M&M Dairy Bell's Owner Keeps Up Timeless Traditions

By Jessa Moser

Sandy Bellville is a very busy woman. She spends time with her four grandchildren, takes trips to Myrtle Beach every year, attends church regularly and learns how to play piano. While this seems like enough things for any one person to do, it is not enough for Sandy. On top of all this, she is the owner of the M&M Dairy Bell, a staple restaurant in Chesapeake, Ohio, since 1951.

Ruth Brown originally opened the Dairy Bell, and her original spicy hot dog recipe that is served to this day. Sandy is now the proud owner of something that has almost become a family business. She acquired the business from her daughter, and her husband often works there a few days a week. It is Sandy and her staff who work to keep the place timeless.

Sandy has been working in diners like the Dairy Bell for more than 30 years. Before acquiring the Dairy Bell, Sandy owned the Dairy Boy in Crown City, just north of Chesapeake, from 1978 to 1988. It had a similar menu to the M&M Dairy Bell, but she claims the, “hotdog sauce at the Dairy Boy wasn’t as spicy as the sauce at the M&M Dairy Bell.”

While she mostly stays busy with the hiring and firing, discipline, paperwork and banking duties, Sandy also works to keep the business classic yet modern. The menu items range from old-fashioned cheeseburgers and corn dogs, to homemade chili fries, BLTs and even salads for the vegetarians. In keeping up with the spirit of the restaurant, a customer can order a half-slush, half-float treat called the Deep Purple (not to be confused with the band) in honor of the store’s colors. She has also added variety to the menu with the addition of pizza burgers, popcorn chicken, burger baskets and a kid’s menu, and also offers homemade pies on Thursdays and Fridays.

While she has made these changes, Sandy’s commitment to the old is also visible. She enters Ruth’s infamous hotdog sauce in the yearly West Virginian Hotdog Festival in Huntington, West Virginia. Though the Dairy Bell is technically not from the state, it won an award in 2008 for the Best Hotdog Sauce.

She’s also kept a long-standing tradition with the nearby elementary school. The students walk to the Dairy Bell for free ice cream at the end of every school year. It is not uncommon for customers to reminisce to Sandy about when they themselves participated in that yearly event.

Sandy offers the Chesapeake community some character and a little bit of color with the M&M Dairy Bell that will never go out of style.

Ironton's Toro Loco Restaurant

by Emily Hubbell

In Spanish, “Toro Loco” means “the crazy bull,” a phrase implying disorder and chaos. But as I walked into downtown Ironton’s family-owned Toro Loco Mexican restaurant, not a thing seemed out of place. The burgundy tiles on the tabletops formed a perfect row and column pattern, and the oversized wooden booths were situated neatly around the perimeter of the restaurant. The sponge-painted walls were a fitting backdrop for the Spanish portraits hanging at eye level.

Then I got the menu. All five jam-packed pages of it.

With more than fifty variations of Mexican restaurant staples—burritos, chimichangas, quesadillas and tacos—this must be where the ‘loco’ came from. I don’t know how the waitress kept track of all the combos or how the chef managed to perfect them. But, a short ten minutes after we ordered, the waitress appeared with a colossal quesadilla in hand. It was filled with the perfect ratio of meat to cheese and, as an added bonus, was smothered with Toro Loco’s signature white cheese sauce.

But I have to admit that dessert was on my mind even as I ate my quesadilla. The dessert menu was also endless. In addition to fried ice cream and other traditional Mexican desserts, the menu included six mini desserts that looked too good to resist. I ended up with a sopapilla—a fried pastry covered in whipped cream and sprinkles. My friend opted for one of the mini desserts, a tiny carrot cake with cream cheese icing. The portions were small; but after eating a quesadilla as big as my dinner plate, my taste buds were perfectly satisfied.

As I left Toro Loco, the dinner rush was just starting. Within minutes, every oversized wooden booth was filled with families. But there still wasn’t a trace of chaos. The waitresses hurried effortlessly, delivering massive burritos and quesadillas smothered with cheese to patrons at every corner of the room. And if the guests’ faces are any indication, the chef was still mastering the hundreds of menu items to the tee.

My meal at Toro Loco was delicious and reasonably priced. Needless to say, I’ll be back again for seconds.

Austyn’s: A Multicultural Dining Experience

BY Layla Lamchahab

In the heart of historic downtown Ironton, Austyn’s Restaurant & Lounge combines Asian, Italian and New American flavors to create a multicultural dining experience.

Chef Matthew Hall combines a variety of upscale flavors like Parmesan-crusted Mahi-mahi with a creamy, white wine garlic sauce and bourbon beef tenderloins. Surf and turf, sandwiches, pasta, salads, and pizza are all included on the eclectic menu. For lunch, you can feast on Beer Battered Tilapia or Pizza Bianca, which combines creamy Alfredo sauce topped with red peppers, mushrooms, mozzarella and prosciutto.

While the menu may be attractive, the location is also a point of interest. Located in Ironton’s old train depot, passing trains are still visible through the windows. Austyn’s is in one of the oldest and most historic buildings in town. The extensive renovation took some time but ultimately transformed the interior without taking away the nostalgic feel of an old depot.

“You kind of feel like you’ve stepped through the past when you walk in,” manager Cynthia Jacobson says.

A year and a half ago, owner Phi Chen moved Austyn’s from Marietta to the Ironton location. The new restaurant includes a banquet room that accommodates up to 120 guests and two private dining rooms.

Whether you need a table for two or 20, the dining experience can be tailored to your needs.

“One of the misconceptions is that [our customers] have to order exclusively from our menu, but we can prepare according to their request for banquet parties,” Jacobson says.

Most of the restaurants regulars are local business owners and town leaders, she says.

That doesn’t mean only the suit and tie crowd are welcome.

“You will be greeted with smiling faces,” Jacobson says. “You can be as formal or as relaxed as you desire.”

Austyn’s menu includes an updated children’s menu with a new cheeseburger plate. Live entertainment will start performing soon as well. Reservations are recommended, especially for special holidays.

Like the atmosphere, the dress code is flexible, so you’ll get anything but a stuffy vibe from the staff. And the sweetest thing‑ besides dessert? The prices! Lunch starts at $5.95 and the most expensive dish is $23 - a reasonable price for a classy meal.

Despite appearing rather fancy, the atmosphere is relaxed and comfortable.