Table Hopping; A Food Blog

Lasst uns froh und munter sein

2009-12-15T10:59:00.004-06:00

Rheinland Restaurant

Like many Americans, some of my ancestors were German. When I was little we went to a church founded by German immigrants and every spring they had the Wurstmarkt, a sausage supper featuring German food, including the requisite bratwurst, sauerkraut and apple strudel. As such, German cuisine has a special place in my heart.

Last week a co-worker of mine mentioned a German restaurant in Independence, known as the Rheinland. I don't generally make the trip to Independence, but for real German food, I would make an exception. On Saturday night, my lovely wife Natasha and I met some friends there to enjoy a meal.

Immediately, I was smitten by the charm of the place. Run by a German couple, the wood paneling and simple decor of the place oozed with German charm (is that an oxymoron?). Having made reservations, we were immediately shown to our table and allowed to peruse the menu. Service was quick, and a charming woman (I'm assuming one of the owners, due to her accent) took our drink orders. And of course what would a German meal be without beer? Offering a small, but excellent selection, I opted for the Spaten Optimator, while Natasha had the Spaten Lager. We both decided on the Mass size, which in case you were unaware, means 1 liter of beer. This might seem expensive at $9 until you realize the sheer amount of beer that is one liter. And you need it to wash down the large-portioned entrees.

For mains, I had the veal Zigeunerschnitzel, or Gypsy schnitzel. Consisting of lightly-breaded veal (pork was also an option) topped with a spicy pepper sauce, the flavors reminded me a lot of Eastern European cuisine (which is to be expected). Natasha went with the Jagerschnitzel, which is essentially the same, only topped with a mushroom cream sauce. Both came with the choice of home fries or a homemade pasta known as spätzle. As we traded halfway through our meal, I went with the fries, and Natasha had the spätzle. For dessert, we split the apple strudel a la mode.

Everything was delicious. Perhaps it isn't the healthiest food on the planet, but it is very tasty. I particularly liked the spätzle, and have been researching recipes for it, though our waitress told me it's a bit of a hassle to make.

The proprietor checked on us as our meal was wrapping up, a nice touch, and we enjoyed a two-piece band, consisting of acoustic guitar and auto-harp, while we ate. Though they were literally right next to us, the volume was perfect. We could hear the Christmas carols they played, yet still converse with our dinner partners.

Overall, I really enjoyed the Rheinlander. As I said, I rarely go to Independence, but the next time I do, I'll be sure to visit this charming German restaurant again.

rheinlandrestaurant.com

An odd combination

2009-12-07T10:06:00.005-06:00

When I get the mail, the Valpak coupons go straight in the trash without so much as a glance. When my wife gets the mail, she sorts through it for deals, especially on new restaurants she'd like to try. This is how we discovered Tannah's at 5041 W. 135th St. in Leawood.

A recently opened place in a developing neighborhood, Tannah's offers a Sunday brunch buffet from 10-2 for $12 (no coupon needed). Always up for a good Sunday morning meal, we made the trek down to ~~Oklahoma~~ South Leawood around 11 AM to try the place out.

Though we had their ad, we weren't really sure what type of food to expect from Tannah's. Though there was a mention of won tons, I didn't think that it would be an Asian breakfast buffet, because that would be strange, right? I was wrong.

When we first entered, it became clear that this was a pan-Asian place. The hostess, a high school-aged girl showed us to a table (it was only moderately busy, the mega-church next door not having let out yet), and gave us a slip to fill out for omelets, which were made to order.

We filled out the slips, selecting ingredients from the dozen-or-so listed, and waited for our waiter to take our drink order. Apparently he was on a smoke break, because it took several minutes before another server came over and asked what we wanted to drink, taking our omelet orders and telling us to help ourselves to the buffet.

The buffet was extremely well run, with a dedicated server, plus at least two runners. As we approached, he pulled the lids from the chafing dishes, ensuring that the food stayed hot. Overall, it looked very attractive, as did the restaurant in general.

Starting off was salad, which I skipped, then breakfast foods like scrambled eggs, french toast, biscuits and gravy and potato skillets. I had a little of everything. Further down the buffet was the Asian cuisine. Featuring Mongolian beef, lo mein, and a variety of other options, it was thankfully not the same Sysco-distributed crap you see at other Chinese buffets, but apparently home-made food. And best of all (at least for my wife), the buffet also featured a chocolate fountain with a variety of fruits, cakes and marshmallows to dip in it.

Retreating back to our table, one thing soon became clear: this is an Asian restaurant, not a breakfast place. While all of the breakfast food was mediocre at best, the Asian cuisine was excellent. I particularly enjoyed the kung pao chicken, the pork sambal and the Schezuan chicken wings. They were all extremely delicious. Those foods with sauces had just the right amount, not swimming in it, like they are in most Asian places.

I went back for seconds. After my second plate, which is really my limit these days, our omelets finally arrived. I can't put my finger on why, but there was something I didn't like about this omelet. My wife agreed. Maybe it was the fact that I was already full, but there was a definitely odd flavor about it. Of course it didn't help that the salsa it was topped with (at my direction via the order slip) was clearly Pace or something similar, fresh from the jar.

I picked at this just a little before taking advantage of the chocolate fountain. The chocolate was awesome, and went very well with my coffee, which was a good quality brew, clearly not Folgers. Parfaits were also available for dessert, but neither I, nor my wife tried them.

Overall, I think I would definitely be willing to eat at Tannah's again, though probably not the brunch buffet, as breakfast food and Asian is just too odd of a combination. Clearly this place is working through a lot of the opening kinks, i.e., slow service, but the Asian food is really quite good, on par with any of the big name Chinese joints in Kansas City, including Bo Ling's or PF Chang's.

tannahs.com

Love the music not the food

2009-10-28T10:40:00.006-05:00

A few months back, The DLC detailed his lunchtime trip to The Recordbar at 102o Westport Road. A few weeks back my wife and I were attending a Sunday night show there and decided to pre-buy our tickets, lest Mumiy Troll sold out. As we entered the place around 12:30 that Sunday, there was a sign out front proclaiming their "Famous Brunch". On the strength of the DLC's review, we decided this would be a good place to eat.

Now maybe their normal, workday lunch is superior to their brunch, but I found the entire experience average on the whole. First of all, there's something seedy about being in a bar during daylight hours. The scarred floors and obscene graffiti lack any sense of charm in the harsh, unforgiving illumination of sun light. But nevertheless, I like The Recordbar based on great past concert experiences, so it's easy to forgive this deficiency.

The brunch menu choices were few, but I decided I would have the Reuben (the greatest of all sandwiches), while my lovely wife Natasha had the smoked salmon bagel. Our server was very attentive, but of course, we were one of three parties in the place at the time.

In short enough order, our food came out. Natasha's bagel was actually quite good. With a healthy portion of smoked fish atop a toasted bagel, it was not bad at all. The accompanying potatoes were okay, as was the fruit salad, but what do you expect from a few grapes and pineapple chunks?

As for my Reuben, I was actually a little disappointed. The corned beef was sliced too thick, and irregularly at that, and the bread was a little mushy, not toasted like I prefer. As for the fries it was served with, they may have been good when they were fresh, but they had clearly been sitting for a while, and as a result, had become soggy. The flavor was okay, but overall, it was not something I'd be interested in having again.

With that said, they get extra points for having Cholula hot sauce. I like hot sauce on my fries and entirely too many establishments have only Tabasco, which I don't really care for.

In summation, while The Recordbar is a great place to see a show, I can't really vouch for their food. I may have just caught them on an off day, especially based on other reviews I've read. Overall, however, I'm sure I'll be back for another show, but not sure I'll be eating there.

therecordbar.com

Just okay French

2009-10-09T10:53:00.007-05:00

Aixois

My wife and I recently celebrated our fourth anniversary. It has become something of a tradition for us to go to a nice restaurant and celebrate. Last year we went to Tatsu's and had a fantastic meal. This year we thought we would try Julian's which opened in the space where Joe D's was formerly. Unfortunately, as they don't take reservations, we faced a 45 minute wait. Unwilling to sit at their bar this long, we opted for our backup plan, Aixois, at 251 E 55th.

We had tried to eat at Aixois, a charming little bistro in Brookside several times previously, but never had good timing. As both Natasha and I are huge fans of French cuisine, we expected good things. With a good menu featuring a variety of French classics, as well as daily specials, we thought we had found a winner.

Our server was charming and helped us select a nice white Bordeaux, while offering us crusty baguette slices and an excellent butter to tease our appetites.

We both started with cups of French onion soup, which was good, but not great. Topped with a fantastic Gruyere, it had good flavor, though was a bit sweet for my tastes. Natasha agreed.

As it was our anniversary, we also had appetizers in addition to soup. Natasha had the pan-seared foie gras, served with a shiitake and truffle salad and apple sauce (puree, to you foodiots). While it was cooked extremely well, I found the delicate taste of the foie gras overwhelmed by the pungent flavor of the truffles. It was good, but perhaps would have fared better with a less obtrusive side.

For me, I had Mussels Rouquefort, a dish I had never had before. Taking the blame entirely upon myself for my dislike, I hated this. It's always a bit of a risk to order a dish you know nothing about, and sometimes it doesn't work out. This was one of those instances. Consisting of mussels cooked in Rocquefort cream, I did not realize the strong bovine odor that this dish would offer. From what I have read, this is how it is supposed to both smell and taste, but it did not suit me. Through no fault of the chef's, I will never order this again.

For mains, Natasha had the rack of lamb, while I had the daily special of duck breast. Mine was served at the ideal temperature, with the color pink you expect from duck breast. It had an excellent flavor, but I was a bit disappointed that the skin was not more crispy. Additionally, as this was an airline breast, I had a leg with a bone. Though I was offered a steak knife, I found this insufficient to release the meat from the bone without a great struggle.

Natasha was actually quite upset with her entree. While her rack of lamb was beautifully prepared, frenced nicely and cooked perfectly, she felt it was terribly under-seasoned. Both mains came with a good mashed potato, boiled, yet tasty carrots and broccoli, and a pan sauce.

Overall, I thought everything was okay. Good, not great, especially considering our $100+ bill. Natasha was much more upset by the dinner than I was. Having been wowed by Tatsu's last anniversary, and Oak 63 earlier this year, Aixois proved to be a bit of a disappointment to her.

While I would like to go back and try their bistro burger and pommes frites, I fear I may have a hard time convincing Natasha to make the trip.

(FYI - I have decided to stop scoring restaurants)

Aixois

Finally, a pizza chain that doesn't suck

2009-09-29T07:50:00.000-05:00

Wheat State Pizza

I don't care for most pizza chains. Some of them I downright despise. Domino's, Godfather's and Papa John's are all garbage in my opinion. My wife is of similar opinion. With this mind-state, it's sometimes a challenge to find a pizza place, particularly since Papa Keno's had their little problem with the taxman.

Yesterday, I finally found a place. After hanging out with some friends, I realized the prospect of going home and cooking a meal sounded unappealing. Then I noticed a Wheat State Pizza menu on their fridge. I'd had Wheat State a few times before, usually at corporate lunch-type things, which means I had only had it at lukewarm temperatures. It had been good, as I recalled, but I decided I'd like to try it hot and fresh. With this in mind, I gave the Wheat State at 8039 Santa Fe in old Overland Park a call.

They've got a good menu at Wheat State, with lots of topping choices and several tasty-sounding specialty pies. I opted for the Chicken Carbanara, one of the specialty pizzas consisting of alfredo sauce, chicken, fresh mushrooms, bacon and extra cheese. I also choose the hand-tossed wheat crust. Sounds good, right?

Approximately two minutes after I placed my order, my phone rang. It was Wheat State, they'd run out of chicken, but would be happy to substitute any other topping, and give me a free side. Pleased with this brave show of initiative often rare in the restaurant industry, I decided Italian sausage would be a nice substitution. As for the side, how could I pass up free hot wings?

The pizza was ready on time, exactly on the 20 minutes they promised, and when I got home it was still steaming hot, as were the wings. Those wings were okay, nothing spectacular, but not bad at all. As for the pizza, both Natasha and I agreed, it was delicious. The flavors of the toppings paired nicely with the creaminess of the alfredo, all of which were offset by the slightly sweet taste of the crust. And best of all, the pizza had plenty of cheese.

I liked everything about it. In fact, the only strike I'll offer against the place is that they have weird hours for a pizza joint, closing at 8:30 or something odd like that. I will definitely eat this pizza again, though next time I think I may go for the Hawk n' Cheese, the Strangler or the Mediterranean, all of which sound delicious.

wheatstatepizza.com

Good with a shot of vodka

2009-09-17T13:09:00.009-05:00

Piroshky Bakery

Believe it or not, I know a thing or two about Russian food. Having spent close to a year in eastern Ukraine and in fact, marrying a Ukrainian devochka, I'm far more familiar with this type of cuisine than many of my American counterparts.

With that said, you know I had to try Piroshky Bakery on my trip to Seattle. Okay, it was Natasha's idea to visit this place at 1908 Pike, but nonetheless, I wasn't going to miss out on it.

This place is well-known, and it's with good reason that people line up on Saturday mornings to get a taste of their famous Russian pastries. They offer a good selection of pastries, both sweet and savory, but Natasha and I opted for one piroshky with smoked salmon pate (it's the Pacific Northwest, after all) and one with a more traditional potato and onion filling.

The salmon was awesome. Freshly made, it was hot and delicious. I especially liked how the bottom of the pastry was made to look like a fish tail.

The potato-onion one wasn't as tasty, but then what do you expect from boiled potatoes? I liked this place a lot. Natasha enjoyed it as well, but having eaten this type of cuisine all her life, shrugged and said "tastes like piroshky". (That's a sign of authentication from her)

Overall, the location is awesome and the food is well worth trying. Especially if you're unfamiliar with Russian or Ukrainian cuisine, it's a nice introduction. If you're ever in Seattle and want a little nosh, Piroshky Bakery is a good place to get something a bit out of the ordinary. And to be truly authentic, wash it down with a shot of homemade vodka

piroshkybakery.com
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“That is risotto”

2009-09-15T08:50:00.002-05:00

Salty's on Alki

Last weekend in Seattle I had a meal that dollar-for-dollar was the worst value of my entire life. It was at a place called Salty’s at 1936 Harbor Ave SW in Alki Beach, and quite honestly, I wish I had eaten at McDonald’s.

Salty’s has a great location. Located right on the water in Pudget Sound, it has an amazing view and seems like an awesome restaurant. Unfortunately, it is not. The first sign that this place wasn’t a winner was the dinner music. A trio of smarmy-looking d-bags was set up in the dining room playing some cacophonous attempt at music, attempting to fuse 1930s jazz with the barbershop quartet sound, and succeeding only in ruining both of them.

Sign number two that this wasn’t a very good restaurant, almost nothing on the menu sounded appetizing. At prices ranging from $25 to $50 for an entrée, it seems like they would have had a range of delicious dishes to choose from. I couldn’t seem to find anything. Eventually I settled on the dinner special (ironically called the blue plate), which our server told us was blackened salmon on risotto with a local fruit and vegetable pico de gallo. Natasha had a halibut dish with crab, asparagus and mashed potatoes topped with a béarnaise sauce. Our friend Sherry, with whom we were dining, opted for cedar-smoked coho salmon, while her husband Craig had a bowl of gazpacho and the crab and spinach dip. For an appetizer we split an order of fried oysters.

While the oysters were okay, the highlight of the meal was the complimentary breads. The whole-grain bread and seeded crackers served with herb butter were delicious. Outside of a decent beer selection, this is really the only positive thing I have to say about the place.

The portion size of all the entrees was small, especially considering the price. While Natasha’s dish was okay, it wasn’t spectacular and surely not worth the $35 it cost. Sherry’s dish was the same. Craig had little to say about his gazpacho but didn’t care for the crap and spinach dip. Especially since it was supposed to come with house-made crackers, and instead came with ones that surely came out of a bag.

But my meal was the real loser of the group. While the salmon was well cooked and the pico de gallo was decent, it was served on sticky rice rather than risotto. When I pointed this out to our waiter he said “That is risotto. Sticky rice is risotto.” He then blamed the mistake on the kitchen, though a manager later confirmed it was his mistake. While I know anyone can make a mistake, there is a huge difference between risotto and sticky rice, I would have ordered a different dish had I realized it came with plain rice.

Overall, our waiter was a large part of the problem. Having been a server myself, I try not to be too hard on them, but this guy was brutal. While he was friendly enough, he screwed up the special, tried to take Sherry’s drink before she was done with it and then avoided us at all costs once he realized we were unhappy with our meal. We had to go so far as to ask one of the managers for our tab, as he walked by our table with his eyes averted. Really there’s no excuse for this kind of service, especially at these prices. In fact, had this been a less expensive place, I probably could have overlooked some of the sub-par aspects of the dinner. However, when you’re shelling out more than $100 on a dinner for two, you tend to expect a good, if not great meal.

In closing, I recommend anyone who reads this post avoid Salty’s like the plague. While it has an amazing view, the mediocre food and crappy service do not justify the cost at all.

Scorecard

If fudge is the answer, the question is irrelevant

2009-09-10T08:53:00.006-05:00

Laura Little's Candies

If you love fudge, chocolate or ice cream, I recommend you stay far away from Laura Little's Candies at 2100 W. 75th St. in Prairie Village. Stay away because once you enter the store you'll be unable to leave without a box full of fattening, unhealthy and completely delicious candies.

A few days ago Natasha wanted something sweet. As we had both been wanting to try Laura Little's for a long time, we finally did. They sell everything from ice cream to truffles to fudge, even gift baskets. In short, this place is awesome.

Though the chocolate truffles looked amazing, as did the chocolate-covered strawberries and the ice cream, the free fudge samples swayed us in their direction. We had intended only to get a small snack, but somehow ended up leaving the place with 10 good sized pieces of fudge. Some of the flavors we tried were turtle, vanilla oreo, chocolate mint, chocolate walnut and best of all chocolate raspberry. Rich and decadent, each of these was fantastic, and all for a total cost of just over $10.

Somehow, through an act of supreme willpower, we managed to stretch these 10 pieces for two-and-a-half days. Did I mention I loved the fudge?

Of course next time, we'll have to try something else, but if it's even half as good as the fudge, we'll be in for a treat.

lauralittlecandy.com

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The Great Pizza Throwdown of 2009

2009-08-31T09:03:00.017-05:00

Saturday night there was a battle royale. Earlier in the month I challenged Dave, a good friend, food aficionado and one-half of food blogging couple Feasting on Life to a pizza throwdown. It finally took place last weekend.

Having put himself through college while working at Godfather's, Dave is the pizza guru in our circle of friends. In fact, if it can be created using a pizza crust, there's a good chance he's done it. As such, I knew I had to bring my "A" game.

But before we get in to the pizza, let me take a moment to acknowledge the fantastic spread put out by Dave's lovely wife Erica, another accomplished food aficionado and the driving force behind Feasting on Life.

Hard salami, mozzarella, tomato and basil skewers

The hostess preparing mint and split pea bruschetta topping (she made four in all, all of which were delicious. Recipes can be found here.)

Breadsticks

The spread, including olives, risotto balls, marinated eggplant and various dips.

Dave was also nice enough to prepare a couple of pizzas for people to eat while the competition pies were cooking.

This is a margherita being prepared.

The same one on the grill (he used a pizza stone on a charcoal grill).

And the margherita ready to cut.

Of course while he was doing this, I was hard at work...

drinking beer and caramelizing onions,...

rolling out dough,...

and chopping garlic, among other things.

Before long, the competition pizzas were ready to eat.

Dave's was a masterpiece of proscuitto, roasted red peppers, sweet Italian sausage, carmelized onions, mushrooms and goat cheese.

Mine, was a bit more risky, caramelized red onions, kalamata olives, and proscuitto on a chipotle crust, topped with sour cream rather than cheese.

Here they are side-by-side.

While there were certain things I was unhappy with, most notably the thickness of my crust, I was pleased with the outcome. Of course, as luck would have it, several of our judges hate olives. In the end, though I had a good showing, I was unable to beat the pizza master, to whom I tip my toque.

Dave's pizza was fantastic and he rightfully deserved the victory.

The 2009 Pizza Throwdown Winner

Special thanks to Erica, our gracious hostess and my own lovely wife Natasha for her excellent photography.

And to all you cooks out there, keep doing what you're doing, but you've got to ask yourself one question: Are you ready for a throwdown?

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Food for Jayhawks

2009-08-17T10:35:00.002-05:00

Free State Brewing Company

When I lived in Lawrence, there were two restaurants I really liked. One was the now-closed J.B. Stout's in West Lawrence and the other, right in the heart of downtown at 636 Mass Street, was Free State.

As something of a beer connoisseur, I've loved Free State ever since I discovered their home-brewed beers. They have really good beer. The Copperhead IPA has a nice hoppy bite (thus the name), the Oatmeal Stout is dark and hearty, and the Ad Astra Ale is a fantastic brown ale. Really, if you like beer, you'll find something you like there. On my last trip a few weeks ago, I tried a new one, the 1854 Helles Lager. This is it:

Light and refreshing, it's a perfect summertime beer. Apparently Free State is only doing a seasonal run of it, but in my opinion, they should add it to their full-time menu.

Aside from the beer, Free State's a really cool place in general. Though it does have a tendency to become overrun with trust-fund hippies, it's got a nice atmosphere. The layout and structure do sometimes lead to a cacophonous racket, particularly when the place is busy, which is often, but it's a cool place nonetheless. Plus they have pretty good food.

