Lisa Grigsby

Zombie Dogz Comes Out Of Hibernation For Walking Dead Finale at Taggarts

March 29, 2014 By Lisa Grigsby Leave a Comment

Ready for some Sunday night fun? Taggarts Pub, at the corner of Wilmington and Patterson, is hosting a celebration of the season ending of the post-apocalyptic horror drama television series Walking Dead starting at 7pm.

With a Zombie Walk down Patterson Boulevard, a Tap Takeover by Toxic Brew Company and prizes for the best Walking Dead costumes, and the final episode of season 4 starting up at 9pm, what more could you want?

Food, well ok, just to feed all the undead, Zombie Dogz will make a special appearance about 7:30pm. Featured dogs of the night will be:

The Juan of the Dead: BBQ pulled pork, Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard.
The Greek Freak: kalamata olives, feta cheese, tomato jam, tzatziki sauce, pickled red onions, and dill.

Grambee Zombee: Frankie’s freaky taco dip, shredded lettuce, cilantro sour cream and corn chips.
Debuting- The Evil Ash: roasted shiitake mushrooms, goat cheese, bacon crumbles, baby arugula tossed in a sherry vinaigrette.

There will also be truffle Mac n cheese sides available.

Local Salon Hosts Cut-A-Thon For Clean Water

March 28, 2014 By Lisa Grigsby Leave a Comment

Square One Salon and Spa is hosting it’s fifth annual Earth Day Cut-A-Thon for Clean Water. It’s the best way to get pampered and make the most of your donation dollars. 100% of proceeds from the Sun, April 6th event will be donated to The Sierra Club of Ohio to raise money for clean water efforts locally.

According to co-owner Brent Johnson, “we believe in supporting our community in a variety of ways. We are especially motivated to improve the environment through clean water effects and recycling. We have recycled everything that comes in our salon for more than a decade now. We also partner with Aveda, which is THE most environmentally conscious beauty company ever. They’ve been green since its inception in the 70’s with leadership from the creator Horst Rechelbacher (who just died this year). ” Horst’s signature pitch was, “Don’t put anything on your skin that you wouldn’t put in your mouth.” At sales conventions and in videotaped interviews, he often demonstrated that principle by drinking hair spray and other products made by his company. Make your reservations now to support this cool cause. The Centerville location, at the corner of routes 48 and 725 will be open from 10am – 5pm and can be reached at 937-433-4900, The newly expanded downtown location on Third Street will take appointments from noon -5pm, call 937-461-2222 or you can even book a Square One appointment online.

Can’t make it on April 6th, but still want to support? Pick up a raffle ticket for a $500 gift basket to be given away on April 30th. $250 GC for the services of your choice and $250 for the Aveda products of your choice. You can also purchase A $12 Aveda candle and the entire $12 goes to the global green grants find that gives money to under served communities around the world to dog wells for fresh drinking water. So mothers can spend more time with their families, children can go to school and the community stays healthier and in their native areas.

Snacks provided by Fusian for guests that day too. Thanks Fusian.

Be sure to pick up this year’s limited edition AVEDA Earth Month Candle. 100% of the $12 for this candle is donated to the Global Green Grants Fund to help support clean-water projects in communities around the globe!

Support The Beer Bill To Allow Ohio Brewers To Make & Sell Higher Proof Beers

March 24, 2014 By Lisa Grigsby 1 Comment

How many times have you heard of a friend making a beer run to Kentucky? It’s often because beer drinkers can hop across the Ohio River to buy beers such as Samuel Adams Utopias and Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA, which aren’t available in Ohio.

For Rep. Dan Ramos, a Democrat from Lorain, west of Cleveland, that story is too common, so he recently introduced House Bill 391. Also known as the “Ohio Beer Bill” passage would increase the maximum percentage of alcohol allowed in beer sold or produced in the state from 12 to 21 percent. That would bring it line with alcoholic beverages like wine and the low-proof liquors often sold at grocery stores.

Of the 12% current limit in Ohio, Nick Bowman, one of the co-owners of Dayton’s newest brewery, Warped Wing Brewing Co. says , “besides the fact that it holds some brewers back from creating some higher gravity beers, the 12% ceiling is irrelevant in today’s craft brewing environment. 14% is really the standard ABV ceiling that most craft breweries can hit (if they want to).

Bowman continues, “I think the biggest reason the change is needed is to prevent craft beer fans from traveling to other surrounding states like KY, IN and PA to seek out these higher gravity beers. Let’s face it….they probably aren’t spending the gas money just to buy one or two beers above 12% and are most likely buying other beers on these hauls therefore increasing the loss of tax revenue for the state of Ohio. Let’s keep it local!”

In 2012, 58 Ohio craft brewers produced an estimated 980,696 barrels of beer — fourth nationally and 7 percent of national production — bringing $1.2 billion to the state economy, said Mary Martineau, executive director of the Ohio Craft Brewers Association.

