Where to eat in Dayton Ohio North of Middletown

The Grub Steak on North Main used to be a great place for steaks. Pretty reasonable and good atmosphere. Been a few years since I've been there.

I use to love the Old Hickory. Sitting there and watching the slabs turning on the rottiserie. My go to dinner was the 22oz sirloin. So bib they fold it to fit the okate. It was 9.95. LAst time it was over 20 bux. What a shame.britt

Finally visited Cena in the Dayton Mall area for my birthday with my girlfriend and two friends of ours.

We had done the Brazilian thing in Cincinnati (Amor de Brazil), so we pretty much knew what we were getting into.

We went at 4:30, before the Saturday night dinner rush, and it was understandably empty. It started to fill up after we were there awhile.

Amor de Brazil was $45, and this was $32, so I wasn't expecting the same quality and/or quantity of meats we got there, but it was about the same. Lots of high-quality meats, and there were only two people bringing them out, but since it wasn't crowded the cadence was perfect.

The flank steak was incredible. All four of us said it was our favorite. Medium rare, nice and juicy. They also had bacon-wrapped beef, filet mignon, Brazilian sausage, Chorizo, Parmesan pork, bacon-wrapped chicken, lamb chops, leg of lamb...a couple other I can't remember.

Almost all were excellent. The Parmesan pork was a little overdone, but that was my only complaint. Dinner came with cheese rolls, which were also outstanding, plus white and rye breads, mashed potatoes, and two sauces.

The salad bar had everything from traditional salad items to cured ham, salami, cheeses, soups. Just about everything I tried was awesome.

I absolutely loved Amor de Brazil, and I'd rank Cena a little lower than that, but for $13 less per person I'll be going back again for my girlfriend's birthday.

Servers were very friendly and very cooperative. One of my friends likes very rare meat, and one of the gauchos went out of his way to accomodate him. Only slight problem with service was when we wanted to leave, their credit card machine had to reboot, so it took an extra 15 minutes for us to go, but we weren't in a major hurry so it wasn't a big deal.

Highly recommended.

Has anyone trie Rudys in the Germantown Opera House. Its even cheaper.
britt

quote:

Originally posted by brittneal

Has anyone trie Rudys in the Germantown Opera House. Its even cheaper.
britt

I will try to get there this week thanks britt it looks great...Russ

If you haven't tried Bill's Doughnuts in Centerville Ohio you might want to. Its my favorite in Ohio. If you know of any others I would like to know your favorites in the area...Russ

Am new here, enjoying this thread. I need to know if anyone knows of a great pizza place in Chattanooga. I ask here, instead of a Chattanooga thread, because I think Dayton area residents will understand what I'm looking for. We really like Troni's. That's probably the best pizza around. Used to love Cassano's but agree it's not always the same anymore. My whole family LOVES Wooster St. Pizza (in New Haven, Conn. - Pepe's is our fav, Sally's & Modern very good also as is Dayton St. Apizza (yes "Dayton" St.). I think the Connecticut pizza is the best food anywhere. My mouth waters as I write. I'd drive back to CT just for Pepe's if I could get more time off). Soooooooo, if anyone can recommend a New Haven style pizza place, or a Troni's style, in Chattanooga, I'd really appreciate it.
We like "NY style" pizza also (as I guess I would classify Troni's - ate a lot of Brooklyn, Long Island pizza when we lived there years ago. Flying Pizza is close sometimes, but not quite there, for my tastes.
Thanks for any info.

My wife and I ate at Rudy's in Germantown this weekend.

Our basic take is that the food is OK - fresh and well prepared, just not memorably seasoned or presented - but the table service really needs to be reconsidered. Service is very disorganized, IMO. I can't recommend the place very strongly right now.

The setting - the old opera house - was enjoyable and interesting. The walls and the tables are decorated with old local interest photos and newspaper articles.

We did notice that when the place was almost full, around 8:00, we only saw individuals at two tables being served "all you can eat". So the carne assada plate is probably the best way to experience their food for the first time. The "gaucho with sword" thing seems to be the reason for the popularity of these places, but it appeared to me that most people order the regular dinners instead.

It took us about 15 minutes after we were seated just to get a waiter's attention and get served soft drinks. We ordered the carne assada for two - which is basically a plate of meats of your choosing, which are the same meats that are served tableside, and sides for two.

