Home > Blogs > Taste: Dayton food and restaurants > Archives > 2008 > December
December 2008
Here’s a twist: Fast-food giant launches online personal fitness program
Yum Brands, the parent company of Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and KFC, will, on New Year’s Day 2009, launch a free, online personal fitness training program at the web site www.keepitbalanced.com.
Excuse me, but did the sun rise in the west this morning?
Here’s a sample of the web site’s advice as it pertains to eating out, which, of course, just happens to be the business that Yum Brands is in:
Even your favorite foods such as tacos, pizza, chicken, seafood, and burgers can be included in a balanced diet. You can choose foods that are grilled, roasted or baked, limit cheeses and sauces, order Fresco Style options at Taco Bell, and ask for “No Sauces” or “Sauce on the Side” when ordering.
Thoughts?
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Restaurants welcome Christmas Day diners
For the full list of restaurant holiday hours and special events that includes New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, click here.
Here’s a list of Dayton-area restaurants that have sent me emails or posted comments on this Taste food and dining page about their plans to be open and serving on Christmas Day. Feel free to post a comment to let us know about any others that missed our earlier solicitations.
— Kohinoor Palace, 39 S. Springboro Pike in Miamisburg (southwest corner of the Ohio 725-Ohio 741 intersection by the Dayton Mall), will be open Christmas day from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and then from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. For more information, call (937) 723-9014.
— McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurant, 4429 Cedar Park Drive at The Greene in Beavercreek, will be open Christmas Day from noon to 9 p.m. For more information, call (937) 431-9200.
— Starlite Diner Restaurant, 4090 Wilmington Ave. across from Meijer’s gas station in Kettering, will be open Christmas Day from 6.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. For more information call (937) 293-4000.
In addition, some sports bars/taverns let us know they’ll be opening in the late afternoon or early evening of Christmas Day, including Fricker’s (multiple locations), Norton’s in Kettering, and Tank’s in Dayton.
For carryout, Dayton-area Domino’s Pizza stores, various locations, will be open regular hours Christmas Day. Also, check the Miami Valley Restaurant Association’s list of restaurants that are open on Christmas Day, which includes a couple of eateries — Champp’s Americana in Washington Twp. and Mr. Lee’s in Vandalia — that did not put themselves on the DDN Taste list.
All in all, it looks like there’s no good excuse not to eat, drink and be merry on Christmas Day …
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Bellyfire Catering takes over operation of Culp’s Cafe
The owners of Bellyfire Catering will take over the operations of Culp’s Cafe at Carillon Historical Park later this week.
Here are excerpts from a news release sent out by Dayton History:
Dayton History would like to thank Bob and Linda Bertoncini for managing Culp’s Cafe for the past five years. We appreciate all their hard work, good service, good food and friendship. We wish them well in the New Year!
We are excited to announce that Jeff and Molly Blumer, owners of Bellyfire Catering LLC will be taking over Culp’s Cafe operations starting December 26th! Bellyfire has a passion for good food. Passion for serving others. Passion for a job well done. Passion for energy and enthusiasm. Passion for entertaining. That is what Bellyfire is about. When someone is passionate about something, they are described as having “fire in their belly”. That is who they are, and why it is their pleasure to serve you.
Jeff Blumer, Chef/Owner of Bellyfire Catering, builds on 20 years of hands on, practical foodservice experience, education from Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration with a degree in Hospitality, and his passion for the foodservice industry to create a catering company that offers excellent food and attentive service. He has a diverse background having worked for McDonalds, Disney World, Clipper Cruise Lines, several Life Care Services High End Retirement Communities, Sysco Foodservices, and Temecula Creek Inn. …
Molly Blumer, Pastry Chef, has been baking since she could safely stand on a chair at the counter in her mother’s kitchen. She has 16 years of experience in the hospitality industry starting out working with Stouffers Hotel in Dayton as a high school intern. Molly and Jeff met at Cornell’s School of Hotel Administration. She has worked for L’Auberge, Benham’s, Cornell University, Cini-Little International, and Casa de las Campanas.
Hours 11:00 am - 3:00 pm, closed on December 31, 2008 and January 1, 2009.Tweet
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All-time best eggnog recipes
I probably wouldn’t know a good eggnog if it came up and slapped me in the face with an egg beater (although I might be able to recognize a bad one). Eggnog’s just not my thing. But it seems I’m in the distinct minority, especially this time of year.
So when Restaurants & Institutions comes up with three winning eggnog recipes that “rose above the rest” in the first-ever Northwest Eggnog Competition, I’m compelled to pass them along, even if some appear to be rather, well, involved (what, you mean you don’t have a bottle of Eau de Vie of Douglas Fir in your cupboard?).
