Food Adventures

Food Adventures heat things up at the Kickin’ Chicken Wing Fest at Fraze

July 14, 2011 By Dayton937 1 Comment

Stepping out of our Sebring convertibles on a humid summer day in front of the crowd, we knew we were in for a hot time. The Big Ragu, with horrendous windblown hair, sniffed the aroma and approached the festival. Make no mistake, Ragu loves wings, well done wings cooked all the way through. Some prefers boneless chicken wings and all was unleashed at the fest.

Your Food Adventurers arrived at the first ever KICKIN’ CHICKEN WING FEST at Fraze Pavillion in Kettering right at the fest opening time of 2pm. A crowd had already formed in the 90 degree heat. Eleven restaurants offered their take on the almighty chicken wing. Some offered other menu items in addition to wings, and most booths offered wings in 5 or more sauces.

Little did we know, the first wings we tried were going to be our favorites. A place called Nick’s Restaurant from Xenia, had our favorite wing flavor of the day. We had never heard of this place, but their Spicy Garlic Wing was our vote for best chicken wing. Great taste, great kick and there was Parmesan cheese in the sauce.

Nick’s Restaurant’s Spicy Garlic Wings were our favorite flavor at the fest

As we walked from vendor to vendor we saw familiar favorites and some unfamiliar restaurants. There were BW3, Rooster’s, Cold Beer & Cheeseburgers, Beef O’Brady’s, and Buffalo Wings and Rings, all which we have had often.

We also saw McGillicutty’s restaurant out of Kettering who offered baked chicken wings, a tasty alternative to the fried fare. Your Food Adventurers really enjoyed the hottest wings offered by Romer’s Sports Bar & Grill from Bellbrook. They were scorching hot and turned on the waterworks for an already sweaty Big Ragu.

Romer’s Hot Wings Really Lit Us Up !

The prices of the wings were reasonable, 3 wings for $2. The cold beer sold for the regular inflated price of 5 bucks, which did not seem so bad on this steamy day.

We visited the Brixx Ice House Booth for Chicken Skewers with Bourbon Sauce and Vegetable Shish Kabobs. Not bad for only 2 dollars a skewer.

We enjoyed the hot wings at the Archer’s Tavern booth, which featured fiery sauces from Crazy Uncle Jesters. We also tried the whole wings from Paradise Key which were a little undercooked for our taste, but they had the most customers in line for food.

Other sauces that we enjoyed were Buffalo Wings and Rings Parmesan Garlic, Sweet n Sassy wings from Cold Beer and Cheeseburgers along with their Chipotle wings. More favorites were the Rooster’s Killer sauce, Romer’s Asian Persuasion wings, and Archer’s wings with Crazy Uncle Jester’s Louisiana Firestorm or Jamaican Hellfire sauces! We love BW3’s Teriyaki sauce while Ragu hit some of their Carribean Jerk wings.

The Sweet n Sassy wings from Cold Beer & Cheeseburgers were wickedly tangy

The heat and the spices took their toll this Food Adventure. At the end our our tasting, we looked over and laughed at the messy Big Ragu. With sauce on his face and hands, Ragu had to take a time out to wash up with cold water in the bathroom sink. What emerged was a sopping wet Ragu, with his hair slicked back and bloodshot eyes. His chapped lips were still burning, but he managed a smile. Sure some lines were long, but there was a “hot time in the old town tonight!” We loved the first annual Kickin’ Chicken Wing Festival, it definitely didn’t lay an egg!

Please visit FOOD ADVENTURES ON Facebook. Check back every Thursday for a new “Food Adventure” article on DAYTONMOSTMETRO.COM

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Food Adventures hits a truly AUTHENTIC Mexican Restaurant – Taqueria Mixteca

July 7, 2011 By Dayton937 3 Comments

And we mean AUTHENTIC on E. 3rd St

There was a time in our lives when we once considered Taco Bell to be really good Mexican food. It was during our high school and college years, when money was scarce and our late night cravings were curbed by a ritual “run to the border”.

After college, we started dining at various chain restaurants claiming to serve authentic Mexican cuisine, but they were no more than glorified Taco Bells. As the Big Ragu’s favorite band Survivor said, “The Search is Over”. We are officially in love with a little restaurant on East Third Street in Dayton called TAQUERIA MIXTECA which means “damn good Mexican food” in Spanish.

Chicken Taco, Ground Beef Taco – note the double corn tortilla

Taqueria Mixteca isn’t a fancy restaurant, it is one of those places that you may shoot a glance at while driving by. They don’t advertise, they don’t have a fancy dining room — we don’t even know if they have a bathroom! They do however, have a drive-thru. What the place lacks in character is compensated for by a diverse group of diners, with a great menu to match. The majority of dishes give you the option of ordering the kind of meat you want, ranging from chicken to tripe. They have three different homemade sauces and delicious homemade salsa. There is something for everyone…even you vegetarians out there!

Big Ragu tries the homemade hot sauce

On the day of our visit, the Big Ragu ordered multiple tacos including: Chicken, Chorizo, Beef Tongue, and Ground Beef. The Food Adventures Crew also decided to try the Pork Quesadilla and Enchiladas. We agree that these might be the greatest tacos we have ever eaten due to one factor — simplicity. While other places load on the cheese and sour cream, the only ingredients that you find here are meat, cilantro, onion, and a lime wedge all placed on a double corn tortilla.