We sat for over 20 minutes with only our drinks and no salads, and we noticed that another table that had been seated after us was already eating their main course and the owner/"gaucho" was at their table carving meat. I finally flagged down our waiter, a young kid with a mohawk who seemed very distracted, and asked him for our salads. He started telling me how the kitchen was "backed up" and I pointed out that the other table was eating already. He just got defensive and said the food would be out as soon as it was ready. So 25+ minutes after ordering he finally brought out our salads. (That was really his fault, he was not paying attention to us at all.)

The food arrived 20-25 minutes later. What each person gets as sides with carne assada is a small dish of black beans, a small cup of a cilantro, onion and tomato salsa, a small cup of what the server described as "Brazilian potato salad", and a mound of very dry yellow rice.

The meats we ordered filled a small oval plate - probably about a lb. of meat - and were as follows:

Marinated sirloin - flavorful, somewhat fatty, and fairly rare. This was the best meat of the bunch.

Roasted pork. Tender, mostly white meat. Ok.

Marinated chicken wings. Ok.

Two links of a sausage. The sausage was very fine grained, but not very memorable. I would skip this.

Pineapple. (Ok, not meat, but roasted and served along with the meat.) Yummy.

Again, the sirloin was our favorite meat.

My wife and I were satisfied by this meal but not overstuffed, and if we felt that we would not be abandoned again for 20 minutes, we might have ordered dessert and coffee.

While were were sitting, my wife noticed a waitress who was going around asking the other servers if they were covering one couple's table. She didn't find anyone assigned so she waited on them herself. So, service seems to be an issue here.

IMO you probably need to order the "all you can eat" dinner in order to get proper attention here (IE, from the owner).

Im sure that ordering off the menu could be a good option. The only down side is that the fewer people doing the tableside thing detracts from ths service rather than enhances it. I would think they would need more people in order to allow them to keep coming out with fresh and new dishes at a timely pace. Its like going to a buffet at the height of the dinner hour and seeing an empty parking lot-Time to drive on!
i definitely want to check it out, but will give them a bit to gey their feet wet.

quote:

Originally posted by donw9876

My wife and I ate at Rudy's in Germantown this weekend.

Our basic take is that the food is OK - fresh and well prepared, just not memorably seasoned or presented - but the table service really needs to be reconsidered. Service is very disorganized, IMO. I can't recommend the place very strongly right now.

The setting - the old opera house - was enjoyable and interesting. The walls and the tables are decorated with old local interest photos and newspaper articles.

We did notice that when the place was almost full, around 8:00, we only saw individuals at two tables being served "all you can eat". So the carne assada plate is probably the best way to experience their food for the first time. The "gaucho with sword" thing seems to be the reason for the popularity of these places, but it appeared to me that most people order the regular dinners instead.

It took us about 15 minutes after we were seated just to get a waiter's attention and get served soft drinks. We ordered the carne assada for two - which is basically a plate of meats of your choosing, which are the same meats that are served tableside, and sides for two.

We sat for over 20 minutes with only our drinks and no salads, and we noticed that another table that had been seated after us was already eating their main course and the owner/"gaucho" was at their table carving meat. I finally flagged down our waiter, a young kid with a mohawk who seemed very distracted, and asked him for our salads. He started telling me how the kitchen was "backed up" and I pointed out that the other table was eating already. He just got defensive and said the food would be out as soon as it was ready. So 25+ minutes after ordering he finally brought out our salads. (That was really his fault, he was not paying attention to us at all.)

The food arrived 20-25 minutes later. What each person gets as sides with carne assada is a small dish of black beans, a small cup of a cilantro, onion and tomato salsa, a small cup of what the server described as "Brazilian potato salad", and a mound of very dry yellow rice.

The meats we ordered filled a small oval plate - probably about a lb. of meat - and were as follows:

Marinated sirloin - flavorful, somewhat fatty, and fairly rare. This was the best meat of the bunch.

Roasted pork. Tender, mostly white meat. Ok.

Marinated chicken wings. Ok.

Two links of a sausage. The sausage was very fine grained, but not very memorable. I would skip this.

Pineapple. (Ok, not meat, but roasted and served along with the meat.) Yummy.

Again, the sirloin was our favorite meat.

My wife and I were satisfied by this meal but not overstuffed, and if we felt that we would not be abandoned again for 20 minutes, we might have ordered dessert and coffee.

While were were sitting, my wife noticed a waitress who was going around asking the other servers if they were covering one couple's table. She didn't find anyone assigned so she waited on them herself. So, service seems to be an issue here.

IMO you probably need to order the "all you can eat" dinner in order to get proper attention here (IE, from the owner).

Thanks for the report -- I too was curious about that place, being a big fan of Brazilian steakhouses. Sounds like I'd rather spend the extra $10 to eat at Cena.

