Chowder Heads and Ch-Ch-Cioppino

I had my first Cioppino at the Bluewater Grill in Redondo Beach, California. It’s a great seafood stew, typically with a thin red sauce, mussels, scallops, and shrimp. There’s a bit of squash and other vegetables mixed in along with whatever white fish the kitchen wants to throw in. Most places will tell you Cioppino has its origin in San Francisco. Although it wasn’t San Francisco, I was in California for work and one of my colleagues said Bluewater Grill would be a good place for dinner. Because I couldn’t remember the name of the meal nor the restaurant, I went years without having it again. One day, I found a description of it in some article and realized what it was called. That’s when I found the Chowder House Café in Akron and Chef Louis’s great Cioppino.

If you love seafood, you definitely have to try the Chowder House, affectionately called “Chowder Heads” when the wife and I are feeling giddy about getting good seafood. I’ve had Cioppino at a restaurant on The Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco and Chowder House was still better. Chef Louis once came to our table after I raved about the Cioppino to the waitress. We’ve been to Chowder house at least three times and other than the first time, I always think I will try something new. Then I think about the Cioppino and the toasted bread that comes with it and I go back to my old favorite. My wife has tried an assortment of dishes and Chef Louis makes some excellent dishes. But I can’t bear to tear myself away from my seafood love. There are so many mussels in the stew, the shells just pile up in front of me. It didn’t even matter that I didn’t know what kind of fish was used. With such a delicious broth, it could have been Sheepshead (a nasty tasting fish mind you). And the bread, topped with “butter and herbs” as the only ingredients Chef Louis would give us, is a great compliment to the stew.

After all my seafood was gone and only a pile of cooked carrots remained, we got dessert. The waitress was kind enough to tell us about the White Chocolate and Salted Caramel Cheesecake. As much as my wife loved the cheesecake at The Aviator in Cleveland, I thought this was the best cheesecake I’ve ever had. It’s made in-house by their own pastry cook and she did a great job. Typically, we go for the Crème Brule, but they were out and this was definitely a good substitute.

Ohio isn’t known for its great seafood, except for the Walleye and Perch out of Lake Erie, but I know great seafood, and the Chowder House Café has it. Enjoy the Cioppino and leave room for any of their great desserts, especially if the cheesecake shows up. You won’t regret it and you will want to go back again and again. Enjoy the Ch-Ch-Cioppino you Chowder Heads!