The End of Things To Do In Dayton

As my project and time in Dayton came to an end, I prepared to return to San Francsico. Derek and I had so much fun together in Dayton we decided to continue our journey in San Francisco, so we packed up the car with his stuff and the cat and headed out on a road adventure.

The adventure now moves to a new blog: Life With Derek.

4th of July 2006

In Dayton the fireworks were on the night of the 3rd, not the 4th, so we watched them from the hotel balcony while sipping wine. We ordered in some food, but the hotel is not setup for you to eat on your balcony, so we just drank while the fireworks were happening. It only lasted about 15-20 minutes, so we didn't starve.

Derek invited me to a cookout at his place on the 4th. His parent's cooked up a nice dinner of BBQ ribs (which were the best I have had in Dayton), and an interesting mashed potato salad that I have never had before, but it was good. The kind of food that sticks to your ribs, or something...I won't even try to explain the picture.

It is always great to get a home cooked meal and eat in a family type setting when you travel as much as I do, and this was no exception to that. I got to meet most of the family, including the elusive Porkchop, who seems to have acquired a certain antisocial behaviour. Maybe the cat is just shy, but she wouldn't stay outside with us for more than a couple of minutes. She has no idea what she is in for!

The day wouldn't be complete without someone getting dumped in the pool. Unfortunately for Jordan, she was the unlucky one. The flippers are identified here in case Jordan has any question about who was at fault.

And of course, Duke had to join in on the beer drinking. It just wouldn't be fair to leave him out.

After plenty of beer and Mike's Lemonade we got fenagled into playing a game of Sorry.

I had forgotten how to play this game and finally realized that is a game of strategy. Not so much to win as to see who you can make allies with and who you will make enemies with.

Not a game to play with highly competitive control freaks! (Luckily there were none present at this particular playing).

I didn't win, but then I wasn't the last one to get my pins home either. I won't elaborate on who was last or I may not ever get invited again!

Let's end this piece with a couple of pictures that sum it up. We called it a night around 10 and ended a fun day with a quiet night.

Indiana Riverboats

We (Derek, Bryan and I) went to Indiana to the riverboats, which is where all the old people from Ohio go to blow their social security checks. It was interesting. We drove for 2 hours to get there, traffic sucked as it was the Friday before the 4th of July weekend, but hey we got there. All of the casinos in Indiana have to be on water (some old law about Indian land or something). We went to the Victoria Inn (I think that was the name). I actually felt young there, and I am sure they thought Derek & Bryan were hustlers looking to take some old woman (or man!).

We spent about 30 minutes there before Derek was bored with it (and had lost about $20 more than he came with). I dropped $25, but hey that is less than we spend at the Century Bar some nights. It was kind of amazing to walk around and see old people with oxygen cans attached to their noses as they sit in front of slot machines. Cha-Ching! the house makes another $25!

It could be a fun way to spend an afternoon: hang out and play the quarter slots, eat a cheap lunch at the buffet, drink a bit, watch people, go home with slightly less money than you came with. Cheap entertainment.

We then wandered into the little town of Rising Sun. Kind of a quaint little place that I guess if you were retired or had your own business wouldn't be such an awful place. Some small businesses and restaurants lined the streets, and they have a nice park along the river. I don't think I could live there, but I do think Derek and Bryan would consider it. I would go absolutely crazy there!

Hueston Woods State Park

When: June 20th.

I took the day off and Derek took me to Hueston Woods. This was a short drive from Dayton and well worth the trip. A nice lake, picnic lunch of fried chicken (He wants to see your breasts) from IGA, wandering trails, hot walk on road back to car, good sun, this hike had it all. Including a snake that decided to sleep on the road - what a goob. I took a stick to it and chased it back of the road. I am sure it was enjoying the sun and warmth of the road, but it probably wouldn't enjoy being run over by some car or truck.

Derek found a natural smiley face that meant we would have a great day, and so it was. He has a good eye for this kind of stuff. I was too busy wiping spider webs off my face and almost stepped on it.






For more info on Hueston Woods visit their website. http://www.mtbr.com/trails/Ohio/HuestonWoodsStatePark.html

Century Bar

Interesting neighborhood bar, if you can call a downtown bar a neighborhood bar. We tend to go here over the "family" bars downtown. Bartenders are friendly (well, the male ones are) and they serve pretty solid, strong drinks. The bar pulls in a very eclectic (or strange) group of people, but hey that makes it interesting.