Aaron Spoores, Cavalier Distributing

Aaron Spoores, Ohio Sales Manager for Cavalier Distributing says, “I think brewers are being held back.. If a beer happens to land over the 12% mark they either have to dump or be dishonest..neither of which they want to do. There are already a few breweries producing beers over the limit but not a ton. People will seek out what they want and what they want is being sold in all states surrounding us like IN, KY and PA, so they are driving and spending money in these states.

Spoores also shared, It still cost the brewers an enormous amount of money to produce a high abv beer. Money that will be passed on to the consumer. So it’s not likely that there will be a fleet of new high abv that is going to hit the shelves. Bottom line I guess its like telling a painter they can’t use a certain color paint..does the artist always want to use that color? No, but when the time is right and and they want to create something special.. That paint is there for them.”

If passed, sales of beer with an alcohol percentage between 12 and 21 would begin a year after the bill’s passage; brewing could begin immediately. Beer over 12 percent alcohol could not have caffeine or other stimulants in it.

Ohio House Bill 391 proposes to increase Ohio’s outdated 12% alcohol-by-volume (ABV) restriction on beer to 21%. We think all craft beer fans in Ohio should support this bill and it’s pretty easy to show your support in 3 quick and easy steps as outlined on OhioCraftBeer.com.

Once you’ve done that, let us know in the comments below and when it passes we’ll buy you a beer! Cheers!

Annual Ice Cream Sale at Young’s!

March 15, 2014 By Lisa Grigsby Leave a Comment

This is the once a year weekend for the Young’s Jersey Dairy homemade ice cream pint sale! So head on out to 6880 Springfield-Xenia Rd in Yellow Springs and fill your freezer with $1.99 pints, while they last! Young’s says they’ve stocked the cases with several thousand pints so now’s the time to stock up!

Flavors that will be ready for pick-up include:

Vanilla		Strawberry
French Vanilla		Lemon Custard
Chocolate		Chocolate Fudge Brownie
Green Mint Chip		Peaches & Cream
Cookie Dough		Black Raspberry
Chocolate P-Nut Butter		No Added Sugar Vanilla
P-Nut Butter Cup		Orange Sherbet
Cookies & Cream		Tiramisu Gelato
Butter Pecan		Cappuccino Latte Gelato
Black Walnut		Lemon Sorbetto
Cotton Candy		Caramel Chocolate Toffee
Cow Patty		Sea Salty Caramel

The Doc of Comedy Rock Ticket Contest

March 13, 2014 By Lisa Grigsby 4 Comments

“My college roommate thought he was Hunter Thompson. He started calling me Dr. Gonzo. I asked him why, and he threw me the book Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. ‘Gonzo’ refers to someone who takes it to the edge without falling off.”

And Gonzo sure has. After receiving his degree in 1977, he and a buddy moved to San Francisco to produce a play. “For a long time there, I worked at mindless jobs — putting boxes in boxes, sweeping rain off roofs. I made some money playing guitar.”

Gonzo started to get gigs at the Boarding House, in San Francisco, and other popular clubs — “the places where Steve Martin and Robin Williams performed,” he says. At that time, he was developing his special mix of humor and song. He opened for the Bay Area band Huey Lewis and the News for more than a year and appeared in the band’s videos.

Having fun for the camera at the Hard Rock Cafe in San Francisco in 1987 is comedian/actor Sam Kinison, right, and Dr. Gonzo

Means also toured with another San Francisco band, Jefferson Starship, did some shows with Stevie Ray Vaughan and told jokes on the syndicated Los Angeles comedy radio show, “Five O’Clock Funnies.”

“I was the cartoon before the movie. When I was on the road with a band, I stopped in local comedy clubs and met all these wise guys. Then I started working the clubs all the time.” In 1991, he was asked to open for Joe Walsh during a time when Walsh’s band, the Eagles, was not together. “I got to live my rock ‘n’ roll fantasy. I was playing with one of my idols.”

I first met Dr. Gonzo sometime in the late 80’s when he was one of the top touring comedy headliners and I was a young club manager, running the show and partying til dawn after the shows each night. I can’t say my memories are all that clear about a lot of what happened back in those days, but I do remember one weekend night Gonzo was playing a club I managed in Buckhead, the hot night spot in Atlanta. We were packed the first show, the bar was rocking and Gonzo was on stage living up to his “Doc of Comedy Rock” billing. The box office summoned me to deal with some dude that was saying he had a back stage pass that John left for him. I head up, see a scruffy looking guy in a ball cap that looked pretty wasted and insisting “John left me a back stage pass.” I laughed and said, sorry no such thing as a backstage pass at a comedy club and there was no John working the club.

In between shows Gonzo mentioned he was supposed to leave a ticket for a friend of his that was in town for a gig. I laughed and said oh, was it a backstage pass, making fun of the dude from the box office earlier. He laughed too, and said just leave a ticket for Lewis. Then he said, he may ask for me by my real name, John Means. Suddenly I got a weird feeling, I think I’d just turned away his friend. I told Gonzo that and just chuckled and told me I’d kicked out Huey Lewis. He was in town for a gig the next day and had asked Gonzo to jam with him. Gonzo, being the nice guy he was, just laughed and said it would be all right. And later that night, as all three of us were hanging out back at the hotel, we were all feeling pretty good and laughing and it was all right.

