Trotta’s in NKY serves fine dining, family recipes and community

Kathleen and Greg Trotta had been in the restaurant and hospitality industry for so long, they thought, “Why not open our own place?” That’s exactly what the couple did after seeing the present-Trotta’s location while traveling down the Ohio river on their cruiser. The rest? History.

Now, Trotta’s Steak & Seafood—located in Dayton—is a Northern Kentucky staple, with many patrons claiming it’s the best steakhouse in the Tristate area. The Trottas pride themselves on creating a welcoming atmosphere that their guests will love.

“There’s always this thought in our mind to keep improving, to keep giving it more, to give it all we have,” Kathleen says. “I think that’s what makes us strive.”

Trotta’s is all about creating meals that guests will love. Chef James Baffoni—born in Naples, Italy, and immigrated to the Bronx when he was about 6 years old—brings his decades-old family recipes to Trotta’s.

“A lot of the recipes date back generations, like my meatball [recipe]. I’ve been making that meatball now for 55 years—first thing my mother ever taught me how to make. Our grandmother’s grandmother’s grandmother’s grandmother had been making this meatball forever,” Baffoni says.

Baffoni says he gives guests a personable experience, meaning he doesn’t stay in the kitchen like many chefs do. Baffoni goes out and visits tables, talks with guests, and makes sure they’re having a great time.

“Most chefs would rather stay in the background and look out that back window and see what’s going on in the dining room area. I like to get into the mix of it. I like folks knowing that what we do truly is from our heart to your plate,” Baffoni says.

Although guests can expect traditional steak and seafood dishes, Trotta’s dishes always come with a pleasant twist.

“We have a filet that is called the Trotta’s Filet—very unique. It’s the only filet that I’ll butterfly but it’s also stuffed with a crab meat stuffing and wrapped with a piece of bacon, sits on top of a mushroom-demi glaze. Then, on top of that, we put a dollop of sour cream,” Boffani says. “Very unique, very unorthodox, but the marriage of flavors definitely is there.”

The Trottas and Baffoni all agree that it’s gratifying to be a restaurant the community loves and frequents often.

“What I say to a new guest, and they rave about the food, I say, ‘Listen, the compliment to me and the establishment would be you returning in the very near future,’” Baffoni says.