Hey Dayton!

Welcome to our weekly Dayton Food & Dining Newsletter! I’m going to get straight to the news because there’s a lot of it.

This morning when I woke up I saw via Facebook that China Cottage was closing its doors in Springboro on Dec. 31 with plans to relocate. I went to the restaurant to get this news confirmed and saw the following sign:

“Big changes are on the horizon,” the sign reads. “As our lease in our current Springboro location concludes at the end of this year, we are gearing up for an incredible relocation.”

The restaurant is building a new and improved space nearby, according to the sign. A reopening date has not been announced.

Customers are encouraged to visit the Centerville location at 6290 Far Hills Ave. China Cottage has two additional locations at 3718 Wilmington Pike in Kettering and 1983 Shiloh Springs Road in Trotwood.

Butterbee’s to open Xenia restaurant in summer 2024

As a Xenia native, I am SO EXCITED! Butterbee’s American Grille is opening its doors in Xenia next door to Skyline Chili on Progress Drive in summer 2024.

The family-friendly, sports-themed restaurant and bar has had plans to open a location in Xenia since 2020 when the building was first constructed. Plans for the restaurant were put on hold after the coronavirus pandemic because the owners wanted to make sure the timing and opportunity was right, said Nabih David, vice president of the David Restaurant Group, who owns and operates Butterbee’s.

The restaurant is famous for their hand-breaded chicken tenders and fall-off-the-bone baby back ribs. Besides those two fan-favorites, I’m looking forward to trying the pickle sticks, pulled pork nachos, boneless wings and the buffalo chicken wrap.

David told me they consider themselves a scratch kitchen because all of their ingredients are brought in and prepared fresh. He added that there is not one item on the menu that they don’t make from scratch.

Chiapas Mexican Grill to open third location

Chiapas Mexican Grill is opening a third restaurant location in the Dayton area at 8971 Kingsridge Drive in Miami Twp.

This spot is the former home to Thai Kitchen, which relocated to 2335 Miamisburg-Centerville Road in Feb. 2023.

Chiapas Mexican Grill has applied for several liquor licenses for this location and they remain pending, according to the Ohio Division of Liquor Control.

A building permit was issued by the Montgomery County Building Regulations Division in July 2023 for the property owner to remodel two of the existing tenant spaces into one, totaling nearly 3,000-square-feet.

The restaurant has two other locations in the Dayton area including: 298 N. Main St. (Ohio 48) in Centerville and 2733 West Alex-Bell Road near Springboro Pike (Ohio 741) in Moraine.

Owner of Eat The Rich pushes culinary boundaries in Dayton region

Eat The Rich, a cottage bakery based out of Vandalia, has been doing pop-ups throughout the Dayton region for the past two years and recently partnered with two local businesses to sell their baked goods.

Owner Kelsea Pernsteiner is not stopping there. In the future, she hopes to open a brick-and-mortar in downtown Dayton.

Eat The Rich focuses on creative, gourmet flavors as well as catering to a multitude of dietary restrictions and allergies.

A customer favorite includes the Sad Boii cupcake featuring a Valrhona chocolate cake filled with Fleur De Sel caramel that’s frosted with chocolate ganache and topped with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt.

My personal favorite during the holiday season is the Peppermint & Dark Chocolate Chip cupcake featuring Valrhona chocolate cake with pure peppermint buttercream loaded with chunks of fair trade dark chocolate.

Cupcakes aside, Eat The Rich offers custom cakes, cookies and brownies.

If you’ve never tried Eat The Rich, she is doing a pop-up from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday at Ned Peppers during the Oregon District Holiday Bazaar. Her baked goods can also be found at The Local 937 and Fifth Street Brewpub in St. Anne’s Hill Historic District.

Festive stuffed cookie butter cookie recipe takes first in holiday contest

The Dayton Daily News Holiday Cookie Contest returned this year with area bakers submitting 32 of their very best recipes.

Dana Tatar of Oakwood came in first place with her recipe for Festive Stuffed Cookie Butter Cookies. The holiday cookie is stuffed with cookie butter, topped with Teddy Grahams and rolled in sprinkles.

The second-place winner was Rebekah Lermond of Union with her recipe for Peanut Butter Snickerdoodle Cookies and the third-place winner was Jelena Staub of Oakwood with her recipe for Brown Butter Espresso Chip Cookies.

Below is the recipe for Festive Stuffed Cookie Butter Cookies. I was the one to bake these cookies for our holiday contest and I have to say they are extremely good straight out of the oven with the cookie butter still warm and gooey.

Ingredients:

Directions:

First, prepare the cookie butter filling. Take a spoonful of cookie butter and drop it onto parchment paper for a total of 18 dollops. Place them in the freezer while you prepare the cookie dough.

In a mixing bowl, using a handheld or standing mixer with paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugars until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, and mix until well combined. Add vanilla extract and beat for another 30 seconds.

In another bowl, mix together flours, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Sift the dry ingredients into the butter-egg mixture and mix until just combined. Stir in the crushed cookies.

Place the dough in the refrigerator and chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Take about ¼ cup dough and roll it into a ball. Use your palm to flatten the dough. Place the frozen cookie butter dollop onto the center of the dough. Take the edges and seal the dough — making sure the cookie butter is completely covered. Place 5-6 Teddy Graham crackers on top of the dough, then roll it in holiday sprinkles.

Repeat until you have a total of 18 cookies. Place cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheets, 9 cookies to a sheet. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until edges start to become golden brown. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10-15 minutes.

>>>READ MORE: Top 10 recipes from Holiday Cookie Contest

Quick Bites:

☕ Dunkin’ opens in Huber Heights: The area’s newest Dunkin’ at 7680 Old Troy Pike is in the midst of a soft opening with a grand opening planned for Dec. 19.

🍽️ Lumpia Queen opens permanent spot at Wright-Patt: After serving those on base for over a year via food truck, Lumpia Queen is now open in the Main Exchange Food Court. For more information, click here.

🍷 Joui Wine now open in Dayton: The new wine retail shop and bar is located at 117 E. Third St. next to Salt Block Biscuit Company.

☕ Downtown Dayton coffee shop closes: Third Perk Coffeehouse & Wine Bar closed its doors Saturday at 146 E. Third St. Click here for what’s next for the owner.

Tell Us:

Thank you so much for reading my weekly newsletter! If you see a new restaurant opening or are wondering when an establishment is expected to open up, feel free to email me here, and I’ll check it out.

As the holiday season is a time well spent making memories with family and friends, I’m asking our readers to share a favorite holiday memory.

Do you have a favorite memory baking cookies with your grandma? Or a favorite tradition you and your family do every year in December? Maybe you have a special ornament on your tree that you cherish or a present you were gifted as a kid from Santa that you never got rid of or just can’t stop thinking about.

If you are interested in sharing a memorable story that makes you think of the holidays, send an email to me. Please include your first and last name, the city you reside in, phone number, a short summary and a photo that relates to the story by 3 p.m. Friday.

Remember to follow Dayton Daily News on Facebook or search our Food & Dining section for the latest stories. I’ll have continuous updates on my Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok pages.