Home > Blogs > Taste: Dayton food and restaurants > Archives > 2010 > February
February 2010
Downtown Dayton sub shop closing today
The Quiznos Sub shop at 38 N. Main St. in downtown Dayton will close this afternoon after lunch, the franchise owner, Allen Elifritz, said this morning, Feb. 26.
The sub shop is in the Key Bank building, the managers of which notified the restaurant and the adjacent convenience store called The Main Stoppe that is closing the street-level retail storefronts, Elifritz said.
“At first they said we could stay, but they changed their mind,” Elifritz said.
Late last year, owner Aegon USA Realty Advisors Inc. announced plans to close all but the ground floor of the 14-story office tower, which sits downtown near East Second Street, because the building costs more to operate than it generates in revenue. At the time, Gem Real Estate Group officials said they were working to find offices for the tenants displaced from the upper floors of 32-34 N. Main St. KeyBank vacated the building and moved its Dayton headquarters to 10 W. Second St. in 2008.
Sheri Simpson, property manager for Gem Real Estate, which manages the Key Bank Building, said the initial plan was indeed for the two retail stores to remain open. But the building’s heating and cooling systems could not be isolated for just the two ground-level storefronts, and the cost of installing individual units was prohibitive. So the building’s owners decided to close the two storefronts, Simpson said.
The owner of the The Main Stoppe could not be reached. Simpson said the store will relocate in the nearby Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority Wright Stop Plaza and could reopen as soon as next week.
Elifritz also is the franchise owner of the Quiznos at 2840 Col. Glenn Highway across from Wright State University. The four employees of the downtown Quiznos will be offered positions there, Elifritz said.
“We were doing okay down here, but it was not worth rebuilding elsewhere downtown,” Elifritz said. “We would have to put $60,000 to $70,000 into retrofitting someplace else, and that’s just not feasible in downtown Dayton at this time.”
Quiznos closed at least three other restaurants in late 2009. Elifritz said there are three Quiznos remaining in the Dayton area — Vandalia, Washington Twp. and the WSU location — out of a peak of about 15.
The WSU Quiznos is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
TweetGo to my facebook page and click Like to comment.
Creditors push for liquidation of Cena restaurant assets
MIAMI TWP., Montgomery County — The owner of Cena Brazilian-Mediterranean Steakhouse said today, Feb. 24, that she is considering closing the restaurant for good.
Federal officials, her landlord and a lender all want to take the decision out of her hands: they’re urging a bankruptcy court judge to liquidate the restaurant’s assets.
The Department of Justice’s Office of the U.S. Trustee said in a filing Tuesday, Feb. 23, in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Dayton that Cena and its owner, Eva Brcic-Christian, failed to comply with tax filing requirements, failed to pay fees to the bankruptcy trustee’s office, lost more money last fall than its monthly bankruptcy-court reports suggested, and has failed to file mandatory reports since the fire. The U.S. trustees office asked a bankruptcy judge to shift Cena’s current bankruptcy case from a Chapter 11 reorganization — which provides some protection from creditors and allows a business to continue to operate while reorganizing — to a Chapter 7 filing, in which the business is closed and assets sold off to partially pay off debts.
Brcic-Christian said she initially had hoped to reopen Cena within a month of the vandalism and fire, but has not received payment on her insurance claim.
“The longer it takes, the more difficult (reopening) becomes — it would be like opening a brand new restaurant,” she said. “I’m thinking about possibly not reopening Cena.”
Adding to Cena’s bankruptcy-court woes: the restaurant’s landlord, Glimcher Properties — which owns the Dayton Mall and the building that houses Cena — has asked a judge to evict Cena and to seize any personal property left behind following the eviction. Glimcher said in court papers that Cena’s lease has expired. And National City Bank (now PNC Bank), which loaned Cena $381,000 in July 2006, also filed documents this week in support of converting the case to a Chapter 7 liquidation.
The restaurant at 2854 Miamisburg-Centerville Road filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization in August and continued operating through Christmas Eve. The restaurant reported a burglary and vandalism that occurred after closing on Christmas Eve, and shortly after investigators left the scene Christmas Day, firefighters were called to put out a small fire at the restaurant. Investigators said the fire was likely the result of careless smoking.
No one has been charged in the burglary and vandalism incident, but Miami Twp. Deputy Police Chief John DiPietro said this afternoon, Feb. 24, that detectives “are still working leads” in the case, and he invited anyone with information about the incident to call (937) 434-TIPS (8477).
Water damage from the fire destroyed Cena’s computer, the bankruptcy case attorney said in court filings. Monthly operating reports for November and December have not been filed. And the office of the U.S. Trustee said in a court document filed Tuesday, Feb. 23 that three earlier monthly operating reports that Brcic-Christian filed for August, September and October 2009 — which showed Cena losing $8,470 during the period — overstated the restaurant’s revenues. Cena actually lost $37,512 during those three months, the U.S. Trustee’s office said.
Brcic-Christian disputed those numbers, saying Cena did not lose that much money during the three-month period. She also said a former bookkeeper made errors, and Brcic-Christian was in the process of redoing the reports when the computer system was damaged.
