It's Great 'n Dayton

Downtown on the Rebound

Could this be the beginning of good things to come? Just when I and others were beginning to wonder if there's been any recent activity we got our answer!

Check out the latest Downtown Dayton Partnership newsletter to read about progress downtown related to streets, restaurants, parks, and the Greater Downtown Dayton Plan.

Here's a blurb about the plan:

Don’t miss these upcoming opportunities to learn more about the Greater Downtown Dayton Plan and help provide input into the blueprint for the future of downtown!

Plan Preview

Stop in during Urban Nights and get a sneak peek at draft plan recommendations from the people working on its various projects. See maps, renderings and other visual representations of the future of our urban core.

Friday, September 11, 5-10 p.m. at 8 N. Main St. (street level entrance)

Open Studio Sessions

Each event will feature a presentation and group discussion, followed by hands-on opportunities to provide your own input into the Greater Downtown Dayton Plan. Get involved in shaping the future!

Saturday, October 3

Monday, October 5

Tuesday, October 6

All sessions will be held at 8 N. Main St. (street level entrance.) Session times and info will be posted at downtowndayton.org.

 

In similar news, and probably not known in enough time for the DDP to print in its newsletter, the Wine Gallery and Cafe has officially announced what several foodies in Dayton already knew....that it's moving from the Cannery to the corner of Main/Monument, overlooking the river. Dayton Daily News reports it here.

It's Festival Time!!!

If there's one thing Daytonians know how to do it's have a good time!!! With summer festivals behind us there's a fall line-up that can't be missed:

August 14-16 The GermanFest at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds

August 15-16 Mountain Days at Eastwood Metropark

August 22 African American Cultural Festival at Riverscape (glad to see something replace the Black Cultural Festival that disappeared a couple years back)

August 28-30 Lebanese Festival at St. Ignatius Church

August 29 Alefest at Carillon Park

August 29 Waikiki Party sponsored by the Miami Valley Fair Housing Center

August 30 Reggae Festival

September 2-7 Montgomery County Fair

September 5-7 AlterFest at Alter High School

September 11-13 Dayton Greek Festival (and also happens to be Urban Nights, downtown)

September 11-13 Italian Fall Festa at Bella Villa Hall

September 12-13 Beavercreak Popcorn Festival

September 19 Dayton Peace Festival

Nothing else September 18-20? That can't be right!! Let me know what I'm missing!

September 26-27 Oktoberfest at the Dayton Art Institute (preview party on the 25th)

October 3 Gearfest at Eastwood Metropark

October 10-11 Garlic Festival at Cox Arboretum (check out the stunning picture at this link)

and looking ahead....

October 29 Boo in the Burg (Miamisburg)

October 31 Hauntfest on Fifth (in the Oregon District)

And people say there's nothing to do in Dayton!?! Most of the events above are family friendly too!

Things to Do

Courtsey of updayton, check out the following  -

 

Culture Works, greater Dayton's united arts fund and arts service agency, is looking for feedback from young creatives about arts in the region. They want to know what’s working, and what isn’t. Share your opinion by taking their short survey posted at http://updayton.com/on-the-wall/culture-works-survey/.

 

August is jam-packed with events we think young creatives might be interested in. Here’s

what’s coming up that we know about:

 

The Ten Living Cities Symposium and Arts Festival

August 7 – 9^th at the Dayton Convention Center

Register and learn more at http://www.tenlivingcities.org/

 

Outrageous River Derby: Walk on Water Challenge

Using non-boat materials (e.g. tires, 2 liter bottles, tires, etc.), participants will be challenged to build watercrafts that will enable them to “walk on water”

August 9, Noon - 3 PM at RiverScape

More info at http://daytoncreate.org/?p=1063

 

Volunteer Speed Matching – Local Agencies Need Your Help

Presented by the United Way and Generation Dayton

August 11^th from 6-8 pm (RSVP to lwulfeck@dacc.org by August 7^th)

More information at http://updayton.com/on-the-wall/volunteer-speed-matching/

 

Miami Valley Cycling Summit

Help make our communities more bike and pedestrian friendly

August 14th (all day) at the University of Dayton

More info at http://www.metroparks.org/MVCyclingSummit/Home.aspx

 

and don't forget Restaurant Week, July 26-31, featuring three-course meals for $20.09.

 

If you're looking for outdoor fun this weekend (July 24-26), and maybe a few drinks, check out the Celtic Festival at Riverscape!!

D is for Duke's, not Dominic's

Apparently the un-named restaurant (still in litigation) with a D on the menu, is going to go by the name Duke's, as in Duke's Golden Ox. That's according to today's Dayton Daily News.

