Gustav, Please Don't Hit NOLA

I know it's a form of catastrophic NIMBY-hood, but I hope and pray that Hurricane Gustav lands anywhere but New Orleans, and that the good people of the Big Easy get to continue rebuilding their lives and bringing joy to the world. Even when I'm miles away from Domilise's, I'm somehow enriched by the fact that it exists.

Home Again, Home Again

8 nights in New York City - wow, what a place. A few of the highlights -

* Sam's graduation ceremony in Yankee Stadium on a gorgeous day.

* Dinner at wd-50.

* 18 miles of bookshelves at the Strand.

* Ducking into PDT through a secret door in a phone booth to dine on $180 worth of hot dogs and amazing cocktails.

* Relying on subways and shoe leather to get around the metro area.

* An evening tour at the Tenement Museum - things haven't changed all that much since the days when "illegals" were white.

* Catching up with an old friend at beer heaven - the Blind Tiger Ale House.

* Taking a brief train ride out to Chappaqua, and finding prints and sculptures by Brian Andreas all over the home of some new friends.

* Ellis Island and and the feeling of being haunted by history.

* Catching the Mountain Goats and John Oliver at an AIDS benefit at the Brooklyn Masonic Temple.

* Wandering around Harlem for hours.

* Seeing Sam after his first day at his new job as a production assistant for a video game company.

* The most amazing brunch ever on Mother's Day at Bouchon Bakery, Thomas Keller's casual eatery, where the chef wowed us with everything from salad to foie gras to lobster macaroni and cheese with shaved black truffle.

There's more to write about, but that ought to suffice as a start . . .

Fortune Cookie Makers Taking Themselves Too Seriously

Kind of like bloggers, fortune cookie makers can lose their charm and become annoying when they start taking themselves too seriously and try to be more influential than they really are.

“Today is a disastrous day. If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em,” reads one fortune showing up around the country.

“It’s over your head now. Time to get some professional help,” advises another.

As the messages, contained in cookies made by Wonton Food in Queens, have spread across the country, some diners have registered their reactions online. As a result, the company has a marketing challenge on its hands.
. . .
“We wanted our fortune cookies to be a little bit more value-added,” Mr. Chow said.

Believe it or not, the entire article about fortune cookie messages doesn't even mention that you're supposed to add "in bed" to the end of most fortunes - which is why I still have "Your ability is appreciated" and "Do something unusual tomorrow" posted on my bulletin board.

Update on Save the Mango Room and Other Independent Restaurants! - Mexican Fast Food Edition

The Mango Room and other fine dining experiences are only part of the issue. Kansas Citians ought to also be aware - perhaps even more aware - of their local options when they're just looking for something quick, tasty and cheap. Every drive through customer at McDonald's or Taco Bell is casting an economic vote for homogeneity and corporate control of our food supply. They're supporting a minimum-wage based, anti-entrepreneurial economy. They're also getting crappy, chemically-altered products designed by food chemists instead of chefs.

This past week, I tried out two cheap, quick Mexican places for fast food. First I tried Midtown Burritos and More, in a hut connected to the old Lamar's building on Linwood. A commenter on the original posting in this series had inquired about the place, and I had never noticed it. I'm glad I stopped by. The place had bounteous specials. It had a charming hostess. It had a special vegetarian menu. It had coziness. What it didn't have was electricity - the cell phone shop next door had blown a fuse or something. Undeterred by the lack of refrigeration, I selected one of the combo specials, which came with a ground beef taco, a ground beef enchilada, and a tamale. I'm not really a ground beef fan when it comes to Mexican food, but that's what they were offering that day, and somehow under-refrigerated chicken and pork didn't sound quite as good.

I was pleasantly impressed with the portions, the flavor and the tamale. I LOVE tamales, and this was up there with Pancho's version. I don't feel like I got to taste the full potential of Midtown Burrito's (sic) and More, but I was satisfied enough that I will return and see what they can do when they have power.

