Hey Dayton! Welcome to our weekly Food & Dining Newsletter. Who’s ready for Super Bowl Sunday? This week I took some time talking to local restaurant owners and bakeries about how they prepare for the Super Bowl. Marc Perkins, owner of Nick’s Restaurant in Xenia, told me Super Bowl Sunday is “probably our biggest carryout day of the year.” He is expecting double the number of carryout orders with most people ordering wings. Dan Apolito, owner of Archer’s Tavern in Centerville and Kettering, is expecting the same thing. Both owners encourage customers planning to get carryout to order ahead of the big day. If you need suggestions on wing sauces, I recommend trying Nick’s Famous Sweet Hot Damn or their Awesome BBQ Sauce. If you’re going to Archer’s, try the Archer’s Style or Bourbon Street. Besides wings, I LOVE a good dessert table at a Super Bowl party. As soon as the Chiefs won in the AFC title game, Ashley’s Pastry Shop in Oakwood started getting calls with people asking if they were planning to do any Taylor Swift-themed football cookies, since she is dating tight end Travis Kelce. Theresa Hammons, owner of Ashley’s Pastry Shop in Oakwood, said they will have a variety of Swift-themed cookies, in addition to team specific cookies, brownies and cupcakes. The bakery will also have bread that is shaped in footballs where people can carve out the middle and put in a dip. Need food ideas for Super Bowl Sunday? CLICK HERE
Three new Mexican restaurants now open In the last two weeks, three new Mexican restaurants have opened in the Dayton area. The owners of El Toro have opened Vallarta, a new restaurant concept featuring Mexican seafood, across from The Greene Town Center in Beavercreek. The restaurant’s name, Vallarta, comes from the Mexican city of Puerto Vallarta that’s known for its rich and flavorful seafood. The owners realized most people weren’t familiar with this type of seafood cuisine, so they wanted to share it with people in the Dayton area. A recommended dish to try is the Pina Del Mar (stuffed pineapple with a seafood mix, cooked in a cream sauce and topped with melted cheese). For those who don’t like seafood, Vallarta offers several traditional Mexican dishes. Chiapas Mexican Grill has opened a third restaurant location in the former home of Thai Kitchen at 8971 Kingsridge Drive in Miami Twp., near the Dayton Mall, The owners want to continue expansion and share the cuisine of Chiapas, a state in Southern Mexico where they are from. Customer favorites at the restaurant include the street tacos featuring meats such as seasoned chopped steak, grilled chicken, al pastor, chorizo, carnitas or cow tongue, tamales, soups and the Mole del Sur, a grilled chicken breast topped with mole sauce. El Taco Veloz Mexican Street Tacos El Taco Veloz Mexican Street Tacos is now open in the former location of Salsas Mexican Restaurant in the Airway Shopping Center near Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The restaurant has two other locations in Cincinnati and Milford. Customers love their street tacos and margaritas.
Corner Kitchen’s executive chef performs for Dayton’s Oregon District Corner Kitchen Executive Chef Gavin St. Denis didn’t know a career in the restaurant and hospitality industry was for him until his 20s, and now he can’t imagine not being able to work with his hands and move freely through the kitchen daily. About a year ago, Corner Kitchen started offering a small plates menu throughout the week and now it will be part of the main menu. St. Denis said they are offering a lot more half orders of dishes on their latest menu, rolling out this weekend. They have plans to expand their steak and pasta offerings. His favorite new dish on the menu is the sea bass they rolled out during restaurant week. It’s a butter-seared sea bass with a warm beet and kale salad that’s top with pistachio gremolata. He’s also obsessed with their prime ribeye, but that’s always been his favorite cut of meat. Other dishes to check out at the restaurant include: - Short Rib — Three hour braised short rib with a black garlic and cherry demi glace, garlic mashed potatoes, pickled onion and cilantro
- Steak Frites — A 7 oz. petite tender filet with garlic herb fries and a southern-style bacon gravy with mushrooms in it
- Chorizo Ala Vodka — Buckeye Vodka tomato cream reduction, cilantro pistou, parmesan reggiano and rigatoni from Grist served with grilled foccaccia
🍩Centerville Dunkin’ store reopens: The Dunkin’ at 9010 S. Main St. near Spring Valley Pike has reopened after a remodel. 🥪 Miamisburg gelato shop now serving lunch: Tom & Dot’s Gelato Shop at 36A S. Main St. is now offering sandwiches and daily soups. 🍴 Izakaya announces opening date: The new anime-themed restaurant and bar at The Mall at Fairfield Commons in Beavercreek is opening at 11 a.m. Friday.
Recipes from Readers: Chicken Enchilada Verdes Last week Michelle Honeycutt of Huber Heights shared her recipe for chicken enchiladas featuring Herdez salsa verde because she knows I have a love for Mexican food. She told me she created this recipe on her own because she wanted enchiladas with the “green” sauce like she always gets when she goes to Chuy’s or El Rancho Grande. “I bought the Herdez salsa verde and figured I would give it a shot,” Honeycutt said. “It was a perfect match” I made this recipe on Sunday and it was super quick and easy (not to mention, DELICIOUS), so I wanted to share it. - 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 ½ jars of Herdez salsa verde
- 1 pack of corn tortillas (don’t use flour tortillas as they get soggy when cooked)
- 8 oz bag of shredded Mexican style cheese
- 8 oz bag of shredded queso quesadilla cheese (only using half)
- 2 cans of chicken broth
- ½ tsp of garlic powder
- ½ tsp of cumin
- ¼ tsp of chili powder
- ¼ tsp of paprika
Directions: Combine dry seasonings and rub onto both chicken breasts. In a large frying pan add both cans of broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to med-high and cook chicken breasts in the broth, turning occasionally until they are fully cooked. Once cooked, remove from pan and shred. In large glass baking dish, pour ½ jar of the salsa verde in the bottom of dish and spread out with spatula. Warm each corn tortilla in the microwave by wrapping in damp paper towel and heating for 15 seconds. In each tortilla, add a small handful of the shredded chicken and a pinch of the queso quesadilla cheese, then carefully fold both sides in and place in the dish with the folds down. Continue until you have the dish full (I was able to get 11 enchiladas to fit in the dish by going 7 across and then using the extra space at the bottom to squeeze 4 more in). Pour a whole jar of salsa verde over the enchiladas, using a spatula to spread out and make sure they are all completely covered. Spread the bag of Mexican style cheese over the top and bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes. If you have a recipe that you think I should try, email me here and I may feature it in a future newsletter. My husband and I look for quick and easy recipes because we are always on the go.
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. | 