I haven’t seen Dr. Gonzo in years. He moved back to his hometown of Mason City, Illinois in the 90’s to raise his son. He ran for and won a place on the City Council, started teaching at the local college and as we all said in the comedy business, he grew up and went legit. He and his wife bought and ran an Italian restaurant in town and then a second. In 2011 Gonzo came out of retirement to perform at the 30th anniversary of Comedy Day in San Francisco, his old stomping grounds. What he learned is that after 30 years, he could still make people laugh. And he’ll be doing that this weekend in Dayton.

Catch Dr. Gonzo at Wiley’s Comedy Club in the Oregon District.

Friday March 14^th at 9:00pm with an admission of $12.00
Saturday March 15^th at 8:00pm and 10:30pm with an admission of $15.00

DMM Ticket Giveaway

DMM has 2 pairs of tickets for Friday night’s show. We’ll do a drawing at 4pm Friday and post the winner’s names on this post. To enter the drawing, like this post and fill out the form below.

Our contest is closed, congratulations to Scott Strawser and Patsy Sanders-Mercuri

Lucky’s Celebrates 3rd Anniversary With Beer Dinner

March 8, 2014 By Lisa Grigsby Leave a Comment

Drew Trick had a vision: A comfortable place where people can enjoy a wide variety of draught beer and eat fresh food with their friends and family, as well as see couple-hundred model cars. On October 23, 2010, Trick made this dream a reality, purchasing what is now known as Lucky’s Taproom and Eatery, located in the Oregon Arts District.

When he walked in the building for the first time, Drew Trick knew he had to remodel a restaurant that had been established by many other owners before. Trick considered how he wanted people to describe his restaurant/bar. He did not want to have the typical loud bar filled with neon signs and cluttered space. It was not his intention to open a bar and grill or sports bar. He wanted to create a place for people to come casually and feel comfortable. Using his initial vision, he decided the floors, bar ceiling, display units, and draught systems had to be updated, or added, before completion.

Lucky’s owner Drew Trick

While hunting for the name, Trick first started with “Lucky’s,” because it was his late father’s nickname. Trick then searched dictionaries and thesauruses looking for descriptive words that were generational in nature. Trick chose “taproom” because of the large supply of draught beers that would be rotating all year long. He chose “eatery” simply because people could come and enjoy a good meal.

It was exactly three years ago today we ran the above story, by Christina M. Dyer as part of the updayton Entrepreneurship Team. Now it’s hard to remember when Lucky’s wasn’t part of the District. Drew and his staff have established Lucky’s as a huge part of the community, supporting numerous non-profit events and has helped grow the craft beer movement in Dayton, by rotating a wide array of featured beers. And what a better way to celebrate their 3rd anniversary than with a Beer Dinner, featuring local beers.

This Monday, March 6th at 6:30 Lucky’s will present a four course dinner, paired with beers from Toxic Brew Company and Warped Wing. Reservations can be made in advance at Lucky’s, the cost is $40 and the menu is as follows:
Pre Dinner tastes;
Abby Blonde-Toxic Brew & Ermal’s Cream Ale

Appetizer: Duck Drumsticks with Abby Brunette maple glaze served over corn mush paired with Abby Brunette by Toxic Brew Co.
Salad: Grilled beet and kale winter salad paired with Winter Ale buy Toxic Brew Co.
Entree: Ale braised pork chops (Chuck’s favorite) served on a bed of root vegetable hash paired with Warped Wings #4 brew(Maa Durga)
Desert: 10 ton mousse topped with no bake crumbles and house made whipped cream paired with 10ton by Warped Wing

As a thank you to Holy Trinity for their community support and the great works of the ARC (Animal Resource center) 20% of all sales the day of March 10, our official anniversary date, will go to these great establishments. Also we will be doing random raffles throughout the tasting featuring Warped Wing Brewing Company and Toxic Brew Company swag!!!

Ready, Set Give! Crowdsource Funding For The Arts….

March 5, 2014 By Lisa Grigsby Leave a Comment

Power2give.org is an online cultural marketplace connecting donors with projects they are passionate about. Based on a crowd-funding model, Power2give is a flexible platform which can adapt to evolving trends in fundraising and make giving to the arts more accessible. The site allows arts organizations to post and promote projects in need of funding and invites donors to contribute directly to the projects that are most intriguing to them.

Culture Works goal in launching the site, made possible by a founding gift from the CareSource Foundation, is to broaden the base of support for the arts by engaging and mobilizing new donors and funds. Key to Power2give’s success are matching funds, which provide an incentive for organizations and motivate people to donate through the site so that their gift will have the maximum impact. For the initial launch the DP & L Foundation will match the first $50,000 in gifts. The provision of matching funds enables CultureWorks to help arts groups reach thousands of new donors, generate a new stream of revenue for the local non-profits, increase the organizational capacity of these organizations, reach out to underserved communities and new organizations and help arts groups better tell their own stories.

