D.B.A.

Good food and drinks.
We had pretty much the entire appetizer menu, I had the salmon with lobster and lemon butter Sauce. The fish was perfectly cooked. It was a bit on the pricey side but good.
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My date took me here it was lovely. Food was delicious and wonderful, atmosphere was great. I would definitely be back. or shall I say we will be back ;)

Wonderful! Simply wonderful!
The shrimp cocktail is unique and fantastic — TRY IT!
I had the filet with crab — perfectly prepared and delicious.
The cauliflower and Brussel sprouts were terrific as was the pear sorbet.
If you’ve not tried DBA… treat yourself.
Very, very good ~ highly recommended!

Excellent service, attentive but not too frequent server (Ali), she was very professional and sweet. The manager checked on us, brought a tasting of wine to try. Tables were cleared quickly, wine poured, bread refreshed, etc. Well done.
The food was very good, the steak was great, sauce was better! I had the scallops, nice crust but still moist and tender inside, as it should be. The potato cakes tasted like potatoes, not oil. We had cheesecake, not too soft, thick dense with subtle flavor, very good. The only negative, tables were small, it was hard to fit all the parts of a meal; wine, bread, dishes. All said, we will definitely go back.

I visited D.B.A. with the expectation that I would be dining on the finest food available in Akron. My expectations were completely met and exceeded!
Dante Boccuzzi’s restaurant has a very modern vibe and the capability of making one feel like they are not dining in Akron! It had a very lively atmosphere and even though most would consider it rather fancy it was not the type of restaurant where one would feel the need to be overly quiet or reserved. When I visited there was plenty of laughter and nonchalant conversation going on all around me.
I have had some food prepared by D.B.A at various external events over the years so I was expecting to thoroughly enjoy my meal. I decided to go with the Chef’s 5-​course tasting menu.
The first course was their 21 Vegetable Salad. I initially made the mistake of making the logical assumption that this would be a salad with 21 different vegetables. The 21 simply comes from their address. However it had more vegetables and other ingredients on it than I have probably ever had on a salad before; definitely coming close to 21 of them! And it was a fantastic salad. I thought the mustard seed vinaigrette was going to be overly strong but it was actually very light and refreshing and complemented the vegetables very well. One thing about it that really stuck out to me was that it seemed they perfectly steamed and then rechilled some of the vegetables like cauliflower and asparagus that often have an overpowering texture on a salad.
The second course was their «taste» size portion of Linguine alla Carbonara which was a small helping of their handmade pasta, tossed with pancetta, thyme and topped with a perfectly poached egg. The flavors melded together well and the egg provided a nice sauce to bring it all together.
Next up was serving of their Coriander Crusted Duck Breast. It was served atop a long-​grain, basmati rice and paired with some pickled plums and topped with a shiitake mushroom purée. The duck was perfectly cooked and everything blended together nicely. I cook a similar dish with a similar flavor profile that has always been one of my favorites so this was a nice course that I definitely enjoyed.
The last course before dessert was typically a variation on their seared scallops but I asked if they could substitute their Pan-​seared Foie Gras for an upcharge. They happily obliged and provided it as course number 4. I had never had the pleasure of trying Foie Gras before because I can never find it at the grocery store and never want to buy it in the quantity required online to ship it. I was not really sure what to expect as I have never been a huge fan of pâté but I was definitely excited! It was brought out on top of a decent size piece of toasted brioche and it was all covered in a very mild balsamic reduction. And it was great! Compared to other offal dishes it was not nearly as strong as typical chicken liver and definitely had a different taste from the various pâtés I have tried before. It was extremely tender and the fatty texture was noticeably different than other meats I have tried. I would definitely order it again and encourage anyone give it a chance as it was very good. It is a classic French delicacy and makes a great story to mention to your friends about your dinner.
The final course was dessert. Compared to the prior courses it was not near as exciting. It was a butterfinger parfait with a handmade Nutella icecream. The best, yet smallest, part of it was the slice of banana with caramelized sugar. I would be interested in seeing what other desserts they offer and would give them a try next time I dine in.
Overall it was a very enjoyable experience. It is definitely more expensive than many places around but the service, quality of food, artful plating and overall experience make it worth trying!
In addition to my dining-​in experience –and as a continuation of my quest to find the best cheeseburger from a non-​burger place– a couple days later I ordered The dba Cheeseburger for carry-​out. It came with a small side of truffled tater tots. I was rather unimpressed with the tater tots as they seemed like your typical frozen tots, just fried in a little truffle oil. The burger itself was small but good and it came on a toasted bun. In my opinion, by far the best part was the bacon. It was perfectly cooked and almost melted in your mouth. I wish they would have included more bacon rather than the 11 pieces of lettuce that came with it.
I would give my burger-​to-​go experience 3.5 stars and my dining-​in experience a very strong 5 stars. I will probably not order a burger to-​go again but I will definitely return to dine inside on one of the other delicious meals!

