On Courthouse Square in the center downtown Dayton, there is a very unusual space that is easy to miss.
A staircase descends below street level into a sunken courtyard lined with vacant storefronts and red awnings. Unless you already know to look for it, you could walk past without a second glance.
But for years during the 1980s and 90s, that space was home to a series of restaurants that drew a loyal following from the downtown crowd, and left a surprisingly deep impression on the people who worked and dined there…