For a less complicated recipe from closer to home, we turn to Kettering chef and all-around foodie George Sideras posted his “very best” eggnog recipe on his family blog. (Actually, George thinks he may have gotten this recipe years ago from … the Dayton Daily News. So we’ll just go full circle with it …)
With these four rather diverse recipes to choose from, I have a hunch, you can’t go wrong.
If you have a favorite eggnog recipe, post a comment and let us know about it … even if it does contain essence of trees.
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Restaurant Association sees signs of hope in ‘pent-up demand’
(Looking for local restaurants’ holiday hours and events? Click here to go directly to it.)
The National Restaurant Association has released its 2009 Restaurant Industry Forecast under the headline, “Restaurant Industry Expected to Post Modest Sales Growth in 2009 as it Copes with the Weakest Economy in Decades.”
In a news conference this morning, Dec. 19, restaurant association officials called the 2009 outlook “the most challenging period for the industry in several decades.”
But they found a silver lining in their surveys. People do still looooovvve to eat out, and one-third of Americans are not using restaurants as much as they would like to. That’s an increase over recent years, and the NRA views those results as “pent-up demand” — meaning that when the economy improves, people get more cash in their pockets, and the credit situation loosens, Americans will storm the doors of their local restaurants — and they’ll be hungry.
Are they right?
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Ruby Tuesday to close 70 or more restaurants
(Looking for local restaurants’ holiday hours and events? Click here to go directly to it.)
Ruby Tuesday will close at least 70 restaurants — 40 by the end of March 2009, and about 30 more in the coming years — according to this news release from the company and to other news reports.
Ruby Tuesday didn’t identify which restaurants would close. The chain has more than 950 company- and franchise-owned restaurants worldwide, including several in the Miami Valley such as those in Centerville, Vandalia and Huber Heights.
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Top 10 food-related stories of 2008
After surveying the nation’s food editors and bloggers, Hunter Public Relations has released the Top Food Stories of 2008.
Interesting to note that two out of the top three stories revolve around food that will make you sick — or worse — if consumed. Several of the other top food stories of ‘08 “reflect our nation’s growing concern with the nutritional standards of the foods we consume,” according to the news release.
I generally don’t think twice about whether a bite of food I put in my mouth is going to sicken me — unless it’s leftovers I’ve kept in the fridge long enough to bump up against their “safe-consumption window.” I’ve learned one hard lesson on that front, too.
Still, it gives one pause, does it not?
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Photos of the MVRA/House of Bread turkey-carving contest
(Looking for local restaurants’ holiday hours and events? Click here to go directly to it.)
But for now, we move on:
I think the best term to describe these folks: “knife-wielding suspects,” don’t you? Check out My photographer colleague Jim Witmer’s photos of the Miami Valley Restaurant Association/House of Bread Turkey Carving Contest yesterday (12-16-08), which drew nine sharpened chefs and other restaurant representatives to the House of Bread.
Can anybody tell us who won?
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Yes, you can still eat local in December, even in Ohio
(Looking for local restaurants’ holiday hours and events? Click here to go directly to it.)
This post from our Farm Life and Local Harvest blog entitled “What’s local in December in the Miami Valley?’ is a real eye-opener.
Who knew we could still “eat local” in southwest Ohio in December?
Organic meats, eggs, cheeses, honey, leeks, winter squashes, onions, carrots, parsnips, and much more, all grown and produced locally and available here on the cusp of winter.
After all, it’s not all about sweet corn, tomatoes and melons — we’ve got to eat the other 10 months of the year, too. And it looks like several local farmers and food producers are making sure we don’t have to turn to far-away factory farms (or the southern hemisphere) to fill our bellies this winter.
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Coke to sell drinks with new zero-calorie sweetener not yet approved by FDA
(Looking for local restaurants’ holiday hours and events? Click here to go directly to it.)
The Coca-Cola company is poised to begin selling juice drinks sweetened by Stevia, a new zero-calorie sweetener that has not yet received full approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, according to this Associated Press report.
Rival Pepsi apparently has a couple of products ready to roll out but says it won’t begin selling them until the FDA approval comes.
Would you try the new Coke products?
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Let’s try this again: Dayton-area Domino’s offers $8 pizza deal
(Looking for local restaurants’ holiday hours and events? Click here to go directly to it.)
The owners of the Dayton-area Domino’s Pizza franchises would like a do-over.
Last week’s fiasco, when Domino’s corporate folks apologized to Dayton-area customers because a national promotion wasn’t available here, has led the local franchisees to repeat the $8-for-a-large-four-topping-pizza offer — but they’ll extend the offer through Friday rather than making it a one-day special, and obviously, it won’t require customers to order the pizza online, since that was the primary stumbling block last week.
