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Dayton Dining

Dayton restuarnt declares Duck-A-Palooza Week!!

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Chef Candice Rinke (read  more about her here in our 10 questions interview) of The Hawthorn Grill in Kettering loves autumn and duck so she has declared this week “> Duck-a-palooza” and she’ll be featuring duck in four different autumnal specials all week starting tonight!  The restaurant, located at 1222 East Stroop Road is open nightly at 5pm and serves til 9pm during the week and 10pm on Friday and Saturday.

Enjoy the following duck-centric menu items this week:

Charcuterie Platter Appetizer
Duck and Pistachio Terrine, Sherried Duck Liver Mousse,

Toast Points, Cumberland Sauce, 11

Duck & Sausage Cassoulet

Homemade White Bean Stew, Confit of Duck, Fresh Pork Sausage,

Herbed Bread Crumbs, 19

Duck with Pasta

Crispy House-cured Duck Confit, Homemade Butternut Squash Ravioli,

Sage Brown Butter, Broccoli Rabe, 20

Pan Roasted Duck Breast

Crispy Sautéed Duck Breast, Dried Cherry~Duck Reduction,

Lentil and Potato Ragoût, Braised Savoy Cabbage, 20

Yuengling Comes To Dayton Bars First, Stores Later

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Many Dayton beer lovers have had Oct 31st circled on their calendar as the day Yuengling debuts in Dayton.  The billboards and bus signs have been hyping the arrival for months.  And for draught lovers, many local bars and restaurants will be  treating folks to a glass of beer on Mon, Oct 31st.  But there is a trick to the debut as well, according to Kathryn Oakes, Director of Marketing for Heidelberg Distributing, the demand has been far bigger than we expected.  We’ll have enough kegs on hand to service our market, but the retail packages will be delayed until Nov. 14th.”

“I thought that this launch was going to make history for Yuengling and set the standard for future state launches, and Ohioans are going to make that happen,” said Patrick Noone, the brewery business development manager overseeing the move into Ohio. “It’s crazy. I’ve never seen anything like this.”

The family-owned brewery, which promotes itself as “America’s Oldest Brewery,” is based in Pottsville, Pa. Despite being in a neighboring state, Yuengling had never sold its brands in Ohio, blaming the reason on a lack of production.

Yuengling recently expanded one of its breweries to make the push into Ohio.

The beer has a major cult-like following, and there are plenty of stories about Ohioans making special trips to Pennsylvania to stock up. Its arrival has elicited comparisons to Coors, which for years wasn’t sold on the East Coast.

Rob VanMetre, the local Yuengling brand manager, shared with us that the Lager, Light Lager and Black & Tan ( a mixture of Yuengling Premium Beer and Dark-Brewed Porter) will be available at the roll out.  Other Yuengling brands, such as Porter and Lord Chesterfield Ale, are expected to arrive sometime next year.

He goes on share that “Yuengling is a fantastic beer with a great following and moving the release date back for retail and convenience stores is really so we can service all our customers and be fair.”

Many local bars will be opening early to host special tasting parties.  The Dublin Pub is opening at 5:30am to our $3 pints to Yuengling fans. Stop in for kegs and eggs and get a great start to your week!  Archer’s Tavern in Centerville will open up at 6am and TJ Chumps is promoting $2.50 22oz Yuenglings the entire month of November.

If you know of other special events, feel free to add them in the comments below.

And then two weeks later look for the stores to roll out a round of welcome parties. Cheers!

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Fast Food With A Healthier Twist!

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Agnes All Natural GrillFresh, healthy, delicious… fast? Oh yes! Innovative fast food meets wholesome and affordable Caribbean dishes at Agnes All Natural Grill, located on 1438 North Keowee Street. In a world where cheap food is typically not nutritious and nutritious food is not cheap, Nicole and Jose Estremera opened Dayton’s first all natural fast food grill in a upbeat challenge to the old rules of fast-food. Agnes All Natural Grill revamps the old idea of drive-throughs and walk-ups and brings people speedy, wallet-friendly dishes with a much healthier twist. Customers seeking a bit of zesty Caribbean kick in their diet can find solace in the Agnes’s colorful menu as vibrant as the bright orange and avocado-green of the restaurant’s walls.

I spoke with Mrs. Estremera about the grill and she enthusiastically stated, “We’re really excited to provide natural selection for every day customers. We’re always striving to make our food even better and are very open to suggestions from customers. We want them to enjoy our food and leave happy and feeling good”. At their restaurant, every dish is cooked in all natural Caribbean seasons, priced under $10, and of course, made to order. Not to mention that Agnes’s never uses pork products processed foods, high fructose syrup, MSG, or trans fat in any of their menu items.  The grill also only uses grain and grass fed natural meats and all natural seasonings in their meals in an effort to provide the most wholesome fast-food dining experience possible.

The happily healthy menu offers options like Caribbean jerk chicken wings, grilled turkey wraps, hand-cut sweet potato fries, and veggie burgers, as well as “Special of the Moment” daily and weekly specials. The current specials at Agnes’s include Curry Chicken, Stew Beef, Ox Tails, and Curry Goat, just to name a few. Mrs. Estremera noted the beef patty and cocoa bread as one of the most popular and most delicious combinations. She describes the cocoa bread as a “Texas-toast type of bread, very soft and kind of sweet, with a pocket in the middle”. Mrs. Estremera elaborated to say that when the beef patty, a Caribbean golden pastry turnover filled with beef, is paired with the special cocoa bread, it makes a sandwich that is simply, “really, really good!”

The Estremeras stand by their motto to “Eat Right and Live Life Longer” and every customer of Agnes All-Natural Grill is sure to be convinced of the fresh and flavorful menu. The grill serves drive-through, walk-ups and call-ins, preparing each menu item within seconds after the order is placed. The Estremeras recommend calling in for pick-up orders  (368-8787) to get a hot and delicious meal without the wait. The grill is located at 1438 N. Keowee Street and is open every day of the week, Mondays through Thursdays form 11 AM until 9 PM, Fridays from 11 AM until 7 PM, Saturdays from 6 PM until midnight and Sundays from noon until 7 PM.  To be added to the email list to receive updates on weekly specials send an email to [email protected].

Food Adventures Heads South of Dayton to Kyojin Sushi Buffet

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The Raw Sushi Buffet Bar – click to enlarge

Sushi, one of your Food Adventurer’s favorite foods.  Let’s get this straight up front, not all sushi is raw.  There are many types of cooked sushi that involve shrimp and crab for example.  But, we crave it all, specialty rolls, sashimi, hand rolls, nigiri, you name it.   So you can imagine our delight the first time we heard about a sushi buffet south of Dayton off of I-71 near Cincinnati.  We know, this is DaytonMostMetro.com, but once in very blue moon, we spread our wings and have to tell our fellow foodies about a special place outside the Dayton area.  This is one of those times.

The place is called Kyojin and it is a truly unique place.  They have sushi, lots of it, probably 40 different kinds of rolls on their buffet, and for dinner they add more items including sashimi, raw scallop, flying fish roe, and giant clam sushi.  Please check out our picture album below and you will see the vast variety of items.  When we first tried this restaurant, we ate so much, we had to go directly to IKEA to walk it off.  So here is a tip, if you go .. pace yourself!

The Dinner Buffet Includes Seared Ahi Tuna, and Tuna Sashimi

The restaurant is setup with 5 buffet bars and a dessert cabinet and ice cream freezer.  The 5 buffet bars are a sushi roll bar, a raw sushi bar, a Chinese food bar, a shrimp/mussel appetizer bar and a salad/fruit bar.  There is even an area for edamame(soybeans), tofu, and a wasabi and ginger area.  In the evenings, the dinner menu includes a hibachi option as well as skewered duck, squid and shrimp offerings on the side hibachi area.  We also love the steamed mussels and peel and eat shrimp available,and we have never seen a raw calamari nigiri offered anywhere else.  Other items of interest include raw calamari rolls, and the dinner treats of flying fish roe, raw scallop rolls and seared ahi tuna sashimi.

