It’s a chance for those who haven’t had the pleasure to enjoy legendary dishes that once helped put Dayton’s dining scene in the spotlight.
All five courses will be paired with wines from the Cutting Edge portfolio by Master Sommelier Brian DeMark.
Maria Walusis, Chef and owner of Watermark and Backwater Voodoo, has been working to secure original recipes and instructions in order to present these plates as faithfully as possible for the event.
Credit: Contributed
Credit: Contributed
“Anytime foodies, or just Dayton natives, gather, eventually the topic of ‘restaurants we miss’ will come up. Being a part of the great Dayton dining scene has always been very important to us, so we just decided that we wanted to find a way to celebrate and honor the giants from the past, on whose shoulders we stand,” said Walusis. “As far as the dishes, we wanted to do a bit of research with staff and family from these iconic establishments, and try to offer dishes that would be memorable both to guests and owners, while at the same time appeal to those who never had the opportunity to dine there.”
The Dayton restaurants being honored for this year’s event include: The Barnsider, Peasant Stock, L’Auberge and King Cole.
The final course, a bittersweet chocolate mousse torte is a highlight of Watermark’s menu, created by Walusis, as her way of continuing the great tradition of Dayton dining.
When Walusis did this dinner prior to the pandemic in 2018 she featured seven courses giving the nod to The Peerless Mill, The Barnsider, King Cole, L’Auberge, Peasant Stock and Neil’s Heritage House and finishing with a dessert highlighting Watermark. She says she hopes to make the ICONS dinner an annual event, and to continue to rotate restaurants and recipes, to keep it fresh and interesting.
Tickets can be purchased online or by calling the restaurant. The ticket price of $150 per-person includes food, paired wines and gratuity but not tax.
“Memories are powerful stuff, especially sense memories … a smell, a taste, a sound. Many of us grew up around these historic restaurants, perhaps with our parents or grandparents, even. The opportunity to re-visit those experiences and – just for a moment – experience a bit of the magic once again is always a special opportunity,” said Walusis. “Since we haven’t done this dinner in almost five years, we chose to ‘re-boot’ the event with some of the same ICONS, due to their stature as Dayton institutions. We did change the dishes, however, so this is definitely a new experience. Two of them – the King Cole and L’Auberge – are kind of no-brainers.”
THE ICONS MENU
Pre-Dinner: Domestic beer, house wine or cocktail (separate purchase)
Starter, The Barnsider: Butterflied crispy fried shrimp with Barnsider cocktail sauce
Paired with: 2021 Selena Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley
Salad, Peasant Stock: Seven-layer salad with iceberg lettuce, shredded cheddar, bacon crumbles, celery, peas, red onion in a creamy sweet dressing.
Paired with: 2021 Chateau Minuty M Rosé, Provence
First Course, L’Auberge: Wiener Schnitzel with braised red cabbage, herbed spaetzle, and lemon-caper beurre blanc.
Paired with: Elena Walch Schiava, Alto Adige Italy
Credit: Chris Stewart
Credit: Chris Stewart
Main Course, King Cole: Chateaubriand with mushrooms, mashed potatoes and a sauce of red wine demi-glace
Paired with: 2020 Juan Gil Red Blend, Jumilla Spain
Dessert, Watermark: Moist Torte made with bittersweet chocolate mousse, cake, ganache, chocolate shards
Paired with: 2021 Sulin Voulet Casorzo Late Harvest Malvasia, Piedmont
It’s so fun to have a sideline seat to see local chefs and culinary talent getting creative and having fun in the kitchen. For her 2018 ICONS dinner the menu was very different, but equally delicious.
The menu for 2018 featured stuffed mushrooms au gratin inspired by Peerless Mill; artisan garden salad with French dressing inspired by King Cole; French onion soup au gratin inspired by The Barnsider, Filet of Sole inspired by L’Auberge, filet au poivre with brandy cream sauce inspired by Peasant Stock; baked Brie with charred pear inspired by Neil’s Heritage House and a Watermark Paris-Brest with crème mousseline praliné.
