Breakfast at Abner's

You'll have to ask who Abner is because I forgot to ask. Sorry.

I forgot to ask because I was too busy eating my breakfast and people watching. The breakfast food was great. I tried the eggs, toast, biscuits & gravy, and fried potatoes. All of them were really good, cheap, and filling enough that I forgot to eat lunch (that NEVER happens).

Abner's is a classic Dayton diner. They assume that you want coffee, they sell lotto tickets and they have a back room where the food comes out of. I love it all! Abner's does have really good food. Since my bad experience at Wympe's, I had been leery of trying a diner's biscuits and gravy. I am very happy to report that Abner's biscuits and gravy were very good.

There is some good people watching at Abner's. It is on the main road of E. Dayton so it attracts a crowd with a lot of life experiences. I know this because the tatoos were a rich tapestry of . . . something. I think that my guest and I were the only people in there without tats. They were very friendly (like most Daytonians).

One of my favorite things about Abner's is that it is a great place to get away and get work done, especially if an internet connection is not needed. It is not a loud diner, the people pretty much keep to themselves and they don't mind you hanging around.

I recommend Abner's for the people watching, the office like functions but most of all, they serve a really good breakfast. (but you must pay cash for it)

Tony's!!!

I like to have business meetings at memorable places because it makes the meeting itself more memorable. I took a guy who lives in Cincinnati to Tony's and he was so excited that, the next night, he took his wife and another couple from Mason to Tony's for dinner. What this means is that Tony's is a tourist destination. It's that good.

What makes Tony’s memorable and unique is the menu. Tony's specializes in Fair Food. Among its fried items include pickles, Oreos, Twinkies, and Snickers. They have things that no one else has on their menu including Loaded Spiral Potatoes and Funnel Cake with Cherry Topping (I actually recommend without the Cherry Topping, the cherries are too overpowering). I’m sure that they would fry anything else if you asked. They are very nice there. (SPECIAL INSIGHT: The best way to get to Tony’s is a really long walk.)

Tony's also has pizza, hamburgers, pork tenderloins and other regular food there. They also have salads. (I want to see the person who orders a salad, a diet coke, and a fried Snicker). Those are all good. You can't go and get the specialty desserts if the main food is bad.

Recommended order: Tony's Italian Sausage, Loaded Spiral Potato and Deep Fried Twinkie.

I give the restaurant ambiance three lunch orders. The restaurant is really boring but the family that works there is very generous with portions and offering free samples. The food is four lunch orders. You will have a meal that you will remember for a long time.

Its nice to have choices but its also nice to have a place that specializes in something that no one else is specializing in doing. Go to Tony's but beware of the tourists!

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!

North River Coffee House

There is a dearth of food choices on Salem Ave. I will go so far as to say that there does not seem to be many local food choices in that part of Dayton. It is a desert of good food options. There may be water there but I sure as hell can't find much.

One solid choice for the past several years has been North River Coffee House, http://www.northrivercoffee.com/. This little diner-coffee shop is owned by Judge Littlejohn and has been managed by a very sweet woman who was doing a great job, according to this frequent customer.

Honestly, North River's food was never spectacular. I just really enjoyed eating there because if the food tastes better in a locally owned restaurant, it tastes even better in a locally owned restaurant in a part of town that does an awful job supporting locally owned restaurants. It does have good coffee, pie, and free wi-fi!

North River Coffee House was the 2007 CityWide Development Corporation Business of the Year. They earned it. It was bringing an entrepreneurial solution to an area that needs more businesses.

I'm frustrated because I fear that they will be on my "RIP, burger" list soon. There was a new woman today behind the counter and the service was poor, there was a slimmed down menu with 1/2 of the lunch options (the menu wasn't expansive in the first place), and I know that they have been doing poorly. They also forgot my pickle.

I just don't understand how that business is not better supported. They have NO competition except a Rally's up the street and downtown (which is almost a mile away). There is enough car traffic, residents and local businesses that they should be thriving. They have ample parking and they have a "Dayton celebrity" owner. Their poor prospects do not make me sad; they make me mad. If you want more businesses like this one, than you have to not only go there, you have to bring people to them. This is people-powered economic development, the best kind!

Don't make your business lunches at an easily found and safe chain restaurant, make it at some place memorable. I just hope that North River Coffee Coffee House survives as an option.