My second new Mexican experience was Cancun Fiesta, in Westport. I went in search of the appetizing fish tacos described by DLC in the comments in the original post, but they were not on the menu. Instead, I got one of their specials - 4 "street" tacos for $6. (Street tacos are simply soft tacos, so named because they are sold from carts on the street in many cities.) I had two pork, one beef and one chicken. The beef had great flavor, and was my favorite. Spicy, but not too hot, and finely chopped.

Both Mexican places were vastly superior to Taco Bell. Both provided tasty food at great prices, quickly. Both were run by local families, and were grateful for the business.

If it weren't for the fact that one of the best restaurants in the world is Pancho's on Main, both of these restaurants would get ringing endorsements. As it is, I will recommend them both to those who don't make it to Pancho's.

(PS: I messed up in my original post by failing to include links to other blogs featuring food, either regularly or in response to my challenge to make August "local food month". I'll correct that oversight in a posting very soon. In the meantime, please email me your suggestions, or post them in the comments here.)

Save the Mango Room and Other Independent Restaurants!

In a further irony of downtown redevelopment, one of Kansas City's underappreciated gems is threatening to close its doors. The Mango Room is a locally-owned, minority-owned, woman-owned restaurant located in the street-level space of the Town Pavilion. I've eaten there a few times, and the food is truly excellent. Oxtails. Jerk spices. Yum.

Unfortunately, the downtown construction, which will soon (oops - make that "someday", since the out-of-town developers are failing to live up to their commitments, and postponing the openings) bring us a gaggle of share-holder owned chain restaurants like Famous Dave's Suburban Minneapolis Barbecue and Planet What City Am I In, is choking off access to the restaurant with heavy equipment and porta-potties. The constricting world of corporate mediocrity is killing off another one of the points of authenticity and distinction in our city.

I've developed a bit of a reputation at the office for being a weirdo when it come to local food. When others drive through Wendy's, I'll swing by Kitty's on 31st Street for a burger that is so much better that my coworkers oggle it at the lunch table. When others drop by Taco Bell, I head over to Pancho's on Main, for absolutely incredible tacos, tortas, burritos and tamales, with the amazing salsas that you ladle yourself rather than squeeze from a plastic packet. Don't even get me started on Pizza Hut . . .

Kansas City is blessed by great restaurants, but you need to think about it. We get to vote on what kind of city we are every day that we spend money in our town. When you go to McDonald's or PF Chang's or the Olive Garden, you are voting for homogeneity over individuality. When you go to Town Topic or Princess Garden or Marco Polo's, you are voting for a more varied and interesting city. On top of that, you get better food, usually made with fresher, local ingredients, at a better price.

(If you really want to make a difference with the votes you carry around in your wallet, spend your money in the places featured at The Viable Third.)

To me, this is an quality of life issue. I feel like Kansas City is a better place to live because of places like Lill's on 17th Street, (recently labeled Kansas City's Cozy Spot by Kansas City Daily Photo), but a new Chili's doesn't have that same impact.

This is not just another burst of mid-town superiority, either. There are good, family-owned restaurants serving great meals in Lee's Summit, the Northland, and even - gasp! - Johnson County. (Wyandotte County is packed with them.) Some of them can be found in strip malls, and others are off the main drag a few blocks.

I challenge each of you - starting now and continuing through the month of August, to seek out Kansas City restaurants whenever you eat out. Find a Winstead's instead of a Burger King. Blow a bucket of money at Plaza III instead of at Morton's. Come back and comment on your experiences and recommendations (and disappointments, too). If commenters participate, I'll bump this to the top of the page for the duration. If you are a fellow blogger, post something on your site about your favorite local places, and encourage your readers to share their thoughts on your blog. Let's see if we can save the Mango Room and the other gems that make Kansas City different from Indianapolis or Milwaukee or Akron.

(Update: While I was typing this post, I got an email from a great local lawyer, reporting "Last night my husband and I stopped by Scottie’s on 39th, the old Macaluso’s, and had a great meal. We both had salmon, two different ways, and it was terrific. I had the Szechuan style, and it was one of the best and most creative dishes I’ve had in a while. There were a lot of other interesting dishes on the menu, as well. The prices were really decent, too, for an upscale kind of place. It’s worth stopping by." Thanks for kicking this off, T!)