Kyojin is truly a dream for the seafood and sushi lover, and the prices are not bad either.  For lunch the price is $9.95 and dinner is $16.95.  But here is a tip, on their website kyojinohio.com you can show them the online coupon on your phone and get $1 off each lunch and $2 off each dinner purchased.  We think it is a good value.  Is it the best sushi we have ever had? No, but it is pretty decent.  It is actual sushi chefs preparing good food.   It is not comparable to the Chinese buffets that offer the side sushi.  This place is much better than that.

Kyojin offers the normal soft drinks, and they offer $5 specialty cocktails.  Kyojin is one of our guilty pleasures, especially for the Big Ragu, as some like the traditional sushi bars and their offerings.  We challenge the “sushi snobs” to try this place and let us know what you think.  But Kyojin is a great place for a sushi novice to finally try a lot of different types of sushi, cooked, or raw and see what they like, without having to order an entire roll.  They even have some vegetarian rolls and seaweed salad with pasta for you non meat eaters.  We even saw a sushi roll with chicken!

Our most recent trip to Kyojin was a challenge, while Ragu was challenged by  Shawn to a sushi eating contest.   Shawn stopped in his 40 something piece to go get some Chinese food, while Big Ragu matched his football number by eating 71 pieces of sushi.  It was our comic relief for the day watching the “sushi eat off.”

There is something for everyone at this place.  The Big Ragu’s favorite items on the buffet are raw salmon on rice, the kani (crab nigiri) and the raw tuna roll.  We enjoyed the shrimp tempura roll, the Cincinnati roll, and coconut shrimp on the Chinese food bar.

Big Ragu called his plate “Mount Va-sushi-us”

Do you love sushi?  Have you ever tried it? Sushi pro or sushi rookie, Kyojin is worth the trip.  Take a drive south on I-71 and the Fields Ertel exit, and Kyojin is just a minute away.  It is an incredible deal to get all the good sushi you can eat.  Check it out, you will be glad you gave it a chance.  All you can eat sushi, that’s how we “roll.”

Become an “Official” fan of Food Adventures by clicking here and visiting their page on Facebook !

Have you been to Kyojin?  What did you think?  Please comment below.

[album: http://www.daytonmostmetro.com/wp-content/plugins/dm-albums/dm-albums.php?currdir=/wp-content/uploads/dm-albums/Kyojin/]

Kyojin Japanese Buffet
12140 Royal Point Drive
Cincinnati, OH 45249
P: 513-683-2628
kyojinohio.com

Home Bar Primer

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We are looking for a good home. Won't you help?

The holidays are right around the corner, and the first big party holiday of the season, Halloween, is next week. That means a great deal of entertaining in the home, bringing people over, and having cocktails on hand for all of the guests you will entertain. It is a perfect time to start up that home bar you have been talking about for years. With the Cocktail Revolution in full force, there are more choices of liquors out there than ever before, from a wide range of flavored vodkas to classic ingredients making a comeback. Not only do you need the liquors, you need something to mix them with. There are also few basic tools that every bartender needs to make sure they can produce a wide range of drinks, from a classic Sazerac to a modern Cable Car. Glassware is an important part of a nicely stocked bar, and the range of glassware you can find in most cocktail books can also be very daunting. So let’s start with…

The Basics

Of course, the defining characteristic of a bar is the liquor, and your bar will be no exception. The first rule of putting together your own home bar is: It is your bar. You can have whichever liquors you like, crafted to whichever cocktails you prefer to make. If you love tequila, you can have five bottles of various styles of tequila handy, to enhance the flavors of everything from a margarita to a Paloma. Most bars have at least one of what are considered the five main liquors that most cocktails are based off of.

Rum

This is the liquor most historians say the first cocktail started off in. Rum is an incredibly versatile liquor, working well popular summer drinks like the Mojito to the hammer-you-in-the-head strength of a Devil’s Poison. It ranges from the lighter flavors of Bacardi to the full flavors Kraken. For a home bar, Bacardi or Cruzan are great stock rums for you to have. If you want to add a little spice to you bar’s selection, Captain Morgan or Sailor Jerry are excellent options as well.

Vodka

The most recent addition to the cocktail world (it did not get big until the 20th century), this is now a staple to almost every bar. Its colorlessness and lack of flavor makes it a great base spirit to use if you are looking to have a lively drink with less liquor burn. It also boasts a wide range of flavors, from sweet cake and whip cream to spicy pepper. For your bar, it is best to stick to the original. Flavored vodkas are great if there is a specific drink for it, like Absolut Peppar in a Bloody Mary, or Stolichnaya Citros in a Cosmopolitan, but not for general cocktail making. Absolut, Grey Goose, and Ohio’s own Buckeye vodkas are all great brands to stock your bar with.

Whiskey

A classic, this is also something that you should have in your home bar. Whiskey has been around for centuries, and one of the earliest bases for cocktails to be made from. Whiskey is a little tricky to add, since there are so many types of whiskey on the market, all with unique characteristics. Do you get a bottle of Canadian whiskey? Irish whiskey? Scotch? Bourbon? The answer is to go with the one that you drink the most. If you are looking for a good base for a wide variety of cocktails, Jack Daniels or Jim Beam are the best bets. They also both mix well in cocktails.

Gin

The refreshing gin and tonic

A staple of many classic cocktails, gin has fallen out of favor because of its bold flavor (typically heavy on the juniper, which makes it taste piney). However, this is a great liquor to rediscover because it mixes so well with other liquors. Most cocktails we now love also started their lives as gin cocktails, but gravitated to the less-obvious-you-had-a-three-martini-lunch vodkas. Tanqueray, Bombay, and Beefeater are good basic gins to have as ingredients behind your home bar.

Tequila

Tequila and gin hang out in roughly the same neighborhood: good liquors with a tarnished reputation. Tequila is needed for many cocktails like the margarita and Tequila Sunrise, and even makes a guest appearance in a Long Island Iced Tea. And, of course, people will take shots of it. Silvers seem to be very popular at the moment, Patron being the brand of choice with 1800 and Jose Cuervo both being good choices for your bar.

Outside of these five liquors, there is one other you may choose to add.

Brandy/Cognac

Brandy and cognac are liquors that are fairly out of fashion at the moment, but are useful to have for an assortment of classic cocktails like the Sidecar (I am a huge fan of this cocktail). This category is very much a matter of choice; if you are not much for brandies, there is no real need to keep one behind the bar. Paul Masson and E & J both make a nice brandy to have in stock.

Schnapps, Liqueurs and Other Flavors

There are a few liqueurs you will want to have for you home bar, for a variety of reasons. Triple sec is a popular ingredient in many cocktails, adding either a sweetness to the cocktail or a slight orange flavoring. DeKuyper or Mr. Boston makes a fine triple sec, but you may also be tempted to purchase Cointreau or Grand Marnier as higher end substitutes. In the same vane as triple sec, blue or orange curacao can be added to you bar for an orange flavor. The blue variety is much more common than the orange. Amaretto is another liqueur that you should add to your basic par set up, again being very versatile in multiple cocktails, and just as delicious on the rocks. Disaronno is a good upscale amaretto, but others can be found at a lower cost. Vermouth, both sweet and dry, are good pick ups as well. A bottle will last you a long time, since most recipes that call for either call for a splash, dash, or other very small amount. Most people are familiar with dry, since it is a key component in a classic martini. Sweet vermouth is found in Manhattans, and other whiskey based cocktails with a similar flavor profile. While we are discussing the Manhattan, add a bottle of Angostura bitters to your list of mixers. Usually only a few drops of this potent liquid is needed in any drink, so a bottle of it will last you a good long while.

Flavors for all occasions...

