Jimmie’s Ladder 11

My adventure pal Saturday left it up to me to find a good restaurant. So I googled unique restaurants in Dayton and located a place called Jimmie’s Ladder 11.

It’s a neighborhood joint located in an old firehouse that dates to 1892. It is believed to be the last of Dayton’s firehouses to use a horse drawn apparatus. The firehouse continued in use until 1987 when a new facility opened down the street.

The decor is pretty spectacular with lots of gorgeous repurposed wood, tin ceiling, a beautiful bar and some historic firefighter memorabilia. We had a great waitress who saw to our needs without hovering and the food was magnificent.

While they have a ton of options for all you meataterians out there, they have several vegetarian options too. It wasn’t an easy decision but, after going back and forth a good bit, I opted for the grilled veggie sub with cheese and a house dressing on a yummy toasted roll.

I would absolutely go back and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it. There’s a lot to do in the Dayton area but I’ve really just scratched the surface on my quick trips through. Perhaps this is something I can rectify this year.

Meanwhile, I would encourage you to head that way and do some exploring. If you’re near Jimmie’s, you’re just a couple of blocks from a neat series of murals. We didn’t have time to stop and explore but they certainly caught my eye so you should look for that too.

Find Jimmie’s Ladder 11 on Facebook for current hours, menu and address.

Food For Thought

Williamsburg, Virginia is home to a great little restaurant called Food For Thought.

In addition to an interesting variety of delicious dishes on the menu, the atmosphere here is fantastic. It feels a bit upscale without seeming snooty. More importantly, the place is designed to get you thinking and talking.

Quotes on the wall set a positive and thoughtful tone. Conversation cards on the tables provide fun quotes and thought provoking questions to help get the conversation started. They want you to put down your phone and actually talk to your dining companions.

I was there with someone I knew well but still learned some things about him thanks to conversation starters that I wouldn’t have come up with on my own.

Interested? Click here for details.

In case you’re wondering. I had no trouble finding vegetarian options here and they offer a gluten free menu too!