Even if the table service at Rudy's improved to par with established restaurants, I would be grudging about going back. It feels like a very long drive for food that doesn't seem that special and not that good a value.

Having said that, I went because we were curious, and I had read several glowing reviews of Rudy's before going. Since I had never been to a Brazilian steak house before, I have nothing to compare it to.

Carriage Inn, EnonOH. We had eaaten there several times in the past with decent results. Its a nice place with homemade food.
Our food was terrible. I ordered the sausage bisquits and gravy. It was just before lunch and the dealis when they run out-its gone for the day(breakfast served all day otherwise). I was in luck and they had plenty left. To start with the bisquiys were so stale they crumbled when cut in to. They were dry and crunchy to chew. The sauce had congealed intolumps and the meathad to be hamburger. It had a milk flavor and the met was actually tough.
My wife had the open face roast beef. It was served as a "closed" sandwich" cut in half and smotherd with the brown gravy. First there was 1 scimpy slice of meat(before cuttint) It was an en end cut and you could see the gristle in it. I finally got the server over and she looked at and told me it was correct!. We proceded to finish our meal. I had run out of iced tea half way thru and never saw the server till she brought the check and took our plates. Never did ask me about a refill.
On the way out I told the manager it was one of the worst meals We had eaten. Her words were "No its not." She also told us we should have informed the server!
I would have given them another chance as we had goood food before but after the attitude we recieved-No more.
britt

Has anyone had BREAKFAST at Tank's? We're looking for good breakfast places, hopefully locally run. We don't really like Golden Nugget - too much grease and sugar. First Watch we like, but of course it's a chain. We like the Blueberry Cafe, it's been good each time we've been. Any suggestions?
FWIW, Lupi's in Chattanooga has deLICIOUS pizza.

quote:

Originally posted by Russ Jackson

I just got back from Troni's. I ordered a Large Pepperoni and Garlic New York Style and a White Pizza with Garlic also. We also ordered 6 Garlic Rolls. The atmosphere was not impressive very simple no frills at all. I drove past the place the first time as is sits in a 4 tenant sort of strip. I walked in and instantly knew I was in the right place. The smell of proper pizza dough is one of those things that leaves an impression in ones mind for life. The service was adequate at best. I ordered the pies and waited. The rolls came and were excellent. It took a while for the pizza to come to the table. This was another good sign. It came to the table lava hot and bubbly with a crust I have never seen in this town. Smelled great and tasted excellent. Hands down the best Pizza I have ever had in Ohio. The place is only 13.6 miles from my house and I have lived here for a decade. Shame on me and thank you Roadfood. The white pizza was excellent. The white pizza was ordered for my daughter who met us at Troni's. If you love Pizza and live in the area or even remotely close to the area you must try it. Never shall I eat at Rock-a-Fellas or Flying Pizza again. NYPIzzaNut I thank you for finding this gem located at 1314 E Dorothy Lane Kettering Ohio 937-643-9921 Named Troni's

...Russ

Our lunchbunch group was there yesterday - as usual their food was wondrous. Here are photos of the exterior and interior (our waiter Nick was caught looking at me and if you look to the upper right I caught his dad - the owner - by the pizza ovens.) This a mom and pop operation with their four kids working there also.

quote:

Originally posted by NYPIzzaNut

quote:

Originally posted by Russ Jackson

I just got back from Troni's. I ordered a Large Pepperoni and Garlic New York Style and a White Pizza with Garlic also. We also ordered 6 Garlic Rolls. The atmosphere was not impressive very simple no frills at all. I drove past the place the first time as is sits in a 4 tenant sort of strip. I walked in and instantly knew I was in the right place. The smell of proper pizza dough is one of those things that leaves an impression in ones mind for life. The service was adequate at best. I ordered the pies and waited. The rolls came and were excellent. It took a while for the pizza to come to the table. This was another good sign. It came to the table lava hot and bubbly with a crust I have never seen in this town. Smelled great and tasted excellent. Hands down the best Pizza I have ever had in Ohio. The place is only 13.6 miles from my house and I have lived here for a decade. Shame on me and thank you Roadfood. The white pizza was excellent. The white pizza was ordered for my daughter who met us at Troni's. If you love Pizza and live in the area or even remotely close to the area you must try it. Never shall I eat at Rock-a-Fellas or Flying Pizza again. NYPIzzaNut I thank you for finding this gem located at 1314 E Dorothy Lane Kettering Ohio 937-643-9921 Named Troni's

...Russ

Our lunchbunch group was there yesterday - as usual their food was wondrous. Here are photos of the exterior and interior (our waiter Nick - one of the owner's 3 sons - was caught looking at me, and if you look to the right I captured his dad - the owner - by the pizza ovens.) This a mom and pop operation with their four kids working there also.