Flavors are something else you are going to want to look for. Schnapps have a smoother, more natural flavor profile for cocktails. Apple, peach, and banana are popular ones. They do not punch out as much as stronger puckers do. Puckers , which still fall into the schnapps category, are usually very sour, and add a stronger flavor to your cocktail, as one might find in an Appletini. Other popular puckers you may consider are Razzamatazz (raspberry), cherry, grape, and watermelon. To round out the flavors you may consider behind the bar, add some white crème de cocoa and white crème de menthe (mint). They add flavor without tinting your cocktails, and some classic cocktails have these flavors to add some bite, like the classic Stinger. DeKuyper and Mr. Boston make a wide selection of flavors for you to try and add to your collection. If there are cocktails you or your friends like that have different schnapps, make sure you have some on hand. Schnapps will usually last quite a while, depending on use.

Mixers

Very few cocktails are straight liquor. You are going to need something to mix them with. Of course, the common ones to buy are cola, diet cola, lemon and lime soda, ginger ale, tonic, soda water, orange juice, cranberry juice, pineapple juice, and sweet and sour mix. For carbonated drink mixers, most cola companies make smaller sized cans that are perfect for mixing into a cocktail. Using the smaller containers helps to keep the carbonation popping for when you want to make the drink. Opening and closing a two liter may be fine for the non-alcoholic glasses of pop, but you will not go through it as fast behind the bar. Sweet and sour mix can be found with pre-mixes in most groceries and liquor stores. You should also pick up a bottle of grenadine and a bottle of Rose’s Lime Juice, for the added color, flavor, or both. The juices can be bought in the juice aisle. For orange juice, I would suggest the pulp free kind. Having lemons and limes handy would help as well, since some drinks call for fresh squeezes of both of these fruits.

Mixers are things that you do not always have to have stocked behind your bar. Make sure you have the ones you commonly use on hand, but buy the others before a big event. Even sealed or closed, it is possible for fruit juices to go bad and carbonated beverages to go flat.

Basic Tools

Stainless steel tools for all your bar needs

There are plenty of gadgets you can have behind your home bar, but only a few that are truly needed as part of a kit of basics. Jiggers are a must. Recipes for cocktails are put there for a reason, and the jigger will help you make sure your drinks taste the same each time you make them. There are two types: you can get the single glass with measurements on the glass, or a stainless steel one with separate measurements on each side. A wine key is an outstanding all purpose bottle opener, useful in opening everything from wines to bottles of beer. A cocktail shaker will be needed for chilling liquors and mixing ingredients. Speaking of mixing, you should also have a bar spoon handy, since not all drinks need to be (or should be) shaken to blend the ingredients together. Since some of the older style drinks are coming back into vogue, a muddler is also a good tool to have behind the bar. It is used to crush herbs and fruits to release their oils or juices into the drink. They are more commonly plastic or metal, but you still may be able to find a wooden one if you look around. And once you have all you ingredients mixed, muddled, or chilled, a Hawthorne strainer will help to get the cocktail neatly into the glass you are serving it in, while keeping the ice and crushed fruit in the shaker. One other tool that every bar has is a handy book filled with cocktail recipes. It is always nice to have a reference book for cocktails, either to try new things with the ingredients you have on hand or to see which ingredients you need for one you wanted to try. Mr. Boston Platinum Edition is one of the ones I have behind my bar, but swing by a local book store to check them out. The book will also help you determine which garnishes you will need for your drinks, such as olives, oranges, cherries, and a host of assorted others. Many will even tell you how to prepare them.

Glassware

There isn’t a great deal of glassware you should run out and buy to get your home bar started. A set of martini glasses would be a lovely addition, as well as a set of wine glasses. You can put a wine into any wine glass, so pick the wine glass most appropriate to your favorite type of wine. If you do add brandy or cognac, a set of brandy snifters should also be added to enhance the aromas and flavors of the liquid in the glass. Any other cocktails will go fine into the glassware you have in the house. You are going to be spending plenty of money on the rest of the tools and liquors to set up your bar, so no need to get fancy with the glassware up front. Save that for the next few rounds.

While the list above may look daunting, over a short period of time you can acquire are fairly well stocked home bar. Buying a few pieces at a time will help spread the costs out, as well as give you some time to figure out what you need and what will just turn into something else for you to dust. And of course once your bar is nicely stocked, you get to enjoy experimenting with some cocktails at home you may never have thought to buy while you were out on the town, and share some of that with your friends. Maybe even invite them all over for a fun night in. Cheers!

Get Your Spook On at Spinoza’s

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It’s that time of year again. The time to flaunt that Dracula cape or dress your little one in her favorite princess gown. The time for parents to walk the neighborhood while little Buzz Lightyear is sprinting with all his might to get to the next candy bowl. The time when everyone regrets how many sugary treats they just wolfed down.  It’s a time for crazy costumes, haunted houses, and genuine fun. We all remember the glorious days of trick-or-treating, and if those days still constitute your present, all the better! But not all the fun of Halloween is wrapped inside those treats vanishing into what may seem like thin air. Actually, a local restaurant, Spinoza’s, is putting together a special pre-Halloween celebration for adults. Accompanied with live and entertaining music, this local pizzeria is serving up six special beers by Wychwood Brewing Company, (how perfect a name!) all paired with delicious eats. So all you twenty-one and uppers, climb into that storage closet and put some life back into that fang and cape duo on October 25th—Spinoza’s is even giving away special prizes for guests who appear in costume!

This six course meal is the perfect way to celebrate Halloween a tad early; what better to pair fun with than delicious food and beer? Plus live music by the Evil Jim Volk! Let me tell you—you’re in for a treat. Wychwood Brewery has fully embodied the spirit of Halloween with their clever names of the featured ales, while Spinoza’s has carefully matched the prepared cuisine to stimulate your taste buds. But before we dive into the logistics of the meal, let’s indulge in a bit of a history lesson about both of these fine companies. How did they come to be?

This is Glen ↑

Glen Brailey, the owner of Spinoza’s, has been in the pizza industry for many years. He began his adventure at Domino’s while attending college, and after a few more adventures and thirteen years at Pacchia Wood Fired Pizza, which he opened, he found an empty pizzeria in the Mall at Fairfield Commons, located in Beavercreek. “The space was great, the rent was right, and I was yearning to toss dough again!” wrote Brailey in a blurb on Spinoza’s website. After aging the dough, using the freshest ingredients in their sauce, the “finest (and most expensive)” cheese, and topping it all off with all-natural pepperoni, this pizza is sure to be like nothing you’ve ever tasted before. And the fact that a mouth-watering brew is to be served alongside this gourmet pizza—this will constitute the ultimate testimony that beer and pizza were a match made in heaven.

Now for the second half of this dynamic duo—Wychwood Brewery. After perusing their Halloween-decorated, interactive website, I was briefed on Wychwood’s history. This company is located in the heart of Witney, in Oxfordshire, England—a town famous for its brewing. The brewery acquired its name in 1990, actually named after the Wychwood Forest which is located on the outskirts of Witney. “By 1997, Wychwood Brewery was producing nearly 30,000 barrels a year…” according to wychwood.co.uk. That’s extremely impressive, and a whole lot of beer! Today, Wychwood is famous for their hand-crafted ales, and exports all over the world. Just thinking about the combination of fine pizza with hearty beer—isn’t your mouth watering already?

So I’m sure you’re biting at the bit to know what exactly is on the menu for the Halloween Beer Dinner next Wednesday at 7 PM. Well, let me tell you.

Warning: The following description may cause a severe longing and appetite that can only be satisfied by attending Spinoza’s on Wednesday, October 25th.

Welcome—The evening will begin with Wychwood’s “Wychcraft” 3 Hopped Golden Ale. It has been described as “bursting with succulent citrus and lime hop character”. This unique ale will be paired with Spinoza’s Crispy Deviled Eggs with pistachio, bacon and chives.

