Another
recommendation from a fellow degenerate Youngstown to Wadsworth
transplant I met at Kent. Two trips to Canton in two days, this one
takes me on my first trip across the Hall of Fame bridge on Dressler
Rd to Danny Boy’s. For some reason when I hear Danny Boy I think of
corned beef and cabbage instead of Italian food. Must be the song.
There is a different tune at the pizza shop…and it’s Frank. Rat Pack
themed from the walls to the music, there is a steady stream of
Bogart, Sinatra, Martin, Davis, Lawford and Bishop. There are also
modern nods to the Soprano’s and numerous other characters. The
oddest was Eliot Laudermilk from Scrooged. It holds none of the
weathered authenticity of the Diamond
Grill but pays homage from a distance. |
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The place seems to be doing pretty well on a Saturday afternoon and we are led to one of the tall tables in the bar. This was the biggest issue with our visit. We were served by the bartender who I’m certain must be a great bar tender. She spent a great deal of time doing her side work and didn’t seem all that interested in us or the other table that was sitting in the bar area. It did take us a bit to get through the menu and decided to have lunch and get some of their more interesting sounding pies to go. We
ordered a cup of chili, the mac and cheese and what they call a
“Woogie Melt”. After emptying our beverages, working out our
schedules, doing some online motorcycle shopping, and reading the
subtitles for that moron Skip Bayless on ESPN everything arrived
together. The chili wasn’t bad at all, very familiar spice profile
backing up the tomato stew, a bigger kick of heat than most places
and plenty of meat and beans it turned out to be pretty good. What
really struck me about the whole affair were the two fist sized
balls of dough that sat on the plate with the chili.
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The Chili Was Fine |
The Dough Alongside Was Phenomenal |
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They Look Inconspicuous But Contain... |
...Tightly Defined Layers Of Magic |
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They have this stuff down to a science. What non bakers would consider just a pizza dough is actually the best example I have seen anywhere in the state. This stuff is amazing. Strong yeasty punch, a terrifically thin brown crunch just manages to constrain a fantastically soft pillow of dough. I have made pizza dough, I have eaten a fair bit more, it’s been a long time since I had anything like this. Tender but tough, soft but with a significant tear and resistance; serious science and art coming together. Topped with a swipe of butter, Italian herbs and a pinch each of salt and parmesan cheese; it’s guaranteed to ruin any Atkins diet. The Woogie Melts are
essentially hot sandwich wraps done in their pizza dough. I ordered
the BBQ Beef Brisket with a zesty sauce, fresh shrooms, bacon and
three cheeses. The dough is as successful as a sandwich cover as it
was a roll. The brisket was tender and well balanced with smoke and
sauce, far better than the disaster we had at
Hog Heaven. |
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Very Tasty Brisket Woogie Melt |
Adultly Delicious Mac and Cheese |
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The
kettle chips are pretty standard as was the pickle spear. The melt
comes with a side of pub cheese sauce that was a really nice
addition and appeared to be the same blend that was on the mac and
cheese. Oh yes, the mac and cheese. Yesterday we had great fish and
disappointing mac and cheese at Tim’s.
Danny Boy’s has the Old Blue Eyes Mac and Cheese with penne, a
cheddar cream sauce, rosemary, garlic, grilled chicken, fresh
broccoli and bacon. Mac and cheese has done growed up and it’s
beautiful. The chicken is tender and juicy, the broccoli has just a
hint of texture left, the sauce is cheesey with an aromatic punch
and takes on just a hint of smoke from the bacon. It’s not the best
of all time but you would be amazed how many poor attempts are sold
every day. The bowl is huge and right now I am smiling about
leftovers. |
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We
ordered three pizzas to go the Chicago – crust, cheese, Italian
sausage patty, pizza sauce and a sprinkle of parm; the Polish
Pierogi Pasta Pie – buttered crust with onions, green peppers, pizza
cheese, kielbasa and potato and cheese pierogies and the California
Dreamin’ Pie – Ricotta cheese topped with three cheese blend,
shrooms, tomatoes, broccoli and sweet red peppers, served with a
side of pizza sauce. Reheated in the oven for dinner, lunch and
dinner they get a measure of grace for the reheating. |
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Ratings | |||||||
Food |
Service |
Ambiance |
What's Best |
What's Worst |
Overall |
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B+ | D | C | A | N/A | B | ||
Baked Bread | Not Much |