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March 2009
Free chicken wraps at Tim Horton’s on Wednesday at lunchtime
The Tim Horton’s restaurant chain is giving away free “chicken wrap snackers” on Wednesday, April 1 between 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m., the company announced today, March 31.
The free chicken wrap snackers are available in either ranch or BBQ flavors. There is a limit of one wrap per customer. Although the web site says the offer is good at “participating restaurants,” Tim Horton’s spokeswoman Laura Metro said all Tim Horton’s in the U.S. are participating. The new 200-calorie snackers are being introduced at a regular menu price of $1.59.
Metro also said while employees are gearing up for robust crowds tomorrow, each store also will have 50 “rain checks” in case some stores run out early or some customers are prevented from getting their free wraps because of large crowds.
Here is the full text of the Tim Horton’s press release:
Try Tim Hortons Chicken Wrap Snackers Today for Free — No Foolin’
April 1, 2009 — Dublin, OH — Who said there’s no such thing as a free lunch? Today at participating locations across the United States, you can visit your local Tim Hortons between 11:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., and try a BBQ or Ranch Tim Hortons Chicken Wrap Snacker - for free!
The menu at Tim Hortons has continuously evolved to meet the changing needs and tastes of customers. The Tim Hortons Wrap Snackers are the latest innovation to the chain’s expanding lunch menu. With five different varieties of Tim Hortons Wrap Snackers - Chicken Ranch, BBQ Chicken, Tuna Salad, Chicken Salad and Egg Salad - this snack-sized wrap appeals to variety of tastes and cravings at lunch-time or any-time. Available for only $1.59 each and less than 200 calories, Tim Hortons Wrap Snackers are easy on the wallet and the waistline.
The company’s web site notes that the offer is “not valid” on the new salad wraps.
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TweetDining out on Easter? Here are your options
Easter Sunday is the fifth-most-popular holiday to dine out, behind only Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Father’s Day and New Year’s, according to the fine folks at the National Restaurant Association. An estimated 13 percent of Americans dine out on Easter. While that may not sound like a large proportion, 13 percent of every man, woman and child in the country represents a lot of hungry tummies.
And bless the fine folks such as Mark A. Glasper, director of communications for the Ohio Restaurant Association, for coming up with the following list of Dayton-area restaurants (with one addition) who are open on Easter, with their contact information, to make it easier for you to map out your Easter dining strategy. If you’re a restaurant owner or manager, please add your information to this list — which will form the basis for a story that will run in the Dayton Daily News on Good Friday — by clicking on “post your comment” and sharing your restaurant’s Easter Day menu and contact information. As they say, reservations are strongly recommended.
Dayton-Area Restaurants Open on Easter
(Reservations accepted unless otherwise noted)
Amelia’s Bistro
129 W. Franklin St.
Bellbrook, Ohio
937-310-3040
www.eatatamelias.com
Easter Hours: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Specials: Buffet, including ham, prime rib, omelets, salmon, desserts station. $19.95 includes non-alcoholic drink. $9.95 for children 12 and under.
L’Auberge
4120 Far Hills Ave,, Kettering
(937) 299-5536
www.laubergedayton.com
Easter Hours: noon to 6 p.m.
Three-course meal including entree options such as Chicken Riesling, Mustard-Crusted Salmon, Beef Tournedos, Roasted Spring Lamb, Pork Tenderloin or Shrimp Linguini, for $39.50, children’s menu $12.
Barleycorn’s
6204 Wilmington Pike, Sugarcreek Twp.
937-848-6999
www.barleycorns.com
Easter Hours: Brunch 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Dinner 3 p.m.-12 a.m. Specials: Brunch buffet including breakfast and dinner entrees.
The Caroline
5 S. Market St., Troy
937-552-7676
www.thecarolineonthesquare.com
Easter Hours: 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Specials: Carved beef, lamb and ham; salads; seafood display, desserts. $16.95/adults and $6.95/children under 12.
C’est Tout, A Bistro
2600 Far Hills Ave., Oakwood
937-298-0022
www.cesttoutbistro.com
Easter Hours: 11 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Specials: Buffet featuring breakfast foods to lamb, salmon and prime rib, salads, fruits, cheeses, pastas, vegetables and desserts.
CJ’s Highmarks
Celina, Greenville and Sidney, Ohio
Celina: 419-586-5552; Greenville: 937-548-1400; Sidney: 937-498-0072
www.cjhighmark.com
Easter Hours: Greenville 8 a.m.-9 p.m., Celina & Sidney 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
Specials: Steaks, Chops, Seafood & Chicken, plus great comfort foods, including Swiss Steak & Pot Roast). Greenville Breakfast Buffet 8 a.m.-2 p.m.
The Dock Restaurant
250 W. Main St., Enon
937-864-5011
www.thedockenon.com
Easter Hours: 12-6 p.m.
