2008 Americana Festival
July 4th celebrations worldwide
Wire walker at Kings Island
Readers' response to Restaurant Week robust
> Comment on your experience
Friday, February 15, 2008
By Mark Fisher
Staff Writer
Extras
When the Miami Valley Restaurant Association's Restaurant Week was in full swing earlier this month, we asked readers to post their experiences on Uncorked, the newspaper's wine Web page. The response was robust. Here's a taste of what you had to say (for more, go to www.daytondailynews.com/wineblog):
CARVER'S
"My best friend and I decided on Carver's for Thursday evening dinner. Arrived a minute or two past the reservation time due to sleet and had to wait almost 20 minutes to be seated. ... Once we were seated, we had a wonderful server who was attentive, had a vast knowledge of the regular menu, as well as the specials. We both had the spinach salad with the dried cranberries and almonds, the prime rib and we each chose a separate dessert to try. ... I love Restaurant Week because it's a great way to get out and try the area's independent restaurants that you may not normally frequent and at an affordable price. ... I wish they could run this more than twice a year because there are so many places to choose from!"
— Marcy
OAKWOOD CLUB
"We did our usual Tuesday night at the Oakwood Club. I chose the Braised Beef Short Ribs with mashed potatoes, house salad and the chocolate tort. Business was brisk for a Tuesday and the food was excellent. A lot of new faces seemed to be enjoying the fare."
— Tom
JAY'S/JOHN HENRY'S
"We went to Jay's on Monday night. The soup was terrific! I agree with a previous comment that the pork roulade was probably the better choice for the entree on their Restaurant Week menu. The service on this very busy night, at a table of seven people, was impeccable! Kudos to Jay's for being completely prepared. On Wednesday night, we joined a group of 8 at John Henry's. I highly recommend it! They offer many choices on their Restaurant Week menu, with lots of variety. ... The hanger steak was prepared perfectly, and was delicious. I also highly recommend the mussels appetizer. Every dinner came with a salad and bread. The meat dishes also came with a choice of potato. Definitely a great value!"
— Cathy
COCO'S BISTRO
"Four of us went to Coco's and the whole dining experience was wonderful. We sat down at the time of our reservation, the server was attentive and experienced, the food (tilapia, eggplant and beef tips and noodles) was very tasty, drinks and wine, bread and dessert. What else could you ask for? We love restaurant week and look forward to the next one in the summer. It's a great week to try a new restaurant."
— Jen
ESTILO'S/SAVONA
"We dined at Estilo's and Savona. The chicken kebab at Estilo's was very tasteless & dry — asked for sauce; the rice had no flavor and the mixed veggies were 3 very thin slices of zucchini. Husband had tilapia, which was a better choice. At Savona, husband's Chicken Brociola was good. I had the spaghetti with salmon/asparagus. This had a good taste but could have used more asparagus (only half of one in it) or more veggies in it. Service great and soup and dessert good."
— Carol Finke
CAFFE ANTICOLI
"We went to Caffe Anticoli up North on Sunday. It was our first time there. A friend says original C.A. was much better, but we were generally pleased. I started with a very tasty crabcake remoulade — no fillers! Hubby's bruschetta was so-so. I really liked the creamy-garlicky house dressing, but I should have asked for it on the side. It was a bit drenchy. For entrees, I chose lasagna Bolognese (cheesy and good, but not Dominic's). Hubby enjoyed his Delmonico with Marsala sauce and side of spaghetti. So much food we had to take the dessert home. The homemade tirimisu was divine, but I prefer Franco's or Mama DiSalvo's cannoli to Anticoli's pistachio-laden creation. Service was attentive, too."
— Lucy B.
CHIMNEYS INN
"First time visit to the Chimneys Inn in Miamisburg. (I think this is the old TW's building.) Nice neighborhood restaurant trying to do some interesting New Orleans inspired dishes. Servers were very attentive; kitchen almost too fast. Shrimp Muenier was excellent. Stuffed chicken breast nicely smoked and juicy, I would have like a little more heat/spice to "kick it up" — to paraphrase a certain TV chef. Average wine list from a single distributor, heavy on California. Bread pudding with orange bourbon sauce was excellent and filling on a cold rainy night. Live music was a nice touch."
— "Chiefwino"
BAHN MAI THAI CAFE/MEADOWLARK
"My wife and I have visited three Restaurant Week spots so far and the experience has been mostly positive. We both enjoyed the white bean soup at Jay's, but she came out ahead by choosing the pork roulade, which had a slightly sweet but tasty soy-ginger sauce. I chose the crab canneloni and I'm still looking for the crab. The Bahn Mai Thai Cafe was excellent with both choices on the Restaurant Week menu being great plus you get a glass of wine or bottle of Thai beer. The Meadowlark didn't disappoint except for the fact that I was looking forward to the short ribs, which were advertised on the Web menu but didn't make it to the one in the restaurant. We both decided on the sirloin steak, which was very good. I love their polenta."
— "Redbean"
CAFE BOULEVARD, ET AL.
"Sunday (we went to) Carver's — prime rib and au gratin potatoes — excellent, as always. We added an appetizer of Cajun Lamb Chops to share — wonderful! Our favorite server, Hallie, was as good as always. Monday, Oakwood Club — preferred the choices of last summer, but the beef short ribs were good. Tuesday, Café Boulevard — they never disappoint. Loved the wild mushroom risotto and pork chop in white bean stew. Wednesday, Meadowlark — ordered both appetizer selections and enjoyed sharing. We were interested in comparing the beef short ribs at the Oakwood Club with Wiley's interpretation but, as another diner mentioned, it was grilled sirloin instead. Was nice though. The chocolate dessert was outstanding. Thursday — Savona — We make it a point to try a restaurant new to us each time. This season there will be two new ones, Savona is the first, and John Henry's. We loved Savona and will definitely return. ... Friday evening we dined for the first time at John Henry's and the food was great. Mussels in a lovely broth were wonderful and, oh my, the grilled pork chop was soooo good. This is an excellent way to raise funds for charity. Restaurant Week is one of our favorite local events."
— Sue Dugan
Comments
By Tiffany
February 15, 2008 9:47 AM | Link to this
Last night, Thursday Feb 14, a friend and I decided to go to Cena by the Dayton Mall. We had to wait an hour and a half but that was to be expected as it was a holiday and we didnt make a reservation. However, once we were at our table the service was not very good. They carvers come around with different meats but not often enough. It seemed as if they ran out every time they reached our table. Then they completely forgot the table behind us. Overrall the food was good but I was not impressed.
By Connie
February 15, 2008 8:31 AM | Link to this
The restaurant I believe you are trying to remember is Suttmillers. There was also the Tropics on N. Main Street.
By Shirley Bonta
February 15, 2008 7:56 AM | Link to this
I AM TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THE NAME OF A RESTAURANT IN DAYTON…WE ARE TALKING AT LEAST 35-40 YEARS AGO…IT WAS LOCATED ON NORTH MAIN STREET…IT WAS ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ROAD HEADING AWAY FROM DOWNTOWN DAYTON…..THIS WAS AN UPSCALE REATAURANT…MEN WERE REQUIRED TO WEAR A TIE..CAN YOU PLEASE HELP ME? IS THIS RESTAURANT STILL IN OPERATION? OPR DOES IT GO BY ANOTHER NAME? I WOULD APPRECIATE ANY HELP YOU CAN GIVE ME…..I WANT TO TAHNK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR TIME IN THIS MATTER….