On my last visit, I had this:

These are the Vella Chicken Flautas. The menu description: "Slow smoked chicken is rubbed with sweet & spicy seasonings, then rolled in flour tortillas, with Vella Dry Jack cheese, fried til crisp, and topped with a roasted onion green chile sauce and sour cream. Served with black beans, Spanish rice & tomato corn salsa."

They were pretty good, though I did find them surprisingly lacking in cheese considering that's the first part of the name. The chicken was moist and flavorful, and the pico de gallo was delicious. Plus the black beans weren't from a can. You get extra marks for that in my book. Overall, a pretty successful dish.

My lovely wife had this:

The menu describes it thusly: "Romano and Ricotta filled tortellini are simmered in a white wine cream sauce with sautéed artichoke hearts, shiitake mush-rooms and sherry marinated sun dried tomatoes. Finished with a touch of butter and served with a focaccia slice."

This was a really well-thought-out dish. I don't even like sun-dried tomatoes because I despise their rubbery, raisin-like texture, but I found each element of this dish very complementary, and overall super tasty. The only strike I'll offer against it is the fact that the sauce needed to simmer down and thicken quite a bit more than it did. I attribute this to the fact that it was busy when we ate there and the kitchen was rushing to get food out. In fact, I was shocked our order came as quickly as it did. In hindsight, it probably would have been better to let the sauce boil down another couple of minutes, but I know how things can be in a kitchen.

Really Free State is kind of a microcosm of Lawrence itself. The servers are an eclectic bunch and the patrons are the typical Lawrence mix of grandparents in KU gear, frat boys and the trust-fund hippies I referred to earlier.

Prices are good, around $10-12 for entrees and beers around $4. Everything on the menu is pretty good here too. The staff is great, the beer is awesome and the food doesn't disappoint. I really wouldn't mind eating there every time I'm in Lawrence.

Scorecard

freestatebrewing.com

Woo! Publicity!

2009-07-31T14:25:00.003-05:00

I just realized I got a little run from the KC Star.

Now, if I was as serious about blogging as some of my fellow food aficionados, I might be a little ticked that they only got my Urban Spoon profile and not my Web site. However, since I do this solely for my own entertainment and to demonstrate to potential employers my new media savvy-ness, I'm actually rather pleased. And while I'm clearly not one of the big boys of KC food blogging (that honor belongs solely to DLC) I'm still flattered.

And just think, all of this without name dropping any of the celebrity chefs I've met and interviewed (okay, there was one post about Ingrid Hoffman, but that doesn't really count).

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I heart shawarmas

2009-07-30T13:24:00.007-05:00

Habashi House

Ever since I lived in Ukraine, I've had a weakness for shawarmas (or shaormas, or however you happen to spell them). These Turkish burritos sold by street vendors composed approximately 30% of my meals, and I still think they're delicious. However, ever since coming back to the US I've had difficulty finding a good one. But then I found Habashi House at 309 Main in the River Market.

Like I said, I ate a lot of shawarmas in Ukraine. To me, they're tortilla-like bread stuffed with lamb meat, pickles, onions, cabbage and a spicy sauce, wrapped like a burrito, then grilled on a flat iron. Unfortunately hygiene for foodservice workers isn't held in particularly high regard in former Soviet republics, so you may catch the vendor smoking a cigarette. He's not gonna wash his hands before going back to work, but if you've had enough vodka, you won't care anyway. With that said, they were delicious.

As such, I had high expectations from the shawarmas at Habashi House. Run by Middle Easterners (I hate to say Arabs lest they're Turks or Persians, or something else, in which case it's offensive to call them Arabs, you wouldn't call someone from Peru a Mexican would you?), I imagine that their product is much truer to a real shawarma than what I'm used to. Plus they offer kabobs, gyros and a host of other Middle Eastern fare, so I'm assuming it's the real deal.

For the shawarma, the lamb is shaved off of a spit, topped with onions and pickles, then wrapped up in a tortilla (okay, not a real tortilla, but some equivalent to it), and served with your choice of pita bread with hummus, salad or rice.

Overall it's pretty good. Like I said, it's probably closer to a real Turkish shawarma than what I'm used to, but without being grilled on the outside, it was slightly disappointing for me. But on the upside, the lamb is flavorful and generously provided, and the pickles and onions are nice counterpoints. As for the sides, the hummus is good, but really, hummus is hummus. I did like the rice the time I had it. I've never had the salad, but as it seems to be primarily iceberg lettuce (aka the nutritionally devoid, tasteless lettuce) I doubt I'd like it.

I did like the baklava. Sweet and moist, not dry like it is a lot of places, I thought it was delicious. Plus the portion was nice, not too large, but big enough to share.

Prices are good and the service is always great at Habashi House, as it is in the grocery store next door, which is owned by the same people. It really has a great atmosphere, decorated in that Arab-influenced style with beautiful verses from the Quran decorating the walls (written Arabic is beautiful, but always amazes me that it's an actual alphabet). The whole place, like virtually everything in the River Market, has lots of character, and personally I like that in a restaurant.

In closing, if you like Middle Eastern foods, Habashi House is a pretty good place to eat.

Scorecard

www.habashihouse.com/

Where you should be buying your produce

2009-07-29T11:14:00.006-05:00

The City Market

I love the City Market. I love buying fresh produce from local farmers, I love the prices, but most of all I love the spectacle. It's one of the few places in Kansas City where you can see people of every race and ethnic background intermingling, speaking half a dozen languages. Even if you're one of those horribly unhealthy people who refuses to eat vegetables (you know who you are), it's worth the trip just to people watch.

Look at these vegetables... delicious.

If you look closely at the far table above you can see zucchini blossoms. Which are awesome. Check out the bottom of this post for a simple recipe.

It's crowded on Saturday mornings in the summer.

My favorite place to buy spices, this guy has great stuff at $1 per big scoop for most spices. And he's one of the great characters that make the market so interesting.

Zucchini Blossom recipe
20 zucchini blossoms, stamen removed, washed and patted dry
1/4 lb cooked ground meat (we used bison)
1/4 C shredded cheese (we used colby jack)
1 egg, beaten with 1 tsp of water
1/2 C flour
1/2 C seasoned bread crumbs
oil for frying
salt and pepper

1. Gently stuff the blossoms with a meat/cheese mixture. Don't over fill. Twist gently closed.
2. Dredge each stuffed blossom in flour, then the egg wash, then bread crumbs.
3. Gently fry until golden brown.
4. Drain on paper towels and season while still slightly wet.

Scorecard

French without the attitude

2009-07-28T09:19:00.004-05:00

Oak 63
(sorry for the lack of photos)

Imagine a visit to a French restaurant and you probably picture a formal, perhaps stuffy restaurant complete with a dimly lit interior, candles and an uptight maître d'. Now picture a visit to Oak 63 at 408 E. 63rd in Brookside. Completely different from what you may have imagined, it is in fact a charming bistro with large windows and a small, but friendly staff.

We initially decided to visit this place because my wife, for some reason, thought it was a sandwich shop. It wasn’t, at least not at dinner time. Specializing in Southern French cuisine, I initially felt a little self-conscious in shorts and a T-shirt, but the friendliness of the waiter (it was small enough that there was only one), coupled with a rather boisterous party of retirees soon made me feel right at home.

Aside from the charm the location exudes, I was instantly a fan of this place when I saw the menu. Clearly the chef values simple foods done right over a large, unnecessarily complex menu, because there was only a choice of eight or nine entrées, with around 20 options in total including appetizers and salads. And even better the menu was dated, meaning the chef had determined exactly what he would be serving based upon what ingredients he thought were best. Loved it.

Not overly hungry, we just went with entrees, I had the veal scallopini and Natasha ordered the duck breast, which arrived following a quite reasonable wait. Natasha’s duck was perfectly cooked. Moist and succulent, it had just the slight hint of pink you want in your duck, and served with its juices on a bed of arugula, was a well thought-out, simple, yet quite tasty dish.

My veal dish was a pair of veal medallions pounded thin and served with a shallot-wine cream sauce and sautéed mushrooms and asparagus. On the side was a layered potato casserole, quite common in French cuisine of which I can’t seem to recall the name. At any rate it was delicious. The veal was excellent, very tender and well cooked. My only issue was with the sauce, which I found to be slightly under seasoned (for the record, Natasha disagreed with me on this. She found it to be perfectly seasoned. But then I always prefer strong flavors).

Overall, both dishes were very successful, and the portion size was perfect. Unlike most restaurants in this county, Oak 63 doesn’t feel obligated to provide your entire daily caloric requirements in one dish. Instead they provide enough food to satiate your hunger, without making you uncomfortably full.

Prices were quite good for the quality provided, with entrees ranging from $12 to $25 dollars. With a couple of drinks and a decent tip, we still got out at just under $50, a good price for a meal this good.

Scorecard

Brewers Who Can Cook

2009-07-21T10:25:00.007-05:00

McCoy's Public House & Brew

In the past few years, microbreweries have become all the rage. Piggybacking on this trend have been public houses who brew their own beer. Generally speaking, one of two scenarios arises at these places. Either one, they have great beer but mediocre food, like Morgan Street Brewery in St. Louis, or else they have fantastic food and crappy beer like 75th Street Brewery (Yes, I dislike 75th Street’s beer and really couldn’t care less if you disagree). Occasionally, however, you will find a place that does both really well. McCoy’s at 4057 Pennslyvania in Westport is just such a place.

Packed with the after work crowd, we really wanted to sit outside and enjoy the pleasant summer weather this weekend. Unfortunately no one on the patio was leaving, not that I can blame them. Luckily, there was plenty of room inside, which was almost as nice. The crimson walls and dark wood accents gave the place a nice atmosphere.

Quickly shown to a table by a hostess wearing purple boots (I remember because Natasha commented on it; who wears boots in the summer?), we found the ambiance of the place charming and inviting. Skeptical of the beers at first, I opted for an Infamous Artie, which is their Raspberry Wheat mixed with their Brown Ale. Natasha had the Raspberry Wheat. Surprisingly, these beers were pretty good. While I found the Raspberry a little sweet and not beer tasting enough, I really enjoyed the Brown Ale that I ordered next. And considering that I compare all brown ales to Newcastle, it wasn’t bad. (Don’t misinterpret me, it’s not as good as Newcastle, but it’s not bad at all).

Of course because this was quality beer I was expecting unremarkable food. Thankfully, I was wrong. While the meal wasn’t perfect, it was definitely good.

We started with the tomato basil bruschetta with a garlic-ricotta spread, which was a well-executed and well-presented. The balsamic reduction drizzle was a nice touch, not just from an aesthetic point-of-view, but also for the sweet flavor it added.

For mains, I had the Santa Fe Burger, a ½ pound patty (allegedly, it seemed a little small to me), topped with pepper jack cheese and a roasted Anaheim pepper. While the burger had excellent flavors, it was a slightly under-done for most people. Personally I prefer my beef rare (yes I know this is dangerous with ground beef), so I liked it, but many people would have sent it back. That said, it was delicious and paired well with their crispy, well-cooked fries. Served sans-condiment, I requested some mayo. It took a bit longer than I had hoped to get this, but considering our waiter brought out the ramekin on a salad plate with a black napkin, this classy touch more than made up for the slight wait.

Natasha ordered one of their signature dishes, the Tuscan chicken. Two chicken breasts topped with prosciutto, brie and sautéed spinach, sat on a bed of pea risotto. While the chicken was succulent and moist, its flavor profile was nothing spectacular. The risotto, on the other hand was perfectly executed. Anyone who has ever tried their hand at risotto knows the perils it can present; it’s easy to overcook and nearly as easy to undercook. However, at McCoy’s it turned out perfectly. Even as the side, it easily outshone the protein.

As my lovely wife has a severe sweet tooth, she insisted we try McCoy’s dessert menu. At our server’s recommendation we split the chocolate peanut butter ice cream sandwich, a brownie sandwiched around peanut butter ice cream and served with a hot chocolate dipping sauce. Personally, I don’t care for peanut butter, but this was a good way to finish off a meal, if a bit messy.

Overall, I liked McCoy’s. I don’t like making the trek into Westport in the evening all that often because I don’t like fighting the crowds. However, if you don’t mind that sort of thing, it’s not a bad place to grab a bite.

Scorecard

http://www.mccoyspublichouse.com/

The Great Burrito Face-Off

2009-07-20T09:20:00.005-05:00

Burrito Brothers

In the world of giant burritos there is a gold standard. Regardless of your feelings on chain restaurants, you’ve got to admit that the standard by which all other burritos are judged is the McDonald’s-owned behemoth Chipotle. Thus when Burrito Brothers opened their doors in the River Market last October, they had a high standard to live up to.

Being a lover of over-sized burritos dating back to my college days (New York Burrito anyone?) I decided it was past time that I tried Burrito Brothers out, so following my weekly trip to the Farmer’s Market on Saturday, I did just that.

Like most things in the River Market, Burrito Brothers doesn’t have the largest location, so they’re forced to maximize their space. In a small (maybe 20 feet by 40) location the place seemed packed with a line of 10 people and another 15 or so eating at the tables. Of course having such a prime location, the employees have their jobs down to a science. The three counter workers kept things moving swiftly as they prepared burritos, tacos, taco salads and quesadillas to order.

Quesadillas, as well as their meat offerings are what really set Burrito Brothers apart from their mega-competitor. I really appreciated the options they offer. For example, in addition to the standard beef, chicken and other options, Burrito Bros. also offers eggs, shrimp, portabellas and best of all, chorizo. Arghhhhh… Chorizo. I’m fully convinced that if there are burritos in heaven they will be stuffed with this delicious pork sausage.

With that said, I’m sure you can imagine what I opted for, a chorizo burrito. Topped with rice, beans, pico de gallo and salsa, Burrito Bros. puts cheese on their tortillas prior to steaming them, creating a melty cheesy bit in every bite. Well constructed, it was really quite good. With included, but unnecessary tortilla chips, all washed down with a Jarritos orange soda, it made for a pleasant Saturday lunch.

My lovely wife chose the carnitas burrito, and it is here that we had the best apples-to-apples comparison to Chipotle:

Menu - Burrito Bros. has many more options than their competitor. Edge: BB

Tortillas – Burrito Bros. melts cheese on theirs, rather than just throwing it in cold with the rest of the ingredients. Edge: BB

Meat – Chipotle is known for their tasty, well-seasoned meats. Burrito Bros. offers more choices, but the carnitas are not nearly as flavorful. Edge: Chipotle

Rice – Another hallmark of the Chipotle burrito, their cilantro lime rice is delicious and makes a definite impression. Burrito Brothers’ rice on the other hand was bland and tasteless. Had I not seen my burrito made, I would have forgotten it even had rice. Chipotle wins in a landslide. Edge: Chipotle

Beans – You really have to try hard to screw up beans. Edge: Push

Salsas - The pico de gallo is a nice touch at Burrito Bros. and they also offer four other salsas, a mild, medium and two hot. I had the medium (fire roasted tomato) and one of the hot (chipotle). Chipotle also has good salsas, making this one to close to call. Edge: Push

Price - Though they’ve raised their prices, you can still get a burrito at Chipotle for around $5.50. Burrito Bros. is just slightly higher at $6. Easy enough. Edge: Chipotle

Final Score: Chipotle 3 - Burrito Bros. 2

There you have it folks. Though I liked Burrito Brothers a lot, and always like to eat local when I can, in a head-to-head match up, Chipotle beats out the local challenger.

However, don’t take this the wrong way. Burrito Bros. is still damn good. If you like this style of food, you’re going to like Burrito Brothers. It is definitely worth trying out, I bet you’ll like it.

Scorecard

http://www.burritobrotherskc.com/

215 meets 816

2009-07-13T09:17:00.008-05:00

Grinders

In case you missed it, I took a bit of a hiatus from blogging. As that’s now over, I thought it only fitting that my first post back should be on a place I’ve been meaning to visit for a long time, Grinders at 415 E. 18th Street in downtown Kansas City.

You see, I’ve heard a lot about the place. Featured on “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” with the ever-annoying Guy Fieri, it piqued my interest as one, a local Kansas City place, and two, as a place with a unique atmosphere. So on Saturday, following an enjoyable, if a bit exhausting trip to the River Market, Natasha and I stopped by Grinders for a late lunch.

At first glance, Grinders doesn’t even appear to be a restaurant. Covered with concert promotional fliers (it doubles as a music venue in the evenings), you may be tempted to pass it by in favor of the place next-door, sister venue Grinders West. Don’t do that. While I’m told Grinders West is great, you want the original.

When we entered the place, even at nearly two in the afternoon, there was not a spare seat to be found. Undaunted, we made our way through the inside to an open table out back. There were plenty of these because in case you didn't leave your house last weekend, it was f-ing hot. Sitting at a picnic table, we perused the menu while listening to the sound check for the upcoming Dweezil Zappa concert. Between the sound check, the raunchy graffiti covering the tables, the dog roaming the courtyard and the interesting mix of fellow patrons, the whole place had a surreal quality, like something you would find in a Darren Aronofsky film. Of course the copious amounts of alcohol still filtering out of my system from the night before may have added to this.

At any rate, we had plenty of time (but not too long) to check out the menu while our waitress, a pleasant girl brought our drinks. She was a good server, but she probably could have benefited from a little help, as she appeared to be slightly over-burdened with tables. Though I’ve heard the pizza is excellent, we opted for the Philly cheese steak and the molten Buffalo wings. To drink Natasha had a mimosa made with very cheap champagne, and for some reason I decided a beer sounded good. Though they’ve got a great selection at Grinders, I went with a Miller Light (don’t ask me what I was thinking).

Because the place was busy, we had a long (but reasonable) wait for our food. This gave us more time to people watch, something Grinders is prime real estate for. The workers were invariable heavily tattooed with a preference for black clothing. The patrons were a very mixed bag. At the table in front of us 8 hipsters, ironic mustaches and all, drank beer by the pitcher while discussing their favorite Web sites. Behind us a family discussed KU basketball, while next to us a large woman wearing a fanny pack discussed the upcoming Zappa plays Zappa show with her boyfriend.

Had it not been so hot, we wouldn’t have minded the wait at all, but as I mentioned before, it was uncomfortably hot. So when our food finally arrived, we were more than ready for it.

Now several people, including a friend of mine who was born and raised in Philadelphia, have told me that Grinders is one of the few places outside of the City of Brotherly Love where you can get a good cheese steak. Having never sampled Geno’s I can only take his word for it, but I loved this sandwich. Sautéed mushrooms, peppers and onions with thin-sliced beef, provolone and Cheese Whiz on a chewy bun, it was just what I hoped it would be. Definitely worth checking out if you like that sort of thing. Of course Natasha, with her European tastebuds was disappointed. Raised on good cheese, she has a strong aversion to processed cheese and felt like the Cheese Whiz overwhelmed everything else. But then I can’t expect a foreign-born person to fully appreciate the greasy goodness that is a Philly cheese steak. In my book, it was delicious.

As for the Buffalo wings, of which I had also heard good things, I was very disappointed. Served only slightly warmer than room temperature, the sauce was also extremely generic. While they weren’t bad, the wings were nothing remarkable, tasting like something you might find at Chili’s or Applebee’s. Too bad really, considering how much I enjoyed the cheese steak.

Overall, prices were great, we had drinks, a sandwich and wings, and we still got out for under $30 including tip. And while I was unhappy with the wings, the Phillies, along with the reputation of the as yet untasted pizza and grinders will surely have me back

Scorecard

http://www.grinderspizza.com/

My Favorite Asian Food

2009-04-28T09:39:00.007-05:00

Choga Korean Restaurant

Generally, a pretty good marker of the authenticity of any type of ethnic restaurant is if people of that ethnicity eat there. If you see a bunch of Brazilians in a Brazilian restaurant, there’s a good chance it’s going to be authentic food like you’d get in Sao Paulo. If you go to a Lebanese restaurant filled with people from Beirut, you’re probably in for a treat. The same is true of Korean food, and my latest review, Choga at 6920 W. 105th St. in Overland Park is no different.

I first discovered Choga several years ago, when prior to my marriage, I was dating a Korean girl. Always an adventurous eater, she invited me for Korean food one evening, and this was the place we ended up. I was instantly smitten by the flavor and quality of the food and have been back several times, most recently last Friday with my lovely wife Natasha, who had the day off from work.

Choga doesn’t have the greatest location in the world. It’s in a rather old strip mall off Metcalf in South Johnson County where the nearby presence of Buffalo Wild Wings, D’Bronx and Winstead’s overshadow it. With a non-descript interior with second-hand booths, the rear of which is used as a storage closet, it’s hard to believe that Choga offers the best Asian food in town, but it does.

Like I said, I’ve eaten here several times and never been disappointed. This most recent trip, we went at lunchtime, and had the lunch box special. I had braised baby octopus with green onions, while Natasha had the braised short ribs. Both were served with sticky rice, sweet potato noodles, a salad with a light and refreshing vinaigrette, a pair of dumplings, kim chee and a spicy sesame-chile dipping sauce, plus half of an orange for dessert. Everything was delicious. Octopus had an amazing flavor, and the short ribs were fantastic. The sides were all good, especially the kim chee, which I love anyway.

In fact, the only bad part of the meal was the tea. We had ordered a pot of green tea, and were quite disappointed to receive a teapot of hot water and a teabag. As any tea drinker can attest, the tea used in bags is the scraps and leftovers, and as a result, generally doesn’t taste nearly as good as loose leaf. Despite this, our meal was fantastic.

