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Fall Festa

Italian Fall Festa

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The Order of the Sons and Daughters of Italy Lodge #1633 present the 45th annual Italian Fall Festa. A weekend of wonderful Italian music, great Italian food and a fun game of Bocce on the beautiful, spacious, shaded grounds of Bella Villa Hall.

Hours:  Fri Lunch to go: 11am – 1pm, Festa 6-11pm, Sat: noon – 11pm. Sun: noon – 8pm
Location: 2625 County Line Road, Kettering, OH 45429

Entertainment During the Festa:

Friday 7pm to 11pm – Ray Massa’s EuroRythms
Saturday 1pm to 5pm – Aaron Caruso
Saturday 6pm to 11pm – Dr Zoot
Sunday 4pm to 7pm – Dr Zoot

The Meatball Madness 5K Run takes place Sunday at 10 am

Food at the Festa:
Pizza, Italian Beef sandwiches, muffaletta, Italian sausage sandwiches, calzones, caprese salads, pasta salads, Italian cookies, tiramisu cannoli and of course beer, wine and soda will be for sale.

Featured Dinners:

Fri- baked pasta
Sat – stuffed shells
Sun- spaghetti and meatballs

The festival will feature a baked pasta dinner Friday, stuffed shells dinner Saturday and spaghetti and meatballs on Sunday.

Festival parking is located in the Reynolds & Reynolds parking lot just north of the festival grounds and a free shuttle service is available.

Italian Club Gears up for “Festa Forty”

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“Festa Forty”

We have some super secret scoop about this year’s Dayton Italian Festival.

The John Pirelli Lodge at Bella Villa Hall is planning the biggest fall festa in Dayton’s history.  It is the 40th year for this popular Dayton festival, which always takes place the weekend after Labor Day.  For 2017, those dates are Fri. Sept 8th, Sat. Sept 9th and Sun. Sept 10th.

This year we have a big announcement concerning a new beer available only at the Festa.
In a collaborative with Warped Wing Brewing Company, The Italian club will be serving “Limoncella Lager” at the Festa.  Festa Director Brian Andsik announced the news, explaining that the beer would be a similar to the popular Lemon Shandy Wheat beer from Leinenkugel, only a lighter version. Again, the lager will be a small batch brewed exclusively for the festival by Dayton’s Warped Wing Brewery.

The Food Adventure Crew and Dayton Most Metro will be working the Festa again this year, at the wine and beer booths.

Other Features for the “Festa Forty” will include:
—FABULOUS FRIDAY LUNCH TO GO: Phone in orders to 937-258-3600 from 9am to 11am. Pickup lunches from 11am-1pm, CASH ONLY.

—SPAGHETTI EATING CONTEST – Saturday September 9th at 3pm.

Stuffed Shells

—MEATBALL MADNESS 5k at 10am Sunday, September 10th – click here to signup

—$5 SPAGHETTI DINNER SUNDAY – to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Festa

— Best Festa Entertainment lineup EVER – All star bands including:
***RAY MASSA (Fri 6-8pm, Sat 8:30-11pm)
***DR. ZOOT (Fri 830-11pm, Sat 3-5pm)
***HAPPY DAYS (Sat noon-230pm, Sun noon-3pm)
***AARON CARUSO (Sat 530-8pm, Sun 5-8pm)

—BOCCE COURTS AVAILABLE FOR RENT BY THE HOUR

 

HERE’S THE SKINNY ON THE 40th ANNUAL FALL FESTA:

Italian Sausage Sandwich

WHEN:
Friday Sept 8, 6PM-11PM
Saturday Sept 9, Noon-11PM
Sunday Sept 10, Noon-8PM

WHERE: John Pirelli Lodge, Bella Villa Hall – 2625 County Line Rd, Beavercreek

—FREE PARKING, FREE ADMISSION – FREE SHUTTLE from REYNOLDS and REYNOLDS PARKING LOT.

