Rocco’s Pizza again plans to pump out several hundred heart-shaped pizzas this weekend.
Co-owner Rocco Caponi said he now has more than 300 heart-shaped pans to keep production going; the pizzas will be available Friday, Saturday and Sunday — Valentine’s Day.
“I had to order more pans,” he said, noting the pizza’s popularity has grown through word-of-mouth, social media and a 2014 Beacon Journal article.
Caponi uses heart-shaped cake pans to make the pizzas, creating a deep-dish-style pizza. This year, he’s offering plain and pepperoni, for $10 and $12 respectively, at the stores in the Falls and Stow he owns with his brother, Mario.
Rocco’s pizzas are indeed shaped like a heart, unlike some versions I’ve seen sold by chains, which can turn out, uh, half-hearted.
Rocco Caponi said his father, also named Mario, came up with the idea of selling the heart-shaped pizzas for Valentine’s Day more than 30 years ago.
The senior Mario, now 85, started the pizza business in 1953 on West Thornton Street in Akron. He told a Beacon Journal reporter in 2014 that it was the first pizza shop in Akron. In 1962, he moved to the Falls location, and opened in Stow in 1989.
So what’s next? Shamrock pizzas for St. Patrick’s Day? The younger Mario says no. “I don’t think we would do the volume that we do. Valentine’s Day is more universal.”
The Falls shop is at 1053 Portage Trail (330-928-3344). The Stow shop is at 973 Graham Road (330-920-1111).
Tacos in Montrose
Bomba Tacos & Rum, which has a popular location in Rocky River, is getting a second Northeast Ohio spot in the Montrose shopping area.
Bomba plans to open in late April in the former Hudson’s, in Montrose Town Centre at Cleveland-Massillon Road and state Route 18 (Medina Road) in Copley Township.
As the name suggests, Bomba features tacos and rum. There’s a lot to choose from, including 20 varieties of tacos and 60 rums.
The fare is “Latin American-influenced,” drawing on Cuban, South American and Caribbean flavors, according to Jess Lindawan, the marketing director for Beachwood-based Paladar Restaurant Group, which created the Bomba brand and also owns five Paladar Latin Kitchen & Rum Bars.
Paladars are a bit more fancy than the Bomba concept, which is billed as “premium fast casual.” (Ack. Just when I had let go of my irritation with the hard-to-define “fast casual” concept.) The website is www.bombatacos.com.
The Montrose Bomba is scheduled to open around the same time that Melt Bar & Grilled debuts nearby, across Medina Road, in Bath Township.
Matt Fish, the owner/founder of the popular Cleveland-based chain known for its grilled cheese sandwiches, said in a newsletter this month that the “tentative timeline for opening is April/May 2016.”
That’s a little later than his initial projection of sometime in March. It will be the seventh location for Melt, the first in Summit County.
For the record: While the Hudson’s in Copley closed, the one in Hudson remains open.
Strawberry treats
In Green, employees at Harry London/Fannie May have been dipping lots of fresh strawberries in chocolate.
They are popular for Valentine’s Day, with employees hand-dipping more than 100,000 strawberries this week. A top-selling product is Fannie May Decadent Berries, nine pieces for $49.99.
Harry London and Fannie May will sell more than 15,000 heart-shaped boxes of chocolate for the holiday, with many of the sales being online (www.fanniemay.com) . The only store in Northeast Ohio is at the factory.
Harry London founded his company in 1922 in his Canton home. These days it is owned by retailer 1-800-Flowers.com, which acquired it in 2007, along with the Fannie May line.
The tradition of free factory tours has remained, running from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday. The factory is at 5353 Lauby Road in Green.
Dining out
With Valentine’s Day on Sunday this year, some restaurants normally closed on Sundays are opening up for the day, and others are offering specials this weekend. Here’s just a sampling:
• Nuevo Modern Mexican & Tequila Bar, 54 E. Mill St., Akron, will be open from 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday. http://nuevomodmex.com.
• Prime 93, 4315 Manchester Road, New Franklin, will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday for a brunch buffet. 330-644-2239.
• Vaccaro’s Trattoria, 1000 Ghent Road, Bath Township, will be open from 4 to 9 p.m. Sunday. Specials will be available that day, as well as on Friday and Saturday. 330-666-6158.
• Papa Joe’s, 1561 Akron-Peninsula Road, Akron, will host its annual Champagne Dinner at 7 p.m. Friday. Bubbly will be paired with crispy fried oysters, wild mushroom bisque with seared sea scallops, grilled South African lobster tail and other eats. Cost is $99. 330-923-7999.
• Piscazzi’s Merchant Tavern, 1824 Merriman Road, Akron, will offer a four-course tasting menu Friday-Sunday for $100 per couple. Entree choices include yellowfin tuna and veal marsala. 330-865-9510.
• Hudson’s, 80 N. Main St., Hudson, is running specials Friday-Sunday, including an appetizer of bacon-wrapped shrimp stuffed with lobster, $16; lobster cakes and lobster-stuffed shrimp scampi over petite filet, served with a salad and a side, $32. The restaurant is at 80 N. Main St. in Hudson. www.hudsonsrestaurant.com.
• Rosewood Grill, 36 E. Streetsboro St., Hudson, is offering a special multicourse menu Friday-Sunday for $90. Among entree options is champagne surf and turf. 330-656-2100.
• Riverside Wine & Bar, 911 N. Mantua St., Kent, will host a Valentine’s wine tasting from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday. Cost is $10. Call 330-677-4400.
Tasting event
Seats are still available for Thursday’s five-course tasting event at Ken Stewart’s Grille in Akron featuring wines from Silver Oak and Twomey Cellars of California. Michael Solway will be on hand representing the vineyards.
Festivities begin at 6:30 p.m. Courses include mozzarella, prosciutto and basil salad, braised pepper-rubbed pork belly with sea scallops and roasted garlic lamb rack with rutabaga and leek puree. Cost is $120 and reservations are required. Call Terry Kemp at 330-697-6917.
Back in business
The Blue Door Cafe & Bakery at 1970 State Road in Cuyahoga Falls will reopen Thursday after being closed for more than a week for some interior work. Additionally, the restaurant is extending its dinner hours, opening at 5 p.m. for dinner Friday and Saturday nights. Closing time remains 9 p.m.
And this Sunday, for Valentine’s Day, the restaurant will be open from 5 to 9 p.m. Call 330-926-9774 for reservations.
Spring brunch at UA
University of Akron students studying hospitality management will host their annual spring brunch from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 6 at the student-operated Crystal Room Bistro, 360 Grant St. (Gallucci Hall).
The event is organized by UA’s Hospitality Club. Price is $18.95; $14.95 for ages 60 and older; and free for children 3 and younger.
Proceeds help to pay for educational experiences, such as attending food-related trade shows. The club is made up of UA students in culinary and hospitality fields of study. Phone 330-972-6615 for reservations. If voice mail answers, leave a name and phone number.
Speaking of the UA student-operated Crystal Room Bistro, it has opened for the semester. Hours are 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday for lunch. Dinner is served Thursday evening. Reservations are highly recommended for seatings from 5:30 to 7:15 p.m. Call 330-972-6615.
Send local food news to Katie Byard at 330-996-3781 or kbyard@thebeaconjournal.com. You can follow her @KatieByardABJ on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com.