Table Hopping; A Food Blog

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.

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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.

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