— FOOD FOOD FOOD !
Dinners served inside the Bella Villa Hall:
Fri. Baked Pasta
Sat. Stuffed Shells
Sun $5 Spaghetti

Cannoli

—OTHER FOOD STATIONS:
Cannoli, Pasta Fagioli, Wedding Soup, Cavatelli, Calzones, Pizza, Muffaleta, Sfingi (funnel cakes), Italian Pastries, Italian cookies, Deli Sandwiches, Italian Sausages, Meatball Subs and more.

—BEER TRUCKS, WINE and SO MUCH MORE !

—Sorry, due to insurance liabilities, no pets allowed, except for service animals.

Don’t miss this chance for a Food Adventure, and the special beer unveiling.

Hungry Jax, Big Ragu and Chef House will see you at the FALL FESTA, the weekend after Labor Day, with a plate full of food and some Limoncella Lager !

For more foodie info, like the Facebook page that area foodies love – Food Adventures !  Original scoop, original website, original weekly articles, orginal cooking classes, original food events, and original festivals.  We set the trends… join us for a passionate trip to the Miami Valley’s places of food paradise.

FRIDAY LUNCHES TO GO !

Sausages on the grill

Stirring the sauce with an oar

Kids love Italian Fest Pizza !

Beer Truck antics

Play some bocce ball !

Meatball Madness 5k

Stuffed Shells

Big Ragu loves his heritage

Hotties serving hot food

Fun at the Festa !

Meatballs anyone?

Always a good crowd

Tiramisu

cannoli

cavatelli

Meatball sub

Spaghetti Contest eater

$5 Spaghetti dinner on Sunday Sept 11th

 

 

Who’s Food is Better? Italian Fest or Greek Fest?

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The Greek Fest Gyro – one of the joys of festival weekend

Two heavy hitters in the Dayton festival world go head to head every year for attendance the weekend after Labor Day.  These 2 festivals are the Greek Festival and the Italian Festival.  Why do they both hold their big events on the same weekend?  We don’t know, but we do know that when asked if they would move the festival to another weekend, both sides aren’t budging.

We decided to compare the festivals under our favorite topic.. FOOD.  What happens when these two ancient nations and cultures collide in a battle of the culinary worlds?  The food Adventures Crew asks you, Dayton…

Which festival has better food, GREEK FEST or ITALIAN FEST ?

Chef House, Hungry Jax and The Big Ragu have decided to put decades of eating experience at each festival to the test, with the most definitive and exhaustive comparison to date.   Most of these foods only come around once a year, so our mouths have been watering for months.

Which festival is the better Food Adventure?

 

HERE’S THE SKINNY:

The Cannoli from Italian Festival

— Dayton’s Italian Festival, called the “Fall Festa” by the people at the Sons of Italy is held at Bella Villa Hall at 2625 County Line Road.

     Hours are:
     Friday, Sept. 11 – 6pm to 11pm
     Saturday, Sept. 12 – Noon to 11pm
     Sunday, Sept. 13 – Noon to 8pm
***Admission and Parking are free.  Shuttle service available for parking from Reynolds & Reynolds lot.

 

— Dayton’s Greek Festival is held at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church at 500 Belmonte Park, North (next to Dayton Art Institute)

     Hours are:
     Friday, Sept. 11 – 11am to 11pm
     Saturday, Sept. 12 – 11am to 11pm
     Sunday, Sept. 13 – 11am to 6pm

***Admission: Friday from 11 am to 5 pm admission is FREE (come for lunch). The rest of the weekend, admission is  $2 per person, children 12 years and under are free,  Parking is free on streets surrounding the church.  Shuttle service available from Grandview Hospital, Shaw Avenue.  Grafton Medical Center Parking Lot on Forest Avenue and  Eye Clinic Parking Lot,Grand Avenue.

Time to lace up the gloves and put the napkins in your collar.. let’s find out who has the best food !

Loukoumades (honey puffs)

The Battle of the MUST EATS at the ITALIAN FEST vs. GREEK FEST HAS BEGUN !

