A couple of weeks ago we headed to Wheat Penny Oven and Bar in Dayton to see one of our favorite families, Steve, Amy, and Emma Winstead.  I have written about these three wonderful people before and they are part of our family.  Steve practically grew up as John’s brother.

Steve suggested we meet at Wheat Penny because he knows how much I like to eat at new-to-me restaurants.  Wheat Penny Oven and Bar is located close to Dayton Children’s Hospital.  Steve works for Dayton Children’s Hospital, so I suppose that is how he discovered this restaurant.

Wheat Penny Oven and Bar describes itself as a “Rustic-Chic Bar and Eatery.”  Generally, in my experience, that means they will have over-priced food with ingredients I have never heard of.  Wheat Penny specializes in All-American food and California-style pizza.  They also focus on homemade and fresh.

Although we couldn’t find a spot in the small parking lot next to the restaurant, we were able to park down the street.  When we got into the restaurant, we were seated right away.  The restaurant was busy but not crowded on a Saturday at noon.  Because they are located in a business area, they might be busier during the week.

Once Steve, Amy and Emma arrived, we all placed our orders and got to the important business of catching up with each other.  Tom and I both ordered calzones, Steve got a burger, and Amy got chicken on spring potatoes and green beans.  Emma’s children’s meal looked as good as anything else:  turkey, fresh fruit, and homemade bread.

The calzones were not quite what we expected.  They didn’t have any tomato sauce in them, nor did they have a sauce for dunking.  As a result, they were a little dry.  I ordered the white wine vinaigrette with my salad and it looked like the buttermilk ranch dressing instead.  The waitress assured me that I had the correct dressing.

The food at Wheat Penny was good but not great.  Much better, however was the time spent with the Winsteads.

After we were done eating, Steve and Amy suggested that we head to Cox Arboretum Metropark for a walk.   It was a beautiful spring day and the tulips were in full bloom.  The arboretum was very busy with a lot of couples there for prom pictures.

Cox Arboretum is a beautiful place in the spring.  We saw lots of tulips and other flowers getting ready to bloom.  The buds were out on the trees and some of the leaves were opening in the beautiful sunshine.  The arboretum has 2.5 miles of paved trails which makes it a great place to take a stroller.

Emma enjoyed seeing everything.  She really enjoys people-watching and spent a lot of time looking around at everyone.  Emma also enjoys touching things so she wanted to touch all the leaves on the trees.  Tom and I carried her some and let her touch things while we told her what they were.  She wasn’t a big fan of grass but evergreens really captured her attention.  Of course, having just turned one, she tried to put things in her mouth to experience them further, but we kept her from eating anything she shouldn’t.

We very much enjoyed the beautiful day with this young family.  I wish we could see them more often, but we are all busy.  The Winsteads will be joining us at Cumberland Gap in June for a few days and we look forward to seeing them all then.  Until then, we will have to be content with our memories and pictures.