Archives for June 2011

Summer of Love “Sizzling Hot Ideas for Date Night”

June 9, 2011 By Shana Lloyd Leave a Comment

Tis the season for love or a summer fling or a really hot date. Hopefully I will get to experience one of the above before the leaves start changing colors. It’s this time of year that I am reminded why I love Dayton so much. From festivals to concerts to some of the best bar patios around, this city is filled with great things to do. This week I bring to you the best spots in Dayton for a great night out with that special person but if you’re into self love like myself you can also take yourself out to one of these places.

Play Ball!

What’s better than peanuts, cold beer and baseball on a Summer day or night? Not much really. If you haven’t been to a Dayton Dragon’s game, I suggest you do. It really is the perfect setting for a date, especially a first one. A relaxed setting and sports tends to make it easier on the guys. So if he doesn’t suggest it, you should. If you’re a planner, here’s their season schedule. I’ve always found that my favorite dates are those at sports events. They’re fun and simple.

Patio Perfect.

On a summer night, what’s better than an outdoor patio? There are a lot of great places in Dayton to sit outside and enjoy conversation under starlit sky. Some of the places listed in my last column on dating by mood would apply here. Locally, Sidebar if you’re looking for fine dining, Blind Bob’s if you’re looking to just relax and have a cold one but there are more. Since I spend enough time there though, for a date there are other place I would suggest. I love Yellow Springs, especially this time of year and there is a little place I visit at least a few times in the summer, Ye Olde Trail Tavern. Nothing fancy about it, but the patio is great and if you’re a people watch you’re right on the street and can stare at passerbys. This maybe convenient if your date is a real dud. Also for a great patio experience and a great margarita there’s always Elsa’s on Linden in Kettering, though sip Bad Jauns gingerly. Being a drunk hot mess on a date could effect the chances of being asked out again, or not. While we’re on latin food, El Meson is one of my favorites and the patio, also great.

Wine Tasting. Outdoor Excursions. Dairy.

Back to Yellow Springs, The Winds Cafe. If you have not been here yet I suggest you really take a drive and do so. Seasonal menu with wines to fit. It’s a great little place, casual yet a fine dining experience. I’d like to also add that it’s very close to local bike trails. If you’re into that sort of thing, cycling that it, bike paths and hiking in Glen Helen and John Bryan State Park would be a great way idea as well. I once rode a 30 mile trail on a date, it was great. If wine is not something you’re looking for after exercise .. cool off with ice cream. Young’s Dairy is close by. What’s better than a good old fashioned date over an ice cream cone? I was born in the wrong time, I think or just enjoy the simple things either way it still works. I also hear Peach’s Grill is great, it’s on my list to try.

Music and More.

Feel like keeping it indoors and staying cool. Tis the season for great shows! The Lion King is coming to town along with many other productions. The Victoria Theater Association has events listed on their site. Riverscape downtown always has something going on as well and really is one of my favorite spots downtown, especially this time of year. Sitting on bench for a few hours talking at times can be better than anything else you’d do on a date. Check out their Summer Concert Series as well. Also, if you’re into music I would also check out Gilly’s and Blind Bob’s for there upcoming shows as well.

Festivals.

I saved the best for last. One of the things I love most about Dayton in the summer time are the festivals. Music. Food. Art. Three staples in my life. This list below are some of my favorites, but if I’ve missed something feel free to add one in comments. I’m sure I’ve missed plenty, being a transplant and all. These are upcoming.

It’s sometimes hard to come up with ideas for a date because usually the first ones can be pretty awkward. I always like to go with anything that involves having fun, is simple, in a comfortable setting and local for a few reasons. The more comfortable and fun what you plan is the less it feels like a date, the part that makes you nervous. If that doesn’t work and the date sucks, if you’re local it’s easier to plan your getaway by meeting friend close by. Yes, I’ve done this. It is what it is. If you’re in a loving relationship, these ideas also apply to you. Mix it up and have a little fun.

Till next time, thanks for reading!

Whodunit? The Mystery of Edwin Drood

June 8, 2011 By Shane Anderson 1 Comment

The Mystery of Edwin Drood

Beavercreek Community Theatre

Win Tickets! Read on!

One hundred forty one years ago today (08 June 1870) Charles Dickens suffered a stroke. The next day: dead. His last novel: unfinished.

Flash forward those 141 years (+a couple days): the audiences at Beavercreek Community Theatre will get an opportunity to determine how the plot of Dickens’ incomplete The Mystery of Edwin Drood concludes.

The novel was adapted into a Tony Award winning musical comedy in the mid-eighties by Rupert Holmes. The playwright put a unique twist on the show, by writing multiple endings that requires the audience to make choices about various characters and actions, choosing a murderer, a detective and other various participants and events that lead up to the ending. This sounds like an entertaining whodunit musical for the audience, but on the other side of the curtain…it sounds like a lot of work! Multiple endings to learn, different songs to perfect, and multiple sets of blocking and choreography to refine all must lead to hours upon hours of rehearsal devoted just the last few minutes of the production.

The show is described as a hilariously loony Victorian musical troupe takes over the stage for its production of a flamboyant rendition of an unfinished Dickens mystery.

It’s the story of John Jasper, a Jekyll-and-Hyde choirmaster portrayed by Jonathan Berry of Centerville. He is madly in love with his music student, the fair Miss Rosa Bud, played by Bethany Reid Locklear of Englewood. She, in turn, is engaged to Jasper’s nephew, young Edwin Drood, portrayed by Amy Leigh of Kettering.

onStageDayton contacted director and scenic designer Chris Harmon with a few questions about the show:

onStageDayton: The Mystery of Edwing Drood is not a title commonly found on season schedules in the area, what drew you to the script?

Chris Harmon, director

Chris Harmon: I saw The Mystery of Edwin Drood performed at the Victoria by the Human Race around 1995, I went out and bought the original Broadway cast cd and have listened to it ever since. Last year I became a member of the play selection committee at BCT and it happened to be on the list and I was immediately interested in directing it.

oSD: The show has a few unique aspects, such as the audience participation and the “show-within-a-show” concept. What kind of complications did these create for rehearsals?

CH: The audience gets to choose the detective, murderer and lovers in the show. There are so many possible combinations which make the show’s ending fresh and new every night. I am lucky to have amazing actors who took the initiative to learn their possible parts so well. The endings can’t help but to be under-rehearsed, since it would be impossible to run them all every night. It saddens me that only having 6 performances, some of the possible murderer’s will not even get a chance.

oSD: You have developed a terrific reputation as a director and scenic designer in the Miami Valley…what was your approach in your designs for this show? How did you come up with the concept & how do you go about making your design come to life?

CH: Drood is set just before the turn of the century in “The Music Hall Royale”. My inspiration for the set was actually the first place i saw the show, The Victoria Theatre. Drood is a show within a show, so the Grand Drape is used for the scene changes, so I created a music hall thrust to have enough playing space for the actors in front of the curtain. I am a very visual person and when reading a script or listening to the music, I get a picture in mind instantly, the hard part is figuring out how to execute the designs within budget and time frame.

oSD: What is your next project?

CH: My next project is directing Camp Rock at Town Hall Theatre (where i am the resident scenic artist). In community theatre I am directing Evil Dead and Chicago at BCT next season and could not be more excited about it. I am thrilled to be working with Annette Looper as choreographer for both of these.

The cast of unique and zany characters also includes Bryan Wilcox of Riverside, Jeremy D. King of West Carrollton, Jim Lockwood of Huber Heights, Lindsay Sherman of Bellbrook, Matt Owens of Beavercreek, Tara Nichole Murphy of Miamisburg, Pam McGinnis of Oakwood, Charles Larkowski and Megan Vander Kolk of Fairborn and Dayton residents, Dean Swann, Jenna Burnette, Jennifer Wilson, Michael J. Stockstill, Nicole Dine, Thomas Cole Schreier and Shawn Hooks.