Very good. Love the atmosphere. Extremely pricey. Menu is a hit of a challenge to understand. Most items are very small portions.

We were treated to amazing focaccia, gourmet goat cheese pizza and home made pasta with Bolognese when we stopped at Dante’s in Tremont while on a Foodie Field Trip. Bravo!

Tonight DBA introduced their new menu! Winner, Winner all the way. Tried the Calamari and Mussels for starters, moved on to a nice taste of Cavatelli pasta. Main dish was Sea Scallops and Braised Short Ribs! Melt in your mouth delicious! Liked the 2 wine lists. One for bottles under $ 50.00 and one if you want to go really big!
Not from the area, but will be back next time in town.

It’s a shame that more of Cleveland’s budding food scene hasn’t trickled down to ol’ Akron. I can understand why, though: Akron has nothing close to an artistic or culturally interesting «district» area where one can stroll around from shop to shop and bar to bar on a warm summer evening.
The DBA guy is one of the only, if not THE only Cleveland chef that took a chance on an Akron location, and I am very thankful for this. The area where the restaurant sits is odd like the rest of Akron, but it has some potential, and should grow more once the new Marriott next door is up and running. Despite the location, DBA is in a terrific space: huge windows, dark, elegant and seductive colors, shimmers of glassy blue here and there. It’s the only spot in town with big city ambience, making you feel like you earned your end of the week martini.
Bar service is stellar: if you want service with expertise, and don’t need a huge meal or simply don’t want to roll the dice on a waiter making or breaking your evening, then go no farther than the bar stools. The happy hour is solid, if not Lolita or Greenhouse Tavern; appetizers are interesting and attention to detail is evident. In my three visits to DBA I’ve come away impressed with the bar experience each time: drink makers know their stuff, and will sit and chat with you about the finer points of bourbon or IPAs as if they were making New York money. I hope they are, although I fear otherwise.

This is some of the best food we’ve had in a long time. We had the Amish Chicken and Scallops topped the dishes that were most liked. Everything was really delicious and you could tell they pay close attention to their food pairings. Drinks were a little pricey for one or two ingredient specialty cocktails. Our waiter must have came around 3 times to apologize that our drinks were not yet made. Given the situation I thought he handled himself in the best way possible, hopefully accredited to training received at DBA.

Had a lovely Valentines day dinner at dba. We got the 3 course couples dinner that includes a bottle of wine. Salad first cousre was light and lovely. Main course was a duo of beef (strip steak and braised short ribs) with fingerling potatoes, pearl onions, and brussel sprouts. The short ribs were melt-​in-​your-​mouth tender. The meal was finished off with a decadent Irish Cream tort cake that was amazing. Add the attention of an excellent server and it was a wonderful Valentines dinner.

I’ve been to this restaurant quite a few times (It’s the only high end place in Akron, and I was so excited about it). It has steadily been going down hill.
It’s a cool atmosphere, and the outdoor patio is really awesome. BUT the drinks are just OK. The food is just OK.
The last time we were there, we ordered the Popcorn Shrimp as an appetizer. It came out to us and it was 5 tiny little shrimp on top of stale, unseasoned popcorn. I thought we were being Punk’d. Is that supposed to be a joke?
We won’t be returning.