The U.S. Trustee’s office said when Cena was operating, “ … they were not profitable, were behind on their tax obligations and/or failed to comply with tax return filing requirements, and were not paying U.S. Trustee quarterly fees,” and said there’s no indication “what efforts the Debtor is taking to remedy the situation other than attempting to collect the insurance proceeds, and how they will ultimately make this enterprise profitable.”
Cena didn’t have the money to pay fees and other bills after it was forced to shut down, Brcic-Christian said. “We can’t pay anything when we don’t have income coming in because the restaurant is closed,” she said.
Brcic-Christian also owns Boulevard Haus, formerly Cafe Boulevard, at 329 E. Fifth St. in Dayton’s Oregon Historic District. That restaurant is open and also has been operating under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Brcic-Christian said Wednesday that sales are way up at Boulevard Haus; the most recent monthly operating report for January filed with the bankruptcy court showed a $3,521 profit for the restaurant, which changed its name and adopted a German-food concept in November.
TweetGo to my facebook page and click Like to comment.
New Smashburger opens today in Dayton
DAYTON — The Smashburger restaurant at 1200 Brown St. near Stewart Street, adjacent to the University of Dayton campus, is scheduled to open at 10 a.m. today, Feb. 24, a Smashburger spokeswoman said late Tuesday afternoon.
This will be the second Smashburger to open in the Dayton area for the Denver-based chain, following last fall’s opening of the restaurant at 2315 Miamisburg-Centerville Road in the Shoppes at 725 in Miami Twp. Smashburger and local franchisee group Rodenkirch Management, LLC are scheduled to open 12 restaurants in the Dayton and Cincinnati region over the next few years. Lease negotiations are ongoing, a Smashburger spokeswoman said.
The new UD-area Smashburger is open until 10 p.m. tonight, and its regular hours will be 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. For more information, call (937) 985-9262.
TweetGo to my facebook page and click Like to comment.
China Cottage celebrates Year of the Tiger in grand style
China Cottage celebrated the first of its two-night Chinese New Year dinners Monday, Feb. 22, in grand style. Of course, when the restaurant owner’s first name is Tiger, perhaps it’s no surprise that China Cottage would celebrate the Year of the Tiger with flair.
The celebration at China Cottage’s Centerville location consisted of a lavish 11-course meal and live music from Chinese musicians playing traditional music on traditional instruments. And as it was last year, the new year’s party was capped by China Cottage owner Tiger Wang himself taking the small stage and singing two traditional Chinese songs.
It was a satisfying evening in every respect, made even more remarkable by the relatively modest cost — $50 — and the fact that Tiger is still recovering from several broken ribs he suffered in an auto accident earlier this month.
And tonight, Feb. 23, he’ll do it all over again, to another sold-out crowd. (Click here for more photos of the China Cottage event.)
Tiger pulls in the chefs and several employees from China Cottage’s other locations in Kettering, Springboro and Trotwood to make the evening work, and the staff pulled off the logistical nightmare well.
Highlights from the 11 food courses included a seared scallop served atop a thin slice of sweet pineapple; a complex, flavorful palate freshener of tangerine macerated in orange liqueur and cinnamon; an “Olympic Bird Nest” dish that contained real crab meat; Chrysanthemum Filet Mignon, beef tenderloin stir-fried with sweet red bell peppers and button mushrooms; and the only dish to make a return appearance from last year’s China Cottage New Year’s menu, a spicy, garlicky Sea Bass with XO Sauce.
Tiger said he tested as many as 50 different dishes before deciding on his menu. The attention to detail showed. It was a fabulous evening, start to finish.
Photos by Alexis Larsen, Dayton Daily News
TweetGo to my facebook page and click Like to comment.
Burger King launches new upscale burgers
Burger King is in the process of rolling out its new premium burger line, according to Nation’s Restaurant News.
The new Steakhouse XT burger from Burger King will compete with the McDonald’s Angus Third Pounders and other upscale entries into the premium burger segment, NRN says.
The NRN story also notes that Burger King apparently has installed new “batch broilers” in many of its stores. How are those different from what they had before, I wonder?
I have not tried the Steakhouse XT. Have you?
TweetGo to my facebook page and click Like to comment.
Grand opening today for downtown Dayton restaurant
The CharBroast Chicken restaurant that started serving Feb. 4 at 40 S. Main St. #20 in the Miami Valley RTA’s Wright Stop Plaza in downtown Dayton will host a grand opening celebration from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. today, Feb. 23.
Free drumsticks will be offered while supplies last during the grand celebration hour, according to Carly Lindstrom, project specialist for the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce, which is publicizing the grand opening.
Char Broast Chicken’s hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information, call (937) 610-2800.
TweetGo to my facebook page and click Like to comment.
Free sandwich (almost) at The Greene next week
Noodles & Company is calling it a “Give a Sandwich, Get a Sandwich” promotion, in which diners can swap an unopened plastic jar of peanut butter or jelly for a free sandwich on Sunday, Feb. 28 and Monday, March 1 at its restaurant at The Greene in Beavercreek (11 Greene Boulevard).
The PB&J makings will benefit The Foodbank, Inc., according to a Noodles & Company press release.
The food drive is designed in part to promote the launch of a series of Noodles & Company “Sandwich Duos” which include the “Mmmeatball,” Wisconsin Cheesesteak, and “The Med.”
