Dayton Dining

Smashburger opens today in The Shoppes at 725. In recognition of local flavor, Smashburger will offer a Buckeye Smashburger designed especially for the Ohio market.  One dollar from each Buckeye Smashburger sold through Friday, Oct 23rd will be donated to the Thank You Foundation of Dayton.  This group strives to improve the overall quality of life of Veterans, Military Personnel, and their families by focusing and supporting efforts for Education & Employment, Health & Welfare, and Morale & Recreation for the community we serve.

Named for the cooking method used to create the perfect burger, Smashburgers are either a one-third or half-pound ball of 100 percent fresh-not frozen-Angus beef smashed on a flat grill to sear in superior juicy flavor. To further the ‘better burger’ experience, Smashburgers are served on a toasted artisan bun and topped with a selection of real cheeses, the freshest produce, and distinctive toppings including haystack onions, guacamole or even a fried egg.

Smashburger is known for its savory burgers, but the restaurant also serves up delicious Smashchicken sandwiches, Smashdogs, and Smashsalads, with sides like veggie frites and rosemary and garlic-seasoned Smashfries. Burger lovers can pair their meals with beer, wine, Häagen-Dazs shakes, and root-beer floats.

Amy Kessling and her partner Tom Rodenkirch have more than 40 years of restaurant experience between them, mainly with Wendy’s. They  hold the area franchise rights for southwest Ohio.  In addition to the first location, which will employ about 30 people, Kessling said they are looking near the University of Dayton and the West Chester area for their next locations.

As of this Sunday, restaurants with Sunday sales permits will be able to sell wine and spirits two hours earlier under a new state law that takes effect this weekend.

The law, which was built into the state budget, allows restaurants with D-6 liquor permits to begin Sunday sales at 11 a.m. instead of the current 1 p.m.  So now your french toast can be complimented with the classic brunch Mimosa, made with fresh O.J. and champagne.

Not sure what drink compliments your breakfast?  Pacchia in the Oregon District has made it easy by suggesting cocktail pairings  for you:

Challah French Toast, sausage, home fries, fresh fruit – Mimosa

The German 2 eggs, Goetta, smoked sausage, potato pancakes, fried apples
– a beer

The Irish -2 eggs any style, sausage, bacon, baked beans, roasted tomatoes and toast – a traditional Irish coffee

The American -Omelet Your Way, home fries, 2 buttermilk pancakes-Bloody Mary

The Mexican -Huevos Rancheros, home fries – a Breakfast Margarita

Some Brunches worth checking out:
Jazz Brunch at Michael’s Sun 11am – 3pm
Brunch & A Movie at The Winds starting Sun’s at 10am
Cena, Sun 11am – 3pm
Madison’s Bistro, Sun 10am-2pm
Meadowlark, Sun 10am- 3pm
The Caroline, Sun 10:30am – 1:30pm
Yankee Trace, Sun 10am – 2pm

Serving Brunch on Sat & Sun:

Barbie’s Bistro
Dublin Pub
Pacchia

Did we miss your favorite brunch?  Let us know.

Located just east of the Oregon District, Franco’s Ristorante Italiano serves up recipes right from the old country.  Owner Franco Germano explains, “ my culinary experiences began in my home in Italy, and have now been carried all the way to you.”

You’ll find a menu stuffed with traditional offerings from appetizers like calamari, stuffed ravioli and antipasto, with entrees including the house specialties Marsala & Piccato offered over your choice of chicken, veal, fish or shrimp, as well as the pick your own pasta dishes, with limitless creations.

