Vaccaro's Trattoria, Fairlawn

If you have ever driven south down I-77 to Fairlawn, you may have noticed Vaccaro's Trattoria, an Italian restaurant right off of the Ghent Road exit. Many times we have glanced over and thought, "we have to check that place out one of these times"… so we finally did. And trust us, we will be stopping in again and again.

As soon as you get into the menu you realize that there is something special going on here. The details in preparation. Let's start with the complimentary bread and herbed oil. The bread, nutty and chewy pairs perfectly with the special blend of oil, sweet Balsamic, and loads of fragrant herbs. We asked our server Lawrence about it and was delighted that he was not only able to answer our first question, he was able to answer the multitude after that. We tend to ask a lot of questions when we like a place. Lawrence was well-versed in the menu, the preparation and the restaurant in general, and extremely helpful with all of our choices for the evening.

Moving on, we ordered a bottle of Anarkos Vigneto Puglia from Italy. It was nicely priced, and had one of Vaccaro's menu indicators that it was a recommended bottle. In fact, when our server brought it, the bartender enthusiastically commented that it was a great bottle. And indeed, it was deep, lush, velvety, and wonderful.

After reading a little poster about the history, we learned that the city of Akron once issued an official proclamation calling Mr. Vaccaro the Pizza King of Akron. Once again, we asked Lawrence who told us the story. We were hooked and had to try one of their signature pizzas, the Bianca Quattro Formaggio, as an appetizer. This pizza was so authentically homemade, with the biggest, fluffiest, chewy dough and the perfect crunch. Truly a pizza you just don't find on every street corner. Each cheese flavor was pronounced, so you could appreciate each one. Bravo Mr. Vaccaro, the Pizza King of Akron! We decided we would definitely visit the cozy little bar area for a pizza and wine night and try to make our way through all the offerings.

For the entree, I enjoyed building my own pasta, ordering the house-made ricotta cavatelli. I couldn't decide between sauces, so I had half their rich, creamy Alfredo and half their robust marinara. I chose the perfectly cooked and seasoned mushrooms, and was delighted that the zucchini was actually so-tender baby zucchinis. Both vegetables were plentiful, and all of the flavors played perfectly together.

We split a side of Brussels Sprouts Gratin which were tasty, garlicky and covered in Pecorino-Romano. Love those vegetables.

He had the Herbed Organic Chicken Breast, on a bed of creamy farro, with large grilled whole onions, baby carrots, and fried onions on top. This is a boneless preparation with the exception of the little drumstick. Very easy to eat and enjoy. Getting a little bit of everything at once really made the whole dish. Great favor-intense sauce, perfectly moist chicken, and the bottom farro was really a treat. Chewy and awesome. Wish there was more of it.

We do wish we had room for dessert, because the menu was quite tempting, and if the desserts were anywhere close to the entrees and pizza, they must be delicious. Next visit!

We dined on the patio, because it was a gorgeous evening, but the interior is elegant and roomy. There is a cozy bar area that seems perfect for dining alone or just for a pizza. We're so glad we finally made it to Vaccaro's Trattoria.

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