Dayton Food & Dining | Happy Holidays & the latest on Treasure Island Supper Club 🍴

Hey Dayton!

Welcome to our weekly Dayton Food & Dining Newsletter! It’s hard to believe we’re five days away from Christmas. Happy holidays from my little family to yours!

In November, we took photos at Carl & Dorothy Young’s Christmas Tree Farm in Yellow Springs. My husband and I had very low expectations for how our photos would turn out because we weren’t sure how Graevy (our blue heeler) would act. To our surprise, she was an absolute angel with her tongue out in every single photo.

If you’re wondering, we did get ice cream at Young’s Jersey Dairy afterwards. My favorite ice cream flavor at Young’s is Cow Patty (double dark chocolate ice cream with chocolate chips, cookie pieces and chocolate covered toffee), but I went ahead and tried their seasonal flavor, Hot Cocoa Peppermint. It was delicious and perfect for the holiday season!

Heads up! There are a few bakeries and ice cream shops that are closing between Christmas and New Year’s Day for a holiday break. Click here for our latest list.

Treasure Island ‘temporarily closed’

Credit: Natalie Jones

Treasure Island Supper Club in Moraine is “temporarily closed” and no longer managed by Dana and Katherine Downs, the owners of Roost Modern Italian in Dayton’s Oregon District.

“Due to an unexpected occurrence, we will be temporarily closed until further notice,” a sign at the restaurant stated. “We apologize for this inconvenience.”

General manager Nancy Zechar said she is working with owner Duane Isaacs to reopen Treasure Island as soon as possible.

The Downses had taken over day-to-day management of the restaurant for nearly six months, but are no longer a part of the operation.

“Our management team moved out, but left the owners an operation as ‘turn key’ as possible for them to continue owning and operating the facility,” chef Dana said.

Zechar said her team needs to come up with a strategy of where to go from here. They also need to work with distributors to get product in.

Treasure Island Supper Club has been a staple for residents of Moraine, Kettering, Oakwood, Miamisburg, West Carrollton and beyond since 1961. The restaurant is located at 4250 Chief Woods Lane in Moraine.

TJ Chumps’ Battle of the Burgers returns for 5th year

Credit: Submitted Photo

TJ Chumps is kicking off its fifth annual Battle of the Burgers competition in which anyone can submit their dream burger idea for a chance to win a $500 gift card and have their burger on the menu.

Last year, Michael Karson won with his “Artie Burger” featuring TJ Chumps’ hand-spanked choice USDA Angus patty grilled to order, topped with crispy pulled bacon, seared diced shrimp and double mozzarella cheese. It was served on a toasted brioche bun with chipotle ranch.

TJ Chumps said no topping is off limits as long as it’s edible.

Those interested in participating in the competition have until Dec. 31 to submit their dream burger. Live voting for the top four burgers will kick off Jan. 5 and run through Jan. 14. The winner will be revealed on Jan. 19 and added to the menu in February.

Val’s Bakery relocating to downtown Dayton

Val’s Bakery is closing its location at 1120 Brown St. on Sunday with plans to relocate to downtown Dayton in the former space of Twist Cupcakery, according to a post on the bakery’s Facebook page.

Owner Paige Woodie wrote that she went to Twist Cupcakery and spoke with the owner about buying some of her equipment as she was in the midst of closing in October.

“I looked around and realized the space was likely up for grabs,” Woodie said. “It’s (two times) the size of Brown St., with a ton of seating and a large kitchen. I’ve always dreamt of doing laminated pastries and viennoiserie, and that means a lot of added equipment. Looking at that kitchen, I knew this could be it.”

Woodie has signed a three year lease for their new space at 25 S. St. Clair St. and hopes to hold a grand opening in mid-January. She also has plans to open a new coffee bar in Kettering in 2024.

Dry January will be here before you know it

The effort by some to give up alcohol for the first month of the year will soon be underway!

Over the weekend, I went to Crafted & Cured in Troy. They didn’t have a list of non-alcoholic beverages on the menu, but the bartender helped me find one I would like. I really appreciated his effort in offering me various options to choose from because it’s nice to have something other than water or pop.

We’re looking for those planning to participate in Dry January to tell us why they are giving up alcohol for a month and the best places to get non-alcoholic beverages in downtown Dayton. Email me with your first and last name, the city you reside in, phone number and a short summary by 8 a.m. Friday, Dec. 29.

Ann Heller’s favorite recipes: Bourbon Pecans

Ann Heller’s career at the Dayton Daily News writing about food and restaurants spanned three decades. She also published two cookbooks including “The Best of It’s Simple!’’

“Anyone can open a jar of olives and a can of nuts and set them out for a party. But that’s so boring; it tells your guests you don’t think much of them,” Heller wrote. “These bourbon pecans have a little sweetness and more than a smidgen of heat. They’re perfect for a holiday of this season.”

Ingredients:

Directions: Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Simmer the bourbon to reduce it to 3 tablespoons. Combine the reduced bourbon, sugar, bitters, Worcestershire sauce and corn oil.

Blanch the pecans for 1 minute in boiling water, then drain the nuts. Turn the hot nuts into a bowl and toss with the bourbon mixture. Let stand 10 minutes, the spread on a foil-lined, rimmed cookie sheet, pouring the remaining bourbon marinade over them.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. When nuts are crisp and lightly brown, and the liquid has evaporated, turn the nuts into a bowl.

Combine cayenne, salt, pepper and cumin. Sprinkle over the nuts while tossing them.

Turn out onto a clean, foil-lined cookie sheet to dry in a single layer. Store in an airtight container. Makes four cups.

Quick Bites:

☕ 2 coffee shops hold grand openings in Dayton region: Biggby Coffee, located at 5894 N. Springboro Pike in Miami Twp., and Dunkin’, located at 7680 Old Troy Pike in Huber Heights, held grand opening celebrations yesterday.

🥪 Centerville restaurant changes name: International Cafe & Delicatessen, located at 263 N. Main St. across from Bill’s Donuts, has changed its name to Habibis Restaurant.

🍜 Vietnamese restaurant to open in Huber Heights: Wat Da Pho is opening at 7612 Old Troy Pike on Monday, Jan. 1. The restaurant is celebrating with special deals for customers.

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.

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