Hey Dayton! Welcome to our weekly Food & Dining Newsletter. Tomorrow is Opening Day for the Cincinnati Reds and I was invited to a sneak peek of all the new food at Great American Ball Park. My absolute favorite item was the 50 West Loaded Bases Nacho Burger (pictured above) featuring two all-beef patties, nacho cheese, pickled jalapenos, a tostado, sour cream, American cheese, lettuce and tomato. The burger is then served with a side of nacho cheese for dipping. I also loved the Big Red Dogfeaturing a grilled Big Red Smokey wrapped in bacon, topped with pimento cheese and signature sauce and served on a toasted pretzel bun. If you’re looking for something sweet at the game, don’t miss out on the Penn Station Cookie Sundae! CLICK HERE for more photos of the new food and concession offerings.
Two new pizzerias announce plans to open in Dayton region First up is Troni’s Pizza and Pasta. The pizzeria is coming soon to the lobby of the Stratacache Tower on North Main Street in downtown Dayton. Owner Beto Troni described the establishment as a New York, Florida-style pizzeria catered to those on the go. There will be a large display window featuring a variety of 20-inch pies, and each will be hand-tossed with thin crust. Troni also plans to offer chicken parmesan rolls, stromboli, sandwiches, wings and baked pastas. Troni is the son of the late Jimmy Troni, who owned Jimmy’s Italian Kitchen in Kettering and Deroma Italian Restaurant in Huber Heights. After his father died in 2015, he returned to Florida where he grew up. He came back to the Dayton area in October 2023. About 20 minutes south, Miamisburg neighbors Christian Clothier and Ife Olaore are opening Red Bird Pizza, an East Coast-inspired pizzeria at 18 N. Second St. Clothier, a pizza connoisseur originally from New Jersey, is creating his version of New York style pizza using elements from Neapolitan pizza like fresh ingredients from local farmers and producers. His goal is to provide fresh, high quality pizza made with the best ingredients they can find. Red Bird Pizza will serve 16-inch pies and individual slices of pizza. The menu is expected to start out small with six types of pizza, a meatball sandwich and salads. They will also serve desserts like fresh baked cookies, banana chocolate chip muffins and bread pudding. Drinks will include cocktails and small-batch soda.
Dish of the week: Beavercreek Pizza Dive’s Wednesday night buffet Speaking of pizza ... last Wednesday I went to the Beavercreek Pizza Dive’s all-you-can-eat buffet. For $12, you can eat all of the pizza you could ever imagine, as well as bread, pretzel and cinnamon sugar bites. This also includes a free drink. My husband and I are huge fans of the Beavercreek Pizza Dive, so we wanted to take this opportunity to try new types of pizzas. My favorite was their Hot Honey Pepperoni Pizza. I loved that they had chunks of cream cheese on the pizza. Other favorites included the Pickle Pizza, BLT Pizza and BBQ Chicken Pizza. Beavercreek Pizza Dive is located at 4021 Dayton Xenia Road. The buffet is every Wednesday from 4:30 to 8 p.m.
Latino-fusion restaurant to open in Dayton Mamacitas Cantina will be open in about a month in Dayton’s Belmont neighborhood. Owner Jorge Moreira is originally from Costa Rica and lived in Washington and Texas before moving to Dayton about 11 years ago. He is the owner of Eco Renovations, a construction and painting company. Mamacitas Cantina, at 1060 Patterson Road, will be his first restaurant. Mamacitas Cantina will be a Latino-fusion restaurant with a variety of plates from 10 different countries around the world. Countries represented will include the U.S., Mexico, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela, Argentina, Peru and the Dominican Republic. A few examples of dishes from Costa Rica that will be on the menu include: - Patacones (plantains with meat, beans dip and pico de gallo)
- Chifrijo (a cup or bowl of a combination of rice, beans, fried pork, pico de gallo and avocado served with tortilla chips)
- Casado (a plate of rice, beans, salad, meat, plantains, egg and avocado)
🍺 Loose Ends Brewing in Centerville hosts Belgian Beer Week: The brewery is celebrating the country’s rich beer culture through Sunday with new brews, food specials and a guided tasting/tour. 🍗 Popeyes celebrates grand opening in Huber Heights: The restaurant is located at 7666 Old Troy Pike. 🍩 McDonald’s to sell Krispy Kreme doughnuts at restaurants nationwide: Three of Krispy Kreme’s most popular doughnuts will be delivered fresh to McDonald’s restaurants every day. READ MORE
That Boro Blue taste: K&W Drive-In burgers and ice cream a Springboro staple The K&W Drive-In, otherwise known as The K, in Springboro has been a gathering place for families since 1963. Prior to becoming a destination for burgers and soft serve ice cream, it was home to a gas station and before then was the site of the Bateman Tannery, a station on the Underground Railroad that offered assistance to runaway slaves. Over the years, The K has never really changed. They still get their products from the same suppliers and customers still order food and ice cream. The most popular items are the Double K (two beef patties with cheese, tartar sauce, lettuce and pickles) and a vanilla cone. The ice cream shop also has arctic swirls, banana splits, shakes, malts and more than 20 flavors of soft serve ice cream that is made to order. The most popular flavor is Boro Blue. The K, located at 450 S. Main St., is open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday with the grill closing at 7:30 p.m.
Recipe from Figlio Chef Nick Jones: Chicken and Dumplings Nick Jones, the chef at Figlio in Kettering, shared with me that his favorite Easter dish is Chicken and Dumplings. Here’s his recipe: - 4 cups flour
- 2 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 tbsp Crisco (room temp)
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 12 cups chicken broth
- 1 to 2 pounds diced cooked chicken thighs or canned chicken
Directions: Mix together flour, salt, Crisco and baking powder. Set aside. In a small bowl, whisk the 2 eggs into a cup of milk. Add the egg/milk mixture into the flour mixture by hand until it makes a workable dough. If it is too wet add a little flour and if it’s too dry add a little milk. Make dough into 4 balls and roll out on a floured surface until fairly thin. Cut into 1 inch strips. Heat the chicken broth over medium high heat until boiling. Then add chicken. Bring back to a boil and add dumpling strips, breaking into bitesize pieces as you put them in the broth. Cook over medium high heat for 8-10 minutes, stirring often so that the flour that sinks to the bottom doesn’t burn. Turn heat down to a simmer and cook until desired doneness of dumplings, usually about 20-25 minutes, stirring often. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
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. | 
