Hodge's Cafe (Second
Visit) |
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Change in Ranking | |||||
Original Score | Which Way? | New Score | Why For? | ||
B | B | Burger Time! | |||
J'accuse! I like burgers. My father-in-law is an aficionado. In the
last bit of time he has been offering suggestions about places to
find a burger. We have been doing this for about three years and I
had never heard of Louie’s Bar and Grille
or Hodge’s Café. I didn’t want to, but now I have to call it as I
see it. Hence the J'accuse! I think he has been holding out on me.
This is the second time he has sent us to a burger haven which is
not only nearby but makes me wonder how in the world I never heard
of this place and I still can’t figure out how he knew to order
chicken at Save The Fish Burger Bar.
Something nefarious is afoot. |
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BTW I am pitching a new project to Disney this week. It’s sort of Scrooge McDuck meets Cruella DeVille meets Hoarders but instead of money or puppies or garbage this movie is about a guy who is trying to control access to all of the yummiest burgers in the world…or at least the greater Akron Ohio area. J'accuse!
Hodge’s might not sit atop the world of
burgers but it was difficult to find things not to like about the
place. Campy from the outside and appropriately gaudied up for
Halloween you couldn't be certain if you would find friendly folks
or ears nailed to the walls inside. Turned out friendly. Imagine if
you will a more rednecky “Cheers” where most folks know each other
but newcomers are just as welcome. The dear heads on the walls are
sporting disco wigs and every table is adorned with it’s own festive
tribute to the upcoming holiday.
There are also a number of local awards for best
burgers...wings…steaks…bar…etc. covering one wall. Awesome.
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Can You Make Out The Shirt In The Middle? |
Fries Are Well Done |
The servers are wearing the uniform teeshirt which proclaims they "don’t give a" picture of a rat + an ass, but their work belies their interest in your experience. We ordered two burgers, a dog and a basket of fries. The pie specials on the board also led us to spilt a slice. We left pleased. More than expected.
The dogs are listed on the menu as Dude’s Deep Fried Dogs. We went
with the chili cheese option. I didn’t see telltale signs of a fried
dog but I did see grill marks on the sides…color me confused. Didn’t
matter it was tasty. The chili was the same as their bowled option
which included beans and a pointed kick of heat. I really liked the
heat but apparently the discussion held around the bar as to who was
to blame for the cayenne overload would lead me to believe it is
typically not that hot. I kinda enjoyed the idea that the chili is a
team effort and it might vary somewhat from day to day…helps the
small/family feel of the place. |
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Dude's Dog. Wasn't Excited About The Beans |
But It All Tasted Pretty Good With An Accidental Extra Punch Of Pepper. Nice. |
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Our burgers arrived with heft, as the plates rung with weight
hitting the table. Steph went with the back and blue which awesomely
was layered with crumbled and creamy bleu cheese giving it both
creaminess and pungency. If you like the bleu, this is for you add
smoky bacon and this half pound behemoth is spectacular. Mine was
much sloppier. The Bacon Swiss comes with onions and mushrooms and I
had them drag it through the garden with a complete burger set and
condiments as well. Hard to eat…impossible not to finish. Both
burgers were delivered exactly as desired. And delicious. They might
be a little greasy but that spells Yum in my book. I will admit, I
went with the less masculine knife and fork method after trying to
take a sandwichy bite. I love a burger that makes me surrender my
supposed Y-chromosome abilities. The fries were also deliciously
greasy and wonderfully done rounding out a great dinner. |
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Loads Of Bleu-i-ness |
Superbly Messy Sandwich |
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Now Those Are Patties |
Olde School Happiness On A Plate |
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Oh. The pie! The board listed two, coconut and banana cream. Coconut
is not my thing. Steph has never had banana. I won…so did she.
Smooth and perfectly flavored the nanners and sweet made up for the
cost in calories. Add a nice mealy crust and a few swirls of
chocolate sauce and I am happily reminiscing about pies served by
grandmas. Hodge’s has wonderfully homey sounding daily specials
including fish on Fridays. It will be hard not to do the burger but
if the steaks…creamed chicken…fried fish...etc. are anywhere near as
good, we might become regulars. Now I am off to work on my
interrogation techniques...expect more yummy burgers soon. |
Ratings | |||||||
Food |
Service |
Ambiance |
What's Best |
What's Worst |
Overall |
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B+ | B | B | A | N/A | B | ||
Burgers And Pie |