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Home > Blogs > Taste: Dayton food and restaurants > Archives > 2008 > September
September 2008
Texas-style steakhouse sets opening date
Texas Roadhouse restaurants has set an opening date of Oct. 13 for its new location at 2600 Col. Glenn Highway, near the Mall at Fairfield Commons and Wright State University.
The Fairborn restaurant will be Texas Roadhouse’s 20th location in Ohio. The Louisville, Ky.-based chain operates 309 restaurants in 44 states, including restaurants in Huber Heights, Springfield and Hamilton. It specializes in hand-cut steaks and ribs, and hires a meat cutter for every restaurant, Texas Roadhouse spokesman Travis Doster said.
The 7,000-square-foot Fairborn restaurant will seat about 240. It is hiring staff, and will have about 150 employees, Doster said.
Texas Roadhouse restaurants are dinner-only during the week and are open for both lunch and dinner on Saturday and Sunday.
For more information, call the restaurant at (937) 426-7422.
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TweetNew restaurant to open in former Shuckin’ Shack
Bocce Sports Grille is scheduled to open Wednesday, Oct. 1, in a portion of the former Shuckin’ Shack restaurant at 5515 N. Main St. in Harrison Twp.
Part of the facility will remain the Shiloh Athletic Club, a private club, but the 60-seat Bocce Sports Grille will be open to the public, serving lunch and dinner seven days a week, according to Leslie Cattabiani Merritt, who owns the restaurant along with her husband Gary Merritt and her brother, Greg Cattabiani.
Bocce will serve housemade Italian pasta dishes from Cattabiani family recipes, along with pizza, wings and other dishes, and is planing to expand its menu offerings in the coming months, Leslie Merritt said. Carryout will be available.
The restaurant will be open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday noon to 10 p.m., and Sunday 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. For more information, call the restaurant at (937) 723-7814.
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TweetGelato shop to offer free samples at grand opening
Dolcessa — the gelato, panini and espresso restaurant at 1106 Brown St. near the University of Dayton campus — will hold a grand opening celebration from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesday Oct. 1.
The restaurant will offer free samples of its 22 gelato flavors, as well as gift card drawings.
Dolcessa was located in Dayton’s Oregon Historic District for a year before closing in November 2007. It reopened at its current Brown Street location in April 2008 with an expanded menu of the Italian-style ice cream and panini, the Italian-style sandwich on focaccia bread, as well as various types of latte, cappuccino and espresso from its Italian espresso bar.
For more information, check out the Dolcessa web site or call the restaurant at (937) 331-9590.
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TweetMilano’s to give away free subs for a year on Monday
I received an e-mailed news release from John Slaughenhaupt, co-owner of the Milano’s Atlantic City Submarines at 2260 N. Fairfield Road Suite A in Beavercreek, that may be of interest to those who enjoy, well, free food. The release touts the fact that Milano’s, in partnership with WMMX, will give away free subs for a year to the first 100 guests through the door at the Beavercreek restaurant starting at 11 a.m. Monday, September 29.
No, not as many free subs as you can possibly eat in a year, but a “coupon book with 52 vouchers for a free sub — one sub for every week of the year,” the news release says.
The restaurant had a similar giveaway planned for Sept. 15 — the day after the Great Windstorm of 2008 — but had to cancel it because the restaurant’s power was out. So Monday is the “makeup” date.
WMMX’s morning show will be broadcasting live from the restaurant from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m., the Milano’s folks said, and the restaurant’s news release advises folks that, “In order to receive ‘free subs for a year,’ local submarine fanatics are encouraged to arrive early. Guests must arrive before the 11 a.m. opening.”
So don’t expect to saunter in at noon and get your free subs voucher.
The restaurant is at the corner of North Fairfield and Kemp roads. Can’t make it to Milano’s? Check out Friday’s “Taste” posting entitled “Restaurant to roll back prices to 1988.”