Appetizer—Immediately following, Wychwood “Scarecrow” Organic Pale Ale will be served alongside “Finger” Sandwiches of spicy capicola, peppered salami, pepperoni, fresh mozzarella, and garlic aioli. The Brewery describes this pale ale as having a “refreshing citrus and delightful malt flavor, rounded off with a spicy bittersweet finish.”

Salad—Next, we will be served the salad portion of the meal, consisting of shaved harvest salad with Fuji Apple Dressing and Spanish Marcona Almonds. The drink of choice will be St. Peters India Pale Ale, whose brewery has been in business for over 700 years

Pizza—To begin our fourth course, we will be graced by a draft of Wychwood’s most famous ale—“Hobgoblin” Dark Ale. This very smooth ale acquires its flavors from “chocolate and crystal malts”, and will be paired with Spinoza’s Sicilian Poutine Calzones with Sweet Potato, Snake River Farms Ground Beef, Wine-infused Marinara, Basil Pesto Sour Cream, Jumbo Ripe Olives, and Shredded Parmesan.

Cheese Course—Wychwood “King Goblin” Special Reserve Ale will be served beside Black Label Cambozola with Quince. This ale has a very rich character, while still being smooth.

Dessert—And last, but certainly not least, is dessert. Yes, you read dessert. Spinoza’s is putting together house-made “Blood Red” Velvet Doughnuts with honey glaze and toasted almonds. Complementing this decadent dessert is a “deep chestnut beer…with hints of coffee, banana and licorice”, titled Monty Python’s Holy Grail “Dark Knight Reserve”.

This menu and more can be found at spinozas.com

Now, try to tell me your mouth isn’t watering right now. Are you even still with me or are you already slipping into that witch’s hat and attaching that ugly green mole to your nose? Honestly, this is a Halloween celebration you and your taste buds can’t afford to miss. So what are you waiting for? Give Spinoza’s a call RIGHT NOW to put in your reservation for this epic night. Better hurry before they are booked. I’ve even made it convenient for you and included the number:

937.426.7799

spinozas.com

So here’s how the scene should ultimately play out. You arrive in your decked out Dracula ensemble and casually stroll into Spinoza’s. And when the hustle and bustle has finally died down and the waiter comes to serve you your first course, you quote this famous line from 1992’s Dracula:

“They say you are a man of good…taste.”

Then proceed to cackle in the most evil way imaginable. Oh, and then dig in!

Entries Sought for Seventh Annual “Gingerbread Homes for the Holidays” Contest

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The Dayton Holiday Festival is looking for the area’s most creative confectionary decorators to compete in the seventh annual Gingerbread Homes for the Holidays contest on Friday, Nov. 25. Located inside the Old Court House at Third and Main streets in downtown Dayton, entries will be judged and displayed for public viewing that day only, during the Grande Illumination and Dayton Children’s Parade Spectacular in Lights from 4-9 p.m.

Stir up your icing and your imagination! All ages and skill levels are invited to participate in this free contest by entering a gingerbread house in the youth (12 and younger), teen (13-17), adult (18 and older) or professional category. Entry forms and a complete list of contest rules are available for download at www.daytonholidayfestival.org.  Forms may be submitted to the Downtown Dayton Partnership at 10 W. Second St., Suite 611, Dayton, OH 45402 or by e-mail to [email protected].  Entry forms are due by Wednesday, Nov. 9.

Get rolling and win dough! Traditional houses, replicas of buildings, a purchased kit or even cardboard entries are permitted (as long as all exposed surfaces are covered with edible materials). First place in each category will receive a prize package featuring a variety of items. Awards also will be given to second and third place winners in each category. In addition, one amateur and one professional house will be selected as the “Best Houses on the Block” and each will win a $500 cash prize.

“The entries get more creative each year,” said Sandra K. Gudorf, president of the Downtown Dayton Partnership. “The imagination and skill that goes into creating each of these gingerbread houses makes for a really special exhibit ― it’s always a fun part of our holiday season kickoff.”

Contest entries are to be delivered to the Old Court House between 10 a.m. and noon on Friday, Nov. 25. They will be judged from 2-4 p.m., and the winners will be notified by telephone. All contest winners will have the opportunity to be recognized on the Main Stage in Courthouse Square before the Grande Illumination tree lighting ceremony at 7:45 p.m.

The Gingerbread Homes for the Holidays contest is supported by media sponsors Times Community Newspapers and Mix 107.7 FM. The contest is part of the month-long Dayton Holiday Festival, presented by Time Warner Cable and sponsored by the Downtown Dayton Partnership, City of Dayton, Montgomery County and the Virginia W. Kettering Dayton Holiday Festival Fund. For more information on the contest and other Dayton Holiday Festival activities, call 937-224-1518 or visit www.daytonholidayfestival.org.

Wine Tasting For A Cause Thursday

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If you’re an alumnus of Wright State University, currently working in the nonprofit field, or if you just enjoy testing out a good wine now and then, don’t miss the Wright State University Alumni Association’s Nonprofit Leadership Alliance wine tasting and silent auction fundraiser on Thursday, October 20, from 6:00-8:00 p.m.

The Nonprofit Leadership Alliance is a national organization that helps students make connections within the nonprofit sector. The Nonprofit Leadership Alliance offers a national nonprofit management and leadership credential, the Certified Nonprofit Professional (CNP). In order to become certified, students must meet a number of requirements, which includes taking three required courses and attending one management institute. Through the Alliance, students can strengthen their leadership abilities, gain access to internship opportunities, learn more about the world of nonprofits, and enjoy many other benefits.

According to Sarah Williams, the Associate Executive Director at the Dayton Christian Center, the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance exists to “helps develop students who are going through the certification process.”  One of the most significant ways that the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance helps students is by raising money for the Alumni Society and the Student Alumni Association.  The money raised goes towards scholarships and funds events organized by the students. There is a management institution that takes place every January, and a portion of the funds “help provide a little assistance” to students who would like to attend. There are also workshops held in the fall and in the spring that are orchestrated by students, with the help of money raised by the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance.

For more information on how to join the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance or to check out the other fundraising events that will be taking place, visit http://webapp3.wright.edu/web2/americanhumanics/.

As a fairly new organization, the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance at Wright State University is excited about trying their hand at new events, such as the wine tasting and silent auction that is taking place later this month. The organization is specifically reaching out towards alumni who are currently working in the nonprofit field.

“[We are] looking to expand our horizons,” said Williams. “We’ve had a good response from the alumni thanks to our great partnership with the Alumni Association.”   Alumni of the program include Lindsay Ackley, recently named Executive Director of Clothes That Work, Debbie Fox, Grants Manager at Levin Family Foundation, and Mary DeMar, Annual Fund Manager at Goodwill Easter Seals Miami Valley.

If you’re interested in coming out to support Wright State alumni or students who are looking for work in the nonprofit sector, you can register for the wine tasting and silent auction at https://www.wrightstatealumni.com/component/registrationpro/event/148/Nonprofit-Leadership-Alliance-Wine-Tasting-and-Silent-Auction.html. The event will be held at the Therapy Café in Dayton, located at 425 E. Third Street. Tickets cost $20 and include four wine tastes and hor d’oeuvres. Fifty percent of the proceeds from the tickets will go towards the Alumni Association. If you would like to show support but cannot attend the event, feel free to purchase a ticket anyway! If you purchase a ticket but do not attend the event, the Alumni Association will receive 100% of the profit.  Any and all support is appreciated – it’s guaranteed to be a tasty time!

Red and Loving It

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Hello red...

In this second week of October, we are heading towards the end of grape harvesting season in North America and Europe. We are also heading towards National Red Wine Day, which is on October 15th. Wine is an ancient drink, known to be created as early as 6000 B.C., and has been popular throughout history. Red wine has been the base for two very historically popular drinks, sangria and mulled wine, as well as the center of a debate around the health benefits of wine specifically and alcohol in general.  There are plenty of red wines out there for you to enjoy, so a little knowledge is key to helping you find the right red wine for you.