Specials: Baked Tilapia stuffed with crabmeat, cashew-crusted mahi, fresh pineapple ham steak. Easter egg hunt on Saturday, April 11. Every customer gets a plastic egg (some contain candy and some contain a prize, such as a gift certificate, stuffed animal, etc.). Reservations accepted.
The Golden Jersey Inn
6880 Springfield-Xenia Road, north of Yellow Springs
937-324-2050
www.youngsdairy.com
Easter Hours: 8 a.m.-8 p.m.
Specials: Hand-Carved Honey Glazed Ham served with sweet potato casserole and an additional side for $10.95. 27th Annual Easter Egg Hunt. Event starts at 2 p.m. for children 4 and under. Ages 5-7 at 2:15 p.m. Ages 8-10 at 2:30 p.m. Held rain or shine. No charge. Reservations not accepted.
Greene Country Club
920 W. Dayton-Yellow Springs Rd., outside Fairborn
937-767-5621, ext. 0
www.greenecc.com
Easter Hours: 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Specials: Brunch featuring omelet station, sliced maple glazed ham, roast beef with au jus, variety of salads, peach cobbler, chocolate & coconut cream pie. Greene Country Club is a private club, but Easter Brunch is open to non-members. Annual dining memberships are available for only $104. Reservations required.
Madison’s Bistro
5531 Far Hills Ave., Washington Twp.
937-435-7080
www.madisonsbistro.com
Easter Hours: Seatings at 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. Specials: Easter Brunch $21.95/adults, $10.95/children under 12, FREE/children under 3. Reservations accepted.
Pacchia
410 E. Fifth St. in Dayton’s Oregon Historic District
937-341-5050
www.pacchia.com
Easter Hours: 10 a.m.- 3 p.m.
Specials: Traditional Sunday Brunch with $4 Mimosas, Bloody Mary’s & Breakfast Margaritas! Full bar available.
Rudy’s Churrascaria
42 N. Main St., Germantown
937-353-7375
Easter Hours: 5-11 p.m.
Specials: Rodizio meats all you can eat. Easter decorated desserts.
Permalink | Comments (13) | Post your comment | Categories: Local restaurant news
TweetNew Kettering restaurant to open next week
KETTERING — Sopranos Eatery & Spirits is preparing to open next week — possibly as early as Monday, April 6 — in the building that formerly housed Fields Restaurant at 1222 E. Stroop Road, the restaurant’s co-owner, Mark Powers, said this morning, March 30.
The Italian restaurant’s menu will include pizza, pasta, steaks and seafood entrees, as well as homemade desserts such as tiramisu and cheesecake, Sopranos chef David Whittemore said.
Powers, who most recently served as president of a local car dealership, said he liked the Kettering location and had been looking to return to the restaurant industry. He owned five Famous Recipe restaurants in the Dayton area before selling them in 1999, and his uncle is Duke Morris, who owned Duke’s Golden Ox restaurant on South Main Street in Dayton. Powers’ brother Reece is preparing to open a restaurant in West Carrollton with the granddaughter of the founder of Dominic’s, also a now-demolished restaurant that operated on South Main Street in Dayton.
Mark Powers’ two co-owners of Sopranos are Ray Woodie and John Doty, Powers said.
Powers said he plans to open two more Sopranos, one in northern Montgomery County and one in southern Montgomery County. No deals have been reached on precise locations, he said.
Sopranos will be open daily for lunch and dinner, and the full bar will be open until 1 a.m. daily. The restaurant’s phone number will be (937) 298-2222.
Permalink | Comments (38) | Post your comment | Categories: Restaurant openings
TweetTumbleweed files for bankruptcy, will continue to operate
The Tumbleweed Southwest Grill chain of restaurants — which has locations in Kettering, Englewood and Springfield as well as several in the Cincinnati area — has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, according to the Louisville Courier-Journal.
As the story notes, under Chapter 11, a company is able to continue operating while it seeks to work out new arrangements with its creditors.The president of the company told the Courier-Journal there are no plans to close restaurants or lay off employees during the bankruptcy. He said there will be no changes to menus or daily operations.
Louisville-based Tumbleweed Southwest Grill operates 37 restaurants in the U.S., including 23 in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana that are company-owned and which are part of the bankruptcy, the Courier-Journal said.
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TweetDowntown Dayton restaurant closes, will relocate on Salem Ave.
Mary Ann’s Southern Kitchen and Catering has closed its downtown Dayton restaurant and will relocate in a few weeks to the former CJ’s Country Morning Pancake House at 3651 Salem Ave. in Harrison Twp., Mary Ann’s co-owner Ann Person said this morning, March 27.
