Kabuki
Pig Iron BBQ
Buffalo Wings & Rings
Pho Lang Thang
Roland’s Seafood Grill
Penn Brewery
Greater’s Ice Cream
Due Amici
Court Street Diner
The Cocoa Tree
Gran Ranchero
Fluff Bakery
The Court House Exchange
Troy Strawberry Festival 2012
The strawberry is my absolute favorite fruit. Yet for all of my time in Dayton I’ve never managed to make my way up here. With all the hype, all of the strawberry recipes in the paper and much ado about the festival moving to downtown Troy this year, I finally got a chance to drop in.
What in the world have I been missing? What a great place to visit!
Crystal Grand Banquets
The beautiful and elaborate Crystal Grand Banquet Hall in Lemont, Illinois is designed exclusively for large-scale engagements. Situated in southwestern Chicago’s quaint neighborhoods, the hall has been host to weddings, birthdays, and other formal events. The meals are grand in scope and scale to be sure, and the environment more then makes the night, but Crystal Grand’s variety of in-house foods provide a wide array of options for planners to hold a sizable meal. I have to say, the building is beautiful, the people are amazing and the experience is grand, but the food isn’t outstanding.
Kaldi’s Coffee
With seven locations around the St. Louis, Missouri area, Kaldi’s Coffee is a custom java chain which has been slowly expanding its way outward from its Clayton, Missouri roots. Now, the coffee shop has been growing its presence in the St. Louis-Chicago belt, and small towns like Urbana, Illinois — home of University of Illinois — have benefited from this. Kaldi’s roasts its own coffee; a variety of beans throughout Central America, and a very strong emphasis on fair trade and sustainability. It’s delicious coffee, it’s creative blends, and it’s got a holistic approach to the business.
La Piazza
Ritzy and upscale, La Piazza Pasta and Grill is an Italian eatery with a concept for the finer things. The Troy, Ohio restaurant is far from the busy downtown Dayton markets and consumers, but this I-75 corridor town has a lot of charm on its own. La Piazza is certainly among Troy’s crown jewels, it’s got a seriously delicious and unique take on Italian food and it’s a must-try if you’re hungry for some local culture. La Piazza’s got a lot going for it; it’s got a bar and an outdoor porch; prime real estate at the very center of town.
Mellow Mushroom (Columbus)
Mellow Mushroom is not your typical restaurant chain. With 100 locations across 15 states, the franchise seems to have all the trappings of a corporate food factory. But this chain breaks the mold of the standard line. Founded in 1974 by college students, Mellow Mushroom maintains an air of nonconformity — every Mellow Mushroom is a sports bar specializing in pizza, but beyond that, every single location has a radically different menu catering to the local cuisine. I should note I’ve reviewed the Nashville, Tennessee location as well.
Giammarco’s
Established in 1999, Giammarco’s has recently set up shop at a brand new location in Westerville, Ohio, just northeast of Columbus. It’s classy, it’s contemporary, and it provides a real culinary challenge to the chain restaurants down the street in serving up masterfully done Italian food to locals and travelers of the busy Interstate 71 corridor. Giammarco’s has a mantra of fresh ingredients and simple dishes anyone would recognize as Italian food. It’s a resounding success; this restaurant knows how to make a good dish. In fact, it’s the best Italian food I’ve had in Columbus.
Thai 9
You might not be able to tell from its plain-looking building, but Thai 9 Thai and Sushi Restaurant is often mentioned as one of the best Asian cuisine places in Dayton. The Thai food place is situated on the edge of downtown and the Oregon District — where many of the city’s more cultured establishments are situated. Spend any decent amount of time around this city, and you’re certain to run into one local or another who swears Thai 9 has the best food they’ve ever eaten.
Romeo’s Pizza
Since at least 2002, Romeo’s Pizza has been winning awards for its tasty pizza as it has slowly expanded to all of the major cities across Ohio. Now, with about 30 locations, Romeo’s seeks to become a local household name, and accolades have continued to pour in from local media. A new alternative to the big pizza delivery chains is here, and they’ve got more on the menu than pizza.
Dragon China
There are a lot of Chinese restaurants around central Dayton, but Dragon China stands out in a very outstanding way: they aim to make a healthier Chinese food. A lot of people say they do this, but at Dragon China, it’s far more apparent. Vegetables are steamed instead of stir fried, and even the fried dishes are subject to less breading and more alternative cooking styles that save on grease. It’s not the type of stuff that you’ll find too healthy to be good, but it’s a nice middle ground compared to the other Chinese alternatives around town.
Even better: they deliver. At long last, you can get something other than pizza at your doorstep.
Frost Cupcake Bar
With what is now two locations, in Springboro and Lebanon, Frost Cupcake Bar has accomplished a truly amazing feat: a successful cupcake store in a small town. Cupcakes are all the rage these days, but these south Dayton suburbs already have plenty of established bakeries for sweet tooth locals. I’m very glad to say, though, that the new kid on the block has established itself as a worthy competitor to the local mainstays. For such a limited concept, Frost really specializes in making sweet and fancy treats.
Wow. I really like these cupcakes.
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