The 12 chefs participating each received a mystery box of ingredients before the event with the freedom to create any small plate they desired. Each mystery box contained a protein, starch, a fresh fruit or vegetable and a fourth ingredient that may have been seen as a curveball.
One of my favorite dishes was made with the mystery box that contained ground turkey, hominy, pumpkin puree and fresh beets.
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
Mills Park Hotel created a dish featuring ground turkey meatloaf with pumpkin puree stuffing over hominy grits with beet BBQ sauce. I would describe the dish as Thanksgiving on a plate. I’ll be honest, this was the first time I have ever had hominy grits. As a kid, my mom used to threaten that we would have to have hogs *butt* and hominy for dinner whenever we couldn’t decide what to eat, so I always assumed hominy was gross. On the other hand, as many times as my dad made grits for breakfast, I never actually tried them.
Next up on my agenda is to try my dad’s grits and go to Mills Park Hotel for a meal.
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
Rich Taste Catering ended up winning the judges’ choice and peoples’ choice at the end of the night, but they ended up falling short when they competed in a final showdown against the peoples’ second choice, Corner Kitchen.
My favorite part of local cooking contests is trying new things and seeing the amazing dishes our local chefs can make with select ingredients.
» READ MORE: Winner crowned in Diced in Dayton Chef’s Challenge
» PHOTOS: Local chefs show off creativity in Diced in Dayton competition
Restaurant serving Mediterranean, Turkish fare to open in Huber Heights
Credit: Robin McMacken
Credit: Robin McMacken
The Gyro Center, a restaurant serving Mediterranean and Turkish fare, is coming soon to Huber Heights in the tenant space of the new Taylor-Mart Convenience Store.
The restaurant will serve American breakfast food like French toast, waffles and pancakes in addition to traditional Turkish breakfast items like olives, cheeses, deli meats, jams and a special dish called Menemen, which is eggs with tomatoes, said owner Ulka Kibarova.
The Gyro Center will also have lunch and dinner options like kabobs and gyros featuring a tzatziki sauce and homemade green sauce. Kibarova described the green sauce as sour with a cilantro taste. She said this is her own special sauce she made after trying many different foods in California.
Kibarova and her husband, Abbas, are originally from Turkey and lived in California for 18 years before coming to Dayton to be closer to family.
The restaurant, located at 6027 Taylorsville Road, is expected to be open 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.
New Mexican restaurant focusing on bourbon, tequila to open in Springboro
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
Tres Amigos Bourbon & Tequila could be opening as soon as next week at 92 Edgebrooke Drive in Springboro, according to owner Carlos Camarena.
The Mexican restaurant is opening in the former space of Heroes Pizza House, which closed in January.
Camarena also owns Tres Amigos Mexican Grill, located at 1012 Lebanon St. in Monroe. The Springboro restaurant will be similar to the Monroe location but with an elevated focus on bourbon and tequila.
In addition, the Springboro restaurant will also have a tortilla machine visible to customers. Customers will be able to see how tortillas are made and get them fresh, right away.
Tres Amigos Bourbon & Tequila is expected to be open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.
Spaghetti Warehouse near and dear to Dayton’s heart
Credit: JIM NOELKER
Credit: JIM NOELKER
Spaghetti Warehouse first opened at 36 W. Fifth St. in 1980 and over 40 years later the restaurant won first place for Best Family Restaurant in our 2023 Best of Dayton contest.
When the Dallas-based company first announced plans to renovate the five-story building where the restaurant stands today, city officials were excited because at the time the area was described as “seedy.” They had hopes that it would bring a new wave of improvements to the area.
Today, Spaghetti Warehouse is surrounded by several event venues like the Dayton Convention Center, Levitt Pavilion and Dayton Arcade, in addition to many other restaurants and businesses. The restaurant strives to create a unique environment that’s family-friendly and filled with unique antiques like a trolley-car.
When asked why people continue to come back year after year, Michael Kim, the president of The One Esca Group, a restaurant management group that owns Spaghetti Warehouse said the restaurant is near and dear to many people’s hearts because they’ve celebrated life events like birthdays, graduations or retirements at the restaurant.
“The whole premise of Spaghetti Warehouse as a generality was to create a venue that would allow you to celebrate life events,” Kim said.
Spaghetti Warehouse also won second place in Best Caterer and third place in Best Italian Food. Favorites on the menu include the restaurant’s signature 15-layer lasagna, spaghetti and meatballs, grilled chicken alfredo and chicken parmigiana.
» READ MORE: 2023 Best of Dayton winners in food, dining & drinking
Ann Heller’s favorite recipes: Rigatoni With Roasted Red Peppers
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!’’
“Pasta is here to stay, a staple in our diets. No one can have too many pasta recipes,” Heller wrote. “This favorite of mine relies on roasted red peppers, which can be very expensive out of season. That’s why I urge people to put up their own in August.”
Ingredients:
- 4 roasted red bell peppers
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons tiny black olives
- 1 garlic clove, bruised
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 12 ounces rigatoni
- 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
- large shavings Parmesan cheese (use a cheese plane to get the large shavings)
Directions: Cut the peppers into strips. Combine with the oil, olives, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. Cover and marinate at room temperature 1 to 2 hours, or refrigerate overnight.
Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water until firm to bite, about 12 minutes. Remove garlic from the peppers; toss the peppers with the pasta. Arrange on warmed individual plates, spring with pine nuts and Parmesan cheese. Makes 6 appetizer servings.
Quick Bites:
🍓 New superfruit bowl shop to open near University of Dayton: Playa Bowls will officially open its doors at 11 a.m. on Saturday serving acai, pitaya, coconut, chia and oatmeal bowls
🥨 Germantown Pretzel Festival returns this weekend: Festivalgoers can expect more vendors, live music, entertainment and lots of pretzels at Veteran’s Memorial Park on Saturday and Sunday.
🥗 Chicken Salad Chick hosting pop-ups in Dayton area: The restaurant’s next pick-up day is Wednesday, Oct. 11. Click here for more details.
🍗 Popeyes holds grand opening for newest locations: The new restaurant is located at 6242 Wilmington Pike near Miami Valley Hospital South in Sugarcreek Twp.
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.
I reached out to The Mall at Fairfield Commons in Beavercreek for an update on when Tokyo Grill & Sushi Buffet is expected to open. They said the last update they received was fourth quarter 2023. Popeyes and Izakaya are also expected to open around that time.
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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