How it works

With Power2give.org, anyone can make a difference! Find creative projects focused on a personal cause, make a gift, watch your gift get matched by a sponsor, and share the project with friends and family. Organizations post projects with funding needs up to $10,000 and invite donors to contribute to those projects most intriguing to them. Projects are listed on the site for a maximum of 90 days, or until they meet their financial goals. All power2give donations are tax deductible. There are currently 35 projects on the site and some need as little as $500 to achieve their goal. Whether it’s helping Musica purchase a piano, teaching the teacher filmmaking, or helping folks runaway to the circus, the projects are as varied as the residents of the Miami Valley. Don’t take our word for it, find a project you like and help fund it!

Then leave us a comment telling us who you funded and why and Dayton Most Metro.com will make a $100 donation to the organization with the most mentions by Friday, 3/ 7/14.

Celebrate National Kahlúa Day!

February 27, 2014 By Lisa Grigsby Leave a Comment

Originating in Veracruz, Mexico in 1936, Kahlúa has become the number one selling coffee liqueur in the world. It’s a rich dark Mexican coffee flavored liqueur, with a hint of vanilla and dark chocolate and caramel undertones that seem to mix well, making it extremely versatile. It’s name was derived from the Arabic slang for coffee, kahwa. Over the years Kahlúaa has introduced flavored versions, including French Vanilla, Mocha, Hazelnut and a limited holiday edition Peppermint Mocha. In 2002 they launched Kahlúa Especial, boasting a richer coffee taste and extra kick. This intensely flavored dark espresso liqueur is made from the purest Arabica coffee beans has almost twice the alcohol content of the original.

Kahlúa is perhaps most popular served up in a Black Russian cocktail- where it’s mixed with vodka, or for a smoother taste add cream to make it a White Russian. You can even find these sold as pre-mixed cocktails to go at the package store. A great after dinner drink is a B52, which mixes equal parts of Kahlua, Grand Marnier and Bailey’s Irish Cream. Add some vodka to that and mix it on the rocks and you’ll have my favorite dessert cocktail- a Screaming Orgasam! And you’ll find plenty more great recipes here.

With only 77 calories per serving (1 1/2 oz) and no fat it’s a great staple to keep in your bar. But don’t just use it for cocktails- it adds a great kick to your baking as well! Kahlúa brownies, Kahlúa Fudge Cheesecake Brownies, and even Kahlúa Pork are just some of the recipes you’ll find on the internet. But don’t worry if you’re bottle sits on your shelf for a while, an open bottle can be good for a couple of years and doesn’t need to be refrigerated.

Feb 27th is National Kahlúa Day!
Feeling adventurous? Make your own coffee flavored liquor!

Things You’ll Need:

2 cups water
1 ½ cup dark brown sugar
1 ½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup instant coffee
1.75 liters high quality vodka
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 whole vanilla bean

Combine the brown sugar, granulated sugar and water in a small sauce pan. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until sugar is dissolved.
Remove from the heat. Stir in the coffee. Allow to cool completely.
Pour into a large plastic container with a lid. Add the vodka, vanilla flavoring and vanilla bean.
Cover and let stand for two to three weeks or until fully aged. Kahlua, when properly stored, can last safely for up to a few years.

recipe courtesy of ehow.com

Dayton BBQ Entrepreneur Tackles DMM’s 10?’s

February 26, 2014 By Lisa Grigsby Leave a Comment

Growing up Lea Richards and her family would go on family vacations every year and turn each trip into one big barbecue hunt. They literally went to every so-called BBQ hot spot and had their fingers deliciously smeared from digging into A LOT of different kinds of barbecue. As Lea describes it, “we went through some tough ones (pun intended), but we also found some authentic, finger-lickin’ good ones—usually from mom-and-pop restaurants and other hole-in-the-wall dining places. And after scouring every town, city, state, or region, our search has finally ended. Guess where? Right in our kitchen. But, we realized that we need not continue the hunt, fun as it was. We didn’t have to go anywhere for the best barbecue. We had all the experience, tips, and recipes from around the country to make the best barbecue in the country, right in our house!”

Thus began the Pig of the Month BBQ business in 2010. Lea left her hectic life on Wall Street in 2010 and began the mail order barbecue company. Recreating her favorite barbecues from different regions, she makes smoked barbecue ribs, award winning pulled pork, specialty sausages, gourmet bacon, BBQ sides, and lip-smacking Award Winning BBQ sauces—and share the goodness with you! Pig of the Month offers ribs just the way all barbecue lovers want them: perfectly seasoned, tender-on-the-inside but crispy-on-the-outside, smoky, and mouthwatering—just tear-off-the-bones good barbecue.

This 2009 UD grad has grown her business into a successful company and has been featured on Good Morning America, been written about in Forbes Magazine and had her BBQ featured in Playboy Magazine. She’s won awards for her Mustard based BBQ sauce and Martha Stewart Magazine recognized Pig of the Month as a Best Gift, while Southern Living Magazine awarded them with the Best Ribs title. They’ve filled orders for Whoopi Goldberg, Iron Chef Michael Symon, Paula Deen, Stephen Colbert and Chelsea Handler.