Why Didn't Anybody Tell Me?

The other night, on my way to the Cracker concert at the Crossroads, Ancillary Adams and I and our lovely spouses stopped by Gates on Main. On a whim, and because I knew my wife would share her food if I made a bad choice, I tried the mutton.

Sweet mother of mercy. This is freaking barbecue that tastes like lamb, but it's all crunchy and fatty but the fat melts in my mouth with all the spices and, well, just damn.

Why didn't any of you people tell me about this??

Road Food Between KC and St. Louis - Les Bourgeois Blufftop Bistro

Where do you eat when driving between St. Louis and Kansas City? Personally, I hate to spend money at the fast-food chains that infest the exits, but I'll admit that the lure of convenience and the security of knowing what I'll be getting has guided me to a drive-through or two.

That's not to say that there aren't good options at the exits. Biffle's Smoke House in Concordia comes to mind.

If you're willing to go a mile or so off the highway, your choices improve. Far and away the most impressive of the choices is Les Bourgeois Blufftop Bistro, at the Rocheport exit. Go north about a mile, and it's on the left (west) side of the road. Take the meandering walk down from the parking lot, and you'll be greeted by a white building with a glass wall and a truly gourmet menu.

My wife and I stopped there on the way to St. Charles on Saturday, and the food was as far from McDonald's as possible. Seated at a window table overlooking the Missouri River, she got the "Grilled rare yellow fin tuna on a toasted sourdough baguette with olive salad, sliced roma tomatoes, hard cooked egg, baby greens & red onion" and a cup of the "Bisque - creamy puree of cauliflower, lightly smoked sea scallops & aromatics, garnished with crawfish cognac butter." I had a "Fresh sourdough baguette with thinly sliced fresh herb roasted pork loin, apple smoked bacon, Fontina cheese, frisee lettuce & Martha’s mustard" served with a warm potato salad composed of french fingerling, purple, and baby red potatoes. Each choice was $8 - a bit more than a Big Mac and fries, but a ridiculous bargain by any other measure.

Though we were tempted to spend the afternoon on the scenic overlook of the river, we were back on the road in around 45 minutes - the service was prompt, but we lingered over the food and views.

I know there are other wonderful places to eat at or near the exits in I-70. G&D Steakhouse in Columbia serves up cheap, flavorful steaks and awesome baked potatoes.

Where do you stop for a bite between St. Louis and Kansas City, when you want to avoid the chains?

JP Wine Bar

As the dust swirls around downtown and orange barrels and barricades disrupt traffic patterns, a series of wonderful spaces is gaining traction just south of the loop. It's getting easier to imagine a bustling section of town just beyond the super-high-rents and corporate chain restaurants of the Power and Light District. The tourists and suburbanites who wander across the highway will be rewarded with local flavor and creativity.

One of those great places is JP Wine Bar. I've been there 3 or 4 times now, most recently yesterday after work for a catch-up conversation and wine with a friend. The first thing you notice about JP Wine Bar is the atmosphere. Tables and chairs on the sidewalk, soft, comfy chairs at the entrance, elegant, high-backed bar chairs at the bar. The lighting is good, the art on the brick walls is attractive - somebody paid a lot of attention and dollars when they designed this place!

So far I've only had coffee and wine there. People have gushed to me about the food, though. Their grilled cheese, for example, is described as "fresh goat cheese, French Mobier, Parmesan Regiano, pepperoncini, on toasted sour dough." Personally, I can enjoy Velveeta grilled on white bread, but this sounds worth the trip.

Another thing I'm looking forward to is their cheese flights. How does this sound for an accompaniment to whatever you're drinking?

Chimay Trappiste “Ala Bierre”
cow’s milk > semi-soft

Just north of the French border lies Chimay, a town in the Belgian forest of Mont du Secours. The monks started making cheese from milk produced at the dairy. This Chimay is a variation of their original recipe but the rind is washed with their famous Chimay beer rather than ordinary spring water, making this a semi-soft cheese with a nutty well-finished flavor with just a hint of hops and malt. While its aroma is quite strong, the taste of the cheese itself is somewhat mild but not at all bland.