The service was good, though a bit understaffed. With only one waitress for the full dining room, I could tell our server was a bit snowed under, but she did a good job anyway.

Prices were reasonable, around $9 for most of the lunch boxes, with dinner entrees at around $15 for a generous portion. The menu offers a good selection of Korean fare, without being overwhelming to non-Koreans.

In closing, I love Choga and strongly recommend it.

Scorecard

The New Kid in Town

2009-04-08T10:38:00.006-05:00

Pizza Oven

Starting a restaurant is a risky proposition, no matter how optimistic the economic outlook. Starting a pizza and sandwich joint, considering the high level of competition, is probably the riskiest proposition of all.

For this reason, I was really excited to try Pizza Oven, which just opened at 8017 State Line Road. I’d been driving by the site for months, watching the sign that said “opening soon”, but it seemed so long that I almost forgot. That is, until the coupons showed up in my mailbox.

Last Friday, having little to no desire to cook a meal for my wife and myself, I thought we would try the place out. Placing a to-go order (I’ve no desire to eat in most pizza joints), I was impressed by the friendliness of the order taker. When I went to pick up our pie, I was again impressed by the worker’s affability. But then, as a new restaurant probably struggling for customers, I suppose you can’t get away with being rude.

I also liked the décor of the place. Simple and minimalist, the focus of this place is clearly on their food. The only artistic touch was in the interesting pizza floor mural, which creates a sort of yellow brick road to the counter. With a throwback feel, I really liked the style of the place.

What I didn’t really like was the topping selection. Sure there were all of the standards, pepperoni, sausage, Italian sausage, olives, onions, tomatoes, but I was a bit disappointed that there was nothing unusual. Even fairly common things like chicken and spinach were noticeably devoid. This was a bit disappointing, but since all of the toppings were fresh and quality, I was willing to overlook this small detail.

As for the pie itself, I have mixed feeling. The crust was fantastic. Crispy on the outside and bottom and chewy in the middle, it was really good, a tribute to the quality oven they use. Unlike many of your chain pizza parlors, their pizzas don’t follow a conveyor, but rather are baked individually until they’re done. In my experience, this is really one of the secrets to a great crust.

As I mentioned, the toppings were fresh and good quality, we had Italian sausage, mushroom, tomato, garlic and black olives. The cheese was a nice mix, and plentiful, melting really nicely onto the pie. But then there was the sauce. Personally, I don’t like sweet tomato sauces, and this one was surely a sweet one. In fact, it reminded me nothing so much as the sauce you get on a frozen Red Baron.

In summation, the pizza’s pretty good at Pizza Oven. It’s not the best I’ve ever had, but it still beats anything you’re going to get from Pizza Hut, Domino’s or Pizza Shoppe. The prices are a little high, at around $15 for a medium with five toppings, but not too bad overall. The service is great, and it’s got a nice atmosphere. If you ever find yourself around the border in south KC, you could do a lot worse than Pizza Oven.

Scorecard

http://kcpizzaoven.com/Home.html

A Delicious Oxymoron

2009-02-16T11:03:00.007-06:00

Blue Nile

Most people don’t think of food when they think of Ethiopia. In fact, to many people, the whole concept seems a bit of a contradiction, as starving Ethiopians were the poster children for global relief in the 1980s. However, this country, an ancient one with a rich cultural tradition, has really, really good food.

I’d had Ethiopian cuisine before my recent trip to Blue Nile at (address), and I really liked it. And prior to ever setting foot through the doors of this African restaurant, I knew I was in for a treat. Everything I had ever heard or read about the place was positive, something that’s virtually impossible in this cyber-age in which we live.

We had been out and about on Sunday; Natasha was shooting photos for her photography class. As luck (or my cleverly designed plans) would have it, we just so happened to be in the River Market area at lunchtime. While my lovely wife insisted she wasn’t really hungry, at my insistent urging, we headed to Blue Nile.

The interior of the restaurant was quite a bit smaller than I had anticipated, with only one server for the dozen or so tables in the place, which was decorated with paintings and artifact, which I’m assuming came from Ethiopia. In the far corner, vacuum pots of truly amazing Ethiopian coffee brewed in a row, and an eclectic crowd filled out most of the tables.

The menu offered roughly eight vegetarian dishes and six carnivorous entrees, as well as a pair of combination platters was small, but in my experience, an accurate representation of the country’s fare. Wanting to try everything, we opted for the large combination platter that featured all of vegetarian entrees, and one each of lamb, chicken and beef. So we had eleven things in all, the eight vegetarian dishes consisting of two lentil items, and one each of potato, greens, mixed veg, bean, cabbage and eggplant.

Served on flat a sweet, porous Ethiopian flat bread called injera, you aren’t provided with utensils, but rather tear strips of the bread and use that to pick up the food, making this meal both delicious and fun to eat.

Overall we were pleased with most everything, with our particular favorites being the two lentil dishes and the beef. One of the lentil dishes was sweet, while the other was savory with mushrooms. The beef tasted almost like barbeque in the flavor profile and was very good. The chicken we had was similar to the beef, while the lamb was curried. The potatoes, cabbage and eggplant dishes all had good flavor, and the greens and mixed vegetables were okay. In fact, the only item I didn’t really like was the beans.

With a huge amount of food (really the platter could easily have fed three, four if they weren’t too hungry), we ate far more than we intended, but I don’t regret it. And the coffee was fantastic as an end to the meal. Rich and flavorful, Natasha is now searching for a vacuum pot of our own.

The service was great, though a bit slow, and the atmosphere, from the photo of Haile Sellaisse on the door, to the authentic artwork only added to the charm of this place. Prices were quite in-line with what I expected, at around $10-12 for most entrees, and well worth the price considering the amount of food. Overall, I liked just about everything about the place. In fact, I’m quite sure we’ll be making the trek to the River Market sometime soon to feast upon this delicious cuisine again.

Scorecard

The Best Gas Station Food Ever

2009-01-26T08:49:00.008-06:00

Oklahoma Joe's

Normally I try to avoid eating at gas stations. Usually you end up with something like this, a quick and easy take on an all-American favorite made almost entirely of lab-engineered, preservative-laden versions of real food. Inevitably, it tastes like absolute crap.

However, on rare occasions, you can find something in a convenience store that’s actually worth eating. Saturday afternoon, I had just one of those experiences. At the repeated insistence of several of my friends, the wife and I finally made the trip over to 47th and Mission to try Oklahoma Joe’s Barbeque.

Had I heard nothing of Oklahoma Joe’s before dining there, I would have greeted the place with a great deal of skepticism. I mean, really, one of the best barbeque joints in Kansas City is located in a gas station in Fairway?

Were this any other type of restaurant, this would be an instant strike against it, but somehow, it actually works for the place. With the barbeque and country memorabilia on the walls and Johnny Cash coming through the speakers, the flow of gas station customers off to the side felt right at home. The cramped and slightly dirty tables with their rolls of paper towels and greasy barbeque sauce reminded me of nothing so much as the kind of diners you see when traveling in West Texas. The cleanest joint in town? Not likely, but then, barbeque joints usually aren’t.

Oklahoma Joe’s has all the standards you’d expect from a Kansas City barbeque stand: ribs, burnt ends, pulled pork, etc. At the recommendation of several friends, both Natasha and I opted for the Z-Man, a sandwich of brisket, topped with provolone cheese, and an onion ring. Natasha had hers with a side of coleslaw, while I went with the fries. A pink lemonade (a requisite for real barbeque) rounded out the meal.

As this place is noted for ridiculously long lines, with supposedly up to an hour-long wait at times, they had our food up and ready in no time. Literally, it was like 30 seconds, which amazed me. A cafeteria-style place, we took our order and found a table. At first glance, the Z-Man looks good, but surely nothing I’d rave about like so many people do.

A medium-sized sandwich (with a mountain of fries), the Z-man looked no better than sandwiches I’d had elsewhere. However, upon biting into it, I saw what separates Oklahoma Joes from the Zarda's and KC Masterpieces. The meat was slightly smokey, very tender and overall really flavorful. Coupled with the crispy ring, gooey provolone and tangy sauce, it was a really good sandwich.

The food is miles above most of the pretenders that this city is littered with, and the service was good too. Completely lacking in pretension, the staff doesn’t yell at you a la Gates, and the prices are very reasonable (the Z-Man is $5.99).

Of course this begs the question: is Oklahoma Joe’s the best barbeque I’ve had? Sorry Joe, but in a heated contest, I give a very slight edge to Bryant’s on overall taste and quality. This, of course, is no slight on Oklahoma Joe’s, and I’m sure many people will disagree with me. But my own personal preference is for the vinegary-goodness that is Arthur Bryant’s.

And while I won’t give it the glowing, "best food ever" review that many of my associates will, I’m really glad I finally got around to trying the place. I can’t see waiting an hour for it, but I will definitely be eating at Oklahoma Joe’s again.

Scorecard

www.oklahomajoesbbq.com

Great Beer, Okay Food

2009-01-13T11:41:00.004-06:00

Charlie Hooper's Bar & Grill

If you read this blog on an even semi-regular basis, surely you are aware that I love Brookside. Probably my favorite area in the entire KC metro, it offers a little something for everyone.

And as a sports fan, to me, Charlie Hooper's is the very best place in Kansas City to watch a sporting event, particularly KU basketball. If I'm out in public watching a KU game, there's at least a 60% chance I'll be at Hooper's. Why, you may ask? Aside from an awesome atmosphere, great patrons and a lot of flat-screen televisions, they simply have the best beer selection around. With somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 beers on tap, they also have more than 100 in bottles. Reasonably priced, if you enjoy beer, this is a great place to be...

As for the food, well, it's a bar. That's not to say it's not acceptable, but let's be honest, if you wanted a gourmet meal, you wouldn't be sitting on a bar stool. Though I've eaten here numerous times, Hooper's is one of the few places in town where I have a regular item. I nearly always go with the Buffalo chicken wrap, no onions, and fries instead of a salad. In a tortilla with lettuce and blue cheese crumbles, the fried chicken pieces in buffalo sauce are pretty good. Plus, I like their fries.

As for the rest of the menu, from what I've sampled, it's all decent. Nothing you'll want to write home about, but nothing you'd spit out either. Their reuben is good, as is the burger, and I've heard they make a mean hot dog, though I've never had one (even though they're on special most Saturdays).

All in all, I really like Hooper's, but primarily because of the beer and atmosphere. If you're hungry there's nothing wrong with getting a bite here, and you'll probably like it as long as you're not expecting the Bristol. Plus prices are cheap, the servers are by-and-large good, and as I said, it's one of the best places in town to watch a game.

Scorecard

What I Ate Over Christmas Break

2009-01-05T11:15:00.015-06:00

I’ve finally gotten back on track after the Holidays. Though things were quite hectic for the past two or three weeks, things are mostly back to normal, thus allowing me the time to make this post, a photo essay of the perfect Christmas meal:

The Menu:
Appetizer - Seared scallops, sauteed mushrooms and prosciutto on toasted Italian bread with a balsamic reduction.
Salad - Grilled portobellas, bosc pears and manchego cheese on a bed of romaine, topped with a light vinaigrette.
Main - Roast duckling with a mushroom, onion, pecan and wild rice stuffing.
Cheese - Njord cheese and strawberries.
Dessert - Biscotti and Dove chocolates.

Mise en place – In the foreground, my mother-in-law’s secret fried cabbage recipe cooks in the wok. Rice for the stuffing is boiling in the covered pot, in front of a duck and other stuffing ingredients being prepared on the cutting board.

The star of the show, a duckling.

Offal for the stuffing (and skin for our dog)

Onions and mushrooms for the stuffing.

The fried cabbage again, it’s almost done.

Appetizer prep work, scallops and portabella slices, slices of Italian bread fry in the pan.

Scallops cooking.

Appetizer assembled, prosciutto, scallops, and mushrooms on Italian bread with a balsamic reduction.

The salad, grilled portabellas, pears and manchego cheese on a bed of romaine, served with a vinaigrette.

The duck, awaiting carving.

The duck and stuffing on a plate (At this point I was too hungry to care about plating... it's not a restaurant, after all).

Now, where, you may be asking, is mother-in-law's secret fried cabbage? That is reserved for the best sandwich ever, which is assembled from the leftovers and a few additional ingredients:
cold duck and fried cabbage with smoked gouda and a dab of mayo... Literally, the best sandwich ever assembled. Ever.

/

The Problem with Chains

2008-12-29T14:21:00.008-06:00

This weekend I went to visit my grandmother in St. Louis. As she doesn't get out too much anymore, Natasha and I decided we would take her out to lunch. As she lives in what many would consider "the hood", we had to drive several miles to find a restaurant, and were presented with three options: White Castle, Cracker Barrel or Applebees.

Now Whitey's was out for sure, it's really only good when you already have a bellyful of beer, so that left either Cracker Barrel or Applebees. Natasha, for some reason, hates Cracker Barrel with the fiery passion that I reserve only for the Missouri Tigers, Joakim Noah, and people who label their photos "Steve and I ...". That settled it, for us then, Applebees it was...

Now I haven't frequented an Applebees for a good three to four years, and I was pretty sure I wasn't going to get anything spectacular, but at the same time, I assumed there would be a minimum level of edibility. There was not.

Grandma went with the quesadilla burger and a side salad. The salad, for some reason, didn't arrive until approximately 35 seconds before the rest of our order, so the meal got off to a bad start.

I too, decided I would eat the quesadilla burger, which turns out to be a hamburger patty sandwiched between two tortillas with some salsa and cheese. While the flavor of this was okay, it looked like it was assembled at the school for the blind, the components almost randomly slapped together and then haphazardly cut in two. I would have been willing to overlook this, had the same problem not carried over to Natasha's entree.

Natasha ordered the Grilled Shrimp N' Spinach Salad (god, how I hate that cutesy little "n'"). It was supposed to look like this:

It did not.

Unfortunately, I neglected to photograph this disaster, but imagine, if you will, the above salad, literally drenched in bacon vinaigrette (read bacon grease and vinegar), with less than half the shrimp, all of which were overcooked to the point of complete char, and mixed in with massive slices of purple onions, which were no doubt cut by the same sight-impaired gentleman who assembled my burger.

It's pretty apparent that the line cook, who was by no means swamped as it was well past the lunch rush, just didn't care. This, of course, is the main problem with most chain restaurants; because they follow a preset formula for all items, there is little care or pride in preparing the food. As a result, you are served slop.

Now don't get me wrong. I'm not one of these local nazis who will berate someone for eating at a chain (you know who you are). I like Buffalo Wild Wings and Sweet Tomatoes, and I think Red Robin has some of the best burgers around. I also enjoy Hardees and have been known to frequent Taco Bell on occasion.

However, trips to chain restaurants tend leave me with the same bitter taste in my mouth. Applebees, Ruby Tuesday, Chili's, TGIFriday's, they're all interchangeable, and all too often, they just don't have the same commitment to quality that their local counterparts have. And that, dear readers, is reason enough to eat locally.

/

A Mexican Yin and Yang

2008-12-15T10:10:00.006-06:00

Guadalajara Cafe

Guadalajara Cafe, at 1144 W. 103rd Street, is a study in contrasts, albeit an unintentional one. Somethings they do really well, and in other areas, well, let's just say they're lacking.

Located in a fairly non-descript shopping center, I've passed this way hundreds of times, with usually no more than the passing thought, "I should try that place." On Friday, my wife and I decided we would finally try it out. And I'm not sure how I feel about it...

On the one hand, everything we consumed here was pretty good. On the other, most of the intangibles for this place sucked.

Case in point, the decor. Whoever designed the interior of this place seems to have been suffering from split personality disorder, because it's not clear if it's intended to be a white tablecloth restaurant, or a Mexican cantina, as both are represented, and neither done particularly well. With tables in straight lines and at 90 degree angles to one another, this place was vaguely reminiscent of a high school cafeteria. Toss a few star-shaped light fixtures, and you've got a Martha Stewart nightmare. And of course, the Christmas tree and holiday music didn't help much...

On the other hand, this place has fantastic margaritas. We both went with the Guadalajara Margaritas on the rocks, and we were not disappointed, as these were big margaritas, not the wimpy ones you see at lots of Mexican places. Mixed strong, but not overwhelming, I didn't mind shelling out six bucks a pop for them.

However, I did mind waiting 20 minutes for a waiter to appear and take our drink orders. I'm not sure what the deal was, but we arrived right at the tail end of the dinner rush, when the big Friday night crowd was finishing and leaving. As such, our waiter shouldn't have been overwhelmed. But after being seated and given menus, we sat completely unattended for 15 minutes before a silent and surly kid brought us chips and salsa. Then we waited another 5 minutes before our waiter appeared and took our drink order, and then another 10 until he returned with our drinks and took down our food order,even though we had decided within 10 minutes of being seated...

But let's back up for a moment, to the chips and salsa. The chips at Guadalajara are really good, as good as fried tortillas with salt can be. Paired with their homemade salsa with chunks of fresh onion, tomato and cilantro, I was very pleased with this. This proved to be just a primer for the meal, which featured authentic Mexican food (not Tex-Mex) and was good all around. Natasha went for the Seafood Burrito Acapulco, and I choose the Camarones del Diablo, and both were good choices.

Natasha's was a huge burrito stuffed with shrimp, talapia, scallops and real crab, topped with a cream sauce, with Spanish rice, tomatoes and avocados on the side. Really good, overall, and added points for using real crab, which has a different texture than the fake stuff. The cream sauce was good, though not particularly unique, but the flavors of the dish all around were quite satisfying.

As for me, I had the Camarones del Diablo, which was shrimp, onions and mushrooms in a spicy tomato sauce, served with tortillas and rice. While I enjoyed this dish, the Diablo sauce was a little too tomato-y. It tasted a lot like tomato juice, which it probably was, and that out muscled the flavor of the shrimp and especially the mushrooms. This is not to say, however, that it was unpleasant, as it was an enjoyable dish. My rice side was not Spanish rice, but instead some sort of fried rice, which served as a nice, starchy counterpoint to the entree.

Overall, we recieved a huge amount of food for around $12-16 per entree, and it was all good. While the service and atmosphere weren't the best, the authentic Mexican flavors are sure to bring us back to Guadalajara cafe at some point.

Scorecard

http://www.kcrestaurantguide.com/guadalajara_cafe.htm

Erin Go Bragh

2008-12-10T12:04:00.004-06:00

The Gaf

I really like the Gaf, an Irish Pub at 7122 Wornall. I used to work in the bank building across the street, and this is where we'd often have our business meetings, or an after-work drink. In fact, it was this very location, where my business partner took me to tell me he was screwing me over and I was out of the company, probably for the same reason why people often break up in public, so that I wouldn't make a scene. But that's a story for another day...

The Gaf is exactly how I picture pubs in Ireland. Having never been to the Emerald Isle, I can only imagine, but as the place is run by actual Micks and Limeys, I have to assume it's fairly authentic. With dark wood paneling and matching bar furniture, the flat screen televisions are invariably tuned into soccer, rugby or some other game we Americans don't really follow. Couple this with an outstanding beer selection including Harp, Boddingtons and the requisite Guiness, plus a wide selection of Irish whiskeys and you've got a fine drink selection.

But don't think this place is all about the booze. The food is really good too. At one time or another, I've had just about everything on the menu, and most of it is excellent. For starters, I recommend you try their fried calamari. Served with a Guiness-mustard aioli, it's some of the best I've found in Kansas City, and I'm something of a calamari-fiend. Also, the Gaf Irish Chips, fries covered with cheese, bacon, tomato and sour cream are a meal in and of themselves. The Buffalo wings are okay, though the sauce is too buttery for my tastes, as I prefer a dominate vinegar flavor.

For main courses, their signature dish is Romanelli's catfish (a holdover from the previous occupant of this location), though I highly recommend the braised lamb shank, the chicken curry or the chicken fried steak. If you're in the mood for a sandwich, the Gaf Club, a pressed panini of turkey, ham and bacon with a pesto sauce is good, though the real star is the Irish Gut Bomb. They're not kidding about the name either. Made of a breaded pork tenderloin topped with fried eggs, onion rings, tomato, lettuce and barbeque sauce, this sandwich is huge, but also hugely delicious.

Really you can't go wrong with anything on the menu. And the staff is colorful and funny, with the most interesting character being the large Irishman who runs the joint. He'll let you know if you're being a drunken idiot or say something stupid, but in the fashion of his people, won't hold a grudge, and will likely buy you a pint on your next visit.

A couple years ago, the Gaf was rated as one of the top 10 restaurants in Kansas City. While I won't go that far, it is a fun place to eat or hang out, and the food is really quite good.

Scorecard

http://www.thegafkc.com/index.html

Veloce e Saporito (Quick and Tasty)

2008-12-08T08:57:00.009-06:00

Tired and hungry yesterday evening, I wanted a quick, yet delicious meal. After a quick survey of our pantry and fridge, I developed this, my latest creation, which is a take on the most American of foods, the hamburger. Thus, with no further ado, I present to you, dear reader:

Italian sausage panini burgers with creamy pesto
Serves: 2
Preparation time: 20 minutes

What you’ll need (all measurements are approximate):
½ pound ground Italian sausage
¼ c bread crumbs
1 egg
¼ c parmesan cheese
2-3 tsp mayonnaise
1-2 tsp pesto
minced garlic to taste
4 thick slices Italian bread
2 slices provolone
salt and pepper

Topping suggestions:
roasted red pepper strips
peperoncini slices
artichoke hearts
marinara
romaine leaves

Step 1: Assemble the ingredients.