Russ Jackson, not sure if you have made the drive to Middletown or not. But Milton's Donuts ranks as my favorite donut shop in the area. Sadly I moved from the area 3 years ago over to the east side of Cinci. But I still stop when back to visit friends.
Its about the only thing worth driving to Middletown for. Ron's pizza was great till they closed about a decade ago. I think they still have a shop in Springboro but not sure about the pizza. IT was a cassanos/marions clone with a better bite to the crust.

baughman,
I have not been to Milton's but I will. As to Ron's Pizza they reciently moved out of Springboro and I dont know where they moved to. I did not like there pizza. However it might not be the same as when you were there. Ron's was next to my most hated Sub place Subby's. Horrible place with the worst bread ever. I was at Troni's last week and had an Old Fashioned Pizza and it was excellent as usual. I also noticed something about Troni's after having gone there many times I have never seen a Woman working there....Russ

I'm really sorry to hear that about Ron's. Ron's Pizza in Springboro (and formerly in Centerville) was awesome: it was a high-quality Cassano's type pizza with better ingredients. My one problem with Ron's Springboro is that their hours always seemed flaky, we'd stop in some weeknight evenings and they would be closed.

Ah, I found Troni's a few weeks ago, they were closed on the Sunday I stopped there. A typewriter repair shop called "Cal-Vent" was in that plaza in the Mesozoic era when I was in college...

quote:

Originally posted by Russ Jackson

baughman,
I have not been to Milton's but I will. As to Ron's Pizza they reciently moved out of Springboro and I dont know where they moved to. I did not like there pizza. However it might not be the same as when you were there. Ron's was next to my most hated Sub place Subby's. Horrible place with the worst bread ever. I was at Troni's last week and had an Old Fashioned Pizza and it was excellent as usual. I also noticed something about Troni's after having gone there many times I have never seen a Woman working there....Russ

The owner's wife and daughter are generally in the back in the kitchen area. The lovely daughter served us on our first visit there some months back. The three brothers and the father generally make the pizzas and the boys doing the serving and bussing of tables.

I am starting to get the urge again for one of their pizzas!

This collage was from our first visit to Troni's in March 2008.

The lunchbunch group is shown on the takeout bag, with the owner's lovely daughter, and she is also depicted holding it up.......note that Troni's is in Kettering OH - Internet searches sometimes show it to be in Beavercreek and thus the wrong city is showing on the pizza box in the collage photograph.

Some of their wonderful pizzas we have partaken of:

Russ Jackson ,I have to second your pick of subbys as one of the worst sub shops ever LOL. Many moons ago I managed the Papa Johns in Springboro when it use to be were the MArcos Pizza is now(if Marcos is still there?) The staff wanted to trade all the time with them and it use to kill me.
I did use to go to main street cafe to get a rubin from time to time. They steam the whole sandwich. Wasnt to bad.
I have been trying for months to get my wife to let us drive up to Troni's to try a pizza. I will have to show her this thread.
She is more then willing to make the drive to Lima for kewpee so I should have her there soon I hope.

quote:

Originally posted by baughman

Russ Jackson ,I have to second your pick of subbys as one of the worst sub shops ever LOL. Many moons ago I managed the Papa Johns in Springboro when it use to be were the MArcos Pizza is now(if Marcos is still there?) The staff wanted to trade all the time with them and it use to kill me.
I did use to go to main street cafe to get a rubin from time to time. They steam the whole sandwich. Wasnt to bad.
I have been trying for months to get my wife to let us drive up to Troni's to try a pizza. I will have to show her this thread.
She is more then willing to make the drive to Lima for kewpee so I should have her there soon I hope.

You might let her know my wife and I drive 70 miles each way on two lane blacktop mainly from Sardinia to Kettering ofttimes to get a Troni's pizza fix!

With gasoline prices falling we may be doing it more often.

We are both native New Yorkers and love their pizza crust and pies. Ohio is a pretty barren wasteland when it comes to really good pizza that reminds us of what pizza pies are like in metro New York.

The really interesting thing about Troni's is that the family is Albanian. The owner has a brother who runs a pizza shop nearby but the brother's crust is terrible. Go figure.