To celebrate their 34th anniversary this month, Franco’s is offering a 2 Dine for $34 Dinner Special during the entire month of October:

Insalata or Zupppe
Choice of pasta: Spaghetti, Fettuccine, Ziti, Capellini, Ravioli or Lasanga
Choice of Sauce:  Marinara, Meat Aauce, Italian Sausage, Meat Balls or Alfredo, Spumoni Ice Cream & a soft drink

The celebration will continue with a very special 6 course Dinner and Wine Tasting on Monday, Oct 19th beginning at 7pm.  Advance reservations for $65 per person (tax & gratuity included) will be required and can be made at 222-0204.  Menu includes:

Antipasto
Baked Zucchini and Eggplant with Fresh Mozzarella Cheese and Tomatoes topped with Balsamic Vinegar, serve with Focaccia Bread

Insalata
Caesar Salad

Primo
Boneless Beef Rib Alla Toscana with Linguine in a Tomato Sauce

Secondo
Vitello Alla Milanese Medallions with Asparagus and
Garlic Mashed Potatoes in a Marsala Wine Sauce

Dolce
Caffe Bianco Gelato

Buon Appetito!

Join the members of HYPE on Thursday, October 15th from 5:30pm – 7:30pm at Harrison’s in Tipp City for Homecoming Night.

HYPE is an organization formed by a group of Young Professionals (at the urging of the Covington, Piqua, Tipp City and Troy Chambers of Commerce) with a shared interest in ensuring the Northern Miami Valley is a great place to live, work, play and grow – now and in the future. By opening doors to social engagement, community involvement and professional development, HYPE seeks to establish and empower a community of young leaders capable of supporting long-term success for the region.

Support your favorite college football team and wear a shirt with their logo. Featuring a 50/50 raffle, flip cup and other “college” games, $1 drafts, and a door prize of a 4-Pack to Harvestfest on October 31st in Tipp City.

Sing your favorite 80’s tunes and sign up to participate in our wing eating contest! For $25, contestants will compete for a chance to represent HYPE during the wing eating contest at the October 31st Harvestfest in downtown Tipp City. Participants get a free T-shirt and all the wings they can eat for five minutes. For more info contact
[email protected]

Celebrate Local Food Week at Rue Dumaine as they feature a Friday lunch menu filled with products grown and purchased locally.

Roasted sweet potato* soup with house cured pancetta -$4.5

Swiss chard*-goat cheese* pie-$6.5

Grilled fresh fish (TBD), olive oil crushed purple potatoes*, arugula*, and tomato*-almond relish -$11

Pan-seared chicken livers*, agri-dolce relish*, roasted potatoes*, and wilted kale*-$12

Curried chicken* salad sandwich on sesame semolina bread* with bibb lettuce*, and crudité* -$9

Apple*-quince* galette -$4.5

*Miami Valley grown or produced

Madison’s Bistro Local Food Menu includes:

Fall Squash Chowder – $3.95
Pears, Roasted, Fried, Frisée, Prosciutto, Balsamic Vinaigrette – $6.95
Chicken & Butternut Squash Risotto – $12.95
Apple, Pear and Dried Cranberry Crumble with Vanilla Ice Cream – $6.95
or the entire 4 courses for $26.95

You can make reservations by calling 435-7080 or online at
www.madisonsbistro.com

Other restaurants serving local menu’s this week include Coco’s Bistro, Pacchia and Rue Dumaine. “We think it’s important for people to understand that there is an amazing bounty of fresh, locally grown food available right here in the Miami Valley,” said Noreen Willhelm, chair of Miami Valley Grown. “Whether you’re looking for chicken, honey, pumpkins, cheeses, fish, sausage or collard greens, you can find it within a 50-mile radius of Dayton.”

For the last few years, food advocates have been working to introduce their own communities to the concept of supporting local growers and food producers, in an effort to reduce the need to ship food across the country and to highlight the flavors and variety of regional produce.

“It’s a question of food security,” Willhelm said. “When we buy locally, we know where our food is coming from and where it’s been and there’s much less likelihood that the supply can be disrupted.” The movement really took off in 2008 when gas prices in the United States spiked, causing significant price increases to cover the cost of shipping food from places like California to Ohio.

For other Local Food Week activities, please visit Miami Valley Grown

It’s the latest craze in easy fundraising idea’s that benefits the restaurants, the local nonprofits and makes it easy to give in tough economic times. A charity partners with an area eatery to promote guests to patronize a business on a certain day and in return for using their contact list to drive traffic in, the restaurant will make a donation to the nonprofit.

