Darby's on 59 (Second
Visit) Akron, Ohio Date of Visit: 03/24/16 http://darbyson59.com Click Here for Original Visit Needed a quick lunch in the Falls, been a while since we were recommended Darby’s and Bob’s your uncle. Same place, half bar/half tables. The service hasn’t really improved. It’s trendier but no better. Way too slow if you are on an hour lunch and that was with a burger, soup that’s done, cold chicken and just seared tuna in an empty restaurant. The music mirrored the service imagine a music channel labeled “Sad and Empty Hipster” (Tiny Vessels, Hannah Hunt, King’s Crossing) and you’re home. |
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The food split half and half. Chef LOVES pepper. I had three bites
of the mushroom bisque, I mean pepper soup. There were mushrooms in
it. You could tell by the texture which was interestingly lumpy and
grainy. Instead of slices or a complete puree they stopped somewhere
in the middle, strange but forgivable. Until you can’t taste any of
them past the pepper. Fail. The same strange thing happened with the
tuna appetizer, which is actually described as pepper crusted, but
who puts this much pepper on tuna? We’ve had a lot of substandard
seared tuna, this was not the case…fish was beautiful, you just
couldn’t taste any of it once the pepper crust punched your tongue
to sleep. Sad. The plate was really something too. Fried noodle
cage, decorative cucumber, spicy crab, pickled ginger, wasabi, a
couple of sauces. Super, but we ordered tuna and it was as inedible
as the soup. Play some more Sad Empty Hipster. |
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On the plus side were a tequila-lime chicken wrap with avocado,
greens, tomato, cheddar jack cheese and spicy ranch, nothing wrong
with that at all. Served with uber thin and crispy house chips. The
burger was also nicely done, loads of beef and little if any filler,
hard caramelized exterior and juicy interior soaking into a soft
bun. I think there was some pepper in the mix, but I could still
taste other things…much better. I added sautéed onions and bleu
cheese, it came with a complete burger set/drag through the garden
and above average fries. Stick to the basics, you’ll probably be
okay, stray and you may well be hungry again soon. |
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Change in Ranking | |||||
Original Score | Which Way? | New Score | Why For? | ||
C | C- | Learning Curve is In Wrong Direction | |||
Okay, there are two outs and it is the bottom of the ninth, we have
taken two strikes looking and the pitcher is raring back to deliver
the final blow. Twice the doors have been locked at Darby’s on 59
but a recommendation from Kristin led us to mixed adventures at
Retro Dog and Kiflis
Restaurant without satisfying our specific need. This day we
find a couple of cars in the lot and the door open. This is Darby’s,
finally. We were recommended the place with the information it may
not be spectacular but there are treats to be found. |
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The interior is surprisingly swank with varying brown tones, an interestingly shaped triangular bar and televisions set to tennis and golf over the bar and a marathon of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives over the small dining area. Our server Hillary did a fair job through the evening but some things were definitely amiss. There appeared to be a bevy of friends and family in for the night as the conversations at the tables around us would suggest, but you should take some notice of your paying customers as well.
Hillary did pretty well until the end of the
night when we spent time sitting as everyone was glad-handing their
VIP’s. You should celebrate your start but never forget how it might
appear to those who work less than a ¼ mile away with about a
hundred other people. Friends and family won’t keep your place in the
black. Hillary seemed to care…the rest, not so much. Sad and
possibly telling the future? I hope they learn…there were some tasty things. The bar
should keep them going for a bit at least. |
Looks Phenomenal... |
...Lacks Cheesiness. Hard To Believe But True |
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We started by ordering three appetizers, it’s how we roll. We chose the Buffalo Chicken Pot Stickers, the Molten Mac & Cheese Fritter with Bacon and the Kansas City Pork Wings. When we ordered the “pork wings…which we chose because I was curious…Pigs don’t have wings…Hillary said, “Hey you get two extra wings." She was sort of lying, what she must have meant to say was you don't get any. When the other two apps were delivered she said “We are all out of wings…do you want something else?” This is the only place I have been where they apparently don’t know they are out of something in the kitchen when it is ordered. I’ve run the night line at a four diamond kitchen…when the squirrel barks out an order and you ain’t got the goods, that’s when you send the server back to the table…not after everything else has been prepared…still some learning curve to tend to.