Pig of the Month has been nominated as one of 100 finalists in the FedEx Small Business Grant Contest and will find out at the end of March if she’ll be awarded a grant to help her “expand her product line and offer her customers even more delicious items to choose from.” In the meantime Lea agreed to answer our Chef 10 Questions:

1. What is your favorite ingredient to cook with?

Well, I think this may be a bit obvious, but Bacon!

2. What ingredient do you dread?

Personally, anything I don’t like to eat: shrimp, fennel, or oysters mainly.

3. What’s your favorite dish to make?

For an easy weeknight meal, fish tacos. For something dressier I make a killer wild mushroom bread pudding.

4. What’s your favorite pig out food?

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches made with pulled pork, pimento cheese, and extra BBQ sauce

5. What restaurant, other than your own do you like to dine at in the Miami Valley?

I’m obsessed with Roost, I love the patio at Lily’s, and you can’t beat lunch at Coldwater Cafe.

6. What’s your best advice for home chefs?

Follow the recipe to the T the first time, and then experiment to make it your own once you know what its supposed to taste like.

7. If you could invite any 4 guests to a dinner party who would they be and why?

Winston Churchill for the commentary, George Clooney to seduce, Anna Kendrick because she’s Anna Kendrick, and Grant Aschatz to help me cook.

8. Who do you look up to in the industry and why?

Since our business is mostly mail order, I tend to be more in the business side of things nowadays.

I do admire what Kim at Olive, An Urban Dive has done though – she sticks to all natural ingredients, uses local suppliers, and works hard to make sure everything is cooked from scratch. That’s something I try to replicate at Pig of the Month

9. What do you do in the Miami Valley on a day off?

I love the MetroParks! I go trail running with my puppy at Englewood and Wegerzyn all the time. And then I head to Roost for a cocktail and some truffle fries 🙂

10. Share a kitchen disaster, lucky break or other interesting story:

When I first started my business we were lucky enough to be asked by Michael Symon to be on Good Morning America as a last minute segment. At that time I was still cooking all the ribs and everything all by my lonesome, and I found myself with 4,000+ orders to fulfill all at once.

Since I had never cooked so many ribs at one time, I didn’t realize that when I flipped them that all of the grease would hit the charcoal all at once….yep, you guessed it. Big flames!

I had to call everyone and let them know their orders would be late, and it took a week for pro’s to clean it all up! Lesson learned!

Dayton Most Metro Brew Tours

February 23, 2014 By Lisa Grigsby Leave a Comment

Sun, 3/2 – 1pm meet at Lock 27 Brewing, then Eudora, 5th Street Brew Pub and Warped Wing.

This tour will visit four local breweries. We will spend approximately 40 minutes at each location. We’ll set you up with a flight of beers at each brewery, so you’ll get a taste of what each brewery is doing. Feel free to order a pint of your favorite, or get a growler to go and we’ll keep it cold for you on the bus!

Your ticket includes bus transportation, beer samples at each stop as well as snacks and water on the bus.

The cost is $55 per person. All participants must be 21 or older. No exceptions.

Book a ticket for the 3/2 Tour

Brew Tour Frequently Asked Questions

How much beer will I get on the Brewery Bus Tour? We want you to sample beer on our tours. You get beer samples at every brewery included in the ticket price, and we’ll have some growlers on the bus to quench your thirst between breweries!

Will you feed me on the Brewery Bus Tours? Beer, Water and snacks will be provided on the bus as well as a cooler to store purchases. Many of the breweries have food trucks visiting and snacks available.

What if I am late for a Bus Tour? We operate on a specific timeline. Please be at the designated departure location at least 10 minutes prior to the tour’s start time. Tour start times are firm; however ending times may vary slightly due to weather and traffic. Call the number listed on your ticket with any issues.

What should I bring on the bus tour? All you need is yourself. While no additional purchases are required, we encourage you to purchase beer from our breweries while you are on the tour. We will provide a cooler for keeping the beer cold on the bus. All of the breweries we visit will be offering beer in growlers and six packs to go.We ask you to not bring any alcohol onto the bus that wasn’t purchased from our tour stops. DMM Brew Tours follows all state of Ohio liquor/consumption laws. Participants must be 21 years old to consume alcoholic beverages on the tours.

What happens if I need to cancel? If you are unable to attend an event, tour tickets can be transferred to another guest.. If you cancel 48 hours in advance we will refund you 85% of purchase price. DMM Brew Tours reserves the right to cancel a tour. Should this occur, your reservation fee will be transferable toward another event or fully refunded.

How old do I have to be to attend an event? Since our tours will involve alcohol, we only offer our tours to adults aged 21 and over. Please bring your State Identification or driver’s license to present to your tour guide upon arrival.

What if I need a ride home after a tour? We want to offer you a safe environment to tour and sample beer with us. Our commitment to your safety extends after the tour as well. We’ll partner with Divine Services who can get you and your car home for $40 within 20 miles of downtown.
Do you offer private tours? We are available for private tours such as bachelor parties, birthdays, girls night out, work and holiday parties, fund raising and charity events and more. We can customize anything to meet your needs! Please email us:Lisa@MostMetro.com to send you our private tour packages or call: 937-572-1376. We will respond promptly to discuss your event.