Business was strong at Mary Ann’s at 33 N. Ludlow St., and the decision to close “was beyond my control” because tenants of the downtown building were told they had to vacate, Person said. But she’s looking forward to the new venture.
“We hope to be open by Easter,” Person said. “The menu will be basically the same, although the one big difference is that we’ll be able to serve all-day breakfast.”
CJ’s pancake house closed about six months ago, Person said.
Person owns Mary Ann’s with her son, Ed Seals, and daughter, Erica Peterson. The family operated a restaurant on Hoover Avenue in the late 1990s, later moving into the Salem Mall. They were the last to leave when the mall shut down, Person said.
The new Mary Ann’s restaurant, when it opens, will have the same phone number as the downtown restaurant had: (937) 222-3663.
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TweetRestaurant servers win $270,000 in tip-pooling case
My my, check out this story from Nation’s Restaurant News headlined “Servers win tip-pooling case against Brinker” about a jury verdict Tuesday that awarded a former Chili’s server and 54 others $270,000 in a tip-pooling case.
Here’s an excerpt:
Jennifer Roussell, a former employee at a Chili’s in Sugar Land, Texas, as well as several other Brinker restaurants elsewhere in the state, filed the lawsuit in 2005 alleging that the restaurant company violated the federal Fair Labor Standards Act by requiring servers to share tips with expediters.
The restaurant chain is appealing. Vigorously, it would seem.
How common is this practice here in Ohio? Could this jury verdict have repercussions outside of Texas? The case was, after all, tried in a federal court — U.S. District Court for Southern Texas in Houston — and not in a state court.
Hmmm.
Permalink | Comments (33) | Categories: Restaurant industry news, Restaurant service
TweetRestaurant chain opens near UD, will open 3 more
The locally owned Hot Head Burritos chain opened its newest restaurant at 1113 Brown St. near the University of Dayton late this afternoon, March 25, and will open three additional restaurants in Kettering, Fairborn and West Carrollton in the next few months, Hot Head co-founder Ray Wiley said.
The Brown Street restaurant is the area’s fifth Hot Head Burritos location. The three that are coming soon, according to Wiley, include:
— in Kettering near Kettering Boulevard and West Dorothy Lane next to the newly opened Figaro’s Pizza in an outlot in front of Wal-Mart, scheduled to open around May 1;
— on Colonel Glenn Highway in Fairborn adjacent to Starbucks and near Wright State University, scheduled to open around June 1;
— on East Dixie Drive in West Carrollton in a building that formerly housed a McDonald’s, scheduled to open later this summer.
Wiley, who owns the burrito chain with his wife Cynthia and a third business partner, was unable to provide street addresses of the new restaurants. He said the public’s response to the Hot Head concept and menu “has been fantastic — we’re doing really well.”
Wiley also operates 10 Subway franchises in the Dayton area, including one in the same block as the new Hot Head Burritos restaurant. He said more burrito restaurants are planned, and said he’d like to see the Hot Head chain grow “as fast as humanly possible.”
Permalink | Comments (42) | Post your comment | Categories: Restaurant openings
TweetThis season, every Dragons game can be Skyline time
It seems a natural fit: The Dayton Dragons are a minor-league baseball team affiliated with the Cincinnati Reds, chili is Cincy’s signature dish, so why not bring chili dogs to Dragons games?
Skyline Chili is poised to do just that. Skyline chili dogs will be available at Fifth Third Field for the first time this season, the restaurant chain announced yesterday, March 24.
“Just as Skyline Chili is a tradition for so many in the Dayton area, so is Dragons baseball in the summer,” Alan Riney, Skyline Chili’s Vice President of Marketing, said in a news release. “We are proud to partner with the Dragons and be a part of another exciting baseball season.”
The partnership means that fans will be able to buy Skyline’s signature Cheese Coneys while attending Dragons home games. Skyline will be available at Fifth Third Field starting April 4 for the “Futures Game” when the Cincinnati Reds battle their top minor league prospects, Skyline officials said.
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TweetRestaurant chain’s profits exceed expectations
Hmmm. What to make of this?
Darden Restaurants reported better-than-expected quarterly profits for its third quarter of the fiscal year yesterday, and saw its stock price jump 20 percent on brisk volume, according to this story from Investors Business Daily.
Darden is the parent company of restaurant chains such as Olive Garden, Red Lobster and LongHorn Steakhouse.
The profits were down slightly from the previous year, according to this Darden news release, but given the gloom over the late 2008-early 2009 period, expectations apparently were for a much poorer performance.
Any larger lessons here? Does this represent something bigger, or … not?
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TweetBurger Wars: Burger King sues Steak ‘n Shake
Mini-burgers are triggering a maxi-war of lawyerly words between restaurant chains Burger King and quasi-rival Steak ‘n Shake.