There are 225 Noodles & Company restaurants in 18 states in the Colorado-based chain. For more information, call the restaurant at The Greene at (937) 429-2893.
TweetGo to my facebook page and click Like to comment.
Gone but not forgotten: What I miss most from the Dayton dining scene
Something triggered my nostalgia gene over the holidays (Wait a minute — since when did I get old enough to get nostalgic about ANYthing? Harrumph), and I started pondering a few of the things I missed most from the Dayton dining scene.
By its very nature, this list is highly personalized and skewed to the geographic areas where I lived and worked. But I’d like to hear some of the dishes and restaurants you pine for from a bygone era. Post a comment, and we’ll likely assemble some of the reminiscences into a story we’ll publish in the Dayton Daily News.
I’ll wade into the nostalgia pool first:
Armando’s bread: Armando’s Deli operated briefly on East Dorothy Lane in Kettering, and made one of the finest baguette-style Italian loaves I’ve ever dipped in olive oil, here or in Italy (although the baguettes from Boosalis Bakery in Miami Twp. may have him beat). Armando sold all kinds of goodies out of the deli, but it was the bread that kept me coming back with alarming frequency.
Chin’s Oriental Grill: Yes, Art Chin still operates the very fine Chin’s Ginger Grill in Tipp City, but I still miss his Chin’s Ginger Grill that operated for a decade or so at Fifth and Jefferson streets, and I bet I’m not the only one. Perfectly stir-fried chunks of fresh fish such as salmon or escolar with a mound of seasonal vegetables was lunchtime heaven for downtown Dayton workers.
Rinaldo’s Bakery in The Arcade: Yes, Rinaldo’s is still baking bread and operating its Fairview Avenue bakery, but when I could sneak across the street from the newspaper’s former offices at Fourth and Ludlow and purchase a picturesque Challah from the display case, I knew the bread would make anything else served at the dinner table seem like a fine meal.
Other downtown Dayton restaurants that served as delicious lunch stops: the too-brief life of the African Star restaurant with its flavorful little fish cakes and thick, tart tomato sauce, and before that (I believe), Izzy’s deli with its overstuffed sandwiches and the best potato pancakes around. And what about Charley’s Crab when it was upstairs in the Arcade? Those addictive, warm, butter-drizzled rolls, and a perfectly cooked chunk of garlicky bluefish … (sigh). Charley’s Crab is also where I once overheard a diner insist to his server he wanted his tuna steak cooked medium rare, then sent the plate back to the kitchen because the fish wasn’t cooked through.
Lunch at Rike’s downtown and Elder Beerman downtown: Were those not the finest waitresses — and yes, they were waitresses back then, not servers — on earth? The most efficient, friendly restaurant service anywhwere.
Blue Moon: The fine-dining restaurant that had a nice little decade-long run in the Oregon District had some memorable wine dinners. It also had a wonderful bar, great service and a fine atmosphere.
The Savory: Reaching back into history just a bit, this long-defunct restaurant on Smithville Road in Dayton offered an amazing rack of lamb with ever-changing sauces, and it too hosted some amazing wine dinners.
Vito’s Venice Inn: The long-gone restaurant on East Dorothy Lane in Kettering served a dish I believe it called Roman Spaghetti that boasted a robustly spicy, and highly addictive, tomato sauce.
Steve Kao’s Asian restaurant in Miami Twp.: The man could coax a lot of flavor from a few ingredients and set a high standard for Asian fine dining. He also was something if a pioneer in pairing fine wines with Asian dishes.
And finally, blowing the dust off some very old childhood memories, a restaurant called Guenther’s or perhaps Guenther’s Seafood House on Linden Avenue near Smithville (I think) offered a Friday night all-you-can-eat seafood buffet that included whole lobster. Yes, whole lobster. This was sometime in the mid or late 1960s, I believe, and even though lobster was, I’m sure, far less expensive then, I still feel a bit guilty that my childhood lobster appetite may have helped doom a restaurant’s financial health. But it was fun while it lasted.
What about you? What do you miss most about bygone-restaurants and dishes from the Dayton-area dining scene?
Permalink | Comments (169) | Post your comment | Categories: Just for Fun
TweetDowntown restaurant launches dinner service
Michael’s Dining and Jazz, the relatively new restaurant at 40 N. Main St. in the Kettering Tower that we told you about last spring, has expanded its hours and is now serving dinner five nights a week, Tuesday through Saturday.
The menu is upscale, with entrees ranging from $20 to $30, and includes dishes such as Grilled Walleye with Lemon-Sage Butter Sauce, Beef Fileet Medallions Encrusted with Black Pepper with Toasted Goat Cheese and Twice-Cooked Red Chili Sauce, Lamb Loin Chops with Orange-Mint Sauce, and Slow-Roasted Prime Rib of Beef. A full wine list is available, including pinot noirs from Calera, Andrew Rich, Scott Paul and Robert Sinskey.
Free valet parking is available.
Lunch hours are 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday. Dinner hours are 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and a Sunday brunch is served from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., according to executive chef Christopher Wise.
You can check out the Michael’s Dining and Jazz Facebook page here. For more information about Michael’s, call (937) 331-9188.
TweetGo to my facebook page and click Like to comment.