Besides Chris Harmon, the production staff includes Annette Looper of Centerville as choreographer, Dr. James Tipps of Beavercreek as music director, and Kristie Lickliter of Fairborn filling the role of stage manager.

John Falkenbach of Dayton is the lighting designer, Brad Mattingly of Franklin is the orchestra director, Hans Unser of Beavercreek is the stage assistant and assistant set builder and Diana Blowers of Beavercreek is the producer.

-SA/BCT Press Release

We encourage local theatre companies to submit calendar items HERE, and official press releases to [email protected].

Tickets & Performance Information:

THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD – June 10 – 19

8pm on Fridays & Saturdays / 3pm on Sundays

Tickets are $12 for adults and $11 for members, students and senior citizens.

A group discount of $1 per ticket is available to groups of 10 or more, when purchased at the same time for the same performance.

Tickets can be reserved by calling (937) 429-4737 and leaving a message or by e-mailing [email protected]. For more information, visit the theater’s Web site at www.bctheatre.org where tickets can also be purchased online.

Beavercreek Community Theatre is located within the Lofino Adult Enrichment and Cultural Arts Center at 3868 Dayton-Xenia Road in Beavercreek.

The show, which will be presented at 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 3 p.m. on Sundays from June 10 through June 19, is actually a show within the show.

Win Free Tickets!

Beavercreek Community Theatre & onStageDayton on DaytonMostMetro.com have teamed up to give you a chance to win tickets to The Mystery of Edwin Drood! We will be giving away up to SIX pairs of tickets…We’ll select 1 winner (of a set of tickets) for every 5 FB/Twitter Shares! All you need to do is:

Share this article on Facebook or Twitter…just click the appropriate button at the top of this page.
Fill out the contact form at the bottom of this post.
The deadline to enter is Noon on SATURDAY, June 11th.
Winners will be selected randomly from all of the entries.

Error: Contact form not found.

Woody’s Latest – Midnight In Paris + Incendies!

June 8, 2011 By Jonathan McNeal Leave a Comment

Hello Everyone.

If you haven’t had a chance to see WINTER IN WARTIME, BILL CUNNINGHAM NEW YORK, and/or THE BEAVER, you only have through Thursday (6/9) to see them at THE NEON. On Friday, we will open the Oscar-nominated political thriller INCENDIES and Woody Allen’s latest film MIDNIGHT IN PARIS (check out the stellar cast in the description below). Both of these new films come with a great response from critics and audiences alike!

I’m delighted to announce a couple big changes to our calendar. 1) POTICHE has been dated for a one-week engagement. It will open on June 17. This was one of my favorites in Toronto last year (I generally don’t respond to comedies the way I do to serious films). It’s wonderfully charming, and Catherine Deneuve is superb! 2) Due to the success of THE TREE OF LIFE in larger markets, Fox Searchlight has bumped up our opening date. THE TREE OF LIFE will now open on June 24!

Synopsis for INCENDIES: “When notary Lebel sits down with Jeanne and Simon Marwan to read them their mother Nawal’s will, the twins are stunned to receive a pair of envelopes – one for the father they thought was dead and another for a brother they didn’t know existed. In this enigmatic inheritance, Jeanne sees the key to Nawal’s retreat into unexplained silence during the final weeks of her life. With Lebel’s help, the twins piece together the story of the woman who brought them into the world, discovering a tragic fate as well as the courage of an exceptional woman.” (Sony Pictures Classics) Click This Link to visit the film’s official site (the trailer will have your heading to THE NEON this weekend).

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Synopsis for MIDNIGHT IN PARIS: “Owen Wilson, Marion Cotillard, Rachel McAdams, Kathy Bates, Michael Sheen, Adrien Brody and Carla Bruni star in Woody Allen’s romantic comedy about a family on a business trip in the City of Light. As a young couple engaged to be married experiences a profound transformation during their visit to Paris, an idealistic man with a romanticized view of the city finds that there’s plenty of truth to that old adage about the grass being greener on the other side.” (Jason Buchanon, All Movie Guide) Click This Link to be directed to the official site for MIDNIGHT IN PARIS.

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We’re all set for next week’s screening of WE WERE HERE. “WE WERE HERE is the first documentary to take a deep and reflective look back at the arrival and impact of AIDS in San Francisco. It explores how the City’s inhabitants were affected by, and how they responded to, that calamitous epidemic. Though a San Francisco-based story, We Were Here extends beyond San Francisco and beyond AIDS itself. It speaks to our capacity as individuals to rise to the occasion, and to the incredible power of a community coming together with love, compassion, and determination.” WE WERE HERE will screen on June 16 at 7PM. Tickets are $8 each and are currently available at THE NEON box office. This screening is sponsored by The Greater Dayton LGBT Center. Be sure to take a look at thetrailer, and get your tickets early. After the film, we will have a discussion with representatives from AIDS Resource Center Ohio, Miami Valley Poz 4 Poz, an early HIV/AIDS community educator, and more. Additionally, we will have the opportunity to see a series of incredible photographs in THE NEON’s lobby. Here’s the story:Approximately half way through WE WERE HERE, there are several beautiful and chilling photos of a man with AIDS. These photos were the final project of the late John Davis of Dayton. His sister contacted me a couple weeks ago and offered us the opportunity to display the entire series. THE NEON will hang all 17 photographs in our lobby before the screening.

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THE NEON has been rented out for a special screening of BICYCLE DREAMS. Advance tickets ($10 each + $1 handling fee) must be purchased on-line (visit Link). Remaining tickets will be sold at the door the night of the event for $15 each. “BICYCLE DREAMS tells the true story of the Race Across America, a 3000-mile bicycle race that challenges riders to cross the country in just ten days. They must overcome searing desert hear, agonizing mountain climbs, and endless stretches of open road, all while battling extreme exhaustion and sleep deprivation. But when tragedy strikes the race, this simple test of human endurance is instantly transformed into something far more daunting. These voyageurs discover what is truly at stake as they pedal on, praying for the deliverance only the finish line can bring. By journey’s end, some are saved, others are lost, but all learn that the fuel that takes a soul toward its own true destiny is desire.” (taken from press notes)

Hope to see you soon,

Jonathan

SHOWTIMES for June 10 – June 16:

MIDNIGHT IN PARIS (PG-13) 1 Hr 40 Min

Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 12:50, 3:00, 5:10, 7:30, 9:45

Monday – Thursday: 3:00, 5:10, 7:30, 9:45

INCENDIES (R) 2 Hr 10 Min

Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 1:00, 4:15, 7:00, 9:30

Monday – Wednesday: 2:45, 5:15, 8:00

Thursday: 2:45, 9:45

WE WERE HERE (NR) 1 Hr 30 Min + Discussion

Thursday: 7:00

COMING SOON:

As always, all dates are tentative. Some of these dates will change.

In some cases, titles may disappear.

June 17 POTICHE

June 24 TREE OF LIFE

July 1 DOUBLE HOUR

July 8 BUCK

July 15   PAGE ONE: INSIDE THE NEW YORK TIMES

July 15   BEGINNERS

Aug 5   SNOW FLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN

Aug 26 ANOTHER EARTH

An Interview In Five Easy Pieces

June 8, 2011 By J.T. Ryder Leave a Comment

Dave Dugan: Corporate Comic, Stand-Up Comedian And Voice Over Talent

When you see Dave Dugan perform, you may be reminded of some of those well meaning television dads who mete out their sage wisdom in a fumblingly laconic manner, usually with horrific results. His stand up comedy hinges on eloquent misdirection and an ironic demeanor that is somewhat incongruous with the situations he finds himself in. Having done hundreds upon hundreds of voice over gigs, from Midas Mufflers to Microsoft, it’s a good bet that you have heard of Dave Dugan before and just don’t know it. Having seen him perform several times, I wanted to talk with him in more depth about his voice over talents…

J.T.: Since you do so much voice over work, do you have a ritual to prepare for the particular mood or emotion you need to convey?
Dave: Sure, if they want a manly, gritty read, I chop some kindlin’ and gargle some Jack Daniels. If they want me to be all sensitive, I crank up the Tori Amos and shave with a Daisy Razor.

