Following a three-year hiatus (caused by a global pandemic), we're thrilled to report that the Miami Valley Restaurant Association (MVRA) has resumed "Sneak Peek to Restaurant Week" events.
A Tasty Return for Sneak Peek to Restaurant Week
What’s a “Sneak Peek”? An opportunity for member restaurants to offer would be diners a taste of one or more dishes they’ll offer during Restaurant Week. (Pro tip: Sign up for our newsletter and you won't miss the next one, normally scheduled for mid-July)
Restaurant week runs from Sunday, January 22 to Sunday, January 29 (an eight-day week), though not all participating restaurants are open daily. Since more restaurants participate than you can dine in over 8 days the “sneak peek” allows you to refine the possibilities and plan ahead. The Dayton Local team certainly enjoyed tasting our way through the 2023 Winter event.
While we’ve lost some restaurants we loved, the Dayton area has seen several new restaurants open in the past few years. One of those, Loose Ends Brewing, opened in Centerville in October 2020. I tried 2 of the 3 tastes Loose Ends brought and Chef Adrian’s Tuna Poke Crisp tasted as good as it sounds.
Rare Ahi Tuna topped with microgreens served over an Asian slaw of perfectly julienned veggies on a wonton-like crisp. We haven’t received the Loose Ends menu yet, so we don’t have their details. We'll add Loose Ends to the Restaurant Week page once we receive it.
Condado Tacos opened at The Greene in July 2020. Their Blue Dream Taco is number two on my list. Served in a double decker shell with queso, kewl ranch, corn, ground beef, lettuce, tomato, and avocado ranch this taco was sensational.
Fitting for winter restaurant week, several restaurants are offering “comfort” foods such as short ribs with risotto, grits, and brisket. Amber Rose, a Dayton fixture since 1990 earned the third spot on my list with their Italian Chicken Sausage Tortellini.
Featuring homemade chicken sausage, and tri-color cheese filled tortellini in house-made alfredo sauce. It even sounds comfy! Known for Eastern European Cuisine including German, Lithuanian, Polish, Hungarian, Russian and Italian dishes, this member restaurant often participates in MVRA events.
The Coco’s team caused a stir when they broke out their Espresso Crème Brûlée. For as long as I can remember Coco’s has caused a commotion midway into the event by breaking out a torch and caramelizing the sugar on the fly!
Thank you to MVRA director Amy Zahora and all the participating restaurants and sponsors. We appreciate you and know it’s not easy for any restaurant to put together a team to serve and smile at the event while another serves and smiles in your restaurant.
Winter Restaurant week is an opportunity to enjoy a three-course meal at a very special price. So please, Dine Out, try something new, and support MVRA member restaurants!
