Welcoming Mary Ann & Michael to Dayton (please comment)

Hello, in the previous thread, Mary Ann & Michael commented, "This is off point, but we are Northeastern foodies about to move to the Dayton area and looking for recommendations for restaurants. We will be doing a pre-move/house-hunting visit next weekend and have Friday night free to explore. Tips/suggestions are welcome. We eat just about anything except broccoli (one of us) and beets (both of us). Thanks for your help. Mary Ann & Michael"

In an effort to attract attention to this comment, I'm replying in a new thread. Everyone, please make your welcoming suggestions.

Mary Ann & Michael,
I'm honored at your ask. In Dayton, we pride ourselves on being very welcoming and I hope that you greatly enjoy living here. Many people, especially people who have moved here, would not seriously consider living anywhere else.

For your first visit, I would recommend visiting the Oregon District. It is an area adjacent to downtown that has a high concentration of awesome restaurants. You can walk around and look at menus to find one that you like. This web site has a lot of restaurant links and addresses for downtown and Oregon District dining. Please especially look at Coco's, one of my favorite restaurants. If you're looking for someplace that is more bar than restaurant, visit Blind Bob's in the Oregon District. Its a great bar with even better food.

For more lists of restaurants around town, our local blogger hangout, http://www.daytonmostmetro.com, has a posting that compiles local food blogs, many have a lot more postings than my own blog does.

Finally, I think Dayton is a great place to eat. We have a wide variety of restaurants and a lot of local offerings for foodies. I am especially proud of how good our bar food is. Blind Bob's, Boscos, Slyder's, Tanks, and Dublin Pub (also in the Oregon District) are all bars that you can get a great meal at. Additionally, coming from the Northeast, I think that you will be pleasantly surprised at our local food prices.

Mary Ann & Michael, please comment if you're looking for a restaurant in a specific area or of a certain type. I want to help as much as possible. Welcome to Dayton!