Clarion Cuisine: Flavor House lives up to its name

This month’s featured restaurant moved locations last year, but retained all that made it stand out in Dayton’s culinary scene. It opened as “1Eleven Flavor House” on Ludlow Street in 2021 and now occupies the space that used to be Table 33, on the corner of West Second and North Wilkinson Street.

**Flavor House’s Caribbean Rum Glazed Salmon.** HANNAH KICHLINE

Flavor House describes its menu as “Caribbean and Creole comfort food,” and this fits it to a tee. Each dish is delightfully distinct, putting a savory spin on something familiar.

Their recipes include a diverse cocktail menu, Southern-inspired starters and signature desserts. Main courses include seafood, gumbo and sandwiches such as the oxtail and dijon. It’s clear to visitors that Flavor House takes great pride in their menu, and they should.

I should be clear that this is a review, not an advertisement, and Clarion Cuisines are not always this glowing. I can usually find at least one thing I would change about the experience. But our visit to Flavor House left me with one prevailing word at the top of my notes: “Wow.”

We visited on a Tuesday before the dinner rush and had Omar as our host and server. There only seemed to be a few people working for the weeknight, but the staff was knowledgeable, professional and clearly knew what they were doing. After careful consideration of the menu, we settled on the Chickpeas and Potatoes with Roti, the Caribbean Rum Glazed Salmon, and the Flavor House Rolls.

The vegetables and spices in the chickpea dish were simmered to what can only be described as perfection. This was a beautiful rendition of how curry is prepared all over the world–not spicy, just complex and balanced. The expertly toasted and seasoned roti triangles were not an afterthought, but an intentional part of the meal.

I’m not ashamed to say I was scraping the sauce out of the bowl to get every possible bite, or that I actually dreamed about the dish days later.

**Chickpeas and Potatoes with Roti, paired with a Magnolia Mule cocktail.** HANNAH KICHLINE

The salmon was covered in a sweet, almost syrupy coconut rum sauce that left a pleasant lingering flavor on the tongue. The tender cut of fish was almost outshone by the accompanying mashed potatoes, loaded with garlic and butter. The word “exquisite” would not be wasted here.

The Flavor House Rolls served as a fresh offset to the heavier items. Served with a sweet chili sauce, they held crisp cabbage, collard greens and chicken within an egg roll wrapper. I highly recommend these as their own snack, or as an accompaniment or palate cleanser.

While on the higher end of price, Flavor House is worth the splurge, especially to celebrate a milestone or reward oneself for the pressures of balancing work, school and family. Visitors will likely be just as smitten with it as I am–and should be warned that they may dream about it afterward.

Hannah Kichline, Executive editor

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