Your in my neck of the woods then. I would be driving up from Blanchester. Been hoping to find a true Ny fix in the Cinci area. Sadly Flying Pizza is the closest I have found so far, and there dough has gotten way off. 17 years ago it was pretty good, but something has changed.
I liked Flying back when I went to OSU. MAybe its just the cinci store that is off?

Flying Pizza in Cinci and Dayton are both awful excuses for what they say is NY style pizza.

I will be in Kettering tomorrow with our lunchbunch at Madison's Bistro and will pick up a Troni's pizza on the way home.

quote:

Originally posted by NYPIzzaNut

Flying Pizza in Cinci and Dayton are both awful excuses for what they say is NY style pizza.

I will be in Kettering tomorrow with our lunchbunch at Madison's Bistro and will pick up a Troni's pizza on the way home.

I was at Troni's three hours ago for lunch and it was excellent as usual. People always look at me weird in that place when I ask them why they are ordering spaghetti or lasagna instead of the Pizza. Then they ask me if it is good and I go into my story. So when my pie arrives I hand deliver the first piece to them. I went to Slyders in Dayton last night and it still reigns as the best burger in the area...Russ

I guess great pizza is not first and foremost on the minds of most Ohioans minds. Even two-thirds of my lunchbunch group have no concept of what constitutes great pizza - all they know is they want half a dozen toppings on their pies. It is one of life's small tragedies I endure for the sake of enduring friendships.

For those who like NY style pizza, have you tried either Fratelli's in West Chester or Aponte's in Mason. Personally, I am not a fan of fratelli's, but enjoy Aponte's(although its a NJ pizza since that is where the owner is from). I believe his website is apontes.net

I have tried both and neither holds a candle to what real NY style pizza should be. They are no better than any of the Flying Pizza places. Their crust is terrible.

We tried Hot *Head* Burritos at their new location in Centerville in the old Taco Bell just south of Spring Valley Rd a few nights ago. This is a small chain, perhaps not Roadfood, but I'd say that it is small enough to have unique personality. We bought a chicken burrito with the extra hot salsa, a beef taco, and beef nachos. Total damage was about $13. It was a not quite gut busting but very satisfying amount of food for two.

The ingredients were quite fresh, and everything was top-quality, on a par with or better than any chain. The chicken and the beef were good quality, moderately seasoned and not fatty or gristly.

I especially appreciated the personalized, friendly service we received. The counter service at Chipotles I've been to always seem so teenager-cracking-gum-not-giving-a-crap in tone. I've never cared for Qdoba in Mason - I always feel very rushed and I never feel like I get what I really want, even though the product quality is good, because it's run like a friggin' assembly line. I like this better than either chain.

Just a minor correction, but it seems to be Hot Head Burritos

http://www.hotheadburritos.com/

Yes, and thanks for the typo correction!

I think that the Troni's girl looks way better than the food

quote:

Originally posted by brittneal

I think that the Troni's girl looks way better than the food

Have you eaten there?
Either you need to eat there and then chime up, need a vision plan with your health insurance at work or need a smiley or wink face at the end of you post.

One of the best pizzas in the area.

jjjrfoodie

quote:

Originally posted by donw9876

Yes, and thanks for the typo correction!

No problem. Thanks for the review. I may have to try them next time I'm up in Dayton as I'm a big fan of Chipotle and this looks to be right up my alley.

I do not know how one can compare a girl to food.

Is there some deeper meaning here?

I have this song on constant rotation on my compilation CDs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2L_TksB9RRQ

Pizza Pie
Norman Fox & Rob Roys

It is a wonderful doowop classic from the late 1950s and makes me appreciate pizza pies all the more!

There's a lot of generalized pizza worship going on here. I'm somewhat concerned.

Troni's == Mecca of pizza? Bow X times a day in the direction of Beavertown?

(NOTE: due to the mention of the owner's daughter above, I want to state that "Beavertown" is simply the historical name of that part of Kettering... and nothing more!)

And it has nothing to do with Beavercreek.

quote:

Originally posted by donw9876

There's a lot of generalized pizza worship going on here. I'm somewhat concerned.

Troni's == Mecca of pizza? Bow X times a day in the direction of Beavertown?

Nope, not generalized at all, but this is just proof of more non-food drivel and bull%^$# comments about food and establishments that deliver good food; but you continue to drive home my earlier comments that this site is now just a bastion of solace for those that just like to bitch about everything.



jjjrfoodie

Pizza is sacred, and should never be made fun of or taken lightly.

I think most non-pizza nuts have no idea what really good pizza is supposed to taste like.

