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Things to do in Dayton | Restaurants, Theatre, Music and More

Archives for May 2016

Help us Pick a Fight with Cancer!

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Even pacifists agree that cancer needs its butt kicked. More and more people realize how cancer affects family members, friends, co-workers etc. It’s hard to find someone that cancer hasn’t touched in one way or another. So we are asking you to help us Pick a Fight with Cancer.

This Thursday, May 5th at the Engineers Club of Dayton, Mike Nichols will be hosting the Pick a Fight with Cancer Wine tasting from 6 – 9 pm. 1695573135-wine-tasting

This great event is to celebrate those who have survived cancer, those angels cheering on from heaven and to support the Leukemia Lymphoma Society.

Mike Nichols states: “Wine tasting event honoring the FIGHTERS. What better venue to lead the charge to support blood cancer research than the historic Engineers Club of Dayton. This historic venue was founded by innovators such as Edward Deeds and Charles Kettering whose inventions changed our world. We ask you to join us for an evening of hope to help render this disease powerless.  With every sunrise there is hope and a world of possibilities.”

Along with food and delicious wines to sample, craft beer will also join the party. Giveaways and auction items will attend as well to help round out this wonderful soirée. Dr. James Budde from the Rahn Dental Group has provided a zoom whitening gift for one of our attendees. Square One Salon has graciously donated an Aveda Gift basket, Elsa’s South will provide several treats, dance lessons from Arthur Murray, skin creams from Tel Aviv, Israel and gifts from Rodin and Fields have been donated as well.

Boxing-Fisticuffs-Kensington-Park-Toronto-01Tickets are available at this link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pick-a-fight-with-cancer-tickets-22797351492 or if you would rather pay at the door, tickets are $30 for one person or $50 for couple (couple meaning significant other, family member or bring a friend!)

 

So come out, join us and the FIGHTERS as we celebrate their triumphs and lend our support in picking a fight with cancer!

The New Archer’s Tavern in Kettering

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Inside the cleared out dining room

EXCLUSIVE! Drywall is being demolished.  New equipment is being installed.  Things are just beginning to take shape at Archer’s Tavern’s second location, soon to be opened in Kettering.  The new restaurant will be where the old Tumbleweed restaurant was located on Dorothy Lane.   Food Adventures has the first peek inside the renovations, you won’t see anywhere else.   And one thing is for sure… this restaurant is gonna be big, both in size and excitement.

The ownership team of Dan Apolito, Mike Fullenkamp and Scott Dorsten are bringing their winning formula across town, but for now, they have been putting some sweat equity into the project.  Most of the work so far has been done in the kitchen area. Hammering and tossing of scrap material can be heard on any given day, and the owners aren’t shy on grabbing tools themselves, and diving in on the teardown.

It isn’t hard to imagine the new location being packed with new fans of their burgers, pizza, wings, beer selection and so much more.  Being across from Delco Park, “Archers’s 2” is a perfect place for that “after softball game” dinner and drinks.  Archer’s Tavern’s reputation is good food and reasonable prices, from their salads to their chili, the menu is delicious.

Want the scoop on the new location?  ONLY FOOD ADVENTURES HAS THIS EXCLUSIVE SNEAK PEEK!

Dan Apolito & Mike Fullenkamp taking Archers to a new level

 

HERE’S THE SKINNY:

— ARCHER’S KETTERING will be located at 2030 E Dorothy Lane

— The new location will bring that same signature menu that the crowds in Centerville have grown to love over the past 5 years.

— The restaurant will feature 24 draft beer taps, and an eclectic selection of local, familiar and rare beers.

— Archer’s will continue to feature Buckeye Vodka in many of its cocktails and special events.

— The seating area will be much larger than the Centerville restaurant

— The owners plan to open the eatery in July, given that the permits and construction finish on schedule.

 

MUST EATS:

—SWEET and SEXY WINGS:  You wont hear about these on any other food site, because they aren’t on the menu… it is a special request.  Sweet and Sexy Wings are wings with Dry Rub spice, drizzled with Spicy Garlic sauce, then tossed in Sweet BBQ sauce.  The result is tangy and slightly hot taste of joy.  Probably the best wing sauce we have ever tasted.

The assembled Sticky Burger

 

— THE STICKY BURGER:  A burger with peanut butter on it? YES!  The result is a unique taste, reminiscent of a Thai Peanut Sauce.   This burger is the Big Ragu’s Favorite.  It also comes with bacon and smoked pepper jack cheese.  This is a curiously good burger that you won’t soon forget.