Wine distributor cited for improper alcohol sales in Madison’s case
A state investigative agency has issued a citation against Vintner Select accusing the Mason-based wine wholesaler and distributor of improperly selling wine to a restaurant that did not have a valid license to serve alcohol, Julie Hinds, spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Public Safety’s Ohio Investigative Unit, said this morning, Feb. 12.
The citation is connected with the Jan. 14 raid on Madison’s Bistro in Washington Twp., in which agents with the unit seized beer, wine and liquor and charged Madison’s owner George Argue with illegal sales of alcohol. The citation against Vintner Select comes two weeks after the state agency took similar action against Dayton-based beer distributor Bonbright Co. and Centerville liquor wholesaler Arrow Wine & Spirits.
The citations against Vintner Select and Bonbright, and the recommendation for potential action against Arrow, are not criminal charges, but could result in administrative sanctions, up to the possible revocation of their licenses to serve as wholesalers-distributors in Ohio, Hinds said.
Companies that distribute beer, wine and liquor on a wholesale basis have a responsibility under Ohio statues to make sure the restaurants and bars who purchase the alcohol have a valid permit to sell it at retail, Hinds said. Madison’s Bistro’s license to serve alcohol was revoked on Jan. 12, 2009, as a result of non-payment of state taxes, according to the Ohio Department of Commerce’s Division of Liquor Control.
Gordon Hullar, owner of Vintner Select, said his company “received no notification that Madison’s license had been terminated. If we had, we would not have sold them wine. “
“The Ohio Liquor Control person that delivered the citation told us that they don’t send notices when licenses are terminated but rather list it on a web site. We were not aware of or monitoring this web site and thus sold the wine. … Now that we have been made aware of this web site, we will begin monitoring it to ensure this doesn’t happen to us again.”
The state’s raid on the Washington Twp. restaurant at 5531 Far Hills Ave. came one year and two days after the restaurant’s attempt to renew its liquor license was rejected.
Argue has pleaded not guilty in Kettering Municipal Court to one count of illegal sales of alcohol, a first-degree misdemeanor that carries a maximum penalty of $1,000 fine and six months in jail, and keeping a place where alcohol was sold illegally, a misdemeanor with a maximum penalty of a $500 fine with no jail time. A pretrial conference has been scheduled for Feb. 25.
TweetGo to my facebook page and click Like to comment.
Restaurant Week sets all-time record
Miami Valley diners’ hunger for a great bargain — combined with perhaps a touch of cabin fever — pushed last month’s Winter Restaurant Week to record-setting levels.
With only a few restaurants left to report their numbers, the Miami Valley Restaurant Association reported this morning, Feb. 12 that 21,216 Restaurant Week meals were served starting Jan. 24 — eclipsing the summer 2009 mark of 19,690 and shattering the record set in winter 2009 of 20,009, which was achieved in part because restaurants extended the promotion to two weeks following a paralyzing snowstorm during week one.
The record numbers “show the willingness of diners across the Miami Valley to help great causes and to try new restaurants,” said Amy Zahora, the restaurant association’s executive director. A touch of cabin fever also helped, as did the fact that a few more restaurants extended the promotion into a second week, Zahora said. Restaurant Week allows diners to order a three-course meal from a special menu for $20.10, with restaurants donating $1 for every special meal sold to local charities. The winter 2010 charities benefitting were Blue Star Mothers, Camp Emanuel and Family Violence Prevention Center of Greene County.
Also contributing to the week’s success was the decision by several sports bars and casual-dining restaurants to join Restaurant Week for the first time this year and to offer frugal diners an option of getting two meals, rather than one, for $20.10. Such “two-for” specials accounted for about 600 dinners, or less than 3 percent of the total meals sold, however — suggesting that most Dayton-area diners still equate Restaurant Week with fine-dining restaurants and a chance perhaps to dine at restaurants they otherwise wouldn’t.
Click here for your reviews — and mine — of Restaurant Week meals.
Mark your calendars now for Summer Restaurant Week, which is scheduled for July 25-30.
TweetGo to my facebook page and click Like to comment.
Bankruptcy may complicate Duke’s court fight
Both sides clashed today, Feb. 11, over the menu served by Duke’s Restaurant in West Carrollton during a hearing to determine whether Duke’s owner Reece Powers III will be held in contempt of court for a third time in the trademark-infringement lawsuit filed against him by former Dominic’s restaurant owner Anne B. Mantia.
U.S. District Court Judge Thomas M. Rose did not rule immediately on whether Powers’ actions in reopening Duke’s on Dec. 11 and serving a menu that deviates slightly from a hand-written description of dishes served at the former Duke’s Golden Ox restaurant merit in additional sanctions or punishment. Rose twice has ordered the restaurant at 630 E. Dixie Drive in West Carrollton to shut down in connection to the case, although it is open and operating currently.
Even if the judge does grant a motion filed by Mantia’s attorney, James Morris, to find Powers in contempt of court again, a petition to declare personal Chapter 13 bankruptcy filed by Powers and his wife Nancy earlier this week may limit Rose’s options in punishing or sanctioning the restaurant owner.
Powers’ attorney, Steven Coffaro of Cincinnati, did not attend today’s hearing because he believed the bankruptcy filing essentially put a hold on the contempt-of-court proceedings, Dayton attorney John J. Scaccia, who is representing Powers on bankruptcy-related matters, told the judge this morning.
