The Blue Door Cafe & Bakery in Cuyahoga Falls

Akron Empire is happy to welcome back guest blogger and good friend J Hudson (He wrote about The Fourth Annual Crafty Mart for us last month.) J has run the Hudson Farmer's Market for the last three years. He's frequently seen eating in restaurants and talking with farmers.

The Blue Door Cafe & Bakery

by J Phillip Hudson

Breakfast has always been my favorite meal to eat out but when you think about it, most breakfast places are diners, not the type of place a foodie can find an unusual or exciting meal. But now greater Akron has a place that serves an outstanding breakfast and lunch for foodies and does it using mostly local ingredients—it’s called The Blue Door Cafe & Bakery.

All photos courtesy of the Blue Door's Facebook page

The Blue Door sits on the southwest corner of the intersection of State Road and Broad Street in Cuyahoga Falls. It’ easy to miss because there’s not a sign outside, but you’ll know it by its eponymous blue door. The Blue Door is unusual because its menu take standard breakfast fare like corn beef hash, bacon and eggs, crepes and omelets and makes them with the care usually reserved for dinner food.

For instance, the corn beef for the hash is corned on premises and is made using grass fed Ohio beef. The meat is in chunks and has a slightly sweeter flavor then most corn beef. It’s not salty and doesn't have the bright red coloring of cheap corn beef. The potatoes are also fresh and local and this give the hash a bite that most hash doesn't have.

The same goes for the eggs and bacon. The yolks for the eggs glow with flavor and nutrition. That’s because they are sourced from places like Brunty Farms in the Cuyahoga Valley and are from pasture raised chickens. Pasture raised hens eat a more diverse diet and can move around so they are healthier. Eggs from pastured raised hens have roughly half the cholesterol, 50 percent more vitamin E, and three times more beta carotene than eggs raised by corporate farms. But most importantly, these eggs taste better because they weren’t shipped from Arkansas or some other place a thousand miles away and raised in a building with a quarter million other chickens.

The bacon at the Blue Door is like nothing you’ve ever had, hand-cut thick and meatier then most bacon. Two slices are equal to about four slices of standard bacon. Rather than being crunchy, the bacon is chewy and has more lean than fat.

The Blue Door has standards that it serves all the time but the culinary staff makes lunch specials new each week. I’ve been there on weeks when they’ve made sauerbraten and other weeks when the specials were shrimp and grits. That adds to the fun at the Blue Door. You never know what new dish you’ll find there, of course, if you want to know what the specials are, you can befriend them on Facebook. They post the day’s menu on their page.

Fresh baked goods, made daily

As its name implies, the Blue Door is also one of Akron’s premier bakeries. The bakery staff turns out traditional European breads and pastries that are rare in Akron. Croissant, Muffins, Braided Challah, Brioche Nanterre, Ciabatta and Pain au levain are made daily or almost daily. Around the holidays, specialty breads like Stollen, Babka, Schwartzwaelder Kirsch and Buche de Noel are baked. These baked goods can be picked up and brought home but many are also worked into the daily menu.

The making of a baguette

If you’re a foodie looking for a great breakfast or lunch spot, give The Blue Door a try.

The Blue Door Cafe & Bakery is open Wednesday through Sunday from 7am to 3pm. They are closed Mondays and Tuesdays. They are located at 1970 State Rd, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio 44223. Their number is (330) 926-9774 but they do not take reservations. You can also check out their Facebook page.