Champps No More!

February 19, 2014 By Lisa Grigsby Leave a Comment

Champps Americana located at 7880 Washington Village Drive in Washington Township has officially closed as of today. According to company spokesman Rick VanWarner, “despite our best efforts, that location just continually underperformed and as of today it is closed. All employees were given severance packages based on length of service with the company.” The 300 seat restaurant opened in the 1998 at a site that had previously been Damon’s Grill, which specialized in BBQ ribs.

According to VanWarner, this was strictly a business decision and employees were offered the option to transfer to other locations as available. The closing affected 4 managers and about 70 employees. Champps locations in West Chester and Columbus remain open.

Suggestions For Celebrating Valentine’s Day

February 12, 2014 By Lisa Grigsby Leave a Comment

If you are part of a couple- there is a certain expectation that comes on February 14th- Valentine’s Day. Whether or not we’ll admit it, we all like to feel appreciated by our loved one on that day. It doesn’t have to be traditional, flowers and chocolates aren’t the only way to celebrate, here are a few ideas for you to share the love on Valentine’s weekend in the Dayton region.

Send a Signing Valentine– Nothing says ‘ I love you’ like a song from a Barbershop Quartet. It’s a valentine they’ll never forget!
Package includes two songs, a card, a rose, and a small box of candy. February 13th – 15th, 2014. Orders are accepted through Feb 14th. $40

The Adventure Summit
This FREE 2 day event features inspiring presentations about cycling, outdoor skills, culture and experiences, featuring world class adventurer Dave Cornthwaite. Visitors can get active in bouldering and triathlon competitions, as well as paddlesports and fitness programs.

Full Moon Hike
Join the Glen Helen Ranger for an excursion beneath the Snow Moon. This moderately intense hike departs from our Yellow Springs parking lot at State Route 343, 8-9pm

Valentines Under The Stars
Enjoy a romantic evening under the stars of the Caryl D. Philips Space Theater, where the latest in digital planetarium technology will accompany great love songs and state of the art special effects. Each couple receives and a beautiful flower. $25/couple for each show, age 18 and older.

Dinner & A Show
For $75.00 per couple, you will enjoy the musical see the hit musical ‘I love you, You’re Perfect, Now Change’ performed by Playhouse South a communitytheater and have a three course meal. Cash bar available, Feb 14 & Feb 15 at Holiday Inn Express Dayton South.

Couples, Comedy & Cupcakes
The evening includes a cupcake reception from 7:30–8:30 followed by a 8:30–10 p.m. showtime with Anthony Griffin. He presents a unique outlook on life with non-offensive humor coupled with the ability to bring his characters to life. See Anthony on The Tonight Show, HBO and Comedy Central. Or better yet, see him LIVE at SouthBrook!. Cost is $10 per ticket if registered Feb. 13 or before. On Feb. 14, tickets will be $15 online or at the door

Couples Spa Package
Share a day of pampering that can include 60 minute massages, facials, manicures, pedicures and a spa lunch at either the Downtown or Centerville Square One Salon & Spa.

Skate with Your Sweetheart
Head to RiverScape MetroPark during Valentine’s weekend! During regular Ice Rink Hours from Friday, February 14, through Sunday, February 16, you can purchase the ‘Sweetheart Deal’ and get two rink admissions with skate rental, plus two cups of hot chocolate and a Parker the Penguin plush for only $22!

Annual Women’s Valentines Dance
The Biggest Lesbian Party of The Year! It will be held at the Dayton Women’s Club, 225 N. Ludlow Street, Dayton. Great music and raffle prizes, cost $15.00 or $10.00 for LBGT center members. All tickets sold in cash at the door.

Old School R & B
Their performances transport audiences tothe 60s and 70s, serving up songs made well-known by the Temptations, the Stylistics, and the Delfonics. Combined with their backup band, the Touchups, they have opened for such performers as the Whispers, the Manhattans, and the Floaters. Sun, Feb 16th 7pm at Gilly’s

Train Ride & Dinner
Departing Friday and Saturday on Valentine’s weekend, take a nostalgic train ride from historic Lebanon to the Brazenhead Irish Pub in Mason. Once you arrive, you and your sweetie can take pleasure in an Irish ambiance with excellent service and a delicious all you can eat buffet. Be adventurous by trying one of Brazenhead’s 30 rotating draft beers, including a great selection of Irish beers! After a night of fun at the Pub, you can reboard the train for a relaxing ride back to Lebanon.

Valentine’s Dinner for 2
El Meson – 3 course Dinner $49.95
Golden Jersey Inn – steak dinner $32.96
Whiskey Barrel – beer & Pizza for 2 $20

Dayton is for Lovers – A Valentine’s Day Dance
his Valentine’s Day, spend a romantic evening dancing the night away to some funk, reggae and rock ‘n’ roll rhythms featuring music from Jah Soul, Lost on Iddings and DJ Jay Madewell at the ‘Old’ Yellow Cab Building. BYOB.

