27 locally owned restaurants part of this year’s Winter Restaurant Week

$1 per meal sold supports the Dayton Food Bank.
Filet mignon with cipollini onions, bordelaise, grilled asparagus and mashed potatoes from the regular menu at Roost Modern Italian in the Oregon District. The restaurant was founded by chef Dana Downs who takes traditional Italian foods and uses modern techniques and ingredients to develop unique flavors. The dinner-only restaurant is located at 524 E. Fifth St. in Dayton and will be a participant in Winter Restaurant Week. LISA POWELL / STAFF

Filet mignon with cipollini onions, bordelaise, grilled asparagus and mashed potatoes from the regular menu at Roost Modern Italian in the Oregon District. The restaurant was founded by chef Dana Downs who takes traditional Italian foods and uses modern techniques and ingredients to develop unique flavors. The dinner-only restaurant is located at 524 E. Fifth St. in Dayton and will be a participant in Winter Restaurant Week. LISA POWELL / STAFF

For more than a decade the Miami Valley Restaurant Association’s Winter Restaurant Week has served as an engine to help lure diners back into restaurants that need them after the holiday rush.

“Winter is a slower time for our local restaurants right after the holidays. People tend to stay in because it’s colder and they are watching their finances, but the restaurants still need your support, so this is a great way to get out and show it,” said Amy Zahora, Executive Director of the MVRA.

This year, 27 locally owned restaurants have signed up for the promotion which runs January 21-28.

Prior to the pandemic the promotion helped sell more than 10,000 meals locally. Attendance still has not come back to where it was at with fewer than 6,000 meals sold in recent years.

Zahora is hoping the local community comes out to support the participating restaurants and that numbers return to what restaurants were seeing pre-pandemic.

One dollar per meal sold will support the Dayton Food Bank.

Manna in Centerville

Credit: Alexis Larsen

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Credit: Alexis Larsen

Bock Family Brewing and Manna Uptown in Centerville will both be joining the event for the first time. The luxe Primo Italian Steakhouse in Middletown, a new dining destination worth seeking out, is also joining for the first time.

El Meson is back participating for the first time since the pandemic.

Meals this year range in price from $20.24-$60.24 offering specially curated coursed menus from each of the dining destinations that are participating.

As menus are finalized they can be found posted on the MVRA Winter Restaurant Week page of its website.

Winter Restaurant Week 2023 - Greek Street's Baklava

Credit: Contributed

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Credit: Contributed

Some destinations like the consistently delicious Greek Street are priced at the start of the price range, offering chicken or braised leg of lamb, lemon rice, salad two keftedes, two dolmades and a piece of baklava for $20.24.

Manna in Centerville

Credit: Alexis Larsen

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Credit: Alexis Larsen

Manna Uptown is on the high end offering the choice of a creamy champagne and butternut squash soup topped with queso fresco and toasted pepitas, or slow cooked chicken rillettes, or a house salad or zucchini fritters for the first course.

Entree choices are a beef bourguignon ($45.24), an aji panca marinated and grilled cauliflower ($45.24), herb marinated pork tenderloin medallions topped with a creamy mushroom sauce served with a summery ratatouille ($50.24), roasted chicken breast served with homemade ricotta gnudis in a sage brown butter ($50.24), ponzu marinated faroe island salmon ($60.24) served with yukon potato purée, haricot verts sautéed with sundried tomatoes, and a thyme and rosemary chimichurri or a “Arrachera de Peru” 9 oz. grilled skirt steak ($60.24) with a garden herb and almond chimichurri, yukon potato purée with spinach and queso fresco, asparagus, and a stewed roma tomato. Crème brûlée is the dessert of choice for the third featured course.

Depending on what dines want to spend or try, there are plenty of options.

“This event gets people back out to try something new and support so many of our awesome restaurant establishments. It always has a huge positive impact for our local restaurant community and offers diners fresh, exciting options to enjoy,” said Zahora.

In addition to strongly encouraging reservations Zahora asks once again for continued patience for servers, hosts and hostesses that serve as the faces of these restaurants.

Dayton Eats looks at the regional food stories and restaurant news that make mouths water. Share info about your menu updates, special dinners and events, new chefs, interesting new dishes and culinary adventures. Do you know of new exciting format changes, specials, happy hours, restaurant updates or any other tasty news you think is worth a closer look at? E-mail Alexis Larsen at alexis.e.larsen@hotmail.com with the information and we will work to include it in future coverage.


Winter Restaurant Week: Participating places

Please note — calling ahead is recommended, for details, hours and reservations. For the most up-to-date list and information visit http://dineoutdayton.com.

Amber Rose, 1400 Valley St., Dayton, (937) 228-2511

Bock Family Brewing, 8150 Washington Village Dr., Dayton, (937) 813-2000

Bunker’s Sports Bar & Grill, 893 E. National Road, Vandalia, (937) 890-8899

Carvers Steaks & Chops, 1535 Miamisburg-Centerville Road, Centerville, (937) 433-7099

CBCB Bar & Grill, 2495 Commons Blvd., Beavercreek, (937) 426-3287

Chappy’s Social House, 7880 Washington Village Dr, Centerville, (937) 439-9200

The Chop House, 7727 Washington Village Drive, Washington Twp., (937) 291-1661

Coco’s Bistro, 250 Warren St., Dayton, (937) 228-2626

Condado Tacos, a Columbus-based Mexican chain, has opened a location at the Deerfield Towne Center in Warren County. SUBMITTED PHOTO

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Condado Taco, 4482 Glengarry Dr., Beavercreek, (937) 705-6528

Corner Kitchen, 613 E. Fifth St., Dayton, (937) 938-5244

Figlio, 424 E. Stroop Rd., Kettering, (937) 534-0494

Firebirds Wood Fired Grill, 3500 Rigby Rd., Miamisburg, (937) 865-9355

Franco’s Ristorante Italiano, 824 E. Fifth St., Dayton, (937) 222-0204

Greek Street, 101 E. Alex Bell Rd., Centerville, (937) 640-3295

Hickory River Smokehouse, 135 S. Garber Drive, Tipp City, (937) 669-2271

Jay’s Seafood Restaurant, 225 E. Sixth St., Dayton, (937) 222-2892

Little Fish Brewing Company, 116 Webster St., Dayton, (937) 949-3055

Loose Ends Brewing, 890 S. Main St., Centerville, (937) 723-6328

Manna Uptown, 61 W. Franklin St., Centerville, (937) 972-1215

Nick’s Restaurant, 1443 N. Detroit St., Xenia, (937) 372-3202

Pasha Grill, 72 Plum St., The Greene, Beavercreek, (937) 429-9000

Primo Italian Steakhouse, 6 S. Broad St., Middletown, (513) 392-2100

Rip Rap Roadhouse, 6024 Rip Rap Road, Dayton, (937) 236-4329

Roost Modern Italian, 524 E. 5th St., Dayton, (937) 222-3100

Salar Restaurant and Lounge, 410 E. Fifth St., Dayton, (937) 203-3999

Smith’s Boathouse Restaurant, 439 N. Elm St., Troy, (937) 335-3837

The Caroline, 5 S. Market St., Troy, (937) 552-7676

The Last Queen, 210 E. Main St., Enon, (937) 340-6032

How to go

What: Winter Restaurant Week

When: Jan. 21-28

Where: Various locations

Cost: Meals range in price from $20.24-$60.24

More info and complete list of restaurants: (937) 461-MVRA or dineoutdayton.com

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