J.T.: Do you ever have to perform a series of intentional “outtakes” just to get some of the funny stuff out of your head so you can do a serious take?
Dave: Recently, I voiced fun facts about California for anyone renting a car in the state to hear on their navigation system. The script was of record length …took 8 days to record! Outtakes were plentiful just to keep from going stir crazy.

J.T.: What is probably the most difficult voice over that you have had to so?
Dave: I auditioned for roles in an Italian animated series that was sold to an American (broadcaster) and therefore needing English speaking voices to translate the original lines. I ended up getting the roles of two characters. One voice was a very screechy, evil bird character and for the audition I went way out of my voice range. Then when it came time to do the actual read for the show, the character had tons of lines. I strained myself big time. Pretty sure I may have collapsed a lung…

J.T.: With your comedy, your approach is so deadpan…do some audiences have difficulty in picking up on the subtleties of your act?
Dave: Sometimes a few audience members just don’t get it… and they are always asked to leave. No, not really…I’m just kidding. I usually try and play off their not following me with a series of random audience involvement comments. After doing standup comedy this long, I know I may have to make adjustments from time to time to please all audiences.

J.T.: What is your ultimate Spinal Tap moment?
Dave: A booker once scheduled me to headline ‘ a club’ in Napa Valley, California. I had visions of smart, jaded audiences sipping fine wine and appreciating my most obscure comments. Turned out to be a biker bar. Before the show was over a biker chick came up on stage and tried to wrestle me to the ground.
To save face, I made cracks about the absurdity of it all, which only seemed to make her angrier. Fortunately, her 300 pound boyfriend found that part of the show amusing and I was allowed to settle up and leave without being maimed or beheaded.

You can check out Dave Dugan live at Wiley’s Comedy Niteclub at 101 Pine St. on Thursday June 9th at 8:00pm, Friday June 10th at 9:00pm and June 11th at 8:00pm and 10:30pm. Tickets range from $5 to $12, but for our DaytonMostMetro.com readers, you can mention you read this article when you make your reservations and receive a two for one admission price.

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The People in my Neighborhood

June 8, 2011 By Megan Cooper 4 Comments

Who are the people in your neighborhood?
…in your neighborhood?
…in your neighborhood?
Oh, who are the people in your neighborhood?
The people that you meet on the bus…

As I’m wrapping up my week on the bus and bike routes, I’m thinking about the people. Some people I had conversations with. Some people I overheard conversations. Some people I avoided. Here are some of the highlights.

First things first – the driver sets the mood, and the drivers all had a great attitude. Every time I got on or off a bus – the driver was welcoming and friendly and always wished people well when they left the bus.
Good start to my week: Conversation with dude on my first bus when we got off at the same transfer stop. Guess what – new to town! Moved here from Baltimore two weeks ago to start a new job, and RTA is his main source of transportation. He wasn’t a fan of the B-more mass transit; he considers the Dayton system to be comprehensive and easy to use. Already he’s a pro and was totally helping me and giving me advice on how to catch the right bus and not to get stuck in “alternating routes.” Super nice.
When I climbed onto my first really full bus, I slid to the back and tried to get out of the aisle. A gentleman offered me his seat. Now, I’m not limping or on crutches or with multiple bags, but I am a girl in heels who’s trying to hold on. And he offered me his seat. Not turning this into a ‘Giving Tree’ moment – I know it was just a seat on a bus – but I was grateful for the simple demonstration of courtesy. Three cheers for Midwestern politeness, because you don’t always get that.
On one ride, I decide to be a snoop; I’m wondering what people are doing on the bus. Lots just sitting, lots reading, multiple ipod buds in ears. Right in front of me is a lady reviewing her daughter’s writing assignment (yeah, I looked) and there’s woman with a toddler playing across the aisle. People just doing their thing and getting where they’re going. As an older guy got on, a 20-something girl proactively moved to the back to give him her seat. He passed it by and wandered toward the back where someone else made the move and stood for him.
You already know that the grocery shopping wasn’t an easy experience for me. But what made it better was help from the people who were waiting at the stop with me. As I started to pick up my bags, the young guy waiting offered to help carry them. Then, a woman (who already had her hands full) said she could rearrange and take a bag or two. It wasn’t necessary, but it was so incredibly nice.
When the intention is good, but the delivery fails, those acts of kindness can be tougher to see. That’s when it becomes a challenge to give someone the benefit of the doubt. I got off the bus at the hub downtown, and I got hit on with the fancy line: “You make me wish I was taller. You’re real pretty.” I’m an independent woman, don’t hit on me, you can’t demean me like that way, I want to say, “of course, because the only reason we’re not dating is because I’m taller than you.” But I resist the urge to be a big jerk and I say, “Thank you.” That simple acknowledgement solicited “It’s hot today, you be careful and have a nice day.” And he walked on… He wasn’t aggressive. He didn’t want money, he just wanted to (politely, albeit awkwardly) compliment a girl who was walking by.
Of course, sometimes what could be uncomfortable turns into something slightly humorous when you’re sharing it with other people. On one crowded bus, a rider was speaking loudly into his phone. He was explaining that he had purchased food (“a fish sandwich and fries… and it smells good”) with his paycheck and not drugs. A little weird? Yup. Kinda funny? Yup – especially if you consider the woman across the aisle from me who was offering commentary under her breath. He wasn’t threatening anyone; he wasn’t even addressing anyone on the bus. He was having his own conversation and we just happened to be present. It was one of those events that bonds you to other people who are experiencing it.
There was also the woman at the bus stop who really, really wanted to talk to me. She shared personal tidbits about her medication and conversations she has with her doctor. She talked about her family. She talked about which bus she was going to take. And she talked about a few other things that I couldn’t catch. My response? I listened and talked with her for a bit and then decided that I was done, so I picked up my cell phone and excused myself b/c I had to make a call.
Those friendly bikers! (Photo from Five Rivers Metroparks Web site)
I also got to enjoy a handful of musical interpretations. Hanging out at the hub, there are plenty of people listening to music via earbuds. One particularly boisterous teenager included some dancing and singing as he was enjoying his music. He was doing it for himself – perfectly content to feel the music and let it come out. We just happened to be honored and/or annoyed to witness it.
AND bike related: I don’t know if cyclists follow the rules of the sea, but everyone I passed who was on a bike when I was on my bike either nodded or said hello or somehow acknowledged that we share a common bond. I almost felt like a fake (“I’m not really one of you”), until I embraced it and decided that regardless of what comes tomorrow – I’m a cyclist today!

So, what am I getting at? I think when my car is my main source of transportation, I lose that personal interaction. And some of that interaction is creepy. And some of it makes you uncomfortable or compels you to hold your purse closer. But some of it is just someone wishing you a nice day and wanting to offer a smile. Some of it is a person offering a total stranger a seat. But, even when it was weird, it was okay. For good or bad, those are the people in my neighborhood.

“Excuse me, sir – what is your job in the neighborhood?”
“You’re kidding me.”
“No, really – what’s your job?”
“I’m an elephant trainer… Look at me – I’m driving a bus!”
“Then you must be a bus driver.”
“Oh, you’re brilliant.”

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Bring Your own Bucket Special at Bullwinkle’s

June 7, 2011 By Lisa Grigsby Leave a Comment

I found this on Bullwinkle’s facebook page and wanted to share it with you all:

Many years ago, Bullwinkle’s used to have Beer-in-a-Bucket. But due to the unwillingness of those patrons of many moons ago, the buckets would “mysteriously” disappear from Bullwinkle’s until there were no more buckets for beer. One evening, a group of employees from the old Mound plant came down to enjoy a few buckets of beer. Sadly, no buckets were left. But these great drinkers had a brilliant mind with them and he said, “Well I want a bucket of beer. Point me to the nearest hardware store and I’ll get a bucket for myself and you can fill it up!” Given directions, our great man trudged off and returned victoriously with bucket in hand! “Ha-zah!” he was saluted by his co-workers. From that night on, this same man brought his bucket back to Bullwinkle’s so we could fill up that bucket with beer. Sadly, this great thinking man recently passed away, and his story was told to the Moose one night, during a break in trivia, about his ingenuity in bringing his own bucket. Thus, a new drink special and was launched and now is your chance to have some fun with us!

