If ever there were Instagram-able food in the Toledo area, it’s at Odd Fodder in Perrysburg.
From the over-the-top shakes loaded with cookies and candies — and, in one case that I saw during our visit, an entire Good Humor Strawberry Shortcake bar — to the pans of brookies (brownie and chocolate chip cookie swirled together) laden with whipped cream and and more sweets, to the savory chicken in sandwiches, wraps, and even stuffed into a waffle cone, there is something gloriously photogenic for every social media outlet.
But don’t think that the food produced by chef-owner Scott Bowman and his team is all style and no substance, all glam and no goodness. The quality of everything we tried completely and totally exceeded even the drool- and swoon-worthy optics.
The Monster Mac is a huge portion of macaroni and cheese made with rich cheddar and Fontina cheeses. This comfort food classic was topped with incredibly crispy chicken strips to dunk or to mix in ... whatever your heart desires.
It comes with your choice of one sauce for $10. And as always, because of chronic indecisiveness when faced with so many enticing options, we asked for guidance. Mr. Bowman was happy to oblige, suggesting a mix of the Maple Bourbon and Buffalo sauces, and then also bringing us a cup of the Garlic Parmesan because he simply couldn’t resist having us try it. (Extra sauces are 59 cents apiece.)
I did my best Jackson Pollock impersonation and drizzled a bit of each over the dish, to get sweetness, heat, and a strong hit of garlic all dancing together in each bite. All of those contrasts, coupled with the crisp chicken and the creamy macaroni, made for an explosion of flavor.
One of the most popular items on the menu, Mr. Bowman said, is the generously-sized Funk'U Chik'n on a Bun for only $6: brined and crisply breaded chicken doused in house-made (well, everything is house-made so there was no real need to reiterate this) hot sauce, with more heat from Red Hot spices, and the tartness of dill pickles.
Two little flames sit next to this item on the menu, warning you that it’s hot. And they’re not lying.
We chatted with Mr. Bowman about it, and his thinking makes perfect sense: Why tame it down for people who don’t really like spicy food? Respect those who want the flavor and want to feel the burn, but rein it in just enough that they can still taste each sensational bite.
And Odd Fodder has succeeded at tiptoeing along this fine line, because it is hot from the first moment your teeth sink in and the chicken touches your tongue. But the sandwich falls just this side of too much impact, because I found myself craving more and more of it even as I had to take a break between bites to cool off my mouth.
The perfect coolant is the Pumpkin Cheesecake Shake: a salted caramel masterpiece as thick and rich as the slice of slightly-spiced pumpkin cheesecake perched on top of it.
It costs $9.50, just squeaking in under our $10 per item (or per person) Cheap Eats budget. But considering that you’re getting a treat easily shared by two — like an old-fashioned date at the malt shop — with what seems like an entire pint of ice cream blended into your decadent dessert, and then a generous serving of yet another dessert on top of it ... well, I think this is actually quite a bargain for your day’s worth of calories all piled into one luscious cup. (My Cheap Eats partner in crime, multimedia journalist extraordinaire Phillip Kaplan, said with glee, “I can feel myself expanding!”)
As though things couldn’t get any better, this week is Odd Fodder’s second anniversary.
So head over to offer congratulations and join in the celebration, and indulge in party fare that will have all your social media followers following your lead.
Because if you aren’t already an influencer, you will be once everyone sees the delicious decadence that you’ll post before devouring it all — every crumb, every bite, and every marvelous morsel.
Odd Fodder, 26520 N. Dixie Hwy., Perrysburg, 419-386-9800, www.oddfodder.com.
Contact Mary Bilyeu at 419-724-6155 or mbilyeu@theblade.com, and follow her at facebook.com/FoodMavenMary.
First Published October 20, 2021, 12:00 p.m.