Juke box music, not much to pick from, but about the same as other downtown bars. I like the laid back atmosphere and they don't seem to mind Derek and I hanging out there.

The bar itself (the physical bar in the room) is actually quite pretty. It is a huge bar that came out of an old hotel. Doesn't really match the rest of the space.

It isn't the nicest place in town, and according to the Dayton Daily News:
Dateworthy?
Uh-uh. This is a safe-haven bar, a port in a storm. It's a place to hide out from your significant other, not one in which to woo them. Come with your pals instead.


Century Bar

(937) 223-3382 10 S Jefferson St Dayton, OH 45402

Bay to Breakers update

Bay to Breakers Update - Final!

Granted, this didn't happen in Dayton, but we trained for it in Dayton.

And all that hard work paid off... we actually did better than we had planned on doing, our goal was 1 hour 30 minutes.


And for the record, Derek did finish in front of me, by a nano second.

First Name	City	State	Bib Number	Place	Country	Gun Time
Derek	Dayton	OH	13279	4132	USA	1:18:12
First Name	City	State	Bib Number	Place	Country	Gun Time
Chip	Dayton	OH	13278	4131	USA	1:18:12

The run was fun and the weather cooperated with us very nicely. Now we need to find one in Dayton or nearby to keep us in shape!

Look for us on one of the running trails in Dayton.

Running - Bay To Breakers Update

Here is the status of our prep work:

When: Monday, May 15th - between the rains, kind of...
we made a full 7 miles, not stop running in about an hour - woohoo! Made it back to the 15 mile marker (which marked 7 miles for us) just as the rain started. It was a fairly easy run, and we survived the night without major leg aches.

Tuesday, May 16th - between the rains again...
ran the Far Hills hill in pretty much record time, it was tough after the 7 miles the night before, but we did it. A nice soak in the hot tub helped. I think we are ready to do this on Sunday.

More Running - Bay to Breakers Prep

So we are getting ready for Bay to Breakers in San Francisco, and that means we need to get up to 7 miles by next weekend! hmmm....we are working on it. We run about every day, up to 5 miles this week along the river trail. On alternate days we run the hill on Far Hills Blvd trying to prepare for the Hayes Street hill in San Francisco.

We need a picture of the hill and of us running to go here, but for now just picture two guys in sweat pants and hooded jackets carrying bottles of water running up the hill. It has been raining and very cool (almost cold) when we go out to run at 6AM. That is also helpful as it will probably be cold and foggy in San Francisco the day of the run.

It also means no more late night drinking like last night! that will kill a training program as we found out this morning....

woohoo!

C’est Tout

When: Wednesday May 10^th
What: Dinner

Sort of a special night commemorating 4 months of undefined time. But it has been very fun and enjoyable in its undefinedness (new word?).

As for the restaurant, the food was really good. The service was OK. Food came out too fast, we had barely finished one course when the next one arrived. The wine came after the main course was delivered. The server didn’t know what a Kir Royale or a Pernod were, and he had to read the specials to us. And that hair, son, cut the hair and get it styled!

Oh well. It didn’t make for a bad night, it was rather enjoyable in spite of the server.

From there we moved on to the Century bar downtown and wrapped up the night at the Stage Door.

Doubleday's Bar & Grill

This has kind of become our default Sunday night spot - they do have Sunday Liquor! It is a local place that is kind of like Applebee's (burgers, sandwiches and stuff, very casual.) and not expensive, either. It is a ways down there, but what else do we have to do on Sunday nights? No pics yet, but we will get one someday.

199 E. Alex Bell
Centerville, OH 45429
937.436.4666

Grindstone Charlie's (don't!)

When: Sunday, April 30th
What: Dinner

OK, it was sunday, it was late, we were sort of desperate and we hadn't tried it yet. Don't. Slow service, very small portions, and a chain on top of that. Nothing notable at this stop, but hey, we will try almost anything once.

Replacing siding can be fun (?)

When: Saturday April 30th and Friday, May 5th

Well, it may not rank high on the list, but I had fun. Derek and I helped Bryan replace some of the siding on his house, which took a couple of days. Some high points? How is that you can measure a length of 139 inches on the wall, cut a piece of siding 139 inches long, and it be 4 inches short? We even remeasured. Finally gave up with the tape measure and just starting holding pieces up and cutting by sight.

The weather cooperated, so it was a good day for getting a tan. Actually, Derek and I kind of burned ourselves a bit (he actually burned alot). Now we are somewhat reptilian as we molt off the old burnt stuff (yuck!).

In the top picture Bryan is watching Derek as the work began.



