Hey Dayton! Welcome to our weekly Food & Dining Newsletter. Happy Valentine’s Day! My husband is on a work trip, so I’m spending the evening with my parents. We’re having heart-shaped foods and I’m bringing chicken potstickers from Hello Thai in Beavercreek. I know the potstickers are super random, but over the weekend I tried Hello Thai for the first time and absolutely fell in love with them! They are nothing like the potstickers I’ve had before. These feature a crispy wonton wrap stuffed with chicken and vegetables and are served with a ginger brown sauce. Hello Thai is operated by the owner of Thai Kitchen in Miami Twp. and Thai Table in Washington Twp., along with her sushi chef. It features a family-friendly, casual atmosphere and has a full bar. If you’re looking for a place to go for Valentine’s Day, this restaurant would be a great fit! Need more restaurant ideas for Valentine’s Day? CLICK HERE
Original Donut Palace rebrands, introduces new menu items The donut shop, with locations in Huber Heights and Trotwood, is known for their signature glazed twist donut and that is now reflected in its logo. It’s revamped menu features flavorful and creative additions to its combo deals, pastries, yeast donuts, cake donuts, fancy donuts, iced rings and iced and glazed filled buns. Unique donuts featured on their website include: - Banana Chocolate Taco
- Peanut Butter Pretzel Crunch
- Banana Split
The donut shop has locations at: 5115 Old Troy Pike in Huber Heights and 5264 Salem Ave. in Trotwood.
Izakaya in Beavercreek plans to reopen Thursday Izakaya, an anime-themed restaurant and bar at The Mall at Fairfield Commons in Beavercreek, was met with “overwhelming support” during opening weekend resulting in a temporary closure through Wednesday. “To optimize our workflow and provide you with the exceptional experience you deserve, we’ve made the decision to temporarily close from Sunday through Wednesday,” a post on the restaurant’s Facebook page states. “During this time, we’ll be working to address staffing needs and streamline our processes.” Over the weekend the restaurant reached full capacity. On Saturday around 1 p.m., there was a 3-hour wait to be seated. The restaurant plans to reopen Thursday for reservations only. Izakaya is located on the upper level of the mall near Morris Furniture in the space that previously housed Spinoza’s Pizza and Good Spirits.
Wing Warz Competition returns to Dayton at new venue Michael Baxter, owner of Mother Clucking Chicken Coop, is ready to see if he can keep his title as having the best wings in this year’s Wing Warz Competition at Bleachers Sport Bar and Grill in Riverside on Saturday, March. 2. Baxter is competing against Anthony Mitchell, the owner of Bald Head Tone’s Kitchen, and Bleachers Sport Bar and Grill, owned by Todd Smith. The Wing Warz competition started last year when Baxter and Steven Earnest, owner of Lord of the Wings, was ready to settle their debate of who had the best wings. When it came to delivering the best wings, Baxter won the overall judge’s vote and Earnest won the people’s vote. The competition will cover five categories: Hot, BBQ, Plain, Garlic Parmesan and chef’s choice. For $20, ticket holders will be able to try their wings and vote on their favorites.
Dayton Eats Writer Alexis Larsen has provided us with a giant list of local fish fry events through April. Check it out here.
🍩‘Dayton Donut Festival On Tour’ is in full swing: The festival is a self-guided donut tour and costs $30 per booklet. Each booklet includes coupons to 10 donut shops in the Dayton area. 🍴 Nick’s Restaurant in Xenia features enclosed, heated patio: Customers can still get “the patio feel” during the winter months with Nick’s new enclosure. Click here for more information on the restaurant. 🍔 Freddy’s Frozen Custard and Steakburger’s opens new location in southwest Ohio: The restaurant is located at 6225 S. Gilmore Road in Fairfield.
Ann Heller’s favorite recipes: Macadamia Nut Tart 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!’’ “Macadamia nuts, like pine nuts, are a luxury but there is no good substitute for either. Because this recipe uses three-fourths of a pound of nuts, it’s definitely one to be saved for special occasions,” Heller wrote. “The tart has a cookie-like crust and is very rich and sweet. It’s smart to cut into modest portions.” This recipe was shared by Kitty Sachs, proprietor of Kitty’s Restaurant, where it was sometimes served. - 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup butter
- 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon light corn syrup
- 3 tablespoons cream
- 3/4 pound macadamia nuts (the recipe calls for unsalted nuts, but salted roasted nuts work fine)
Directions: By hand or with a food processor, cream the butter and sugar, beat in the yolks one at a time. Add vanilla and flour, mix until dough forms a ball. If the dough is sticky, refrigerate for 20 minutes. Press dough to 1/2-inch thickness in a 9-inch tart pan. Chill for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover dough with foil, fill with pie weights, rice or beans; bake for 15 minutes, uncover and bake 5 minutes longer. Cool. Bring butter, sugar, syrups and cream to a boil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Boil 1 minute. Place nuts in the cooled crust and pour the hot filling over. Bake at 350 degrees for 5 minutes, until filling bubbles. Cool for 2 hours on a rack before cutting. Makes 12 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. | 