Bullwinkle’s is introducing BRING YOUR OWN BUCKET specials at Bullwinkle’s Top Hat Bistro! This isn’t just one night a week, it’s EVERY NIGHT! Yes, it’s your chance to have fun and get creative with this little dandy of drinking fun! The drink prices when you bring your own bucket are the following (ice is free of course):

Domestic Beers are $10 per bucket (or $2 a bottle)
Imports Beers are $15 per bucket (or $3 a bottle)

Fellow lovers of the barley and hops, this is also a chance for you to get creative with this new drink special! Yes, we’re encouraging you to start making this bucket of yours a continuously changing work of art. Customize it with stickers, paint it, if you loved doing macaroni art back in elementary school now’s your chance to do more! Decorate it as you see fit (please keep your bucket tasteful though, we do have families with kids who come here) but have a great time making your bucket your own. Are you an entrepreneurial type person? Create and design buckets for your family and friends!

To encourage creativity and uniqueness, Bullwinkles is going to be holding “Beautiful and Best Designed Bucket of the Week” on Thursday nights! Put your bucket up against the best the Dayton area has to offer and if you win, you’ll win a free bucket of beer for the night, on us. They’ll have judges there to decide which bucket is the best and if you win, you’re set for that round, or even a few rounds!

This special starts now, so stop by your local hardware store and pick up a good bucket that’ll easily hold 5 bottles of beer! Have fun and be creative! We’ll see you at Bullwinkle’s!

(just don’t forget your bucket)

Seafood Lovers Wine Tasting

June 7, 2011 By Lisa Grigsby Leave a Comment

From the docked boat that greets you at the entrance, to the indoor waterfall surrounded by palm trees and beach inspired decor, a trip to The Dock in Enon can sure make you feel like you’re at the beach. Join them on Thurs, June 9th as they present a wine tasting featuring 7 wines and an apetizer buffet buffet and that seaside feeling will be reinforced by the seafood pairing matched with wines presented by Allied Wines Manager Amy Tierney. The menu includes:

Reception: Rodney Strong Charlottes Home Vineyard, Sauvignon Blanc, Sonoma

Wine: Garnet Pinot Noir, Sonoma
Paired with: Individual Beef Wellingtons

Wine: Beringer Alluvium Blanc, Napa Valley
Paired with: Chilled Island Shrimp Kabobs

Wine: Layer Cake Chardonnay ,California
Paired with: Seared Ahi Tuna on Toast Points

Wine: Simply Naked Pinot Grigio, California
Paired with: Fried Soft Shelled Blue Crab on Toast

Wine: Colores Del Sol Malbec, Argentinal
Paired with: Crab Stuffed Mushrooms with Lobster Sauce

Wine: Menage A Trois White Blend, Californial

Paired with: Homemade Cheesecake with Apple-Walnut Chutney

To make reservations to attend the tastings for $37.99 per person, call The Dock at 937- 864-5011.

A strategic game of chess… err – Bus riding

June 6, 2011 By Megan Cooper 6 Comments

Friday, Friday, Friday. Half workday, half weekend. And enough travel for both. Getting to work and getting home with my new friends Bus and Bike were golden. I even coordinated a perfectly timed bus/bike trip home over my lunch hour! Excellent. However, end of Friday = going out on the town. And of course, a First Friday falls right in the middle of this little experiment. So, I get home in plenty of time. Get ready. Get the dog fed. And get out the door with my guy (who is a trooper again!). And as I’m steps away from the bus stop … It rolls right past us. Drat! (And I can’t even blame the bus for being early; this is another case of user error.)

So, we think about our options. 1) We can wait 45 minutes for the next bus. Nope – that would get us into the city too late to meet up with our friends. 2) We can go to the bus stop on the other side of the neighborhood to catch a different route. Feasible – but checking the schedule – both buses pass by opposite ends of the neighborhood at the same time. If we missed one – we’ve missed them both. 3) We can bike into the city to get around and plan to bus home. Unfortunately, we’re a one-bike household, and hopping on the handlebars doesn’t work as well as it did when I was 8 years old. 4) I, still personally car-less, can ride-share with someone else who is going downtown anyway. We rationalize it enough and I hop in the passenger side of the car.

We park centrally and get walking – hitting up RiverScape, the Cannery and the Oregon District in the course of the night. Passing by many, many zombies (and a few friends) on the way back to the car. Good thing we had the car – no buses were running by the time our night came to a close. We would have cabbed it home or ditched out early. That’s life without a car, but I was car-pooling!

So – back to being 100% car-less for Saturday. Ready to work and make up for Friday night’s carpool. Started the day off right with a nice walk for some coffee. And then planned to spend the afternoon cleaning, doing laundry and grocery shopping. Oh – cripe! Grocery shopping. And I’ll tell you – it was worse than I thought. Checking the online trip planner, they recommend taking a bus a few miles in the opposite direction of where I’m headed in order to grab a transfer and come back to be dropped off directly next to the store. However, I decide that being family able-bodied that I’ll take a direct bus down to a stop less than 1/2 mile from the grocery and walk over. No problem.

Except now that I’m in the store, I’m feeling the pressure. As readers have advised, I need to be at my bus stop 5 minutes early. I usually can enjoy grocery shopping, but with the pressure of the bus schedule on my mind, there’s no cruising the aisles and finding something new to try or comparing prices for me. I’m in the store feeling the stress; I’m rushing up and down aisles, grabbing just what I need, and getting up to the check-out line within 30 minutes to catch the next bus back out. I’m even making the choice NOT to buy some heavier objects because I’m thinking of how to carry everything. I get out to the bus stop, unload my bags from the cart, rush the cart back to the parking lot, and get seated 5 minutes early. And I wait. And I wait. And the bus is 10 minutes late.

Finally, as the bus is pulling up, nice guy next to me on the bench offers to help load my bags onto the bus. I’m ready to set them on the floor by a seat, but he kindly points out the lil’ area up front specifically designed for this stuff. Yay for help! Since I made the decision not to buy the heavy stuff on this trip, I opt to take a direct route to my neighborhood. Then I walk the 0.3 miles to my home. Longest walk of my life. Even without that case of beer, the groceries are making their weight known. The crazy heat and humidity that rolled in Saturday afternoon didn’t help either.

Lesson learned: Strategy is important. I’m being somewhat fast and loose with my decisions because I’m experimenting through trial and error and checking out all sorts of different options. If this were my life, both experience and necessity would lead to specific choices. Grocery shopping on the bus requires making the right choices: a smaller trip with manageable bags is walkable, a lil’ foldaway cart to roll groceries home can help, or a careful selection of products (i.e. not ice cream) allows you to take the bus that requires a 45 minute trip.

As afternoon turns to evening, I’m heading to church. Even though there’s a church within walking distance, we’re members somewhere a bit further off. And there’s a perfect bus to get us to our church at a decent time, but not so much to get home. And lo, another slight inconvenience of this adventure: an unfortunate lack of choice. Now, is there anything wrong with this local church? Of course not,we just don’t happen to choose it. But Saturday, we didn’t get the luxury of choice.

After church, it’s time to plan for the evening. Since I just did grocery shopping, I wasn’t anticipating dinner downtown, but with the bus schedule being what it was – I had no choice. There was no option for dinner at home and catching a bus for the show. So – we rode. Zoomed right down to the front door of the restaurant, had a relaxed dinner and then picked up a different bus about an hour later to get to the hub. It was a short walk from the hub to the Victoria Theater and we were on-time for the concert.