Here are a few Upcoming Events:

Mon, Sept 28th :

City Barbeque donates 25% to Hannah’s Treasure Chest

Texas Road House – 10% of sales to Susan G. Komen for the Cure

Chili’s will donate 100% of sales to St Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital

Sat, Oct 3rd:
Chef Joe Fish hosts a dinner at his house for David Esrati’s run for City of Dayton Commissioner

Know of others? Let us know

What could be better than sipping great wine, vibing to some soothing sounds and networking with your fellow professionals?

The Wright State University Social Work Alumni Society presents their First Annual Wine Tasting Fundraiser at Therapy Cafe on Friday, October 9 from 6 to 8 p.m. The $20 fee includes four wine tastes and hors d’oeuvres.

Deb Downing, president of the Social Work Alumni Society, says the proceeds from the event will go towards funding an alumni scholarship to benefit Wright State University students in social work studies.

The evening will also feature a silent auction.

The Wright State University Social Work Alumni Society
consists of alumni of the WSU Department of Social Work dedicated to providing training, support and networking opportunities for students and professionals in the field of social work.

Social Work Alumni Society member Lilah Findley encourages everyone to come out for a wonderful evening of networking and flavorful spirits.

To purchase tickets, email Deb Downing at [email protected] or call the alumni office at 937-775-2620.  Tickets will also be available at the door.

Therapy Cafe is located at 452 East Third Street in downtown Dayton.

Check this out on our Event Calendar!

Dayton History presents an authentic dining experience at Dayton’s oldest surviving structure, Newcom Tavern, this October at Carillon Historical Park.

Following 19th century activities and demonstrations, guests will enjoy a historically accurate, hearty dinner consisting of roast bison, cream of cauliflower soup, fresh churned ice cream, corn bread, noodles and stewed cucumbers.

Dates for this event are: Oct. 2, 9, 10, 16 and 17.

Cost : $45.00 each for members; $50.00 each for non-members. Pre-registration is required.

For additional information, email [email protected] or call 937-293-2841 ext. 107.

http://www.daytonhistory.org/

Nordstrom has grown from one Seattle shoe store into a nationwide fashion specialty retailer with renowned customer service, generous size ranges and a wide selection of the finest apparel, shoes and accessories for the entire family. Known for its wide aisles, use of back wall displays, tasteful fixturing, seating for shoppers and its trademark live piano players, Nordstrom epitomizes specialty retail department store shopping. We’ll get to see for ourselves when Nordstrom opens a store at Kenwood Towne Centre.
Grand Opening Day Fri, Sept 25 at 10am

At one point the Nordstrom’s Employee Handbook was this:

Welcome to Nordstrom

We’re glad to have you with our Company. Our number one goal is to provide outstanding customer service. Set both your personal and professional goals high. We have great confidence in your ability to achieve them.

Nordstrom Rules: Rule #1: Use good judgment in all situations. There will be no additional rules.

Please feel free to ask your department manager, store manager, or division general manager any question at any time.

While times have changed and there is now a full employee handbook, this page is the beginning of that handbook. Whatever they are teaching they must be doing it right as Nordstrom’s reputation is still as strong as ever, as testified by these quotes:

“Nordstrom is legendary for the way they take care of the people who walk through their doors.”-Ken Blanchard, Coauthor, The One Minute Manager

“Nordstrom is a national model for outstanding customer service.”
– J. Willard Marriott Jr. Chairman and President, Marriott International, Inc.

Can’t wait to check it out and see if it lives up to the hype! Roadtrip
anyone?

All of us have at one time or another experienced hunger. We’ve all craved a midnight snack, wanted something salty or needed some chocolate. But there’s a big difference between trying to satisfy a brief craving or stomach growl and wondering where your next meal will come from.

The reality is that more than 12.4 million children in America—that’s one in six—are at risk of hunger. And it’s likely that these children will endure lifelong consequences as a result of having limited access to nutritious foods.

