Lunch Break: Bao Chick a Wow Wow!

 

Sampling dishes and diners in and around Miami County

At some point I will find something else to talk about that isn’t my three blissful months spent in the Big Apple. However, this is not that time.

At the desk directly next to mine at The Daily Beast, in the gaggle of tables called “intern row,” sat Muskaan. My now-close friend, whom I was completely in awe of, graduated from Harvard and was very intimidating to share an internship with. After a pitcher of overpriced sangria and a stroll in the East Village, we became best friends, and I somehow found my way into the esteemed Harvard Club of NYC.

Aside from other marvels like extensive libraries and a supposedly real taxidermy elephant head, the Harvard Club also had a rooftop bar with a pretty great happy hour deal and some delicious appetizers. My favorite bite from the menu at the society I would never have made it into on my own was the crispy chicken Bao Buns.

The crunchy, sweet, battered chicken, notes of sesame, and soft, chewy biscuit were something I’d never experienced before and have been longing for since. So, when I found myself joining friends for an evening at The Silos Food Hall & Bar in Dayton, I was extremely excited to find Bao Buns on the menu at Nood Bar.

Much like the neighboring 2nd Street Market, The Silos offers four separate food vendors, a bar, and an ambiance filled with whimsy and interesting decorations that don’t really make sense on their own, but as a whole, they’re pretty cool.

I also ordered the Monster Fries from the Burger Bistro and a cocktail from the bar that was called something like Pool Party, and spoiler alert: it sort of just tasted like a nine-dollar glass of Malibu.

The Bao buns were perfectly crunchy, dashed with sesame seeds, and drizzled with a savory sauce that was a little too spicy for me, but still absolutely delicious. They filled the bao bun hole in my heart slightly, and I guess that’s all I really wanted. However, those monster fries were incredible.

The French fries were smothered in ground beef, gooey cheese, a sweet sauce that I absolutely wish they would’ve used on the bao buns, and a bunch of hipster greenery that I picked off.

Ultimately, everything was pretty great, and hard to get anywhere that isn’t an out-of-the-box, or I guess in this case, shipping container, food joint. I fully support some wacky dishes and decorations if it means having a reason to spend time with friends, and a reason to call the Ivy League one I’ve been missing for the few weeks I’ve been home.

The Silos Food Hall & Bar, 810 E 1st St, Dayton