Step 2: Prepare the burgers, mix ground sausage, bread crumbs, parmesan, salt, pepper and egg in a large bowl. If mixture is too runny, add more bread crumbs. Form into two large patties. Tip: To make nice, flat restaurant-style burgers, make a small depression in the center, the patties will swell as they cook.

Step 3: Cook in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat until cooked through, flipping once, about 5 minutes per side.

Step 4: While burgers are cooking, prepare pesto. Mix mayo and pesto in a bowl, add additional garlic to taste.

Step 5: As burgers near desired done-ness, brush olive oil lightly on one side of each slice of bread. Place burgers on side without oil, top with slice of provolone, and place on panini press and cook until bread has browned nicely. Tip: No panini press? No problem, simply use your George Forman Grill to get those great grill marks.

Step 6: Remove burgers from grill and dress with pesto mixture, roasted red pepper strips, peperoncinis, tomatoes, romaine leaves, marinara or some combination thereof if desired.

That’s it, your done, plate up and enjoy. If you like, try it with a bowl of minestrone soup. For a quick and easy meal, this works great, using commonly available ingredients to create complementary flavors that work well together. Next time you’re in a rush, give it a shot. I bet you’ll like it…

Special thanks again to my lovely wife Natasha for her photography.

Scorecard

My Favorite Kansas City Specialty Stores

2008-12-03T10:18:00.011-06:00

I was out of town for the holiday last week. As a result, my lovely wife and I were unable to make our usual weekend trips out and about, trying new foods and restaurant. And unless someone wants a rather boring recipe for turkey or the good, though unspectacular bacon, mushroom and wild rice stuffing we made, my offering this week for you, dear readers, is a list of my favorite specialty foods stores in Kansas City. Thus with no further ado, I present you with my Top 10:

10. Ambica Foods - 9054 Metcalf
I'm not a huge fan of Indian food. While I appreciate it's uniqueness and exotic (to me) flavors, it's not something I can eat everyday. However, I do enjoy it from time-to-time, and my lovely wife and I have even tried our hand at preparing a few simple dishes occasionally. It was with this in mind that we finally ventured into Ambica Foods, which we had driven by countless times, but never ventured in. A small, crowded store, Ambica offers lots of things I've never seen before. With a variety of Indian and Pakistani foods, it was very interesting to wander the aisles, looking at all the strange, and no doubt delicious items. While we initially came only for Tikki Marsala, we ended up leaving with a handful of other things, including a jar of chile-lime pickles, which are awesome, yet upset my stomach everytime I eat them. The only strike I'll offer against Ambica is the employees are none too friendly. Perhaps they don't see many non-Sub-Asiatics in the store, but we were greeted with smiles only from fellow customers, not from workers. Nevertheless, the prices were reasonable and as I mentioned above, the selection immense. Try this place out the next time you attempt a Hindi dish, I bet you find something you'll like.

9. The City Market - Between 3rd and 5th Streets
Not really a specialty store per se, the City Market, or River Market, as it's also known, is my favorite spot for buying fresh seasonal produce. With lots of local Missouri and Kansas farmers bringing their products to market on Saturday mornings, this is the biggest and best farmer's market this side of Soulard in St. Louis. One of the strongest bastions of multiculturalism in the area, you'll often hear several languages as shoppers intermingle with green grocers, butchers and bakers in the true heart of the city. Prices are always cheaper than in grocery stores, plus it's fresher and you're helping the local economy.

8. La Posada - 728 Southwest Boulevard
Next to a restaurant of the same name, at which I have never eaten, La Posada is your typical Latin grocer on the Hispanic epicenter of Kansas City, Southwest Boulevard. Offering Latin American, particular Mexican, staples, La Posada has the best chorizo I've been able to find in Kansas City, and I'm a chorizo maniac. My only issue with this store was the absence of Mexican Coca-Cola, which is much better than our American version, as it is manufactured with sugar cane rather than artificial sweeteners like it is north of the border. Maybe it was there and I just missed it...

7. Al Habashi Middle Eastern Grocery - 309 Main
In the heart of the River Market, Al Habashi offers all of your favorite Middle Eastern foods, including a variety of nuts and dried fruits, spices and Halal meats. With a diverse offering of such Middle Eastern necessities as beans, lentils and grape leaves, Al Habashi has awesome pita bread. Plus they stock sweet delicacies like Baklava, as well as tahini, semolina, and a variety of teas. Entering this place, it's easy to see the influence the returning crusaders had on European cuisine, as Middle Eastern food and spices bridge the gap between east and west.

6. Cosentino's Brookside Market - 14 W. 62nd Street
Not technically a specialty store, I added Brookside Market to the list for two reasons: its produce and its meat. Brookside Market is the only place in town where I've seen black truffles (albeit dried). They always offer the freshest produce available, and they're known for having a variety of items unavailable anywhere else. Their meat and seafood counter is like a glimpse of heaven for inspired cooks. In my opinion, their scallops are the best around, fresh and huge, you can almost forget you're 1500 miles from the nearest ocean when you eat them. Sometime I'll have to post the recipe we made last Christmas using Brookside's scallops, prosciutto and sauteed portabellos on French bread... It was amazing, believe me.

5. Better Cheddar - 604 W. 84th Street
A cheese shop on the Plaza, Better Cheddar offers tasting samples as you browse. There's always something interesting to try as you wander throughout the store. Last time, we discovered a brown Norwegian cheese, the name of which escapes me, that pairs very well with fresh berries and a glass of Riesling. They also offer a variety of jams and preserves, salsas, and pretzels. One caveat: don't stop in unless you plan to buy, because we've found it impossible to leave empty-handed.

4. Carollo's Italian Gourmet Grocery - 9 E. 3rd Street
Another business located in the City Market, Carollo's has everything you need for an authentic Italian meal. From the huge barrels of olives, to pasta, to meats and sausages, Carollo's has it all. Never without a crowd on Farmer's Market Saturdays, Carollo's has every variety of olive oil you can imagine. While I haven't tried any of their meats and sausages, I'm sure they're delicious by the constant line at the butcher's counter. Plus their olive selection is legendary...

3. Chinatown Food Market - 202 Grand
You knew I wasn't going to forget this one didn't you? Chinatown Food Market is one of my favorite places in the city. I could spend hours wandering the aisles looking at all the canned goods with their strange Thai writing or browsing by the fish counter. They've got literally everything you need for Asian cuisine, even those gross-looking grub worms Tony Bourdain ate on "No Reservations". One of my favorite items from this market is a strange type of mushroom they stock. I've never seen it anywhere else, and it has a uniquely spicy flavor, which works well in any Chinese recipe calling for mushrooms, particularly considering the considerable difficulty in finding fresh straw mushrooms. The fish counter is surely the star of the show, though, featuring tanks of live fish and crabs, awaiting their doom at the hands of the expert fishmongers. Plus if you're thirsty, you can pick up a bottle of sugar cane or lychee juice. It's always an adventure going here.

2. European Delights - 8841 W. 95th Street
We found this place when my wife first moved here, a Russian store offering all the comforts of home to a new Ukrainian immigrant. Very authentic, it's even run by people from Donetsk. Offering a large selection of virtually everything, this store is near the top of the list since their move to a new location across Antioch. Modern and inviting, they've got rows of Russian and Ukrainian candies, which are awesome, by the way, pickled vegetables, and a freezer section full of cakes, pelmini and fish. There's even a deli section where you can get sausage or salo sliced to order. And of course, the Russian mayonnaise (apologies to DLC), which is so much better than it's American counterpart. When you go here, be sure to pick up the ingredients for Ukrainian crab salad, I promise you'll like it.

1. McGonigle's Market - 1307 W. 79th
If you live in Kansas City and don't know about McGonigle's, you've been missing out. A South KC institution, McGonigle's has the best meat in Kansas City. Period. Go in and look at their selection and tell me you've seen better, I dare you. You want ostrich? They've got it. Bison? Yep. Rabbit? Better believe it. And if they don't have it, and it's not on the endangered species list, they'll get it for you. It's for this reason that McGonigle's has continued to thrive when so many other butchers were going under. They're simply the best. And within easy walking distance of my house, I much prefer to pick up forgotten items here, even if they're slightly more expensive, than frequent the nightmare known as the Waldo Price Chopper. Add their weekend barbeque and seasonal morel booth, and McGonigle's is a true credit to the community.

So there it is, loyal readers, my favorite specialty markets in the Kansas City area. Of course, being limited to 10 (by myself), I had to cut a few others I considered, including The Merc in Lawrence, a great place for organics, Bella Napoli in Brookside, Jerusalem Bakery, and several other Mexican and Indian grocers. Anyone have any other recommedations? I'd love to hear them...

/

The Dining Perils of Sloth

2008-11-25T06:01:00.002-06:00

I had to work on Saturday. As I'd been out the night before, I woke up late and needed a coffee and some food. With nothing in the house for breakfast, and lacking the proper motivation to brew coffee, I decided my best option was to hit up a gas station en route.

Now as the gas station closest to my home has been known to forget to add heat to the spinning hot dog/taquito wheel, I decided to hit the 7-11 at 89th and Wornall, even though it was slightly out of my way, for a pair of reasons; 1. their coffee is okay, and they always have the added caffeine shots, and 2. if you want a hot dog or taquito, you have to ask the clerk, thus no kids playing around with my food before I get there.

After filling my coffee, I had a gander at the spinning wheels thing, and decided to give the buffalo taquitos a shot. This is them:

They don't look so bad, right? And buffalo chicken's almost always a winner right? Maybe not.

As I ate these two taquitos, which cost the grand total of $2.22 for both, I got the feeling that I was eating food inside the matrix. That is, I felt that there was nothing natural about these fried meat and cheese sticks. There was nothing actually resembling natural flavors involved, and I mean nothing, not the meat, not the sauce, and definitely not the cheese. I wouldn't be a bit suprised if this particular "food" had been shown to cause cancer in lab rats.

While 7-11 doesn't offer nutritional information for this particular item on their Web site, I have to imagine it reads along the lines of: partially hydrogenated corn oil, monosodium glutamate, mechanically-separated chicken, rat feces, cockroach eggs, and a host of other unsavory ingredients.

While the meat and crust were bad, the cheese, was definitely the worst. It made those crappy, imitation-Kraft American cheese singles taste like the finest wedge of brie.

But thus was my breakfast, nothing like starting the day off on an artificial foot. And like and idiot, I didn't eat all day. If I was smart, this would teach me my lesson, and I will stop eating from gas stations. But then, who ever said I was smart...

/

Never Disappointing

2008-11-24T11:18:00.013-06:00

La Cucina di Mamma

A few months back DLC wrote a review of La Cucina di Mamma, at 6227 Brookside Blvd., a place that I've frequented on several occasions. Though he wasn't overly impressed with the cuisine, I've had a good experience every time I go there. My last foray there, on Friday night, was no different.

Prior to heading to a concert by my third favorite MC of all time, Murs, my lovely wife Natasha and I decided to hit up this neighborhood favorite. Located in a trio of interconnected businesses, including an Italian deli, an espresso shop, and La Cucina di Mamma, Mama's Kitchen, as it were, has a certain quaint charm.

La Cucina is a tiny spot, but that intimacy only adds to the charm. While we'd been here for lunch and the sandwiches which DLC was unimpressed by, we happened to like them very much. This, however, was our first experience with dinner cuisine at this particular establishment. With a limited menu of perhaps 15 choices for dinner, prices ranged from $6-8 for appetizers, $10-16 for entrees, with beers and wine around $4-6 per serving.

One thing I noticed, however was that apparently they don't offer the sandwiches in the evening, because the Italian sausage panini which I am such a big fan of was noticeably absent.

Nevertheless, we decided to start with an appetizer, of which I've missed the Italian name,

A pizza, again, I missed the name,

And the tiramisu for dessert.

The appetizer was good, a rustic dish of toasted Italian bread topped with olive oil, sardines, fresh mozzarella and caramelized onions. Garnished with fresh parsley, it was a simple, elegant starter. With complementary pieces, this is a dish I'm sure I'll mimic in the comfort of my own kitchen. My only issue with it, in fact, was that the Italian bread was ever-so-slightly burnt on a few pieces. This notwithstanding, it was an excellent choice.

The pizza which followed after, was also a good choice. In all likelihood wood-fired, this pizza was great. A thin, flaky crust topped with a slightly sweet sauce, prosciutto, kalamata olives, mushrooms, artichoke hearts and cheese, was quite delicious. The crust was really, really good, and the toppings were well thought out and unique, while fitting in with the theme of the restaurant. My only issue with the pizza, was that it could have used a little more cheese, though that is a small issue when compared the overall dish.

Of course, enjoying this pie, brought back memories of the debacle that is La Cucina's Brookside neighbor, Blue Grotto. The nearest comparison I can make between the two is that La Cucina di Mamma is like Warren Moon, a great football player who very quietly put together a Hall of Fame career, while Blue Grotto is Ryan Leaf, a highly-touted draft pick who couldn't cut it in the pros and quickly disappeared from the league. Without question La Cucina wins the pizza battle of Brookside...

For dessert, Natasha insisted we have the tiramisu. Very moist with a hint of coffee liqueur and a strong flavor of cocoa, this was a good dessert, though not great, but then again, I don't have much of a sweet tooth.

As for the service, the waitresses were great, very polite and friendly, though the kitchen could have been a bit quicker (though I would prefer slow food cooked properly than rapid service that is slop).

Overall, I really like La Cucina di Mamma. It's in Brookside, which is my favorite KC neighborhood, and the food is never disappointing. You should try it next time you're in the area...

Scorecard

(Sorry everyone for the low-quality camera-phone photos :-)

On the Bayou

2008-11-18T11:51:00.010-06:00

Jazz - A Louisian Kitchen

So I learned something new today. Apparently Jazz - A Louisiana Kitchen, is a chain restaurant. I knew there was one at the Legends, as well as the one at 1823 W. 39th Street I've always frequented, but apparently, there are five other locations as well, including one in Columbia, one in Omaha, and three in Texas. How did I miss that all this time?

Anyway, the last trip, we went to Jazz about mid-afternoon to avoid the crowd. Having tried the previous weekend, only to be thwarted by a large crowd and a live band, the restaurant was sparsely populated, all the better for us.

Strangely enough, as we were being seated, the hostess for some reason had led us in a circle, before leading us to our table along the wall. Not sure what that was all about...

The walls one of the most interesting things at Jazz, being entirely covered in graffiti, a la the original D'Bronx location.

While you're waiting said graffiti is quite entertaining, with interesting tags like "Christy is hung over. So is Dan. Happy Sunday."

Of course, you don't want to get too distracted. The menu is huge and bread with a spiced butter usually arrive while you're deciding.

With a menu offering so many choices, it's got to be difficult for the cooks to remember how everything is prepared. Unfortunately, this means while some items are fantastic, some are just mediocre. While I like the food at Jazz on the whole, they've definitely dropped the ball on a few items.

However, the seafood gumbo, which we started with, is not one of them.

I LOVE seafood gumbo. Spicy broth with pieces of crawdad, white fish, shrimp, celery and pepper, my only issue with this was that I only got a cup, when I clearly should have gone for the bowl. One of my co-workers who was born-and-raised in Louisiana, swears that Jazz has the only authentic gumbo he's found since moving to Kansas City.

The fried oysters, on the other hand, were disappointing. With visions of the sauteed oysters from Tatsu's swimming in my head, I was not pleased with the heavily battered and deep fried things placed in front of me. With the consistency of a box of gizzards from Go, Chicken Go, the only flavor they had was from the breading and the oil. The oil, apparently isn't changed very often, because it lent the oysters a burnt shrimp flavor. Served with Cajun coleslaw, whatever that is, and a trio of overcooked, dried-out hush puppies, this is not an entree I'll be repeating.

Natasha opted for the crawfish creole, which was much better, though too spicy for her. Tomatoes, peppers and onions and crawfish, with dirty rice the side is of what this dish comprised. Good melding of flavors, nice texture, and a clearly cajun recipe, I enjoyed it thoroughly. She, on the other hand, downed her drink and grabbed my beer to calm the burning. Good stuff, really.

Aside from the oysters, our entire experience was pleasurable, though our server could have been more attentive. However, as it was around three o'clock in the afternoon, I can't blame him. Having worked in restaurants, I'm fully aware of the screwing around in the kitchen and excessive smoke breaks that afternoon waiting entails.

Additionally, prices are higher than your average casual-dining restaurant, around $13-15 for most entrees, but generally worth it.

Overall, I like Jazz, but like I mentioned, while sometimes they hit a homerun, other times they strike out. In addition to the gumbo, I'm also particularly fond of their Po'boys, all of which are delicious. I'll definitely continue to patronize this restaurant, but I wish they'd trim their menu and eliminate the duds.

Scorecard

http://www.jazzkitchen.com/

A French Classic

2008-11-16T21:44:00.003-06:00

Last week, Owen Morris of The Pitch's "Fat City" blog, posted this entry, his weekly entry detailing his culinary studies. As the main item this week was coq au vin, or wine-braised rooster, it piqued my interest and I decided to make this dish myself.

Below you will find a step-by-step detailing of the cooking process, with special thanks to my lovely wife Natasha for her photography. The recipe is a composite from several we found.

Coq Au Vin

What you'll need:

Step 1: Assemble the ingredients.

Step 2: Cut and blanch the pearl onions.

Step 3: Brown the bacon in a Dutch oven, leaving the grease.

Step 4: Meanwhile, simmer the broth, wine and herbs until reduced by half.

Step 5: Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Brown in the bacon grease.

It should look like this.

Step 6: Remove the chicken to a plate, leaving juices in the Dutch oven. Add 3 Tbls butter. When foaming subsides, add onions and mushrooms, cook until lightly browned.

Step 7: Add garlic, cook until fragrant (approx 30 seconds). Stir in the flour and tomato paste. Stir until well mixed. (Sorry, no photo)

Step 8: Remove herbs from the wine-broth reduction and add reduction to the Dutch oven. Scrape the pan with a wooden spoon to release any flavor-crunchies stuck to the bottom.

Step 9: Return chicken to the pot.

Step 10: Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, covered for 25 minutes, stirring once.

Step 11: Remove chicken to plate, tent with foil to keep warm. Raise heat on sauce, until thick, stirring in remaining 2 Tbls butter near the end. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

That's it, you're done, plate and serve. While this is a fairly complex recipe, nothing about it is really difficult, it's just time consuming. Of course if you were using a rooster, as the original recipe calls for, you'd need to braise the chicken much longer to break down the fibers, making it more tender.

As you can see, we paired our coq au vin with garlic-gruyere skin-on mashed red potatoes and fresh bell pepper, though noodles, rice, or anything starchy would work nicely on the side as well.

Overall, this meal was fantastic, well worth the 2 hours it took to prepare it. Extremely rich and filling, I ate to the point of discomfort, but would gladly do it again. Additionally, we had a fair amount of gravy left over, and as such Natasha is having what I term a "high-end French dip" sandwich for lunch today, roast beef with a side of sauce for dipping.

Though labor intensive, I am sure that you will enjoy this dish as much as we did, should you decide to make your own.

Bon appétit!

Scorecard

As Seen on TV

2008-11-11T08:43:00.006-06:00

Cupini's

Those Neely's are full of shit. The hosts of "Road Tasted with the Neelys", Pat and Gina Neely went to Cupini's when filming in Kansas City. They proceeded to rave on in a Guy Fieri-esque manner about how good the shrimp ravioli is. Well, after trying it myself this past weekend, I'm calling shenanigans.

Though there are five Cupini's locations in the metro, we went to the one at 1809 Westport Road. We wanted to go to Jazz, but unfortunately, there was a 45-minute wait. As we were meeting some friends later at Twin City Tavern, we decided to give Cupini's, which is right next door, a shot. To be honest, it was extremely disappointing after seeing the Food Network hype it up so much.

Virtually empty on a Saturday night, the place looks a bit scuzzy. While the front room with it's deli and kitchen counter has character, the dining room, with it's scarred and dirty walls just looks depressing. As an Italian restaurant, it had the red and white checked tablecloths, which I believe must be required by law. Each table was then covered in a glass top, no doubt for easy cleaning, and underneath, enterprising entrepreneurs (is that redundant?) had tucked their business cards.

Offering a nice selection of Italian fare at decent prices, Natasha went with the seafood ravioli at the recommendation of Gina Neely, while I was in the mood for a sandwich. I chose the Italian Beef Panini. We also split an order of garlic cheese bread.

As I mentioned before, the place was practically deserted. As such, our food arrived rapidly. The seafood ravioli, served in a cream/marinara sauce mixture with red peppers and artichokes, was just okay, reminding me of nothing so much as an entree from the Olive Garden. That is, it had nothing separating it from any other Italian place in the country, rather boring, in fact.

However, as disappointing as that was, I wish I'd ordered the same. My Italian Beef panini was terrible. Comprised of tough, dry roast beef with a splash of aus jus, topped with pepperoncinis and cheese, I practically threw my jaw out of socket trying to chew through it. And on top of that, it was served on toasted French bread. Now I'm no panini expert, but aren't they supposed to be pressed? Hence the term "panini press", I would think.

At any rate, the highlight of the meal was clearly the garlic cheese bread, which was a huge piece of cheesy, garlicky, buttery goodness. Very good, but not enough to save the meal.