And they consume all thoses calories eating food that tastes worse than cardboard. It is an abomination!

NYPizzaNut, I'm not from NY but lived in the area for 10 yrs or so. Enjoyed NY pizza a lot - though it was second to Wooster St. Pizza (New Haven). You are correct - Troni's is the best pizza around - and Pizza IS Sacred!!

Now - anyone have any experience with Tank's for Breakfast?!

FWIW, I don't get the bug up Jrrfoodie's @ss. I made the meta comment in response to the several ongoing sidebars here about Troni's, and I was not the first one to do so. IMO this thread should be split out into a separate Troni's thread. I have too much going on in my life to argue about proper use of a message board anyway. But the comment seemed to deserve a response, and I'll post unless I'm banned.

We just had Troni's tonight for the first time. It is awesome. But I honestly can't tell that *much* of a difference between it and Flying Pizza. The crust is quite similar in texture, more well-done on the bottom than Flying Pizza, and the sauce seems to be slightly "sharper" and more acidic in taste than anything comparable I've ever gotten. I like Tronis' marginally better than Flying Pizza but really, it would come down to convenience and where I was at the time.

Troni's seems a bit expensive on some items for a small mom and pop restaurant (extra toppings $2/each.)

So that's one man's opinion. Worth traveling for? Sure!

My wife and I are also fans of the wood fired pizza at Stefano's in Middletown.

Having been raised in Yonkers NY and eating pizza there and in NYC for many years I can tell you that when I eat Troni's pizza it is almost as good as NY pizza - not perfect but as close probably as Dewey's Pizza. Neither is exactly like the texture of great NY crust but they come close enough to make me a happy camper.

I have had alleged NY style pizza at many pretenders in Cinci and Dayton areas, like Flying Pizza and a dozen others like them - the texture of their crust is awful - plain and simple - almost as bad as Dominos and many other fast food pizza chains. But to each his own.

BTW I do not worry about the cost of extra toppings because I do not want them - a good pizza requires nothing but great crust, good mozzarella cheese and good tomato sauce with a little olive oil and basil and oregano. I have friends in my lunchbunch who routinely want their pizzas with many toppings - they never learn that to taste what the pizza is really like you don't mess it up with a bunch of toppings. But they did not grow up eating great NYC area pizzas for 15 years or so like I did. They just do not care about the crust and its texture and taste like real pizza afficionados do.

Ok, this is getting interesting. I am from the area and I grew up on Flying Pizza.

Two things:

Completely agreed that ingredients beyond the cheese are superfluous in judging pizza. But I enjoy a few. My favorite slice in high school and college between classes in the 70s was Flying Pizza's plain cheese.

Secondly, I *really* (honestly) cannot tell the difference between Troni's crust and Flying Pizza. They're both chewy and have (in my opinion) a similar homemade, highly glutenous developed texture. Flying Pizza is just *not* a mass market Donato's or Domino's. It's in the same category as Troni's... just a different take. Same kind of crust, same sparing use of sauce.

I'll have to revisit a Flying Pizza location soon and recalibrate, but I personally don't get the huge quality difference that you are stating.

PS: pretty funny that next door to Troni's is a Papa John's.

I guess if you have eaten NY crust for a long time and then came to Ohio and ate what usually passes for pizza you might have a more sensitive palate for what is and is not a good crust and a superior pie.

Troni's crust has more texture and chewiness and a bit of a crunch to it.

Flying Pizza's crust is mushy - that is the best I can describe it and I have had their pizzas in Cinci and Dayton thanks to my fellow lunchbunch members and both were the same - plain awful.

It may not be as bad as the cardboard crusts you get at Domino and many other places but it just nothing in the taste category. Mushy and tasteless crust ruins a pizza for me.

Tronis still gets my vote for the babe in the pin sweater! Hubba-hubba

To each his own. Actually I think she is kind of fetching too, but other than during our first visit there in March this year she is always working the back kitchen and never is out front waiting on tables. Perhaps one too many customers flirted with her. Her dad is there most of the time and is kind of an old-fashioned fellow from what I have seen and he may have decided to not have his only daughter be exposed so much to their customers but I have no idea really why only the sons wait tables and bus them now.

I have a fairly sensitive palate. I'll be the only one in some restaurants saying "this is tasteless" or "this tastes rancid" and my wife thinks I'm nuts. I'll have to revisit Flying Pizza and get back to this thread. Maybe it's changed for the worse since I last ate there.

"Mushy" and "tasteless"? NEVER, ever experienced that with FP. Those are the last adjectives I would use to describe their pizza crust.

