Local Flavor: Square Scullery dishes delectable, creative fare in Highland Square

My husband and I had a blast at the colorful and eclectic Square Scullery in Akron.

The tiny restaurant with 13 seats inside looks pretty unassuming from the outside, located behind the Wendell L. Willkie American Legion Post 19 in Highland Square. But you walk inside to a delightfully warm world where three tables and three bar seats are nestled under faux greenery and flowers hanging from the ceiling, cool lanterns with a natural woven look, kitschy art and a full-wall mural designed with multicolored triangles.

Steve and I sat at a comfy, leopard-print banquette near a whimsical print depicting root vegetables, personified. This cozy, inviting vibe kicked off an exciting dining experience that left us wondering why we hadn't explored this wonderful restaurant earlier.

Square Scullery does 75-minute seatings in its limited space. Reservations are highly recommended.

We went for an early 4:30 p.m. dinner Oct. 14, and within an hour, the place was full. It was a sunny, slightly chilly afternoon but that didn't stop two walk-in customers from dining outside on the patio, which the restaurant owners built about two years ago to seat up to 26.

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A big part of what makes Square Scullery's creative food offerings so delicious is that everything's made from scratch, including all the noodles, breads, fries, chips, desserts and even butter. I kid you not: The butter is house-churned.

This petite eatery is owned by husband and wife Matthew and Heather Ulichney, with Matthew serving as chef. The menu features globally inspired comfort food with Ulichney's unique twists.

Meal full of artful touches

We started off with refreshing mocktails, since Square Scullery doesn't have a liquor license. I chose the Blueberry Shadows ($7), a beverage the restaurant just started offering that day. It features muddled blueberries with rosemary, lime, bitters, half soda water and half ginger beer.

Steve went for the Raspberry Beret ($7), with raspberry puree, fermented orange, agave, mint and a splash of sparkling water. Our attentive server Tiffany poured the Perrier into the concoction right at the table, a nice touch to make the drink bubble. (The fermented orange comes from the orange rinds Ulichney saves from making the restaurant's blood orange marmalade.)

Both drinks were fresh, fragrant and delicious.

For an appetizer, we were intrigued by the caprese jello mold ($14), something we'd never heard of before. Chef Ulichney created it with tomato-water and the aspic substitute agar-agar, which is vegan.

"Nobody's doing jello anymore," Ulichney said. "I was going for like 1950s aspic jello molds that everybody had at grandma's house for the family reunions."

This appetizer had a very pretty presentation with whipped goat cheese topped by green caviar in the center of the swirly jello mold, surrounded by more dollops of goat cheese, cut tomatoes and lovely edible flowers. Scooping the jello with housemade chips, I was delighted to get whole cherry tomatoes — both red and yellow — in a scoop.

It was a light and tasty appetizer that whet our appetites for more of the food adventure to come.

"I've never had anything like that," Steve said.

Steve, who loves duck, decided on duck carbonara ($25) for his entree. His delightful dish was made with housemade black garlic pappardelle noodles, which were amazingly wide, flat black noodles, coated in espresso BellaVitano cheese and served with four generous slices of duck bacon and English peas.

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He described his al dente pasta with creamy sauce "hearty and satisfying" and the duck bacon "salty and indulgent."

"You can tell he's passionate about what he's doing," Steve said of Ulichney's delicious and inventive food.

I decided to be adventurous and experience the Ghost Box ($20), a dish Ulichney whips up for you based on whether you ask for meat, vegetarian or vegan. It's a fun choice, considering you don't know what you're getting until it arrives at the table.

"That's trusting us to make something interesting," said Ulichney.

Within 15 minutes, I was served a mountainous dish of Salisbury steak with butter and chive mash, crispy onions, honey-glazed carrots and big mushrooms. The meat and mash combination was topped with a wonderful mushroom and beef demiglace.

This entree was like an embarrassment of riches when it comes to comfort food, with one deliciously soft food taste after another. The elevated comfort food put a smile on my face and a warmth in my belly, leaving me happy to take some leftovers home for lunch the next day.

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To top our evening off, Steve and I couldn't resist a taste of tiny beignets for dessert — wonderful confections that sous chef Mercedes Parks makes gluten-free, paired with espresso caramel sauce. Ten of these little pockets came on a plate, covered with what Ulichney joked is "supposed be be an annoying amount of powdered sugar."

We had fun taking a little bite off the top of the beignets ($10) to fill each pillowy pocket with the espresso sauce, which packed a big flavor punch.

Key to scratch eats

So how does the tiny Square Scullery manage to make everything from scratch?

"Essentially, our entire staff is prepping and cooking just all day, every day," Ulichney said. "We really push that quality over quantity."

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The menu also includes light bites from gluten-free poutine in a black pepper demi-glace to kimchee fries. Handheld fare includes a variety of burgers, sloppy lamb and either pork or Jamaican jerk plantain banh mi, served on focaccia with a sunny-side-up egg.

Diners can also check out Square Scullery's lobster rolls, two ramen bowl options and entrees ranging from crab omelet to chicken schnitzel biscuit.

Ulichney said the ramen dishes are the restaurant's top seller, with the Ghost Box coming in second. Square Scullery offers numerous vegan and gluten-free options on its menu.

Restaurant updates

For folks who missed Square Scullery's lunch service during the pandemic, it just started again Oct. 18, with lunch beginning at 11 a.m. Tuesdays through Fridays. The restaurant also plans to offer its new fall menu by Nov. 8.

Square Scullery opened behind the American Legion in 2019 as a ghost restaurant for numerous delivery services, before the pandemic. The restaurant started allowing in-person pickups and then created its tiny inside dining room the same year.

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Before their brick-and-mortar space existed, the couple ran Square Scullery as a food truck, preceded by a private catering company that operated out of borrowed kitchens.

The Ulichneys, who have worked together in the food business for many years, employee nine at Square Scullery, including multiple folks who have 15 to 25 years of experience. Ulichney himself, age 35, has worked in restaurants for 20 years.

The Norton native grew up helping in his great-aunt's diner in Barberton, the former Rita's Diner where his mother was a server. Heather Ulichney grew up in Akron.

Ulichney said Square Scullery has been in talks with American Legion about expanding at its current location and he and his wife also have considered expanding to a secondary location.

"No matter what, that space will always pretty much be there," Ulichney said of the current, cozy Highland Square eatery.

Arts and restaurant writer Kerry Clawson may be reached at 330-996-3527 or kclawson@thebeaconjournal.com.

Details

Restaurant: Square Scullery

Address: 783 W. Market St., Akron

Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays, 3 to 10 p.m. Saturday

Carryout: ordersquarescullery.com

Website: squarescullery.com

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Great surprises in every part of scratch meal at Square Scullery