I had heard from friends that Cupini's is very hit or miss, but after this experience, it may be some time before I'm willing to try again.

Scorecard

http://www.cupinis.com/

On the Boulevard

2008-11-08T11:47:00.020-06:00

Taqueria Mexico

Ever since Torrero's on Shawnee Mission closed to make room for the new Stroud's, Natasha and I have been searching for a new favorite Mexican restaurant. On the recommendation of one of her co-workers, we decided to give Taqueria Mexico at 910 Southwest Blvd a shot.

Now as any Kansas Citian worth their salt knows, Southwest Blvd is the epicenter of Mexican culture in the metro area. Though we've tried several restaurants there prior, we had always been mildly disappointed. It's not that the food at Manny's isn't delicious, it's the fact that when I want Mexican food, I want authentic Mexican food, not this taco/burrito/fajita Tex-Mex crap. I want moles and Guadalajara beef. I want huevos rancheros and sopapilla. Thus, I tend to be always and forever disappointed. I was hoping for something different at Taqueria Mexico. Unfortunately, I was once again let down.

We went to eat on Friday night at the height of the dinner rush. The restaurant was busy, but not so busy that we had to wait for a table. We were rapidly shown to a table and handed menus, where we placed drink orders for a pair of margaritas on the rocks. We were also provided with the requisite chips and salsa. As we were hungry, this:

soon became this:

The chips were homemade, I believe, though nothing special, just like you would find at any Mexican place around the country. The same could be said for the salsa. Thin and watery, this tomato salsa was okay, but again, nothing unique or interesting.

We studied the menu as we ate the chips. It offered a lot of traditional choices, as well as a few new ones, at fairly reasonable prices. Soon enough a waiter brought our margaritas.

Looks good, right? For nearly $5 it seems huge. Think again

They tasted okay, but I admit I was a little miffed by the size.

After we placed our order, we sipped our drinks and munched on chips and salsa, while chatting amongst ourselves and observing our surroundings. The decor of this restaurant, while not out of line with Mexican places, seemed a little low brow. For example, our table was just a Formica four-top, but it had no tablecloth, and in fact, looked like it came from someone's 1978 kitchen. The same can be said for the chairs. Additionally, while the walls were covered in colorful murals, televisions were hung at intervals around the walls, tuned alternatively to the FC Barcelona-Basel Champion's League game, or to the Heat-Spurs game. As this clearly isn't a sports bar, the televisions seemed out of place.

We also watched the ways in which the servers worked. Though they were many and friendly, our experience was "too many cooks". It seems like one hand didn't know what the other was doing, as we were offered refills on our drinks just moments after another person went to get them. Not a big deal, however, because, as I said, they were all friendly and polite.

Before long our food arrived. As we stay away from the a la carte items, for the reasons I previously mentioned, Natasha opted for the pollo a parilla con camarones, or spiced chicken with shrimp. Served with the traditional sides of refried beans and Spanish rice, it was okay, though nothing spectacular. At $12, apparently "with shrimp" means including three small prawns. A bit disappointing, and thoroughly average overall.

As for me, I ordered molcajete a la Mexico, having no idea what that was, only that it sounded interesting. It turns out, that molcajete is a Mexican hot pot, served in a steaming dish made of lava rock. Featuring chicken, steak, an Anaheim pepper, cactus, shrimp, and grilled green onion, all topped with a spicy red sauce, it was an interesting change of pace from other Mexican dishes I've had.

The sauce truly was spicy, and soon my forehead was beaded with sweat. The only downside of this was that everything was overwhelmed by the sauce itself. I could tell the shrimp from the cactus, but only because the texture was different. The flavor was good, but really just too strong.

My dish was served with a side platter featuring Spanish rice, lettuce and avocado, plus soupy beans that were probably the best thing I ate there. Oh, the warm tortillas that came with our entrees were also delicious, though not exceptional from any other Mexican restaurant.

Though our meal up to this point was far from great, I had nothing major to complain about until we were brought our to-go boxes. Midway through shoveling my leftovers into the styrofoam container, Natasha pointed to the side of my box where a large black hair was clinging. Mmmmm... appetizing.

At this point, I just wanted to pay and get out. Our bill came to $43, not terrible for two entrees and four margaritas, but not great. Add $5 for a tip, and we got out of there just shy of $50.

In closing, while Taqueria Mexico isn't terrible, it's not the authentic Mexican restaurant for which we've been looking. While I wouldn't be opposed to eating there again (minus the hair, I hope), like conquistadors searching for El Dorado, our search for the best Mexican restaurant will continue...

Scorecard

The Biggest Burrito You've Ever Seen

2008-11-05T13:34:00.005-06:00

Psst! Psst! Yeah, You! Wanna know a secret? You want to know how to get the biggest burrito you've ever seen at Chipotle for the same price as a regular burrito? It can be done. You've just got to know the trick. Don't believe me? Take a look at this beauty...

See, I heard about this from a guy at work, who knows a guy, who knows another guy, who used to be friends with an assistant manager at Chipotle, and here's the trick: You can ask for double anything on your burrito for the same price, except meat. That means to get this behemoth which barely fits in the tortilla you should ask for double rice, double beans, two salsas and extra cheese. To make it even larger, you can get fajita vegetables added for no additional charge. The only thing that'll cost you more money is guac or extra meat. Yep, that's a man's man's burrito for the same price, guaranteed to sate the biggest hunger...

Thanks to Los Auchardes for the tip.

/

Don't Look Them in the Eyes

2008-11-04T09:49:00.008-06:00

Whole Fish with Garlic Sauce

Lately things have been a bit tight monetarily around my house. As a result, we haven't been going out to eat so much. However, this is no reason why we shouldn't eat well. In fact, if you have any amount of culinary skill at all, you can often whip up something both beautiful and delicious for a fraction of the cost of eating out. This recipe, a variation of a Thai recipe, is just such a dish.

Serves: 2-4
Prep Time: 20 min

Fish
1 whole fish, approx. 1 lb, cleaned and gutted (I used Rainbow Trout)
1/2 c flour
4 c oil

Sauce
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 large green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 large red bell pepper, chopped
1 small white onion, chopped
1/8 c parsley, chopped
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp rice wine (sake)
1/4 c fish sauce
2 Tbsp sugar
1/4 c basil

- Heat the oil for frying.
- Make 3 slashes to the bone on each side of the fish.
- Cover it all over in flour.
- Fry the fish in a large pan or wok, being careful not to splash the hot oil when you add the fish. Cook for 6-7 minutes per side or until flaky.
- Remove fish from pan, discard oil.
- Add olive oil to pan and heat.
- Add garlic, peppers, onion, parsley, sake, fish sauce and sugar. Cook 5 minutes.
- Add basil, stir, and pour sauce over fish.
- Serve with a side of rice if desired.

This dish is both simple and tasty, a good meal when you're pressed for time. Whole fish can be bought relatively cheap from any good meat counter, and everything else is readily available.

Oh, and a little tip, the fish cheeks are the best part.

Scorecard

Mmmmmm....

2008-10-31T10:25:00.008-05:00

I just finished an interview with Ingrid Hoffman and she said she wanted to give me a big hug because, and I quote, "everyone needs some good loving".

Take that celebrity chef name-droppers....

/

Confessions of a Heat Addict

2008-10-30T10:28:00.016-05:00

I'm something of a connoisseur of all things spicy. At any given time you can find in my refrigerator at least 5 bottles of hot sauce, plus some variety of hot peppers, including Thai bird chilles, Serrano peppers and pickled jalapenos. As such, I consider myself something of an expert in the field of capsaisin-containing foods.

My love affair with all things spicy began at an early age. I was probably 10 or 11 when I discovered my first culinary love. Always a fan of strong flavors, I was something of a mustard junkie until that fateful day when I sat down to a meal of pepper steaks with my family. On that particular day, my father had been in charge of the meal. As was his tradition, the steaks had been charred to the point where they resembled nothing so much as an old work boot, both in texture and in flavor. Thus was the cuisine of my childhood. However, on that fateful day, a new garnish appeared on our table, the pepperoncini. This pepper had made its arrival in our home following a trip to Sam's Club where for some reason, my father decided to purchase one of those giant jars of pickled peppers. This was his typical style of shopping which, if you're feeling nice you may refer to as thrifty, and if not, penny-pinching. At any rate, they had arrived, and this was my first experience with them. As the steak was as rubbery and flavorless as ever, my curious tastebuds demanded some added burst of flavor. Thus I had my first "spicy" pepper. I found I enjoyed the (relatively) lingering burn so much that I had more than 20 of said peppers. From that point on, it was all downhill as I moved on to the harder stuff.

My next discovery was the granddaddy of them all, probably the most famous hot sauce in the world, Tabasco. For a short time in my late adolescence and early-teens I was Tabasco-crazy. I put Tabasco on everything, potato chips, popcorn, chicken, pizza, even lasagna. For a brief period of time my entire world was flavored with that sweet, slightly vinegary flavor. I probably would have tried it on ice cream had the thought occurred to me. But after a time, I grew bored of this flavor, Tabasco's residual sweetness no longer holding it's appeal.

Enter Louisiana hot sauce. Still my go-to guy, I found Louisiana's vinegar-based taste complemented foods better than Tabasco. Whereas original Tabasco conforms the food, making it take on the sauce's flavor, Louisiana provides a better counterpoint, adding heat, without destroying the taste. Additionally, Louisiana has a more pronounced vinegar taste, of which I am a huge fan. To this day, my refrigerator is never without a bottle of Crystal Louisiana hot sauce, and I probably go through three to four bottles a year.

Of course there was one small problem with Louisiana. It doesn't go with every type of food. Asian food, in particular isn't well suited to vinegary sauces. Luckily, my freshman year of college, I discovered Sriracha. I accompanied my girlfriend at the time, her best friend, and the friend's boyfriend on a trip to Lulu's Noodle Shop in Lawrence, which has since closed. The friend's boyfriend, being in the Whiskey Tango mold, had brought a quarter-pounder with cheese into the restaurant, while the rest of us enjoyed the Thai noodles. As luck would have it, upon the table where we sat, was a bottle of Sriracha Chilli Sauce. You know the one, you see them everywhere, the bottle with blood red sauce and a rooster on the bottle. I perhaps overdid it that day, not knowing what I was in for. I remember using it quite liberally, perhaps more than I should have. But as Sriracha is thicker than your average sauce, with a ketchup-like consistency, I assumed it's flavor would be mild. I was wrong, and shortly thereafter, my forehead beaded with sweat and my mouth screamed in mutual pain and pleasure. After this I knew that I had to add Sriracha to my arsenal. I find it works best on not only Asian dishes, but also thick-cut potatoes, or anything noodle- or rice-based. In fact, at this very moment, I have in my lunchbox leftovers from last night, an Uzbek dish called plov, which is a dish of lamb-fried rice. Guess what I'm going to spice it with? You got it, Sriracha. I also add it to mayonaise to make the spicy sauce for sushi or Thai fish cakes.

My current favorite, however, is none of these mentioned above, but rather a pair of sauces from south of the border, Cholula and Tapatio. Similar in flavor, Tapatio, or Uncle Tapa, as I like to call it (okay my Spanish sucks), is about half the price of the better known Cholula. Thus, being the cheapskate I am, in the mold of my father, I tend to buy Tapatio. However, both are fantastic. They have a definite Latin American flair, no doubt arising from their respective seasoning blends. The next time you're making hot wings, try using one of these Mexican sauces instead of the vastly overrated Franks Red Hot to knock the flavor up a few pegs.

Other sauces I've been known to utilize:
-Green Tabasco; An excellent flavor, but not a ton of heat, it's excellent on a Chipotle burrito.
-Crazy Dave's Insanity Sauce; Aptly named, even with my now-high tolerance for capsaicin, this stuff is too hot to enjoy. I once had a dash in an entire bowl of chilli and it was almost to hot to eat. Use with care.
-Senior Stan's Tio Loco Salsa; Made locally, this salsa has great flavor and a ton of kick.
-Cookie's Wing Sauce; Made in Iowa, I used to use this all the time, but have since burned myself out. Not very hot, it has the standard Buffalo flavor.
-Wasabi paste; a different kind of heat, I don't like the horseradish-y sinus-based heat of wasabi so much, but sushi wouldn't be sushi without it.
-Pain is Good, Batch #218; Not for kids. Seriously.

I've tried dozens, possibly hundreds of hot sauce in my life, but even as hot as Crazy Dave's Insanity Sauce, I've never had anything hotter than the habenero that touched my lip once. I didn't even eat it. It touched my lip and burned excruciatingly. And the really crazy thing? That's not even the hottest pepper around. That particular honor belongs to the naga jolokai pepper from India. If you can eat that without them inducing a seizure, then you are truly a god amongst men...

/

Perception is Reality

2008-10-22T10:42:00.018-05:00

I have a new favorite web tool. It's called StumbleUpon, a website that helps you to find, or stumble upon, all sorts of really cool sites. That's how I found the West Virginia Surf Report, and a comparison of fast food ads versus reality. Some of the highlights (or lowlights depending on your point of view):

Taco Bell's Nachos Bell Grande

KFC's Famous Bowl

Burger King's Sausage, Egg and Cheese Croissant

And the granddaddy of them all, McDonald's Big Mac

Now doesn't this make you want to run right out at lunch-time and pick up one of these delicious looking items?

This whole thing reminds me of "Falling Down" when Michael Douglas goes to the fast food restaurant and loses it when the burger he receives looks nothing like the one pictured on the menu.

To see more, check out www.thewvsr.com/adsvsreality.htm

Artery-Clogging Goodness

2008-10-20T10:26:00.011-05:00

Max's Burgers & Gyros

I'm not much of a fast food guy. Sure, sometimes I'll get a craving for Taco Bell or Wendy's, but I bet I eat a lot less fast food than many other Americans. Unless I'm feeling lazy and don't want to cook, I would just a soon whip up something quick and easy at home, or else go to a real restaurant. As a result, I'd never been to Max's Burgers & Gyros before, even though it's within walking distance of my house. (Okay maybe not walking distance for you fast food addicts, but not bad for someone in reasonable shape).

On Friday, having worked late (until 6:30, practically slave labor), I wanted a burger and I wanted it quickly. I decided that my two choices were either the Mushroom-Swiss from Burger King (you know, the one with those creepy Simon & Garfunkle-esque singers) or Max's, which as I mentioned, I'd never tried. As I'm sure the BK burger would be a disappointment, I opted for Max's, yet another good call thanks to my famous gastro-intuition.

From what I understand, Max's used to have several locations throughout the metro. I know for sure there was once one on 63rd Street, which has since closed down. I could be wrong, but I believe the only one remaining in the one I frequented, at 8240 Wornall. Located in a Big Lots parking lot, Max's isn't much to look at from the outside, though it does have a campy, 50s throwback sort of feel.

With no drive through, you've got to park and go inside. As the food is all cooked to order (take that McDonalds!), this isn't really a big deal. Plus the interior also has that old school fast food style. Think they've got artist's airbrushed pictures of their burgers making them look better than they really do? Not a chance. The menu lists your choices and their prices, no unnecessary frills.

There's really not a lot to choose from, the menu consisting of burgers, gyros, fries and tots, but that's okay, it makes decisions easier. As I mentioned, I wanted a burger, so I went with the double burger with everything for myself, another for my wife, and a large fry to go. The man working the counter, one of two employees, and perhaps even Max himself, took my order without comment (or even a smile for that matter), passed it on to the short order cook, and left me to my own devices.

There were only two other people in the dining area, a mother and daughter waiting for to-go orders as well. So I plopped my weary bones down on a red stool with an eye on the grillman and waited for my order. With a perfect view I watched him cook my food to order, from start to finish a professional. Before long, he was wrapping mine up in red and white checked paper and stuffing them, with the fries into a plain white paper sack.

I knew these were good burgers as soon as I grabbed the sack and felt the weight. Plus, on the short drive home, the bag became translucent in a few spots where the juices (read grease) leaked through. I almost ripped into mine on the ride home, but somehow restrained myself.

At home Natasha was waiting and when greeted with the smell wafting from the now grease-spotted bag, she greedily snatched her burger. This is what we found when we unwrapped the paper:

A perfect burger, down to the cornmeal-dusted bun, the crisp lettuce leaf and the length-wise slices of pickle. The only strike I'll offer against it was the red onions, which I hate like DLC hates mayo. Crispy on the outside, juicy in the middle, these are how burgers were meant to be. They reminded me slightly of a larger, tastier version of Steak n' Shake's steakburgers (which I enjoy in their own right). It may have been a bit (okay a lot) on the greasy side, but that's what I expect from fast food. If I wanted a salad, I'd have a salad...

The fries, on the other hand, were poor. Large, soggy steakhouse fries, the same grease that enhances burgers affects them in a negative way. They had too much salt, and were not nearly crispy or golden enough, but as they only serve as a counterpoint to the meal, not a big deal.

Overall, for fast food, Max's was really good, at a major chain-comparable price. Apparently they're famous for their gyros, so maybe next time I'll try them out. As for Max's, go ahead and add this to the ever-growing list of places with a better burger than Westport Flea Market.

Scorecard

http://maxsburgersandgyros.com/

The 25 Greatest American Foods

2008-10-14T20:55:00.010-05:00

In my daily meanderings through the blog-o-sphere, I've found several blogs which I read on a daily, or at least weekly basis. Among them is Venus in the Kitchen. Venus is a personal chef and has used her knowledge of food to offer a couple of recent entertaining food lists, including "10 Foods I Never Want to See Again" and "Top 10 Kansas City Foods". Inspired by these, I thought I'd try my own hand at a list, using my dual loves of travel and food. I thought the best thing for me to cover would be a rundown of American food.

American food, like our country itself, is about taking foreign things and making them our own, something I have strived to emphasize with this list. Thus, without further ado, I present you with the 25 Greatest American Foods:

25. Poutine - Usually associated with our great neighbor to the north, America Jr., or Canada, as some people call it, poutine has also made its way to many Northern states. Consisting of French fries topped with cheese and a brown gravy, it's heart attack-inducing goodness.

24. Wisconsin Kielbasa - In an area primarily settled by German and Polish immigrants, is it any wonder that it's known for its sausage? Those Northern Europeans taught their descendants a thing or two about encased meats.

23. Southern Fried Chicken - My grandmother was from Arkansas. She grew up on a farm in the depression and knew how to take a chicken from the yard and turn it into a crispy, golden masterpiece. Pair with a side of mashed potatoes, cole slaw and sweet tea, and you've got a southern feast. Just don't forget the biscuits...

22. Tex-Mex Platter - Take two tacos, add a cheese enchilada, a chile relleno, and rice and beans, and you've got what passes for Mexican food in most of the country. While I love real Mexican food, there's definitely something to be said for Tex-Mex as well. How else do you explain the popularity of Taco Bell?

21. Cuban Sandwich - Originating in either Cuba or South Florida, depending on who you ask, this sandwich is made of ham, roasted pork, cheese, mustard and pickles on Cuban bread. Lightly toasted, this sandwich is not for anyone trying to keep kosher.

20. Lobster Roll - Made of lobster meat and mayo on a hot dog bun, this delicious sandwich is usually associated with Maine. Damn coastal people with their fresh and inexpensive seafood...(sorry, I let my jealousy brought on by love of seafood out for a moment there.)

19. The Garbage Plate - An upstate New York favorite, the garbage plate started at Hots and Potatoes in Rochester. A combination of hamburger, fish, red hots, Italian sausage, eggs or ham, it's mixed with home fries, baked beans, and/or macaroni salad, then topped with mustard, onions, ketchup and hot sauce.

18. Cinncinnati Chilli - Made famous by Cinncinnati institution Skyline, Cinncinnati Chilli is meat and bean chilli on top of spaghetti. This is then topped with cheese and diced onions. It's also known as Chilli 5-way.

17. New York Cheesecake - Using heavy cream, cream cheese and eggs to make a rich and creamy consistency, New York Cheesecake was made famous by Junior's Deli.

16. Kalua Pork - A traditional Hawaiian dish made with an imu, or underground oven, this is pork shoulder rubbed with salt and slow smoked in palm leaves. You shouldn't have a lua without it...

15. Chuckwagon Dinner - A hearty cowboy meal made of easy-to-preserve items for the trail, chuckwagon dinners are made by a cookie, and usually consist of smoked meats, beans, biscuits and coffee. If you head west, there are still a few places where you can find a chuckwagon dinner, usually with a cowboy-themed show.

14. American-style Chinese - Though I've often lambasted egg rolls, crab rangoons and fortune cookies in the past, there is something to be said for the food that opened up a world of cuisine to a generation of Americans. My favorite? Beef with broccoli, stewed mussels, chop suey, and of course, General Tso's chicken.

13. Soul Food - A style of cooking that originated out of slavery in the south, soul food is made with items that were considered undesirable by plantation owners. As a result, they were passed on to the slaves, and a rich, flavorful style of cuisine arose, including things like chitterlings, black-eyed peas, greens and pig's feet.

12. Fried Ravioli - Famous in St. Louis, and little known outside the Midwest, fried ravioli is exactly what it sounds like, raviolis breaded and then deep-fried, served with a side of marinara.

11. Apple Pie ala Mode - The epitome of American dessert, and something found from coast-to-coast, who doesn't love a fresh slice of apple pie served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream? It's as American as apple pie...

10. California Sushi - The Japanese may have invented sushi, but Californians perfected it. Mmm... spicy tuna rolls....

9. Maryland Crab Cakes - Crab meat, breaded and then deep-fried, a Maryland Crab Cake is usually served on a hamburger bun, sometimes with a spicy aioli.

