Noisy Oyster - Great Akron Dive Bar

Back when I started this blog a couple of years ago, one of the first places I reviewed was the Noisy Oyster (see original review here), I was just out hiking and saw a place that seemed interesting and so I gave it a try.  This past Sunday, Mosaic (the Jewish Outdoor Club website here) was checking out the F.A. Seiberling Nature Realm, which is a really nice nature center and hiking trails, so I recommended that we give the Oyster a try for lunch.  The Oyster is located at the end of a small strip of stores at 1375 N Portage Path,

Akron (map is here) which is where the Cuyahoga Valley ends in Akron.

I was happy to get back to check out the Oyster and see how it was doing.  While the outside is nothing special, once inside you are greeted by a cozy bar with a vaulted ceiling and a small dining room with windows overlooking a small stream. 
The decor is nothing special, it feels like a local dive bar, but one that has been kept up well and one that actually allows natural light and a feeling of nature in.  The oyster is the kind of place you could settle in and relax for a while.

The menu is still an interesting mix of bar grub with more and better fish and seafood than you usually find (you can see the menu at the Oyster website here).  We ended up ordering 3 Persian chicken salads, 1 shrimp salad and I had an order of steamed clams and an order of calamari.  The salads were nice sized and had a nice mix of vegetables topped with Chicken or Peeled Shrimp with an interesting Persian dressing on the side.  The dressing was a thick vinaigrette with a nice herb taste.  The overall opinion was that the salads were good and a nice change.

The steamed clams were small, but flavorful, with the nice chewy texture and hint of the sea flavor you want.  Sided with some melted butter and a lemon wedge a very nice treat. 

The real surprise of the meal was the Calamari.  When it came out, I was afraid that the pieces were too big and would be tough.  Instead I found the squid to be wonderfully tender and perfectly cooked.  It was clear that this was being prepared fresh and with a really nice touch.  The sauce was a wonderful compromise between cocktail  and marinara sauces, with a good tomato flavor but a nice bite to compliment the slightly sweet squid.

The Noisy Oyster is a great local bar, with an owner/chef who actually cares what comes out of the kitchen.  The food is prepared fresh and with skill and care.  A real surprise to find good and affordable fish and seafood at a little joint in the Cuyahoga Valley.  If you are in the area and want a bite to eat or to just get a refreshing adult beverage and relax, check them out.

Mandarain Seafood Buffet - OK Chinese in Twinsburg

I have a confession to make, I have a weakness for Chinese Buffets; fortunately I have managed to mostly avoid them the last couple of years mainly due to the fact that they generally aren't that good and the price has been creeping up.  I recently got a $2 off coupon for Mandrain Seafood Buffet in Twinsburg so I figured I would give it another try.  Mandrain is located at 2695 Creekside Drive in Twinsburg, close to the 480 exit at Darrow Road (map is here) and right next to the Gander Mountain. 

I have been to Mandrain quite a few times in the past and very little has changed, which is both good and bad.  The decor is a modern look, but it isn't at all distinctive or original, its fine but certainly not something that is really noticeable.  About the most interesting thing is that the buffet tables are in the middle of the space with seating areas on either side.  The lunch buffet was $6.50 which I thought was acceptable because of the coupon. 

Lets start off with the items that fall on the good side of things.  They have a seafood soup which is usually very tasty, nicely complimented by the crisp and colorful shrimp chips.  The shrip toast was flavorful and not overdone as it often has been in the past.  The vegetables such as the peapods and green beans were nicely cooked and had good flavor.  Although a close call, the sushi which is set up at the sushi bar at the back of the buffet is good by Chinese buffet standards; it has decent flavor and while not a great assortment there is enough variety to make a nice plate.  I would like for more seasoning in the sushi rice to compliment the seafood, but overall pretty good with the best thing being the handrolled crab salad rolls. 

The medicore is where most of the food I tried fell.  Things such as the fried shrimp, the rice noodle dish, the crab salad, the fried rice and most of the other items were ok, although lacking much flavor.  I enjoy Chinese and most other Asian foods because of the unique and different flavor profiles, unfortunately Mandrain and most other Chinese buffets I have tried in the area tend to make the food as bland as possible to appeal to a broad swath of the population; I understand this, I just don't have to like it.  Desserts for the most part fall into this as well, with some flavor, but not enough to make it worth the calories.

Finally I have to mention the really bad, which were the shrimp in the Seafood Trio, they were very bad with no flavor and either a rubbery or mealy texture depending on the shrimp.  I realize that having certain items on a buffet makes it hard to get the cooking exactly right, but I have had shrimp on enough buffets to know that it is possible to get them right and these were not anywhere near that.  Especially disapointing when you consider this is suppose to be a seafood buffet and the only shrimp in the steam tables were these and some overly sweet batter fried shrimp. 

Finally a word about service, while I don't expect a lot at a buffet, the waitress went by me for about 5 to 10 minutes before asking what I would like to drink and the only way I could get my check was by standing up and putting on my coat; not a good peformance at all.

The bottom line is that while there is a pretty good variety at Mandrain, most of the food has little flavor or distinctiveness.  There is a sushi selection, but no make your own Mongolian grill like some buffets.  I probably won't be back to Mandrain unless something major changes, but your mileage may vary.