The litigation is over the involvement of the grand-daughter of Dominic Mantia, her hiring of the former Dominic's chef, and supposed use of Dominic's trademarked name and recipies. The most recent news is that step grandmother, Anne Mantia, wants the restaurant shut down and also wants the proceeds from its opening days of business.

I don't really care what's going on anymore. Follow the links for more information. I'm posting this story because the other ones about the restaurant have had more hits than anything else I've posted. The first link above is about the name of the restaurant. The most recent news is about the lawsuit.

Why the kids (granddaughter of Dominic and nephew of Duke) couldn't just open a restaurant by any other name and rely on their own name recognition and word of mouth is beyond me. They could have easily had decent, similar food (identical or not) without evening opening their mouths about the recipies. The quality of the food would have spoken for itself.

All comments in the DDN seem to show agreement by readers that the case, as a family issue, is ridiculuous. Many have commented about all the free publicity this new restaurant is getting without having to do advertising! Lastly, no one seems to care for Anne Mantia and they don't even like her bottled version of the salad dressing that gave the restaurant its reputation (among other things).

Oceanwide Seafood coming to Dayton market

Just when I was tempted to write about how nothing seems to be happening at the National City 2nd Street Market a brief article was in today's Dayton Daily News announcing that on April 2 Oceanwide Seafood, out of Springboro, will become the market's newest tenant. As a regular market goer I have to say that the addition of fresh seafood will be a nice complement to the meats and produce already available.

The market is open 11-3 Thursday and Friday and is open 8-3 on Saturdays. In addition to vendors selling crafts, meat, coffee, fresh produce, flowers, and more several vendors prepare and serve meals onsite. It's a great place to get breakfast or lunch.

Come out and buy local!

Dayton Area to Taste Dominic's Again

Note: On April 9 there is a followup post to this entry. The story below is about a new restaurant. The story on April 9 is about family members taking each other to court over the use of family recipies.

Mark Fisher at the Dayton Daily News is reporting that relatives associated with Dominic's and relatives associated with Duke's Golden Ox are joining forces to open a new restaurant together in West Carrollton. I liked both restaurants, although I think Dominics was being run into the ground and ended on a bad note with bad service, lesser quality food and some cleanliness issues. Hopefully these relatives will come up with something to make their forebearers proud.

Here's the story from today's online DDN

Dominic’s restaurant rises from the ashes

By Mark Fisher | Wednesday, March 18, 2009, 10:33 AM

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.

The restaurant is accepting applications this week and will begin interviews next week, with an eye toward opening in about a month, Mantia said.

Diving Through Dayton

Yes...that's right...diving (not driving)...not as in dumpster diving (or diving into water) but as in making the rounds to Dayton restaurants that are greasy spoons (dives).

If you want to know the "hole in the wall" places to eat (or not eat) - or if you have suggestions the blogger should know about - visit divingthroughdayton.blogspot.com!!

Dayton Foodies Connect

With a little nudge from Lisa G. I'm happy to mentioned again that Dayton foodies have a social networking site. You can peruse the site as a guest or you can join it and complete a profile and participate in discussions, etc.

The www.daytondining.ning.com site connects foodies and is also the best place to find information on the most recent specials and deals that are being offered at area restaurants!

Check them out! If you come back here looking for the site and this post isn't on the homepage you can also find a link to the right --------->

Dayton Dining Sites offer Food for Thought

Just stumbled across these. Thanks to grigs at Dayton Most Metro for this one: http://daytondining.ning.com/

Apparentely unrelated, also check out www.diningindayton.com. Looks to be pretty new but promising.

While we're on the subject, don't forget the Miami Valley Restaurant Association and Dayton's  Independent Restaurants. 

Franco's - a new happy hour option in downtown Dayton, Winetasting too

Franco's now has Happy Hour Monday thru Friday. 4:00 till 6:30. All wines by the glass are $4.95, domestic beers $2.75 & any 2 item pizza, foccacha bread or deep fried ravioli are $4.95. Stop in & enjoy a gnosh & cocktail after work. 

Franco's is also reviving its wine tastings - the first Monday of the month starting Jan. 5th from 5 - 7 pm offering a 3 oz. pour of 4 new wines each month for $ 2.00. They will also have a little something to nibble on & 10% off all appetizers. Stop in to quench your thirst for good wines,foods & company.

The restaurant is located at 824 E. Fifth Street, just up the street from the Dublin Pub and across from Holy Trinity Church.