| Hey, Dayton! Welcome to our weekly Food & Dining Newsletter. The Best of Dayton contest presented by the Dayton Daily News and Dayton.com is back for the ninth year of celebrating the best, brightest and most important things in the area. Nominations kicked off Monday and run through May 24. After the first day of voting, categories with the most individual nominees included: • Best Hidden Gem Restaurant • Best Restaurant to Take an Out-of-Towner • Best Hamburger • Best Bar/Lounge • Best Appetizers The number of nominations a person or business receives will heavily determine the list of finalists. To nominate you favorite place, person or businesses in the region, CLICK HERE. *** *** Three Birds to open in former space of Carmel’s Southwest Bar & Grill Credit: Submitted Photo The Idea Collective, a hospitality development company that owns Sueño and Tender Mercy in downtown Dayton, is expected to open a new restaurant by the end of 2024 in the former space of Carmel’s Southwest Bar & Grill. Three Birds will feature New American cuisine with a variety of items on the menu such as smash burgers, rotisserie charbroiled chicken, corn dog shrimp and salads. “The main thing we want to protect and continue to honor is that neighborhood feel where you can come in after work, you can come in with the kids, you can come in off the bike path in whatever clothes you’re wearing, in whatever mood you’re in and have a great meal and experience,” said Chris Dimmick, who owns the restaurant with David Kittredge, Ginger Roddick and Chef Jorge Guzman.. They are looking forward to preserving the bones of the space to what it was when it was the Parkmoor and adding their own flair. READ MORE: Three Birds restaurant will have ‘neighborhood feel’ Carmel’s brought to Dayton Sushi chef with decades of experience joins Dōzo in Dayton Credit: Natalie Jones Head Sushi Chef Yudi Alviando is bringing decades of experience to Dōzo, an elevated sushi concept located in the back room of Tender Mercy in downtown Dayton. Alviando is originally from Indonesia. He moved to the United States at 27 years old in 2000. At 9 years old he started helping his mother at a small breakfast restaurant in Indonesia that she owned and operated for 20 years. The restaurant was open from 6 to 10 a.m. serving the nearby workers traditional Indonesian breakfast food like porridge, rice, noodles and martabak (a stuffed pancake). “I like to make something that will make people smile,” Alviando said. “My mother told me, “You don’t make what you like. You make what people like.”” Alviando started as the head sushi chef at Dōzo just more than a month ago. He described the restaurant as a modern omakase experience. He uses traditional techniques, but adds something extra to the nigiri or sashimi to make it western-style. Dōzo offers a prix fixe three-course meal for $65 featuring fresh, high-quality fish. Customers will receive Hiyayakko Tofu for the first course, followed by eight pieces of sushi for the second and third courses and Daiuku Mochi to finish the meal. Additional pieces of sushi can be added, as well as the chef’s special. Honey Creek Beef in New Carlisle serves chefs in Dayton region Credit: Natalie Jones Ten years ago, you would not have recognized Honey Creek Beef, a closed herd cattle farm located at 6350 Addison-New Carlisle Road, just outside of Champaign County in New Carlisle. Owners Adam Frantz and his wife, Mia Grimes, have put in a lot of hard work to transform the property into the home of 100 Angus beef cattle. Honey Creek Beef was launched in 2017, but the efforts to create the cattle farm started in 2014. I stopped by the farm last week and ended up riding a horse as they checked on their cattle in the pasture. The couple said working with local chefs is one of the best parts because it’s amazing to see what they are able to create using their beef. Local chefs and restaurants that use Honey Creek Beef includes CULTURE, Little Fish Brewing Company and Yellow Springs Baking Company. Honey Creek Beef can be found at the Springfield Farmers Market, Harmony Farm Market & Gifts in Springfield, Gill’s Quality Meat Market in Springfield, Charlo’s Provisions & Eatery in Springfield, Haren’s Market in Troy and Current Cuisine in Yellow Springs. The cattle farm is also open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Sunday for customers to buy meat and see where their meat is coming from. If you’ve never had Honey Creek Beef, the couple recommends trying their burgers, ribeyes, New York strips or chuck roasts. WATCH: Meet the owners of Honey Creek Beef Recipe of the week: Shredded Beef Roast Katie Turner, a farmhand at Honey Creek Beef, shared this versatile recipe for shredded beef roast. “By adding some different spices you can change it up to your liking. Want some sandwiches? Add a BBQ type seasoning for just that! Cold day? Add a couple of brown gravy packets and serve over mashed potatoes. Tacos are good everyday of course. Add some cumin, chili powder, paprika and oregano for some juicy tacos,” Turner said. “This roast is so flavorful on its own you can’t go wrong.” Ingredients: 1 Honey Creek Beef 7-Bone Roast (any of the farm’s roasts will work)3 cups of liquid (bone broth is preferred but any liquid can be used like water or dark cola)1 tablespoon Better than Bouillon Beef Base1 tablespoon Italian seasoning3 to 7 full cloves of garlicSalt and pepper to taste Directions: Place the roast in a crock-pot. Add the liquid and mix in the bouillon paste. Drop in the cloves of garlic and top with seasonings. After a few hours you can flip the roast, but it isn’t necessary. Pay attention to how much liquid is in the crock-pot and add as needed. Cook for 8-10 hours on low. You can shred the beef in the liquid or shred separately and add liquid from cooking for desired consistency. Quick Bites 🧀 Cheese Fest returns to Austin Landing: On May 25, festivalgoers can expect anything from grilled cheese sandwiches and cheesesteaks to funnel cake battered mozzarella sticks and cheesecake. 🧋 OH! Boba opens near UD: The boba tea shop is located at 1120 Brown St. offering a large variety of fresh brewed teas, milk teas, fruit teas and smoothies. They’ve recently introduced a Cat Paw Mochi Waffle, adding a savory side to their menu. 🌮 Mamacitas Cantina opens in Dayton: The Latino-fusion restaurant, located at 1060 Patterson Road, is open from 4 p.m. to midnight Sunday through Thursday and 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday. READ MORE Dish of the Week: Honey Toast I finally made it to Honey Toast in Fairborn — a new breakfast and brunch spot that opened in March at 130 N. Broad St. I wish I would have gone sooner because the food was amazing! I’m not really a savory breakfast person. I tend to go for anything sweet, so of course I tried the restaurant’s signature honey toast, which is a Japanese dessert. I would describe it as a thick piece of bread that pulls apart and is very soft on the inside. My honey toast was topped with ice cream, blueberries and strawberries. It was DELICIOUS! I also had a BLT Wrap that was served with fries and a dipping sauce that I believe was an Asian spicy mayo. The sauce was a perfect addition to the wrap. Another unique offering the restaurant has is a Croffle. It’s a mix between a croissant and waffle. The restaurant is open from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily. Tell Us 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. *** | 