 

— THE CHILI – They have a chili cookoff each year, and the winner gets their chili on the menu.  In other words, it is the best of the best.  You gotta get a cup of this chili,  great flavor and zing guaranteed !

 

—  THE TACO PIZZA: Muey Bueno ...They use enchilada sauce for the pizza sauce.  They add taco beef, cheddar and Monterey cheeses, onion, tomatoes, jalapenos and cilantro.  Hot, spicy and ooh so nicey!

 

—  THE MARGHERITA PIZZA:  Fresh Mozzarella and a smooth tomato sauce is the key to this pizza.  Fresh basil leaves and Roma tomatoes top off this vegetarian pie nicely.  We cant believe we ate the whole thing!

 

— THE PHILLY CHEESESTEAK: A massive, heaping sandwich filled with meat, peppers and melted provolone cheese.  You can also request cheese whiz on this monster.  We say, go for it.  This is how they do it in Philadelphia.  Your choice of shaved ribeye steak or sliced chicken breast for the meat.

 

— ARCHER’S BREAD PUDDING:  Made with Bill’s Donuts… need we say more?

 

Honorable Mention: The Gourmet Grilled Cheese – omg… the dijon mustard is brilliant and makes the sandwich, as does the buttery bread and chewy cheese combo.

 

Food Adventures is excited for this next chapter in the lives of Archer’s ownership.  They give a lot back to the community, and we wish them continued success.

SPEAKING OF HELPING THE COMMUNITY, TOMORROW WE FOLLOW UP THIS STORY WITH A CHARITY EVENT THAT ARCHER’S HAS HELPED ORGANIZE THAT NEEDS YOUR HELP !!

Do you know the Food Adventures Crew?  The Big Ragu, Chef House and Hungry Jax would like to take a minute and invite you to “like” them on Facebook by clicking HERE.  From food photos, to restaurant events around Dayton, our blog is a foodie’s paradise.

Sweet & Sexy Wings – special order them – they arent on the menu

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Opening in July 2016, Archer’s Kettering !

Clearing out the old Tumbleweed decor

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kitchen prep/ Office area

Transformation

Taco Pizza , Senorita !

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gourmet Grilled Cheese

Redecorating

“Sexy Wings” – Dry rub with Spicy Garlic Sauce !

Chili – always a winner here

Sticky Burger – see the peanut butter ??

Boarding up the kitchen areas

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Big Ragu and a Sticky burger

A Philly done right !!!

The Margherita Pizza

Taco Pizza – Archers does it hot and good

More Cheesey than a Soap Opera !

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the Love of Local Art

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Did you miss the Dayton Visual Art Center (DVAC) Art Auction this year? If so, you missed out.

Billed as “Dayton’s biggest art party of the year,” the number of artists, art pieces, and active art IMG_1934lovers filling the space at the Ponitz Center confirm the hype. While the silent auction allows more tentative bidders (yours truly) to explore fascinating pieces by local artists, and raise the price in $10 increments, the live auction (hosted by Doug Sorrell) is always a treat. This year – especially so – as a beautiful piece from John Emery raised a IMG_1935whopping $6,100 for the cause!

Food, drink, music, fun, great conversation, and competitive art bidding (don’t worry – if $6,100 isn’t in your budget, you can get much more affordable pieces through the silent auction) makes this a night to remember.

But – that was last weekend. You might have missed out! How, dear friend, are you to get your own local art fix? Fear not! You can still support Dayton Visual Arts Center and talented, local artists here in Dayton by purchasing a share of the CSA (Community Supported ART!). For $650, you “buy into” the community and your share acts as seed funding to support six artists as they make fabulous work for you! Take a look at the artists and the type of work you may be able to expect.

 

Mystery Monday – May 2, 2016

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Welcome to Week 14 of Mystery Mondays. The answer to Week 13’s Mystery Photo is: The entrance door of St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church (built in 1868) on Wayne Avenue outside the Oregon Historic District in Downtown Dayton. I took this photo on February 26, 2015.

DMM Mystery Monday-13 We congratulate our randomly drawn winner Violet Johnston of Xenia! Rapid Fired Pizza certificates are coming your way!

We challenge you to tell us where in the Dayton area this photo was taken by filling out the form below.  We’ll do a random drawing from all those with a correct answer and the winner will get 2 pizzas from Rapid Fired Pizza.

Enter here:

http://goo.gl/forms/dyU55fzc48

We’ll post the winner next Monday with details about the photo as well as a new photo to challenge your knowledge of the Dayton area.

Thanks for playing and good luck!