But Judge Rose did not agree, and decided to go ahead with the contempt-of-court hearing, forcing Powers to act as his own attorney. At one point, Powers called Mantia to the witness stand, although his questions and her testimony were limited to a comparison of Duke’s and the former Duke’s Golden Ox menu.
Rose has warned Powers to begin complying with previous court orders and deadlines or face an immediate judgment in Mantia’s favor. It’s not clear what impact the bankruptcy filing will have on the case, which is scheduled for trial Sept. 27, 2010. Former Dominic’s chef Harry Lee and Christie Mantia, Anne Mantia’s stepdaughter and former co-owner of Dominic’s, are also defendants in the lawsuit.
TweetGo to my facebook page and click Like to comment.
New BBQ restaurant to open Monday in Beavercreek
The Woody’s BBQ that we told you about in November is poised to open Monday at 3321 Dayton-Xenia Road just west of North Fairfield Road in Beavercreek, owner Michael York said today, Feb. 11.
The 3,000-square-foot restaurant will seat 85 people and will employ 25 to 30 people, York said. A patio that seats an additional 20 to 25 people will open when the weather permits, the restaurant owner said.
York said the building has undergone extensive renovation, including new windows, bathrooms and plumbing, and has a newly paved parking lot.
The full-service restaurant is part of a Jacksonville, Florida-based chain that operates 31 restaurants, 28 of them in Florida. The Woody’s BBQ menu includes Baby Back Ribs, Spare Ribs, Barbecue Chicken, Hot Wings, Cole Slaw and Banana Pudding.
Hours will be 10:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. seven days a week. The restaurant’s phone number is (937) 426-7447.
TweetGo to my facebook page and click Like to comment.
Restaurant owners get romantic with Valentine’s Day specials
Here’s a copy of a story scheduled to run in the Dayton Daily News on Thursday, Feb. 11, 2010. If your restaurant has a special menu or promotion this weekend and isn’t mentioned here, let us know by posting a comment.
Valentine’s Day holds a special place in restaurant owners’ hearts — especially this year.
It’s is the second-most-popular day of the year to dine out — only Mother’s Day is busier, according to the Ohio Restaurant Association. And this year, the fact that Valentine’s Day falls on a Sunday has restaurant owners crossing their fingers, hoping couples will spread the love — and their Valentine’s dollars — throughout the weekend.
With many restaurants still struggling to recover from a recession-induced slump, Valentine’s Day is more important this year than ever, and eateries ranging from White Castle to l’Auberge are pulling out the stops with special menus and expanded hours.
“It’s a very important day for all of us,” said Amy Haverstick, president of the Miami Valley Restaurant Association and co-owner of Jay’s Restaurant in Dayton’s Oregon Historic District.
“The fact that Valentine’s Day falls on a Sunday means that a lot of people will use the entire weekend to do their celebrating,” Haverstick said.
Still, several restaurants that are not customarily open on Sunday aren’t taking any chances: They’re opening for Valentine’s Day to ensure they serve as many romantic dinners (and appetizers and desserts and bottles of wine) as possible.
Early this week, Jay’s Restaurant — which is open for dinner seven days a week — was nearly full with Saturday night reservations, with Sunday dinner slots catching up fast, Haverstick said. So if you haven’t made reservations by now at your favorite Valentine’s Day destination, you may not get your first choice.
Here’s a sampling of Miami Valley restaurants that have something special going on for Valentine’s Day weekend:
— Dayton-area and other southwest Ohio White Castle restaurants — yes, White Castle — are offering candlelight dinners and tableside service by reservation only on Sunday, with seatings from 4 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. To reserve a table, call the Cincinnati district office at (513)559-0575, ext. 10, by noon Friday. After noon Friday, try the individual White Castle outlets to see if tables are still available.
— Culp’s Cafe at Carillon Historical Park in Dayton will host Valentine Dinners both Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 13-14, with seatings at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. The menu includes a five-course meal and a glass of wine. The cost is $45, not including tax and tip. To make reservations, call (937) 479-8879 or (937) 299-2277 or email jeff@bellyfirecatering.com.
— Huffie’s Bar-B-Que, 925 McArthur Ave. in Dayton, will have a special two-for-$20 menu on Valentine’s Day. Hours are 12:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., and there will be live music from a gospel jazz trio from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Reservations are suggested. Call (937) 263-2289.
— Dorothy Lane Market’s Springboro store will host a four-course Valentine’s Day Dinner with wine and live entertainment on Saturday, Feb. 13, at 6 p.m. The cost is $65. For more information, go to www.dorothylane.com or call (937) 748-6800.
— Ruby Tuesday restaurants are offering a special menu that includes a shared appetizer, two entrees and a shareable dessert for $19.99 per person, for three nights: Feb. 12-14. For more information, go to www.rubytuesday.com/holiday.asp.
— Brandeberry Winery, 5118 W. Jackson Road in Enon, will host a Valentine’s Day dinner Saturday, Feb. 13, with seatings at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. A buffet including soup, salad, bread, desserts and a bottle of wine per couple. The cost is $45. Call (937) 767-9103 to make reservations.