BK has sued Steak ‘n Shake for copyright infringement, according to the Tampa Bay Business Journal, which reports that:
Miami-based Burger King Holdings (NYSE: BKC) alleges in its lawsuit that Steak n Shake’s name for slider-style hamurgers, Steakburger Shots, is “confusingly similar” to trademarked Burger King names, including BK Burger Shots and BK Shots. Burger King alleges its rival’s use of the “shots” name “began long after the BK Burger Shots and BK Breakfast Shots names became well-known and famous.” Burger King said it started using BK Shots in February 2008. The federal lawsuit seeks a jury trial and unspecified damages of more than $75,000.
The two companies have met in court before, according to BurgerBusiness.com, back in 2004, when Steak ‘n Shake sued to stop Burger King from selling an “Angus Steak Burger,” claiming it was confusingly similar to its Steakburger. The two companies settled that dispute out of court.
I rather doubt this case will go to trial, don’t you agree?
Permalink | Comments (29) | Post your comment | Categories: Food fights
Tweet10-year-old’s ‘Peanut Butter Chicken Cheesesteak’ wins recipe contest
A recipe for “Po’ Boy Peanut Butter Chicken Cheesesteak Sandwiches” earned a $25,000 scholarship fund for a 10-year-old Pennsylvania girl.
Orville, Ohio-based J.M. Smucker, the maker of Jif brand peanut butter, sponsored the Seventh Annual “Jif Most Creative Peanut Butter Sandwich Contest,” and Jordyn Boyer, 10, of Lebanon, PA, came out on top with her interesting-sounding chicken cheesesteak recipe, the peanut butter’s maker announced today, March 23.
One of the four runners-up was 11-year-old Morgan (no last name provided) of Batavia, Ohio, east of Cincinnati. Morgan scored a $2,500 scholarship fund with her recipe for “Peanut Butter Fruit Pockets.”
The recipes will be available on Jif’s home page, a Smucker spokeswoman said.
But here’s a sneak peek at the winning recipe which — I’ll say it — undoubtedly tastes better than it sounds:
PO’ BOY PEANUT BUTTER CHICKEN CHEESESTEAK
Sauce mix:
3 Tablespoons Jif Creamy Peanut Butter
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon honey mustard
1/2 cup water
Chicken mixture:
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion
1/2 red pepper
1/2 yellow pepper
1/2 apple (any kind)
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
4 chicken breast slices or any deli lunch meat chicken
Hoagie/sub roll
Cut peppers into strips, cut onions into rings and slice apples in strips. Put into sauce pan with olive oil and cook on medium heat until soft. Cook chicken breast slices and add to the pepper/onion/apple mix. If you are using deli chicken, cut into strips and add it to the pepper/onion/apple mix. The deli chicken is already cooked and just needs to be warmed.
Sauce: In a sauce pan on medium heat, add Jif Creamy Peanut Butter, Worcestershire sauce, honey mustard, honey, and water. Cook until creamy and soft. (Add this mixture in next step).
Add three Tablespoons of peanut butter sauce to the chicken/pepper/apple mix. Stir together. Put the chicken mixture on the roll. Cut the remainder of the apple and place it on a plate with left over peanut butter sauce for dipping.
Serve on hoagie/sub roll and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
Permalink | Comments (7) | Post your comment | Categories: Recipes
TweetJames Beard award nominations make for juicy reading
If you’re a foodie of any stripe, this is addictive reading — and it’s just the list of nominees! Check out the 2009 James Beard Foundation Awards Nominees that were announced just this morning, which includes categories such as best restaurants and best chefs in several categories (including regions); best cookbooks and food writing in magazines and newspapers; and best food stories in the broadcast media.
Not a whole lot of Ohio connections here (at least at first glance through — correct me if I’m wrong), although Michael Symon of Lola restaurant in Cleveland is up for Best Chef in the Great Lakes region, which consists of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio. Which means for an Ohio chef to score in this category, they must compete with all of the chefs in Chicago, for starters. Tough competition indeed.
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TweetFed cooperation would help prevent seafood fraud, GAO report says
Greater cooperation among federal agencies would go a long way toward preventing seafood fraud, according to a GAO report released Friday. (See also this highlights page summarizing the report.)
So let me get this straight … three different agencies have labs for determining seafood species, but each one uses different methodologies and standards to identify those seafood species, which leads to overlap and no small amount of confusion. Right?
And seafood fraud isn’t limited to substituting one species for another, apparently. The report notes that other common forms of seafood fraud include adding water or ice to boost weight (overtreating) or simply fudging the weight (short-weighting).
Seafood fraud, the report notes, “can have both food-safety and economic consequences.”