Since we are spicy individuals, we decided to try each one of their three homemade sauces and were not disappointed. One of our favorite moments of this taco trifecta was making the Big Ragu try a Beef Tongue Taco. This was not an easy feat as The Big Ragu is picky about his meat. He avoids steaks at any cost claiming textural difficulties and is the only Italian we know of who hates meatballs. We might not recommend the Beef Tongue Taco, but it was quite amusing to see the Big Ragu squirm.

Authentic Enchiladas

We didn’t know what to make of the Enchiladas when they brought them out because when we think of Enchiladas, we think of them topped with white cheese sauce. These were naked as the day we were born and had a red-orange glow. Again, the taste of the enchiladas spoke for themselves. Authentic, simple and the flavors were unique.
One of the biggest surprises was the pork quesadilla. The flavor was intense and fresh. It was probably our favorite item of the night.

The price for our meal was a great value. Our bill was only $21, a great price for all of the items we tried. Taqueria Mixteca was recommended to us by people who are from Mexico, or have spent a lot of time south of the border.

The Pork Quesadilla was our favorite

Sure the El Toro and El Rancho Grandes have their place, but this is the closest thing to AUTHENTIC Mexican that you will find in the Dayton area.

So get over to Taqueria Mixteca… VAMOS !!

Please visit Food Adventures on Facebook. Check back every Thursday for a new “Food Adventure” article on DAYTONMOSTMETRO.COM

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JET FREEZE for Summer Food Adventures and Treats

June 30, 2011 By Dayton937 1 Comment

Serving Customers Since 1957

What does a sweaty Big Ragu do to cool off this summer? We leave the swim club and get a fix at JET FREEZE! Located at the corner of Grange Hall and Patterson Rd in Beavercreek, this little known secret has been satisfying customers since 1957.

A favorite of Ragu’s since his childhood and able to quench any sweet tooth, this place has the most INCREDIBLE SOFT SERVE ice cream ever. Why is the soft serve so delicious? The answer is fresh milk. We saw them pouring gallons of Reiter milk into the machine that mixes the 95% fat free treat.

Strawberry Soft Serve

Jet Freeze has chocolate and vanilla soft serve. They also specialize in strawberry, a flavor that is rare in soft serve circles. The management told us the strawberry flavoring is specially mixed by employees for that great one of a kind taste. All flavors of soft serve cones are value priced from $1.20 to $1.80 for the large cone. In fact, we had a hard time finding a menu item that was priced above 3 dollars.

The place is simple and old school. They have 70’s style booths in the inside dining room, which is like an enclosed patio. The outside dining area features decades old stone tables and benches under yellow neon bulbs. Customers look particularly handsome under this lighting. Make sure you bring cash, because they do not accept credit or debit cards.

Family owned from the start, JET FREEZE has held onto its roots, while continuing to serve tasty treats year after year. But beware, Jet Freeze is closed during the winter months, so you cannot satisfy your cravings year round. Let’s get back to the food ….

The Big Ragu is addicted to their PEANUT BUTTER SUNDAE. The Food Adventurers found out they mix their own peanut butter sauce. We also tried the Banana Split which was very tasty and filling. Another treat that Jet Freeze serves are their FLURRIES. This is a take on the Dairy Queen Blizzard, and the soft serve makes this a winner, no matter what your topping.

Peanut Butter Cup Flurry and a Footlong

The menu also includes sandwiches. Let us recommend the FOOTLONG with or without chili, and check out the BBQ sandwich. Our suggestion is stick with the mainstays: soft serve or the sundaes. Be like us, stay cool and “Jet on over to Jet Freeze.”

Please visit Food Adventures on Facebook. Check back every Thursday for a new “Food Adventure” article on DAYTONMOSTMETRO.COM

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Introducing Food Adventures

June 16, 2011 By Dayton937 5 Comments

Food…. Dayton Food.

Who better to tackle this topic ?

Welcome to FOOD ADVENTURES! The place for Dayton Foodies.

After generating some Facebook buzz, we were approached by Daytonmostmetro.com to join them with a featured food blog. We are very excited over the new partnership, and promise to deliver our take on places to eat in the Dayton area. Our goal is an informative, entertaining blog, with a sense of humor. Whether casual food, formal dining, street food, or festivals, we will leave no plate unturned.

Look for a new blog post every week on Dayton Most Metro!

Together, your humble Food Adventurers will seek out locally owned restaurants, unique places off the beaten path, and even give our slant on some familiar favorites. Whenever we visit a place, we call it a “Food Adventure.” You can expect pictures of each Food Adventure we embark on. You can expect us hugging waiters, posting nostalgic blogs, and emotionally eating our way through life. We are not food critics, we are just two guys that love to eat!

So get ready Daytonmostmetro.com fans, you are about to go on an adventure…..

The Big Ragu destroying a footlong hot dog

Steve “The Big Ragu” Milano:

A lifelong Dayton resident, his early food influence was started by mom and grandparents’ Italian and German/Scottish cooking. Ragu’s love of food is only matched by his love of sports, travel, karaoke and just needing to be held. An attention seeking missile, Ragu’s favorite foods include Seafood, Italian Food, and Chinese/Japanese cuisine. Other hobbies include overeating occasionally and a slight attraction to deep fried menu items.

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