These are the first ones that come to my mind.

Clearly this is a religious conflict.

quote:

Originally posted by donw9876

FWIW, I don't get the bug up Jrrfoodie's @ss. I made the meta comment in response to the several ongoing sidebars here about Troni's, and I was not the first one to do so. IMO this thread should be split out into a separate Troni's thread. I have too much going on in my life to argue about proper use of a message board anyway. But the comment seemed to deserve a response, and I'll post unless I'm banned.

We just had Troni's tonight for the first time. It is awesome. But I honestly can't tell that *much* of a difference between it and Flying Pizza. The crust is quite similar in texture, more well-done on the bottom than Flying Pizza, and the sauce seems to be slightly "sharper" and more acidic in taste than anything comparable I've ever gotten. I like Tronis' marginally better than Flying Pizza but really, it would come down to convenience and where I was at the time.

Troni's seems a bit expensive on some items for a small mom and pop restaurant (extra toppings $2/each.)

So that's one man's opinion. Worth traveling for? Sure!

My wife and I are also fans of the wood fired pizza at Stefano's in Middletown.

First off I don't have any problem if this thread is too much about Troni's. One of the few really good places in this Gastronomical Wasteland called Dayton. Well maybe not as bad as Erie Pa but there are very few Diamonds in the Ruff. For the first 11 of my 13 years in Dayton the only Pizza I could even eat was Flying Pizza. Not because it was great but because it was the best of the worst. By tasting it, it kept me in touch palette wise what great pizza can taste like. I am sure you Marion's, Papa Johns, La Rosa's and other circular dough concoctions cut into little squares with cheap cheese, extruded sausage that looks like rabbit droppings and of course the micro-thin laser sliced pepperoni(how do they slice them so thin) strewn atop a pizza in this town are going take offense to this. I wasted 11 years eating eating the other stuff and I don't want to waste anymore. Every time I go there I see more and more people eating in the place. So there is hope. I try to go there a couple times a month. All roadfooders in the area should do the same. Flying Pizza 5 or 6 years ago served a much better Pizza. However they have gotten LAZY and COMPLACENT and it shows in the reviews. FP is still the best of the worst. While Troni's is the only real pizza in this town. NYP I like 1 topping only on my pizza and light jalapeno.Troni's has Jalapeno's available however they are not on the menu. Troni's best topping is their sausage. It is not ground or extruded but hand sliced thin from what looks like a homemade itallian sausage. Enjoy and hope to see you there...Russ

Local "giants" of the pizza scene:

Marion's and pre-1975 or so Cassano's pizzas, as well as Ron's (I think they only have one location in Miamisburg now) all have or had a similar style of crust that seems unique to Dayton. What I am talking about is a very thin, chewy and crispy crust (not a cracker crust) that forms small bubbles directly under the sauce when it is baked. And, yeah, it's cut into little squares. I grew up on it. It's quite succulent if done skillfully. It probably requires intense heat on a stone to create the blister crust effect.

Cassano's was the first of this type that was common around Dayton. Marion's and Ron's still do this type of crust well, but Ron's is superior. I agree about Marion's sausage, it's gross.

Cassano's developed corporate hubris and tried to expand outside the metro area years ago, failed and pulled back a few years later, and they seem to have become a Papa John's and Donato's wanna be today.

Another local Dayton chain: I used to enjoy Submarine House subs back in the late 70s. Back in 78-79 I used to get a pizza style sub that was a perfect interplay of bread and spicy ingredients. We went to Sub House in Centerville a couple of months ago and it was indistinguishable from the mass market places like Penn Station.

The problem with chain sub shops is that they have no concept of what a good chewy crusty Italian or French baguette roll is supposed to taste like. That is why I opt for pita bread if I have to get food from a Subway.

quote:

Originally posted by baughman

Ron's pizza was great till they closed about a decade ago. I think they still have a shop in Springboro but not sure about the pizza. IT was a cassanos/marions clone with a better bite to the crust.

Ron's Pizza has a location in downtown Miamisburg at 1 S. Main Street "on the square." See also http://www.ronspizza.com/.

Tonight we drove by Ron's former location in Springboro next to Subby's. It's a dark hole now. Ron's branches seem to suck business-wise. The Springboro location seemed to be open when they damned well felt like it, which was on random weeknights.

