Hey Dayton! Welcome to our weekly Food & Dining Newsletter. It’s not too late for brunch! Tonight from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Steam Plant in downtown Dayton eight local restaurants are participating in Buckeye Vodka’s Let’s Get Brunched event featuring samples of dishes from their brunch menus, as well as brunch-inspired cocktails. Restaurants planning to participate include: Amber Rose, Butter Cafe. CBCB Bar & Grill (Cold Beer and Cheeseburgers), Corner Kitchen, Dewberry 1850, The Florentine, Rip Rap Roadhouse and Salar Restaurant and Lounge. If you haven’t been to any of the restaurants listed above, this event is the perfect opportunity to try them all in one space. Guests can expect a wide variety of brunch items including jelly donut pancakes from Butter Cafe and breakfast pizza from CBCB Bar & Grill. CLICK HERE for more information.
New halal restaurant opens in Riverside Mun-o-Salwa, a new halal restaurant, has opened in Riverside with a menu of anything from BBQ, burgers and fried chicken to paratha rolls, chicken over rice and Indian/Pakistani cuisine. The most popular dish at Mun-o-Salwa so far has been the chicken over rice served with hot sauce and a homemade white sauce. This was my personal favorite. Co-owner Waqas Khan described the dish as something that’s famous in New York City or Chicago. Other dishes that I tried included the zinger burger (pictured above) featuring a chicken patty and the beef and chicken paratha rolls. Everything came out hot and fresh. While the restaurant serves halal food (foods that are permitted Islamic law), it is not specifically for Muslims only. Khan said anyone and everyone is welcome at the restaurant. The restaurant is located at 3937 Linden Ave. and open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily .
Raw juice bar opens inside Gem City Market The raw juice bar offers 10 different varieties of juices, fruit smoothies, a green smoothie and a limited food menu featuring turkey burgers, salmon burgers, vegan chicken burgers and vegetarian chili. The most popular juice is the Strawberry Lemonade made from strawberries, grapes and lemons. Shari Mann, president of Jus Juic’n, said they do not add anything to the juice like water or preservatives. Other favorites include the Fat Burner made from cucumber, apple, spinach, ginger, orange, turmeric and habanera peppers or the Appapear made from apple, pear, ginger and lemon. Most juices help detox and cleanse, Mann said. Jus Juic’n has two other spots inside the downtown Dayton YMCA at 316 N. Wilkinson St. and inside the Reibold Building at 117 S. Main St. in Dayton.
Meal prep, catering business opening in Bellbrook After starting Seasoned With Love from her home in 2022, owner Christi Atkins is relocating her meal prep and catering business to a building that once housed the Blueberry Cafe in Bellbrook. Every Thursday morning, Atkins posts a menu featuring three meals, two breakfast options, a snack and bulk shredded chicken on Facebook for customers to order. Customers have until Monday to submit their order and pickup/delivery is available the following week on Sunday evenings or Monday mornings. Customer favorites include bang bang shrimp or chicken, unstuffed cabbage rolls or cheeseburger bowls. Breakfast items could include a whipped sweet potato bowl, overnight oats, sausage gravy over roasted potatoes or breakfast sandwiches. Snacks are usually something sweet like chocolate peanut butter fudge, monster energy balls or peanut butter and jelly balls. Atkins said everything is sourced locally when possible. The food is fresh and naturally gluten-free. She offers several dairy-free options, as well as a vegetarian option for all meals. Seasoned With Love is allergy friendly. With the new space, the “sky is the limit,” Atkins said. She plans to have a weekly grab-and-go section and wants to use part of her space for events.
Recipe of the week: Energy Balls If you’re looking for an easy to make, healthy snack, this recipe will be your new go to. Atkins shared her recipe for Energy Balls, that are sure to give you a little boost. - 1 cup peanut butter
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 tsps. vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
- 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/3 cup dark chocolate morsels
- tiny pinch of sea salt
Directions: Mix all ingredients together, form into balls and store in the fridge for up to two week or in the freezer for up to two months. Makes two dozen.
☕ New coffee shop to hold grand opening Saturday: Blue Sky Coffee is a new coffee shop and creative space located across from Wright State University in the Emergence Center at 3070 Presidential Drive. For more information, click here. 🍰 Bellbrook bakery to relocate in May: Simply Decadent, known for its wedding cakes, special occasion cakes and desserts, is relocating across the street from its current location at 108 W. Franklin St. near Dot’s Market. 🌮 Mi Cozumel opens in Lebanon: The new restaurant features 40 margarita flavors, more than 70 kinds of tequila and flaming fajitas. CLICK HERE to read more about the restaurant.
Authentic matzo ball soup at All The Best Deli has a storied history The Passover holiday is nearly here, beginning before sundown April 22 and ending after nightfall April 30. It celebrates the Israelites’ freedom from slavery and the exodus from Egypt. For many, matzo ball soup is a staple of this important Jewish holiday, writes Dayton Eats columnist Alexis Larsen. All The Best Delicatessen on Far Hills Avenue in Washington Twp. doesn’t cut corners when it comes to its matzo ball soup. Carin Solganik, managing director of All The Best Delicatessen, learned the recipe from her mother Lois, who turns turns 95 on May 1. “I learned how to cook by watching my mother prepare meals for Jewish holidays. It’s a tradition that has been passed down, generation to generation. Matzo ball soup was always an integral part of Seder, and I have clear memories of it being made by hand on important holidays,” said Solganik. - The matzo ball soup begins by making stock from scratch with chicken backs, skins, fat, vegetables and herbs. The stock cooks slowly for hours. It is then strained, whole chickens are added and it cooks another hour.
- Fresh vegetables are added and when the soup is perfection the chickens are removed and shredded for other dishes on the menu including their hearty chicken soup and chicken salad.
- The homestyle balls are a mix of matzo meal, eggs, schmaltz and canola oil. Once they are rolled and ready each matzo ball is poached for 10-15 minutes in boiling water and served.
“You just can’t find anyone else making matzo ball soup authentically anymore. Most others will just use a can of chicken broth. No one wants to go to the trouble to do it right. But we do, and our customers can tell,” said Solganik. “I started my culinary career by watching my mother and grandmother cook for Jewish holidays, and now all these years later, I’ve come back to my roots. We’ve gone to great lengths to be able to provide this authentic, traditional soup.”
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. | 