In 2018 Walusis shared with me in an interview ... “If it is as successful as we hope, we fully intend to make it an annual event, so that we can continue to celebrate and honor those ‘shoulders of giants’ on which we stand, and who helped form the unique and wonderful tapestry of Dayton dining.”
Little did any of us know what 2019 would bring.
It’s exciting that this wonderful, inspired idea to pay homage to some of Dayton’s best dishes didn’t die with the pandemic.
This is just one of many events coming this spring and summer to the restaurant.
“We are partnering with Paula Dytko of P3 (Paula’s Paranormal Project) to bring a new series of ghost explorations to Miamisburg. There will be special ‘Spooks & Spirits’ dinner events, as well as ghost hunts led by paranormal professionals. Paula has hosted similar events in Waynesville, Springboro, and Middletown for many years. The first dinner will be held in July,” said Walusis. “Additionally, the popular Tiki Cocktail dinner will be returning to Backwater Voodoo in the late-spring, and of course as patio season begins, our lovely outdoor space will be opening this month. Watermark will be hosting wine dinners on a monthly basis as well, with themes that change throughout the year.”
Dayton Eats looks at the regional food stories and restaurant news that make mouths water. 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.
How to go
What: ICONS dinner at Watermark
When: 5:30 p.m. April 23
Where: 20 S. 1st Street, Miamisburg
Cost: $150 per person which includes food, paired wines and gratuity, but not tax or drinks at the pre-dinner cocktail hour prior to the event.All ticket sales are final, and non-refundable. Tickets are transferrable, however, should you be unable to attend.
More information: Reservations are required and can be made by calling 937-802-0891. To learn more about Watermark visit https://eatdrinkwatermark.com
Hours: 5-9 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 5-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Watermark’s weekly specials: Wednesday night is burger night with $2 off all burgers; Thursday is $10 off bottled wine and Fridays features live music starting at 7 p.m.
Chefs whim: The seasonal “Chef’s Whim” menu at Watermark has been re-born as a monthly 3-course Prix Fixe Tasting Menu. The menu will change each month, and is typically priced between $45 and $48 for three courses. The April menu features a delightful Macadamia encrusted Mahi-Mahi filet, with coconut rice, sesame asparagus, fresh mango salsa. The other courses include a Vietnamese pork eggroll, and for dessert a delicious brown sugar shortcake, topped with strawberry & rhubarb poached in lychee juice, Japanese sake and lemon. Cost is $47 for all three.
Restaurants featured on the ICONS menu
Chef Maria Walusis has memories of the restaurants she is featuring on her ICONS dinner menu. Here’s a look at why these restaurants are highlights in Dayton’s dining history.
Credit: Jim Witmer
Credit: Jim Witmer
The Barnsider
Part of the iconic stature of The Barnsider stems from the amazing story of its founder – Mary Seto Miller. As one of the regions most successful and influential restauranteurs, it is hard to imagine the Dayton dining scene without her.
King Cole
It would not be overstatement to call this “the Grand-daddy of them all.” From the connections to the world-renowned Comisar family, to the longevity and influence through five decades in Dayton. The restaurant served the finest French food of its era.
Credit: Chris Stewart
Credit: Chris Stewart
L’Auberge
When Josef Reif and Dieter Krug opened L’Auberge in 1979, it might not have been immediately apparent to the general population what a rare and special treat we were all going to experience, but to people in the industry, everyone knew it was destined for greatness. Josef had a reputation that extended far across the country. The restaurant held a Mobil four-star rating for 19 years, and was the best example of fine dining in Dayton for many years.
Peasant Stock
A place that truly could be described as starting out as a “hidden gem”, Peasant Stock quickly became one of the “it places” to go for business dinners, date nights, and special occasions. With a unique and interesting menu, it was often noted as a “must do”. The “Seven Layer Salad” (on the menu for the ICONS event) may not have been originally created at Peasant Stock, but it is one of the dishes that diners simply could not get enough of.
— Alexis Larsen
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