The Enchanted Cafe Barberton, Ohio Date of Visit 03/26/16 Facebook Page Click Here for Original Visit This is going to be simple and straightforward. Been there before, needed some baklava, and we’re back again. This time we ordered a pretty standard breakfast instead of looking for something different. The place is still uniquely wacky (see the Easter Tree, etc.), the people have always been incredibly nice, and their baklava is homemade and killer. |
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The woman who bakes it sent us a couple of
pieces of her sugar free variation, which turned out to be better
than most folks full-on-dessert attempts. The decorated box full of
our Easter treats was excellent as well. Scrambled eggs, toast and
hash browns (extra crispy) were exactly that. The corned beef hash
and over easy were also well done. There’s quite a bit of charm in
the Enchanted Café. |
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Change in Ranking | |||||
Original Score | Which Way? | New Score | Why For? | ||
B- | B | Great People, Solid
Standard Fare, Opportunity For Unfamiliar And Just Enough Nutty For Fun & Baklava |
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So, on an early morning outfitting run, Steph’s Dad continues to
bring new places to light…this one sounds magical. Chosen as the
number one breakfast place in Barberton, The Enchanted Cafe isn’t
set in a mystical forest, more of a desolate, suburban,
miles-square, potholed parking lot. Right next to
Dee's 50 The two of us stopped for
breakfast and Steph and I returned for lunch. Our server in the
morning might have forgotten about us for a bit but her momentary
lapse was made up for by the guy we are thinking is at least part
owner.
If the conversation and apparel are any indication he might have
opened a restaurant to support a golf habit.
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He greeted us at the door, knew almost everyone else walking in,
constantly checked in on folks and did everything from ring up
checks to washing dishes while we were there. Outside of the single
stumble service was relaxed and efficient. The interior of the place
is similar to Twigs as long as you replace the hats with elves,
wacky. The phone number even spells out elves. For breakfast we had
a standard two egger and the strata which was featured in the
picture from Akron magazine on the counter. By report the eggs and
hash browns were exactly what we were looking for. The hash browns
themselves looked awesome with a brown crunchy crust, I wanted to
order some but I already had two thick cubes of eggy strata on my
plate. My mom makes this egg, bread, cheese and meat breakfast
casserole most Christmas mornings. The Café offered sausage or bacon
and the server recommended the bacon. It was good, much like my
mothers and aided with a few dashes of hot sauce. Instead of the
hash browns the strata is served with Mystic potatoes which are
shreds of potato and some onion are coated in a cheese sauce. Not
bad but I missed the visible crisp of the regular version. |
Very Breakfasty |
Have Never Had Strata In A Restaurant |
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Dense Cubes Of Breakfast Things Were Fine |
Not Mystic Exactly But Cheesy |
Drawn back for lunch by the two-elved painting
on the wall promising great baklava, we were again greeted by the
owner and served by a different young lady. The menu says the chili
is award winning, so we tried a bit and added a Reuben with fries
and the house Kafta burger with onion rings. The chili was fine and
gave some indication there is Greek heritage at work here. Strong
notes of cinnamon which is more common in Greek chili mixes made for
a serviceable stew. The ground beef was oddly mealy but overall it
had a functional flavor. The Kafta burger is strongly spiced with
Mediterranean flavors, giving the lasting effect of a Greek
meatloaf, not bad and better without the typical condiments as
suggested. The onion rings were fairly good and much better than the
fries which seem fresh cut but are mis-fried and unsatisfying. The
same couldn’t be said of the Reuben, not very Greek but the corned
beef was wonderfully lean and featured deep tones of the curing
process. Add a super melty cheese that neared the consistency of
warm cream cheese, rye, sauerkraut and Russian dressing and you have
a delicious sandwich. |
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Chili Won The Okay Award |
Surprisingly Good Corned Beef |
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The House Specialty Burger |
Loads of Mediterranean Spice In The Kafta Patty |
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We ordered some baklava to go. The elves on the wall looked down
upon us as we walked out the door with it. Had I known then what I
know now the elves might have appeared more magical than creepy. The
baklava is one of the best I’ve ever had. Simple construction and
obviously fresh this crispy nutty treat was just right. Not dry, not
sweating, great ratio of filo dough to filling, these little nuggets
practically guarantee a return to the land of enchantment. |
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Elves Make A Promise |
Which The Baklava Delivers |
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Ratings | |||||||
Food |
Service |
Ambiance |
What's Best |
What's Worst |
Overall |
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B | B | C | A | D | B- | ||
Baklava & Beef | Fries & Rings |