My love for the fair started when I was 16 reporting for my hometown paper. The fair was my first chance at being a reporter. I went to market hog shows, took photos throughout the barns and had tons of fun meeting and interviewing 4-Hers. What brings me back to the fair now ... is the food.
Last week, my husband and I went to the Clark County Fair. I had a fry bread sandwich and my husband had a loaded potato. For dessert, we had fried Oreos and ice cream.
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
The ice cream is my favorite part! Growing up in Xenia, I always went to the Greene County Fair and thought Ullery’s Homemade Ice Cream was something only offered there. When I started dating my husband, I figured out Clark County had the same ice cream, too. My favorite flavors from Ullery’s are chocolate, peanut butter and cookies and cream.
I’m planning on going to the Greene County Fair on Friday to eat and I want to know what’s your favorite fair food? Email me your favorites here.
I did stop by the Greene County Fair on Tuesday to interview Tori Blackaby, who owns Jubilee Coffee Company with her husband, Daniel. The mobile coffee business is serving hot and iced coffee at the fair. I had an iced campfire mocha and it was wonderful! I highly recommend checking them out.
Speaking of fried food, my co-worker Zoe Hill took on the donut eating contest at Glazed Donut Eatery in Xenia over the weekend. She finished 11.5 donuts and drank three milks in one hour.
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
If you want to learn more about the contest, click here.
TJ Chumps to open Kettering restaurant
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
TJ Chumps is officially opening its fifth location in the Dayton area on Monday, Aug. 7 at 11 a.m.
Kettering residents will get a first taste of the new restaurant located at 1222 E. Stroop Road starting Tuesday, Aug. 1 with delivery orders only accepted via website.
The Kettering restaurant is TJ Chump’s smallest location — seating 80 guests and employing 45 people.
“We see it as an excellent opportunity to test an exciting new market,” said operating partner Mike Leigh. “It will have the same great food and service as our other four locations, just with a smaller footprint.”
The restaurant has locations at 12 E. Linden Ave. in Miamisburg, 559 S. Main St. in Englewood, 1100 E. Dayton-Yellow Springs Road in Fairborn and 7050 Executive Blvd. in Huber Heights.
Washington Twp. dive bar brings back brunch
A brunch considered a “hidden gem” in the Miami Valley is back at Mack’s Tavern in Washington Twp.
If you’re looking for something savory, owner MacKenzie Manley recommends The 1776 or Sloppy Seconds. Otherwise, the bar’s best seller are the waffles.
“We have waffles that are to die for,” Manley said. “You’ve never had a waffle like these waffles.”
The secret lies in the way they are cooked. The waffles are able to caramelize, resulting in a crunchy, sugary coating on the outside and a soft and fluffy inside.
The neighborhood bar also has award-winning Bloody Marys and mimosa fishbowls and buckets to go with brunch.
If you’ve never had brunch at Mack’s Tavern, meals are served on paper plates, which is easier for the bar. Customers seat themselves and order food and drinks at the bar. Bartenders will then come around for refills and food will be served as soon as it is ready.
Mack’s Tavern, located at 381 Miamisburg Centerville Road, features brunch from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Sunday.
New Italian restaurant opens at Dayton Arcade
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
Est! Est!! Est!!! officially opened its doors at 45 W. Fourth St. in the Dayton Arcade’s Commercial and Fourth Street buildings on Wednesday, July 26. The restaurant opened with a limited menu and reservations only.
Owner Joseph Correll said its limited menu of nine items focuses on quality over quantity.
“Everybody’s excited to get it open, but we’ve been eight months in the making so we want to make sure everyone gets that perfect experience,” Correll said.
In the weeks to come, Est! Est!! Est!!! will roll out additional items as well as brunch on Sundays with classic Italian breakfast dishes and mimosa flights and Tapas Hour between lunch and dinner.
The restaurant is led by Chef Simone Conosciani of Rome, Italy. He said customers can expect “all the good stuff from the Italian cuisine” including fresh pasta, deep-fried calzones and pizza.
Est! Est!! Est!!! is an extension of Mayfair Hospitality’s flagship restaurant in downtown Winston-Salem, North Carolina that has been in operation since early 2022.
» PHOTOS: Take a look inside Est! Est!! Est!!! at Dayton Arcade
Ann Heller’s favorite recipes: Peaches & Cream Pie
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!’’
“I took this pie to a neighborhood picnic,” she wrote. “It is about the easiest pie you can make. All you have to do is peel and slice the peaches. Of course you can use defrosted frozen peaches as well, but why not use fresh peaches when they’re available in the market?”
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell
- 2 cups peeled, sliced fresh peaches
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cup whipping cream
Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Blend the sugar and flour and sprinkle about a third of the mixture in the bottom of the unbaked pie shell. Smooth evenly across the pie shell. Toss the peaches with the almond extract. Add the peaches to the pie shell, keeping the slices level rather then heaping them in the pie. Sprinkle with the remaining sugar and flour mixture. Pour the cream over the top. Use a fork to move the peach slices around so they are immersed in the cream.
Bake the pie for 45 minutes. The creamy filling should be firm and lightly browned in spots on top. Cool on rack before serving. Makes six to eight servings.
Quick Bites:
🍺 Dayton brewery ranks high among Ohio taprooms: Branch & Bone Artisan Ales has been named among the top 10 within Brewery Stars’ latest rankings of Ohio breweries.
🍷 Wine added to gift shop in Dayton: The Mansion on Monument is adding wine to its gift shop with plans to be fully operational and open to the public in August.
🍺 Warped Wing’s latest location is a perfect concert pairing: Contributing writer Alexis Larsen has visited Warped Wing’s Brewery and Smokery in Huber Heights several times since it opened. Click here to read more about her experience.
🥕 Small Farm & Food Fest returns to Carriage Hill MetroPark: Festivalgoers can expect hands-on activities, demonstrations, local speakers and a pop-up farmers market with over 15 vendors focusing on healthy eating and sustainable living from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.
Best of Dayton
After one week of Best of Dayton voting, several categories have risen to the top with the most votes. These include Best Donut Shop, Best Breakfast, Best Chocolates, Best Grocery Store, Best Bakery, Best Pizza, Best Chinese Food and Best Chicken Sandwich.
This year we have 152 contests in nine categories: Around Town, Auto, Beauty & Wellness, Food, Dining & Drinking, Health & Medical, Home Improvement, Professional Services, Recreation and Retail. Voting runs through Friday, Aug. 11, and you can vote once per day per contest.
» SUPPORT YOUR FAVORITES: Vote here in Dayton’s reader’s choice contest
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.
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.
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