In the spirit of disclosing places that look on the outside like they're better than they really are, I'll add "The Bar-B-Q Hut" on Wilmington Pike in Kettering. It always seems fairly busy for a small place, so we ate there a couple of months ago on a Sunday afternoon. I got a *chopped* (not pulled) pork sandwich that was fairly overpriced for a sandwich but was as big around as a soccer ball (ok, so I exaggerate). The Hut does not seem to smoke anything on their menu, so it's that tasteless roasted pork stuff.

I think that I had a bill for about $13 for just a sandwich platter, a side and a soft drink. For lunch. Mainly I saw senior citizens in the place. Other lunch menu items were also fairly pricey for such a small place. Basically they have you pay a lot (comparatively) for a lot of mediocre food.

quote:

Originally posted by donw9876

In the spirit of disclosing places that look on the outside like they're better than they really are, I'll add "The Bar-B-Q Hut" on Wilmington Pike in Kettering. It always seems fairly busy for a small place, so we ate there a couple of months ago on a Sunday afternoon. I got a *chopped* (not pulled) pork sandwich that was fairly overpriced for a sandwich but was as big around as a soccer ball (ok, so I exaggerate). The Hut does not seem to smoke anything on their menu, so it's that tasteless roasted pork stuff.

donw9876, please note that my earlier comments about the pizza in Dayton was not personal and I'm sorry if I offended, but it has been a roadfood trend lately to bash or post negative comments about restaurants that the commentor has indeed never been to. The pics look "bad" or "I hear this or that." Everyone is entitled to an opinion 100% and I am not saying Troni's is the end-all-be-all of pizza, but I do tire of negative comments from those that have never tried said restaurant or those that have tried it, dislike it, and fail to explain the reason for their dislike. I hear it everyday in the car ownership /mfgr. world and it reeks of ignorance on a topic, not educated opinion.



That said, I too had a similar BBQ experience at Hooks Bar-B-Cue in Dayton over the summer.
(2324 N Gettysburg Ave Dayton, OH 45406)
Pricey food but NO smoke flavor. None. Nada. It was basically pulled pork shoulder that had been oven roasted au jus. It must be a personal preference with some Middle Ohio chefs, as I seldom see it out of the region.


jjjrfoodie

Ok, thanks for the clarification. I run a forum myself and I know that endless sidebarring and even "me toos" consume attention better spent on the topic at hand.

I must second the post about Flying Pizza must be changing stuff or just getting lazy.
I lived on the stuff at OSU. Loved the chewy crisp crust , everything. PLus for a poor college kid u couldnt pass up the cheap eats.
Even 10 years ago in Dayton it still was pretty much the same.
Now over the last few years it has started to get limper and more of a chewy mush instead of that great tug to it. I must say tho. and I will prob get flamed for this. There comes a time about once a year or so that I get a craving for a Marions with those sausage shreds on it. I will hang my head in shame now.

This area is also a big hole for BBQ. Alot of ppl love Montgomery inn, they boil and then cover it all in BBQ sauce. This isnt real BBQ. Even going to a so, so place like Jim Dandys will show the diffrence. When ever I walk into a new BBQ and dont see a smoker out back. I always start a convo with the waitress and ask what smoker they use. IF I cant get a straight answer I wont come back.

quote:

Originally posted by baughman

I must second the post about Flying Pizza must be changing stuff or just getting lazy.
I lived on the stuff at OSU. Loved the chewy crisp crust , everything. PLus for a poor college kid u couldnt pass up the cheap eats.
Even 10 years ago in Dayton it still was pretty much the same.
Now over the last few years it has started to get limper and more of a chewy mush instead of that great tug to it. I must say tho. and I will prob get flamed for this. There comes a time about once a year or so that I get a craving for a Marions with those sausage shreds on it. I will hang my head in shame now.

This area is also a big hole for BBQ. Alot of ppl love Montgomery inn, they boil and then cover it all in BBQ sauce. This isnt real BBQ. Even going to a so, so place like Jim Dandys will show the diffrence. When ever I walk into a new BBQ and dont see a smoker out back. I always start a convo with the waitress and ask what smoker they use. IF I cant get a straight answer I wont come back.

The same can be said for the Mio's Pizza chain in Greater Cinci - when I started going to Mio's in Mt Washington in 1979 their pizza was as good as what my wife and I were used to greater NYC - but in the mid 80's Mio's changed their crust and it became a cracker crust not worth eating - a major tragedy.

Ok, I am *definitely* going to have to do some "field research" soon and visit a Flying Pizza. I last had them 3-4 years ago and they were the same as always then.

quote:

There comes a time about once a year or so that I get a craving for a Marions with those sausage shreds on it. I will hang my head in shame now.

Marions is a great pizza, just from a different regional genre.