I like to go to Dante’s in Tremont for a drink every now and then but I have never had anything to eat there. So, this was my first dante food experience and it did not disappoint.
There were only a couple of things that I was not blown away with so lets keep it in perspective… everything was phenomenal. Just for the sake of accuracy I am going to nit pick a bit. The drinks were good, but not Dante’s Tremont good… they have really awesome cocktails in their retro-​fitted bank restaurant, so they were still quality at DBA but just didn’t meet my very high expectations. However, what did meet, and exceed my expectations was nearly all the food we were able to try.
I love how the menu is put together. They have cold small plates, hot small plates, a pasta and pizza section, and then your fancier entrees which include steaks, seafood, duck, etc. I ordered the beef ramen to start and the mushroom and spinach flatbread for later. The ramen was fantastic — a deep flavorful broth and the beef was so tender… I don’t know what cut of beef it was but there was a lot of it and it just melted in your mouth. For $ 10 I’m not sure I’ve had better value elsewhere — that dish alone could fill you up. The flatbread pizza was more like wood-​fired cracker bread as it was extremely thin and crunchy. It didn’t resemble pizza as much as it did cracker and cheese with toppings. It was not a bad thing by any means but its good to know what its like before ordering. I would get this to share as an app rather than a meal.
My wife got the 21 vegetable salad — which I ate nearly half of it because i loved it so much. One of the best salads I’ve ever had… and the mustard vinaigrette was a perfect complement. She also got the small portion of the green spaghetti and that was super rich and garlicy… and I say that in a very good way. Perfect portion and great texture to the pasta. My wife was making me jealous from the noises she was making after each bite…
The ambiance here is just about perfect especially for a quiet night out. Dark, cool and calm… this rock/​guitar themed restaurant is subtle and casual. This place is probably as good or better than anything in Canton, so i will be making the trip up to Akron for DBA on a regular basis I imagine.

This was, by far, the best dining experience I have had in a long time. Everything was well above what was expected, from the fabulous tuna tartare appetizer to filet that melted in my mouth.
The rock-​n-​roll theme was just subtle enough to get the point across, without being cliché and overwhelming. From the artistic placement of ceiling art, to the original melted record bread baskets, all blended together to create a unique and pleasing atmosphere.
The staff was attentive and eagle to please. I will be visiting this restaurant again very soon.

The duck breast was simply out of this world. I can’t wait for the new menu to come out and try something else. Well done and keep up the good work.

Amazing. Presentation was spectacular. Amazing service and the food???
So so perfect. Fresh veggies, amazing. Asparagus salad, pasta primavera and braised beef over Nobu, mushrooms, beef broth and Bok choy. The dessert menu is amazing. Perfect wine to complement and the environment was modern. Music sucked.
I’ll go again. And bring my sexy boyfriend, instead of my auntie.

Well, it’s 2 yrs later and eerily similar. Service (Joe) was OK, food quality amazing, but overall execution still lacking. Steak was great, but med rare came out blood red. Sent it back for more heat, and it came back on a smaller plate minus my asparagus and Hollandaise sauce. What’s up with that?
Joe did not apologize. Said «I’ll be right back.»
Water boy (Chris) was a standout. Personable, efficient.

After my 5 star amazing meal and service, I took some friends back for them to experience the awesomeness. Talk about being embarrassed after awful service.
We were seated right away when we got there for our 8PM reservation. Our waiter came by within minutes to introduce himself and take our drink order. We were not ready yet as we were still looking over the wine list. 10 minutes later, we got our drink order in. This is when it started going down hill. Our order took 40 minutes before we got to put it in which is ridiculous in my opinion.
My friend and I did the 5 course tasting. Nothing to complain about there but presentation wise, much better the 1^st time around. One course had to be sent back because it was cold and that slowed down service even more. A 5 course took 3.5 hours, 11:30 by the time we left.
Our waiter felt bad about the slow service and gave my other friend who wasn’t doing a tasting menu a soup, dessert and complimentary wine. Also, gave us all another free glass of wine and another dessert. All were wonderful but quicker service would have been better. Tables that came in an hour + after us, even a table 2 hours, left before us after an app, main course and dessert.
So, if you want great service visit on a week night around 5:30PM and avoid the weekends. Totally different experience. Had I only had the 2^nd experience, I would never recommend this place. Because I have had both, I’ll likely return.

Great patio! Always looking for great patios to enjoy Ohio’s short summer season & this one doesn’t disappoint. Great drink menu, unique options service with Popsicles or even bourbon snow cones. Perfect selection of menu items for any appetite. We shared 3 appetizers. Popcorn shrimp was actually served on popcorn, cute play on words (always love a sense of humor found anywhere) & was delicious! Third visit this summer & on the first visit the service wasn’t outstanding, but the last two times have more than made up for the first experience. So the right direction with everything. Valet parking is available.

