Murray’s | Dayton937

‘Juan of the Dead’ Zombie Dog

Here is something you will not see anywhere else. The Big Ragu and Crew had a VIP experience at last weekend’s Horror Hound convention in Sharonville. We had a Food Adventure with Merle & Daryl Dixon from The Walking Dead (Norman Reedus and Michael Rooker)! Featured along with the Cast of the Walking Dead and many celebrities was a Dayton’s own, Zombie Dogz. Typically a food truck, it was a little different this time for the gourmet hot dog masters. They operated out of a catering booth inside the convention center. Owners of Zombie Dogz, Lee and David VanArtsdalen and Horror Hound Magazine’s Eric Crowley personally invited us to the event and set us up for an unforgettable Food Adventure.

The Big Ragu and Crew shared some iconic Dayton foods with the celebrities:

We had a Zombie Dog with a Reservoir Dog. That’s right, we dined and joked with Michael Madsen. Michael was a great sport, and he didn’t carve our ear off. He shared some good Hollywood stories and laughs with us. We also learned he was telling other celebrities about his time with us and the Zombie Dogz.

Legendary horror film director John Carpenter also enjoyed one of Dayton’s Zombie Dogz with us, while he was wearing some pretty sweet black velvet sweat pants. It was almost as scary as his film “Halloween.” Meeting this giant of the film industry was priceless.

We gave a hungry Twisted Sister Frontman Dee Snider some Mikesell’s Good n Hot Potato chips. In fact, the whole cast of his show “Holliston” shared the bag. What does Dee wanna do with his chips? ‘He wants them hot, HOT !’ This Celebrity Apprentice star loved the taste of Mikesells, and we were not ‘fired’ in the boardroom.

Dee Snider from Twisted Sister & Celeb Apprentice loves Mikesells Chips

The star of the scary Candyman movies Tony Todd, loved the box of Esther Price Candies we gave him. He enjoyed them so much, he gave us a high five the next day. Even movie stars like the Candyman love Esther Price Candies !

Remember the classic 60’s TV show The Munsters? Well, we ate Muenster cheese with Eddie Munster, thanks to Murray’s Cheese from Kroger in Centerville. Eddie, played by Butch Patrick, appreciated it so much, he signed a photo for us!

The Big Ragu and Crew ate lunch with Bengals Defensive Tackle Domata Peko . We enjoyed some LaRosa’s Pizza while sitting with his family. Domata is one of the nicest guys you will ever meet. He is also a horror movie fan like us, and was excited to meet the various celebs.

Where else can you see this kind of stuff? Only here, only Food Adventures and Dayton Most Metro. Often imitated, never duplicated.

The Big Ragu also shared French Bread and Perrier Sparkling Mineral Water with 80’s babe Diane Franklin from the movie “Better Off Dead.” If you saw the movie, you get the significance of the food items, ‘and to drink…. Peru’ . These days Diane is promoting her new book “Diane Franklin: The Excellent Adventures of the Last American, French-Exchange Babe of the 80s.” You can buy the book here on Amazon.com.

We hung out with other famous horror actors including Lew Temple, Sid Haig, Tom Savini, Irwin Keyes, Robert Mukes and many other costumed monsters. The original car from the movie Christine was there, we wanted to take it to the Root Beer Stande Drive in but she turned us down. Special mention to our friends at S.T.A.R.S Cincinnati, a costumed fan group of the movie “Resident Evil.” They do charity appearances and their slogan is “We kill zombies for charity.” Speaking of Zombies….

The “Calling in Dead” Zombie Dog has Mac N Cheese on top

About Zombie Dogz:

Have you tried a Zombie Dog? These hot dogs are so big, that they almost look like kielbasa sausages. The menu at Zombie Dogz is pretty simple. It all starts with large, juicy all beef hot dog. The hot dog is placed into a wonderful sandwich roll, strong enough to hold the hot dog and ingredients intact. What makes a zombie dog special is the choice of toppings. Each Zombie Dog has a creative name based on those toppings. The menu is constantly evolving with new creations, but The Big Ragu and Hungry Jax ate these hot dogs all weekend and want to share our favorites.

Zombe’ Grande – The all beef hot dog is topped with cheese queso sauce, lettuce, cilantro sour cream, jalapeno bacon bits and crushed corn chips. The mix of the cheese sauce and crushed corn chips are a gooey, tasty combination that won us over. This was definitely one of our favorites

Juan of the Dead – An all beef frank topped with Swiss cheese, homemade bbq pulled pork, sweet and tangy mustard and pickles. The pulled pork and pickles really make this gourmet hot dog. The Big Ragu say this is a must eat!

The Nibbler – This time they wrap the hot dog in bacon, then smother it in spicy chili. The zombie dog is then topped off with diced red onion, sweet & tangy mustard, and shredded muenster cheese. This one really woke up our taste buds and is a Food Adventure in your mouth.

Owners Dave and Lee VanArtsdalen of Zombie Dogz, with Co-founder/Marketer Michael Whitaker

Calling in Dead – This over the top creation tops the hot dog with homemade mac n cheese. The creamy mac n cheese is cooked in truffle oil for a magnificent flavor. The final touch in this hot dog is a sprinkle of truffle salt and cracker crumbs. This hot dog was so rich, we could hardly finish it. It packed a powerful punch on our appetites, but we couldn’t stop eating it.