Other restaurants that have special Valentine’s-related menus, events or promotions include P.F. Chang’s in Miami Twp., l’Auberge in Kettering, The Wine Loft and Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar at The Greene in Beavercreek, Artisans Cafe in Clayton, Rue Dumaine in Washington Twp. and Brixx in Dayton. Call your favorite restaurant to see whether it has something special planned — and consider doing so quickly to avoid Valentine’s Day disappointment.
TweetGo to my facebook page and click Like to comment.
Restaurants: Are you open or closed during the snowstorm?
I received an email shortly before noon from Keith Taylor, chef-owner of Savona Restaurant & Wine Bar in Centerville, telling me he has decided to shut down tonight.
“With the weather the way it is I don’t want to put any of our employees at risk,” Taylor said. “I know a few other restaurants are closing also.”
So restaurant folks, let us know either way by clicking on the “post your comment” link below — are you CLOSED or OPEN tonight, or if you’re closing early, let us know what time. Give your restaurant name, address and phone number.
TweetGo to my facebook page and click Like to comment.
Duke’s owner files for personal bankruptcy; court hearing postponed
Duke’s Restaurant owner Reece Powers III and his wife Nancy have filed for personal bankruptcy, although it’s not clear what impact the filing will have on the 10-month-old federal lawsuit filed by former Dominic’s restaurant owner Anne B. Mantia against Powers and his restaurant.
The voluntary Chapter 13 bankruptcy filing was attached to a filing this morning, Feb. 9, in the trademark infringement lawsuit against Powers. A hearing in that case that could lead to a third contempt-of-court ruling against Powers was postponed from this afternoon because of the weather, according to a spokesman for U.S. District Court Judge Thomas M. Rose.
Powers recently launched a campaign for public support in his court battle on the Duke’s Restaurant web site.
The personal bankruptcy filing lists assets of $662,041 and debts/liabilities in excess of $1.7 million.
Duke’s Restaurant, which reopened Dec. 11 after being ordered shut down twice by Judge Rose, remained open for regular business today.
TweetGo to my facebook page and click Like to comment.
Kettering pizza restaurant abruptly closes
Less than a week after announcing new ownership, expanded hours and new menu items, the Fox’s Pizza Den at 3602 Wilmington Pike in Kettering has closed abruptly.
The pizza carryout was closed over the dinner hour Monday night, Feb. 8, with no sign on the door alerting customers as to the closing.
When asked via email whether he had shut down the carryout, franchise owner Patrick Curl of Dayton responded, “Sadly, I think so.”
The carryout had been losing money, had an investor pull out and faced a balloon payment this month to the original owners of the restaurant, Curl wrote. Health concerns and family issues also contributed to the decision, although Curl added, “If banks were lending, it might be a different story.”
The Kettering location was the only Fox’s Pizza Den that Curl owned along with members of his family. In an interview at the restaurant last week, Curl said he would like to expand to open sit-down Fox’s pizza restaurants near the Dayton Mall and the Mall at Fairfield Commons.
TweetGo to my facebook page and click Like to comment.
Mesh Restaurant in West Chester will close for good after Saturday
Mesh Restaurant at 6200 Mulhauser Road in West Chester will close for business after dinner service on Saturday, Feb. 13, the restaurant announced today, Feb. 8.
The restaurant is in negotiations with the parent company of Indianapolis-based Stone Creek Dining Co., which operates a restaurant in Montgomery, Ohio, to possibly purchase the facility, according to Cynthia Grow, co-owner of Mesh with her husband Richard.
Grow said personal issues and the economy contributed to the decision to close Mesh, which was a fine-dining restaurant with many dinner entrees costing between $30 and $50.
The restaurant opened in August 2006. Cincinnati husband-and-wife chefs Paul and Pam Sturkey worked at Mesh until mid-2009.
To make reservations at Mesh prior to its closing, call (513) 777-7177.
TweetGo to my facebook page and click Like to comment.
New Logan’s Roadhouse restaurant to open next month
The new Logan’s Roadhouse near the Dayton Mall that we told you about in November doesn’t yet have a precise opening date, but will open sometime in late March, according to a spokeswoman for the Nashville-based restaurant chain.
The 6,336-square-foot restaurant is located in Miami Twp. at 2148 Miamisburg Centerville Road (Ohio 725), just east of the Dayton Mall where a former Bravo Italian Kitchen once stood. It will employ about 130 people.
Logan’s Roadhouse opened a restaurant in 2006 at 2819 Centre Drive near the Fairborn-Beavercreek border, just east of the intersection of North Fairfield Road and New Germany-Trebein Road. The chain runs more than 180 company-operated and 25 franchised Logan’s Roadhouse restaurants in 23 states. The restaurants are known for its mesquite-grilled steaks and chicken, baby-back ribs and “bottomless” buckets of in-shell peanuts.
TweetGo to my facebook page and click Like to comment.
New restaurant opens today in downtown Dayton
A new restaurant called Char Broast Chicken opened today, Feb. 4, just off South Main Street between Third and Fourth streets, in the Miami Valley RTA’s Wright Stop Plaza in downtown Dayton.
The menu includes chicken by the piece; chicken, pork and fish sandwiches; sides such as potato wedges, onion rings, corn and turnip greens with onion; salads such as cole slaw and tabouli; and breakfast items such as sausage and biscuit sandwiches and breakfast burritos.