Post-concert was more of a challenge. It’s that need for strategy coupled with the lack of leisure time. By the time we got out of the show, there was only one bus we could catch to get us back home. We had an hour to kill, but it wasn’t quite enough time to join the crew for the official after-show party. Plus – it was raining. Hard. So, we ran next door to Uno’s, hung out at the bar to kill some time, and then we ran for the hub and waited for the bus. I usually down-size the purse when going out for the evening, but again – the bus requires strategy. I should have packed a larger bag with a sweater and umbrella, instead I just got cold and wet.

Sunday – was an “off day.” Not for any reason than I’m designating this adventure about being car-less in Dayton. ‘Tis the season for graduation parties, so I headed to Columbus for the family. I suppose I could have bused to the airport, flew to Columbus, taken the COTA out to the party and then reversed it all to get home. But I didn’t. And I’m okay with that. Hope you are, too.

Up next – my last days car-less and learning more about the people who ride the bus.

Will You Help Fund the 5th Annual Horror Movie Marathon?

June 6, 2011 By Dayton Most Metro Leave a Comment

Since 2007, the Little Art Theatre, now a nonprofit cinema, has hosted a horror movie marathon each October. The marathon has featured at least seven feature-length films annually, in addition to dozens of classic trailers, a costume contest, concessions, and more. Films have included classics as varied as Psycho, The Shining, Jaws, Videodrome, The Evil Dead, Evil Dead II, The Thing, Re-Animator, Repulsion, Night of the Living Dead, and Eraserhead. In past years the lineup has also included an area premiere, examples being Black Sheep, Splinter, The House of the Devil, and Best Worst Movie.

The cost of classic film rental and/or licensing is increasingly prohibitive. Each year, this event has grown its audience, but it’s always a struggle to break even while still putting on a worthwhile event. Though our preference would be to show 35mm prints of all the featured films, in the last couple of years we’ve turned to projecting films digitally in high-definition in an attempt to reduce costs. The event is always staffed by volunteers, and is often understaffed in critical areas like concession sales and projection.

We want this event to survive. We have a ton of fun putting it on, and we always get great feedback from our audience, who have come to look forward to the event each year. Yet each fall it becomes more and more difficult to plan the event with little feel for how it will perform, and weighing the very real risk that the event will lose money.

We need your help. We’ve set a goal of $2,500, which is the minimum cost to put on the marathon we’ve all come to know and love each year. In exchange for your $25+ contribution, you’ll be able to reserve your seat(s), and at the $100+ level you can also get a limited edition t-shirt, designed especially for the marathon.

If we exceed our minimum goal, every dollar you contribute above that will be invested in the event, too. We don’t just want the event to continue, we want it to be better than ever. That means:

1) More 35mm prints. See classic horror flicks in the highest possible resolution, in 35mm, on the big screen.

2) More films. Imagine a super-sized lineup — more than our usual seven or eight films. We’ve always reluctantly dreamed of putting on a 24-hour marathon, with a wide variety of classic fare — from suspense to hard gore. If you help us raise the money, we’ll summon the stamina.

3) More staff. Keeping a massive crowd well attended in a venue as cozy as ours for more than half-a-day is a challenge. If we can bring on more of our regular staff (in addition to our excellent volunteers) for the marathon, we’ll have the person-power to keep a better eye on the auditorium for disruptions like talkers and cell phone-abusers; to keep the concession stand fully stocked and operational throughout the entire event; and to tend to running projection more smoothly than ever.

This fest will only continue if they can reach the $2500 goal in funding by Wed, June 22nd. As of this morning they had $575 raised. If you’d like to help click on the green button to the left.

Yellow Springs Street Fair is Coming!

June 6, 2011 By Nancy Mellon Leave a Comment

Street Fair is Coming!

Plans for summer events are really brewing around Yellow Springs. The Chamber is full of signs ready to go out and huge maps of booth positions. Artists are dropping in with questions. You can feel the energy in the air. Street Fair is coming June 11th 9 a.m.-5 p.m.! Everywhere I turn, artists are working feverishly to get a booth full of pottery, sculpture, paintings, hand-crafted clothes, bags or unique jewelry ready for you.

One of my favorites is Jennifer Float’s booth with her colorful and whimsical paintings. Jenny is a happy painter. She has a very high “Awww” factor. Everyone smiles when they see her work. For the last 2 months, every time I see Jenny shop sitting at Village Artisans (an artist co-op in Yellow Springs) she has half-done canvases stacked on every surface and a brush in hand. Jenny doesn’t do much sitting when she shop-sits.

So, you probably know about Street Fair, but do you know about some of the other cool events being planned for this summer? On June 17^th, the Friday after Street Fair, is Yellow Springs’ Art Stroll from 6-9 p.m. One of my favorite shows is happening that night. Every 2 years is the Miniature Show at “would you could you In A Frame,” at 113 Corry Street. This year, fifty-two artists have created over 100 pieces of fabulous, tiny art. Included are 3-D works, paintings, embroideries, encaustics and more, all no larger than 3 inches x 2 inches.

Art by Lance Rudegeair

The new gallery in town is Springs Gallery in King’s Yard, 220 Xenia Avenue. It will have its Grand Opening celebration during Art Stroll. I’ve already had a peek inside and loved the art. Many of their artists will be present at the opening.

The Yellow Springs Arts Council Gallery, 309 Xenia Ave. is having a great reception that will include art, live music and belly dancing.

Also on Art Stroll night, the Art’s Council in partnership with the Jafagirls is going to have a truly disgusting, Interactive Public Art Project at the Art Park at 100 Corry Street. The world’s first Traveling Gum Wall will be there. This summer and fall the Traveling Gum Wall is going to be popping up all over town, serving as a fundraiser for the Arts Council. Gum is sold for a buck a piece. You buy the gum, chew, chew some more, squish it onto the Gum Wall, and then sign the back.

Whoops, almost forgot, the Gum Wall will be at Street Fair too at the Arts Council’s Oasis, 309 Xenia Ave.

Much more is going on during Art Stroll, Art Sale at Village Artisans, live music, beer making demo, wine tasting, Free Art Friday,….

Maybe I better explain Free Art Friday. It’s a movement around the world to leave art on the streets for anyone to find and take home. It’s been a while since the Jafagirls of Yellow Springs have done a Free Art Friday. But the word is out, Friday the 17^th there will be art for the finding. (Check the trees!)

Quick run down of other offerings for the summer: Twice a month, 1^st and 3^rd Saturdays, will be “Dance Piazza” with DJ Juju at the Art Park, 100 Corry Street.

From 7-8 p.m. there are dance instructors to show steps to anyone who wants to join in. From 8-10 p.m. It’s an international Dance Party with DJ Juju.

Here is a list of the styles of Dance taught for the first hour of each Dance Piazza. The last two hours dance any which way you please!

JUNE 18 – International Folk Dances with Miami Valley Folk Dancers
JULY 2 – Bhangra (Punjabi Folk Dance) with Karanvir Singh
JULY 16 – Swing Dance with Jill Christie of the Dayton Ballroom Dance Club
AUGUST 6 – Mexican Folk Dance with Nuestro Orgullo youth dance troupe
AUGUST 20 – Flamenco Dance & Guitar with Mariya Tarakanova & Brent Del Bianco of Flamencotalk
SEPTEMBER 3 – West African Drum & Dance with BabaaRitah Clark
SEPTEMBER 17 – Appalachian Clogging & Old Time Music with Rick Good (formerly of Rhythm in Shoes) & Friends

July brings : The Cotton Club” a YS Kids Playhouse jazz musical and the “Yellow Springs Experience.” July 15^{th –}17^th three days and nights filled with the “Cirque Carnival,” Live music and Dance, Wellness and Spa Sessions, Nature Hikes and Art Workshops. Woo hoo! Tell you more about that later.

See you in the Springs!