As GAO reports go, this one offers some interesting reading. Hope it doesn’t sit on a shelf collecting dust.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment | Categories: Grocery industry news
TweetFresh seafood vendor coming to 2nd Street Market
Starting April 2 — assuming no last-minute glitches — Springboro-based Oceanwide Seafood will become a full vendor and begin selling fresh seafood at the National City 2nd Street Market at 600 E. Second St. in Dayton.
“This has been a missing piece for us that we’re very happy to fill,” said Jimmy Harless, marketing manager for the market. “We think they’ll be a big attraction.”
Dale Hartlage, Oceanwide’s president, said he was impressed by the market’s knowledgeable clientele and believes a fresh-fish market will be a good fit.
The seafood shop will be open whenever the market itself it open: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, when the largest crowds flock to the market’s vendors. It will offer fresh fish such as salmon, grouper, tilapia and catfish as well as prepared items such as Cajun crab salad, Hartlage said.
Oceanwide took over the former Midwest Seafood facility at 475 Victory Drive in Springboro after Midwest closed in 2007. It distributes seafood to area restaurants and grocers and operates a retail shop that is open Tuesday through Saturday at the Springboro location.
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TweetNew Miller Lane restaurant to open Thursday
Fricker’s restaurant will open in the former Joe’s Crab Shack at 6834 Miller Lane in Butler Twp. at 11 a.m. Thursday, March 19, Paul Curtis, director of human resources and franchising for Fricker’s, said this morning.
The new restaurant is the Miamisburg-based chain’s 17th Ohio restaurant, and 19th overall.
Fricker’s hours are 11 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. seven days a week. For more information, call (937) 890-0020.
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TweetDominic’s restaurant rises from the ashes
WEST CARROLLTON — A big piece of Dominic’s restaurant is about to be reborn.
Christie Mantia, the granddaughter of Dominic’s founder Dominic Mantia, is partnering with Reece Powers, the nephew of the founder and owner of Duke’s Golden Ox, to open an as-yet-unnamed restaurant at 630 E. Dixie Drive in a building that housed Margarita Village Mexican restaurant.
The new restaurant’s menu will feature “the original recipes” from Dominic’s, Christie Mantia said. Harry Lee, the chef who cooked those dishes at Dominic’s for 25 years between 1980 and 2005, has been hired to help bring the recipes back to life.
Dominic’s, which was located at 1066 S. Main St. in Dayton, closed in July 2007 and was later demolished. The restaurant has been part of the Dayton dining scene for more than 50 years. It was founded by Dominic Mantia and his wife Sue in 1957, using homemade Italian recipes, including a signature garlic-laced house salad dressing. It became a pregame and postgame gathering spot for University of Dayton sports fans for decades.
Christie Mantia’s step-mother, Anne Mantia, who operated the restaurant after her husband’s death, last year brought back bottled Dominic’s house Italian salad dressing, and later launched Anna Mantia Marinara Sauce, both of which are available on several local grocer’s shelves.
Anne Mantia said today, March 18, that she has no connection to the new restaurant, but has not ruled out opening a successor to Dominic’s herself.
“I’d love to have a Dominic’s-style restaurant in Dayton,” Anne Mantia said. “I’ve been talking to people for a long time and waiting to see what happens with the economy. If the right opportunity comes along, I’d like to do it.”
Regarding the new restaurant venture, Anne Mantia said, “I’m happy that some Dominic’s-style recipes will be available to the public.”
Christie Mantia said she was taught the original recipes by her grandmother, Sue Mantia, and was searching for the right opportunity to open a restaurant when she was approached by Reece Powers, nephew of the founder and owner of Duke’s Golden Ox, a restaurant that operated near Dominic’s and which also has been closed and demolished.
“It’s the thing I know and love. It’s in my blood,” Christie Mantia said.
Mantia said she would serve as general manager, while Powers will be the owner. Powers, who owns a printing business, cooked at Duke’s Golden Ox briefly, she said. Duke’s Golden Ox, founded by Duke Morris, operated on South Main Street across from the Montgomery County Fairgrounds. It closed in 2004 after 34 years in business.
The new West Carrollton restaurant is accepting applications this week and will begin interviews next week, with an eye toward opening in about a month, Mantia said.
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Tweet14 Dayton-area restaurants to aid UNICEF clean-water effort
Fourteen Dayton-area restaurants will participate in the U.S. Fund for UNICEF’s nationwide Tap Project during World Water Week from March 22 to 28.
The Tap Project, an initiative to provide clean water to children around the world, invites diners to donate $1 or more for the tap water they usually receive for free. Participating restaurants include Amelia’s Bistro, Blueberry Cafe, C’est Tout, Christopher’s, CoCo’s Bistro, Jay’s Restaurant, Madison’s Bistro, Meadowlark, Oakwood Club, Rue Dumaine, Savona Restaurant & Wine Bar, Sweeney’s Seafood House, Thai 9 and The Winds Cafe & Bakery.