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TweetRestaurant to roll back prices to 1988
The original Roosters restaurant at 3501 N. Main St. in Dayton will celebrate its 20th year in business by rolling back prices on its most popular menu items to 1988 prices for one day only, on Tuesday, Sept. 30.
Roosters has evolved into a 20-store chain of casual-dining restaurants that includes two other Dayton-area locations: 103 N. Springboro Pike in Miamisburg and 257 W. Central Ave. in Springboro. It will open its 21st Roosters in October in New Albany near Columbus.
The special menu prices — to be offered only at the 3501 N. Main Street location — will include 10 Wings/$3.25, Hamburgers/$1.95, Cheeseburgers/$2.15, Grilled Chicken Sandwiches/$2.25, and Curly Fries/95 cents. The prices will be in effect from open (11 a.m.) to close (10:30 p.m.) on Tuesday, Sept. 30.
To accommodate the anticipated spike in business, the Roosters Road Show, a restaurant on wheels, will be on hand serving the specials. Stand-up tables will be set up outside, and there will be a DJ and other entertainment between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m., according to Roosters officials.
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TweetRibs/BBQ restaurant opens in Springboro
“That BBQ Place” — a locally owned, independent restaurant — opened Tuesday, Sept. 23 at 282 W. Central Ave. in Springboro, replacing the former Ron’s Pizza and Ribs.
The rib restaurant is owned by Bob and Jill Weiland, who formerly owned the Ron’s franchise at that location since 2000, Bob Weiland said.
Weiland noted the price of pizza-dough flour and cheese rose dramatically in recent years, as competition from other pizza restaurants increased, making the switch to a ribs restaurant more appealing.
“I’ve been making barbecue for family and friends for eight years, and I’m very proud of my pulled pork and ribs,” Weiland said.
The menu also features seafood jambalaya, smoked ham and “Mom’s Specialty Meat Loaf.” Sandwiches cost $5.95 or less, and entree prices range from $6.95 to $18.95 for a full slab of ribs.
That BBQ Place’s hours are Monday through Friday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday noon to 7 p.m. For more information, call the restaurant at (937) 748-9400.
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TweetReview: The Melting Pot brings fondue cooking, chocolate decadence to Miami Valley
A restaurant review that will be published in Friday’s Dayton Daily News Go! section is posted this morning on our ActiveDayton.com web site headlined “Fondue cooking, chocolate decadence come to the Miami Valley”.
Has anyone else been to the new restaurant? What did YOU think?
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TweetThai restaurant coming to Kettering
A venerable Chinese restaurant in Kettering, China Chef at 3027 Wilmington Pike, has closed and will reopen later this fall as Siam Pad Thai, offering Thai dishes and sushi.
The restaurant was purchased by Pakawan “Fon” Christman, who helped introduce Thai cuisine to the Yummy Burger, a downtown Dayton diner, in 2004 and the following year became co-owner of Ban Thai restaurant (now House of Thai) in the Beaver Valley Shopping Center in Beavercreek.
The Kettering restaurant is being renovated and is scheduled to reopen in late October or early November, Christman said.
China Chef has operated at the Wilmington Pike location for nearly three decades.
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Tweetl’Auberge returns to its roots with special Yum Yum Inn dinner
Long before there was l’Auberge, there was, on that very spot, the Yum Yum Inn.
And l’Auberge will pay homage to its ancestor with a special dinner and event on Tuesday, Sept. 30. Here’s information from an email sent to me by the folks at l’Auberge, followed by a story written by Adele U. Koehnen that ran in the Dayton Daily News Neighbors section a short time ago when the Yum Yum cookbook was not yet completed that will help put it all into perspective:
YUM YUM DINNER
Tuesday September 30th
L’Auberge has invited Beverly to share her dream of publishing a cook book with the original recipes of her parents’ restaurant, the Yum Yum Inn.
