Hey Dayton! Welcome to our weekly Food & Dining Newsletter. The next week or so will be a busy time for restaurants throughout the Dayton area with St. Patrick’s Day and Selection Sunday, followed by the NCAA First Four being hosted at UD Arena. I talked with Flanagan’s Pub and Milano’s, who said they are expecting a full house, especially with University of Dayton students in town. Between St. Patrick’s Day and the NCAA tournament, Flanagan’s Pub is expecting to bring in three to four times its typical revenue. Milano’s is expecting to do 30 to 40 percent more business than normal during the First Four.
Dunaways in Troy reopens under new ownership for St. Patrick’s Day celebration The restaurant was previously owned by Sandy and Brenda Dunaway, who operated the Irish pub for 33 years until they were ready to retire at the end of February. When the couple first opened the establishment it was more of an east coast deli with sandwiches stacked high with meats. Over the years, it eventually morphed into a dive bar with food. The new owners are four real estate investors who saw a lot of potential in the establishment. Over the past three weeks, they have been working on a complete remodel. For the three-day St. Patrick’s Day celebration, customers can expect live music, food trucks, green beer, cocktails, Jell-O shots and much more.
Hidden Valley Orchards permanently welcomes Dayton Barbecue Company Those planning to visit Hidden Valley Orchards in Lebanon will soon smell the sweet aroma of barbecue being smoked. The Dayton Barbecue Company now has a permanent spot at the orchard after operating there for nearly three months last year. Dayton Barbecue Company at HVO will be located in the building that previously housed “The Coop at HVO.” Evans said ice cream has been moved to the main building. Customers can expect meats such as chopped brisket, sliced brisket, pulled pork, spare ribs, rib tips, half chicken and quarter chicken. Sides will include mac and cheese, loaded mac, collard greens, green beans and baked beans. The business will have its first soft opening at noon until sold out on Saturday.
🍝 Franco’s Ristorante Italiano to close on Saturday: The property is being sold to Mo Jusufi, the owner of Jimmy’s Italian Kitchen located at 3002 Woodman Dr. in Kettering. He plans to open a second restaurant location. READ MORE 🥩 Outback Steakhouse now open in Centerville: The restaurant at 5181 Cornerstone North Blvd. opened yesterday and held a ribbon cutting today with giveaways. 🍴 New Thai restaurant coming soon to Xenia: Nara Thai Kitchen is hoping to open in April at 68 Xenia Towne Square near Nail Ace and T-Mobile.
Jet Freeze has been a Beavercreek staple for more than 60 years As seasonal ice cream shops throughout the Dayton area begin to open, I’m planning to feature one ice cream shop each week. First up is Jet Freeze, a Beavercreek staple since 1961, that reopened for the season with a new look. Owner Brandi Bodey has painted the inside of the ice cream shop pink and black and has plans to change the flow of traffic by adding new doors. Customers will enter through the front door and order at the left window. Pick-up will be at the right window with a door directing customers out the side of the building. Bodey hopes to have this completed in the next couple of weeks. The ice cream shop offers chocolate, vanilla and strawberry soft serve. Starting in April, they will add blueberry soft serve to the lineup, which is the same soft serve served at King’s Island. Jet Freeze, located at 4014 E. Patterson Road, opened for the season on March 1 and will stay open until the end of October. For a chance to have your favorite ice cream shop featured, email me here with details.
Dish of the Week: Burger from 571 Grill & Draft House If you haven’t been to 571 Grill & Draft House in New Carlisle you are missing out. My husband says he will put their burgers up against any other restaurant in the Dayton area. The restaurant’s steak burger is a 1/2 lb. of fresh USDA angus, which is a blend of chuck, short rib and brisket. Pictured is The Haystack — the restaurant’s flagship burger cooked with a slightly pink center featuring applewood smoked bacon, smoked gouda cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, pickle, onion, jalapenos, onion straws and 571 sauce on a grilled brioche. The burger was served with fresh-cut fries. My other go-to dishes at 571 include the chicken tenders with 571 and kickin’ bourbon sauce, the Italian sandwich, smoked gouda macaroni cheese balls and the taco pizza.
Zinks Meats & Fine Wines celebrates 45 years Zinks Meats & Fine Wines in Centerville is celebrating 45 years of serving the local community. “We took a little tiny, itty bitty hole-in-the-wall and turned it into a community staple,” said Melissa Metzger, who owns Zinks with her husband, David Hoffer. “We are so blessed because we have a great group of customers and followers.” Here’s five things to know: - Zinks Meats & Fine Wines began in 1979 when Roland Zink bought Seeger’s Meat Shop located at 41 Marco Lane in Washington Twp. Within the first year of owning the meat shop, he renamed it Zinks Quality Meats.
- Roland Zink is the brother of Dale Zink, who owns Zink Meat Market in Franklin, but there is no affiliation between the two shops.
- The current owners bought the shop in 2011, renamed it Zinks Meats & Fine Wines, and added a selection of wines.
- In 2015, the couple relocated Zinks Meats & Fine Wines to 409 Miamisburg-Centerville Road in Centerville. With the move, they added a full-service restaurant, wine bar and expanded deli selection.
- Sourcing is very important. All of their meat products are local with pork from Indiana and beef from northern Ohio. It is all hormone free, steroid free, no preservatives, no antibiotics and no injections of any kind.
Recipe from the owner: Turkey Pumpkin White Bean Chili It’s not too late for soup season! After a sneak peek of spring weather, temperatures are expected to drop later this weekend into early next week. Metzger shared an easy-to-make Turkey Pumpkin White Bean Chili. - 2 lbs. ground turkey
- 2 15-ounce cans cannellini beans
- 2 carrots
- 1 tbsp coriander, ground
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 onion, medium
- 1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
- 2 tbsp thyme
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 tsp black pepper, ground
- 1 tbsp paprika, smoked
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
Directions: Place a large stockpot or 4-5 quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat and heat the olive oil. Add the onion and carrots and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and spices and toss to coat, cook an additional 1 minute. Push the vegetables to the side and add the ground turkey using a wooden spoon to break apart. As the meat browns break it into small pieces and cook until no longer pink, about 8 to 10 minutes. Mix in the thyme, salt, pumpkin puree, cannellini beans, and chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and slightly cover the pot with the lid and cook for 25 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the heavy cream.
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. | 