Red wines are wines created from grapes that are dark in color, ranging from red to purple, with some blues thrown in for good measure. These are also known as black grapes. Now, grape juice in and of itself is clear, no matter what grape you get it from. What gives red wine its vibrant color is the presence of the skin during fermentation. Not only is the juice being transformed into a tasty delight, it is absorbing the color out of the skins. Skin color is not the only thing that is being absorbed into the wine. Another defining characteristic of red wines is the presence of tannins, something that is found primarily in the skins and seeds of grapes. Along with the ruby color, tannins are a defining characteristic in the difference between white and red wine. Tannins are still present in white wine, just not dominant. Tannins also help define how bold a wine is on the palate; it can range from lower tannin, sweeter flavor to a strong tannic, dryer taste. They also are a reason that red wines are served closer to room temperature; as tannins get cooler, they also start to drift from a dry taste to a bitter taste. Tannins and acids have a similar drying effect on your mouth, and red wines possess qualities. Acidic wine will go down dry, but your mouth will start to salivate soon after you take a sip. A wine that is tannic dries out the mouth…and leaves it dry.

Another factor in how a red wine tastes is the type of grape that is used. There are between forty and fifty different grapes that are currently favored in wine use globally, but most people look to six major grapes to do the heavy lifting:

Cabernet Sauvignon grapes on the vine

– Cabernet Sauvignon (Cabernet, or just Cab to close friends) is grown globally, from California to Chile, from France to South Africa. It is very high in tannins (due to the grape having a thicker skin), which gives it a very powerful flavor profile.  It also makes it very susceptible to blending, Merlot being a very popular partner. Those wily Australians like to blend their Cabs with Syrah. Cabs typically have notes of black currant in their flavor.

-Merlot is the most planted grape in the Bordeaux region of France, but it is also popular in Italy, New York, and California. Merlot grapes produce a sweeter (most describe the flavor as chocolaty or plummish) and full flavored red wine, which make it very popular with wine drinkers.  Some wine makers feel the need to blend it with a fuller bodied wine. Merlot grapes typically produce a wine with higher alcohol content.

-Pinot Noir is a bit delicate. Not in flavor; it falls in the middle of the road in terms of tannins, and often tastes of berries. It also falls into the middle ranges of alcohol content. Its delicacy comes from the grape. It is temperamental, and does best for growers looking to produce a small yield. It is much harder to grow that many of its red brethren, and has travelled to New Zealand, Australia, and California with some success. But, the French are the ones that rely on it most, especially in the Champagne region.

-Syrah (if you are in France) or Shiraz (if you are in Australia) adds some zest to the red wine world, offering hints of black pepper, smoke, herbs, or berries in its various incarnations. It stands well on its own, but in some regions it is blended with other wines. The grape has a thick skin which puts the wine very high on the tannin scale and very deep red in the color spectrum. It is most famously grown in France and Australia, but can also be found in Chile and, of course, California.

See...Zinfandel does start off red

-Zinfandel (it really is a red grape) makes its home in the United States, primarily in California. Italy also grows the grape, but not like we do here. There are some hints of blackberries and raspberries in the flavor profile. Zins can have a very high alcohol content, getting up to 15% ABV, and higher than average tannins. White Zinfandel, which has sales that are six times that of Zinfandel, is a byproduct of this grape.

-Nebbiolo has enjoyed a great deal of success being grown in northern Italy. It is a thick skinned and durable grape, but oddly does not travel well to make a good wine. The Italian wines it does make, though, can be a little rough on the tongue due to its high tannin content, but has black cherry, herbal, and floral notes to help smooth out the ride. The high alcohol content goes a long way to win some favor as well.

There are plenty of other popular red wine varieties, like Sangiovese (Italian) and Malbec (French). The above mentioned are the most commonly found, discussed, and seen as good examples of the red wine family. Many feel that the color of the wine has some bearing on how it tastes, and the darker the better. Some wine makers cater to that by artificially darkening the wine. Pinot Noirs are naturally lighter reds, yet still have interesting flavor and complexity.

Red wines are served at warmer temperatures than white wines, but not quite at room temperature. Unless the room we are discussing is in an English castle. Red wines are best served between 60⁰ and 68⁰ F. If you go too much warmer, it saps the life out of the wine. Cooler, and you could be bringing more of the dryness out, which may mask some of the subtle flavors of the wine. To bring out those flavors, red wines are served in a glass with a wider bowl, which serves a few purposes. It allows more oxygen to get to the wine, which helps release the more subtle flavors. They are designed to be held by the bowl, not the stem, which allows the body to warm the wine ever so slightly, also opening the wine’s flavors.

There are many questions people ask about red wine and wine in general. One of them is “When do I drink red wine?” The best answer to that is “Whenever you want to!” Many people will drink a red wine with a meal, to balance out or enhance the stronger flavors of the wine. More often, though, people are just drinking red wine to enjoy the flavor of the wine. Traditionally, red wines went with red meat, and white wines went with fish and poultry. Red wines, as noted above, have a wide range of flavors, and can go with a wide range of foods. It becomes a question of do I want to balance out the flavor of the food with something opposite, like something sweet with something salty or sour, or do you want to enhance the flavor of what you are eating, like drinking a spicy wine with spicy food. Another question people will ask is “What is the best red wine?” Everyone, including the experts, has a different palate. That means a wine one person may find delicious, another person may find awful. And higher price does not mean a better wine. There are plenty of wines out there that can be purchased for a low price that can stand up to the most expensive ones. There is a red wine for every palate, and it is worth the time to explore the wines yourself to see which one is right for you.

Flights are great ways to experience variety

And how do you explore these wines? One method is to find wine tastings in the area, and chat with the people that frequent them. Arrow Wine offers pay-per-taste sessions every Saturday from 11 AM to 4 PM, and their Far Hills location offers them Monday through Friday, 9 AM – 9 PM.  Keep an eye on Dorothy Lane Market’s website, as they also offer frequent wine tastings, as well as downloadable guides for food pairings and ratings charts. Rumbleseat Wine in Centerville offers a weekly wine tasting menu. Another good way to try out wines is going to bars that specialize in wine and ordering flights. The Wine Loft offers many flights of wine, grouped by style or region. The Wine Gallery offers flights of wine as well as an amazing view of downtown. There are many other bars that specialize in wine in the area, and that is another opportunity for you to explore what each has to offer.  Just check the DaytonMostMetro.com calender wine category for the latest tastings.

So go out this weekend and try out some red wines. Have a flight, visit a tasting, or buy a bottle or two from a friendly and knowledgeable vendor and have a wine tasting of your own. If you try red wines long enough, you may find this website to be particularly useful as well. Accidents do happen. Cheers!

Tea’s On for Dayton!

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Dayton’s own hidden pearls of culture and class, the tearooms of Basically British and Twin Creek offer relaxing sophistication, delightful fares, and ornate gift shops for those seeking a mini-vacation away from the usual city scene. Either British or Victorian-themed, both of these endearing tearooms offer fresh luncheons, steaming pots of tea and delectable desserts served in the most traditional of fashions and the most comforting of settings.

Nixing the need to head “across the pond”, Basically British Tearoom and Shop serves up three-tier tea luncheons in Dayton’s own downtown. Terry Ronald, a native Englander from the town of Wallasey and Vicki Morris, Dayton-raised “Brit-at-heart”, own the British-influenced establishment. Originally opening in 1994 as a British Import Gift Shop that offered imported British candies, foods, teas and gifts, the shop has expanded to include a traditional British tearoom for anyone willing to make a reservation. Together the pair has charmed Daytonians by enticing visitors with imported tea, homemade cooking, and unrushed tranquility.

