Need recs for meals in Dayton, Ohio!

[oakjoan]

We're going to the Scrabble Players' Championship held in Dayton in early August.

Anybody have any recs? We need all meals. Dinners will be after hours and so can be more leisurely, but lunch needs to be pretty quick. Not necessarily take-out, but not "fine dining".

Also, anyplace for good coffee that's not Starbucks?

The Championship will be held in the convention center next to the Crowne Plaza Hotel in downtown Dayton. We may have access to a car, so would like good places even if they're a bit away from downtown.

Thanks a lot!

[CiscoRobLee]

After reviewing others posts, I woul definitely have to agree with "mrnyc" about his lunch choice. Flying Pizza is really quick, they offer pizza by the slice so you don't have to try and shovel in a whole pie, and it is the only place in the area that Has "authentic" NY style pizza. As it appears "mrnyc" has, I also grew up in the NYC area and find most othe local pizza is less than desireable.

[mrnyc]

so....you never became a fan of dayton style pizza i take? ;)

[motownjunk]

Out of curiosity, what are your thoughts on Dewey's?

[mrnyc]

not that you asked me but its from cincinnati not dayton for one thing. ive never been in one but i think thats the place i had a white slice or two from once and it was ok. i do know they redo older buildings for their outlets so thats cool w/ me.

[Niki in Dayton]

I understand from their website that they vary their menu depending upon the city. The one in Dayton, near UD, is excellent. We like the Green Lantern which has artichoke hearts, pesto and red sauce, capers, and I think green olives. We add spinach to it as well. We also love their salads, especially the house salad with goat cheese, pinenuts, and dried cranberries.

[motownjunk]

I like it a lot as well--their meatball/shredded basil/mozzarella and red sauce pizza and the Southwest BBQ Chicken pizza are my favorites. I'm definitely going to have to try Flying Pizza now, though.

[CiscoRobLee]

Try out "The Greene", it is an outdoor mall just off 675 on Dorothy lane, that is also easily accessible from downtown. My favorite coffee house and restaraunt are both there. For Coffe try "Carabou Coffee", just to the left from the Dorothy lane entrance. For the best Italian food in dayton try "The Brio' Tuscan Grill" it is by far my favorite place for Tuscan style steaks. Then follow up with an awesome icecream from "Cold Stone" the way they mix your fovorite topping in manually while you watch is pretty cool too. There are many other places to try out there if you find my tastebuds are flawed, but I think you will love it!

[Niki in Dayton]

I would never say someone's tastebuds are flawed, although I'd also not send anyone to the Greene, since it's all chains. Usually, folks on Chowhound are looking for local recommendations. I find the Greene to be very Disney-esque but to each his or her own ;-)

[Niki in Dayton]

Right next to the Convention Center is the Neon Movies, and across the street from that (on the corner of Patterson and 5th) is a little diner-type place called Smokin. They have really good smoked hamburgers, as well as the usual pulled pork, ribs, etc. It's tiny but very close to the convention center. The Oregon District is adjacent to the Convention Center and hosts Jay's Seafood (unfortunately closed at lunch but worth going for dinner if you crave seafood) as well as Thai 9 (open for lunch but I don't like it much). On up 5th street about 2 blocks is a gelatto place that does paninis - I think it's called Dolce. There's also 5th St Wine and Deli and my best friend who works downtown eats there often and speaks highly of it. There's also Boulevard Cafe, but it's uneven at best. Have fun, report back, and let us know if you have other questions!

[mrnyc]

the oregon district strip is convenient to you. the locals seem to like JAYS SEAFOOD and THAI 9, tho i have never been.

we just went to COCOS last week for lunch in that area and it was quick, good and not too expensive. i had a tilapia sandwich for lunch and a side salad.

downtown FLYING PIZZA is good for a quick, authentic ny-style slice of pizza.

if you get a minute, make sure to check out the temporary life-like statues placed around downtown. they are fun and some are very realistic.

[motownjunk]

Coffee-wise, the locally founded coffee company Boston Stoker has a place called Night and Day Cafe (1822 Brown Street, more or less next to the Pine Club) that's nice. I'm unfourtunately off coffee now, but I've heard generally positive things about Boston Stoker coffee, so that might be a good bet. The cafe has some nice baked goods as well.

[Aria]

Can't really help you re: the coffee because I don't drink the stuff, but a few places that might work:

La Michoacana Market
748 Troy St
--It's a Hispanic grocery store, but they have a dine-in section and are open for lunch. (Not sure about dinner, you might want to doublecheck.) Some menu items are limited to weekends, but the tortas (large sandwiches with various fillings) are always available, cheap and fantastic. They also have tacos, burritos, menudo and a bunch of other stuff. Give the horchata drink a try, it's great on a hot day.

There's also a taqueria at 1609 E 3rd St that does decent, fast Mexican food, but I didn't think their tortas were quite as good.

The warehouse market at 32 Webster street has a deli inside that's not bad, soup and sandwiches, that kind of thing. I'm not as familiar with the downtown area, unfortunately. Anything in particular you're looking for, like a specific ethnic cuisine, etc.?

[Diane in Bexley]

For a classic steakhouse experience (go early, they don't take resv), try The Pine Club. They have a web site. They are just off I-75 near Univ. of Dayton campus. Portions are large, I usually share a steak. Great martinis as well. Tiny place which fills up quickly. Great creamed spinach, stewed tomatoes as well. Not cheap but good.

[KyMikey]

Pine Club is one of my favorite places anywhere, but 2 caveats--they do NOT take reservations NOR do they accept credit cards (checks OK, tho). People still pack the place, tho, so that should tell you something.