Char Broast Chicken’s hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information, call (937) 610-2800.
TweetGo to my facebook page and click Like to comment.
Domino’s claims taste-test victory over Pizza Hut, Papa John’s
Domino’s Pizza is claiming victory for its newly reformulated pizza in a taste test against Pizza Hut and Papa John’s, according to this Nation’s Restaurant News (nrn.com) story.
You can read the Domino’s press release here about the “independent, blind taste test of nearly 1,800 random pizza consumers from eight U.S. markets” that led to Domino’s victory claim.
After writing about the new Domino’s recipe in December, I tried the “new” pizza in January, and must admit, I was pleasantly surprised — the sauce, in particular, had a nice red-pepper kick to it. It was a distinct improvement over what I remember of the “old” Domino’s pizza, although it had been quite a while since I’d tasted Domino’s.
Was it better than the pizza served by some of this area’s finest pizzerias? It was not. But it was pretty darn tasty pizza — better than I expected.
TweetGo to my facebook page and click Like to comment.
Auction of Pacchia contents to have ‘no impact’ on coffee shop, owner says
The kitchen equipment and dining room furnishings of the former Pacchia restaurant are being sold through online auction, but the owner of the new venture says customers of the Oregon District coffee shop will not notice any impact.
“The auction will not affect our ability to operate the coffee house, or our ability to move forward with the new restaurant,” Brian Higgins said this morning, Feb. 3.
The items that are being auctioned through Feb. 14 include sinks, refrigerators, a dishwasher, gas stoves, dining chairs, dining tables and other items. Items must be removed Feb. 15.
The auction is part of the separation of the former owners of Pacchia, Stephen Ramsey and Carla Carnahan, from the current business, which is owned by Higgins, according to both Ramsey and the building’s owner, Dr. Michael Ervin. Higgins later this year will move his Sidebar cocktail lounge to the former Pacchia location at at 410 E. Fifth St. and develop a full-service restaurant there. The establishment’s coffee shop reopened Jan. 11 and has not yet been formally named.
Higgins said he will likely bid on some, but not all, of the former Pacchia equipment, and has backup coffee-related equipment available so that there will be no interruption of service at the coffee shop.
TweetGo to my facebook page and click Like to comment.
Kettering pizza restaurant gets new owner, expanded menu
KETTERING — The Fox’s Pizza Den at 3602 Wilmington Pike has a new franchise owner, expanded hours and new menu items.
Patrick Curl of Dayton said he and family members purchased the carryout-only franchise restaurant in December from owners who still operate a Fox’s Pizza Den in West Milton. Curl said he has introduced or re-introduced several menu items such as Mozzarella Sticks, Jalapeno Poppers, Fried Pickles, Breaded Cauliflower, Breaded Mushrooms, Bacon Sticks, Onion Petals and “The Bambino,” a six-inch personal pizza to add to the existing menu of pizzas, salads, wings, and stromboli and hoagie-style sandwiches.
Fox’s is a Pittsburgh-based pizza and sandwich chain with over 220 franchise locations nationwide, including Vandalia, Huber Heights, Troy, Tipp City and Enon. Curl, who along with family members owns the Kettering franchise only, said he would like to expand to open sit-down pizza restaurants near the Dayton Mall and the Mall at Fairfield Commons.
Curl also expanded the hours in order to open for lunch six days a week. The Kettering store’s new hours are Sunday 3 p.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to midnight. For more information, call (937) 395-3697.
TweetGo to my facebook page and click Like to comment.
Fecal bacteria found in some prewashed salad, Consumer Reports says
Tests conducted by Consumer Reports magazine show that Packaged salad can contain high levels of bacteria that are common indicators of poor sanitation and fecal contamination, the magazine announced today, Feb. 2.
The story appears in the March 2010 issue of Consumer Reports, which goes on sale today.
Consumers Union, which publishes the magazine, today also issued a report urging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to set safety standards for greens and noted that FDA food safety legislation pending in the Senate — and passed last summer by the House of Representatives — would require the FDA to create just such safety standards, according to the news release.
What can you do to minimize the risk? Consumer Reports offers these suggestions:
— Buy packages far from their use-by date.
— Wash the greens even if the packages say “prewashed” or “triplewashed.” Rinsing won’t remove all bacteria but may remove residual soil.
— Prevent cross contamination of greens by keeping them away from raw meat and poultry.
Count me among those who do not bother to wash bagged and prewashed salad greens. I can’t seem to dry the lettuce off enough, even with a salad spinner, and the salad dressing then tastes watered down. But DO also count me among those who root around in the produce section to find the freshest bags, based on their “farthest out” sell-by date.
I may have to revisit my salad spinner — or wait for spring, when local farmers markets will start selling good, locally grown (and sometimes gloriously NOT prewashed) lettuce and other salad fixings.
TweetGo to my facebook page and click Like to comment.
Today only, Dayton cafe rolls back prices to 1940s
As we mentioned in this space last week, Culp’s Cafe, 1000 Carillon Boulevard at Carillon Historical Park, will offer some menu items at 1940s-era prices today, Feb. 2.
Specials available from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. today will include 10-cent coffee and soft drinks, 25-cent ice cream and 35-cent sandwiches and hot specials, according to Jeff Blumer, owner of Bellyfire Catering, which manages Culp’s.