Here’s the email I received from the local Domino’s franchise co-owner:
My name is Tristan Koehler and I am the franchise owner of the Domino’s Pizza stores here in Dayton. I saw your article in the Dayton Daily News and wanted to give you more information about what happened with the 48th Anniversary Special.
You see, we just purchased these stores on Nov 17th. The stores and crews are great, and we are very excited about the future. Both myself and my partner Ed Schlater live in Dayton and know the Dayton market. One of our flaws right now is the absence of online ordering. Most Domino’s have it - but the old owner never upgraded the stores computers to make online ordering possible. So while upgrading the computers is a top priority, we just don’t have online ordering right now.
So I’d like to apologize to all your readers, and I’d like them to know that we will be bringing online capability to Dayton as soon as possible.
I’d also like to make you and all your readers this offer: We will happily extend the 48th Anniversary offer to anyone who asks for it … . I’ve instructed all stores to offer anyone who asks for the Anniversary special (or the Dayton Daily News Special, or “that $8 pizza deal”, you get the idea) a Large Pizza with up to 4 toppings for only $8! This offer is valid through Friday December 19th.
The stores we own that are offering this special are:
1450 Kuntz Rd Dayton OH 45421 228-3030
531 Wilmington Ave Dayton OH 45420-1865 298-3030
5391 N. Dixie Drive Dayton OH 45414 275-3030
6583 Brandt Pike Dayton OH 45424-3353 236-3030
1219 E Central Avenue Miamisburg OH 45342 859-3030
1240 Spinning Rd Dayton OH 45432-1644 253-3030
5995 Bigger Rd Kettering OH 45440-2718 433-0968
5099 Springboro Pike Dayton OH 45439-2974 294-3030
3512 W Siebenthaler Ave Dayton OH 45406-1535 278-3030
26 E National Rd Vandalia OH 45377-2130 898-7000
1258 Kauffman Ave Fairborn OH 45324-3154 878-3030
3320 Dayton Xenia Rd Beavercreek OH 45432-2747 427-3030
17 N Allison Ave Xenia OH 45385-2823 372-9282
2 N Smithville Rd Dayton OH 45403-1734 258-3030
885 E Franklin St Centerville OH 45459-5617 434-8999
502 W National Road Clayton OH 45322 832-1336
1800 N Main St Dayton OH 45405-3832 277-3030
4399 W 3rd St Dayton OH 45417-1407 263-3030
2533 Wilmington Pike Dayton OH 45419-2452 297-3030
Would you be able to pass this message on to your readers? We’d certainly like to make up for our mistakes earlier in the week.
Why yes, I can.
Let us know whether you’re able to score this deal. Remember, only the stores listed above are participating, as far as I know … Some other Miami Valley stores that are not part of this franchise owner’s holdings did participate in last week’s promotion and presumably are not offering the special again. But the list above sure covers a lot of ground in the Dayton area ….
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Which restaurants are open over the holidays?
The Miami Valley’s restaurants would love to share the holidays with you.
Several local eateries are hosting special Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve or New Year’s day events, while others that don’t usually serve lunch are doing so for the month of December.
Here’s a list of restaurants that have sent me emails or posted comments on this blog entry through Tuesday morning, Dec. 16, about their holiday plans. If you know of a restaurant that has a special holiday dinner or event planned, please POST A COMMENT (the link is below) and let readers and potential customers know about it. Be sure to include time, date, address, phone number and any other information you feel is pertinent.
This list can jump-start your holidays. Just make sure to make your reservation early.
— Abuelo’s, 2420 North Fairfield Road in Beavercreek, has added a handful of limited-time holiday menu items that run through December 31. For more information, call 937-426-3070.
— Amelia’s Bistro and Catering, 129 W.Franklin St. in Bellbrook, is open Mondays through December and is open New Year’s Eve. For more information, call (937) 310-3040.
— L’Auberge, 4120 Far Hills Ave., in Kettering, is offering a special Christmas menu in both the Bistro and in the Main Dining Room through Dec. 27. Call (937) 299-5536 for more information.
— The Barnsider, 5202 N. Main St. in Harrison Twp., will be open Christmas Eve from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. For more information, call (937) 277-1332.
— Benham’s Restaurant, 209 Warren St., Dayton, 45402 will be open on New Year’s Eve, with a special menu. Reservations from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. For more information, call (937) 228-7041.
— Bullwinkle’s, 19 N. Main St. in Miamisburg, will be open New Year’s Eve and will offer several specials, including prime rib. For more information, call (937) 859-7677.
— Cafe Boulevard, 329 E. Fifth St. in Dayton’s Oregon Historic District, is open for lunch through December. For more information, call (937) 824-2722.