This shot is after we took the old stuff off...and Derek took his shirt off. (It was Hot!!) Hence the burns....I was busy cutting angles to go up.

Followed this up with lunch at Penn Station and then putting the ladder in my rental car. That was ok, except we had to put the back seat down, push the passenger seat all the way up and set the incline on it to straight up. I got to sit there because Derek is too tall. I did look like one of those people who are strapped into their wheelchair. My legs barely went under the glove box and my head hit the sun visor. There was no room to move in any direction. At least I didn't drool!

Germantown Hike

When: Saturday, April 15th
What: Hike

So this is now my favorite hike spot. I keep being amazed by what natural beauty there is around Dayton and this hike really was awesome. A bit muddy, but someday there will be a new boardwalk named the "Derek (Muddy Shoes) Memorial Boardwalk" which will carry you over the mud and allow wildlife to pass under / over. (Note: memorial not because he died, but to remember the muddy shoes we ended up with after this hike.) I gained about 5 lbs in mud on this hike, but it was fun.

Hickory BBQ

When: Monday, April 10th
What: Dinner

Well, I picked the place, so anything I complain about is my own fault, but it wasn't awful. For some reason we got stuck sitting in a booth between the two restrooms and next to the side entrance. Why does this happen to us??

Expensive and not that great a place. Very trailer park clientele. Derek had the privilege of sitting on the men's restroom side and everyone who passed by had to pull on the back of his seat like they do on airplanes. One person was carrying his oxygen with him. We thought about following him in and getting some oxygen treatments, but decided against that.

It is walkable from the hotel, that is a plus.

Can't say much more about it, except we are still looking (or at least I am still looking for) good bbq.

Clifton Gorge State Nature Preserve

When: Saturday, April 8th
What: Hike!

After a fun night in Columbus, Derek made a surpise (to me) diversion on the trip back and stopped at Clifton Gorge. What an awesome place to hike. A combination park and nature preserve, the trails are easy and the views are great. The river running along the trails is quite beautiful and at some points downright breathtaking.

I would definitely do this again in late spring or early fall when the trees are full and the humidity isn't over powering.

Here I am under the cliffs, holding the world up. Sometimes I think I have to do that, but that thought, like life, is up for interpretation. One of those days for me....

We took several other pictures but the camera was not cooperating with us. There would have been a great shot of Derek at the waterfalls. Maybe next trip. For now, you will just have to check out the park's web site.

info: http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/dnap/location/clifton.html

Blue Moon - Revisited

When: Monday, April 3rd - Derek's Birthday
What: Dinner

Well, not many places are open on Monday and they did have half price bottles of wine and champagne, so why not? We took advantage of both as we were celebrating.

This time wasn't as great as the first time. We tried to order some wine, but everything on the wine list I picked they were out of. The server brought a list of all the wines that were off the list. I suggested he bring a list of what wines they did have (hmmm, novel thought, but hey!). We finally ended up getting the same wine we had the first time we went. I think it is the only red wine they have any more.

The server was pretty pathetic. He was a bit over-exagerated on his server-speak, but short on real service.

The foold though was quite nice. Derek got the giant porterhouse that was good, but who can eat 22 ounces of meat in one sitting? Don't answer that!

After dinner it was off to some local bars for drinks to celebrate, which we did a bit too well. Unfortunately, no pictures from our dinner experience this time.

Mamma Di Salvo's

When: Tuesday, March 21st
What: Dinner

I liked this place. It was cold and snowy outside and nice warm pasta was perfect. The ambiance is ok, the service was good and the food was good. We drank a bottle of wine and ate a nice quiet dinner without interruption. And the warm bread they bring out was really good. Bad for the diet, but really good!

Nice family owned kind of place, and I recommend it. I don't think there was anything particularly exciting that happened that night, but it was a good dinner.

Contact Info:
1375 E Stroop
Kettering 45429

Christopher's

When: Monday, March 20th
What: Dinner

So I did go back, it is one of the few places open on Monday. This time the food was better and the service was better, although the server poured herself into her pants and it was quite strange to look at...I won't go into details.

Christopher's isn't bad and having gone a second time, I would consider eating there anytime I want comfort food in a truly casual setting.

BBQ Hut

When: Saturday, March 18th
What: Dinner

OK, I wanted BBQ, specifically ribs and chicken. This wasn't the worst BBQ I have had, but it does rank pretty far down the list. The ribs were very dry and tough.