 

*** ICONIC MAINSTAYS ***:

GREEK GYRO vs THE ITALIAN SAUSAGE SANDWICH
GREEK PASTITSIO vs ITALIAN CALZONES
GREEK MOUSSAKA vs ITALIAN MEATBALL SUB
GREEK PIZZAS vs ITALIAN PIZZAS

Chef House: Greece wins battle of the mainstays –
Big Ragu: Greece wins – The Gyro takes the cake and outshines them all
Hungry Jax: Italy wins battle of the mainstays – Meatball sub, please !

 

*** FULL BLOWN DINNERS*** :

ITALIAN STUFFED SHELLS DINNER vs GREEK LAMB SHANK DINNER
ITALIAN SPAGHETTI & MEATBALLS vs GREEK CHICKEN DINNER

Chef House: Greece wins battle of the dinners with the Lamb Shank choice
Big Ragu: Italy wins with Stuffed Shells all day long
Hungry Jax: Greece wins the dinner battle in a close one

 

Cavatelli – a simple pasta dish at the Italian Fall Festa

***OFF THE BEATEN FOOD PATH***:

GREEK DOLMADES (STUFFED GRAPE LEAVES) vs ITALIAN WEDDING SOUP
GREEK TRIGONAS (SPINAKOPITA) vs ITALIAN CAVATELLI

Chef House: Greece wins, I love the Spinakopita the Dolmades are wonderful !
Big Ragu: Italy wins as Cavatelli has my heart !
Hungry Jax: Italy wins the off the beaten path battle. I want some wedding soup !

 

*** WINES,  BEERS & MORE ***:

ITALIAN PERONI BEER vs GREEK MARATHON BEER
ITALIAN RED MORETTI BEER and GREEK ALFA BEER
ITALIAN WINES vs GREEK WINES
ITALIAN RASPBERRY SPARKLETINI vs OUZO

Chef House: Greece wins, fuller tasting beer, Ouzo and I love their wines
Big Ragu: Italy wins because of the Sparkletini but tell the boss that the Moretti regular lager is sorely missing
Hungry Jax: Italy wins the battle of the wines, beers and more…

 

A Spinach Pie (Spinakopita) and a Cheese Pie (Trigona) from the Greek Festival

*** DESSERTS AND PASTRIES ***:
GREEK BAKLAVA vs ITALIAN CANNOLI
GREEK LOUKOUMADES (HONEY PUFFS) vs ITALIAN TIRAMISU
GREEK PASTRY BOOTH vs ITALIAN COOKIE BOOTH

Chef House: Greece wins the dessert battle – the baklava and pastry booth is amazing.
Big Ragu: Italy wins – lock me in a room with Tiramisu and Cannoli
Hungry Jax: Italy all the way in the desserts and pastry battle

 

What is your take on who has the better food? Tell us with your comments below.

In the meantime here are 3 little known eats from each festival that are some of our favorites:

GREEK FEST  –
BAKLAVA SUNDAE – Maybe the best thing at Greek Fest
GREEK FRIES – lemon juice drizzled with seasonings make this a nice treat
GREEK LEMONADE – Refreshing on a festival day – add a little alcohol to boot 

 

ITALIAN FEST –
RASPBERRY SPARKLETINI CHAMPAGNE – this stuff is the most addicting thing at the festivals

Stuffed Shell dinner

PASTA FAGIOLI SOUP – Dark horse of good eats
SFINGI – Italian funnel cake – see if they will deep fry a cannoli for ya too !

 

On a non-food note, Chef House wants to make sure that the Greek Fest gets a shout out for the incredible dancers.  The Big Ragu loves the band led by George Karras.  Hungry Jax has been known to cut a rug at the Italian Festival to some traditional Italian American classic songs as well.

 

We learned one thing today – YOU CANT LOSE WITH A FOOD ADVENTURE TO EITHER FESTIVAL.. YOU JUST HAVE TO KNOW WHAT TO EAT !!

 

For more scoop on Dayton’s best foodie spots, “Like” Food Adventures on Facebook by clicking HERE

Browse the photos below for a full view of the festival foods !