— Caffe Anticoli, 8268 N. Main St. in Clayton, will be open Christmas Eve from 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and on New Year’s Eve from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. For more information, call (937) 890-0300.
— Carvers Steaks and Chops, 1535 Miamisburg-Centerville Road in Washington Twp., is open for lunch in December. For details, call (937) 433-7099.
— Cena Restaurant, 2854 Miamisburg-Centerville Rd. in Miami Twp. in the New Lifestyle Village at the Dayton Mall, is open weekdays for lunch in December from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Call 937-438-2362 for more information.
— C’est Tout, 2600 Far Hills Ave. in Oakwood, will be open regular hours on Christmas Eve and will be open for dinner hours only on New Year’s Eve, and is offering its annual Goose Dinner tonight and Saturday, Dec. 19 and Dec. 20. For more information, call (937) 298-0022.
— Chin’s Ginger Grill, 965 W. Main St. in Tipp City, will be open New Year’s Eve and will offer a 10-course Tasting Dinner and music by the Teresa Monee Duo. For more information, call (937) 667- 6664.
— Domino’s Pizza stores are open Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.
— Fricker’s, multiple locations, will be open regular hours on Christmas Eve, and will be open 5 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. on Christmas Day, and will be open New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day regular hours.
— Hometown Buffet, 745 Lyons Road in Centerville, will be open Christmas Eve from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and also will be open New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. For more information, call (937) 438-3075.
— Jay’s Restaurant, 225 E. Sixth St. in Dayton’s Oregon Historic District, open for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays through Dec. 23. Call (937) 222-2892 for information or to make reservations.
— Kohinoor Palace, 39 S. Springboro Pike in Miamisburg (southwest corner of the Ohio 725-Ohio 741 intersection by the Dayton Mall), will be open Christmas day from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and then from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. It will be open regular lunch hours on New Year’s Eve and will host New Year’s eve party that evening. For more information, call (937) 723-9014.
— Madison’s Bistro, 5531 Far Hills Ave. in Washington Twp., will be open Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. For more information, call (937) 435-7080.
— McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurant, 4429 Cedar Park Drive at The Greene in Beavercreek, will be open Christmas Day from noon to 9 p.m. For more information, call (937) 431-9200.
— Meadowlark Restaurant, 2094 Miamisburg-Centerville Road (Ohio 725), will be open for brunch on Christmas Eve day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and on New Year’s Eve for lunch as usual and then for a special four-course reservations-only dinner that evening. For more information, call (937) 434-4750.
— Pacchia, 410 E. Fifth St. in Dayton’s Oregon Historic District, is open New Year’s Eve for dinner and a show by The Royal Blues quartet. For more information, call (937) 341-5050.
— The Paragon Supper Club, 797 Miamisburg-Centerville Road in Washington Twp., will be open Christmas Eve from 3:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. and on New Year’s Eve from 3:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. For more information, call (937) 433-1234.
— La Piazza, on the square in downtown Troy, will be open on Christmas Eve with seating from 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and will be open New Year’s Eve with seating from 4 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. For more information, call (937) 339-5553.
— Rue Dumaine will be open for dinner on Sunday, Dec. 21 and Monday, Dec 22 and again on Sunday and Monday Dec. 28-29. For more information or to make reservations, call (937) 610-1061.
— Savona Restaurant and Wine Bar, 79 S. Main St. in Centerville, will be open for two seatings on New Year’s Eve at 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. and serving a four-course menu. For more information, call (937) 610-9835.
— Starlite Diner Restaurant, 4090 Wilmington Ave. across from Meijer’s gas station in Ketering, will be open regular hours on Christmas Eve from 6.30 a.m. to 10.30 p.m. and will be open Christmas Day from 6.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. It will also be open regular hours on New Year’s Day. For more information call (937) 293-4000.
— Sweeney’s Seafood House, 28 W. Franklin St. in Centerville, is open Christmas Eve from 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and on New Year’s Eve from 4:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. For more information, call (937) 291-3474.
— The Wellington Grille, 2450 Dayton-Xenia Road in Beavercreek, will serve dinner on Christmas Eve from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. and will also be open New Year’s Eve from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. for dinner. For more information, call (937) 426-4600.
— The Winds Cafe in Yellow Springs is open on Mondays in December for both lunch and dinner and will host a special dinner on New Year’s Eve. Call (937) 767-1144 for reservations or more information.
In addition, many, many restaurants are offering special deals on gift certificates, from percentage-off deals to landing a free gift certificate of your own when you buy a larger one for someone else. Feel free to let us know about those, too.
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New mall restaurant now has a name, revised timeline for opening
BEAVERCREEK — The upscale pizza restaurant that local restaurateur Glen Brailey will open inside the Mall at Fairfield Commons this winter has a name: Spinoza’s Gourmet Pizza & Salads.