I also had problems with the servers picking trash up from the floor and then serving food without washing their hands, or even better when one of them picked up a used napkin from a table, wiped out an ashtray, threw the napkin in the trash and then put "fresh" silverware on the table.

Derek thought his was OK, in fact he would go back, and if he does, it probably won't be with me!

Maybe I just shouldn't look around when I am eating, but this place needs an inspection! Oh well, enough ranting, and now I need to find a better place to eat BBQ.

Blue Moon

When: Thursday, March 16th
What: Dinner & Drinks

Blue Moon is pretty nice. Small and 'quaint', but the service was quite good, the food was very good, and they even had coupons! (That was scary to me, but seems to be normal in Dayton). We even got spiffed up for the occasion.

I would do it again, but probably not in the same month. Too many other places to try out. The menu was in transition and they were already out of some of the specials , which seemed odd since we ate fairly early (8:15).

The wine list was good and we had a nice bottle with our meal. The only 'problem' with the meal was an obnoxious person at a table near us who was just too loud for his own good. But, hey, that can happen anywhere.

The drinks and wine must have done something because later Derek was balancing a tiny bottle of hot sauce on his nose....or what was he doing?

Contact info:

520 E. Fifth Street, Dayton, OH 45402
Telephone: (937) 586-4250
http://www.bluemoonbistro.com/

Skyline Chili

When: Tuesday, February 27th, and Tuesday, March 14th
What: Dinner

It is an Ohio thing, to call spaghettis sauce chili, but hey, it was OK. You know, where else other than San Francisco can you order a 3-way and not feel a bit odd? So they have the 2,3 and 4 way chili's which is just more stuff you put on your spaghetti, and they have coney's. So we did it, and then we did it again. Different locations, but same food. Good for fast lunch or dinner, but don't expect a dining experience unless you really enjoy the person you are with!

Sorry no pics of a 3-way yet....it appears to be a Tuesday thing for us, so maybe next Tuesday we will break out the camera.

The Mound

When: Friday, 17th March
What: Mound climbing?

We took a post-lunch break and Derek showed me the 'mound' just oustide of Dayton. It is an interesting mound that appears to have been a burial mound of early inhabitants of the area. There are several around, but this is the one we went to. The views from the top are pretty cool.

You don't actually climb the mound, you climb the stairs on the side of the mound.

Here you can see Derek looking out over the valley (well, really he is looking out over a nuclear waste dump), maybe he is thinking "Let me out, let me out!!" It seems they put a fence up to keep you from jumping off....well, maybe just to keep you from running up and down the sides...neither of which I think he would have done. But you never know.

It was cold and windy that day and I about froze up on top of that hill.

I think the whole thing scared Derek, it made his hair stand on end, or maybe that was a special thing he did for the afternoon's adventure:


It is a look, but I am not sure it is one I would keep for very long.

So much for the mound, we then went to find out what some tall structure was, driving around corn and who knows what fields to find it. Turned out to be a silo of sorts, then we drove past a mound of a different type, the local landfill. That was a nice finish to the tour de jour.

Cassano's Pizza

What: Dinner
When: Friday, March 17th (St. Patrick's Day)

Please feed me! I will work for food, I promise....

Yep, it is a bit of a mug shot, and I hadn't even had anything to drink yet.

And it was pretty good as you can see from this shot of Derek digging in to the Pizza. This place was pretty good for pizza.

We did sit under a TV that had some world series of poker on, which was quite annoying. How can an announcer make anything as boring as poker sound so exciting? It was rather tragic, but even more tragic was the person who lurked over our table watching it!

But hey, the food was good, the company was good and it was just what we needed for a hot night at Celebrity! woohoo!

Sugarcreek Park

When: Friday, March 17th
What: Hike/Walk

This is a very nice park nestled in some hills south of Dayton. Although there were no leaves on the trees, it was still very pretty. Lots of runners and walkers use this park, so don't expect to be too alone with nature, but on the day we went it was very quiet. We did see the 3 sisters, three ancient, white oak trees — over 550 years old, which are pretty impressive without leaves. We also some a couple of birds making a family. This will be a nice place to visit in the late spring and summer.

This park can be found on the 5 rivers metro park site (on the left over there >) or directly at:
http://www.metroparks.org/_sugarcreek/sugarcreek.aspx

Metropolitan

When: Friday, March 17th
What: Lunch

Not a bad place for sandwiches and salads, etc. I was disappointed because Derek said it would be full of old people, but there were only 5 people in the whole place. Well, until were finished eating, and a few old people came in then.