Basically British is located in the old building known as “The Cannery” at 502 East Third Street. High ceilings, deep hardwood floors, brick-laid walls, and elegant woodwork invites guests into a stylish yet invitingly “male-friendly” ambiance where, although roomy, reservations are a must. The tearoom of Basically British sets visitors up for a three-tier afternoon tea where each individual is granted a four-cup pot of freshly brewed tea from the 85 varieties offered on the in-house loose-leaf tea menu. The exotic tea varieties have not only been given international awards but each of the teas are available for by-the-ounce-purchase in order for your favorites to be enjoyed in the comfort of your own home.

To keep things interestingly unpredictable, the folks at Basically British change their lunch menu monthly in order to offer seasonal surprises that seem to never bore regulars. A few of October’s special offerings include a Woodland Fairy Acres spice island rose scone, an artichoke and mushroom-stuffed tomato and a maple cranberry cup.

Food is baked fresh everyday at Basically British and although a bit pricey for the typical “quick lunch” (at $22.95 plus tax per individual), the tearoom is meant to be an unhurried, peaceful and enjoyable experience. The goal of Basically British is to “to offer a tranquil setting for our adult patrons to enjoy” and thus, they do not allow infants or children under age ten among the tea patrons. Basically British serves tea Wednesday through Saturday from 11:30 am until 3 am. Their exotic Gift Shop is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 am to 6 pm and Saturday 10 am to 5 pm.

A tad further down the streets at 19 East Dayton Street of West Alexandria, those seeking a more old-fashioned, Victorian style experience should try Twin Creek Tea Room and Ivy Parlor Gift Shop. Upon its original opening in 1993 by Melodie Dill and Pam Morneault as Twin Creek Town House Tea Room and Catering Company, visitors have eaten and sipped on the lower level tearoom and shopped at the upper level’s Ivy Parlor Gift Shop. The Ivy Parlor Gift Shop has now expanded to the entire upper level and since June of 2000, the initial owners of 19 East Dayton Street, Mark and Carolyn Ulrich, have run the tearoom and Ivy Parlor Gift Shop.

Twin Creek Tea Room is located in a restored Victorian era home where an enchanting atmosphere created by gracefully decorated tables, teapot candles, elaborate wicker chairs and romantic ambiance attracts visitors into a comfortablely elegant luncheon. The pleasant staff seems to genuinely care about the experience of the customers, offering friendly service, helpful suggestions and warm concern about the overall experience.

The menu of Twin Creek Tea Room is more extensive than that of Basically British’s and seems to offer larger portions for less expense. Twin Creek offers a variety of different menus, including the Summer Strawberry Sensations Menu, Weekly Lunch Specials, Panini Menu, Luncheon Menu, Children’s Menu, Specialty Coffee and Teas, Box Lunches, and Carry-Out Luncheon Combinations and Take-Out Items; all for under ten dollars.  A few of many menu selections include a ham pimento cheese panini, fresh layered vegetable sandwich, petite sandwich sampler, daily quiches, chilled layered carrot cake and warm apple dumplings, just to name a few. In the less elaborate realm of beverage choice of the Twin Creek Tea Room, they offer rooibo teas, chai tea lattes, espresso and a variety of cappuccinos and sipping chocolates.

All are welcome at the Twin Creek Tea Room and although reservations are welcome, they are not required. Lunch is served Wednesdays through Saturday from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm but they offer private parties and catering upon request. Six times a year the tearoom takes reservations for Candlelight Dinners where dinner entrees change depending upon the occasion. The upcoming Sweetest Day Candlelight Dinner will be held on the 15th of October and the tearoom is currently taking reservations.

In terms of Dayton tearooms, Basically British and Twin Creek Tea Room each offer quite unique menu options, cultural ambiance and out-of-the-box lunch experiences for individuals, couples, and private parties alike. I would recommend both tearooms to the college student, curious adult and special occasion venue. As a wise lady by the name of Catherine Douzel once said, “Each cup of tea represents an imaginary voyage.” Go ahead, embark!

Is Your Chili Worth $500?

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On Sat, Oct 22,  the Kroc Center is hosting a Chili Cook Off from 10am – 2pm.  Prizes will be awarded for the top 3 chili cooks, as well as a people’s choice and best decorated booth.  First place wins $500, 2nd will win $200 and 3rd place is $100.  Entrants must apply with a $25 booth fee by Oct 14th.  There are 12 spots available and all chili must be prepared and cooked on site.  Participants must prepare at least 2 gallons of chili for judging and public tasting.   Chili must contain 95% lean ground beef. See complete rules here.

Guest are invited to stroll the Kroc campus, sample chili and enjoy live music and their will be a costume contest and inflatables for the kids.  The Ohio Beef Council will be on hand doing live food demos and there will  even be a pumpkin patch.  $5 admission. The Kroc Center is located at 1000 N. Keowee Street, however the parking lot entrance is off Webster Street.



Food Adventures Spice Things Up at Amar India

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Indian food.. some people love it,  some people cringe, others have never had it.  Being Food Adventurers means we try and experience many culinary things in life, some out of our comfort zone.  Enter Amar India, one of the fancier Indian restaurants in Dayton, located across from the Dayton Mall.

The Big Ragu and Crew have developed a taste for Indian food over the years, and for us it started with Amar India.  If you have never tried Indian cuisine, let us recommend this restaurant for your American pallet.

A great way to experience some Indian food and see what you like, is to go to their buffet lunch, where you can sample a number of dishes (usually appetizers and chicken and vegetarian entrees).  The buffet lunches are fairly cheap and again it is a great way to get a variety of items.  Dinner at Amar India is ordered off the menu only.  Amar India’s menu is fairly extensive, but to sort it out, the dishes are basically four types: vegetarian, chicken, lamb, and fish.  Each dish may be ordered on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the spiciest.

Our latest visit to Amar India started with our incredibly friendly and passionate waiter, Regendier.  He welcomed us and recommended a few menu items and was happy to be a part of our Food Adventure article and photos.  In our conversations with him, he shared his love for food, Indian culture, and Pro-Wrestling.  After some fun conversation, your humble F decided to order.

Vegetable Pakora is served with 3 tasty sauces

We started out with an appetizer, ood AdventurersVegetable Pakora.  For all intents and purposes it is a vegetable fritter or hushpuppy.  The Big Ragu was ecstatic because the item was deep fried.  We explored the accompanying sauces.  This appetizer was served with a tray with 3 cups of sauces.  The sauces were a green mint sauce, a spicy chunky sauce, and a sweet bbq-like sauce.  We thought the mint sauce was the best.

Then we saw a sight for sore eyes.  Our waiter was bringing out an order of our favorite side item, Garlic Nan Bread.  Amar India offers different types of Nan bread, which are homemade pita breads with different flavored ingredients cooked right into the bread.  We cannot stress enough, that an order of Garlic Nan bread is a MUST.  When coming to Amar India, we can’t function without it.

The Garlic Nan Bread Appetizer is Addicting

We have always had a love for an Indian dish called Saag Paneer.  It is a funny sounding dish, with a big taste.  It is fresh homemade cheese cubes cooked in spinach & light cream.  It was a perfect storm of spice and flavor.

The Big Ragu ordered Fish Masala.  This dish is marinated fish,  pan fried with tomatoes, curry and cream.  Ragu ordered spice level 4 and was sweating the whole meal.  The dishes are all served in oval metal bowls that look small, but the food is filling.  They serve the meals with a white rice that has some Indian flavor.  We were both stuffed after dinner.

Top to Bottom: Fish Masala, White Rice, Saag Paneer

Our check arrived with a candy treat, small little fennel pellets.  They taste like licorice, or as Ragu said “mini good-n-plenty.”  We asked our waiter if he would take a photo with us after the dinner.  He told us his heritage was Punjabi, and he primped his moustache before the picture by curling it with his hands.  He smiled, flexed and helped us cap off a great night with a few laughs.

Whether you have acquired a taste for Indian food or not, you really need to give Amar India a chance.  The dinners are reasonable at $13-$16 on average for the unique dining experience.  If you have not been there, it will be an experience your tastebuds won’t soon forget.