8. Chicago Hot Dogs - All beef wieners topped with fluorescent green relish, chopped onions, mustard, tomato, pickle, hot pepper and celery salt, all on a poppy seed bun, it's simply the best recipe for hot dogs ever.

7. New York Pastrami - One of the best sandwiches ever, a New York Pastrami sandwich is usually served hot on toasted rye with spicy brown mustard and a deli pickle on the side. A real New York deli will give you a mountain of meat, but it's so tasty you'll find yourself eating more than you thought you could.

6. Philly Cheesesteak - The City of Brotherly Love is known for three things, 1. Being the birthplace of our nation; 2. Rocky Balboa; and 3. Philly Cheesesteaks. If you want to start a fight among a group of Philadelphians, ask which place makes the better cheesesteak, Pat's or Geno's, which are located across the street from each other. These sandwiches are made of thinly-sliced beef topped with cheese. Made in a variety of ways around the country, a real Philly is top round steak, topped with Cheese Whiz.

5. Buffalo Wings - Chicken wings deep-fried, then tossed in a vinegar, Frank's Red Hot and butter mixture, Buffalo wings allegedly were invented at the Anchor Bar in 1964. They've gone on to become an American institution, the perfect food for beer and football.

4. The Reuben - The Reuben is a grilled sandwich made with corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and Russian dressing on rye or pumpernickel bread. Invented by an Omaha grocer to feed his poker buddies, the Reuben is truly a prince amongst sandwiches.

3. Barbeque - There are as many ways of barbequeing as there are men in this country. With the only real requirements being meat and a fire, some of the most famous types of barbeque are Kansas City-style, with its variety of sauces, North Carolina-style dry rubs, Memphis-style vinegar and tomato sauces, and hickory-smoked Texas-style. The best type depends on your personal preference, but really they're all delicious.

2. Pizza - Much like barbeque, there are literally thousands of pizza styles in the U.S. There's deep dish, sauce-on-top Chicago-style, cracker crust and provel-topped St. Louis-style, puffy outer crust and thin inner crust crust New York-style, and of course, gourmet California-style. Add this to the traditional Italian-style, the countless American pizza parlors and the almost infinite number of toppings used, and you'll never run out of pizzas to try.

1. Hamburgers - You knew I wasn't going to forget this most American of foods, didn't you? Contrary to what its name might suggest, the original burgers didn't originate in Hamburg, Germany, but rather in Russia. Russian soldiers in Napoleonic times brought raw balls of spiced meat (either beef or horse), called Tartare, with them into Germany where the locals decided cooking them was a healthier alternative. Waves of German immigrants soon brought the dish to American soil, where we adopted it as our own. We've come a long way since those days of raw horseflesh, with the hamburger becoming not only available universally, but indeed, a cultural icon representing the U.S. itself.

Délicieux

2008-10-09T09:59:00.006-05:00

Tatsu's French Restaurant

I've tried lots of cuisine. Asian, American, Latin, European, I've tried many, many different ethnic foods, but until last night, believe it or not, I had never had real French cuisine. This was somewhat of an embarrassment to me, as French is really the Godfather of all fine dining, and indeed the food aficionado movement.

Previously I always attributed this glaring omission to the absence of French casual dining restaurants, as I couldn't really afford fine dining. To be honest, I still can't, but last night was my anniversary, three years with my lovely and beautiful wife Natasha. As a special treat, we went to Tatsu's French Restaurant at 4603 W. 90th St. in Prarie Village.

A tasteful,white tablecloth-type restaurant, Tatsu's is tucked away off of Roe in a tiny stip mall. Decorated in the classical French style, popular since the days of Louis XIV (or was it Louis XIII? I can never remember), Tatsu's is clearly popular with the wealthy retirees of South Johnson County. I say this because Natasha and I lowered the median age at least 20 years. However, it soon became obvious that these geriatrics, and pre-geriatrics, have impeccable taste. The food was better than I expected, or even could have imagined.

We started with appetizers, Natasha with the stuffed, sauteed oysters and I with the escargot. Now I've never had escargot before (I've never knowingly eaten any insect, canned tuna excepted (or are snail arthopods? still, same deal), but our waiter promised the best in Kansas City. Though I have nothing to compare it with, I am inclined to agree. Served in a buttery pesto with champignon mushrooms (that's white mushrooms to you), it had a texture and flavor that reminded me of something, though I can't quite determine what. Slightly chewy, but bursting with flavor, I enjoyed it thoroughly.

The stuffed oysters were even better though. I've only had raw oysters before, as had Natasha, so when we were informed that these were the special, we couldn't pass them up. I'm glad we didn't. When cooked oysters lose their rubbery texture, and with a stuffing of herbs, topped with a sweet, almost teriyaki-like sauce, they were one of the best things I've ever eaten. Honestly. I love food, and have tried many things, but these oysters were in the top five things I've ever eaten.

After the appetizer, we had salads, which come with every entree at Tatsu's. Romaine pieces topped with their house-made creamy Italian dressing, they were served with fresh, hot baguette slices, simple yet delicious. Fresh cracked pepper from our server was a nice added touch.

For mains, we each ordered something we had never tried before. I had beef oxtail (is that redundant?) and Natasha had veal sweetbreads. The oxtail was unbelievably tender. I now understand why French cuisine has influenced so many others, as this tough piece of meat was braised to the point where it was falling off the bone. Served with a red wine reduction and the requisite French mashed potatoes and steamed carrots and broccoli, it was exactly how I imagined it would be.

On the other hand, neither Natasha nor I had any preconceived notions of what sweetbreads should taste like. We had seen them used on Top Chef, and knew it was a gland, but we had no idea what it would taste like. We were definitely impressed, however. It's hard to describe the flavor, the breading somehow reminded me of my mother-in-law's pork chops (high praise), but the texture was unlike pork. Soft and succulent, it really was something different, but something we both enjoyed. Served with the same vegetables and mashed potatoes as the oxtail, it also came with rice, as chef and owner Tatsu Arai clearly doesn't subscribe to the one starch rule.

For dessert our waiter brought us a complementary Tatsu's Delight for our anniversary. Consisting of creamy custard between layers of light, airy pastry, topped with whipped cream, choclate shavings and a strawberry, it was the perfect ending to the meal, particularly when paired with a cup of espresso.

Our entire meal was washed down with a Chilean Bordeaux, which was recommended by Chef Tatsu himself. I'm hardly a wine connoisseur, but I appreciated the oaky and black currant undertones this wine offered, an excellent pairing for our entire meal.

As you may have imagined, this meal was not cheap. In fact, it is the single most expensive meal I've ever eaten. However, as a special treat, it was well worth it. I highly recommend that on your next anniversary, or birthday, or some other special occasion, that you try Tatsu's.

You can the reviews of other people at Zagat.com.

Scorecard
Food: 4.9
Atmosphere: 3.5
Service: 4
Menu: 4.6
Price: 3
Total: 20.0
Average: 4

http://www.kansascitymenus.com/tatsus/

Rustic Chinese

2008-10-06T10:35:00.008-05:00

Blue Koi

I love Asian food. Chinese, Korean or Japanese, it doesn't matter to me, I love the flavors and the whole experience of eating an Asian meal. In particular, I love how a good Asian meal, particularly Chinese will appeal to all five senses, the sound of sizzling meats, the contrasts in textures, the colorful presentations, and of course the great smells and delicious taste.

Blue Koi, at 10581 Mission Road in Leawood, is the second location opened by the Chang family of Mongolian Barbeque fame, whose original location at 1803 W. 39th St has been a huge success. Though I found this a strange location, just north of I-435 in a shopping mall/apartment complex hybrid, Blue Koi has a good atmosphere and above average food.

The interior dining room is decorated in reds and blues, and update on traditional Chinese styles, and very pleasing, but as the weather was favorable, we opted to dine outside. Sitting on the patio on what may have been one of the last warm evenings of the year, my dining experience was very pleasurable. The sound of the highway was a constant background noise, but it was muted by another building, making it only a mild distraction.

Though the restaurant was busy, it was after all, prime dinner time on a Friday, our server was attentive and polite, showing us to our seats and allowing us ample time, but not too long, to examine the menu.

Offering a variety of options, both appetizers and entrees, my wife and I had some trouble reaching a consensus on what we would order. Finally we decided on pan-fried seafood dumplings for an appetizer, ants on a tree and duck fire bird for entrees, with Ti Kuang Yin tea to wash it down.

The dumplings, which we had been recommended, were good, not great, a variety of seafood in a soft dough wrapping, boiled and then pan-fried for a crispy outside. Though they weren't as crispy as I would have liked, the flavors were nice, especially when paired with the proffered green onion-duck sauce. Coupled with the always novel fun of eating with chopsticks, in our ravenous hunger these disappeared in short order.

Our entrees arrived soon after, Natasha's ants on a tree consisting of sauteed ground pork and cabbage on rice noodles, and my duck fire bird of duck meat sauteed with red chili peppers, scallions and bamboo shoots served on home-made noodles. Natasha's was good, though could have used more pork. She was slightly disappointed with it, as the menu said bean noodles, though they were, in fact, rice noodles, which she dislikes. Overall, however, it was a good dish. The fire bird was very good. Served in a bowl, this dish had great flavor. Though it was too spicy for Natasha, I enjoyed every bite. The oils from the duck, along with the chillies and scallions created a nice gravy to cover the noodles, which were nice in their own right. Served in large portions, we each had considerable left-overs when we left. Guess what I'm having for lunch today?

The dishes here are made in a rustic, well-designed manner, clearly the work of someone who has been dealing with Chinese food for some time. The menu offered traditional Chinese classics, and more modern dishes, each coexisting harmoniously with the others, a culinary yin and yang. And the best part, not an egg roll, crab rangoon, or fortune cookie in sight.

For dessert, we each had an almond bubble tea, something Blue Koi is apparently known for. Natasha didn't finish hers, and as it is served in a plastic cup (which didn't bother me as it normally would, for some reason), we took it home and topped it off with amaretto, making a nice adult-version of the drink, though they offer the same for two dollars more.

The only major strike against this establishment, in my opinion, was the clientele. We were seated next to a pair of rather obnoxious, though entertaining, WASPy South Johnson County-type couples. Apparently unfamiliar with the volume etiquette dictates for public dining, they loudly discussed a series of topics upon which it was apparent they had little to no knowledge of. My favorite part was their discussion of politics during which one man tried, and failed, to convince the other that Fox News host Bill O'Reilly, was left leaning. A little later one of the women confided in a stage whisper "You know down south (furtively looking around) the blacks are threatening white voters who support McCain." At this point I could barely contain a laugh, as she was apparently serious. As we were leaving the same woman pompously instructed their waiter that she wanted amaretto with her coffee, and did he know what amaretto was?

Nonetheless, these people provided dining entertainment, and I can scarcely hold its patrons against a restaurant. Though the prices were slightly higher than I like, there's a definite chance I'll be heading for Blue Koi the next time I get a hankering for Chinese food.

Scorecard
Food: 4
Atmosphere: 3.5
Service: 4
Menu: 4
Price: 2.7
Total: 18.2
Average: 3.64

http://www.bluekoikc.com/

Seriously?

2008-09-29T08:11:00.018-05:00

Blue Grotto

Out of business in a year. That's my prediction for this supposedly hip spot at 6324 Brookside Plaza. Yes, remember you heard it here first, I'm stating right now that Chef Chris Graham's latest creation, Blue Grotto, will join the ill-fated 85% of restaurants and close its doors within the first year, unless of course, they make some major changes.

We decided to try this place last Saturday. From the first impression Blue Grotto struck me as a place " to see and be seen" much more than a serious eatery. I was not wrong.

It was crowded as we made our way past a crowd of wannabe-hipsters and social butterflies to the hostess' stand. Just past the bar we put our names on the waiting list. We were told it was about a 10 minute wait so we decided to grab a drink at the bar. This was a mistake. First of all, there's absolutely nowhere to stand while waiting for your table, so we were pushed into an uncomfortable position between a pseudo-fashionable couple and the waitresses' drink station. After being repeatedly ignored by the bartender, we were finally served by the restaurant's manager. I had a Stella and Natasha had a glass of wine from their wine list, and somehow our total was $12.85. Now the drink prices were high, but what really irked me was the 15 cents change I received. You show me a bar anywhere in the world whose drinks don't end in a multiple of 25, and I'll show you a place full of assholes... did I already mention that? The fact that Blue Grotto was packed wall-to-wall with assholes? Because it was, but I digress...

Eventually, after a few minutes of inadvertently invading the personal space of others due to a lack of standing room, we were shown to our table, a four-top at the head of the stairs on the second level, where the main dining room is located. Within a few minutes we were offered ice water, in those ridiculously tall and thin glasses that are apparently trendy, by the only person in the place who seemed to give a damn about us, a Mexican busboy who barely spoke English.

We were also give menus, which we examined in depth. Pizza prices were okay, around $12-14 for most, but there's only a small selection (maybe ten), and most everything has red onions, one of the only foods I dislike. Appetizer choices are also limited, around six, with prices considerably higher than I like, around $10. There were also about five salad choices, all around $12.

Set with our waters and drinks, and having made up our minds already as to food, we waited for our waitress. And waited. And waited. And waited, until finally, she noticed us.

"Oh sorry, you guys, I didn't see you'd been seated," she told us, a dubious story at best, as we were located right at the head of the stairs. Maybe it's true, however, and I would have given her the benefit of the doubt, had she stopped there, but she didn't. She asked if this was our first visit to Blue Grotto, to which we replied in the affirmative. This set her off on a explanation of the menu, during which she talked to us like we were drooling idiots freshly released from the sanitarium. When she started explaining what constitutes a margherita pizza, Natasha and I shared a glance, both of us thinking, "Though this is our first time in this particular establishment, we have, in fact, had pizza before." I hate being treated like a moron, but I have the impression that this was a well-practiced spiel she gives everyone.

Anyway, when she finally finished her diatribe, we told her we had already decided and we wanted the artichoke dip appetizer and a four seasons pizza. She took our order, insincerely thanked us, and left us to study our surroundings.

As anyone who knows me will attest, I'm not a big fan of the modern style of architecture, but the owners of Blue Grotto apparently are. The walls were a dull gray (why not blue?), and everything was made of steel. Featuring exposed heating ducts, which I hate, this place had the worst acoustics ever, as there was nothing soft to absorb sound waves. As a result, I had the feeling I was eating on the tarmac at an airport, with Natasha and I nearly shouting across the table at each other. Even the cutlery of this place annoyed me, big, heavy utensils, including a knife that resembled nothing so much as a miniature axe.

We also had plenty of time to observe the staff. The pizza is made in a wood-fired oven in the center of the first floor, and from our vantage point we could see everything. The kitchen staff seemed diligent enough, but the food itself, especially its presentation annoyed me. One of the most popular appetizers seemed to be a gargantuan cheese, fruit and cracker plate. Served on a rectangular plate nearly two feet long, it almost didn't fit on the tables, yet somehow, was extremely popular. Also, the salads were served in the pretentious whole-leaf style. That is, diners were presented with entire, unshredded leaves of lettuce, which of course, require the use of a knife. Depending on the server, some diners were offered fresh-cracked pepper for their salads, while others were not...

Eventually our appetizer arrived. The menu promised artichoke dip with roasted red peppers and pita chips. While the dip was okay, artichokes with parmesan served cold, decent texture and flavor, the "roasted" red peppers were in fact, raw, and the pita chips almost certainly came from a bag. That really irritated me. While the bagged ones taste alright, how difficult is it to provide a personal touch by cutting up some pitas (you can buy day-old ones cheap), and dropping them in the fryer?

Of course our waitress didn't check on us, and the Mexican busboy (really my favorite person in the place) cleared our dishes. We next saw our waitress when our pizza arrived. The pizza, called "Four Seasons" featured four sections, each with a topping representing a season. Spring was artichokes, roasted red peppers were summer, mushrooms were autumn, and olives were winter. Served without the accouterments of every pizza in the country, parmesan and red pepper flakes, the pizza was also practically devoid of cheese. The crust was dry and bland, more doughy than it should be. The toppings were mostly okay (but how do you screw up olives?), except the roasted red peppers were also underseasoned.

Maybe because my last wood-fired pizza experience was so good, ( see Il Vicino), I expected more, but at any rate, Blue Grotto didn't even come close to delivering. While we were waiting on our check (did I mention the inattentive servers?), my Stella ran through me and I tried to use the facilities. I say tried, because apparently this restaurant that seats around 70, only sees the need for a restroom that serves one at a time, which was at that time occupado. Disgusted with this annoyance, on top of everything else, I retreated to our table to wait on our bill. Eventually it did come, and I paid with a credit card. However when our waitress returned with the reciept, she didn't have a pen. Really??? You're a professional waitress and you don't have a pen??? Luckily Natasha had one in her purse, so we could get the hell out of there.

I'll tell you now, the only way I'd ever return to Blue Grotto is if someone gave me a gift certificate or offered to buy my dinner, and even then, I'd probably try to go somewhere else. Do yourself a favor, the next time you're in Brookside and want a pizza, pass by Blue Grotto, there's a Domino's right down the street. The pizza will be comparable and you won't have to deal with any of the other nonsense. Unless, of course, you're a pretentious douche yourself, and then by all means, join your kind at Blue Grotto.

Scorecard
Food: 1.2
Atmosphere: .7
Service: .5
Menu: 2.3
Price: 2.3
Total: 7
Average: 1.4

European Cuisine in South KC

2008-09-22T08:41:00.021-05:00

Avenues Brookside Bistro

Yesterday I promised to take my lovely wife Natasha to Aixois French Bistro in Brookside. We've tried to go there several times over the past year, yet somehow they're always closed. Maybe they see us coming and turn off the lights...

Anyway, to appease her, we looped back around to 63rd and Wornall to go to Avenues Brookside Bistro, at 338 W. 63rd Street. Having never been here, we weren't sure what to expect, assuming only that it was a high-end type of place. As it was three o'clock on a Sunday afternoon, the place was virtually deserted and we were quickly shown past the full, front-of-house bar to a cozy dining room beyond.

Consisting of only a dozen booths and eight tables, Avenues is clearly going for a quality over quantity approach to dining. Handed menus by our waitress, we were left in peace for a few minutes to examine our choices as well as our surroundings. The decor of the place seems to be inspired by a harlequin, three walls painted a rich crimson, and the fourth a checked-pattern of crimson and white diamonds. With only small windows high on the wall, it does have a slightly basement-like quality, but overall is very soothing and classy.

The menu also confirmed the class of this secret spot. Offering a wide variety of European-inspired dishes including a Basque chicken, Jaeger schnitzel, and a wide variety of seafood choices, it's clear that executive chef Mario Galan has devoted considerable time and energy in developing such a diverse, yet complementary menu. Prices were fairly high, but as you will see, completely worth it.

In the face of so many good choices, it was difficult to make a decision, but finally Natasha settled on the Veal Saltimbocca, a thin piece of veal scallopine with prosciutto and sage, served on a bed of sauteed spinach with artichokes and fontina cheese, in a butter cream sauce. I went with the Veal Beggar's Purse Pasta, a mixture of sweet veal and parmesan in pasta, served with a shallot cream sauce, finished with black truffle butter. We also both had a cup of the soup of the day, a salmon bisque.

Before long, our waitress brought our soup. Having read Tony Bourdain's books, I'm quite aware of the fact that this was probably salmon rapidly approaching its expiration, but it made no difference. The soup, topped by our server with fresh-cracked pepper, was rich and delicious, the salmon flavor rising to the forefront, while the creaminess played a complimentary role.

As I was finishing my soup, we were offered fresh rolls and whipped butter by our server. That is, I think it was our server. The owner of Avenues clearly subscribes to the theory that wait staff should blend into the background, as the servers all seemed to be clones of one another. The waitresses and hostess were all petite and dark-haired in black dresses, completely devoid of any splash of color. The waiters were all tall and slim, also wearing the Johnny Cash uniform. However, clones or not, they are excellent and attentive, repeatedly filling my water before it was halfway down (after Saturday at the Waldo Falldo Crawldo, I was in no position for wine).

Soon after our soup was gone, our entrees arrived. Natasha's veal was amazing, possibly the best veal I've ever had (and I love veal, as long as I don't think of how it's raised). Moderately sweet, it was amazingly succulent and tender, melting in your mouth like butter. The sides provided an excellent counter-point, making a truly magnificent dish.

My pasta was also very good. Topped with shaved parmesan and an Italian pico de gallo-type dressing, it was extremely rich. In fact, considering I hadn't eaten all day, it may have been too rich for an empty stomach. This, however, did not stop me from enjoying it. The black truffle butter and the shallot cream sauce were complex and flavorful, adding to the delicate veal flavor of the pasta. Overall, very good.

I would have liked to try the dessert, but quite frankly, didn't have room. I'm sure it would have been just as satisfying as the rest of this meal.

And lest you think I'm alone in my adoration of this place, read The Pitch's review here. The reviewer tried his best to hate Avenues, but in the end, the fantastic food won him over.

Scorecard
Food: 4.9
Atmosphere: 4
Service: 4.7
Menu: 4.2
Price: 2.7
Total: 20.5
Average: 4.1

http://www.avenuesbistro.com/index.php

Eating Outdoors + Good Food = A Nice Restaurant

2008-09-17T10:15:00.019-05:00

Marlowe's

Sunday, our last day in Denver, having nothing planned except exploring the city, we ended up in the 16th Street Mall. This area, located just east of Invesco Field at Mile High, is a series of blocks that are mostly off-limits to traffic (with the exception of city buses). Full of shops and bistros, Natasha and I wanted to eat, and we wanted something local. As luck would have it, we happened upon Marlowe's.