Traditional Gifts with an Extra Benefit
Stop in Winans Dayton this week and pick up some chocolate covered strawberries. Mention Artemis Center and they will donate 20% of your purchase to support Artemis.

Order your Valentine’s Day flowers from The Flower Shoppe and 10% will be donated to Artemis Center to help victims of domestic violence.

For even more ideas on how to share your love this Valentines weekend check the DMM Calendar!

Restaurant Week Extended at 30 Locations

February 2, 2014 By Lisa Grigsby Leave a Comment

It happened once before in 2009, when the weather was so bad that the turnout for restaurant week wasn’t what was expected, so they added a second week. For years a handful of the participating eateries have carried their dining deals over, so their regulars can enjoy without the crowds. This winters frigid weather seems to have affected the early week of 3 course meal deals enough that 30 area dining establishments have committed to carry the $20.14, $25.14 and $30.14 specials for one more week.

Enjoy another week of Pre Fixe Meals at:

Amber Rose, 1400 Valley St., Dayton, (937) 228-2511

Agnes All Natural Grill, 6 North Main St., Dayton, (937) 368-8787

Amelia’s Bistro, 129 W. Franklin St., Bellbrook, (937) 310-3040

Anticoli’s Guiliano Tavern, 67 S. Main St., Miamisburg, (937) 859-3000

The Barnsider, 5202 N. Main St., Dayton, (937) 277-1332

Brixx Ice Company, 500 E. First St., Dayton, (937) 222-2257

Buckhorn Tavern, 8800 Meeker Road, Butler Twp., (937) 890-3261

Bunker’s Bar & Grill, 893 E. National Road, Vandalia, (937) 890-8899

The Caroline on the Square, 5 S Market St, Troy,(937) 552-7676

Carver’s, 1535 Miamisburg-Centerville Road, Centerville, (937) 433-7099

C’est Tout, 2600 Far Hills Ave., Oakwood, (937) 298-0022

Coco’s Bistro, 250 Warren St.., Dayton, (937) 228-2626

Crazy Mango Bar and Bistro, 81 Magnolia Dr., Beavercreek (937) 431-3822

The Deli, 32 Webster St., Dayton (937) 224-3663

The Dock, 250 W. Main St., Enon, (937) 864-5011

Dublin Pub, 300 Wayne Ave., Dayton, (937) 224-7822

El Meson, 903 E. Dixie Drive, West Carrollton, (937) 859-8229

Franco’s Ristorante Italiano, 824 E. Fifth St., Dayton, (937) 222-0204

Jay’s Restaurant, 225 E. Sixth St., Dayton, (937) 222-2892

Kabuki, 848 S. Main St., Centerville, (937) 435-9500

La Piazza, 2 N. Market St., Troy, (937) 339-5553

Lily’s Bistro, 329 East Fifth St., Dayton (937) 723-7637

McGillicutty’s Pub, 1980 E. Whipp Road, Kettering, (937) 436-0057

Pasha Grill, 72 Plum St., The Greene, Beavercreek, (937) 429-9000

Salar Restaurant and Lounge, 400 East Fifth St., Dayton (937) 203-3999

Serendipity Bistro, 25 St Clair St., Dayton (937) 760-5380

Sweeney’s Seafood, 28 W. Franklin St., Dayton, (937) 291-3474

The Tropics, 580 Lincoln Park Blvd., Kettering, (937) 293-8800

TJ Chumps, 12 E. Linden Ave., Miamisburg, (937) 859-4000

TJ Chumps, 559 S. Main St., Englewood, (937) 836-4300

TJ Chumps, 1100 E. Dayton-Yellow Springs Road, Yellow Springs, (937) 318-1250

Wellington Grille, 2450 Dayton-Xenia Road, Beavercreek, (937) 426-4600

Please call for reservations and remember many restaurants are closed on Sunday or Monday, sometimes both! Bon Appetite!

Dayton Brewery Brings Home The Gold!

January 28, 2014 By Lisa Grigsby Leave a Comment

Congratulations to The Dayton Beer Company for bringing home the GOLD! At the Seventh Mountain Resort in Bend, Oregon this past weekend at “America’s Newest Craft Beer Contest,” Mad River Milk Stout was awarded the Gold Medal!

MAD RIVER MILK STOUT

An American sweet stout; this beer is brewed with roasted barley, caramel and black barley malts to give it a complex body of flavor. We then add lactose to give it that distinct sweetness associated with milk stouts. Just the right amount of hops balances this beer out to make it very drinkable.

Prices:
Pint$4.00, Tasting$1.50, New Growler$19.00, New Howler$13.00, Growler Refill$12.00, Howler Refill $7

You can visit Dayton Beer Company at 912 East Dorothy Lane in Kettering Wed-Fri from 4-10pm or Sat they are open 2-10pm.

Culture Works To Roll Out Crowdfunding Model

January 23, 2014 By Lisa Grigsby Leave a Comment

When over 120 nonprofit professionals show up for an 8:30am meeting on a frigid morning, you know there’s something major about to happen. This morning Culture Works introduced an online giving model, Power2give, an online cultural marketplace designed to connect donors with projects they are passionate about.