Lunch 11:30-02:00
Dinner 5:30-10:00
Menu
French Onion Soup
Yum Yum Salad
Entree (Choice of)
Chicken in a Basket
Swiss Steak
Dessert
Old Fashion Sundae
Yum Yum cook books to be sold in lobby
Please call Josef or Brian for reservations 299-5536
And now, Adele’s story:
Woman looks for Yum Yum recipes
Beverly Schellhase Wellman’s family once lived on second floor of restaurant, now called L’Auberge.
By Adele U. Koehnen Contributing Writer
KETTERING — From a farmhouse to a parsonage to a restaurant, the building on Far Hills has seen a lot of local history.
Now L’Auberge, the building at 4120 Far Hills, also was once a restaurant called the Yum Yum, where carhops brought food to hungry motorists. Many Fairmont students had their first jobs there during the 1940s.
Later, the carhops were replaced by waitresses serving from a menu of 185 items. Owned by Vernon and Dotti Schellhase, the name changed to the Yum Yum Inn. In 1971, it was purchased by Helene and John Schmidt as The Inn, running successfully until 1984, when French cuisine took over as L’Auberge.
Beverly Schellhase Wellman, 63, of Miamisburg recalls the time when the Schellhase family lived on the second floor of the restaurant.
“Conditions became a bit crowded when my youngest sister, Bona, was born, joining sister Barbara and me,” Wellman said. “Then we all moved to a large home in Kettering, but the restaurant continued to be a big part of our lives.”
With her sisters now living in distant parts of the country, Wellman has taken on the project of publishing about 50 of the original 185 recipes served at the Yum Yum.
“It’s something I want to do, to pass on the recipes for the dishes so popular at the time,” said Wellman. “Many of the recipes used by the cooks in the kitchen came from my grandparents. The problem is reducing the amount of the ingredients to fit a serving for six persons instead of hundreds of diners.” She is putting out a call for perhaps a retired chef who would have the expertise for such an endeavor. In the meantime, she has employed a student from the culinary department at Sinclair Community College to decipher the recipes.
“He has completed a small batch of the recipes but his academic work came first with him. So, I’m still looking for help,” Wellman said. “I would like to meet the deadline set by the publisher, but at this point I don’t believe I’ll make it, although I haven’t given up.”
In addition to the original recipes for Yum Yum chickenin-a-basket, meatloaf, spaghetti, pork sandwiches, pies and cakes, Wellman has memorabilia, including menus, crockery and even a training manual for wait and kitchen staff.
Wellman’s fond memories of the Yum Yum includes keeping in touch with Jean Cook, 93, a waitress there for 30 years.
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TweetNew Mediterranean restaurant coming to The Greene
NOTE: This entry was updated at 5 p.m. Wednesday, 9-24-08.
The mystery of the new Mediterranean restaurant at The Greene has been solved. Here’s a copy of a story that will run in Thursday’s Dayton Daily News that has a bit more detail than the earlier posting here on Taste:
BEAVERCREEK — The former Cafe Istanbul and Estilo Mediterranean Grille at The Greene is scheduled to reopen in early November as Pasha Grill.
Signs in the window of the restaurant at 72 Plum St. say the restaurant will be a Mediterranean grill, and Michael Duffey, spokesman for The Greene, said the restaurant’s menu will be similar to that of Cafe Istanbul, which closed at The Greene in 2007.
The owner of the 3,200-square-foot restaurant will be Fatih Gunal, who owns Cafe Istanbul in the Easton shopping and entertainment complex in suburban Columbus. Gunal was not the original owner of either the Easton’s or The Greene’s Cafe Istanbul restaurants, but has served as a “turnaround artist” of sorts for the Easton restaurant, which is now profitable, Duffey said.
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TweetFox & Hound in Washington Twp. to close tonight
The Fox & Hound English Pub & Grille at 671 Lyons Road in Washington Twp. will close after business tonight.
