We drove from Central Indiana to visit a friend in Barberton AND to visit Al's. Our Barberton friend had never eaten at Al's (believe it or not) and tried to steer us to one of the locally famous "Barberton Chicken" restaurants. But as I was on a mission for Hungarian food, I insisted on Al's and am I ever happy I did!
The sampler platters are HUGE and the paprikas and dumplings are as rich and wonderful as my Hungarian grandma's. This is most excellent comfort food. My husband, with a New Mexican cuisine background, enjoyed the sausages and the cabbage and dumplings. Everything was wonderfully good and we will drive several hundred miles to enjoy this place again. We may never get around to that Barberton Chicken!
While dining at the retro-cool counter, another customer came in and ordered a side of real mashed potatoes with the red paprikas sauce. What a brilliant idea! I immediately craved a taste but the sampler platter in front of me was too large to even contemplate it.
So we will be back to Al's, and the next time I will bring some containers to carry away the leftovers: my only criticism is the leaky, flimsy go-boxes that leaked the aromatic sauce all over the back seat and deprived us of the "seconds" we were saving for supper at the motel. And we *really* wanted it, after smelling the sauce all day!
If you are a Hungarian food fan (or even if you are not) I can also heartily recommend Tulipan Bakery in Wooster for fabulous Euro-style pastries. They have several mouth-watering traditional Hungarian cookies and pastries I haven't had since Mom quit baking. They also offer slices of kolatch, a nut or poppy seed-filled, not-sweet-but-rich Hungarian pastry roll. Another great destination eatery.
We also sampled Amish food on this trip but the Hungarian food was the highlight. We are crazy about the Amish Door's pepperoni bread and will certainly return to fill the freezer again! And I won't forget the containers for my Al's leftovers.
Overall Rating
|
Chicken Paprikash
|
|
Sampler Plate
|
|
Dumplings
|
|
Sausages
|
|
|
3 out of 3 people found the review helpful. Was it helpful to you?
No
Yes
Barberton, Ohio is referred to as "The Magic City," and if Al's Corner Restaurant is any indication, it's a moniker that's well-earned.
Barberton was an industrial boom town in the early 20th century; the population doubled between 1900 and 1910, then again between 1910 and 1920. With the great waves of immigrants from Eastern and Central Europe settling in the area, traditional ethnic food became the norm. And in the case of Al's, it's still going strong.
The fairly small menu is dominated by the traditional foods: chicken paprikas, haluska (sauteed cabbage and dumplings), cabbage rolls, pierogies, fresh-made sausage (two different options), and sauerkraut. If the sampler platter is ordered (which I strongly recommend), a decent serving of each of the above is provided. Add in a fountain drink and it still doesn't hit $10 for one person.
Although I personally am not a fan of haluska, Al's serves exactly what it's supposed to be. The size of the dumplings and the cabbage are spot-on, the main ingredients are slightly bonded without being packed, and the texture has that perfect buttery mouthfeel. The cabbage rolls are succulent and flavorful without being overwhelming, the pierogies are cooked al dente, and the sausage (which comes from Al's Quality Market just down the street) has that familiar, powerful depth of flavor.
But the real mark of quality is clear in the chicken paprikas. With that beautiful, vivid orange-red color, it passes the eyeball test easily. But it has the flavor to match, which in itself is extremely uncommon. The chicken falls off the bone and that beautiful sauce tastes simply exquisite. It's far and away the best paprikas I've had in the state of Ohio that doesn't come from my own kitchen.
For a true taste of Magic, Al's in the Magic City is an absolute must-stop.
Overall Rating
|
Chicken Paprikash
|
|
Sampler Plate
|
|
|
3 out of 3 people found the review helpful. Was it helpful to you?
No
Yes
