Restaurants seem to come and go in Dayton, but I'm hoping De'Lish Cafe in Downtown Dayton is a keeper.
From the moment you pull up to De'Lish on Main Street, you'll feel welcomed as they offer complimentary valet parking. That's right, there's no excuse about difficult downtown parking - De'Lish makes it easy for you to visit.
When my friend and I visited, we started with the Asparagus Fries and Delish Soul Rolls. You really can't go wrong when something is fried, which was the case for the fries. Asparagus has never tasted so good. The Delish Soul Rolls were similar to Chinese Egg Rolls, not Pillsbury Rolls. Once I got my mind wrapped around what "roll" implied, I was set to enjoy them. There were greens, chicken, vegetables and corn meal inside them. The menu was right - it was indeed a Sunday dinner in one bite and I loved it.
Next was the entree. I ordered the Salmon Diablo. The blackened salmon was covered in a creamy diablo sauce with shrimp and bay scallops over cheese grits. Oh my, those cheese grits were divine! The main menu featured options like wings and chicken, fish tacos, quesadillas and more. With different specials every week, there’s always something new to try.
For dessert, I asked the server for a suggestion and was told to get the sweet potato bread pudding. I'm not usually a fan of bread pudding, so I was hesitant. They didn't disappoint. In fact, my mouth still waters when I think about it. When I looked at the server and said, "What is in this?!" She simply responded, "Butter rum sauce." Something about the combination of rum, butter and the sweet potato made it heavenly.
Although the service was slow when I attended, I excused it since it was restaurant week. Plus, the servers were extremely apologetic and ended up giving us free drinks to pacify us during our wait.
This cafe has a very urban and chic feel to it, giving you a reason to go out and dress up. On the weekends they offer live jazz music. This definitely adds a fun flair to the dining experience. There's also a full bar in the back of the restaurant if you’re just wanting a drink and appetizer.
I couldn’t really sum up De’Lish any better than what my friend said as we left that night: "De'Lish is the perfect gourmet soul food."
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