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Carmen's Deli

Carmen’s Deli to close on April 28th

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I’ve never written a restaurant eulogy before. It saddens me to write this one.

Our beloved Haitham Imam, Dayton’s most gracious restaurateur is calling it quits. By chance I ran into Haitham, my neighbor, at the store this weekend when he told me, with a smile and a tear, that Carmen’s Deli would close on Friday April 28th. The 14 year run has come to an end.

Closing. Not remodeling. Not moving. Not exploring a new space.

Just closing.

Haitham, a Palestinian immigrant from Jerusalem, opened Carmen’s Deli back in 2009 then moved it in 2012 to what was then the Kettering Tower. Downtown has changed a lot since then and never more drastic than what we’ve experienced in the last three years. Kettering Tower is now Stratocache Tower and this is one of the unintended consequences of fewer people working downtown.

I’ll skip the rumors about Stratocache not being very interested in helping find a way to keep this institution afloat. For the record, Haitham never said a bad word to me about anyone. Not the empty Premier building across the street or the operators of Stratocache Tower. He simply thanked every patron for stopping in and waiting patiently.

Known for his smile and “thank you my friend for coming in today” and a long list of sandwiches including the falafel gyro and Reuben, both which topped my list of favorites. Haitham’s unceasing optimism and love for downtown was contagious. There was something about grabbing lunch where every sandwich and wrap was served with a side of love and gratitude.

I write this not so much as a goodbye, but rather a reminder of the good in our fair city. An immigrant coming to our city. Chasing his dream. Welcoming us into his special corner of downtown and feeding us with a smile. Let’s not forget that.

Here are three things you might not have known about Carmen’s Deli:
1) It was named after Haitham’s wife Carmen.
2) Haitham is a graduate of Sinclair’s Culinary Arts Program
3) Haitman is also employed by Sinclair and told me he will be working more there and you might find him cooking this summer for fans of the Dayton Dragons.

I’ll be there often over the next four weeks so I can thank him and grab one more falafel, one more reuben, one more burger, and hear him say “hello friend, good to see you” one more time.

Thank you my friend for feeding us these last 14 years. You and the deli will be missed.

Quest For Dayton’s Best: Falafel

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It was five years ago I unexpectedly found myself in Istanbul for a few days. This was a great opportunity to eat some new foods. I tried the breads, some street foods, Turkish Delight, and a range of Pistachio pastries. But..it was a sidewalk cafe near a rug vendor where I first had falafel alongside a plate of hummus. I was no stranger to hummus, but falafel, a middle eastern hushpuppy that I come to love.

Five years later and still crave Falafel. Lucky for me Dayton is full of Middle Eastern descent restaurants who are serving great Falafel. Falafel is basically a chickpea hushpuppy. Basically ground dried chickpeas, parsley and cilantro, garlic, onion, other spices and balled together and deep fried. Eat it with tzatziki or a side of hummus. This is where I get the best in Dayton.

Carmens Deli
Address: 40 N Main St, Dayton, OH 45423

The Falafel Gyro. Think traditional Gyro but with fried falafel balls that are crumbled up in the pita alongside onion, feta, olives, lettuce and tzatziki. It’s basically a greek salad with falafel crumbled atop all sitting on a warm soft pita. I have one of these every month. No lie. Every month. Ask Haitham at the register. If you are feeling extra Greek, grab a piece of his baklava for good measure. This gyro is so big and full you won’t need a side dish, as good as the side salads and fries are, you won’t need them. Grab an extra tzatziki though. You’ll be wanting more of this tart, tangy, and creamy condiment for sure. $7.50 for lunch.

Mudlick Taphouse
Address: 135 E 2nd St, Dayton, OH 45402

The Falafel Burger. Yes. Burger. Think Veggie burger but with flavor and substance. This falafel is pattied and fried and fills the bun. Topped with chipotle hummus, fresh greens and a tomato jam that would taste good on shoe leather. This entire sandwich is an experience. The falafel has a distinct punch of cumin and I like it. $12 and it’s worth every penny.

Olive Mediterranean
Address: 44 W Third St, Dayton, OH 45402

The Falafel Platter. This platter is complete with rice, a salad with feta, olives and tomato, warm pita and a pile of 5-6 falafel fritters. Deep green, crunch on the outside and Dayton’s best tzatziki served alongside. I love the crunch of the salad and it’s red wine vinagrette dressing accompanying the crunchy and creamy falafel. For $11 its a great lunch any day of the week.

The Gyro Palace (Dayton Mall location)
Address: 57 N Springboro Pike, Miamisburg, OH 45342

These guys know Falafel. They call it a wrap, but its basically a falafel gyro and I love it. There is something different about their version. It’s fried perfect and deep green color that comes from all the cilantro and parsley that is blended in. Calling it a Gyro suggests you can eat it politely with two hands, the truth is that it is overstuffed and you are gonna need a fork and extra napkins. At $6.50 its hard to beat the service, taste and price of the Palace south of town. They’ve recently opened up a Brown St. location as well.

Side note: I once had great Falafel from Trolley Stop. It’s not on the menu anymore sadly.

However, on my short list to try is:
Cedar Land Bakery
Address: 4515 Linden Ave, Dayton, OH 45432

Meadowlark
5531 Far Hills Ave Dayton, Ohio 45429

Just yesterday they introduced a new menu item- this Falafel Salad!