The two apps we did get were mixed. The mac and cheese suffered from
the now pandemic lack of salty cheese. The crusty exterior was
alright, the pasta wasn’t overdone…but what is was; was undercheesed.
Undersalted and a big ball of greasy pasty. We cut a couple of
pieces out and sent it to the garbage, where it really belonged. The
cheese sauce over the top was nice but wasn’t near the ball park if
expected to flavor the immense fried mess. The Buffalo chicken pot
stickers started out as lackluster as the mac and cheese
disappointment. We both agreed though, as you worked your way
through each piece it went from ehhhhh to ooohhhhh. A nice twist of
two classics. |
Passable Po' Boy |
Big Juicy Shrimp, Yes! American Cheese? |
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For the entrée we tried the 2 slider dinner with Buttermilk Fried Chicken & Lamb with fries and the Fried Shrimp Po’ Boy. First off, the mac app might have been improved with salt, to make up for the lack of salty cheesiness. I was worried about the fries since there is no salt of the table. There is some arrogance in not providing salt and pepper which proclaims “I season everything perfectly, you don’t need shakers.” While they failed miserably on the appetizer, the potatoes were deliciously fried and well seasoned with more than salt and pepper. They also appear to be trying to save on ketchup consumption as well as the little tin was barely ¼ full. If the fries weren’t well seasoned the skimpy pour of condiment would be irritating if not provoking. The Po’ Boy had the fried shrimp, a pseudo spicy remoulade (the menu said it would be spicy), tomatoes (not certain they were heirloom as the menu suggested), spring greens and shallots, all on a butter toasted French bread. Now, the bread won’t compete with the Blue Door’s version, Lord knows the bread would get a vicious beat down from the Cuban version from The Columbia in the far South, the greens were fine, the shrimp were large and well fried..far from a rubbery overcooked mess. Not bad, not what I imagine Domilises’s to be from the motherland of Po’ boys. The shrimp were enough to make it a nice local variant regardless.
Speaking of skimpy, the sliders Steph ordered were small by slider
comparison. I don’t expect a quarter pound but definitely expect
more than quarter sized…okay that’s exaggerated…they were the size
of three quarters. The chicken was moist but lacked anything
memorable flavor wise to make up for the canapé size. The lamb was
certainly better with a slice of cucumber, lightly gamey lamb and a
curried tzatziki sauce. Tasty, not enough to share, the nibble I
took off the end to make sure Steph had a bite or two was nice,
Steph didn’t like the curry as much as I did but it did well over
all. |
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Juicy But Boring Chicken Slider |
Better Lamb Version |
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Still short an app and pretty full, we decided to try one of the two desserts on the menu. After the less than stellar bread pudding at The Columbia in FLA, we tried the other option, the fried cheesecake….It was far more disappointing than the extinct appetizer, it came to the table but failed to deliver. Under sweetened, grainy, oily, with less berry compote and sliced strawberry then could possibly save it, the dessert would have been better unordered and tasted. Turns out Kristin was right, they may not be pro’s, they may not completely understand the business, but they have some tasty options, if they are lucky they will figure it out before the harsh overlord that is restaurant statistics come calling. Some tuning would make this an attractive option in a small area that could use one.
Thanks
for the heads up Kristin...looking forward to more. |
Quarter Pound vs. Quarter Sized |
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Again Looks Aren't An Issue |
Once You Get Inside The Flaws Materialize |
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Ratings | |||||||
Food |
Service |
Ambiance |
What's Best |
What's Worst |
Overall |
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C+ | C | B | B | D | C | ||
Shrimp & Pot Stickers | Promising Looks With No Payoff |