4 Quick and dirty tips for making the most of an Open House

June 4, 2011 By Teri Lussier 2 Comments

This Sunday, June 5, 2011 is the big Nationwide Open House Weekend. The National Association of Realtors hosts one every year and the Dayton Area Board of Realtors has offered up some incentives for you to visit at least one Open House. This year, as in the past, when you sign up at an Open House, your name will get placed in a drawing for a $100.00 Lowe’s Gift Card- not too shabby? Even if you are not part of the DIY Nation, who doesn’t need light bulbs and batteries? Winners are notified by phone so you will have to leave a name and phone number, but you are not obligated to leave any other information.

Let’s talk honestly. Sometimes buyers are a little wary of visiting Open Houses because they assume, rightly or wrongly, that they are going to be accosted by pushy Realtors, so let me give you some tips for making an Open House trip more productive, less painful.

1) Don’t try to avoid the Realtor. We do need a record of who is visiting the home, it’s something we are obligated to do for the sellers. You wouldn’t want random folks walking in and wondering around your home, would you? No one does, and an Open House doesn’t change that. We know there are a plethora of reasons why people visit Open Houses- we are okay with that, but realize you are a guest and will be expected to sign in with at least a name.

2) About the reasons you are there? Whatever they are, it’s fine. The best thing to do, as always, just be honest about why you are there: You are a neighbor and always wanted to see the home; or you are looking for decorating tips; or you are looking for a home for yourself or a family member- whatever your reason, it’s okay for you to admit it up front. The Realtor will appreciate the honesty, and then she can be helpful. If you are there for decorating tips, the Realtor can find out where items were purchased, what the color the master bedroom walls are painted, and who does the landscaping.

3) If you are working with another REALTOR, tell the hosting REALTOR upfront. Realtors have cooperating agreements with each other, which means that even if you are working with another Realtor, we will be happy to give you details about the property, because ultimately we are there to sell the home. Just remember that hosting Realtors work for the seller, so be careful about what you say- it could be shared with sellers.

4) If you are not currently working with a Realtor, you can use Open Houses to interview them. When an Open House is busy, you may not get the time to talk in private or indepth, but you will certainly get a good indication of whether or not you want to have that Realtor help you with such an important transaction.

Don’t pass up a great Open House just because you don’t want to talk to a Realtor. Understand the dynamics of situation, be clear about your goals going in, and above all, have fun!

For a list of Open Houses on this or any given Sunday, try this link.

I feel happy of myself…

June 4, 2011 By Megan Cooper 2 Comments

The bike is a great way to get to lots of downtown destinations

(Note: Thanks to Five Rivers MetroParks pal Valerie Beerbower for a little extra inspiration and the title this article. See video below for insights.)

As you know, on my first day of this adventure I was not at my best. A very promising start got me a little cocky about the ease of bus riding and I let down my guard. Okay – so you can’t just show up at the bus stop and hope a bus is there within 5 minutes each time. Lesson learned – when busing, I will respect the time table.

Today, I added the bike into the mix. As I’ve shared, I’m not what you would call an expert biker. I actually imagine that this is what I look like to observers seeing me cruise by. (AND I really want a basket.)

So, what is a muppet to do? Fake it!

Where am I?

Morning commute: I coasted to the bus stop right by my house and waited the few minutes until my bus arrived – clean, pretty empty (maybe 8 people?) and on-time. Got my bike on the bike rack easy breezy. (But I probably would have been confused if I wasn’t a nerd who appreciates a good how-to video; I recommend watching it if you’re going to bring your bike on the bus.) Traveled to a stop about 3/4 mile from work where I hopped off the bus and hopped on the bike. Enjoyed the smell of fresh cut grass the last few minutes of the trip. Total travel time – 15 minutes. Are you kidding me? It takes 10 minutes to drive. It’s another good start to the day.

Lunch errands: This is when the appreciation for bike riding really hit. I had to travel the 1 mile into downtown to drop something off, I wanted to buy my tickets to the Dayton Gay Men’s Chorus concert (save $5/ticket by buying in advance), and I had to pick up lunch.

Quick stop for lunch

I headed out of my work parking lot and there goes another biker gliding by. We give the obligatory nod/smile (which translates to “look at us out here being awesome while all those people are still in their cars” or maybe it just means “hi,” but I’m taking it to mean I’m part of a club now). And since he’s going in my direction, I follow behind.And I quickly lose speed. And although I’m trying to follow all the rules (riding in the street, signalling turns, etc) – I realize that I’m not the kind of biker that cars can feel confident near. I know you “real” bikers will be disgusted with me, but I cheated. I rode on some sidewalks. Some of it was to make me feel safer, some of it was to let the cars know that I wasn’t going to topple into their line of traffic, and some of it was because it was convenient. But, however I got there – I did get there – and it was better on a bike!

Shopping cart on the Merc - a sight you don't see speeding by in a car.

Errand one: Locked up right in front of the Key Bank building (which you can’t do in a car).
Errand two: The box office was moved to the Victoria Theater due to an event in the Schuster Center, so I unlocked, coasted the 2 blocks down Main and locked up again right in front of the theater (another one you can’t do in a car).
Lunch: the lovely day inspired me to hit Second Street Market for some yummy carry-out.

Total distance: 3 miles. Total elapsed time: 45 minutes.

And I loved it! And I appreciated going slowly enough to enjoy the sunshine and cool art in windows and the general city sights. But I know myself well enough to know why I really loved it – it’s an easy ride. Dayton is FLAT. Sure, getting to the central business district is easy from every direction, but going away from the CBD means you’re riding up hill no matter which direction you’re heading. But there’s a great 3 mile (ish) area right across downtown that is flat and easy. So, I bus into town – bike around town – and bus home. It’s perfect for the non-athlete. Plus, the bus schedules being what they are – my errands are on my time.

The doorstep of the UD campus is as far as I go. Since my Hills and Dales experience, I take Far HILLS seriously.

So, next up – after the end of a work day, I coast over to an RTA stop that will take me directly home. That’s the beauty of the bike. Normally, I would catch the convenient stop right in front of work. But with two wheels, going a different direction for about a mile makes a lot of sense to bypass the need for a transfer. And when I got there – I kept going! It was a nice day. I had on a decent pair of shoes. I just kept rolling right along until I could roll on flat land no longer. Chilled on a nice stop with a bench and waited for my bus.

Evening Activities: And guess what? It’s my wedding anniversary! Me and my guy had dinner plans to check out the new Meadowlark location. He offered to drive, but since this is the definition of “for better or for worse,” he rode along with me. Straight shot there and back. First bus was about five minutes late, but on a nice day hanging out with good company – that’s no big deal. Now, I did have to keep an eye on my watch a little more than I would have if we would have had a car in the parking lot, but the way the schedule worked, we got there around 7 and were able to enjoy a couple hours of dinner and drinks before being outside to catch the next bus. Not too bad at all! And the final bus back home? Just fine.

So, overall: a very nice carless day. I will grant you that the weather was ideal and I can’t count on that all the time, but I was happy to enjoy it. Days like today make me think I can do this more often. I’m going to have to experiment more with RTA and my bike, but if the weather is right, the financial cost isn’t too much, and the schedule is open – I could make this a thing once or twice a week. I’m giving two thumbs up (for today) to the RTA/bike combo. We’ll see what tomorrow brings, but for today – I feel happy of myself. Rock and roll…

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaIvk1cSyG8&feature=player_embedded’]

Silk in a Glass

June 3, 2011 By Brian Petro 1 Comment

Louis XIII

T-Pain wants to buy you a draaaank.

During T-Pain’s song “Buy U A Drank”, Yung Joc discusses buying a few shots of Louis XIII cognac for himself and a lady friend. If you are going to discuss cognac, one of the things that should be included is the role that hip hop music played in not only increasing the visibility of the liquor, but how it revived a dying industry. In the late 1990’s, cognac sales were evaporating. The Asian markets, cognac’s largest market at the time, were in a tail spin, and Europeans were discovering the joys of single malt scotch. No one was particularly interested in this painstakingly made, elegant, complicated spirit. Then almost overnight, with the release of Busta Rhymes’ “Pass the Courvosier”, cognac was jumping up the liquor charts, hitting over $1 billion in sales in just the U.S.A. alone by 2003. Cognac was back, and a small region in France could not be happier.

