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Answers Revealed to our First DaytonDining Quiz

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So earlier this week we decided to put up a DaytonDining Quiz, knowing folks had some extra time on their hands after the Governor’s stay at home order.  We pulled 10 questions, mostly based on past stories from MostMetro.com.  Our former food adventure partner Steve “The Big Ragu” Milano provided a good amount of the research that helped us pick these questions.  We saw many posts saying the questions were to hard, but based on the results, we must have some smart foodie followers.  84% of the respondents were woman, folks from 18 different zip codes entered and 16 people aced the answers.  From those, 16 we randomly drew our winner and Dawn Heit from Clayton will be receiving a $25 gift card to Old Scratch Pizza.

Here are the questions and the answers.

 

1. What local restaurant used to be a peanut factory?

Love the spacious dining room with the wooden floors and upstairs area?  That’s because the place used to be a peanut factory.  That’s what The Big Ragu was told by management when the restaurant first opened.  You can visit Thai9 at 11 Brown Street in the Oregon District seven nights a week and for lunch, Monday through Friday.

2. What local restaurant made Vice President George Bush Sr. wait 45 minutes for a table?

In 1988, then Vice President Bush took a trip to The Pine Club at 1926 Brown St in Dayton.  “We got a call from the Dayton Police that George Bush wanted to come here for dinner,” said Karen Watson, manager of the Pine Club. “He sent the secret service and they waited in line for a table for about 45 minutes, while Busch waited in the car.” This story made the national news at the time and continues to be shared by Pine Club fans around the county.  Visit The Pine Club at 1926 Brown Street in Dayton.

3. Name the oldest potato chip company in the country
Dayton is home to the oldest potato chip company in the USA, 110 years old and still counting!  Founder Daniel W. Mikesell went into business selling dried beef and sausage throughout Dayton, Ohio.  Shortly thereafter, he began producing “Saratoga Chips,” named for the place they were discovered. Instead of standard inexpensive vegetable oil, Daniel was committed to preparing his potato chips in premium oil — giving them a unique taste and texture.  Today, Mikesell’s is still a privately held manufacturer and distributor of snack foods ranging from potato chips and pretzels, to corn products, pork rinds and dips.
The kettle cooked Mikesells are pretty much the same chips Mikesell peddled in 1910.  Speaking of which, when he first starting delivering chips by bicycle, his bike needed repair.  The Wright Brother’s bicycle company came to the rescue and DW Mikesell was back delivering chips in no time!
4. What restaurant’s bar was originally from Tequila Willies by the Dayton Mall?

A little known fact is that this decorative bar, now at Sweeney’s Seafoodin Centerville  was the bar at the Tequila Willies Restaurant near the Dayton Mall.  The story goes, the previous tenant at Sweeney’s got it at auction and had it installed. Still locally owned and managed, they promote sustainable fishing and offer us fresh seafood in a family-friendly environment in the heart of downtown Centerville at  28 W Franklin Street.

5. What local restaurant’s first business was the Pizza Queen?

Herman and Gloria Castro opened the restaurant to the public July 15, 1978, as the Pizza Queen, but  The Castro family decided to dump pizza toppings for tapas.  The result was “El Meson” the eclectic restaurant with a South American influenced menu.  Since then the restaurant has transformed and grown into one of the highest quality restaurants in Dayton, and runs several successful food trucks.
This family business currently has three generations of the Castro family involved in operating the restaurant located at 903 E. Dixie Drive in West Carrollton
6. What Iron Chef grew up in Dayton and cooked at his mother’s Mandarin Kitchen restaurant?
Ming Hao Tsai was born in Newport Beach, California on March 29, 1964, to Stephen, an engineer, and Iris, an eventual restaurateur, and was raised in Dayton where he attended The Miami Valley School. He assisted with the cooking as he was growing up in the restaurant owned by his mother, Mandarin Kitchen.  Tsai is the author of five cookbooks: Blue Ginger, Simply Ming, Ming’s Master Recipes, Simply Ming: One-Pot Meals, and Simply Ming in Your Kitchen. Ming Tsai challenged Iron Chef Bobby Flay in the sixth episode of Season One of Iron Chef America in 2005; Tsai defeated Flay. In 2000, Ming was on the 50 Most Beautiful People list published by People magazine.

7.  What Dayton restaurant was an ice company in the 1800’s?

The restaurant across from the Dayton Dragon’s stadium, used to be an ice company that supplied most of Dayton with ice.

Brixx was originally owned by a colorful character name Joe Mahoney (1862-1894) and was the site of the Mahoney Ice Company. Joe personally mined the ice in the basement and sold it in 30-pound blocks. Base on records found in the basement during this restaurant’s renovation, Mahoney’s business teetered on the edge of bankruptcy, due primarily to the enormous air conditioning bills he ran up during the summer months.  But, in 1887, he hit upon a way to maximize profits: in the center of each block of ice he put a large brick. This practice inevitably led to his nickname which stayed with the building.

8.  What Dayton restaurant is haunted by a ghost called Chickie?

The building was built in 1912 by Sigmunt Ksiezopolski and was a general store through the 1980’s.  The owner had 5 daughters and one stone. One of his daughter, Genevieve never married and liver her life working for the family business.  She passed away on October 15, 1983 at the age of 73 and is buried in the nearby Calvary Cemetery with her parents. It is said that Genevieve, also know as Chickie haunts the building. Employees have claimed that upon leaving the restaurant at night, they could see what appeared to be a young girl with long black hair and a white gown staring out the attic window. Staff and guests would also report dishes breaking for no apparent reason and the sounds of music, especially polka, emanating from an unseen place, heard often near the restrooms on the first floor. Slamming doors, mysterious balls of blue light, lights that turn on and off on their own, and other electrical disturbances are just a few of the spooky things that plague the Amber Rose staff.
9.  What is Ohio’s official state beverage?

In 1965, the Ohio General Assembly made tomato juiceOhio’s official beverage. Adoption of an official beverage coincided with the Tomato Festival held in Reynoldsburg, Ohio.

One would thought the official state beverage might have been beer, but, no it is the juice from a plant that Native American’s thought was poisonous. Although the plant originated in Mexico, it would take a Reynoldsburg citizen to develop a way of growing these red fruits in a way that made sense commercially, to grow, harvest and pack tomatoes. In 1870, Reynoldsburg resident Alexander Livingston began to grow tomatoes commercially. He is famous for developing the Paragon Tomato. The Tomato Festival, which occurs every year, honors Livingston and the tomato’s importance to Ohio’s economy which is second only to California in tomato growing.

10.  What Urbana company has become one of the best known national food specialty companies in America?
In the 1970s, Bob and Sara Rothschild moved from California to Ohio’s Mad River Valley, determined to work the land. Their spirited commitment resulted in a successful 170-acre farm and more red raspberries than they could handle. That one simple ingredient inspired our original recipes and unique flavor combinations.   Robert Rothschild Farm is a supplier of various types of bread dipping spices, pancakes, syrup, pasta sauces, dressings, soups, sweet toppings, and barbecued and grilled items. It is a family-owned business that maintains a 50,000-square-foot facility and 170-acre farm that produces a variety of fresh produces.
Thanks to all who played along!  If you’ve got some great trivia on our local dining scene, send us a note and we might just include it in our next quiz.
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