Here’s our Mystery Photo for Week 14:

DMM Mystery Monday-14

Photo by Tom Gilliam of DaytonGram & Tom Gilliam Photography.

Bike Miami Valley Hosting Local Challenge for Bicyclists in the Region

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Bike Miami Valley is encouraging bicycle ridership across the region by hosting the local Advocacy Challenge of the National Bike Challenge. The National Bike challenge is a nationwide event uniting thousands of current bicyclists–and encouraging countless new riders. The challenge runs from May 1 through September 30, 2016.

Any person who rides a bike can participate to win great prizes just by registering and counting their rides each and every time. Riders are encouraged to make personal goals, compete with friends and coworkers, or just be part of the biggest group bicycle ride ever. But the National Bike Challenge is so much more than that. It is a community of people who all share a love of riding bikes. With competition possibilities on the local, state and national level, it is a free and easy way to challenge yourself and the greater community to ride a bicycle more often.

Many bicycle clubs, workplaces, and businesses will have team challenges which are a great way to set-up a small or large group challenges to get people participating. Bike Miami Valley hopes to activate more than 1,000 riders, beating last year’s goal of 546 people. To make tallying your rides easy, you can use compatible smart phone apps such as MapMyRide, Endomondo, Strava and others. Just login and start riding – it’s that easy. Bike Miami Valley will automatically count your participation in the Advocacy Challenge when you enter your local zip code during registration. Visit the National Bike Challenge website at to learn more and sign-up today.

About Bike Miami Valley 
Bike Miami Valley has deep roots in SW Ohio. It drafted one of the nation’s first regional bikeway plans in 1973. This proved instrumental in the development of much of the recreational trail system you might be familiar with today. Today Bike Miami Valley is focused on current cycling movements and the region’s growing cycling community. They are the founders of the Miami Valley Cycling Summit, an event held biennially that focuses on rallying communities around the economic development benefits of cycling. The latest accomplishment to our record is hiring full-time staff and launching Dayton’s bike share program, Link, in May of 2015. Bike Miami Valley is recognized as a Gold Level Bicycle Friendly Business by the League of American Bicyclists.

About PeopleForBikes

PeopleForBikes is the movement to make riding better for everyone. PeopleForBikes operates the National Bike Challenge. By collaborating with millions of individual riders, businesses, community leaders, and elected officials, we’re uniting people to create a powerful, united voice for bicycling and its benefits. Our goal is to make every bike ride better, whether that ride takes you on trails, down to the grocery store, or all the way across town. Why? Because when people ride bikes, great things happen for our bodies and our minds, and our local and global communities.­­ We are casual riders, weekend warriors, and commuters. We are parents and grandparents, neighbors and friends. We are business owners and industry leaders. We are people who enjoy riding bikes, just like you.

LatinArepas Food Truck To Makes Its Debut

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LatinArepasjpgAnother new food truck will be coming to the streets of the Miami Valley, featuring Venezuelan, Colombian, Caribbean street food.  I saw the Facebook page for LatinArepas and sent a message asking to find out more about their food.  What I got back was a charming message from Nestor, inviting me to his home for a tasting.

As I walked in the door I was welcomed like an honored guest to a house that was set up for entertaining and had a warm tropical influence.  Nestor shared that it was at his birthday party in January, celebrating with friends over a meal of South American food cooked by his wife Gabriela that sparked the idea.  All the guests said they wish they could eat like this more often and hence the start of the plan for a food truck.  Nester then started looking for a truck, and being a handyman by trade, started working on designing a truck, doing most of the work himself, including the design of the logo, the look of the truck, inspired by the old woody station wagons of the 50’s and layout of the brand new equipment inside the truck.  The colorful bird mascot on the logo also makes an appearance inside the truck, overseeing the driver.

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Pabellon

At I sat at their kitchen counter I was treated to tour of the menu.  Chef Gabriela cooked with an ease and grace that comes from making these dishes for years.  She explained that “as a child in Venezuela I watched my grandmother cook breakfast, feed the family, clean up and then start cooking lunch, which was our big meal of the day. These family recipes are third generation and what I grew up on.”

We started with Pabellon, the National dish of Venezuella, a rice bowl with shredded beef, black beans, plantains and white cheese.  Next we moved on to Parrilla, grilled chicken and steak served with a cabbage salad that had a citrus kick  and yuca, which is the root portion of the plant that tastes starchy like a potato. It was simple ingredients, but cooked fresh, with great seasonings.  Nestor then introduced me to the Latinas sauce, a secret recipe he wouldn’t share, but is something they’ll make up fresh daily.  Adding it to the yuca totally changed the taste and he shared they’ll also have a spicy Latinas sauce for those that like a little heat with their meal.  

