It’s Munch Madness at Vinny’s Bar & Grill

Going to the March Madness games at UD arena?  We have found THE pre-party place, Vinny’s Bar & Grille, just minutes from campus.  They are having a big bash on Friday starting at 11am and will be grilling in the parking lots! Grab a hot polish weiner then go root for your winner.   Don’t have a ticket to the NCAA games?  Don’t fret, stay and eat!  Vinny’s will have the action on various TV’s, so it will feel like you are there.

The Food Adventures Crew are sports fans, and a while ago we found a locally owned place to have a little ‘Munch Madness’ of our own.  Vinny’s features an in-house menu with many homemade variations depending on the day.  Sometimes you can even catch the bearded catering sensation Rick from “Rick’s Tropical Delight Catering” and his ‘Big Green Egg Cooker.’

Vinny’s Bar & Grille is on 2229 Dryden Rd in Moraine just a couple of miles from UD Arena.  The bar & grill is active in the community, supporting charities and trumpeting Dayton athletics.  What Daytonian wouldn’t love that?  It is a hometown bar with a unique menu.. well, three menus, actually.  There is a weekday menu, nightime bar menu and a special ‘tailgate buffet’ menu during men’s home basketball games.   The prices are cheap too!! Oh, but that’s not all folks.   Add to the mix their special guest from time to time, Rick with “Rick’s Tropical Delight.”  He cooks out back and sips beers with patrons.  This bearded wonder could be a long lost member of ZZ top.  He has style, he has skills, and long beard that amazingly avoids being singed on the grill.   Rick has a 6 ceramic cookers called the ‘Big Green Egg.’  What is the Big Green Egg? It is a hardwood, lump charcoal ceramic grill.  You can find Rick cooking anything from Hot Polish Sausages and Bratwurst, to Beef Brisket and Chateaubriand Steak depending on his mood.  Last night, we were lucky enough to enjoy his Grilled Lamb Chops and Shrimp on the Barbie.  The lamb chops were lean, delicious and perfectly cooked.  The shrimp also had an unforgettable flavor of infused smokiness from the hardwood grill.  Rick knows his craft, and is a true grill master.

We were first introduced to Vinny (who’s 50th birthday is today) when we tried his Voodoo Chili at the AMBUCS chili cookoff.   Now having visited Vinny’s a few times, we can tell you that the menu choices are constantly changing.  But with the variety, comes some pretty fantastic food.  The waitress told us all of the entrees and sides were homemade except the cottage cheese.   you gotta love that.  Energetic owner, Vinny Nyhan invited us to the ‘First Four’ Pre-Party at Vinny’s Bar & Grill last night to kick off March Madness.  His wife Jane and kitchen cook Cindy were preparing some amazing dishes.  What ensued was a full blown Food Adventure.

First on our list of things we want to tell local foodies about is a regular menu item at Vinny’s, the Wright Way Reuben.   It is a slow-roasted Corned Beef Brisket baked in Guinness Stout.  Sauteed in sauerkraut, the beef is topped with Swiss cheese and Thousand Island dressing, then placed on grilled rye bread.  We thought it was a damn good reuben, especially at the price of $6.50.   It was loaded with flavor.  We liked the fact that it was filled with chopped, not stringy, corned beef.  You can’t go wrong with this homemade sandwich.   If you do not order one, you should be charged with a technical foul.

Speaking of foul, another specialty at Vinny’s is Broasted Wings.  Tasty sauces like BBQ and Hot are hugely popular with wing fans.  We prefer the Medium Garlic Wings and the Orange Chipotle Wings.   The wing size are some of the biggest in Dayton, yet they are  cooked all the way through.  Does anyone else have broasted wings in Dayton?  We would put them up against any wing in the area.  If you love wings, make sure you check out  50 cent wing night every Thursday.

We would do anything for love, including eat Vinny’s Meatloaf.   This is not some trendy apricot chutney meatloaf.  This is the kind of meatloaf your mom would make.  It is a slab of meat with perfectly hardened edges and just the right amount of baked ketchup on the top.  Bring your mom out to try some, it is just that good.  It will give you a chance to say MOM, THE MEATLOAF!

May we also suggest the Wednesday night special, the Pulled Pork Sandwich.  Tossed in sauce, this sandwich was huge, but we devoured a couple of them in no time. They were delicious.  We would suggest the straight BBQ Sauce as opposed to the hot bbq on the rebound.

Rarely do you find a place with excellent homemade side dishes.  We cant believe we are writing this but the Glazed Carrots are to die for!  Yes we said it, and we aren’t ashamed to admit it!  Perfectly glazed and tossed in rosemary spices, they were the best carrots we have ever eaten.  It would shame some of the best fine dining establishments.   The Homemade Potato salad was so fresh, and the Macaroni Salad deserves honorable mention.  Just like us, accept no substitutions or weak imitations here.

There is so much more to Vinny’s that we have yet to explore.   They have a full breakfast menu, burgers, sausages and an attached carryout store.   Also, Vinny’s  has a great spread before each home UD Basketball game called the “Tailgate Buffet” or “Fast Break Buffet.”  It features all you can eat wings, sausages, side items, soup and a specialty item.  The specialty item on our trip to Vinny’s last month was Sloppy Joes.   The sloppy joe recipe is a good one.  It is a sweet meat recipe and also includes some green peppers.  Again, some of the best we have ever eaten.  Make sure you check out the buffet before the basketball games, it feels just like sinking a 3 point shot.

Vinny’s  daily specials are: Monday Meatloaf, Tuesday Broasted Chicken, Wednesday Pulled Pork, Thursday Sloppy Joe night and 50 cent Wing Night, and Fried Alaskan Pollock Fish Friday.  There is one catch with Vinny’s, they are only open Monday-Friday.  In an area once populated by NCR and GM, Vinny’s still continues to crank out good food from scratch.  They are open on Saturdays and Sundays only during special events like UD home basketball games or private parties.   The atmosphere is a clean, casual family sports bar.  The servers are very personable and many of the patrons seem to know each other.  We even had a chance to meet Vinny’s Mom and Dad, who used to own East Dayton Sausage company.

Chef House, Hungry Jax and The Big Ragu continue to be  charmed by the home cooked recipes at Vinny’s.  Listen, we are not food critics, we are Food Adventurers.  Every good meal we attend is an event.  We are just two guys that love to eat.    Vinny’s Bar & Grill is just the place for people who love good food.   They have a basic menu and daily specials.  Just come in and look on the board, you will always be in for a treat.   There is no place like it in Dayton.  The prices are inexpensive and some of the best prices for quality food in the Miami Valley.  We promise that if you come in here and try some of these in-house creations, you will be hooked like us.   All of the specialty items on Vinny’s menu are slam dunks !

Have you tried the home cooking at Vinny’s Bar & Grill?  Please comment below about your experiences !

DONT FORGET TO VISIT VINNY’S ON FRIDAY (Tomorrow) FOR THE MARCH MADNESS PARTY STARTING AT 11AM, FEATURING THE BIG GREEN EGG COOKER and RICK’s TROPICAL DELIGHT CATERING !

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