Last year, over 2,300 restaurants and thousands of customers in 44 states raised more than $855,000, which helped fund clean-water and sanitation projects in Iraq, Nicaragua and Belize. For more information, go to www.tapproject.org.
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TweetOakwood grad writes cookbook using nothing but Trader Joe’s products
When Deana Gunn wanted to make sure her father, Hamid Rafizadeh of Oakwood, ate well during December when her mother Fara — the cook in the family — spent the month overseas, she didn’t have to write down any recipes.
She just handed her father a copy of the cookbook she co-authored, “Cooking with All Things Trader Joe’s” ($29.95, Brown Bag Publishing), and headed off to the Trader Joe’s grocery store at Town & Country shopping center in Kettering to stock up.
“We went through every aisle in the store,” Gunn recalled in a telephone interview from her home in San Diego, where the electrical engineer is a married mother of a 6-year-old boy and 4-year-old girl. “In the end, my father was truly inspired. Even after my mother returned, he has continued to cook.”
Gunn had always been a fan of Trader Joe’s, and a few years ago the 1987 graduate of Oakwood High School decided that what shoppers of her favorite grocery store needed was a cookbook using Trader Joe’s ingredients. She teamed up with a former fellow engineering student, Wona Miniati, who now lives in San Francisco, and hammered out their cookbook, and formed their own publishing company, Brown Bag Publishing, to self-publish the book.
Gunn said “Cooking with All Things Trader Joe’s” is “completely independent from the Trader Joe’s company.” In fact, the grocery chain politely declined to sell it in their stores, Gunn said. “We had hoped they would distribute it, but they told us food and drink is what they do.”
This hasn’t dimmed Gunn’s enthusiasm for Trader Joe’s line of products, and she and her co-author are working on an as-yet-unnamed sequel to “Cooking with All Things Trader Joe’s” that should be released “before the holidays.”
Recipes in her existing cookbook range from Mediterranean Lentil Salad to Asian Dumpling Soup to Go Go Mango Chicken, an entree that contains just three ingredients: boneless chicken breasts, jarred pineapple salsa and frozen mango chunks.
Gunn said she and her co-author both grew up in households in which cooking was very important, and both learned to cook from scratch. But as they married and began trying to balance jobs, parenting and cooking, they began looking for short cuts in the kitchen that would not sacrifice taste.
In the cookbooks, Gunn strives to come up with recipes that are approachable and easy for busy mothers and amateur cooks, but which are flavorful and creative enough to hold the interest of family members who will be dining on her dishes — all while using Trader Joe’s products exclusively.
“We just felt there was a need for a cookbook like this one, and the time-savings aspect is just huge,” Gunn said.
Her father, apparently, agrees.
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TweetAre falling beef prices giving Dayton-area diners more and cheaper options?
Take a look at this this “hot-off-the-presses” Nation’s Restaurant News article headlined “Falling beef prices help operators grow steak offerings”.
I had heard rumblings of this a few months ago when I was working on a story on less-expensive cuts of beef. The recession is prompting more grocery store shoppers to buy cheaper cuts while leaving the T-bones, New York strips and beef tenderloins to sit in the meat case.
Here’s an excerpt from the NRN story:
The prices of some premium cuts of beef have fallen to their lowest levels in years as demand for those cuts has slowed, allowing restaurateurs to expand their steak selections and offer them at better prices to cash-strapped consumers.
According to CattleFax, a Centennial-based market analyst firm for the cattle and beef industry, the wholesale prices for some Choice rib cuts and strip loin subprimals in February were at the lowest they had been since 2002. In addition, an increase in the amount of USDA Choice-grade meat available also has put downward pressure on prices. …
In contrast to premium beef, demand for ground beef remains robust, and so does its price.
Any signs this is happening in restaurants around Dayton?
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TweetDLM offers St. Paddy’s dinner, and Rita’s poised to reopen
All three Dorothy Lane Market stores in Springboro, Washington Twp. and Oakwood are offering a St. Patrick’s Day Dinner to Go for pickup from their deli departments starting Saturday, March 14 through March 17. The dinner consists of store-made corned beef brisket served with steamed cabbage and red-skin potatoes. The prices of the reheatable dinners are $11.99 for one, or two for $21.99. Order by phone or in person at any of the DLM’s delis by the end of the day today, Friday, March 13, for pickup Saturday through Tuesday, March 14-17.
KETTERING — Rita’s Italian Ice and Old Fashioned Custard at 3371 E. Stroop Road will reopen for the season today, March 13. Next Friday, March 20, Rita’s will offer free regular-size cups of Italian ice and will be having a “name that mystery flavor” contest throughout the day to celebrate spring. The shop is open from noon to 9 p.m. seven days a week. For more information, call (937) 296-0822.