Cognac has always enjoyed a reputation of being a high class, refined drink. (I have yet to hear the story of crazy college benders on cognac.) Part of the reason it is such a high cost drink is the strict limitations that are put upon it by the French government. There are only three grapes that can be used to make 90% of what goes in a bottle of cognac: Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche, and Colombard. There are even restrictions on what grapes can make up that last 10%. Those grapes must be grown in a region of France about 310 sq. mi., or a little smaller than Indianapolis, IN. The chalky soil of the region (and the more and softer the chalk, the better) produces a grape that is higher in acid. This grape would produce a terrible wine, but it is perfect for distilling. The distillation of cognac can only be done from November through March, and must be done in copper pot stills, called alembics. Copper is used because it will not change the flavor of the product being produced in it. Remember, all of this is legally required.

The aging process

That is just growing it. Now we can start creating it. At first, the growers pick and squeeze the grapes in October as if they were producing wine. For two to three weeks, the grape juice gets to just relax and ferment like nature intended. Ultimately it produces a low alcohol (7-8% ABV), acidic wine they then run through the pot still, extracting the eau-de-vie (water of life), getting rid of the too weak and too strong flavors, and finally ending up at a respectable, 70% ABV beverage. All of this has to be (legally) finished by March 31^st following the October harvest. This liquid ambrosia is then poured into charred oaken casks where it straightens up, and after two years, is free to become the finest spirit in the world. During the aging process, the raw spirit absorbs the flavor of the oak and gets deeper in color. Oak is not air tight, either. Millions of bottles of cognac evaporate every year during the maturation process, a portion that cognac makers refer to as the “angel’s share”. Angels like it so much that they are the second largest market for cognac, after the United States. The longer the eau-de-vie is allowed to stay in the cask, the deeper and richer the final product is going to be. While the minimum is two years, most cognacs are aged far longer than that, some going as long as fifty years in the cask.

After two paragraphs, you would think the story about creating cognac was complete. There is one final phase: blending. You do not simply crack open a cask and start bottling it. Every house that makes cognac has a master blender, whose job it is to taste and smell each of the different liquids coming out of the casks, across a wide variety of years and regions, and then combines them into a single spirit with a consistent taste. As the current cellar master at Remy Martin puts it, she “has to manage the present, and predict the future” when preparing the blends. Each blend is then married and then bottled, though sometimes it is allowed some time to fully blend in large glass storage units before bottling for the public. After it is bottled, it gets labeled. Remember the blending part? When you look on a bottle of cognac, it is going to have one of the following designations:

VS – Very Special – the youngest cognac in the blend is two years old
VSOP – Very Superior Old Pale – the youngest cognac in the blend was stored at least four years, usually in aged oak
XO – Extra Old – the youngest cognac in the blend was stored for at least six years, usually closer to fifteen and up

There are other designations, such as Napoleon (a grade equal to XO), Extra (usually older than an XO), or Hors d’âge (equal to XO, but indicates a longer time in the cask). Most of these are more for marketing, to let people know how much longer the cognac as been in touch with the oak.

The traditional tulip glass

Time for those shots Yung Joc bought us. Cognac is not just something you experience only on the taste buds, but with your nose and eyes as well. Traditionally, the best way to enjoy a cognac is in a tulip shaped glass. A brandy snifter can do the same work, but it does not have the extra lip of glass that is helpful for the full cognac experience, as we shall read shortly. After pouring it, you can first start by taking in the color. Remember, the longer a cognac has been aged, the richer and deeper the color. The youngest are a light gold color; the oldest can be amber or even red. After you have enjoyed the color, put it up to your nose and smell it, enjoying the fruity, oaky, and earthy aromas often associated with the liquor. The tulip glass aids in this, driving the bouquet straight to the nose. As you are drinking it in with your eyes and nose, your hand is warming up the cognac, releasing even more of the flavor. After you have done all of this, bring it to your lips and savor away.

But what to savor? And where? The big four when it comes to cognac are Hennessy, Remy Martin, Courvoisier, and Martell. You can find at least one in most bars, usually a VS, just in case someone asks. L’Auberge has one of the widest selections in the area, with Hennessy, Courvoisier, and Remy Martin in VS, VSOP, and XO. Some places like Fleming’s may have Louis XIII, but the finest cognacs are hard to find in the area. All of the bartenders and managers I spoke to said the same thing: there is not much of a demand for them. But, there are enough good ones out there that you should be able to find one to try. But if you do want to try Louis XIII, let T-Pain buy it for you. It really is $150 a pour.

If you are looking to try one in a cocktail, here is an oldie but a goodie. It was listed in Imbibe’s Top 25 Most Influential cocktails of all time: the Sidecar.

The Sidecar

1 oz. cognac (VS or VSOP’s are recommended for cocktails. I would try Remy Martin.)
1 oz. orange liqueur
1 oz. lemon juice
Cracked Ice
Pour ingredients into a shaker, shake, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Sugared rim is optional.

Getting Lucky

June 3, 2011 By Dayton937 5 Comments

: Lucky’s Taproom — One of the newest eateries in the always fabulous Oregon District.

Now that I’m officially a grad student, I’m trying to be cooler and more interesting to the general public. One step on my trek to coolness is to dine at locations besides the Chipotle on Brown.

So when two of my best friends, Maggie and Allie, came for a visit this weekend, I asked them if we could go somewhere new and chic. The Oregon District of course has a lot to offer – and we soon decided the new Lucky’s Taproom & Eatery, 520 E. Fifth St., was our best bet.

Lucky’s is open from 11 to 2:30 a.m. Monday through Sunday. The owner, Andrew Trick, opened the store on March 11, of this year.

“This was his life dream to have this bar,” Teresa Jetton, Trick’s niece who also works at Lucky’s, told me.

Jetton said her uncle planned to open Lucky’s with his father, who recently passed away. Trick continued to work toward his dream of owning a restaurant and bar, and Jetton said it has been a big success since its opening earlier this year.

The trip to Trick’s new hotspot started out a litttttle rough for me. I decided to lounge for a while in my apartment before feasting, and soon woke up to Mags and Allie beckoning me out the door. I was definitely a zombie for the first hour of our night, but woke up just in time to enjoy a delish chicken salad sandwich and fries with a side of honey mustard — always a staple of any meal I eat.

Lucky’s, in my opinion as a food aficionado since age 1, was excellent. The menu is full of appetizers, soups and salads, and sandwiches at affordable prices, especially for a student like myself on a budget. My chicken salad sandwich complete with lettuce, tomato and mayo came to a grand total of just $5.50. Not only that, but Lucky’s also offers vegan/gluten free bread for just $1 more on all sandwiches. Allie, a vegetarian who used to be a vegan herself, was immediately impressed. The healthy options don’t stop there, either. Want a burger? Choose between beef, turkey, soy, gluten free vegan or fish meat to top your bun. Is the grilled ham and cheese sandwich not for you? Go veggie for just 50 cents more.

At Lucky’s, I feel like I couldn’t have made a bad menu decision. The $6.50 quesadilla with Anaheim/poblano and bell peppers, onions, cheddar/jack cheese, lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, and salsa, for example, was hard to pass up. I could have even made it vegan with cheddar-style vegan cheese for just $1.50 more. The cordon blue sandwich also was a close second for me. The sandwich comes with grilled chicken and ham, swiss cheese, dijon mustard, mayo, lettuce and tomato. Onions, pickles and sauteed mushrooms are available upon request. Even the simple spinach salad — with bleu cheese, chicken, bacon, candied walnuts, craisins, sliced pears and raspberry vinaigrette — was enticing. Decisions, decisions!

