The restaurant, located at 130 W. Second St., is open today for lunch only 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
Lunch and dinner will be available starting tomorrow 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and 4-9 p.m. Friday and Saturday hours are 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and 4-10 p.m. The restaurant will be closed on Sunday.
My husband and I went on Friday for a sneak peek. Here’s what we had:
- Flavor House Rolls (collard greens, cabbage and roasted chicken in an eggroll with sweet-chili dipping sauce) $11
- Southern Fried Okra (battered, fried and tossed in lemon pepper seasoning) $10
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
- Cajun Fried Fish & Shrimp Basket (Cajun fried fish and shrimp served with fries) $23
- Chicken Fontaine (grilled chicken breast, portobello mushrooms, onions, peppers and parmesan cream sauce over garlic mashed potatoes) $23
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
The fried okra is a must, along with any dish that has the parmesan cream sauce. We finished our meal with a slice of sweet potato cheesecake ($10), before heading to Dayton Scream Park.
***
Home Sweet Home Cafe expands
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
The owners of Home Sweet Home Cafe in Englewood have opened a wine bar and art gallery after years of showcasing local artists.
They’ve partnered with nine artists and have room for one more. Each artist gets five to six feet of wall space. All art is for sale with pieces ranging from $25 to $400.
As for the wine program, the owners are listening to what the community wants.
From very sweet wines like a Caramel Apple Moscato to very dry reds like a Cabernet Sauvignon, the wine bar offers a large variety.
Customers can buy wine by the glass or bottle. A glass of the house wine is $6.
All Dolly’s locations in Dayton, Cincinnati to close
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
Big Boy Restaurant Group will soon discontinue operations at all Dolly’s restaurants in the Cincinnati and Dayton markets.
The six existing restaurants will close tomorrow.
“Six months ago, the company entered Southwest Ohio with one goal in mind — to preserve and rejuvenate the beloved Big Boy brand that has meant so much to families across this region for nearly nine decades. At that time, many Big Boy–branded restaurants not operated by the company were closing, and Big Boy Restaurant Group sought to bring stability, quality, and a renewed sense of nostalgia back to an area that has always been part of the brand’s story,” states a news release from Big Boy Restaurant Group, LLC.
Big Boy Restaurant Group remains hopeful that once litigation is resolved, it will be able to return to the region under the Big Boy name.
READ MORE: Why all Dolly’s restaurants are closing
19 Frisch’s Big Boy restaurants remain open in Ohio
In the meantime, nearly 20 Frisch’s Big Boy restaurants remain open throughout the state.
“Earlier this year, Frisch’s Big Boy obtained a court order that blocked a Michigan-based competitor from operating restaurants in certain parts of Ohio, including Cincinnati, under the name, “Big Boy,” a statement from Frisch’s Big Boy said.
Dolly’s is not owned or affiliated with the Frisch’s Big Boy brand.
Nearby locations include:
- 5570 Liberty Fairfield Road in Hamilton
- 1255 Main St. in Hamilton
- 2120 W. Michigan St. in Sidney
- 2201 E. Main St. in Springfield
- 8545 Cincinnati-Dayton Road in West Chester Twp.
Quick Bites
🍕 Pizza Dive owners give update on second location: The restaurant is expected to open in April 2026 next door to Rusty Taco in Beavercreek.
☕ New coffee shop coming to Fairborn: Dutch Bros will be located at 220 E. Dayton-Yellow Springs Road. READ MORE
🍔 Watching football this weekend? Here are five popular game-day appetizers to try.
Yellow Springs Brewery team experiments with new beers
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
Yellow Springs Brewery has launched its next Brewers Series where members of the production team get a chance to create a brand new beer.
“It’s an opportunity for our production members to be creative and explore new ingredients that they haven’t tried before, different beer styles that we don’t normally have on, things that are different from our core lineup,” said Head Brewer Natalie Iseli-Smith.
Brewer Chris Sullivan, who has worked at the brewery since March, chose to make a rye pale ale.
“I came from a background of distilling where we made a lot of high-rye whiskeys and rye whiskeys,” Sullivan said. “I just kind of fell in love with that grain.”
Comet Rye’d is available on draft.
A chicken soup recipe that can comfort the sick
Credit: Getty Images
Credit: Getty Images
Columnist Whitney Kling is a recipe developer who lives in Southwest Ohio with her four kids.
“An all-day broth is more enriched with minerals and flavor so if time allows, use one of the methods I mentioned in the column, and then begin this recipe on Step 3,” she writes.
Ingredients for the soup:
- 1 tbsp. butter
- 4-6 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs, seasoned with salt and pepper
- 2 yellow onions, diced
- 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 lb. carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 moons
- 1 lb. celery, washed a chopped
- 3 tbsp. dried thyme
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped (nice but not necessary)
- 2 tbsp. Kosher salt
- 10 oz. package of extra wide noodles
Ingredients for the broth (4-5 cups):
- Bones from chicken thighs
- A handful of peppercorns
- A bay leaf
- A couple carrots, roughly chopped
- A couple stalks of celery, roughly chopped
- One onion cut in half
- 2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
Directions:
- For the soup, heat the olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Place the chicken skin side down in the stock pot and cook for 8 minutes, flip and continue cooking until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove chicken and set aside to cool.
- For the broth, remove the meat from the bone once they’re cooled and add the bones and all the aromatics and flavorings to another pot. Cover with water (about 6 cups) and simmer for the duration of the cooking time. Strain out solids and save broth.
- For the soup, immediately add the onion, garlic, carrots, and celery to the soup pot, scraping up any chicken bits. Sauté the vegetables for about 6 minutes until starting to soften.
- Add the thyme, parsley, and salt to the soup pot.
- Pour in your homemade broth and bring to a soft boil. Add the noodles to the boiling broth and cook until just soft, about 3 minutes. Soggy noodles happen fast, so keep an eye on them.
- Remove the pot from the heat and add the reserved chopped chicken thighs. Taste for seasonings and serve warm.
READ MORE: How to make a homemade soup broth
Thank you so much for reading my weekly newsletter! If you see a new restaurant opening or are wondering when an establishment is expected to open, feel free to email me here, and I’ll check it out.
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