(One reader who described himself as “Oldtimer” said in the comments section to that earlier story that actual 1940s prices were even lower, but hey, they’re close … .)
The cafe is reminiscent of the original Culp’s Cafeteria, which was located in the Arcade in Downtown Dayton from the 1930s to the 1960s. The original Culp’s would serve as many as 5,000 customers a day, and diners could eat lunch for 35 cents, Blumer said.
For more information, call (937) 299-2277.
TweetGo to my facebook page and click Like to comment.
Smashburger sets opening date for Brown Street location
The Smashburger at 1200 Brown St. near the University of Dayton campus is scheduled to open Feb. 24, Smashburger officials announced today, Feb. 1.
This will be the second Smashburger to open in the Dayton area for the Denver-based chain, following last fall’s opening of the restaurant at 2315 Miamisburg-Centerville Road in the Shoppes at 725 in Miami Twp. Smashburger and local franchisee group Rodenkirch Management, LLC are scheduled to open 12 restaurants in the Dayton and Cincinnati region over the next few years, according to a Smashburger news release.
“The response to our first Dayton location has been overwhelmingly positive,” Smashburger Founder Tom Ryan said in the release. “We look forward to bringing ‘better burgers’ to the University of Dayton and the rest of the Miami Valley.”
The Brown Street Smashburger will open with 32 to 35 employees, a Smashburger spokeswoman said.
A Smashburger spokeswoman said lease negotiations are ongoing for other Dayton-area locations.
TweetGo to my facebook page and click Like to comment.
Several restaurants extend Restaurant Week deals through this week
The success of last week’s Winter Restaurant Week has prompted a handful of restaurants to extend the promotion through the end of this week, Feb. 5, Amy Zahora, executive director of the Miami Valley Restaurant Association, said this morning, Feb. 1.
At least eight eateries will offer the special — in which diners can enjoy a three-course meal for $20.10, and restaurants donate $1 for each meal sold to local charities — through Friday, and some will serve the menu Saturday as well, Zahora said. (Click here to see menus on the Miami Valley Restaurant Association page.
Restaurant Week attracted throngs of diners to 70 participating restaurants last week, with diners reporting large crowds and difficulty getting reservations at peak times at many restaurants.
“The feedback I’ve gotten suggests that everybody’s numbers are up,” Zahora said. “I think we will break the record for Restaurant Week.”
More than 20,000 dinners were sold during last winter’s 2009 Winter Restaurant Week, which was extended to a second week because a snowstorm wiped out much of the first week.
Here’s a list of the restaurants serving through at least Friday:
— Amelia’s Bistro, 129 W. Franklin St., Bellbrook, (937) 310-3040
— Barbie’s Bistro, 1122 E. Dorothy Lane, Kettering, (937) 262-7300
— Benham’s Restaurant, 209 Warren St., Dayton, (937) 228-7041 (Thursday, Feb. 4 through Saturday, Feb. 6)
— The Caroline, 5 S. Market St., Troy, (937) 552-7676
— C’est Tout, 2600 Far Hills Ave., Oakwood, (937) 298-0022
— The Dock, 250 W. Main St., Enon, (937) 864-5011
— L’Auberge, 4120 Far Hills Road, Kettering, (937) 299-5536
— The Melting Pot, 453 Miamisburg-Centerville Road, Washington Twp., (937) 567-8888
— Nick’s Restaurant, 1443 N. Detroit St., Xenia, (937) 372-3202
— Welton’s Catering & Dinners to Go, 10 W. Franklin St., Bellbrook, (937) 848-3333
TweetGo to my facebook page and click Like to comment.
New, locally owned restaurant to open on Brown Street
Amy Beaver’s reasons for opening her own restaurant are simple and straightforward:
“I love to cook, and I love to take care of people. I’m always feeding my friends,” Beaver said.
Soon, perhaps in early March, Beaver and her business partner, Sarah Dudley, will open the Butter Cafe at 1106 Brown St. near the University of Dayton, in a location that formerly housed the Dolcessa gelato shop. A sign in the window alerts passers-by that the breakfast-and-lunch eatery is coming soon, and promises free-range eggs and chicken, grass-fed beef, and locally produced vegetables.
Beaver, who lives in Oakwood, said offerings will include donuts, “designer” cupcakes, pancakes, beef hamburgers and turkey burgers, and a special-recipe macaroni & cheese. The restaurant will include gluten-free menu items and several vegan items, in part because vegans “have very limited options” along the Brown Street strip dominated by pizza, chicken-wing and sub sandwich restaurants, Beaver said.
The dishes she’ll serve at Butter Cafe will reflect how she eats at home, Beaver said. “Cleaner food tastes better,” she said.
Beaver, whose family has been in the restaurant business in South Carolina for 25 years, said the Butter Cafe’s location near UD and Miami Valley Hospital attracted her interest.
“We’ve had this idea for years,” she said. “We looked at different locations, but nothing worked out. This location was the best.”
The restaurant has no phone number yet. Beaver said the Butter Cafe’s hours aren’t set, but it will open early — 6:30 or 7 a.m. — and stay open through mid-afternoon.
TweetGo to my facebook page and click Like to comment.
