DoctorB

Thanks, ColDay Man. Shield's is another place that doesn't seem to be open whenever I have driven by, which included Saturday. Are they still in the same location?

Does anyone know if the following restaurants are still in business? Larch Tree restaurant at the Larch Tree golf course in Trotwood. Huffie's Bar-B-Que-Place looks closed. Rut's-Looks like it's being remodelled. They were working on the exterior Saturday. Chris's Soul Food-I don't think I've ever seen them open. Or, at least, where it appeared they were. Sam's Eatery-on Broadway and Miami Chapel-Can't really tell after a drive by. R & B Grill-On Gettysburg. Place seemed locked up Saturday afternoon. As an aside, does J & J Fish plan on buying out everyone? Can't wait for Hook's to finish their remodeling.

Per their website, Beavercreek's House of Thai will be opening a second location on Springboro Pike in Miamisburg. http://www.house-of-thai.com/index.htm

They're currently closed for about a week to remodel. I've enjoyed what I've had. They have a separate area just for carryout.

Joss was the Sandy Koufax of his day. I've always liked how Cobb wore an Indians jersey for that game to honor Joss. The biggest mistake he made was choosing Al Stump to be his biographer.

That was Shhhhnanigan's? I remember driving by that place, it was closer to the Patterson split than MVH. The mural sounds like something Walnut Hills on Brown and Wyoming would have had. I thought they had a big mural in the room with the pool tables but that was years ago. The location is now The Cornerstone.

They may not have had a choice. UD and MVH bought up all that land, that's part of the reason the two places left in the first place. Same with a lot of downtown places, road expansion or land expansion forced the hand of places that had been there forever. Like Michael's Chili Bowl and maybe even Chicken Louie's just North of Downtown. After all the hassle, perhaps they didn't want to have to deal with staying in Dayton.

It looks like not only Domenic's but their neighbor, Duke's Golden Ox, are coming back in a joint effort. Dominic’s restaurant rises from the ashes By Mark Fisher | Wednesday, March 18, 2009, 10:33 AM WEST CARROLLTON — A big piece of Dominic’s restaurant is about to be reborn. Christie Mantia, the granddaughter of Dominic’s founder Dominic Mantia, is partnering with Reece Powers, the nephew of the founder and owner of Duke’s Golden Ox, to open an as-yet-unnamed restaurant at 630 E. Dixie Drive in a building that housed Margarita Village Mexican restaurant. More details below: http://www.daytondailynews.com/e/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/taste/entries/2009/03/18/dominics_restaurant_rises_from.html

I enjoyed what I have had at Jimmy's. The pizza reminded me of another good local place, Corleone's on Patterson and Smithville.

I prefer nearby Cedarville Falls/Indian Mound reserve for personal reasons, but between those two as well as Glen Helen in Yellow Springs, there are some very scenic areas very close to each other. Great photos. Thanks for posting them and the thread serves as a reminder for me to come back soon. To think Cave Creek (the former 7 Caves) charges $10 while these gems are all free.

No such luck, apparently. There is a sign in the window saying the equipment is for sale. Just like CJ's Country Morning on Salem.

I drove by Chicken Louie's yesterday and there seems to be a lot of construction around and in directly front of the building on Main. Perhaps they really are closed temporarily and will be back once they are done.

Is that the one by Yankee? It seems like they're revamping a lot of McDonald's. Every time I see a building like that getting built, I wonder if it's Jack in the Box coming back. I saw a Jack and the Box truck by the Dayton Mall several months ago. I guess you have to be a friend of Ann Heller and know all the ins and outs of L'Auberge to appreciate it. Everyone I know who's been there say it's underwhelming for the prices you pay.

Hopefully temporary means temporary Chicken Louie’s ‘temporarily closed’ By Uncorked | Thursday, November 20, 2008, 10:32 AM Chicken Louie’s, an institution in north Dayton for decades, has “temporarily closed” its restaurant at 865 N. Main St., just north of downtown Dayton. http://www.daytondailynews.com/o/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/taste/entries/2008/11/20/chicken_louies_temporarily_clo.html

He'll be back. He's still the best out there at his weight class. Joe Calzaghe is a liar.

