Newsletter: Don’t forget Mother’s Day is Sunday, take a look at which restaurants opened this week 🍴

CLICK HERE for a look at some of the restaurants that will be open and offering something unique for Mother’s Day.

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Dayton food truck owners launch The Messy Meatball

Crystal Moberly and her husband, Donnie, launched DC’s Burgers & More three years ago and after much success have now opened The Messy Meatball food truck with her cousin, Jeremy Vanmeter, and his partner, Angela Ashburn.

The Messy Meatball features meatballs, pizza, chicken wings, pasta, breadsticks and fries. Meatball sliders are this food truck’s best seller.

The food trucks typically serve warehouses throughout the week and the public on the weekends. On Friday, The Messy Meatball will be at DayMet Credit Union at 4988 Wagner Ford Road in Dayton from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. On Saturday, both food trucks will be at the Piqua Center, 987 E. Ash St., for the Northern Miami Valley Bike Blessing from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Plans for the future include opening a brick-and-mortar spot in November at the Piqua Center called DC’s The Messy Meatball & More. The restaurant will serve a combination of both menus, in addition to donuts and ice cream.

2 new restaurants coming to Centerville

Two new restaurants — Mi Cozumel and Chicken Salad Chick — will be tenants for the final building of a massive, mixed-use project in Centerville.

The 10,000 square-foot Shoppes at Cornerstone IV will be the final retail building developed in Cornerstone North, which is anchored by Costco, Kroger Marketplace and Cabela’s. Oberer Realty Services said construction is expected to be done by late fall.

Here’s what we know:

Fairmont High School grads create unique spirit, open tasting room in Texas

After graduating from Fairmont High School in 2000, Jay and Ryan Gitman, spent time in California before settling down in Texas where they’ve opened a tasting room and bar featuring Senza Maeso — a hybrid spirit they have created from South American cape gooseberries.

Something Ryan has always enjoyed is walking through the produce isle at the grocery store and trying fruit he’s never heard of from different countries. He tried the gooseberries at a time where he had been trying different liqueurs and thought he could make a spirit out of the fruit. The first batch was made in 2014 and it took about five years to perfect it.

The taste is bright, balanced, and complex, yielding notes of apricot and citrus, with an herbaceous, bitter finish, the brothers said.

Senza Maeso is only available in Texas at around 30 retail stores such as Specs, Austin Shakers and Total Wine. It’s also available at 10 to 12 bars including Central Machine Works, Swan Dive and Radio Coffee & Beer in Austin.

The brothers hope to kick off online distribution in the next three to six months for those in Ohio.

If you do get the chance to go to Texas, stop by their tasting room and lounge, located just outside of Austin near Wimberley. The bar has a space deco vibe that makes guests feel like they’ve been transported to an alternative universe. From kinetic art and vintage science gadgets to secret doors and bathrooms projecting Carl Sagan’s Cosmos Series on loop, the bar is an one-of-a-kind destination.

READ MORE: How two brothers from Dayton region created unique spirit in Texas

Former 2nd Street Market vendor selling baklava at Dorothy Lane Market locations

Since retiring from 2nd Street Market in Feb. 2023, Azra Kaurin has not stopped baking and cooking. She said she’s been going through old recipes and taking the time to write down measurements of ingredients for a cookbook she hopes to publish in the future.

When she started baking in America, her signature homemade baklava quickly became a huge hit among customers.

Kaurin has now partnered with Dorothy Lane Market to sell her baklava at all three locations: 2710 Far Hills Ave. in Oakwood, 6177 Far Hills Ave. in Washington Twp. and 740 N Main St. in Springboro.

She described baking baklava as “a labor of love.” From assembling the many layers and brushing the layers with butter to baking at a low temperature and making sure the honey syrup has time to cool, baking baklava takes a lot of time and skill.

Kaurin’s recipe for baklava is a cross between Greek and Turkish.

Quick Bites

🍜 Panda Express opens today in Washington Twp.: The restaurant, located at 1035 Miamisburg Centerville Road, is the first in the region to feature the company’s new prototype “designed to accommodate the increased demand for online ordering and drive-thru channels.”

🥩 Mission BBQ opens near Dayton Mall: The restaurant is located in the former location of Panera Bread at 2500 Miamisburg-Centerville Road offering authentic BBQ.

🍴 Warped Wing launches concert night food menu: As the Rose Music Center at The Heights kicks off its concert season this week, Warped Wing is launching a concert night food menu at its brewery and smokery. Take a look at the menu HERE.

🌮 Mamacitas Cantina opens in Dayton: The Latino-fusion restaurant, located at 1060 Patterson Road, kicked off a soft opening on Monday. The restaurant opens at 4 p.m. daily. A grand opening is coming soon. READ MORE

Dish of the Week

When I was growing up, my family used to get pizza almost every Friday. From a quick trip to Little Caesars to a more thought out plan of ordering Marion’s Piazza, no pizza shop was off limits.

Over the weekend, I went to my parents house in Xenia and had a craving for Colonial Pizza. The pizza shop is located at 98 N. Main St. in Cedarville. I hadn’t had their pizza in years, but it was just like I remembered.

We ordered a deluxe pizza with mushrooms, pepperoni, Italian sausage and green peppers. We also had a taco pizza featuring taco meat, cheddar cheese, lettuce, sour cream, tomatoes and salsa.

My favorite part of the pizza is the crust. It’s hard to describe, but I would say it’s similar to hand tossed, but still light and airy. It’s chewy, but still has a nice crunch.

If you’ve never been to Cedarville, there are several other places to try including Mom & Dad’s Dairy Bar and Grill, Beans-n-Cream and Lola’s Mexican Restaurant.

Tell Us

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 up, feel free to email me here, and I’ll check it out.

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