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Zig Zag Gallery To Host Soup Fundraiser

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Kim Megginson and her partner Brad Abbey at the Centerville gift shop are both potters, so it’s no surprise that they are celebrating American Craft Week.  As a part of the festivities, they will host their annual Soup for CERF fundraiser.  On Thurs Oct 6th and Fri Oct 7th from 5 – 8pm the Cross Pointe Gallery will be serving up soup.  The annual benefit for the Craft Emergency Relief Fund is part of a 15 year national relief effort that supports professional crafters when personal or natural disasters strike

Zig Zag Gallery will have a selection of pottery bowls donated by both local and national potters. Guests will choose their bowl  and fill it with a soup dinner provided byFlavors Eatery, Meadowlark Restaurant, Ashley’s Pastry Shop, Dorothy Lane Market and more!

For a $10 donation guests go home with a bowl and ZIG ZAG sends the money to the national fund that helps artists through direct financial and educational assistance to crafters,  including emergency relief assistance, business development support, and resources and referrals on topics such as health, safety, and insurance.

Of course while you’re there, you might want to check out the displays by local artists, shop the unique gift selections or pick up the latest charms for your Pandora bracelet.

Cross Pointe Centre 101 E. Alex Bell Rd. #172 Dayton, Ohio 45459 | Directions
Phone: 937.434.3565 | Fax: 937.434.2244 | [email protected]

Hours:  Monday – Friday 10am – 7pm | Saturday 10 am – 6pm | Sunday 12 noon – 5pm

Food Adventures Devours the 2011 Dayton Oktobertfest

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Spaten Munich beer and Leinenkugel’s Oktoberfest were on draft

This past weekend, we experienced one of their favorite Food Adventures to date. Daytonmostmetro.com generously provided us with tickets to the preview party at the 40th Oktoberfest which is held at the Dayton Art Institute.  Although we have both been to the festival many times in the past, this would be the first time going to the preview party.

On this Food Adventure, we decided to take separate vehicles and that was a big mistake!  It wasn’t too easy to find a parking space, so The Big Ragu who is always “fashionably late,” this time proved no different.

While Hungry Jax was waiting in the long entrance line, a frantic Ragu was searching for a parking space while developing a little case of road rage.  We were both pretty amazed at how many people attended the pre-party and had no idea that it would be this packed.  Nonetheless, feeling like VIP’s we developed our game plan and a night of ethnic gluttony started to ensue.

Bratwurst from Schmidt’s restaurant booth – Incredible !

The festival is pretty much a bunch of food booths from different companies and 2 tents of craft goods.  Yeah, we skipped the arts and crafts.  Jax headed over to the Schmidt’s Sausage Haus booth while the Big Ragu shimmied over the beer line.

Schmidt’s is located in the German Village in Columbus, Ohio and was featured on Man v. Food.  Hungry Jax ordered a bratwurst with sauerkraut and added on spicy brown mustard and horseradish.  The first bite was absolutely amazing and this was a sign of good things to come.  The beer booth had some general choices, but we decided to go for the Leinenkugel Oktoberfest and the Spaten Munich beers.  After the Big Ragu got the beer, he decided to go hit the food line.  Ragu really showed that he was in the Oktoberfest spirit by showing up with a German treat … wait, a Gyro from the Greek Orthodox Church booth!  Well, at least the gyro was good because he devoured it in about 2 bites.  At this time we were both very happy Food Adventurers, but that was about to change.

The Dreaded Limburger Sandwich

We headed to the next food stall and the sign read…..Limburger Cheese Sandwich.  Neither one of us has ever tried Limburger Cheese, so we decided to take one for the team and ordered one up.  The Big Ragu’s dad had eaten Limburger Cheese as a kid in New York, so we decided to call him up and see what we had in store for us.  Ragu Sr. found it pretty amusing that we were going to indulge in this thing and basically told us….good luck!  We decided to punish the Big Ragu for buying a gyro by making him take half of this sandwich.  We have both eaten to pretty questionable things in our lifetime, but this by far was the worst thing that we have tried.  We have a rule with Food Adventures….you must finish the whole thing.  The Big Ragu was the smart one here when teared up on the final bite, got teary eyed and spit the sandwich out in the trash can. We hope to never see another Limburger Cheese Sandwich again.

After we grabbed more beers, we headed over to Don LeDoux’s Cajun Restaurant booth and decided to go with the Crawfish Etoufee.  It was served on a bed of rice and was incredibly tasty with lots of crawfish in it!  The employees and owners were very friendly.  We definitely have to head up to Troy, Ohio and try this place out!  While the crew was talking to the Don LeDoux employees, Ragu suddenly showed up with a Weinerschnitzel sandwich that he bought at the booth next door.  He had to get the limburger taste out of his mouth.  We also visited briefly with the Kosmic Kettlecorn booth who had some tasty popcorn, and showed us how the process worked.

Meeting the local legend, Voltzy at his Oktoberfest booth

The next item that we tried was the highlight of the Oktoberfest for us….we finally tried a Voltzy burger!  This is by far, the best hamburger that we have tried so far…..you can definitely taste the freshness.  Voltzy came out and doused our burgers out with three different sauces, which put a sparkle in the Big Ragu’s eye.  One taste of these things and you will be hooked!  And the sauces give it some sweet heat!  The burgers were amazingly fresh, and Voltzy said the meat is never frozen.

We will both admit that before we met Voltzy, we were very intimidated by his reputation for being a hard A$$, but he was a great guy, with a good sense of humor, who we had a lot of fun with.  We are looking forward to a future food adventure at his restaurant!

At this point we were both pretty stuffed and we decided to do what anyone else would…..get another beer!  The Spaten was incredible and we couldn’t get enough of it.  Ragu also loved the Wisconsin brewed Leinenkugel Oktoberfest beer, but Jax stuck with the German Spaten Beer.  While waiting in the beer line, the Cream Puff Pastry at Schmidt’s Sausage Haus caught our eye.  While the Big Ragu loves his fried food, and Jax has a weakness for sweets.  The cream puff pastry was a gift send down from the Confectionary Gods and we loved every morsel of it.

Schmidt’s Restaurant has perfected the Cream Puff

This Food Adventure was a blast.  Our leiderhosen are a bit tighter after the food we consumed at this festival.  Sure, we ended up with a few drops of beer, sauce, and powdered sugar on our shirts, which housed our full stomachs, but it was all in a night’s work.  So we say, to honor Oktoberfest, Lisa, Bill and the crew at DAYTONMOSTMETRO.com who got us VIP tickets to this event, we say “Danke schön!”

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Did you go to Oktoberfest? What did you think about the food and beer selection
?

Please post a comment below!

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American as apple…cider

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William Henry Harrison

I will drink…to getting your vote!

The presidential campaign of 1840 was going to be a hard fought one between Martin Van Buren and William Henry Harrison. In an attempt to paint Harrison as an old geezer who could not handle the strain of the presidency, a Democratic newspaper stated that “[g]ive him a barrel of hard cider, and … a pension of two thousand [dollars] a year … and … he will sit the remainder of his days in his log cabin.” Harrison, to show what a hard working regular guy he was, used that statement to start calling himself the “log cabin and hard cider candidate”. Harrison’s political rallies were swimming in the apple based beverage, and there are stories that people who voted for him on Election Day were given even more of the hard stuff. All of that helped to give Harrison an electoral landslide.

Modern drinkers most likely would scratch their head at this. How is hard cider a draw? Isn’t that a drink that people who can’t handle real liquor drink? It is too fruity and sweet for anything but a lightweight drinker to be able to handle. Prohibition killed many fine distilleries and truly altered the flavors that Americans sought for their cocktail time. Hard cider was one of the casualties.

Apples ready for pressing

Melrose apples, ready for the press.