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Parilla on the left, Arepas on the right

And then we got to the namesake dish- the Arepas.  Chef explained that this ground corn maize dough is the basis of many dishes in her native country and is sold all over the streets of Colombia and Venezuela. It is often split down the middle and used to make a sandwich.  The one I tried was filled with Abocado grilled steak,  tomatoes , onions, avocado and  cilantro.

They will have options that are vegetarian and vegan friendly as well, something the noticed isn’t always readily available on many food trucks. You’ll also be able to try the breakfast Arepas, when they start serving breakfast at Ghostlight Coffee soon.

Other items that will be available on the truck will be taco’s, and you’ll just have to order one or two to 11247803_269757443359634_2761980287645053234_nenjoy the twist they have for the grilled tortilla it’s served in.  Empanada’s,  yuca fries and 3 fabulous fresh drinks-mango, guanavano and a tamarindo that I fell in love with. Of course they’ll also have  soft drinks and bottled water,  but be adventurous and try one of these South American drinks. I also got to try some of Chef’s Flan and it was light and fluffy with that perfect caramel crust. A little goes a long way, and it was the perfect way to end my tasting experience.

 

Nester shared that he’ll make it easy for folks to order from the truck, as all menu items will be numbered, just in case the names don’t roll off your tongue as easily as he made it seem.  There will also be a video screen with pictures of their items, so you’ll know exactly what you are ordering.  The LatinArepas truck is scheduled to have it’s county inspection this week and you’ll be able to start seeing it out serving up street eats very soon.  Their plan is to be at many of the area festivals, as well as doing private parties.  (You can always check DMM’s calendar for food truck schedules).

I can’t wait to order a pabellon and see my new friends Gabriella and Nestor, I predict great success for them and LatinArepas.  A food truck this summer, perhaps a restaurant by next summer?

 

 

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May is National BBQ Month

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bbq-2May is National Barbecue Month. A time for friends and family to get outside in the backyard and enjoy the beautiful weather we have!  It’s no secret that grilling is the ticket to an easy, delicious meal and a healthier lifestyle.   Outdoor cooking encourages us to make smarter food choices such as eating fresh rather than frozen foods Outdoor cooking remains more popular than ever, with 70% of Americans revealing that they prefer cooking out over eating out to save money, according to new national poll released today by the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association (HPBA).

 

1. Choose Your MeatsiStock_000002208533XSmall

National BBQ month is the perfect time to step outside your comfort zone and try something new. How about a Jamaican Jerk Chicken or Planked Salmon? Hamburgers and hotdogs are classic grill fare, but have fun with a wide selection of meats including different cuts of beef, chicken, pork and seafood.

Grilled vegetable2. Pick Your Veggies

Colorful vegetable kabobs bursting with flavor are the essence of summer. Some of the best vegetables for grilling include tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, onions, potatoes, asparagus and—of course—corn on the cob.  Grilling is a surefire way for the whole family to get their proper intake of vegetables. Perfectly caramelized and wrapped in smoky goodness, they are hard to resist.

the four sauces in white dishes3. Select Your Side Items

What is a BBQ without creamy coleslaw, smoky baked beans and fresh salads? Perhaps you prefer macaroni and cheese, a pasta salad  or collared greens with a kick. Or step it up a notch with tomato and watercress salad, toasted Israeli couscous or barbecued deviled eggs. Explore new condiments, and dipping sauces.  

Saber Beauty Shot4. Make Sure You Have The Right Equipment

Gas or charcoal grilling: It’s the grate debate.  The most popularly priced gas grills are $129 to $299, while grills with more features will run between $800 and $1,500 and well beyond. Charcoal you can get something on the low end for about $25. A basic Weber kettle is around $150, while more deluxe models are upward of $600.

 

5. Upkeep / Maintenance

Gas You’ll have to check the gas connections and lines, replace the flavor briquettes, and refill the propane tanks as needed. You may also have to replace the ignition or grates now and then, and keep the burners, ignitor collector box, and drip tray clean. If you cover your grill when not in use, you can minimize upkeep.

Charcoal The grill grates should be replaced annually, or every other year, depending on wear and tear. There aren’t a lot of other parts to maintain unless you opt for a model with a gas ignition.

6.  Grill Good Food
What’s on top of your grate is just as important as what’s underneath it. Try to use seasonal, local, and organic produce and meats.   With all the local farmers markets starting to open up for the season, it’s easy to pick up local food.