*Let me preface this with the fact our group of four went on a Monday night, so perhaps the B-​team was running the kitchen that night*
Before coming to D.B.A. (which stands for Dante Boccuzzi Akron), I didn’t know much about the chef, other than that he had a place that was fairly well received in Cleveland. That all changed relatively quickly upon entering his establishment.
You ever meet one of those people who really, really likes themselves? Yeah, that would be this Dante character «to a T». Or I guess «to a D» as he would want it. Look, I’m glad that you opened a Nobu in Italy, and are Robert DiNero’s personal chef, and have a Michelin star, etc. But there is a fine line between being informatively modest, and just outright egotistical. I feel a lot more of the latter than the former with this guy. Michael Symon is another well received local chef. He however, has a «guy next door» vibe. We know he’s good, but he doesn’t have to constantly remind us.
I’ve often said there are two types who enjoy fine dining: The ones who are there for the cuisine itself; and those who just want to make an appearance at the newest, most trendy place in town. D.B.A. caters to that second crowd undoubtedly. But hey, if there are enough of those people, and you’re making money, good for you!
The building itself is on the ground floor of a new condo high rise, across the parking lot from Akron staple Luigi’s. The décor was a little tacky for my liking. They are going for the «rock n’ roll» look, with black and dark reds, mixed with guitars and song lyrics plastered on the wall. Yes, the walls of this «fine dining» establishment look eerily similar to a lot of 13 year old girls bedrooms. But I digress.
Our sever was prompt, and got to us the moment we were seated. I got a Northside Shandy ($ 8.50), which was strong and well made. It also came with a tiny «garnish» of saltily salted salt chips. Did I mention they were salty? Yikes. Luckily the drink itself was tasty.
After ordering from our menus (which were old vinyl record cases, complete with an actual record on the inside with guess who’s name plastered all over it? Dante, you sly cat) some bread came out with homemade hummus. The bread was very average, and the hummus was good, but certainly nothing out of this world.
We split a flatbread pizza ($ 11) and cavetelli pasta ($ 20) dish. The flatbread was made with wild spinach, mushrooms, and havarti cheese. The cavetelli was made with sweet peas, tendrils, and a garlic confit. The pasta came out first, and «half» of the pizza came with it. I say half, because the server said the first one was «dropped on the floor» and he would be bringing me another as soon as it was done. Hmm. That would have been believable, had we not quickly noticed that the half pizza was missing mushrooms. Look, I have been a server, and sometimes orders get screwed up. No big deal, just be honest. Sure enough, when the other «half» came out, it magically had mushrooms included.
Anyways, the pasta was perfectly fine. With the garlic confit, I was afraid it might be a little over the top, but the tones were all fairly subtle. Was it something I would order again, probably not. Was it perfectly edible? Absolutely.
The flatbread was the saving grace of the entrée round. The handmade dough was well stretched, and baked to have a warm gooey top, with a slightly crunchy bottom. Just the way I like my flatbreads. The toppings were also good, and the havarti cheese had a nice soft taste, that worked perfectly with the ‘shrooms and spinach. This is something I would probably order again at some point.
Neither entrée was overly filling, so when dessert came around, we took a look and decided to sample two different selections. The first was a S’mores plate ($ 5). It came out with three small marshmallows resting on a graham cracker cutout, with a chocolate sauce inserted into the marshmallow with what looked like a plastic eye dropper. It was a unique presentation, but tasted just like what your kids would make in your own microwave. Not impressed.
The second dessert was a hit. I forget the name, but it was a banana cake, with roasted peanuts and a chantilly sauce, topped with a Nutella ice cream ($ 8.50). This was far and away the best thing we tried during the entire experience. The banana cake and chantilly sauce combined with the roasted peanuts was a spectacular combination. They topped it with the Nutella ice cream, and three caramelized banana slices. This was one of the better desserts I have ever had, and that’s saying something.
Overall, this place would be alright for a first date, or maybe if you were trying to impress a young professional. For the average 30 to 40 something crowd with money to spend, looking for quality cuisine; this might be a one and done. I’ll probably try again, but the next time they better blow my socks off.