I had a grilled chicken sandwich, which was quite good.

Derek got a Ham & Swiss with chili cheese fries.
The pickles on his plate scared him and he had to move them to the table. (Actually he just didn't want them touching anything else on his plate.) We saw something about fear of pickles today on Maury and I think it got into his head...

He does seem to be rather enjoying the sandwich.

So not only did he not eat the pickles, but he didn't finish his dinner either...look at all those chili cheese fries waiting to be eaten:

Contact Info:
R J's Metropolitan / (937) 299-8001 / 4090 Wilmington Pike / Kettering, OH 45440

Penn Station

When: Saturday, February 25th and Saturday, March 18th
What: Lunch

We grabbed some sandwiches at Penn Station. Sort of a combo of Subway and Quizno's, but better than both put together. Typical kind of sub shop, but Derek said this one was still the old style where they make your sandwiches up front.


I am not sure I can even explain what he was saying, but I understood it at the time. Good lunch place.

Good enough we ate here twice...and the second time I still look scared!

Contact Info:
5400 Springboro Pike
(1/4 mi north of Meijers)
Dayton, OH 45549
(937) 293-PENN (7366)
http://psdayton.com/

Marion's Piazza

When: Thursday, February 16th
What: Pizza

My flight got cancelled and I figured I would be on my own and have to eat at the hotel because I am a slacker, but Derek came to my rescue. We went to Marion's Piazza in Kettering. Interesting place. it has a sort of faux-outdoor piazza setting. (Bright back lighting, with trees and painted outdoor settings on the wall.) The pizza was good, but we over bought and ended up with too much. For some reason I thought 9 inches wasn't enough so we went with 14....what was I thinking? The pizza's are round, but cut into small squares instead of slices, so it seems odd, but it was good and hit the mark for me. It is odd that you have to buy your pizza at one check stand and then buy your drinks at an indoor mini-mart kind of thing designed for carry out orders, but hey, it works for them.

Contact info:
Marion's Piazza - Town & Country
50 East Stroop Road
Dayton, OH 45429

http://dayton.citysearch.com/profile/8229224/

Marriott Hotel

When: Monday, February 13th
What: Dinner

This wasn't the worst meal we have had in Dayton, but the restaurant at the hotel really isn't good. Old style italian, with tired soundtracks of Dean Martin....the music really kills the place even more than the food. But hey, we were hungry, the weather sucked, and I couldn't think of anywhere else to eat. I hoped Chris was working, he is my favorite server, but he wasn't. He is the only server there who I will eat with, actually. We decided to take a chance and ate there anyway, it was rather dismal. I can't say much good about this place except it is easy.

Christopher's

When: Tuesday, January 31st
What: Dinner

I do remember that it reminded me of a 70's fern bar/diner. Very country, homey kind of place. They did have massive midwest servings. I got the pork chops, which came with 3 pork chops. I got cole slaw, which was bad. I was sick for days, we blamed it on the cole slaw. I didn't finish my dinner, as it was way too much for an average person to eat. Derrick will have to fill in what he had. After the cole slaw, I kind of lost track of what we had. I might go back there, but not likely.

Note: no alcohol, so if you want a drink, don't go there.

Applebee's

When: Sunday, January 29th and Monday, February 20th

OK, another chain.... but hey, we were desperate for someplace we could eat in jeans and tshirts. The first time it was pretty dead and we had to hear the wait staff all talk about canker sores. that was delightful. the food was about the same. I got a burger that was over cooked and dry. the server was bad, it wasn't a great dinner.

The second time we went during the week. A group of very large people sat near us and ate really disgusting things. We got to eat and leave just as the the Trivia game was starting. Why do people go to Applebee's to play trivia? Because the food isn't worth eating?

Pepito's

When: Sunday, March 12
What: Dinner

Don't go here on Sunday if you want margaritas...or much else. It was OK. the service was mediocre, the food was, well, it was OK. Margaritas would have really helped. I would put this one at the bottom of the mexican restaurants. But we followed it by going to the Right Corner and Stage Door for cocktails. Some fool bought us a second round of shots that was way more than we needed. Derek decided he needed two cheeseburgers at 2:30AM, so we got those. There were interesting pieces of cheesburger all over the front of the car this morning, and a part of cheeseburger is still visible from the deck of the hotel room. Scary night. Lesson learned, don't do two of whatever those shots were. They were deadly. And if you want mexican food, go to El Toro!