It also has a revised timetable. Brailey said he is “looking at mid-February” for the restaurant to open.
Earlier this fall, Brailey — founder of Pacchia who sold his majority ownership of the restaurant along with the building in April — initially thought he had a name picked out for his new restaurant, but a federal trademark search uncovered a restaurant in South Carolina with a similar name, so he went back to the drawing board.
Altough the Spinoza’s name has no family connection, Brailey said it is the last name of a 17th-Century philosopher, Benedict de Spinoza. And, it was free of any trademark restrictions.
Brailey said he has signed a lease and is starting work on the 120-seat restaurant that will serve what he called “California-style gourmet pizza and artisan salads.” The restaurant will be located in the mall space that once housed California Pizza Kitchen, which closed in November 2006.
The 5,000-square-foot space is near the Sears entrance to the Fairfield Commons mall.
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Rachael Ray wows ‘em in Beavercreek
The power of celebrity was on full display Wednesday night at Books & Co. at The Greene in Beavercreek.
Rachael Ray stopped by to sign copies of her newly released “Rachael Ray’s Big Orange Book” ($24.95, Clarkson Potter), and to say that the crowd response was enthusiastic is an understatement.
The store was packed with “well more than 1,000 people,” according to Books & Co. spokeswoman Sharon Kelly Roth, and some employees said they’d never seen a turnout like this one. (To view the story I wrote for Thursday’s DDN, Click here.) Fans started lining up shortly after 9 a.m., a full nine hours before the event. All of the 250 line tickets (one line ticket per family) were all handed out by 5 p.m., an hour before the book-signing was scheduled to begin.
Ray arrived 10 minutes early from a similar event in Lexington, Ky. Her arrival brought squeals of delight and a rush to get a glimpse and pictures of her. It was an atmosphere I haven’t experienced since I saw then-President Bill Clinton speak at an education-reporters’ conference in the 1990s.
Ray disappointed a few fans by choosing to go straight to work signing and posing rather than speaking to the crowd first. Hard to fault her for that, though, given that there were 250 families who had as many as five of her cookbooks to sign and many, many photographs to pose for at the autograph table.
An assistant and a couple of security guards who accompanied Ray made sure the line moved along quickly, but Ray posed happily for every picture asked of her, with kids of all ages, shapes and sizes, and even for a white toy poodle who arrived and departed in what looked like a baby stroller pushed by his owner.
And when they walked away from the autograph table, fans were visibly flushed with excitement. “I just touched Rachael Ray!” gushed one teen-age girl. Many took only a few steps away from the table before they began to eagerly check the images they had just captured on their cell phones and digital cameras.
Other fans who were shut out from getting line tickets found creative, even sneaky ways to sidestep The Greene’s security guards who were trying to establish a perimeter of sorts so the line could move in and away from the autograph table. They were not about to let the opportunity of getting a picture of Rachael Ray pass by, even if it meant feigning interest in a Don Knotts book that just happened to be on a table that had a clear line of sight to Ray’s autograph table. Security guards weren’t buying it, but they weren’t being mean about it, either.
On the way back to my car, I overheard two women talking about the event. They had obviously showed up early to get a good line number, had gotten their signatures and pictures and were now headed home.
“Y’know, now that it’s all said and done, I’m not sure I’d do it again,” one said.
“I agree,” her companion replied. There was a slight pause. “Unless it was Paula Deen.”
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Food and cooking tips to make you look smart — and thrifty
Here’s a copy of a story that I wrote that is scheduled to run in Thursday’s Dayton Daily News:
We have once again probed the newly released food products, scoured the food and consumer magazines, compared prices on the best kitchen gear and otherwise gathered up some of the best advice, tips and “nifty nuggets” of food wisdom from all corners of the globe, all to help you dazzle your friends with savvy epicurean knowledge while saving a few bucks to boot.
An ocean of possibilities
If you’re buying seafood for any part of your holiday bash — or for that matter, for Tuesday night dinner — consider one of the Dayton-area shops that specialize in seafood.
I’ve had very good experiences at Foremost Seafood at 1904 Woodman Center Drive in Kettering (www.foremostseafood.com or 937-298-1986), where I’ve shopped frequently for several years, and also at Oceanwide Seafood at 475 Victory Drive in Springboro (www.owseafood.com or 937-514-7439), where I’ve bought fish a few times (I live in Kettering relatively close to Foremost).
Dayton Fish Inc. at 3939 N. Main St. in Harrison Twp. (937-276-3474), and Arcade Seafoods at 111 W. First St. in downtown Dayton are also seafood specialists, though I’ve not had any recent personal experiences at those two shops.
