Hey Dayton! Welcome to our weekly Food & Dining Newsletter. By now, you should know I love Mexican food, ice cream and DONUTS!🍩 Last weekend after we went snowboarding at Perfect North, I convinced my husband and high school best friend we needed to stop at Hurts Donut in Cincinnati. Hurts Donut has been all the rage since they opened at 12110 Mason Montgomery Road in Symmes Twp. two weeks ago. In a Facebook post, the donut shop said they sold 7,000 donuts in the first four hours they were open. Now they’re averaging 20,000 donuts a day. You might be wondering, what makes Hurts Donut so special? They have more than 70 varieties of donuts on rotation and everything is made fresh and decorated by hand. I personally love the vibe of the donut shop. The bright colors and “swings” makes it the perfect Instagrammable spot. - THE Brownie (Similar to a cosmic brownie. It’s a chocolate cake donut covered in chocolate icing with rainbow candy chips)
- Slim Shady (a chocolate cake donut with vanilla icing and M&M’S)
- Little Timmy (a white cake donuts with vanilla icing, rainbow sprinkles and a iced animal cookie on top)
Hurts Donut is worth the drive! Read more about the donut shop by clicking here.
More establishments now participating in Winter Restaurant Week The Miami Valley Restaurant Association’s Winter Restaurant Week is in full swing with several establishments, including Agave & Rye, Archer’s Tavern, Cowboy Sally’s and Kabuki, added this week to the list. This brings the total of restaurants participating to 33. I went to a sneak peek event highlighting 12 of the participating restaurants and really enjoyed the Wienerschnitzel and Cherry Almond Bread Pudding from Amber Rose. Another favorite was the Beouf Bourguignon and Mashed Potatoes from Manna (pictured above). Winter Restaurant Week runs through Sunday with meals ranging from $20.24 to $60.24. One dollar per meal sold will support the Dayton Food Bank. For a full list of participating restaurants, click here.
Foremost Seafood is a Kettering staple People shopping for seafood typically expect a display case featuring different varieties of fish, but that’s not the case at Foremost Seafood in Kettering. “We believe in taking care of the fish,” said manager Kristen Patterson. “That means when you have display cases you’re handling the fish more than you need to. Keeping them under light is not good for them. A lot of our fish we keep whole and then cut to order and that’s how you can have the freshest quality possible.” Here are three things I learned about Foremost Seafood: - Patterson’s dad, Tom, started Foremost Seafood in 1983 from his parent’s basement and expanded to a brick-and-mortar space three years later. Tom died unexpectedly last May.
- Foremost Seafood works with more than 50 different suppliers from all over the world. With wild-caught and farm-raised seafood (fresh or frozen), they have more than 300 different varieties.
- The top seller at Foremost Seafood is a farm-raised salmon from Scotland, followed by king crab legs, scallops, lobster tails and snow crab.
🍳 The Brunch Pub announces opening date: The restaurant, offering farm-to-table comfort food at 101 W. Franklin St. in Centerville, is opening on Thursday. Click here for more details. 🌮 Taco John’s in Kettering alters grand opening celebration: The event is now scheduled for the week of Feb. 19. Golden Tickets, redeemable for one free Crispy Beef Taco or Small Potato Oles each week for a year, will be given to the first 25 customers Feb. 20-23. 🍴 Great Greek Mediterranean Grill coming soon to Centerville: Customers can expect a contemporary take on Mediterranean cuisine in the former location of Which Wich Superior Sandwiches, 5409 Cornerstone N. Blvd.
Ann Heller’s favorite recipes: Oriental Steamed Fish Ann Heller’s career at the Dayton Daily News writing about food and restaurants spanned three decades. She also published two cookbooks including “The Best of It’s Simple!’’ Since I visited Foremost Seafood in Kettering last week, I wanted to share a seafood recipe. “When the recipe instructions call for steaming fish or chicken, most people turn the page. They don’t have a steamer. But it’s easy to improvise one and the result is moist and tender,” Heller wrote. “To steam fish, put seasoned steaks or fillets skin-side down on a plate that will fit in a large pot. Make sure there’s space around the edge of the plate so you can lift the plate out later. Put an empty tuna can or custard cup in the pot, add an inch of water and rest the plate on the can. Cover and steam.” - 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 cup peanut oil
- 1 teaspoon Oriental sesame oil
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 1/2 pounds fish steaks or fillets (use a mild white fish that is fresh not frozen for this dish. Walleye is a good choice)
- 4 green onions, chopped
- 4 thin slices ginger, shredded
Directions: Mix soy sauce and sugar, set aside. Heat oils, add garlic, cooking until the garlic turns light brown. Discard garlic and set aside. Put fish on an oven-proof plate and sprinkle with green onions. Put plate on top of an empty can in a large pot with an inch of water in the bottom. Cover, bring to a boil and steam for 10 minutes per inch of thickness of fish. When done, drain off accumulated juices; pour soy mix over. Reheat oil and add ginger, cooking until light brown. Pour over the fish. It will sizzle. Makes four servings.
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. 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. | 
