The Office Bistro in Akron, Ohio: Class and Taste in North Hill

I had been to the Office Bistro and Lounge in Akron, Ohio a couple times to have drinks and appetizers with a friend from the area. Not a North Hill resident, I had never really been exposed to the area. Admittedly, I found this gem to be slightly out of place contrasted with the surrounding businesses, but I'm particularly happy for this fact. The Office is a rather classy establishment. Upon purchasing a Groupon, I decided to make my way back to get a better look at the menu and try some new offerings. I'm happy to say I wasn't disappointed.

I went with my partner in crime on a busy night, I believe it was a Friday. The wait to be seated was a bit longer than I had hoped-standing awkwardly between the room the bar is situated in and the other dining room for almost five minutes. Once seated, however, things moved much more quickly. Our server was incredibly friendly and answered the ample questions I threw at him (I pity all of my servers, usually). The beer selection isn't the best I've seen, but they had a rather comprehensive wine list and some delicious looking martinis I couldn't bring myself to order.

The menu is rather creative, using the employment structure to frame their courses ("entry level" is appetizer, "executive" as entrée, etc). We decided after much debate on the Irish nachos to begin with. What we ended up with was a huge pile of sliced potatoes covered in deliciousness. I'm not sure I would order them again, mostly because it was so heavy I could hardly touch my dinner when it came out. They were a greasy pile of goodness that otherwise would have been my drunken-munchie dream.

Our entrees were fantastic, though the portions much smaller. My partner and I, rather unoriginally, ordered the same dish: a boneless, 10oz, thick cut pork chop with sweet potato gnocchi drizzled with a curry and sage brown butter. Thick cut is no joke. Part of me wishes in retrospect to have left it medium-rare, rather than medium, but it was still delicious. The gnocchi was rather sweet, and crisp (I would imagine it was fried). The curry and sage butter could have been a bit more flavorful, but was a great compliment to the pork. Overall it was a great dish.

I remember looking at the desserts excitedly when we first arrived, debating on whether I would order the crème brulee or the chocolate torte. I thought after three bites of my pork chop: "silly girl." There wasn't enough room in my stomach to afford me even a bite of either. Despite this, I'm hopeful that my next visit will be better planned. There's just really nothing like crème brulee, you know?

The food is good, but you certainly pay for it. One a bit more well off than I probably would love the bacon wrapped scallops ($22), and those at about my price range would be just as fine with the well-priced burgers they carry as well. My pork chop was $15 (remember, I had that Groupon!). The burgers and sandwiches are all under $10.

Overall, I would recommend the Office to anyone that enjoys foodie type fare and the little silent shriek of glee one gets when they hear something is served with "curry and sage brown butter." I'm sure the average Joe, along with the foodie, would enjoy the offerings of this fine establishment as well-and it would be a great date restaurant as well. I give it a hearty thumbs up, and will certainly be visiting again.

Information:

The Office Bistro and Lounge
778 N Main St
Akron , OH 44310
(330) 376-9550

http:// www.akronoffice.com