“We’re inviting everyone in,” the pub’s general manager, Chris King, said Tuesday morning, Sept. 23. “This is our weekly ‘Pint Night,’ and we have 36 draughts on tap, and all of them are $2 a pint.”
The Fox & Hound at 2661 Fairfield Commons Drive in Beavercreek will remain open and is not affected by the closing of the Washington Twp. location, King said.
The owners of the Fox & Hound franchise in the Washington Park Business Plaza purchased the nearby Champs Restaurant and Bar at 7880 Washington Village Drive about a year ago, King said. When the Fox & Hound’s lease expired late this summer, the owners had to decide whether to renew a lease that would draw some customers from Champs, with which the Fox & Hound shares a parking lot, King said. The decision was made to close the Fox & Hound.
The pub’s 30 employees have either been hired at the neighboring Champs or at the Beavercreek Fox & Hound, or are transferring to other Fox & Hound locations in Mason or the Cincinnati area, King said.
The Fox & Hound will be open until 2:30 a.m. Wednesday morning, Sept. 24.
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TweetOlive Garden, Red Lobster blame economy for hike in menu prices
The impact of rising food and fuel prices will be felt in the wallets of Olive Garden and Red Lobster diners, according to this Associated Press story.
The restaurants’ parent company, Darden Restaurants, blamed the economy for the FY 2009 price hike and for a big drop in profits, according to the AP. Here’s a pertinent paragraph from the AP story:
Darden said the economy — specifically higher costs for food, energy and labor — is to blame. Most restaurants have been pressed by significantly higher costs in the past year with prices for grain and meat rising to record levels and state and federal governments boosting the minimum wage for workers.
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TweetRestaurants forge ahead with special dinners, menus
**Note: These are special dinners, menus and other special events that restaurants have let me know about and which, if the good lord’s willin’ and the power stays on, should be published in a scaled-back version of our Dayton Daily News Go section on Friday. But since you’re special, you get a sneak peek. One note of caution: due to power outages, call ahead to make sure the events and special dinners described here are still scheduled. I know, for example, that the folks at Savona and Cafe Boulevard have informed us in an earlier post that their power is on and they’re up and running, while l’Auberge, as of Wednesday afternoon 9-17, still had no power. So a call-ahead would be prudent.
CHEF TEAMS WITH MENTOR TO OFFER GERMAN MENU
CENTERVILLE — Keith Taylor — the chef-owner of Savona Restaurant, 79 S. Main St. — will reunite with his mentor, former l’Auberge executive chef Dieter Krug, for special German-themed menu items Sept. 25-27. Dishes that can be ordered a la carte include appetizers Wurst salad and goulash soup; entrees Choucroute Garni (sauerkraut, smoked pork and sausage), Beef Rouladen or Sauerbraten with Spatzle and Braised Red Cabbage, and Apple Strudel. German wines and beers will be offered, and all dinners will be served with a soft pretzel. Taylor was Krug’s sous chef at l’Auberge when Krug retired and said he anticipates that his former mentor “will be running me to death in my own kitchen.” For more information, call (937) 610-9835.
STIVERS OFFERS LITERARY FOOD AT CAFE BOULEVARD
DAYTON — The Creative Writing Department of Stivers School will present a “literary food” event celebrating food as described in famous authors’ works from 2 to 5 p.m. Sept. 28 in the European Courtyard of Cafe Boulevard at 329 E. Fifth St. in the Oregon District. The menu will include exotic cheeses, salads, Herman Melville’s clam chowder, and a variety of hot and cold hors d’oeuvres. The cost is $35 per person, or $60 per couple, and includes a glass of wine. Advance payment is requested; RSVP to Bill Steinmetz at (937) 542-7425.
