the day at this spot. Lunch is good too (I can’t get enough of the lobster bisque and chicken enchilada soup), but their breakfast offers a delicious and reasonably priced alternative to this area’s popular chain restaurants like Cracker Barrel, IHOP, and midwest classic, Bob Evans.
I opted for trying something new and went all in (it was my birthday after all) for the bacon waffle. And yes, as the name implies, they add the bacon right into the batter (and probably a little grease too), and man is it tasty! I probably would have tried this already (had I noticed in the menu)…reminds me of Hash House in San Diego, probably my all-time favorite breakfast joint, period. They also serve up a bacon waffle and it is do die for. You can’t go wrong there, and I got mine loaded up with fresh blackberries on top. Sounds a little odd, but the mix of savory and sweet is pretty cool. And again, since it was my birthday, I wasn’t shy with some extra butter, maple syrup, and some more bacon on the side! Bon appetite!
dreaming of the next bite. 