If you know of any other seasonal restaurants that are poised to fire up the sno-cone machines, let us know by posting a comment.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment | Categories: Local restaurant news
TweetKettering Cafe lets you set your own price
The owner of the Java Street Cafe at 2056 E. Dorothy Lane in Kettering has adopted a rather revolutionary pricing system, at least by American standards: he is letting customers choose how much to pay for his menu items.
“I’m just doing what I can to help people out,” said Sam Lippert, who has owned Java Street Cafe since April 2008. “As far as I’m concerned, this is a permanent change, or at least until economic conditions get better.”
Customers like the concept, and they have not abused the privilege of setting their own price, Lippert said.
“I know I am relying on people to be honest and truly pay what my product is worth,” Lippert said. “So far, it’s about even: some people are paying a little more than what I was charging before, and some people are paying a little less.
“I’ve not had anyone want to pay me less than my cost on an item, and as long as that’s the case, this can work.”
Lippert — whose girlfriend is European — said he was inspired by the cafes of Europe, where it’s not uncommon to leave prices off menus and depend on customers to pay what they think the meal was worth.
The Java Street Cafe — located in the Kettering Towne Center near the Elder-Beerman store — is open Monday through Thursday 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, call (937) 294-5280.
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TweetSize matters: Haagen-Dazs slammed for 14-ounce ‘pints’
Check out this Advertising Age piece headlined “Ben and Jerry’s Calls Out Haagen-Dazs on Shrinkage”.
Yet another example of the incredible shrinking package, only this time, a company wasn’t able to do it quietly — its competitor wasn’t about to let that happen.
And to watch the company rationalize, check out this Haagen-Dazs response to the smaller carton, which starts with:
Our new Haagen-Dazs cartons contain a couple fewer spoonfuls than before. Please let us explain why.
A few spoonfuls? From 16 ounces to 14 ounces?
Those must be big spoons.
Of course, I’d be more outraged against the company if the new Haagen-Dazs Reserve Toasted Coconut Sesame Brittle wasn’t so darn good. And my pint is still, well, a pint.
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TweetPanera tops Top 10 Healthiest Fast Food list; Chipotle, McDonald’s also place
The folks at Health magazine have come up with a different type of Top Ten list that at first blush, seems a bit of an oxymoron: “America’s Top 10 Healthiest Fast Food Restaurants.”
The magazine said its criteria included “such factors as the use of healthy fats and preparations, healthy sodium counts in entrees, availability of nutritional information, and the use of organic produce.”
Panera Bread scored the top spot. The chain — which has several Dayton-area locations — won praise for whole-grain bread choices and half-size portion options and because “most of the chicken is antibiotic- and hormone-free.”
Coming in number 4 on the list was Noodles and Company, which just opened its first Dayton-area restaurant at The Greene in Beavercreek. The chain was lauded for using only soybean oil for sauteing and for its varied selection of Asian, Mediterranean, or American noodle bowl options.
The Chipotle chain of Mexican restaurants placed sixth on the “healthiest” list, although the magazine cautioned diners to “go light on cheese and sour cream.” Chipotle earned kudos for “commitment to organics, hormone- and antibiotic-free meats, and produce sourced from local suppliers, which is revolutionary in a chain this big.”
And lo and behold, who should make the top-ten list in eighth place but McDonald’s, which has certainly taken its lumps from nutritionists and dietitians (and documentary-makers) over the years. Health praised McDonald’s for “leading the way in overhauling its menu to offer more heart- and waist-friendly fare.”
Einstein Bros. Bagels, whose web site lists two locations on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, placed ninth.
Other top-ten chains cited by the magazine do not have southwest Ohio locations.
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TweetDiners’ tipping habits take money from servers’ pockets
Do you stiff your restaurant servers to save money? Do you know that when you don’t tip on wine ordered in restaurants or on carryout orders, you may be taking money out of your server’s pockets?
Some diners — perhaps a larger proportion of them than we might think — have simply stopped tipping. That’s what this post from our 937moms.com forum suggests. Here’s how the thread of online conversation started:
I went out with a group of moms the other day to Big Boy and was amazed at how many of the moms did not tip their servers. One mom said that lots of people don’t tip now because of the economy. Another one said that since it was mostly a buffet she shouldn’t have to tip. I was embarrassed because I always tip! Even with the economy, if I can afford to go eat out at the restaurant, I better be able to afford to tip the service. And, especially when the table had a total of 6 kids at it, which means a big mess to clean up!