Children who don’t get enough nutritious food are more likely to have:

• Weaker immune systems
• Impeded growth and development
• More stomach- and headaches, colds and ear infections
• Increased susceptibility to obesity
• Impaired performance at school—academically, athletically and socially

During the week of Sept 20 -26, coffee shops to fine dining, restaurants across the nation will join together for the Great American Dine Out.  Participating restaurants give in a variety of ways— donate a percentage of sales, promote select menu items, collect money from suppliers and guests and much more. The funds raised from this campaign will support:

• Increasing participation in school food and nutrition programs
• Increasing the number of community gardens
• Food banks and food pantries
• Increasing access to fresh produce
• Increasing utilization of federal child food and nutrition programs, e.g. food stamps, school breakfast, etc.
• Advocacy around Child food and nutrition-related programs

First Watch, Captain D’s, Buffalo Wild Wings and Barbie’s Bistro are among the early eateries in the area signed up to participate. Click below to check for others:

Find local participating restaurants

Cheryl Alagna, Maser of Whisky, proves that yes, you can. With over 30 years of experience in the wine and spirits business,  she became one of 14 Masters in the world.  Here job  takes her around the country training, educating and entertaining both consumers and industry people about the nuances of all things whisky.  Cheryl says her sincere hope as a Master of Whisky is, “to help others acquire their own understanding and personal appreciation for whisky which will enrich their lives” as it has hers.

She’ll be in town Tues, Sept 15th at  Dublin Pub to host a midday tasting  for   $15 which starts at 11:30am  and includes a sampling of five premium whiskies, and will be accompanied with a presentation and Q&A by Ms. Alagna.  The whiskies being sampled are:

Bulleit Bourbon, Kentucky

Blackbush Irish Whiskey, Ireland

Crowne Reserve, Canada

Singleton, Single Malt, Scotland

Buchanan’s, Blended, Scotland

Cost:  $15 for the tasting, The entire Dublin Pub menu is available as usual for an additional cost.

Reservations:  email:  [email protected] or call 937-224-7822

Lots going on this weekend in and around Dayton, especially if you like festivals.  We have four big festivals to let you know about here…

Beavercreek Popcorn Festival – this annual fest features over 200 booths serving festival food and lots of goodies made with, well – popcorn of course!  There is also a car show and “5k Popcorn Run”, not to mention lots of stuff for kids.  If you like popcorn then this festival is for you!

Italian Fall Festa – if ethnic is your thing – specifically Italiana – then head over to Kettering for this awesome annual fest.  Pizza, meatballs, cannolis, Italian breads – it will all be there!  Entertainment includes live music and on Sunday watch the Browns vs Bengals on their big screens!

Vandalia Oktoberfest – keeping with the ethnic theme, if you prefer German (and specifically BEER) then you’ll want to be in Vandalia for this festival.  Featuring German Potato Salad, Brats, Sauerkraut, and of course BEER, this is always a great time.

And finally, the 2009 Greek Festival – what many consider to be the fest of all fests!  Held at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church just behind the Dayton Art Institute, this festival has all of the awesome gyros, Greek cheeses and pastries to die for!  Get your Opa! on and come to this Dayton favorite!

If you work or live in Downtown Dayton and you’re looking for a new lunch place to try, do yourself a favor and check out Carmen’s Deli at the former Fifth Third Center (across the street from the Kettering Tower on Second Street).  Formerly Swishers II Cafe (whose original location is still open), this newest lunch eatery to open downtown is already a hit with customers!  They’ve got a simple yet full lunch menu that is quite inexpensive – price range is between $4.29 for a Hamburger to $4.99 for a Wrap Sandwich – wow!  Get a Hero Sub and a drink for only $5.59!

But that isn’t even the best part… Haitham is the owner (he named the restaurant after his wife) and this guy has a magical ability to put a smile on just about anybody’s face!  His electric personality is infectious – something that is unfortunately quite lacking in most places these days.  I’ve been in about half a dozen times and everytime Haitham acknowledges me by name and always tries to strike up conversation with me.  He sincerely appreciates every customer and goes out of his way to make everybody happy.  Yes, Haitham at Carmen’s Deli truly gets the meaning of the word “Hospitality”!

Check out their Facebook Page, and next time you’re downtown looking for an inexpensive but delicious lunch be sure to give Carmen’s Deli a try.