OKTOBERFEST AT L’AUBERGE
KETTERING — L’Auberge, 4120 Far Hills Ave., will offer a special “Best of Bavaria” Oktoberfest menu through Sept. 27 in the patio and in the bistro. The three-course, $32.50 menu includes an appetizer of German Potato, Cucumber, Bratwurst and Radish Salad; entree choices of Split-Roasted Chicken Breasts Basted with Dark Beer or Bavarian Beef Roulade with Bacon Mustard, served with Potato Pancake and Choice of Sauerkraut or Red Cabbage; and dessert of Baked Apple Beignets with Vanilla Sauce. German beers, wines and spirits will be available. For more information, call (937) 299-5536.
FOOD AND WINES FROM SAN MARINO AT THE DAYTON RACQUET CLUB
DAYTON — The Dayton Racquet Club, 40 N. Main St., will host its second annual Charity Classic International Wine Dinner from 6 to 10:30 p.m. Sept. 26. The guest chef will be Ilario Forcellini from the Republic of San Marino. The event, which is open to the public, begins with hors d’oeuvres and wine samples from San Marino and the surrounding Italian wine regions, followed by a multicourse wine pairing dinner inspired by tradition cuisine from Ilario’s home country. The cost is $85, which includes tax and tip. For more information or to make a reservation, call at (937) 224-4381.
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TweetThe other side of the restaurant story: damaged l’Auberge still without power
While we’ve focused on restaurants that have reopened or which never closed after the storm, there is another side to the Windstorm of 2008 and its impact on local restaurants, as the following email from l’Auberge owner Josef Reif attests:
“Unfortunately since Sunday’s big storm, l’Auberge has lost, like many of our other colleagues all power! The storm destroyed our outside cafe, awnings, and grille, and it downed trees and caused severe roof damage. Totaling the damage that l’Auberge sustained results in an estimate of $50,000.
The worst was being closed for 4 days. We had to throw out our food from caviar to foie gras as well as a walk-in cooler full of meat , seafood and produce. We did not know if we would have to cancel our private parties and reservations for the week, or if the power is coming back on, making this a total nightmare.
As for our colleagues at The Greene, it is “Christmas in July.” They are busy every night. I wish we were on their electrical circuit — HELLO DP&L.”
Any other restaurant experiences with the storm that we should know about? Let us know by posting a comment …
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TweetHealth officials tell restaurants what to do after a power outage
The Greene County Combined Health District has released more-detailed guidelines for how restaurants and schools should treat various refrigerated foods and ingredients that have been affected by a power outage. (These guidelines are similar to, but more detailed than, advice offered to consumers earlier this week, and may be useful for homeowners as well.)
While still advising to “When in doubt, throw it out,” the health district’s guidelines suggest some items are salvageable.
Here is the health district’s guidelines for restaurants and schools in dealing with refrigerated foods that have been exposed to temperatures of 40 degrees or higher for a period of two hours or longer, and for frozen foods as well:
— Meats, poultry, seafood (including lunch meats, and hot dogs): Discard
— Cheese, soft or shredded: Discard
— Cheese, hard or processed: Safe
— Dairy, including milk, cream, yogurt, sour cream: Discard
— Butter/margarine: Safe
— Eggs, raw or cooked: Discard
— Custard/pudding: Discard
— Sauces such as tartar sauce or horseradish: Discard
— Fresh fruit, cut: Discard
— Fresh fruit, raw/uncut: Safe
— Breads: Safe
— Rolled dough/pasta: Discard
— Fresh vegetables, cut: Discard
— Fresh vegetables, raw/uncut: Safe
— Salads: Discard
Frozen Foods
Guidelines for frozen foods that have thawed and have been exposed to a temperature of 40 degrees or higher for more than 2 hours.
