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Business & Tech

Bites Nearby: Vaccaro's Trattoria

Italian food for over a half-century.

Akronites have known the Vaccaro name for over a half century. Back in 1956, Frank and Angelina Vaccaro opened Vaccaro’s Pizza and quickly earned a spot on a very short go-to list for pies chock full of homestyle Italian flavors. Fast forward to 2002, when son Raphael took over family business and expanded the depth and breadth of this gastronomic hot spot’s lunch and dinner menus.

Can you still get a five-star pizza at ? You betcha—their Sand Run Pizza menu is chock full of old classics wafted with garlic, basil oregano and Old World charm. But Vaccaro’s is anything but a “pizza joint” today. Recent accolades from Bon Appetit, Gourmet and Wine Spectator magazines have helped transcend that title and short go-to list entirely.

Today Vaccaro’s is Akron Italian at its finest, and very much in a league all its own.

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Tastes walk on the wild side? You have a gaggle of deliciousness to choose from, ranging from a Moscato-Poached Pear Salad (with a mission fig and orange goat cheese) to jumbo sea scallops with ruby red grapefruit segments and smoky grilled fennel. Vegetarians will rejoice at the risotto- and lasagna primavera options, which share a smooth, buttery otherworldliness and are far heartier than hackneyed options offered by lesser restaurants. They also sport a handful of gluten-free items on the lunch and dinner menu, for folks with wheat sensitivities.

The wine list alone would make a sommelier weep tears of joy (see Tuscans and five varieties of Amarones), but it’s the wine flour that Vaccaro’s cooks with is unique and exclusive to the place.

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Homemade pastas are made from the must (read: skins) of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, which allegedly makes them more heart-healthy thanks to antioxidants. All we know is that the pasta dishes burst with an extra punch. It’s all a bit fancy-schmancy for the younger kids, but with family-style dining, a great dessert menu and a staff that prides itself on bending over backwards, even they will enjoy themselves.

1000 Ghent Rd., Fairlawn. 330-666-6158 www.vactrat.com. $6-$14 for lunches, $14 to $29 for entrees.

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