Bites Nearby: Café Brico

Though they’ve only been open a little over a year in their new digs (inside the new across from Summit Mall) is stunning diners with a gourmet American take on café classics.

Chefs Ryan Ivey, Chris McCarthy and Matt Trainor are working the upscale umami in a big way—and all without alienating a decidedly meat-and-potatoes Akron crowd.

With seven-day service of breakfast, lunch and dinner, gastronomes are sure to be wowed with each and every meal. Diners often lean toward ‘sweet’ for that all-important first meal of the day, but they’d miss out on items like the savory Sausage Pesto Omelet—which bursts with notes of thyme and sage while sporting banana peppers, sun-dried tomatoes and a whopping three eggs.

The Breakfast Frittata, replete with smoky bacon, scallions, dense hash browns and cheddar cheese is also a wise, stick-to-the-ribs choice. 

Lunch and dinner offer a cornucopia of options, from a Fried Dill Pickle appetizer served with roasted garlic aioli, to a shaved strip steak sandwich with parmesan truffle fries. The Cajun Burger (with bleu cheese, roasted red peppers and caramelized onions) is also a nice n’ spicy treat.

Biggest surprise? How Bricco does seafood. The apricot-glazed salmon, pan seared sea scallops (with an  apple, bacon and scallion risotto, white wine butter and veg) and pan seared lump crab cakes with jicama slaw are all dynamite.

Being in a hotel, Bricco offers room service and caters events in their banquet rooms (which hold parties up to 250). But even on such a grand scale, “Dining, well done” should be Café Bricco’s motto.

3150 W. Market St., Akron, 330-835-2203, www.cafebricco.com. $6-$13 for lunches, $14 to $25 for entrees