Hard cider was widely considered a working man’s drink through the end of the 19th century, but was also on the table at every fine dinner in the United States. George Washington at one point offered it for votes. Thomas Jefferson brewed it while he was searching for a sturdier grape to bring to the United States for wine production. John Adams drank a tankard of it every morning (to soothe his stomach), and many children had it with their breakfast through the 1830’s.  The love affair with cider began in the 1620’s when copious amounts of orchards were planted with English apples from Massachusetts to Virginia. The apples we enjoy today are not native to our land. Before colonization, America was a land mainly of inedible crab apples. When the apples matured, some were used for baking and eating, and some were pressed into what we know as apple cider, which they referred to as “soft” cider. It was unfiltered and unpasteurized, so it did not keep for a long period of time. More often, they pressed the apples and added yeast to them to encourage the fermentation. Fermentation made any beverage safer to drink than the water that was available, because the process killed bacteria long before Pasteur developed the process that bears his name.

While the colonies were producing  enough grains to feed themselves (and make some beer and whiskey on the side), and many people tried to cultivate grapes to produce wine in the unforgiving costal climate, apples were plentiful. And cider is not incredibly difficult to make (squeeze juice, add yeast, wait). Depending on the sweetness of the apples, most ciders naturally ferment to an ABV of around 5% (right around typical lager beer ABV). With the addition of some natural flavorings and sugars that come from honey (which the colonists could also cultivate), molasses (which they could import from the Caribbean), or maple syrup (plentiful in New England), the ABV of ciders can get up to 14%, which is more on par with wines. In the United States, for tax purposes, ciders are defined as beverages made from apples with no more than 8% ABV. If it goes higher than that, it becomes classified as a wine.

Apple Orchard

The legacy of Johnny Appleseed: Cider for the pioneers

There are many reasons that people look to when searching for the demise of hard cider as a staple of the American drinker. It was not long after the 1840 election that the country began to see the decline in demand for cider. One reason may be the faster expansion to the West. The country was growing at a rapid pace, and apple trees take a few years to mature. People were not planning on planting an orchard then staying around to see it grow. Johnny Appleseed was made famous by planting apple orchards all over this great state, and those apples were most likely used to make barrels and barrels of cider. The people that were pushing this expansion to the west were of German descent, and bringing a new style of beer, the lager, to the United States. Lager beer was safer to create than the ales the English brought over (less risk of spoilage and contamination), and Adolphus Busch embraced the railroad and refrigeration to spread this type of beer across the country. It was also at this time a small group of people made serious inroads to stop the excessive amounts of drinking that marked the beginning of the 19th century through the Temperance movement. People began to cut back on alcohol consumption, and cider was a large part of that consumption, especially in the east.

With the beginning of the craft beer movement in the 1980’s and 90’s, hard ciders began to make a comeback in America. They never really lost their popularity in Europe, being a staple there since England was still ruled by the Celts. Woodchuck, Cider Jack, Hornsby’s, and Woodpecker lead the charge back from obscurity to the big stage of American drinking, but it no longer had a big place at the table. Like Zima, Smirnoff Ice and other malt beverages, they were seen as a novelty, not a piece of Americana resurrected from obscurity.  It was not until the later additions of their European brethren like Strongbow and Bulmers that the cider market earned some gravitas. Crispin, based in Minnesota, has also added to that heft, giving America a little more credibility when brewing a less sweet, crisper cider. Crispin and other ciders have started to move away from strictly apples, including pears and other flavors in their ciders. The evolution of cider has gone organic as well, with Samuel Smith adding cider to their wide range of traditional beverages. Rhinegeist is one of the first Ohio brewers to add hard cider to their stable, offering a Dry Hopped and Semi Dry version in cans.

A wide variety of ciders are available around the area, with the best selections being in your local liquor stores. Arrow Wine and Belmont Party Supply both have a fine selection. Maybe you would like to try your hand at it yourself? As was mentioned earlier, it is not incredibly difficult to do, cider being more akin to a wine than beer. If you are an adventurous spirit, Sally’s Place has a very simple recipe you can try, with just a few purchases from a local brew store. Cheers!

5th Annual Fiery Food Show in Fairfield

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If you’re looking for a fun, family-friendly way to spice up your weekend, check out Jungle Jim’s 5th annual Weekend of Fire this Saturday and Sunday for two days full of fun, food, and fire. This show has grown from 500 guests in year one to over 2500 in  attendance last year.  There’s something for everyone from the Fiery Food Expo to the Arena of Fire to BBQ Alley, it’s a guaranteed  hot time in Farifield this weekend.

Fifty five vendors from all across the country will be setting up shop this weekend in the Fiery Food Expo. They will be offering a variety of free samples, including hot sauces, BBQ sauces, salsas, rubs, and even ice cream with a spicy kick. Vendors will also be taking orders if you find something you’d like to take home and share!

The Arena of Fire is the place where all sorts of “wild and wacky” contests will be held hourly.  “We thought it was a great venue, we had a lot of fun. We really liked the contests,” said  Mike & Jill Shuster of last years event.  If you’re brave enough, you can sign up at the registration table and compete in the horseradish eating contest, the hot salsa contest or the kid friendly coney dot eating.  Can you take the heat?

If you’re not up to the heat of the competition, stroll outside and enjoy an outdoor lunch, dinner, or snack in BBQ Alley. This is the first year that BBQ Alley has been opened during the Weekend of Fire. You and your family can enjoy ribs, wings, Hawaiian shaved ice, funnel cakes, deep fried goodies, and much more. Vendors that will be providing food in BBQ Alley include: Dragon Fire Hot Sauce, Sweet Mama’s Jam-N-Salsa, Rib City, Goldie’s Q, and many more.

While attending the show, be sure to stop and vote for your favorites! Awards include Best Hot Sauce, BBQ Sauce, Best Salsa, and Best Hot Specialty. Trophies will be presented on Sunday before the end of the show.

Another special event you won’t want to miss is the DeafCon DeathMatch. The DeathMatch is a mysterious event that you will have to see to believe.  The bleachers will be  filled way before the contest as people vie for a good seat. Late comers cluster around the Arena of Fire, climbing on each others shoulders; anything to see. Contestants gather in a group awaiting their fate and take their place as The Creator calls their name. Tension mounts as The Creatress brings out the wings drenched in sauce so hot the contestants are required to sign a release to compete for bragging rights.  The event will take place in BBQ Alley at 8 p.m. on Saturday night.

If just one Weekend of Fire isn’t enough to fill your fiery hunger, sign up for Eat the Heat cooking class to bring some of fire back to your family. The class will be taught by Leigh Barnhart Ochs, the Cooking School Director. She will teach techniques, recipes, and what foods work together so you can spice up dinner time any day. Cost for the class is $50 and includes free tickets to the show. For more information on how to register, visit http://www.junglejims.com/weekendoffire/eat-the-heat.asp.

Jungle Jim’s Weekend of Fire will take place on October 1st from 10-6 p.m. and October 2nd from 11-5 p.m. at The Oscar Event Center which is located at  5440 Dixie Highway, just north of 275.  Tickets cost $5 if purchased in advance and $7 at the door. Admission cost includes admission to the Fiery Foods Expo, samples from all the vendors, the ability to purchase hundreds of products directly from the vendors, access to BBQ Alley, access to the Arena of Fire, and rides on the Monorail. Children under 6-years-old are free.

If all of these appetizing aspects of Jungle Jim’s Weekend of Fire are not enough to persuade you to attend, come out to show support for Dayton! Crazy Uncle Jester’s and Firehouse Pantry, local Dayton hot sauce makers, will have booths set up in the Fiery Foods Expo. Stop by and show some support for your local blazing businesses!

Weekend of Fire:

Saturday, October 1, 2011 from 10am – 8pm
Sunday, October 2, 2011 from 11am – 5pm
The Oscar Event Center at Jungle Jim’s International Market

Directions from Dayton

Take I-75 South
Merge I-275 West – To Indianapolis
Exit #41 toward Hamilton/Fairfield
Drive north 3.8 miles on Route 4/Dixie Highway
Turn right onto Jungle Jim’s Blvd