Just as the comments on that topic were heating up, I received an email from a server who obviously works at a fine-dining restaurant who posed another tipping question: do customers know that when they don’t tip on, say, an expensive bottle of wine, they’re actually costing the server money, not just time? She brought out some points that I never knew. Here’s her story:
Last week, I had two gentlemen sit down for dinner, and after making numerous comments to me about how we have a great selection of wines at wonderful prices, ordered a bottle of Cakebread Cabernet. I proceeded to present the wine, open the wine, and poured the wine throughout their dinner. After they were finished dining, one of the gentlemen asked for the bill, but asked for the wine to be on a separate check. Of course, I obliged. When I returned to picked up their signed checks, I thanked them and they told me how wonderful everything was and thanked me for my terrific service. When I went to close out their checks, I was floored to discover that they had not tipped me on the wine. Again, it’s not like this was the first time this has happened, but it doesn’t make it any less infuriating!
What people fail to understand is that servers are taxed on their sales, their total sales, not just on what they are tipped. When we are taxed on out sales, it is assumed that diners have tipped at least 10% at our restaurant. ( I do know that the federal government only assumes 8.5%). We are required to claim all of our tips for tax purposes, and if our tips claimed do not match a percentage of our sales, we are taxed on our sales anyway. Understandable, we are then at a financial loss. I do not think it is fair for me, or any other server, to have to pay for the wine consumption that I did not enjoy myself. I think the general understanding is that we are only taxed on our tips, and that is not the case. This is also why not tipping on carry-out orders is frustrating.
Servers make $3.65 an hour. We live on our tips. We also have to tip out the bartenders and bussers from what we make. (I hope) diners who read this come away with a better understanding and be more inclined to tip on that next bottle of wine or carry-out order.
I was not aware that this was the case. Were you?
What are your tipping guidelines? Have they changed?
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TweetFire repairs complete, Taco Bell reopens
It took three weeks, but the Taco Bell at 1000 Brown Street near the University of Dayton that was damaged by fire on Feb. 13 has reopened.
The sign above of the building apparently sustained damage from mid-February’s high winds, and turning it on on Feb. 13 caused it to begin smoking, Dayton fire officials said. Most of the damage was limited to the restaurant’s roof, although debris from the damaged sign and roof fell into the restaurant, fire officials said.
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TweetNew restaurant coming to Miller Lane
Fricker’s is preparing to open a restaurant in the former Joe’s Crab Shack at 6834 Miller Lane in Butler Twp., according to Butler Twp. and Fricker’s officials.
The restaurant has tentatively planned a VIP party for March 17, although that date is somewhat in doubt, said Paul Curtis, director of human resources and franchising for the Miamisburg-based chain of restaurants.
Curtis declined to discuss any other aspect of the new restaurant, saying that Fricker’s owner Ray Frick did not want any other information released. The new location is listed on Fricker’s web site as “coming soon.”
Jeff Bothwell, development director for Butler Twp., said the company filed routine documents regarding the renovation of the former Joe’s Crab Shack, and confirmed that the restaurant chain is shooting for a March 17 private unveiling.
Today, March 3, restaurant officials were interviewing job applicants, and banners proclaiming that Fricker’s is “Now Hiring” were posted at the restaurant’s entrance. Workers were busily renovating the restaurant’s interior.
The restaurant would be Fricker’s 17th in Ohio and 19th total, according to the restaurant chain’s web site.
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TweetHot Head Burritos coming to Brown Street
The former Moe’s Southwest Grill at 1113 Brown Street near the University of Dayton will soon become a Hot Head Burritos restaurant, according to “coming-soon” signs posted at the location.
Efforts to reach Hot Head Burrito’s owners Ray and Cynthia Wiley through the weekend and this morning, March 2, were unsuccessful, but a manager for the Hot Head Burritos in Kettering said the Brown Street location is expected to open in about a month.
Hot Head’s menu includes burritos, tacos, nachos and quesdillas.
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TweetRestaurant launches ‘Buy a bowl, give a bowl’ effort for Foodbank
The two Dayton-area Beef ‘O’ Brady’s restaurants have launched a “Get a Bowl, Give a Bowl” program in which for every bowl of soup purchased by a customer at the Centerville or Beavercreek locations this month, Beef’s will donate a bowl of soup to The Foodbank of Dayton.
Bill DeFries, who owns the two Dayton-area franchises of Beef ‘O’ Brady’s, a national chain of family sports pubs, said, “I thought this was a great way for me and Beef’s to help out local families and involve the community.”
Through the end of March, DeFries said he will track every bowl of soup sold in the two restaurants, then will donate the equivalent amount to FoodBank. DeFries said Campbell’s soup company — Beefs’ two Dayton-area restaurants serve Campbell’s soups — may get involved in the project to “sweeten the pot” a bit for the Foodbank.
The Foodbank is the primary source of food for more than 95 Greene, Montgomery and Preble county hunger-relief programs.
Beef ‘O’ Brady’s has nearly 250 locations throughout the Southeast and the Midwest.
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