 

Where do you go to get Falafel? Have a recipe for your own? Share it in the comments below.

Downtown Boston Stoker Closed Temporarily

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Oh no!  Went to meet somebody at the 2nd Street Boston Stokers only to find out it’s “closed for maintenance.”  A quick call to the corporate office and we found out that according to Travis Goodspeed,
“they started having issues exactly 2 weeks ago today.  The building has to deal with some plumbing issues and then we’ll have to replace some cabinetry and carpet.  We don’t have a realistic date, we’ll reopen yet.”

In an email response from  Anna McCormick, Manager, Dayton Boston Stoker she says,

“We hope to have a temporary bar in place by the 1st of the year. We should have everything rebuilt and fully operational by mid January.”
So  stay tuned….

 

In the meantime may we suggest you get your coffee and schedule your meetings at:

The Ohio Coffee Co. 

located on the S.W. corner of Fifth Third Building
1 S Main St, Dayton, OH 45402

open 9am – 2:30pm

Table 33
130 W 2nd St

open 8am – 8pm Tues – Fri
open 8am – 3pm Sat & Mon

Carmen’s Deli

​Corner of Jefferson & 2nd  Inside of the Kettering Tower
40 N Main Street, Suite 60

open 8:30am-2:30pm  Monday- Friday

Make a Date for the Academy Awards: Dessert with Oscar

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Oscar Watch Party Film StripDayton LOVES the movies! Art houses, local theaters, megaplexes and drive-ins all across the region guarantee you can see all the nominated pictures. Plus – beyond watching the movies, we’ve got a great collection of professional and aspiring filmmakers working and living right here. We’ve got the connections to the movies, and on Hollywood’s biggest night – Oscar Night – we’ve got the parties, too!

One of those parties is Dessert with Oscar – a fundraiser for local nonprofit, FilmDayton. FilmDayton hosts the annual FilmDayton Festival (scheduled for August 23-25, 2013), offers professional development for filmmakers, networking and educational opportunities, and acts as the regional film commission – supporting indie and commercial film projects that want to use the backdrop of the Miami Valley for their project.

This Oscar watch party puts the emphasis on party. Instead of seeing the action on the big screen in stadium seating, they welcome guests to The Venue on Third (905 E. Third Street) where multiple TVs will broadcast the show, allowing you to watch the action while enjoying the party. What’s included?

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Local chefs from great places such as Ovations, Baked, Scratch Event Catering, Carmen’s Deli, J. Gumbo’s UD, and the Sinclair Culinary Competition Team create tasty desserts themed after the Best Picture Nominees. You might get some authentic bread pudding out of Louisiana for Beasts of the Southern Wild or perhaps enjoy a twist on some ‘white cake’ for Django Unchained. Come and see what kind of creativity connects the desserts to their films!

As a fundraiser for the organization, we’re keeping ticket prices affordable, but bringing the bling with an exciting film-themed silent auction! See the pictures of some of the great prizes. Everything for the practical bidder (you have to go to dinner anyway) to the film lover (autographed photos, DVDs, pilot scripts and more) to the Dayton Connoisseur (tickets to great local experiences) to the true adventurer with a Specialty Background Role on a hit TV comedy with extra casting by Calltime Casting. You never know what stars may show up when you’re on set at the reality-TV spoof The Real Husbands of Hollywood – see the clip below to get an idea!

IMG_0093Food, prizes, and so much more. If you know your movies, you can submit a ballot and make your predictions on who is taking Oscar home. If you just want to follow the action for fun – play Oscar Bingo! As we watch the events unfold, you’ll watch who cries, thanks God or forgets to mention their agent – and hopefully they’ll line up to win you BINGO!

Be our guest for a champagne toast then the bar will be pouring all night. Come as you are, but ‘sparkly and fun’ attire is welcome!

 

 

How to Go:

Get tickets in advance at filmdayton.ticketleap.com

Cost: $25 general, $20 FilmDayton member, $50 VIP

When: Sunday, February 24. Doors open 7 PM

Where: The Venue on Third (905 E. Third Street, Dayton)

 

Bid it to win it – you could have a specialty background role on The Real Husbands of Hollywood! Check it out:

Carmen’s Deli Announces New Location

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As many of you know Premier Health Partners recently bought the old Citizen’s Federal Building to make it their headquarters for their 900+ employees.  Which would have been a great addition to the business that Haitham Iman, owner of Carmen’s Deli,  had been building for several years.  But instead Premier decided to terminate the lease for the Deli – read all about it here on Esrati’s blog.

But just yesterday Haitham signed a new lease across the street at Kettering Tower.  His permanent space will be in the Northeast corner of the building at the corner of St. Clair and 2nd Streets. He’ll be starting from scratch to build out the window lined space, but in the meantime, the building owners will allow him to work out of the recently vacated Mr. Hyman’s space, at the base of the elevator tower.

It looks like as of next Wed, July 18th we’ll be able to stop by for a meal and some of the warm hospitality that made Carmen’s Deli such a great place to frequent.  It will be a limited menu until he gets his new space set up, but you can count on being greeted with that same old big smile!   So be sure and stick a note on your calendar to have lunch there next week and welcome Haitham back!