Foremost and Oceanwide are essentially seafood wholesalers that supply Miami Valley restaurants and grocers, but which also sell to retail customers (don’t look for a fancy display case at Foremost, where they cut the seafood in the back to order, then bring it out for you to inspect before you buy). Prices at these wholesale/retail seafood specialists are usually less than grocery-store prices, and I suspect that in most cases, you’ll also be buying fresher seafood. Cheaper + fresher = good.
Ice cream and chocolate? Why yes, don’t mind if I do
Taste-testers for Consumer Reports/ShopSmart are clearly trying to fatten us up for the holidays with their recommendations for ice cream, brownies and hot chocolate in the magazine’s January edition, but since we’re still in splurge mode, why not enjoy? At least the ice cream they recommended is low-fat — and count me as a fan: Haagen-Dazs Extra Rich Light Vanilla Bean ($3.99/pint) was described as “the clear winner with our tasters.”
As for brownies, the magazine suggested Duncan Hines Oven Ready Homestyle Brownies ($3.69), which ShopSmart taste-testers “inhaled” (our home taste-tester wasn’t quite as enthusiastic, but would buy it again and make it in a pinch).
And of the Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Hot Cocoa ($4.89), the magazine raved, “We loved the rich, thick, milk-chocolatey flavor. It beat out nine other hot chocolates we taste-tested.” We tried it too, and no disagreement: This is not the sugary Nestle Quik of your childhood, but tastes of decadent chocolate, with just enough sweetness to balance out the cocoa. It’s a winner.
One stock that’s still worth something
You’ve seen Swanson broth on the grocery shelf for decades, but now the company has come out with stocks. Out of their cartons, broth and stock look similar, but the folks at Swanson (www.swansonstock.com) point out key differences: Stock is less seasoned, but has a meatier flavor than broth, and is best used in main meat dishes and gravies. Broth is highly seasoned and is geared for soups and side dishes. The stocks come in chicken or beef and sell in 26-ounce cartons for $3.49.
Cooking beef slooowly
The folks at the Ohio Beef Council (www.ohiobeef.org) offer these tips when cooking with beef in a slow-cooker, better known in these parts as a CrockPot:
— Use beef straight from the refrigerator. Do not use frozen beef for slow-cooker recipes.
— Trim visible fat from beef before cooking.
— Do not lift the lid of the slow cooker during cooking unless the recipe directs you to add ingredients or stir. The heat loss caused by removing the lid can result in the need for extra cooking time.
Best-value kitchen appliances
The best electric range for no-frills cooks, according to the January 2009 edition of ShopSmart Magazine (a sister publication of Consumer Reports magazine), is the Kenmore 9611[2], a white, 30-inch, smooth-top, self-clean range that the magazine’s editors said “packs a lot of performance into a low price.” The magazine lists the suggested price as $560, but a quick check last week on Sears’ Web site (www.sears.com) shows the range was on sale for $476 and was in stock and available for pickup at the Dayton Mall Sears (stores in Beavercreek and Kettering could get the range in eight days or so, the Sears Web site said).
If you’re looking for a gas range, ShopSmart recommends the Hotpoint Model RGB745WEH 30-inch freestanding gas range, which the editors described as having “a very good-size oven that bakes great as well as a very good broiler, and it simmers superbly.” The magazine lists the price at $600, but the range (both the white-on-white and black-on-black models) is marked down at Sears to $484. It was not listed as being in stock at any Dayton-area Sears store as of last week, though the Web site said it could be delivered to the store in about 15 days. The range is also sold at Home Depot, according to the magazine. Home Depot’s Web site (www.homedepot.com) listed the price last week as $569.
Turning your kitchen green
The traditional kitchen is by far the most energy-inefficient room in the house, according to the Fall 2008 issue of ELDR magazine. But you can “green up” your kitchen while reducing your energy bill and fighting global warming by following these tips from the magazine (www.eldr.com):
— Fill the dishwasher before running it and don’t use the pre-rinse or heat-to-dry options.
— Use the microwave to cook and reheat small items, and keep the microwave clean.
— Unplug small appliances
— Switch to cloth towels and napkins
— Match pots to the burner size
— Buy local produce
— Tote your own shopping bag.
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Hottest food and restaurant trends of 2009. Maybe.
Since we Daytonians are known for our avant-garde, cutting-edge taste in all things epicurean, I simply must share with you Food and Wine Magazine’s “What to Cook Now: Trendsetting Ingredients” (Ostrich eggs, coming to Ohio? Crystalized soy sauce? Baby goat?) as well as the magazine’s “American Restaurant Trends to Watch”.
I suspect that restaurateur Tom Colicchio was being facetious when he told the magazine in a section entitled “Economizing in Pricey Restaurants” that, “I’m waiting for people at different tables to start splitting bottles of wine,” but you know what? I think that’s a damn fine idea.
