Welcome to our weekly Dayton Food & Dining Newsletter! As much as I love the Dayton foodie scene, there is only one other city in the United States that truly has my heart because of its food. That city is Chicago. Last week, my husband and I went to the “Windy City” to watch two of Europe’s biggest soccer clubs, England’s Chelsea FC and Germany’s Borussia Dortmund, play at Soldier Field. That was the main reason for the trip, but the next day, I made it all about food! We were up at 9:30 a.m. to explore the Museum of Ice Cream — eating our way through several unique samples. If you’ve heard of the museum, you probably know all about its hot dog-flavored ice cream! The museum takes a pink poppy seed bun, fills it with a hot dog-flavored soft serve and adds mustard and relish. I will be honest, I was not a fan and neither was my husband. It did taste just like a hot dog, but I couldn’t get over the textures. For lunch, we went to Portillo’s for Chicago-style hot dogs and crinkle-cut fries that we dipped in cheese sauce. Every time I go to Chicago, Portillo’s is a must! For dinner, we tried a restaurant we had never eaten at before called Quartino, which had a menu featuring Italian small plates. This was a really fun experience because we were able to try several different types of pastas without having to order large portions — that typically leaves us with tons of leftovers. My husband and I had never tried gnocchi until last week and I think I am hooked! Other places we visited throughout the day included Stan’s Donuts (my favorite is the chocolate dipped) and Sprinkles’ Cupcake ATM (I was lucky and got the last cupcake in the machine). Now back to your Dayton food and dining news!
Oregon Express for sale in Dayton The owners of the Oregon Express in downtown Dayton are ready to retire and pass the torch. “It’s been a great business. It’s still a great business,” said Terry Adkins, who has co-owned the pizza tavern with his brother-in-law, Joe Bavaro, for almost 40 years. “It’s just time for us to retire.” Adkins and Bavaro purchased and reopened the Oregon Express on Sept. 16, 1983. Bavaro and his wife, Susan, have operated the pizza tavern on a day-to-day basis. Adkins was also involved even while serving as principal at Xenia’s St. Brigid School, where he retired in July. The pizza tavern has been for sale for about a month. Adkins and Bavaro are looking for a new owner who will be hands-on and very involved with continuing the restaurant’s success.
Oakwood business offering gluten, dairy-free items relocating to 2nd Street Market An Oakwood business selling gluten- and dairy-free baked goods and lunches is relocating to 2nd Street Market in downtown Dayton. Ordinarie Fare’s last day at Shop Smitten, located at 2316 Far Hills Ave., was Aug. 5. Owner Katie Mathews told me she hopes to open at 2nd Street Market as soon as Aug. 18. The idea of Ordinarie Fare came about when Mathews changed her diet while she was nursing her daughter, who had many food allergies. She started an Instagram page to document their food journey and eventually began doing pop-ups featuring her recipes throughout the community. With the move to 2nd Street, customers can expect baked goods, raw desserts and additional lunch options. Customer favorites include grain-free chocolate chip tahini cookies, raw cheesecakes and Caesar salads. The bakery will no longer offer coffee and smoothies. In honor of National Farmers Market Week, Dayton’s 2nd Street Market will be open from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday. For more information on what to expect, click here.
Dayton establishment among Yelp’s list of top 100 Midwest restaurants Thirteen Ohio restaurants were named in Yelp’s list of the “Top 100 Restaurants in the Midwest” including Grist in downtown Dayton. The top Ohio restaurant was Hoyo’s Kitchen in Columbus coming in at No. 7 followed by Grist at No. 23. Grist offers a lunch and dinner menu featuring a variety of sandwiches, salads, pastas and more. Husband-and-wife owners Casey and Patrick Van Voorhis opened the specialty pasta market and restaurant in Feb. 2021 at 46 W. Fifth St. The couple focuses on keeping ingredients and business local. Restaurants were ranked using a number of factors including total volume and ratings of reviews between January 1, 2021 and May 1, 2023. Click here for a list of all Ohio restaurants that made the list.
Ann Heller’s favorite recipes: Corn Salad Ann Heller’s career at the Dayton Daily News spanned three decades where she wrote about food and restaurants. She also published two cookbooks including “The Best of It’s Simple!’’ “When the main course is going to be barbecue and the event is potluck, what are you going to bring? I gave it some thought when invited to a “pig out” in Cincinnati,” Heller wrote. “A pig roast is no time for anything fancy and I contemplated various spicy concoctions, finally settling on a jazzed-up version of corn salad. It pairs fresh summer corn and tomatoes with lively seasonings.” - 4 ears fresh corn, husked
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 small tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced
- 1/4 cup minced onion
- 2 jalapeno peppers, seeds and ribs removed
- 1 large clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro or parsley
- 2 avocados, peeled and cut into chunks
Directions: Fill a large pot with water, bring to a boil. Add corn. Cover. Cook 3-5 minutes, depending on maturity of corn. Remove corn from water. Cool. Cut off kernels into a large bowl, toss with 2 tablespoons of the lime juice and oil. Add the tomatoes and minced onion. Cut the jalapeno peppers into a fine mince; add to salad with the garlic, salt and pepper. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the cilantro. Cover and refrigerate. Toss the avocado chunks with the remaining tablespoon of lime juice to prevent darkening. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Before serving, toss the avocado and remaining tablespoon of cilantro with the salad. Makes 8 servings. Note: Add a can of drained and rinsed black beans for another dimension.
🥔 Dayton Potato Festival returns: The festival celebrating all things potatoes will be held at Oak & Ivy Park, 803 Anderson Goodrich Court from noon to 8 p.m. Saturday. 🌮 Taco John’s plans to open second Dayton-area location: The chain is eyeing a fall 2024 opening for a new location on an outlot in front of Meijer at 5858 Springboro Pike in Miami Twp. 🍽 Celebrate ‘Dog Days of Summer’ at City Barbeque: All month long, those who donate a new, unused dog or cat toy will receive a coupon for $5 off a future order. Click here for more information on upcoming deals. ☕ Biggby Coffee to open on Ohio 741: The chain’s fourth Dayton-area location will debut this winter on a Meijer outlot at 5858 Springboro Pike in Miami Twp.
When it’s time to kick back and relax, where do you enjoy getting a drink in Dayton? In our Best of Dayton contest we have several categories asking for your favorites including Best Bar/Lounge, Best Brewery/Distillery, Best Gay Bar, Best Happy Hour, Best Neighborhood Bar and Best Winery. Voting runs through Friday and you can vote once per day per contest.
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. Also, 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 or Twitter pages. | 