Originated in Charlotte, North Carolina after their arts community took a major downturn in 2008, the model has now been successfully implemented in over 20 markets, including Cincinnati and Indianapolis. Locally CareSource was the first supporter of the program, and host of this mornings meeting. DP &L has also stepped up to become major supporter for the launch of the program, with a $50,000 match to funds donated through the online site . Montgomery County Arts & Cultural District announced they will also be providing $10,000 in matching funds. Over the next month or so, local nonprofits will begin learning about Power2give and the site will go live on March 6th.

Perry Mixter, from the Charlotte Arts & Science Council, in town for the training today shared some pretty impressive statistics with the group this morning. In Louisville’s first year using the crowdfunding model, 81% of the donors were first time arts donors and the average gift was $50. Power2give sites have raised over $4.5 million dollars since the programs debut in August of 2011. Projects of $10,000 and under will be presented for up to 90 days and Culture Works will collect funds and grant them to the arts group within 15 days of a project closing.

Stay tuned for more exciting info on Power2give!

Ohio Vs. Michigan Beer Battle At Brew Ha-Ha

January 22, 2014 By Lisa Grigsby 14 Comments

It’s just a fact these days that schools must do fundraisers. Who hasn’t been asked to buy wrapping paper, popcorn, candy or cookie dough? Not at the Montessori School of Dayton. True to the nature of a Montessori school, the parents tasked with raising funds for this school wanted to create something free flowing that could grow and sustain itself. So in 2012 they launched Brew Ha-Ha, a beer tasting event. All proceeds from the Brew Ha-Ha’s are directed to the MSD Capital Improvement fund for the school, which was built in 1961. Proceeds from the first two years of events put a new floor in the gym. This year they are fundraising for a new roof, purchase of new windows, and energy efficient updates. The privately owned non-profit school in Kettering is working towards having the building LEAD Certified.

The event, to be held Sat, Jan 25th from 6-10pm in the school gym, is celebrating the emergence of our local breweries with an Ohio vs. Michigan craft beer showdown featuring the best craft beer in each state. Featured breweries include Dark Horse New Holland, Blank Slate Triple Digit, Rivertown, Elevator, Warped Wing, Star City, Eudora, Yellow Springs, Hairless Hare, Dayton Brewing Company, Toxic Brew, Lock 27, Rheingeist, Thirsty Dog, Founder’s, Jolly Pumpkin, Jackie O’s, New Holland, Bell’s, Madtree North Peak and Vandermill. After tasting, attendees will be asked to select their favorite Ohio and favorite Michigan brewery as well as select the state with the best overall brews. To further show your beer pride, guests can purchase a Red or Blue Beer t-shirt, custom printed on site.

Event organizers Kevin Gray and Michael Taylor explained that there will be about 50 beers, well actually 1 of them is a cider (from Vandermill, a cidery that has been making news in MI recently) and that they have 8-10 really rare beers. Kevin shared that Mike Schwartz from Belmont Party Supply has worked with the event to really secure some great craft beers, and wile they are not all Ohio or Michigan brewers, the focus is certainly midwestern breweries. “Our goal is to make sure that everyone finds a beer that enjoy, and we’ve worked really hard to educate all of our pourers, so they can make suggestions to lead you through a great tasting experience,” says Gray, a beer columnist for Dayton City Paper. Parents will be paired with several of the brewers and local tavern owners to serve the craft beers. Chris Moore from The FireNote.com will be providing the musical background for the evening.

Taylor admits he wasn’t much of a beer drinker when this event started, but Kevin has dragged him along and listening to the enthusiasm he oozes when talking about Brew Ha-Ha, it’s easy to tell he’s now a beer geek. He explains, “you’ll want to be sure and pick up a program at the event, not only to rate and remember your beers, but BrewTensils,our local home beer and wine making supply store will share some recipes for home brewers. Also on hand, perhaps even with some samples will be members of DRAFT, Dayton’s homebrewing club.

Food will available from Stackers, Subs & Grub and Fifth Street Wine and Deli. During the last hour of the event, coffee from the custom Viking Blend, normally served in the junior high run Bison Cafe and a dessert buffet. Any beers left at the end of the night will be sold.

Event tickets are $30 and we suggest you purchase them now online, as this event will sell out at 350. As we post this, there were less than 100 left. Each attendees will receive 10 tasting tickets, and each pour will be 4oz. Additional tastes may be purchased for $1 each. Also be sure to bring some extra cash to purchase raffle tickets for a chance to win prizes the night of the event. A limited number of designated driver tickets may be available, contact the event organizers via their eventbrite page for more info.

DMM Ticket Giveaway:
MostMetro.com is dedicated to educating our community about the array of craft beers available, so we’ll be giving away a pair of tickets to Brew Ha-Ha. Just like this post, tell us your favorite craft beer below and enter to win. Ticket winner will be announced here Thursday after 9pm.

Congratulations to our ticket winner: Kaytee Houser!