Marlowe's initially caught our eye due to its comfortable outside dining area. I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but I love to eat outside when the weather is nice. Unfortunately Kansas City is woefully lacking in this department. A quick glance of the menu posted next to the door and Natasha was hooked. They offer made-from-scratch soups and the girl's a sucker for clam chowder.

As it was just past the lunch rush on a Bronco's home-game Sunday, the place was mostly empty and we were shown to a table outside, where we were given a few moments to peruse the menu. Not being overly hungry, we decided on a bowl of soup each, and a split appetizer. Natasha, of course, choose the New England clam chowder, while I opted for a bowl of the soup du jour, sweet buffalo sausage chilli. For an appetizer, we went with the Rhode Island calamari.

Our soups arrived in short order, Natasha's clam chowder was delicious; your standard New England clam chowder with clams, potatoes and root veggies in a cream sauce. Served with oyster crackers, it was definitely up to her demanding standards.

My buffalo sausage chilli was even better. Featuring the surprisingly sweet flavor of the buffalo (or is it bison?) sausage, with corn, onions and a variety of spices, it had a complex, yet well-harmonized flavor. The spice blend was spot-on, and there were no dominating flavors, just an emphasis on the sweetness of the meat. With just a touch of heat, I would have preferred it to be spicier, but adding hot sauce of any kind would have destroyed the harmony of the flavors.

As good as the soups were, the calamari was the real star of the show. Served with a sriracha-tomato coulis and a lemon-poppy seed aioli, it was perfectly golden, not overcooked and tough like it tends to be at most places. Garnished with lemon zest, parsley, and surprisingly, fried capers, it was very well executed. The sauces provided a nice counter-point to each other, the creaminess of the aioli contrasting with the salsa-like coulis, each complimenting the squid meat, not dominating it. My only issue was the absence of the sriracha flavor in the coulis, a small complaint, in an otherwise outstanding dish.

Locally owned, and apparently popular with Denverites (Denverians? the Denverese?), we thoroughly enjoyed our meal. The patio was comfortable and enjoyable, and the inside, which we only saw briefly, seemed tasteful and elegant. The servers were polite and reasonably attentive.

The menu offered a variety of steaks, seafood dishes and traditional favorites, and though prices were a bit higher than I like (our meal with drinks was $30 + tip), the calamari alone made it worth it, and the good soup was an added bonus.

Scorecard
Food: 4.8
Atmosphere: 4
Service: 3.5
Menu: 3.5
Price: 2.7
Total: 18.5
Average: 3.7

http://www.marlowesdenver.com/index.php

I Know the Secret Ingredient

2008-09-16T16:03:00.011-05:00

Il Vicino

I'm about to break one of the cardinal rules of food blogging. I am right now violating an unwritten set of laws laid out by the Fraternal Order of Food Aficionados and Web Writers. I'm going to review a chain restaurant. I know you're currently gasping in shock and outrage, but believe me when I tell you, this place is worth it. I'm willing to risk the unfettered wrath of food bloggers everywhere, because I truly feel that this restaurant should be discussed, so here goes...

Still in Denver, after a long day hiking in the mountains, we were exhausted and starving. Foiled once again by angled streets, two south-bound one-way streets in a row, and 6th Avenue vs. 6th Street issues, we were driving rather aimlessly for nearly an hour in the pouring rain. At this point we had established Natasha didn't want Mexican food, I didn't want Asian, and neither one of us wanted to eat at a bar again. In frustration, we were headed back to our hotel to ask the desk clerk's advice again, when we spotted Il Vicino.

Though I'm not the world's biggest fan of (American) Italian food, we decided this would do and parked right in front. On closer examination, we found that Il Vicino is subtitled "Wood Oven Pizza". Though I wasn't wild about eating pizza, my obstinate streak took over and decided this place was where we were going to eat. In hindsight, I'm glad it did.

There is nothing remarkable about this restaurant, at least the one in Denver, save a large wood-burning pizza oven dominating one wall. Not sure what type of pizza to order, we asked the kid at the ordering counter what his favorite was (a fail safe tactic to finding the best dish in any place). He was nice to the point of bordering on annoying, but he recommended the Angeli pizza, a pie with sweet balsamic marinara (featuring a not-so-secret ingredient), mozzarella, roasted chicken, portabellas, artichoke hearts, gorgonzola and rosemary. We also split a Caesar salad.

I also ordered a wheat beer, which they brew themselves, and Natasha had a glass of semi-sweet vino verde (that's green wine for you mono-lingual types). We retired to a table by the front with our drinks to wait for our salads and our pizza to be cooked to order.

Now I consider myself something of a beer connoisseur. I love wheat beers, particularly our hometown brew, Boulevard Wheat, which up until this point I considered the best wheat beer around. No more. This beer, brewed in Golden, Colorado, surpasses even that high mark. It's a little less sweet than Boulevard, yet full of flavor. Garnished with a lemon slice, the acidity and the sweetness worked in perfect harmony. Point blank, this was an excellent beer.

When our salads arrived, our waiter, a scraggly-haired hippy-wannabe like so many others in Denver, offered us fresh-cracked pepper on top, a personal touch I love, then left us alone to eat. The Caesar was good, and surprisingly, the dressing had anchovies, a touch most restaurants leave out. The dressing level was good, with neither too much, nor to little, and it came with homemade croutons. We were each served a slice of crusty bread on the side. All in all quite good, but even as hungry as we were, our pizza arrived almost before we were ready.

The pizza too, was given that personal touch, as the waiter grated parmesan to order. After sprinkling on a little crushed red pepper, we were set. This pizza was amazing. Normally I view the crust as simply a vehicle to hold the toppings, which hold the real flavor. Not the case this time. I guess I've never had a wood oven pizza, because I'm sure I would remember this. The crust was delicious, I could have eaten it plain. But topped as it was, we were dealing with a masterpiece. The sauce had just a slight sweetness to it, which at first I couldn't place (remember the secret ingredient I mentioned?). Then it hit me... Ginger... yep, that most Asian of flavors, when worked into a marinara sauce adds a slightly sweet kick that works really well with premium toppings.

In short order we demolished this pie, and ordered another. This time it was the Bianca, featuring spicy oil, mozzarella, capocolla, portabellas, caramelized onions, goat cheese, gorgonzola, tomatoes and rosemary. Though, by the time this one ordered we weren't as hungry as we thought, having let our food digest a bit, we ate a slice each. It was just as fantastic as the first, and left with a box of four slices for our breakfast the next morning.

I maintain that this is one of the finest chain restaurants I've eaten in. Prices were good, $8-9 for most everything, including pizzas, calzones, paninis, and pastas. The atmosphere was relaxed, nice while still casual, and the staff friendly, if a bit distracted. I don't mind supporting this chain, as it's privately owned, and only has eight locations, three in New Mexico, three in Colorado, one in St. Louis, and one in Wichita, of all places. This is a place that, while clearly successful, hasn't lost touch with its small-business roots.

Scorecard
Food: 4.5
Atmosphere: 3.5
Service: 3.5
Menu: 3.5
Price: 4.5
Total: 19.5
Average: 3.9

http://www.ilvicino.com/ilvicino/

Good Beer, But Sub-Par Food

2008-09-15T13:42:00.010-05:00

Govnr's Park

Last weekend Natasha and I took a trip up to Denver. I hadn't been there since I was a kid and she'd never been further west than that putrid sinkhole known as Wichita, so upon finding a good deal through Frontier airlines, we decided a trip there was just the thing we needed.

Our flight got into Denver at around 9 pm, and after the usual rigmarole of the airport and getting a rental car (a sweet Volvo S60), we finally headed for our hotel around 9:30. Denver, however, is not conducive to out-of-town drivers and it took quite some time to find our hotel, a Marriott off of Speer. After this stressful undertaking, we were both starving, yet leery of venturing out in the dark via car again, lest we become lost. A recommendation of the guy working the front desk was Govnr's Park, just a few blocks away, easy walking distance.

Denver is full of cool little sections and Govnr's Park was in the heart of a restaurant and pub district just south of downtown. We found it with little trouble, though it became readily apparent that this place was a night spot first, and an eatery second. Nevertheless, we were hungry and just about anything sounded good at this point.

Natasha staked our claim to a booth in the back while I ordered beers at the bar. The draft beer selection was good, and I grabbed a couple of Newcastles in short order, while skillfully deflecting the irritated glances of the rather rude girl sitting at the bar in front of me. Now I don't like people invading my personal space any more than the next person, but if you're sitting at the bar in a crowded establishment, you've got to expect people to stand behind you while ordering drinks. Nevertheless, I was polite and didn't call her any of the nasty expletives I was thinking...

After grabbing the beers I found Natasha at the booth in the back and we got the attention of the waitress. The menu offered standard pub fare, burgers, steaks and the like, but it seemed that the specialties were the sliders, which were featured prominently on the front of the menu. We both decided to give these a try; I choose the little Havanas, miniature sandwiches of pulled pork, ham, jack cheese, and sweet pickles, while Natasha opted for the Southwest sliders of pulled pork, raspberry chipotle sauce and grilled onions.

After placing our orders, we were left with several minutes to examine our surroundings. Apparently the place had witnessed the victory parties of two Colorado governors, and was quite popular with the young urban professionals. The walls were covered with photos of patrons in various stages of inebriation celebrating a wide range of events.

Eventually our food arrived, and I was quite underwhelmed. The sliders were average at best, and what rankled me the worst was the fact that someone in the kitchen had decided to put a burnt slider on top of my basket. Had they buried that one near the bottom, I may not have minded so much, but as it was the first thing I tasted at the place, it immediately set a poor tone.

Flavor profiles were okay, I liked the concept behind both sandwiches, but execution was sub-par. Now my expectations were not very high, based on the fact that this first and foremost a drinking hole, but somehow they managed to disappoint even this low standard. Natasha echoed this sentiment. But on the bright side, prices were reasonable. Our sliders were around $7 for five, and 20-oz Newcastles were only $4.

While this is clearly a cool place to grab a drink on the weekend, I'd advise any Denver visitors to eat first and just go for the good beer.

Scorecard
Food: 2
Atmosphere: 3
Service: 3
Menu: 3
Price: 3
Total: 14
Average: 2.8

http://govnrspark.com/

The Best Salad of All Time

2008-08-28T10:06:00.010-05:00

Russian Crab Salad

Aside from potato or pasta salad, Americans tend to assume all salads involve lettuce of some variety. In many places in the world, lettuce is not readily available, for example Russia and Ukraine, so they make salads using other things. As my wife is Ukrainian, I've had lots of these delicious lettuce-free salads. This recipe for crab salad is one of my favorite dishes in the entire world, something I've been known to consume in gluttonous amounts.

Before I get down to the nuts and bolts of the recipe, I should mention one vital thing: while this recipe is good with standard American mayonnaise, if you can get your hands on Russian mayo, it will make this infinitely better. Somehow more flavorful and slightly sweeter than it's American cousin, it complements the flavors in this dish very well.

Where, you may ask, can one procure said mayo? Well, if you're in Kansas City, try European Delights at 95th and Antioch. They have just about everything you need for authentic Russian cuisine...

(and sorry for the metric units, but it's a European recipe after all)

Serves: 6-8
Prep Time: 30 min

1 cup of dry Basmati type rice
4 eggs
250-300g imitation crab meat (or real if you can afford it)
1 can sweet corn (250g)
1-2 gherkin cucumbers
3-4 Tbl mayonnaise, preferably Russian-style
Salt to taste

-Cook the rice and hard boil the eggs, allow to cool
-Cut crab meat, cucumbers, and eggs into small 1/4" cubes
-Drain corn and mix with crab, cukes and eggs in a large bowl
-Add mayo and salt to taste (not too much or it will leech the water out of the cucumber, making a soggy mess)
-Cool for at least 1 hour

As I said, this dish is fantastic, sure to be a hit at your next dinner party. And as simple as it is to make, you should definitely make it...

Scorecard

A Hidden Gem

2008-08-18T08:55:00.010-05:00

Governor Stumpy's

Governor Stumpy's at 321 East Gregory Blvd, is one of those hidden gems that dot the landscape of any major metropolis. Not really on a major thoroughfare, it doesn't have anything to really attract your attention. In fact, if you don't live in the Waldo/Brookside area, there's probably a good chance you are completely unfamiliar with this place. But, that's what I'm here for, to enlighten you...

A family-owned place, Governor Stumpy's has one of the best atmospheres in Kansas City. The dining area, while nothing special, is inviting and relaxing, and if the weather is nice, they have one of the best patios in the area. The staff is super-friendly, and not in that annoying "please leave me alone, I haven't even looked at the menu" kind of way. They seem to have figured out the perfect balance of waiting on you and leaving you alone, a truly rare feat amongst servers.

As for the food, the food is excellent. As I mentioned in my Westport Flea Market post, Governor Stumpy's has some of the best burgers in town. While I normally like the Frisco Burger, which is a patty topped with sauteed onions, thousand island dressing, and American cheese on sourdough, this time I went for the #7 California Burger. I'm not really sure what the #7 refers to, but it comes topped with avocado (why does adding avocado make everything California?), jalapeno and cheddar with a side of fries. Their burgers are juicy and flavorful, with a perfect balance of spices, creating a flavor harmony between the meat and the toppings, with each complementing each other, rather than one dominating.

Natasha is a fan of Governor Stumpy's pizza, so she ordered the Mamma Mia, a thin crust pie topped with alfredo sauce, your choice of smoked chicken or shrimp, red onions, tomatoes, and black olives, topped with a blend of cheddar, mozzarella, and provolone. The pizzas come in a 9 inch size, so they're perfect for one if you're hungry, or can be split by two if you just want a nosh.

I'm normally very picky about my pizza. I hate most of the national chains for various reasons I won't go into here. Thus it's hard for me to find a pizza I truly enjoy. So believe me when I say Governor Stumpy's pizza is good. It's not great, but it is definitely better than most places out there. The way I would describe it is, it's like a good pizza you would make at home, if you knew how to make a crust that didn't suck. Their signature pizzas are clearly well thought out with toppings that harmonize well. And they have enough choices to satisfy even the most discerning palate.

That said, Governor Stumpy's has a good menu. They offer standard American fare, pizza, steaks, burgers, and pasta, with everything being well planned and executed by the kitchen staff. Prices are very reasonable, we spent only $28 + tip, and we had drinks as well.

It's obvious to me why this place has such a loyal following in the neighborhood. Full of regulars, everything about this place makes you want to come back again...

Scorecard

http://governorstumpys.homestead.com/stumpy1.html

The Best Burger in KC?

2008-08-11T10:25:00.019-05:00

Westport Flea Market

Westport Flea Market at 817 Westport Road is as much a part of Kansas City culinary culture as Gates and Arthur Bryant's. Voted the best burger in town 25 years running, the Flea Market has played a part in Kansas City life for many years. It was the site of current mayor, Mark "Funky" Funkhauser's election party, it hosts the Kansas City Chess Club's weekly events, and it even has claim to it's very own serial killer, with Bob Berdella having run a booth in the actual flea market prior to his capture.

I've been here before, but I thought it was time to write a review. For the first-time diner, it can be a little difficult to figure out just what is going on here. First of all, when you enter, there is a flea market to your left. Ignore that and make your way to the bar. In the back, there are tables with menus, which you can peruse at your leisure. However, don't expect a waitress to come and take your food order. While the waitresses will bring you a drink (they have lots of beer on tap), you have to go to the bar to place your food order.

After placing your order, and paying with cash (they don't take plastic, though there is an ATM with a surcharge that borders on extortion), you head back to your table to await your food. Aside from the famous burgers, the Flea Market offers the same type of fare you can find at bars around the country, chicken in various incarnations, steaks and lasagna. I've never had the fried pickles, but I've been told they are great. Prices are reasonable, about $8 for the giant 10-oz burger.

When your food is ready, your name is called over a loudspeaker and you go and pick it up at a window. You can then top it yourself a la Fuddruckers from a topping bar. Topping selection is limited and sub-par, with limp tomato slices, yellowish mayo, thousand island dressing, iceberg lettuce (the worst of all lettuces), onions and pickles. Mustard and ketchup are available on your table.

Burgers come with homemade curly fries, which are decent (and I hate curly fries normally), or your choice of coleslaw or some other things, I'm not really sure what, as I only get the fries. You also get to choose from several varieties of cheese to top your burger.

As for the burger, well I'm going to make a very controversial statement here: (clap, clap, clap-clap-clap) Over-Rated! While they get points for using ground beef from McGonigles, one of my favorite stores in KC, they're simply average. Sure, they're juicy and well cooked, but flavor-wise, they're simply nothing special. In fact, I find them to be on the bland side. They're underseasoned, quite frankly. I understand the beef being the star of the show, but at least add some salt and pepper. Spices are meant to enhance flavor. Without them, things tend to be rather tasteless, just like these burgers.

Well, how, you may ask, have they been voted best in KC for the past quarter century? I have a theory about this, it's called groupthink. People fall so in love with the idea of something, and how everyone says it's the best, that they convince themselves it really is that great. Or else they're afraid they'll be mocked if they disagree...

Now don't get me wrong. The burgers from Westport Flea Market are something every Kansas Citian should try at least once, but overall, I can think of two or three places off the top of my head that have better-tasting burgers (Governor Stumpy's for one).

See what KC Lunch Spots had to say about it here.

Scorecard

http://www.westportfleamarket.com/index.html

My Favorite Restaurant

2008-08-11T08:35:00.007-05:00

Maya's Mexican Bistro

Once upon a time, there was a recently-graduated student with a virtually worthless liberal arts degree. Unsure what his future held, or for that matter, even what industry or career path he wanted to pursue, he foolishly answered a job posting on Monster.com calling for "sports minded individuals" that promised big money and a fun and exciting job. As it turned out, the company who hired him was part of a larger cult-like company, which offered the "fun" job of working 10-hour days, cold-calling, door-to-door sales for 100% commission. As you may have imagined, after less than two weeks of having doors slammed in his face and being told to go to hell, our hero decided this wasn't the job for him. With less than $400 to show for two 50+ hour work weeks, he cut his losses and moved on. But on the bright side, the job did introduce him to Maya's Mexican Bistro at 12921 State Line, so it wasn't a total washout...

Maya's is quite frankly, amazing. I've been here several times, but since I moved, it's a bit further of a drive, thus I don't make it here as often as I might like. It's a bit far south for a lot of people, but as anyone who has eaten here will attest, well worth the drive.

Maya's, while calling itself Mexican, isn't really... It's more of a Southwest fusion, with Mexican, American and Italian influences. The decor is a classy take on the traditional Southwestern style of most Tex-Mex places, with a stronger influence on Arizona and New Mexico than the Lone Star State. Nothing spectacular, but at least unique from the On the Borders of the world.

The first thing about this place that will really hit you is the salsa. Homemade, it has a subtle smokey flavor, unlike anywhere else I've been. This flavor is the result of smoking the tomatoes for the salsa in a home-made smoker in the back (I know this because I asked). It has a nice kick, without being overwhelming, and pairs nicely with their freshly made tortilla chips.

The guacamole is supposed to be awesome as well, though not being a fan of the green stuff, I've never ordered it. I have, however, seen it prepared. Your waiter or waitress will bring out the fixings and prepare it table side, giving a nice show to you and your surrounding diners. I think Gordon Ramsey would be proud ...

As for the rest of the food, the menu has a lot of variety, and all of it is truly fantastic. Natasha always orders the same thing, a smoked chicken and chortizo torte. Made with smoked chicken, choritzo, portabellos, and roasted red peppers (didn't I mention the Italian influence?), it's served on a fried flour tortilla, which is then topped with a mozzarella-asiago blend and baked in the oven. The flavor combinations are really top-notch, thus making this an instant favorite.

As for me, I like to surf the menu, trying various things, both specialties and ala carte. This time I choose the shrimp and spinach chimi. While normally rather indifferent to chimichangas, this one was different. With shrimp, spinach, garlic, roasted red peppers and mozzarella in a lightly golden chimi, it was served over queso espinica with a side of Spanish rice. Very, very delicious...

There's a sign out front proclaiming Maya's to be home of Kansas City's favorite margaritas, but as they're pre-mixed (yes, I asked), I'm not sure how this can be. They're good, but nothing different from a standard margarita anywhere else. Still, this doesn't detract from this place, which is unequivocally my favorite restaurant in all of Kansas City.

As for the service, it was good, above average. Prices are slightly higher than most Mexican chain restaurants, but well worth it. Do yourself a favor and try this place as soon as possible.

Scorecard

http://mayasmexicanbistro.com/

The (Other) Windy City

2008-08-04T08:23:00.009-05:00

Pizza Man

A few weeks back, a friend of Natasha's recommended this place to her, claiming they had the best hot dogs this side of Chicago. Never ones to miss out on that most-American of delicacies, we decided try out Pizza Man at 10212 Pflumm in Lenexa on hot and sweltering August Sunday.

En route, I received a call from my friends Zack and Donovan, apparently Donavan's alternator had decided to give out, thus stranding them in the concrete jungle known as downtown Overland Park. Being the generous friend I am (and ever so humble), we swung by Firestone and picked them up, inviting them to join us on our latest culinary adventure.