Brain Daddy – This was the most Caribbean style hot dog that we tried. The all beef dog is topped with slow roasted mango habanero pulled pork. It was also topped with pineapple-cherry salsa. The final dash of white and black sesame seeds finishes this masterpiece. This gourmet dog promises to have your taste buds dancing the mambo.

The Horror Hound Weekend was incredible. We got to meet Dayton horror film makers like our pals from Concept Media Films. We even bought a couple of their Dayton-made DVD’s! Meanwhile The Big Ragu was distracted by the Jersey girls over at GorgeousAndGory.com. Supporting local people and making new Food Adventure fans seemed to sum up this fantastic experience.

This Zombie Dog is called “The Nibbler”

Miami Valley foodies should keep their eye open for events featuring the Zombie Dogz Food Truck and their unique creations. The hot dogs will satisfy your hunger at the not so bad price of $6.50 per dog. There are even have veggie dog options. Want to catch Zombie Dogz Food Truck’s next event? Then visit Dayton’s Crafty-Con on April 5th. The event will be held from 5pm to 11pm at the Yellow Cab Building on 700 East 4th St. Tell the zombies that The Big Ragu sent you !

Feel free to comment on the Zombie Dogz Food Truck below. Also share any thoughts about Horror Hound Weekend as well.

“Like” Food Adventures on Facebook by clicking here, unless you are scared of zombies and good times.

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Murray’s: Quality Cheeses

When we say the Muensters, we don’t mean a TV show. We mean aged mold, or as you know it .. cheese.

Gouda, Mozzarella, and Brie are just some of the dozens of varieties of Murray’s Cheeses available at your local Dayton Kroger stores. The Big Ragu and Crew were lucky enough to be invited by local Cheese Master, Logan Class, to sample some of their premium cheeses. How cool is that to be hanging out with a cheese master? We Daytonians do not know how lucky we are to have Murray’s Cheese Shops, allowing for quality and hard to find cheeses at our fingertips!

Brie and Fig Spread Counter Samples at Murray’s

Murray’s Cheeses is a New York based company and has been making and distributing cheese since 1940. There are 15 Dayton area Kroger’s that feature Murray’s. What makes Murray’s Cheeses so special? The answer is the products used in their cheeses. For example their mozzarella is made with the same milk used in Ben and Jerry’s Vermont Ice Cream, so we are talking premium tasting milk. They also carry cheeses from France, Italy, Ireland, England and more.

Cheese Master Logan explained to us that there is something for everyone at his store. There is a $5 and under selection and cheeses that range from $5.99 to $30 a pound. Other goodies are McClures Pickles, Bucheron 34 fig Spread, Merlot Salami and Olive Oils. There is even a connecting buffet display of peppers, olives, and more. Food Adventures has previously enjoyed Murray’s favorites such as Jarlsberg Cheese, Javarti cheese with Caraway seeds, and Tabouli with Cilantro. The Big Ragu had to be pulled away from the free cheese on the various counters so the cheese tasting could begin.

Your Food Adventurers were here to sample these unique and unforgettable Murray’s Cheeses as presented by Cheese Master:

1) Cremont – This was a soft, creamy Vermont cheese made from goats and cows milk. It was simply divine and dreamy.

2) Cabot Clothbound Cheddar – Made in Vermont. The wheels of this cheese are covered with cheesecloth and lard then aged for 10 months. Almost like Big Ragu with a wet blanket. This cheese is one of the tastier cheeses made with Pasteurized milk, as opposed to most high end cheeses which are made from raw milk.

3) Pleasant Ridge Reserve – A mountain style cheese similar to Gruyere. This is a raw milk cheese and sells at 30 bucks a pound. We found this cheese to be rich with flavor. So flavorful that this cheese won the American Cheese Society and World’s Best Cheese Awards.

4) SarVecchio Parmesan: Looked like your typical Parmesan cheese, but had an incredible fruity flavor to it. Definitely an amazing tasting cheese that you won’t soon forget.

Rogue River Blue: One of the Most Complex Cheeses You Will Find

5) Rogue River Blue: Made in Oregon, this cheese won the 2006 award for best cow’s milk cheese. It is the 1st ever raw milk cheese to be exported to Europe. That’s right, it is so good, even Europeans want it! The cheese is made through an incredible process, including scrubbing the outside of the cheese wheel with brine for a meaty flavor. The cheese is then wrapped in Syrah Grape Leaves that have been soaked in a Pear Brandy. After wrapping, this cheese is aged for a year. The product is perfection and the best bleu cheese we have ever tasted. With preparation like this, we could understand the $30/pound price tag.

Hey Food Adventure Fans, here are some quick cheese facts:

— All cheese is made with milk, salt and rennet.

— Cheeses that are aged more than a year are typically the stronger tasting cheeses.

— Softer cheeses have a shorter the shelf life than harder cheeses

Who thought we could get any cheesier? Well The Food Adventures Crew did, and you can too. Visit your Cheese Master at your local Kroger grocery and look for the Murray’s Cheese Shop !

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Have you tried Murray’s Cheeses ? Tell us your thoughts and comment below.

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Walking Dead Food Adventure & Zombie Dogz at Horror Hound Weekend

Food Adventures Gets Even Cheesier with Murray’s Cheeses

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