Greek Beer

Lamb Shank Dinner

Pastitio at Greek fest

Greek Pizza

Italian Fest Raspberry Sparkletini chug

Italian cookies

Greek Baklava

Greek Fries

Italian Pizza

Greek Beers and Gyros

Ahh zoop , zoopa doop.. Italian soups 1

Italian sausages

Greek Pastries

Calzone Guy

Italian Fest Pizza

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Food Adventures Gears up for the 2011 Festival Season

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Let’s face it, summer is over.   Many are bummed over the fact that the outdoor dining patios are closing, and they have no more days left at the pool.  Ragu is no longer laying out topless, scaring young kids. But the end of summer also brings some good news: Fall Festival Season is upon us !!

We absolutely love festivals, and the fall is our favorite time as the big dogs of the fest world make their appearance.  Two of our favorite festivals, The Greek Fest and The Italian Festival kick off the fall season.

Why are they on the same weekend? We do not know why.  Do the organizers understand the misery they put us through and the nightmare of scheduling our Food Adventure weekend?  Why won’t one of these old cultures move their festival a week later?   We may start a petition to put it on the November ballot, so we can spread out our campaign of gluttony.

First up is our study of the Greek Festival (www.daytongreekfestival.com), which is held at the Greek Orthodox Church next to the Dayton Art Institute.  This huge festival recently started charging a $2 admission fee.  Let us give you a bit of wisdom, GO DURING THE DAY, unless you want to experience the madhouse crowd and sheer pandemonium of trying to find a parking space near this festival.

Trigonas, Greek beer, and Gyros

Sure you can visit the arts & craft area or admire the dancers or a statue.  We prefer, however, to admire the gyros, greek beer, and those little golden honey puffs.  Oh, did we mention the baklava and trigonas in the building area kick  Mt Olymp-ass?  The food is reasonably priced, with most items around $3-$6.  Another highlight is a tour of the Greek church, one of the more spectacular churches in this area.  Oh yea, NO FOOD in the church.  This festival offers a huge variety of Greek food, but for you less adventurous souls, there are Greek french fries, and Domino’s pizza’s “Greek slices.”  Ragu says go for the good stuff, like a lamb shank dinner.  You only get it once a year.

If you are the artsy type, then you may enjoy the Greek Band at night, and the traditional Greek dancing.  These dancers jump over napkins, and are better than our best erotic dance moves.  We love the Greeks, we are huge Telly Savalas fans from way back in the day.

On the other side of town is our other favorite festival, The Italian Fall Festa (www.italianfallfesta.com), held at Bella Villa Hall on County Line Road, not far from

Wine Booth at Dayton’s Italian Festival

the Greene.  Ragu has to come here, he is Italian for goodness sake.  Again, may we plead that you go there during the day, unless you like a brisk walk from the nearby armory, or enjoy walking blocks of streets lined with cars.  As you enter the fest, you may be greeted by the sound of Italian music from the live stage.

The outside grounds of the festival features such fare as Cavatelli, Italian sausages, sub-par pizza, calzones and soups.  However, some of our favorite items are found inside the hall building and not outside on the grounds.  Inside, the hall offers nightly dinners.  Friday is Baked Pasta night, and Saturday is stuffed shells night, while Sunday is spaghetti and meatballs.  You may even find Ragu working a meatball sub booth outside, or the beer and wine booth inside the hall.  Ragu has also been threatening to enter the spaghetti eating contest, held at 3pm on Sunday.

We love, and we mean love the cannoli at this fest.  In fact, you are guaranteed to gain 5 pounds by just walking into the pastry area.  We love gelato because of this festival,  the tasty treat.

A Perfect Cannoli

The pastries are homemade, but unfortunately a lot of the other outside area food is not.   So if you choose to eat outside, be sure to let the vino flow and the food may taste a bit better.  And while you are outside, try your hand at bocce ball, where you can reserve a court for a small fee.

So this upcoming weekend, with a gleam in our eye and food stains on our shirts, we say thank you Dayton, for another year of Festival Food Adventures.

What is your favorite food at these festivals? What are your experiences?  Please comment below!

Visit FOOD ADVENTURES  on Facebook by clicking here and “like” our page to become and official fan.

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