Pizza Man has a terrible location. In a strip mall just north of 103rd street on Pflumm, it's also about 2 blocks from Stonewall Pizza, and close to pretty much nothing else. With Pflumm having no easy access to either 435 or 35, it's a road I rarely travel. But, secure in the knowledge that this was where Pizza Man was located, thanks to a print-off of Google maps, we had no difficulty finding the place.

Clearly Pizza Man prides itself on its Chicago roots. When you enter, the entire place is painted in Cubs blue (which is like Kryptonite to me, a Cardinals fan), and decorated with Chicago-themed prints and Cubs logos. One whole wall is dedicated to a mural of notable Chicago athletes, including Ernie Banks, Walter Payton, Bobby Hull, and of course, Michael Jordan.

We placed our order at the counter with a man, probably the owner, wearing a well-worn Cubs shirt. The menu offered several types of hot dogs, including the requisite Chicago Dog, several hot sandwiches and pizza. Prices were very reasonable, the hot dogs were around $3 each, sandwiches $5, and pizza, depending on size anywhere from $5 to $12, or so. Natasha and I both choose Chicago dogs, and we split a small pizza, mushrooms and Italian sausage, which the man behind the counter assured me was their best topping. Zack choose a combo sandwich of pork and beef sausage, and Donovan had a hamburger pizza. We all choose Cherry Coke, which in case you weren't aware, is the greatest drink available from a soda fountain.

As the food is cooked to order, we had a little while to wait before we received it. This was fine with me, as it gave me a chance to try out the Mortal Kombat II video game. Not having played this game since, oh about 1993, give or take a few years, I remembered none of the moves and proceeded to get humiliated in the first round. Luckily, Donavan, who prides himself on his video game prowess, also suffered a loss. Neither one of us remembered that game as being so difficult.

In relatively short order, our food arrived. The Chicago Dogs were spot on. I've had lots of hot dogs in my life, but these were exactly how I remember them in the Windy City, right down to the poppy seed buns, the unnaturally green relish, and the all-beef wieners. Yep, this was a Chicago Dog all right, and a good one to boot.

The pizza was also a good choice. Though I have to admit, it was different than I expected. I was thinking Uno-style, deep dish pie with the sauce on top. This was more like a thin St. Louis-style crust, but it was cooked perfectly, with just the right amount of crunch without being burnt. The sauce had a slight zip to it, and I'm pretty certain it was home-made. They used fresh mushrooms, which is extremely important to me, but the real star of the show was the Italian sausage. Normally Italian sausage is hit-or-miss with me, as most places overdo it with one or more spices, usually fennel. Not a problem with Pizza Man, they perfectly walked that tightrope, and added just enough fennel to season the meat without overpowering it. Very well done...

But as Lavarr Burton would say, don't take my word for it. Read KC Lunch Spots' review here.

Scorecard

Cool Treats for Hot Summer Days

2008-07-29T08:37:00.011-05:00

Balsamic Berry Pops

In case you hadn't noticed, summer in Kansas City is hot. Really uncomfortable, legs sticking to the vinyl, asphalt melting, grass killing, I just came out of the house and I'm already sweating, hot. Flat out ugly and muggy. But then, I suppose that's just summertime in the Midwest.

What you need is something to cool you down. Thus I present my fantastic recipe for popsicles, Brian's Balsamic Berry Pops (how 'bout that alliteration, eh? If only popsicle had a synonym that started with B).

Serves 6-12 (depending on your popsicle trays)
Prep time: 20 min
Freezing time: 4 hours

1 lb berries (I used strawberries and raspberries)
1 cup balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water

-Wash and prep the berries, i.e. cut off any stems, etc.
-Make a simple syrup by bringing the sugar and water to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 30 seconds or until a thick syrup is formed. Set aside to cool.
-In food processor puree berries and simple syrup
-Pour berry-syrup mixture into popsicle molds until half full. (If you don't have popsicle molds, you can use dixie cups like I did.) Put in freezer for 1 hour.
-Meanwhile, in a hot sauce pan boil balsamic vinegar until reduced to 1/4 cup.
-After 1 hour, add balsamic reduction and remainder of berry-syrup mixture to molds.
-Insert popsicle sticks.
-Freeze 3-4 more hours or until solid.

For those of you who have never made a balsamic reduction, the acidity disappears as the vinegar reduces. Just enough of the sour taste remains to offset the sweet-tartness of the berries. These pops have a great flavor and are very refreshing when the temperature reaches that level somewhere between Death Valley and the surface of the sun. Try them out, I bet you'll like them...

Scorecard

A Kansas City Legend

2008-07-28T09:05:00.014-05:00

Arthur Bryant's

If there is one thing Kansas City is known for, it has got to be barbeque. As home to the biggest stockyards west of the Mississippi, it's only natural that meat would become the main ingredient in the signature KC style of cooking. That said, there are two bbq institutions you've got to try if you want to really experience Kansas City, Gates and Arthur Bryant's.

I'm a little ashamed to admit, that having lived in and around KC for eight out of the last ten years (with interruptions in Ukraine and St. Louis), I had never even tried this world famous barbeque joint. This weekend I decided enough was enough, I was going to eat at Bryant's come hell or high water. Luckily, neither came to pass, though the high temperatures were reminiscent of Hades. But I digress...

Natasha and I decided that, in order to stretch our meager budget further this week, we would buy our produce at the River Market. This is always an excellent idea as the produce tends to be both fresher and cheaper than that you can buy at Hy-Vee or Price Chopper, but of course, I tend to work on Saturdays, so that's not always an option. Anyway, our shopping expediton placed us in the heart of downtown at lunch time, a perfect excuse to finally make it over to Bryant's.

Knowing it was located somewhere near the Jazz district of 18th and Vine, we headed that way, only to drive in circles, searching in vain for this smoked meat Mecca. At last, almost by complete luck, we happened to drive down Brooklyn Ave. and found the object of our (at least my) desire. There it was, larger than life, Arthur Bryant's at 1727 Brooklyn Ave.

There's a certain atmosphere you come to expect from really good barbeque places. First of all, they tend to be hole-in-the-wall type places. While Bryant's is clearly successful, it definitely maintains it's roots as a neighborhood place. Secondly, you don't really expect them to be overly clean, again Bryant's was right on the mark. This isn't to say that it was disgustingly dirty, but you expect a certain amount of flies attracted by the meats, barbeque sauce that won't quite wipe all the way off on the tables, and a certain greasy, smoky look to the walls. Bryant's definitely fit the bill. Plus if there's an ancient black man working the smoker or grill, as he probably has for the past 50 years, you know you're in for a treat.

Bryant's atmosphere is classic, minimalist decor, the only highlight being one wall dedicated to celebrities who've eaten there, including such notables as Jimmy Carter and Danny Glover. Also, near the counter, there's an old-school portrait of the man himself, Arthur Bryant, who died in 1982. The whole operation is run as a no-frills joint. You pick up a plate and place your order with a man operating a slicer. Both Natasha and I ordered the burnt ends, fries, and coleslaw. Despite a growing lunch time crowd, our food was prepared and presented in fairly quick order by the experienced and reasonably polite staff. Accepting our plates of food, we slid down the counter to pay and pick up a tong-full of pickles and a cup of fresh-squeezed lemonade (it's not a real barbeque meal without lemonade).

Finding a table, we settled in to enjoy our feast, and with the amount of food we got, it really was a feast. The burnt ends are served in a generous portion on top of a slice of white bread, with additional slices of bread on the side. Personally, I'm a huge fan of the bread under the meat, as the grease and sauce soak into the bread, creating a delicious treat as you near the end of your meal. The burnt ends were delicious. I always say, burnt ends are the true test of barbeque skill. It's what separates the best (read Bryant's and Gates) from the pretenders (I'm talking about you Zarda). They were moist and tender, bursting with flavor.

I tried them with all three sauces provided on the table. The sauces weren't labeled, but I classified them as original, sweet, and spicy. All three were good, but of course, I loved the spicy, that's just how I get down. I've heard a lot of people say they don't care for Bryant's sauce, it's too vinegary. But as a vinegar lover, I have to say it was fantastic. From a man who has six or seven varieties of vinegar in his cupboard, I love the flavor it brings to lots of different foods. Though I'd never thought of it as a barbeque flavor, I am now a convert. Vinegar sauce is the best.

The fries were okay, but who goes to Bryant's for the fries? Same for the coleslaw. The lemonade was really amazing, after drinking the cheap, from-concentrate stuff all summer, this was a refreshing change. It really was the perfect drink to mellow out the barbeque flavors and quench my thirst on a hot summer's day.

The prices were good, about $8 for most sandwiches, with only a couple of bucks more for sides. Plus the portions were gigantic. Menu choices were what you might expect, ham, sausage, chicken, pork and beef, in a variety of cuts.

This place is a definite must visit for anyone in Kansas City. And though I'm not a huge advocate of barbeque, I loved Bryant's.

As for the old Gates-vs-Bryant's debate, here's my two cents. I like Gates, their food is good, the prices fair and a nice atmosphere, but I hate the rude, get-in, get-out "Hi, may I help you?!?!" attitude of the staff. That said, I love Bryant's. The food is better, the prices and atmosphere comparable and they don't yell at you if you need a moment to make up your mind. Definitely the best barbeque I've had.

Scorecard

http://www.arthurbryantsbbq.com/index.htm

A Quick Bite of Italy

2008-07-21T09:51:00.005-05:00

Avelluto's Italian Delight

Last Friday, I wanted to take Natasha for lunch. We didn't want to hit the usual lunch time places near her work like Steak n' Shake or Panera, so we decided to try out Avelluti's Italian Delight at 6522 Martway in Shawnee Mission. As a halfway point between our respective places of employment, it seemed a logical choice. Now if only the food could live up to the convenience...

At first glance, Avelluto's seems very anonymous, a smallish restaurant in a strip mall. Inside, however, the lunch rush was in full-swing, with what I'm assuming were some fairly regular customers. We placed our orders at the counter, cafeteria-style, I ordered the veal parm sandwich with an antipasto salad, and Natasha had a stromboli with mushroom salad. We were disappointed that they were out of calamari.

In surprisingly short order, our food was brought out to us. My antipasto salad was huge, a full meal in itself. With prosciutto, salami and cheese garnishing a full plate of various salads including an olive salad, a mushroom salad, and an Italian salad, I could have been full off this alone. Though they lose points for using canned mushrooms, it was very good overall, with just the right amount of dressing.

The veal parm sandwich was okay, but I have to admit, a bit disappointing. The veal was mediocre, probably provided by Sysco or some other foodservice supplier. It was topped with a good amount of cheese, and a (I'm assuming) canned tomato sauce. Served on an ordinary sesame seed hamburger bun, it was quite a bit less than I had hoped for.

Natasha's mushroom salad was the same one that was included in my antipasto, good flavor but made with canned mushrooms, which I tend to look down on. Her stromboli, with sausage, mushrooms and cheese was the best thing either of us ordered, but again topped with the deplorable canned tomato sauce.

The servers were very friendly, and the atmosphere was okay for a strip mall cafeteria. There were a lot of tempting options on the menu and prices were fair. The food was okay, though far from great, but for a quick lunch, Avelluti's was not a bad choice. I can't say this place will ever be a favorite of mine, but if I'm in the neighborhood at lunch time, there's a good chance I'll stop back by.

Scorecard

http://www.avellutositaliandelight.com/index.html

A Garnish does not a Soup Make...

2008-07-16T16:00:00.011-05:00

Chicken(-less) Cheese and Tortilla Soup

So this is my first foray into posting a recipe... the photo above isn't actually of the soup I made last night, but it was the closest one I could find online (I know, I know, take your own photos, etc., etc.)

Anyway, I'd had a craving for chicken tortilla soup since roughly Saturday, and as it hadn't been assuaged by last night, I decided I would whip up my own. Unfortunately, I didn't have any chicken breast defrosted and I hate use the microwave for that sort of thing, so I went without. No big deal, it was delicious as (almost) vegetarian. My only issue was, does it really qualify as tortilla soup when the tortillas are only a garnish? It's a question for the ages...

But now, with no further ado, for your tasting pleasure, I present Chicken(-less) cheese tortilla soup:

I loved this, Natasha found it a bit too spicy, so maybe next time I'll forego the added hot sauce, but this really hit the spot. It was exactly what I was craving. Try it out, you'll like it.

Scorecard

Taste: 4.5

Ingredient availability: 5

Cost: 4.5

Time: 3

Ease of Preparation: 4

Total: 21

Average: 4.2

Wiseguys & Paisans

2008-06-30T11:54:00.005-05:00

Accurso's

First off, let me apologize to any Italian-American readers for the stereotype, but Accurso's at 5044 Main in Kansas City is so Italian authentic that it's not a stretch to imagine the John Gottis and Lucky Luccianos of the world stopping by for a quick bite on the way to a "business meeting". From the red-and-white checkered tablecloths, to the family portraits covering the walls, to the Frank and Deano playing on the stereo, if you were designing an Italian restaurant for a gangster flick, you couldn't do any better than Accurso's.

But it's not just the atmosphere that makes this place special. The food is fantastic as well. With a menu offering all the southern Italian favorites you expect at such a place, it's hard to make a decision. Finally, after considerable thought, I chose the Shrimp Penne Diavlo, and Natasha had the Chicken Modiga. Both came with Accurso's house salad, which was good, just as expected, and their (I'm assuming) home-made garlic bread. My penne was fantastic, just the right touch of heat that you want in diavlo sauce, and plenty of cheese. Now I'll admit it, I'm not a huge fan of Italian food, but this was the best I've ever had. Yeah, I said it, the best, including places on the Hill in St. Louis. Zia's is good, but I'll take Accurso's over it any day.

Natasha echoed my sentiments. Her Chicken Modiga consisted of char grilled chicken with mozzarella and portabellos in a lemon-chicken stock-wine sauce. Served with a side of spaghetti, it was excellent. The side of spaghetti was something else too. Normally I detest plain tomato sauce (or gravy as purists may call it), as boring and bland. Accurso's is different. Their red sauce is bursting with flavor, equally at home I'm sure on linguine or a pizza. Top notch stuff, really...

The prices were what you would expect for an Italian place, between $14-17 for most entrees, but the portions were huge. We each had two meals from our left-overs, so the price really is fairly cheap when you consider that.

Service was excellent, not only was our waitress, fresh back from Italy, extremely nice and attentive, but the manager also checked in on us and made sure everything was satisfactory.

In fact, the only downside of the entire meal, was the air conditioning was too high for Natasha who was cold in a sleeveless shirt. Overall, however, fantastic. We'll definitely be back.

Scorecard

www.accursos.com/

Travels Abroad - Parts 2&3 Medieval Coffee and Irish Pubs

2008-06-26T10:06:00.003-05:00

Syn'oju Flazkoju - Under the Blue Flask

Still in Lviv, we sought out a coffee house Natasha had read about online. This place was truly amazing. Located down an alley off of Ulitza Russka, this was a small, one-room place on the bottom floor of a medieval building. The whole vibe of the place with it's ambient blue lighting, brick walls and antique furniture was that of a 17th century tavern. They even have a charming custom where patrons put coins in chinks in the mortar in the walls for good luck. The place was tiny, 20 people would be packed, but that only added to the charm.

The service was typical Ukrainian, that is, inattentive and apathetic, but no worse than most places. After waiting longer than we would have liked, we placed our orders with the waitress. Natasha and I both had the same thing, though the menu offered many interesting choices, particularly in style of coffee. We had coffee with cognac and a Dominican salad. Prices were very reasonable.

The coffee was fantastic, some of the best I've ever had. Shots of cognac were poured into the coffee cups, then lit on fire. In front of us our waitress poured in a lemon, coffe and sugar mixture to extinguish the flame, a really amazing presentation. If I owned a restaurant, that would be one of my specialities. The flavor of the coffee was great too, brewed in the Turkish style and served with the grounds in the cup.

The salad was excellent. Called Dominican (like a nearby church, not the country), it was prepared while we waited. Served on a bed of fresh cabbage, it was veal tongue, smoked cheese, green onions, fresh mushrooms, and sweet gherkins with mayo and spices. It was very light and refreshing on a hot summer day, very delicious.

Scorecard

Food: 5

Atmosphere: 5

Service: 3

Menu: 4.5

Price: 5

Total: 22.5

Average: 4.5

Dublin Irish Pub

Later that same day, we were searching for yet another place to watch the Euro Cup and stumbled upon the Dublin Irish Pub on Kriva Lipa Prospect. A nice place to watch the game, it was very typical by Irish Pub standards. Hardwood floors and low wooden tables, much like Irish Pubs in any city in the world. A good place for the game, for sure...

The menu was good, lots of choices, both Irish and Ukrainian fare, though I have to admit, I was very disappointed that they didn't offer any domestic beers, only Irish and British (and Heineken). That's a pet peeve of mine, I hate to travel and drink beers I could buy at home.

Anyway, the food was great. I had the veal with mashed potatoes. The veal was pounded flat, breaded and fried. It was well seasoned and served with a delicious red wine demi-glaze. The mashed potatoes were good, just standard mash. My only issue was the veal was a little tough (though quite tender compared to that at Alpaca). Natasha had the river perch, fried in its skin. It was very fresh, and therefore, extremely tasty.

The price was a little higher than I had hoped for, but the service was impeccable, not just for Ukraine, but for the U.S. as well.

Scorecard

Food: 4.5

Atmosphere: 4.5

Service: 5

Menu: 4

Price: 3

Total: 21

Average: 4.2
http://www.dublin.com.ua/

Travels Abroad - Part 1, Mexican food in Ukraine

2008-06-25T11:28:00.010-05:00

Alpaca

While abroad, Natasha and I stumbled upon a most interesting cafe in Lviv, Ukraine as we searched for a place to watch the Euro Cup. Down a back alley off of Schechenko Prospect in the center of the city, we found something most unusual, a Mexican restaurant with a Peruvian name, in the heart of Eastern Europe.

The atmosphere was what you may expect in your average American Tex-Mex cantina, lots of Southwest decor, Kokopellis and Native blankets, had the signs not been in Ukrainian, I might have believed I was back in the U.S.

Anyway, the menu was interesting, featuring all the expected fare, nachos, burritos and fajitas, though by Ukrainian standards, quite pricey, costing 160 hryvnas for the shrimp fajitas (though to be fair, Lviv is a long way from any ocean with shrimp).

After a considerable time waiting for service (in Ukraine the customer is always wrong), we finally ordered with our silent and surly waiter. I ordered the veal burrito, which consisted of veal (alledgedly, it was tough and more like a cheap piece of sirloin), cabbage and cheese in a homemade tortilla, with a side of salsa and a ridiculous amount of garnish, parsley and red leaf lettuce. The veal was over-cooked, but the flavors were suprisingly Mexican, except of course, the cabbage and the lack of beans.

Natasha had the pineapple chicken, which was actually chicken teriyaki. I'm not quite sure how that made it on the menu at a Mexican place, but it wasn't bad, in spite of a strange flavor I couldn't pinpoint.

We both had beers from the local brewery Lvivske, which was okay, not great.

For dessert, we split an apple pie with vanilla ice cream. The pie was too doughy for my tastes, but the ice cream was excellent, as was the caramel sauce that was drizzled over the top.

All in all, it was interesting, but even if it wasn't halfway around the world, I probably wouldn't go back.

Scorecard

Food: 2.25

Atmosphere: 3

Service: 1

Menu: 3

Price: 3

Total: 12.25

Gourmet Burgers? Sounds Good to Me

2008-06-02T14:16:00.013-05:00

Chef Burger

Last Friday Natasha and I made out first culinary foray into the Power & Light District in Downtown Kansas City. At the height of the dinner rush, we headed for Chef Burger at 1350 Walnut to see what the buzz was about.

Chef Burger, one four local restaurants run by Chef Rob Dalzell is an upscale take on fast food, a place specializing in, as its name might suggest, gourmet burgers.

When you enter the place, you get the feeling that Chef Dalzell wanted this to be a no-frills joint where the food, not the décor leaves the mark on diners. This is not to say that it’s lacking in atmosphere, but the burnished steel (every decorator’s favorite trendy material) and mustard yellow trim don’t create much of an impression.

After perusing the menu, which offers items like the Texan, a tex-mex themed burger and Chicago dogs, I settled on the BLFGT (Bacon, Lettuce, Fried Green Tomato) Burger, while Natasha chose the Ahi Tuna burger. We both ordered the Garlic Parsley fires, and though the liquor-infused milkshakes were tempting, we settled for two Boulevards.

We placed out orders at the counter (strangely reminiscent of a Subway restaurant), and then waited while our food was cooked to order in front of us. This let us watch the staff, who were friendly, but inattentive, in action.

Within a reasonable amount of time, we received our food and found a place outside to eat. My burger, served with a pesto-aioli, was fantastic. Natasha’s, which included ginger coleslaw and Sriracha aioli, was tasty as well, though distracted cooking put it well-past the medium doneness she requested.

The fries on the other hand were a disaster. Rather that seasoning them with parsley and garlic powder, as logic would dictate, they were soaked in a garlic-infused oil, rendering them a soggy mess.

All in all, it was worth checking out, and I’m sure we’ll be back to try some of Chef Rob Dalzell’s other creations, but next time we’ll skip the fries.

Scorecard (out of five)

Food: 3
Atmosphere: 4
Service: 2
Menu: 4
Price: 2
Total: 15
Average: 3

http://www.kansascitymenus.com/chefburger/