Last week, Dayton Daily News Editor Ashley Bethard bought lunch as we met in the office to talk about upcoming food and dining coverage. She suggested a delivery of Koji Burger, and that suggestion could not have been better.
Just LOOK at this photo:
Now go look at the Koji Burger website. Did I get the same burger featured on its homepage, or what?
Promise delivered. Sandwich devoured.
We both got the Fried Brussels as a side, which includes Brussels sprouts, a house BBQ, mustard aioli, bonito and scallion. Chef’s kiss!
This year, the Dayton Daily News is welcoming a couple of new folks to our food content team. Each is planning to get into the kitchens of area restaurants, bars and entertainment spots to show you some of the solid choices in the Dayton and Southwest Ohio region. Follow our social media pages for more from these content creators.
We’ll keep bringing you the guides, too: You know we have some wings places to feature come Super Bowl time, and of course we’ll highlight Valentine’s Day dinner spots so you can get your date reservations made.
By the way, who has the best ranch for dipping those wings? Hmm.
Email me at mandy.gambrell@coxinc.com and let me know.
Good luck with your new year resolutions, if they are still in tact!
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Quick bites: Worth the drive
🍫Have a meltdown on purpose: This annual event near Miami University celebrates chocolate. Go there hungry!
🍴Try the deviled eggs appetizer: The Swire Inn’s rotating dishes, seasonal cocktails and live music make it a Middletown mainstay.
Question of the week
In our Dayton Food & Dining Facebook group, we asked, “have you heard of Malört, or tried it?”
The Malört liquor craze has reached Dayton, notably with the Barrel House on East Third Street. It not only offers shots of traditional Chicago staple, but also Malört infusions.
Credit: MATTHEW WARD/CONTRIBUTED
Credit: MATTHEW WARD/CONTRIBUTED
Here are some of the responses to our Facebook group question of the week:
- “Lots of uses... Drink it - Strip paint - Gasoline additive - Use it to scare animals away including skunks.”
- “Yes! Unlike others who say it tastes like it’s been filtered through shag carpeting, I find it pleasantly grapefruity.”
- “Someone described it to me as ‘if you emptied the rubber mat behind a bar into a glass.’ That scared me off, and I haven’t tried it (yet).”
- “Maybe I’m a psychopath, but it’s my favorite! Currently have 3 bottles and the Advent Calendar at home.”
- “Tastes like bad Robitussin.”
- “I have some at home. I know Barrel House has it if anyone is brave enough. It’s quite something.”
Get in on the food and dining conversation! Join us in this group and answer our weekly questions.
Food as a form of art
The University of Dayton will host a 6-day food and culture festival next month, and a light will shine on food insecurity as part of the programming.
In Russell Florence Jr.’s article about the February event, Samuel Dorf, alumni chair in the humanities, said he wants the Dayton community to know food shouldn’t merely be confined to conversations about dining.
“Food is often left out as being recognized as a form of art and is often left out as being recognized as a really critical way that we explore culture locally,” Dorf said.
Weekly recipe from Chef Whitney Kling
Before we share this recipe, we must congratulate our weekly food columnist on opening a restaurant inside The Silos!
“I have wanted to be 27 different things,” Whitney Kling tells us about her journey to opening Fėte. “A veterinarian, a rock star, an interior designer, a therapist, a baker, a child psychologist, a cheese shop owner, a champagne only bar owner, a book store owner, a fashion designer, a model, an author — just to name a few.
“My words and food have always been a side gig, something I try to chip away at in my free time. This year I get to pull my passions out of the back seat and try to make them the driver,” she said.
Fėte is “a restaurant where I can infuse each recipe with the ideas, creativity and love I have for life. My experiences, past and present, represented in the gingery punch of the peanut dressing and the smooth green-specked sauces.”
Below is one of Whitney’s popular recipes she shared with us back in November. If you subscribe to our print newspaper, Whitney’s food column publishes every Wednesday on the cover of the Lifestyles section. She has an amazing Instagram page to follow, too.
Potatoes Dauphinoise
Serves 6
Cook time 90 minutes
4 lbs. gold potatoes, washed and sliced thinly on a mandolin
2 7.5 oz. containers of crème fraîche
1 cup half & half
Kosher salt
Pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl whisk together the crème fraîche and half & half until smooth. In a shallow oiled baking dish, spread out one layer of potatoes. Do not be concerned with overlapping. In some areas there will be two or three layers of potato and this is completely fine. Spoon one cup of the crème mixture over the potatoes. Season with 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Repeat steps until you’re out of potatoes. Top with the last of the crème mixture and more salt and pepper. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour, covering with foil if the top browns too much. Serve warm.
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