Café 422
 Youngstown, Ohio        Date of Visit  04/27/13          http://www.cafe422.com/#

Formerly owned by the Abruzzi family, Café 422 is on route 422 in Niles. Many moons ago the restaurant was sold to a Turkish family or at least the two brothers who run the place. Certainly they couldn’t keep an Italian place open in a town stuffed to the gills with Italian offerings, I mean they’re not Italian. They do appear to be smart business men. They added some windows which brought some life to the formerly dark and dreary dining room. They added a patio.
 

Only Place I've Had Italian Bread Just Like This
 

We were delivered a tray of their signature Italian bread and a scoop of whipped butter. It’s been said they bought the recipes along with the building; the bread makes me think this is true. It’s been quite a while since I have been here but I remember the bread. It has the same doughy interior but the crust is almost cracker-like in texture with serious crunch and a light hint of bitterness. It works great against the sweet butter. If they’re not making it, they are buying it from the same bakery it used to be. The tossed salad was crisp and fresh with rich dressings and crispy croutons. Now I know what they do with the left over bread.
 

Can't Place It But Their Gravy Just Doesn't Do It For Me
 

My mom ordered the almond crusted chicken salad. The salad was the same quality as the tossed and came with a beautiful balsamic vinaigrette. The chicken looked really tasty, golden brown, slivers of toasted almond, it must be good. Until you tried it, dry, underseasoned…quickly boring. I don’t think she would get it again, I wouldn’t. The other thing I don’t particularly care for is their red sauce. It’s not bad and I’m not sure what doesn’t sit well on my palate. There is something about the spice profile, nothing specific standing out, which pushes it way down the list for me. I didn’t finish most of my angel hair side due to this. It was also the problem for me on the chicken parmigiana. The chicken was lightly crusted and much more juicy than on the salad but the sauce covering it and the spaghetti hurt both. But not all sauces are created equal at 422.
 

Before that though, my brother went with the broiled salmon and baker. The pink fish was done exceptionally well, just flaking apart and incredibly moist. Topped with a lemon butter sauce which enhanced the overall flavor but really let the fish shine through, it was really well thought out and executed. Speaking of lemon and butter, years ago my brother introduced me to francaise or franchese depending on how Italian or French they want their menu to sound. I typically order the chicken version but it was only listed on the three course meal deal. The regular menu had veal, not a problem for me. Thinly pounded-out pieces are breaded, cooked and served in a sauce of butter, lemon and white wine. Nothing tricky but is so often out of balance in ways that make your jaws flinch from the lemon or feel like you’re sweating butter. Not so here. Just enough lemon is perfectly restrained by the fat from the butter and there is a forward note of much better than average wine…stunning. It’s not often you have a dish that hit’s all the notes, rich, fresh, tart, floral, viscous and sharp but this one did. John’s came with a chocolate cake which disappeared pretty quickly for someone who doesn’t much like desserts. The youngest of us had a little bit of everything and her older brother who is old enough to be finicky about this stuff had a lot of bread and a hot dog. Everything looked just right for a four year old and his came with chocolate ice cream. I think I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves on that one. Café 422 might not be my favorite Italian restaurant but if you know what to order you can strike gold.