Do you think any of these trends will reach Dayton, Ohio? Which would you like to see stick, and which should flame out as quickly as possible?
And most important, which wine goes better with Ostrich Eggs Benedict — Torrentes or Gruner Veltliner?
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Domino’s Pizza apologizes to Dayton customers
* UPDATED*
Much of the country — but not most of the Dayton area — is enjoying full access to a Domino’s Pizza 48th anniversary special that looks like a pretty tempting deal: a large four-topping pizza for $8.
But to get this price, you MUST order online at Dominos.com — and therein lies a big ol’ problem.
“Dayton is one of the very, very few markets that doesn’t have online ordering,” Domino’s spokesman Tim McIntyre said this morning, Dec. 9.
Domino’s restaurants in Huber Heights, Springboro, Franklin, Tipp City, Troy, and Springfield do have online ordering, but it wasn’t clear which of those were participating in the anniversary special.
McIntyre initially suggested that Dayton-area residents check the company’s web site to see if the location nearest them has the large red “Order online now” box that allows them to get the $8 large four-topping pizza deal, which is available only today, on December 9, 2008.
But later in the day, McIntyre offered apologies to Dayton-area Domino’s customers who could not take advantage of the anniversary offer. Here’s what he had to say in response to emailed questions:
This is unfortunate, to say the least. The press release we issued noted that the offer was available in “participating stores.” I found out this morning that more than 3,000 stores across the country are honoring the promotion. The vast majority of our stores are owned and operated by independent franchisees. We make them aware of promotional offers and encourage participation, but ultimately, doing so is entirely up to them. We cannot compel them to participate in any individual offer. … The stores in Dayton are owned by independent franchisees. I cannot speak for them regarding their reasons for not having online ordering at this point. Did this work out for us the way we wanted it to? In much of the U.S., yes; in Dayton, not so much. At this point, we can only offer our sincerest apologies.Tweet
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All-time favorite Christmas cookies from Better Homes and Gardens
This isn’t the only list of its kind, but it certainly appears to be one of the better ones: check out the 20 all-time favorite Christmas cookie recipes from Better Homes and Gardens magazine.
Can’t you just smell them cooking already?
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Burger King ‘Whopper Virgin’ ads trigger backlash
Burger King will span the globe to find people who have never seen nor heard of their signature sandwich, the Whopper, as part of a new ad campaign, according to the company’s news release titled “Burger King Corp. Bets on World’s Purest Taste Test”.
Not everyone, it seems, likes the idea, as you’ll see in this Brand Republic story titled “Burger King suffers Whopper Virgins campaign backlash”.
What do you think: Is it exploitation to give a Whopper to a farmer in a remote village in Thailand and film it for an American ad campaign?
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Love her or not, Rachael Ray headed to Dayton next week
Rachael Ray is headed to Dayton, and I had a chance to chat with her by phone early this week for the story I’ve written for today’s Dayton Daily News Go Section about her upcoming book-signing at Books & Co. at The Greene.
No one seems to be neutral on Rachael Ray, are they? No Food Network chef/talk show host/author seems to generate such heated comments both positive or negative. My phone conversation with her was quite pleasant, and the recipes in her new cookbook sure sound appealing.
What is your opinion of Rachael Ray and her television shows/cookbooks?
In our story in today’s DDN, we did have some fun translating Rachael Rayisms, to wit:
EVOO: Extra-virgin olive oil
Stoup: Dish that can’t decide whether it’s stew or soup
Moppies: Dish towel
Yum-O: Delicious
Delish: Yum-O
Sammies: Sammiches — er, sandwiches
Here’s how to go to the book-signing:
What: Rachael Ray book-signing — tickets required
When: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 10 (line numbers to be handed out starting at 5 p.m.)
Where: Books & Co. at 4453 Walnut St. in The Greene in Beavercreek
How: Tickets available at the store with the purchase of “Rachael Ray’s Big Orange Book” ($24.95, Clarkson Potter)
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Kettering restaurant closes, will be replaced by Italian eatery
Fields Restaurant, 1222 E. Stroop Road, has closed.
The restaurant’s co-owner, John Dieckhoff, said in an email today, Dec. 4, that the restaurant has been sold to Mark Powers and Ray Woodie, who are planning to open an upscale Italian restaurant at the location.
“Fields owners, John and Gayle Dieckhoff, want to thank the Dayton area for their support over the past 24 years,” John Dieckhoff said. The Dieckhoffs are planning to move to North Carolina closer to family, he said.
Fields opened in 1985 in the Beaver Valley Shopping Center in Beavercreek and moved to the Kettering location in 2001.