I LOVE that place! I went to the one in Greektown. Probably the best pizza I've ever had! That gets my vote for best in the Detroit area. Unfortunately, the one near where I grew up in the suburbs closed recently. For some reason some of the other PizzaPappalis satellites took in one Rio Wraps, a quick burrito place. It went downhill from there. Going back to chicken, ColDayMan, have you had a chance to try Carolina Chicken on East Third? It replaced Chicken Louie's there but I haven't had a chance to try it.

What the HELL? Oh, and might I add that New York style pizza can be found at your local mall in the form of Sbarros. Columbus has way more independent pizza places than Cincinnati could ever hope to have and Columbus is very well known for thin crust, greasy @ss pizza cut into small squares. As distinctive as skyline chili is, it hasn't spread like wild fire other than a few locations in places like (I think) Michigan and Florida. The company has been around for like 60 years, you would think that would be plenty of time. Just a little joke, and not a culinary one, btw. Don't shoot me. You're missing my point and I'm not trying to be disrespectful. Regardless of how many independent pizza places are in Columbus or Cincinnati or Walla Walla, I have never heard anyone refer to it as Columbus Pizza. Regardless of how widespread it is or isn't, Barberton Chicken is still Barberton Chicken. Yes, ColDayMan, I know you like some of the local Dayton places better. So do I. But no matter how good Chicken Louie's is, Dayton is not identified with its chicken. Detroit is home to Little Caesar's. And Domino's is not too far down the road. But when people around Detroit think of the pizza most identifiable with the area, it's the thick square cut of Buddy's or Shield's or PizzaPappalis. Having a chain does not a city identifier make. I think that's the point UncleRando was making. I agree with him.

Wendy's and Donatos are universal, but is there such a thing as Columbus Burgers or Columbus Pizza? They're chains that happen to be based out of Columbus that could well be based anywhere, but Cincinnati chili is akin to New York pizza or Carolina barbecue. Dayton wants to be Cincinnati. Cincinnati wishes it were in Kentucky.

As long as i have to live here (Kettering, actually), any improvements are going to get my approval. And to think it wasn't too long ago when people were fighting tooh and nail to prevent Uno's to come in. The "we need to be a ghost town" mentality is leaving.

Just for events, eh? That's still cool, either way. I remember fondly the monorail they had in Dearborn, Michigan, that would go from the Fairlane Mall to one of the nearby hotels and back. Or was that Henry Ford's home? I don't remember exactly but it was thrilling when you were an eight-year-old.

I heard they won't even look at a city unless they have at least one DSW to go along with two Targets and three Applebee's. Does Canton have that prerequisite?

As a football fan, I've actually visited the HOF a few times, including attending the 2005 induction ceremony. I like it, it could be a little more interactive, and it just touches the surface on a lot of things, but I think it's one of Ohio's top museums. And, at least Canton has a connection to football, the NFL was actually born there. In Cooperstown, all that was born was a fairy tale. And I wouldn't call Cooperstown vibrant. the town pretty much shuts down at 5 p.m. except for the restaurants. But that is part of its charm, something Canton doesn't have too much of, itself. I'm not sure of the significance of the sight where the HOF actually stands. Could they have put a football field directly downtown? Most of the brochures I see about NW Ohio list suggested itineraries thatt includes the HOF with other Canton-area stuff like Harry London, the McKinley Museum and the First Ladies National Historic Site. There's stuff to do, but it's in an extended area.

Has anyone been to a Paints game? I've been meaning to go, but never have. I know the chances of seeing a future star are far less, as they are independent, but the price is right and the drive from Dayton to Chillicothe (or, actually, Hillsboro to Chillicothe, the route I eventually take) is one of my favorites.

29!?! :-o Does that type of aggresive jumping into a market ever work? It sure didn't for Quizno's, and I don't think it reached that number. How large is the market actually? Does that include the locations already there before this expansion in Franklin and Hamilton?

Indeed. Texas Steakhouse is the type of restaurant that would get very busy and stay busy. The one in Springfield is certainly like that, and it has its own lot. It's too bad the Chi Chi's or the Hop's that was in the area vacated a while back, those would have been much better locations. Parking is the biggest drawback. The restaurant itself should do well, Logan's and Lonestar (or is it Longhorn) are both by the mall and they both seem to always be busy. And a glut of similar chains hasn't hurt the Bechtle/41 area in Springfield. I won't go there, I've eaten at the Springfield location and tend to just try a chain and leave it at that.