— Meats, poultry, seafood: Discard
— Breaded meat products such as chicken nuggets, breaded shrimp: Discard
— Casseroles: Discard
— Eggs, egg products: Discard
— Ice cream: Discard
— Cheese, hard: Refreeze
— Cheese, shredded: Discard
— Fruits/fruit juice: Refreeze unless sign of mold/odor
— Vegetables/vegetable juice: Discard if temperature reached 40 degrees or higher for six hours or more
— Breads: Refreeze
— Cakes/pastries: Discard
— Frozen waffles/pancakes: Refreeze
— Frozen dinners: Discard
— Frozen pizza: Discard
If ice crystals have remained and food feels cold, as if it has been refrigerated, food should be safe to refreeze, the health district says. Although food may be safe to refreeze, it may take away some of the texture/flavor of the food. Items that contain dairy products, such as ice milk/ice cream, should be discarded.
And here’s what the health district says about disposal:
Complete proper and safe disposal of all food items that need to be discarded. Place all items in your regular trash bins. If it will be a period of time before pick up is possible, store the trash only in your trash container not on the ground to discourage rats and animals from scattering the trash. If you have specific questions or need an additional trash pick up; contact your trash provider directly.
For more information contact the Environmental Health Division of the GCCHD at (937) 374-5606.
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TweetWindstorm means feast or famine for local restaurants
Here’s a taste of what’s coming in tomorrow’s (9-17-08) combined Dayton Daily News:
The windstorm and resulting power outages have meant feast or famine for local restaurants. (
“Those that have power are having banner days,” said Lisa Grigsby, executive director of the Miami Valley Restaurant Association. “The only frustration I’m hearing from those restaurants is that they can’t seat people and serve them quickly enough.” (Click here for a list of restaurants that are open and serving, and feel free to post a comment to let us know of others not already on the list…)
Those restaurants that lost power for more than a few hours face difficulties even after electricity is restored.
“Just because a food service operation has lights, that doesn’t mean they are open and ready to serve food,” said Rick Schairbaum, who oversees restaurant inspections for the Greene County Combined Health District.
Restaurants must clean out coolers and discard perishable food and ingredients that were not kept cold (food items that have been above 41 degrees for more than four hours must be discarded, health department officials said). They must then clean and disinfect the food storage areas, then hope to arrange delivery of new supplies from vendors that also may have faced power outages that could disrupt deliveries.
After Leo Anticoli, owner of Caffe Anticoli, 8268 N. Main St., sent me an email telling me his restaurant never lost power and was open for business, I asked him about his experiences of the last two days. His reply is worth printing in its entirety:
Fortunately neither Caffe’ or La Piazza in Troy lost power. Obviously business has increased since Sunday, especially with other restaurants in the area closed. There is a definite air of cooperation among all players. At his time we are using our cooler facilities for a neighbor restaurant.
It is weird how the outages are. We have power. Up the street Buckhorn does not. Down the street The Barnsider does not. Hop over the Buckhorn area and the Tumbleweed has power and shortly past them at the 48/70 interchange area all of the restaurants and hotels are without power.
Our suppliers are also hit and miss. One of our local meat suppliers has no power and are using generators for basic freezing and cooling with no power left over for production. Our seafood supplier is the same. They have generators to keep their products fresh and/or frozen but no extra power for production. Fortunately we are still old school and know how to cut meat, maintain a grinder in our kitchen and the knowledge to fillet and skin fish. We are OK.
We have really not been burdened by any of our suppliers, only inconvenienced a little. That is not a big deal in light of what just happened to us.
It’s a tiny reminder as to what could have happened here and what did happen in the south. We walked a tiny bit in their shoes and maybe now we can really understand the hardships people in severe weather incidents have to endure.
leo
What has been your dining experience, or restaurant-operating experience, in the aftermath of the Windstorm of 2008?
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TweetWhich restaurants out there are open for business?
Thousands of Miami Valley residents still have no power — and they’re getting hungry. While some restaurants find themselves in the same powerless position, other more fortunate eateries are fired up and ready to serve. If you know of a restaurant that is open for business, please let us (and your neighbors) know by posting a comment here. And if you know of a restaurant that is reopening after a power outage, let us know that as well.
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