If these tasty selections sound right for you, be sure to stop in soon — All through June, the restaurant and bar’s Facebook friends will be treated to 10 percent off lunch, Monday through Friday.

: My heavenly chicken-salad-and-fries dish: I couldn’t help but take a few bites before snapping a picture!

One of the top highlights – besides the diversity of food options – was the beer selection. The phrase, “Try a new one, samples are on us,” at the bottom of the beer menu immediately caught our attention. As a recent college graduate, anything besides Natty Light is like gold to me, so watching Allie try out three different baby samples (in adorably small glasses) was super exciting. Allie chose the Maharaja – despite my pleas for her to get Le Freak just for the name –and thoroughly enjoyed it as a complement to her beer battered fish and chips. Maharaja – a product of the Colorado-based Avery Brewing Co. – is an orange, sweet, seasonal beer with a hint of fresh citrus that we all just had to try.

Lucky’s draft list changes, but other options this past weekend included: Dragon’s Milk (New Holland Brewing Co.) for $6; Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale (Lexington Brewing Co.) for $5; and Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout (Great Divide Brewing Co.) for $6. This listing alone was enough to get me in the door!

Highlight number three: the service. I have a strong, long-held conviction that everyone who works in the Oregon District is super artsy and musically-talented, and this one proved me right. I finally got up the courage to ask the hip waiter about his rocker tattoos, and he revealed that serving us french fries wasn’t in fact his primary passion. By night, he’s in a band. He explained the meaning of the tattoos that laced his arms, admitting he would show us the rest but wasn’t allowed to remove his shirt at our table.

All smiles after our tasty meals! (Photo taken by our musically-inclined, tattooed waiter.)

Regardless, my first excursion was full of success.

Next time you decide to splurge and take yourself out, I challenge you to go somewhere new. You might just find a tasty meal, complete with some of your old favorites, and some surprisingly entertaining service.

Bon appetit!

Roaring Deals for ‘Lion King’ Patrons

June 3, 2011 By DowntownPartnership 1 Comment

When Broadway’s version of Disney’s The Lion King comes roaring into town this month, ticket holders’ royal treatment will extend beyond the theater.

Downtown Dayton Partnership and the Victoria Theatre Association teamed up to provide roaring deals and promotions for the show’s patrons. For a full list of venues with special deals, be sure to check out the Downtown Dayton Partnership’s website, but here are the highlights:

Some restaurants and bars downtown will be serving specialty themed drinks. Feeling parched? Pounce into The Dublin Pub and try its “The Pride of the Pub” drink or swing by De’Lish Café to sample a Mufasa Mojito. If roaming the jungle has your stomach growling, Coco’s Bistro, Citilites and the Dayton Racquet Club will all have themed meal specials.

Looking more meal deals? Numerous restaurants around town — including Boulevard Haus, Blind Bob’s, Thai 9 and The Wine Gallery — will be offering a discounted menu to patrons with Lion King tickets.

For those who seek lodgings fit for a king, look no further than Inn Port Bed & Breakfast Suites, where ticket holders can stay in the King Suite for 20 percent off of its regular price. The Crowne Plaza Hotel also will have discounted room rates.

The royal treatment doesn’t stop there. Bonito and Cannery Art and Design Center both will be offering a 20 percent discount to those who present a Lion King ticket stub. At Omega Music, patrons will receive a 10 percent discount off new CDs and a 15 percent discount off of used music. Additionally, ticket holders will receive $2 off of a ticket to the Dayton Visual Arts Center’s 20^th anniversary celebration.

Tickets are available for Disney’s The Lion King. To purchase tickets and for more information on the show, visit the Victoria Theatre Association’s website or go to www.ticketcenterstage.com. Ticket Center Stage may be reached by phone at 937-228-3630 or 888-228-3630.

Attempting Closure In the Midst of Despair

June 3, 2011 By Russell Florence, Jr. Leave a Comment

Jamie Cordes and Maria Couch in right next to me

Composer Gregg Coffin, familiar to local musical theater aficionados for his masterful portrait of a fractured family (“Convenience”) and zany dose of musically flavorful romance (“Five Course Love”), is in the spotlight once more as the Human Race Theatre Company presents the regional premiere of his genuinely affecting, sung-through opus “right next to me,” a poignant, solemn and timely musical about love, loss and acceptance that in some respects feels as if it’s still a work in progress.

Since its 2009 Human Race workshop, “right next to me” underwent major rewrites resulting in a more succinct vision. It has smoothly advanced from a tale of three interweaving storylines to one that specifically focuses on the depressed, heartbroken Jen (Maria Couch), a widow struggling to move forward a year after her husband, Marine Major David Marshall (Jamie Cordes), was killed in Iraq. With the help of her brother-in-law, Marine Captain Michael Marshall (Jim Poulos), Jen is ultimately able to assess and endearingly reflect on the past and her current state of transition as she joins Michael in scattering David’s ashes at a variety of meaningful places per his request such as a sledding hill, a trestle bridge and an amusement park.

Oddly, the first and second scenes are slow, confusing and musically unexciting. Jen’s loyal friend Trish Holmes (Dana Mierlak) particularly opens the show with a bundle of energy, but there isn’t a clear indication of who she is or why she is an important presence. It is understandable Jen would need someone to confide in, but Trish, a busy supermom, is presently underdeveloped to the point of being superfluous. Mierlak, a fine vocalist, tries to inject depth into the role but her forced efforts, including her comedic timing, fall short under the otherwise fluidly focused direction of Melissa Rain Anderson.

Still, Jen and David’s appealingly surreal exchanges, a series of well-conceived flashbacks and the impactful journey of reconciliation between Jen and Michael evolving from rocky discord to tender hopefulness keep the action emotionally resonant while providing an assortment of tuneful pluses. Coffin, responsible for the expert orchestrations, admirably infuses evocative Middle Eastern inflections into the pop/ballad-friendly score for some of David’s Iraq-inspired numbers, solidly interpreted by Cordes in one of his most striking portrayals. Couch, a naturally emotive actress very compatible with Cordes throughout, especially in the delightful “Two Chilly People,” brings Act 1 to a tear-jerking finish with a beautifully pensive rendition of “I Can’t Believe You’re Gone,” a plaintive anthem detailing Jen’s shell-shocked existence. Poulos, so marvelous in “Convenience” opposite Anderson, equally shines, fully conveying Michael’s conflicted nature and bringing heartfelt sincerity to his desire to follow David’s example and become a better man. He also winningly sings the Billy Joel-esque “Confirm/Deny” and terrific title number, a quietly captivating song that deserves a reprise by Jen in the final scene.

Despite conceptual shortcomings, “right next to me” is one of the most engaging new works of the season. It certainly has the potential to be catapulted from decent to dynamic.

right next to me, which opened Friday, May 27, continues through Sunday, June 12 at the Loft Theatre, 126 N. Main St. Performances are Wednesday-Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. There will be special 7 p.m. performances Sunday, June 5 and Tuesday, June 7. Act One: 73 minutes; Act Two: 40 minutes. The Friday, June 3 performance has been designated ‘Blue Star Mothers Night’ in which $10 from each adult single ticket purchase will be donated to the Dayton Chapter of Blue Star Mothers, an organization supporting military personnel and families. In addition, there will be a post-show talkback following the Sunday, June 5 matinee moderated by Human Race marketing director Leigh Allan and featuring composer Gregg Coffin. Before the June 7 performance, the Lite Fare at The Loft event, offering gourmet sandwiches and desserts for patrons in the Loft lobby courtesy of Citilites, will begin at 5:30 p.m. For tickets or additional information, call (937) 228-3630 or visit www.humanracetheatre.org.

In related news, the Human Race’s 2011 Festival of New Musicals will be held August 5-7 at the Loft Theatre. This year’s selections are Love Makes the World Go ’Round: The Songs of Bob Merrill, Pump Up the Volume (presented by Encore Theater Company and based on the 1990 film of the same name) and Play It Cool.