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Miller Lane restaurant reopens after morning fire
Butler Twp. firefighters helped extinguish a small fire at the Red Lobster restaurant at 6500 Miller Lane this morning, Dec. 3.
A Butler Twp. fire dispatcher said the fire apparently started in or near a steamer in the restaurant’s kitchen. Employees summoned firefighters after they were unable to extinguish the fire themselves, the dispatcher said.
Although no damage estimate or cause was immediately available, the dispatcher said the fire appeared to be minor. Wendy Spirduso, a spokeswoman for the Orlando, FL-based chain, said the Red Lobster reopened for business at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Spirduso said there is no indication the fire was related to Red Lobster’s new wood-fired grills, about which Taste posted an entry just a couple of hours ago on Wednesday morning.
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Restaurant chain turns to wood-grilling to fire up its menu
Interesting story here from Chainleader.com entitled “Red Lobster Fuels Its Menu with Wood-Grilling”. I kind of like how the reporter starts out the Q&A by pointing out what’s old is new again — even if it is a different species of tree being used to fire up the grills.
You can see by Red Lobster’s home page that the Florida-based restaurant chain — which has four Dayton-area locations, according to the web site — is promoting the new cooking technique heavily. It has even created a “Wood-fire grilling digital press kit, no less.
Hmmm. Don’t restaurant chains such as Bonefish Grill do this already?
Have you tried the new Red Lobster oak-grilled menu items?
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Restaurant to reopen after nearly a year
MORAINE — The 4200 Place restaurant, 4200 Kettering Blvd., will reopen in a few weeks under the same name but under new ownership, after being closed for about a year.
Rob Harville, the 4200 Place’s new co-owner, said the restaurant has rehired some of its former cooks and other employees and will serve a menu focusing on country cooking similar to what the restaurant served before it closed. The restaurant will reopen “around the first of the year,” Harville said, and will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner six days a week, and breakfast and lunch on Sunday.
The 4200 Family Style Restaurant closed shortly after its operator, Joseph B. Kelley II, passed away unexpectedly on Jan. 11, 2008. Kelley’s father decided to close the restaurant that his son had operated and put it up for sale.
Harville said he and co-owner Anthony Denney knew Kelley and the restaurant and are glad to bring it back.
“I feel like we bought an established business that had a lot of loyal customers in Moraine, Kettering and West Carrollton,” Harville said.
The new owners are putting together plans for a grand opening, Harville said.
The restaurant, which seats about 70, is located across from the General Motors plant in Moraine. The phone number will be (937) 293-4200.
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Hidden salt may sabotage healthy diets, Consumer Reports study says
Here’s a copy of a story scheduled to run in Tuesday’s (12-2-08) Dayton Daily News:
A study by Consumer Reports magazine has found large amounts of sodium in unexpected foods that could sabotage consumers’ efforts to control high blood pressure and other health risk factors.
The study singled out products such as Kellogg’s Raisin Bran, a cup of which contains 350 milligrams (mg) of sodium, and a single Pepperidge Farm Whole Grain White Bagel, which contains 440 mg sodium. In all, Consumer Reports analyzed 37 supermarket staples and found larger-than-expected levels of sodium lurking in several, including many that were labeled as lower-fat products, the magazine said. Dietary guidelines recommend that healthy adults get no more than 2,300 mg of sodium a day, the amount in just one teaspoon of table salt, Consumer Reports said.
The hidden sodium could derail some people’s efforts to eat healthy and “sets up some of my patients for failure,” said Dr. Susan Williams, assistant professor in Wright State University’s Boonshoft School of Medicine and director of the Center for Nutrition and Metabolic Medicine at Greene Memorial Hospital in Xenia.
“This is a very significant study that should raise the awareness of every physician and medical care-giver to help them guide their patients,” Williams said.
A high-sodium diet might increase a person’s risk of high blood pressure — and subsequent heart attack, kidney disease and stroke — as well as risk of asthma, kidney stones, osteoporosis and stomach cancer, Consumer Reports officials said.
The full report on the study is available in the January 2009 issue of Consumer Reports and online at www.ConsumerReportsHealth.org.
— Mark Fisher, Staff Writer
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Are restaurants on the rebound?
The National Restaurant Association reports this morning that its Restaurant Performance Index (RPI) posted a slight gain in the most recent measurement.
The association’s RPI is a monthly composite index that tracks the health of and outlook for the nation’s restaurant industry, and it reached a record low in September before rising ever-so-slightly in October, apparently because of improved outlook by restaurant owners and operators. Actual performance didn’t keep pace with the slight uptick in optimism, however.
Of course, that was October, and this is already Dec. 1. Plenty of crazy things happened to the economy in November, so these RPI numbers may be somewhat dated even though they were just released today.
What’s the current mood of Dayton-area diners and restaurant owners?
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