Chili's

When: Wednesday, February 22
What: Dinner on the run

yes, another one of those chain things, but hey we were out in mall land and what else is out there? chain restaurants! So there we were, hungry and the best thing we could find was Chili's. It wasn't awful, as we sat just outside the kitchen and got to watch the servers (some cute) stand around and wait for their food to come up. (Bad visual, but not in that sense).

Every time I eat at Chili's I remember why it has been so long. Nothing remarkable here.

Dominic's

When: Tuesday, February 28th
What: Dinner

well, Derek smelled of garlic the next day, or so he was told. I don't believe I did, or at least no one told me I did!

It seems that if you eat there you will reek of the stinking rose for days to come. It is the house salad dressing that gets you, and the garlic was intense in that. The food was good, comfort type food. Heavy & filling, but yummy.

Our server wasn't the best, spilled my drink all over the table and then made a joke of it an walked off.

Not on my top ten list, but I would probably go back.

Run Log

When:
What: running along the river

We ran along the Great Miami River from the Marriott south to the 12.5 mile marker and back. It is a nice run, very quiet, runs along the river, away from streets for the most part. It was totally isolated, so we could see some deer hanging in the trees and a few Canada geese and herons. That was a nice run. It is a bit flat, except for the short uphill / downhill where the track leaves the road and heads down into the river bed. If you like to run, this trail goes for miles, to the county line south. I have no idea how far north, but it is pretty decent.

Tumbleweed (sorry, it is a chain)

When: Wednesday, February 15th
What: Dinner

Chip Said...
Yes, we did eat here out of desperation one night. I wanted a steak and didn't want to have to get dressed up. It was inexpensive. Hmmm...what else can I say. The service was really bad, the food was mediocre, but hey, I got a steak....wouldn't do it again, but what do you want from a low end chain restaurant that prides itself on being from Texas when they are really from Kentucky?

Derek said...
Enough said, except for White Carrots and that you'd go back for 99cent Margarita Mondays.

Contact Info:
Tumbleweed
2030 East Dorothy Lane Kettering, OH 45420(937) 395-0419

El Toro

When: Sunday February 19th and Wednesday, March 1st
What: Dinner

We have eaten here twice, actually. Once on a Sunday night (not much is open in Dayton on Sunday night!) and again on a Wednesday night. Seems we had margaritas both nights. And that reminds me, we sort of broke our lent thing by having margaritas...had sworn them off, but somehow they snuck into a pitcher at our table. Oh well, we just had to swear off something else. Food is OK, margaritas are good, and service is OK...and the price is right. I would go there again, in fact, probably will.

Derek said...
It was tequila for Lent. At least Lily poured them for us on the second trip. Plus, you could understand her instead of that other guy who might have been trying to sell us a car. The second Margaritas were basic so that's why we survived and didn't make questionable decisions like going to Right Corner and Stage Door.Congratulations for finding your way there the second time.

Contact info:
El Toro:
8321 Troy PikeDayton, OH 45424

Buckhorn Tavern

Date: Tuesday, February 21st
What: Dinner

At first I was scared. We drove forever and pulled up in front of a very non-descript building nestled in a mix of residential and business buildings. Rustic in their description is not an understatement!. Derek assured me it was OK and told me to stop complaining. Once inside, I was surprised. It is a bit of an old style steak house. The wine list was very impressive. They had my favorite wine (Dynamite - Cabernet Sauvignon) at about the same price I had paid for a bottle in a liquor store earlier that week. The service was good, steaks were good. We had a cocktail, which was fairly priced and strong enough for dinner. We then shared a bottle of Dynamite. I enjoyed that meal quite a bit and would go back for sure.

Note to self: tequila shots in hotel bar later were not the best idea!

Buckhorn Tavern 8800 Meeker Road, Dayton, OH 45414, Located One Quarter Mile South of I-70, 937-890-3261, A unique rustic dining experience serving steaks, ribs, and fish.

Las Piramides

Date: Saturday, February 25th
What: Dinner

This place was OK. The food was OK, but it isn't my favorite place to eat Mexican food in Dayton. Maybe we should try it again some time.

maybe

Therapy Cafe

Date: Friday, February 24th
What: Lite Dinner / Drinks

So far, this is my favorite spot in Dayton. Hip and clean and totally non-smoking. The drinks were good and strong enough, the food was sophisticated and ample. Derek and I had a couple of drinks with some pizza and quesadillas.

Live jazz was a bit loud, but it was a nice change from what we had been hearing at other restaurants. The service was a bit slow, but hey it was Friday night.

Contact Info:
http://www.therapy-cafe.com/