Coco's Bistro is savoring their Sundays in February
By Alexis Larsen, Dine Out Dayton Correspondent
February 7, 2025
Our independent restaurants have heart, and lots of it.
You can taste it when you are dining out feeling the love baked into specialty dishes and the food that our favorite restaurants are best known for.
You can also see it throughout the year as our restaurants step up to support local causes and fundraising for worthy organizations and groups.
Just this week House of Bread saw 19 restaurants sign up for their “Empty Bowls” event which was a sell-out for two seatings. Funds raised go to serve up hot meals to those that need it throughout the year.
A number of Miami Valley Restaurant members participated including The Last Queen, Wheat Penny, Meadowlark, Coco’s Bistro and The Foundry. They may have a busy week in the kitchen, but not too busy to not give back to help support this worthy event and cause.
Throughout the year it’s easy to not have a clear picture of just how much our restaurant community helps support and feed the good causes that make our region so great. It’s a lot, and if you really stop to really pay attention, our restaurants that need us to cheerlead them cheerlead us consistently throughout the year.
Coco’s Bistro is a great example of this.
For more than 15 years Coco’s Bistro has been opening its doors on Sundays in February to put on “Savor your Sunday” brunches benefiting Stivers School for the Arts.
It’s one of the only times during the entire year that the popular restaurant is open for brunch.
The special brunch dates are a way to celebrate art, food, education, community and the opportunity to give back according to co-owners Karen Wick-Gagnet and Jim Gagnet.
This Sunday, February 9 will feature Stivers concert pianists, while Feb. 16 will be the Stivers Jazz Orchestra and Feb. 22 will feature Stivers Choir and Dance. The cost is $45 per person with $15 from each meal donated back to Stivers. The events usually raise more than $15,000 to help Stivers.
Menu items to choose from include the beloved steak and eggs that they have featured for a long time, corn beef hash, smoked salmon on a toasted everything bagel, chicken and waffles, shrimp and grits, eggs Benedict and their classic grilled cheese with fried egg and bacon piled on for goo measure. There’s also a Bourbon glazed shrimp salad if you’re looking to not overindulge on breakfast and have the resolve to pull it off.
A hummus or fried brie appetizer can be added as well as several desserts including a ginger molasses cooking sandwich with cream cheese frosting, an espresso cheesecake, a candied pecan sundae, lavender pot de creme and a blood orange sorbet.
Bloody Mary’s & Mimosa’s are available for $9.
The popular brunches typically sell-out quickly bringing in 150-200 people per brunch, for a total of about 800 meals served. Reservations are highly recommended and seatings fill up quickly for the popular event that runs from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. the remaining Sundays in February.
Coco’s Bistro Savor your Sunday brunc