How to go
What: Citilites at The Schuster Center
Where: Second and Main streets, Dayton
When: Hours vary. Citilites offers lunch Monday through Friday from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and dinner 2 1/2 hours prior to performances in the Schuster Center's Mead Theatre and Broadway Series performances at the Victoria Theatre.
Reservations: Call (937) 222-0623 or visit www.schustercenter.org/citilites/reservations.
About “Memphis”
The plot premise: From the underground dance clubs of 1950s Memphis, Tenn., comes the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical "Memphis." Inspired by actual events, "Memphis" tells the story of a white radio DJ who wants to change the world and a black club singer who is ready for her big break.
Length: Approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes with a 20-minute intermission
Dates/tickets: "Memphis" will be at the Schuster Center April 8-13. Tickets are $40-$96 (plus service fees, prices subject to change). Call (937) 228-3630, (888) 228-3630 or visit www.ticketcenterstage.com.
Special pre-show flight: There will be a special cocktail tasting on April 11 at 7 p.m. during a special "Memphis Mixer." Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey will be featured in three different cocktails: a Memphis Mule, Front Porch Lemonade and a traditional Manhattan. Tickets to pre-show flights are sold separately and are $10 each. You must also have a ticket to that night's performance. Must be 21 or older to participate.
When “Memphis” opens on the Schuster Center stage on April 8 it won’t be the only taste of the South that arts lovers can immerse themselves in.
Tim Schonsheck, executive chef for Citilites at The Schuster Center, is cooking up a menu that aims to be every bit as energizing, engaging and fresh as the theatrical entertainment that guests will be treated to after the meal.
As he prepares to celebrate his third year in May leading the kitchen and staff at Citilites, Schonsheck says it’s been a journey of putting the guest experience first and creating interesting meals that compliment the performances that guests are coming to see.
Schonsheck, who graduated from Fairmont High School in Kettering, says tailoring his menu to “Memphis” was particularly exciting due to the fact that his cooking is steeped in the cultural history and flavors of the South. Prior to returning to his hometown and family in 2011 Schonsheck worked for 18 years cooking in various kitchens in Charleston, S.C. Most notably he served as sous chef at the Hominy Grill, working with James Beard Award winning chef/owner Robert Stehling and as sous chef at the old-world luxurious Peninsula Grill in the Relais & Châteaux Planters Inn in the heart of Charleston’s beloved Historic District.
“Using simple, fresh ingredients and cooking them correctly goes a long way. We try to be the best in Dayton as far as the dishes we put out,” said Schonsheck, who specializes in French, Southern cuisine.
A new menu is set to launch on Friday, April 4, that Schonsheck says will “scream spring and summer.”
Blackened fish tacos ($10.95), Avocado Oscar ($9.95), Chicken and Summer Squash Graten ($21.95) and Herb Encrusted Lamb Lollipops ($29.95) are just a few of the dishes customers can expect to see.
From April 8-13, while Tony award-winning “Memphis” is in town, the restaurant will feature a flavorful smoked blackstrap molasses quarter chicken with a fingerling Manchego potato salad and black watermelon relish salad.
The quarter chicken is smoked in-house with cherry and hickory infusing Earthy layers of wonderful flavor to the tender meat. The black watermelon salad with radish and feta is a crisp, cool compliment to the depth of the protein. The fingerling potato salad is kept simple with dill, Manchago cheese, sour cream, onion and bacon.
Schonsheck and his team work to create fresh seasonal compliments to the main star of the meals they prepare, and it works perfectly here capturing some of the most popular flavors of summer.
A special brined tomahawk pork hip with pineapple pico over saffron lime corn with the same fingerling Manchego potato salad featured on the chicken plate achieves the same balance never taking attention away from the juicy exquisitely cooked piece of pork on the plate.
Schonsheck said that the restaurant’s rotating daily features have been Citilites best-sellers for the last two years, selling out almost every evening. These specialty dishes sourced from local, fresh ingredients — including many from the home gardens of Citilites staff — are themed around the shows people are coming to see and are only available during the special performances playing at the Schuster Center on those evenings.
Nearly 62,000 people enjoyed Citilites at the Schuster Center’s restaurant and catering services from the Citilites staff last year. Schonsheck says the restaurant puts through between 130-140 people during the evening of a show when the restaurant stays open for dinner service.
“We are trying to deliver the best food in Dayton. We treat every customer like they are the president … we want to deliver the whole experience to them,” Schonsheck said.
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