Wynendale
cow’s milk > soft

Hard to find in the United States, this pleasantly spicy jewel of
West Flanders is elaborated with full-cream cow’s milk following an ncient tradition of Bourgogne. The name Wynendale is undeniably linked to the Burgundian history of medieval times. Wynendale Castle, amid the mysterious woods and the green pastures of Flanders, was the most loved “castle of delight” for the Burgundian Dukes. A delicacy, this cheese is ideal as a dessert or a quick bite.

Extra Aged Farmer Gouda
cow’s milk > hard
Easy to distinguish from ordinary Dutch cheese, EAFG is the dairy world’s equivalent of a Rembrandt or Van Gogh. This edible masterpiece was matured for 18 months, allowing its body to develop a muted caramel color, matched by a uniquely intense yet sweet flavor.

Unfortunately, though, the kitchen closed on Monday, and won't reopen until July 9. The good news, though, is that the temporary closure is caused by an expansion, so that soon the menu will be expanded, as will the space.

So far, I've only had the coffee and wine there. The coffee was excellent, served in large cups that the attentive staff kept full and hot. If you're looking for a smoke-free, classy coffee bar with ambiance, JP is the top of the heap in Kansas City.

If you're looking for over-21 drinks, JP's most notable feature is its wine flights. My friend thought the bright, sunny day called for white wine, and had the Northern Lights flight, while I showed solidarity with my FIFA-scorned friends to the south and tried the South American Sojourn. The most outstanding thing about these wine flights, though, was what I did not taste. Oxidation is the bane of wine flights - when bottles are poured out in 2 ounce measures, it's awfully common for them to develop a sherry-like, unpleasant flavor that ruins the bottle. At JP, though, they must take extra care with their storage, because each of my samples was bottle-fresh and wonderful.

As a fan of great beer, I have to point out that JP Wine Bar has a small but incredibly intelligent beer selection. 11 bottled beers cover the spectrum from the crisp Blue Moon Belgian White to the deep, dark Rogue Shakespeare Stout. Whoever composed their beer list knows beer, and didn't settle for the ususl suspects.

JP Wine Bar is a great addition to the area between the Crossroads and downtown. I look forward to the reopening of their kitchen, but, in the meantime, I'll get by on their beer, wine and coffee.

(Update: I got an email from the owner, and he reports that the kitchen will open on June 24. The whole place will be shut the first week of July, but will reopen on July 9, freshly expanded.)

Look Away, Vegetarians

Yesterday was the 47th birthday, celebrated by dinner at Jack's Stack on the Plaza. Yes, you can get good, authentic Kansas City barbecue on the Plaza these days, if you walk past the soul-less chain restaurants that infest it.

I'm ashamed of my gluttony, but let me tell you that the Three Rib Platter does not consist of a platter with three ribs. No, we're talking three different rib varieties, from three different animals. A lamb, a pig and a cow (sounds like the beginning of a clean joke) gave their lives for my feast last night, and the smokers at Jack's Stack made sure their sacrifice was honored with the incense of hickory.

Normally, I'd balk at $4.75 for a pint glass of beer, but not when they fill it with Grimbergen, one of the world's best Belgian ales. Every other place I've ordered this amazing beer, it's come in one of those little goblets that is the size of a wine glass. But when you order up a Grimbergen here, you get a tall glass full of world-class dubbel. While it will come to you way too cold to fully enjoy, take your time and let it warm up for one of the great beer bargains in Kansas City.

Great meal, great beer. Not bad for an old man . . .

Local Blogger Meet-up

Well Hell Michelle has called for a local blogger meet-up:

Tuesday, April 17th
Happy Hour until ????

Harry's Country Club
(Harry's in the River Market, NOT Harry's in Westport)
112 Missouri Ave
Kansas City, MO 64106

Where else can you get a fried bologna sandwich, an excellent Belgian ale, and the company of people who think their opinions are worth publishing to the world?

I mean other than my house . . .

75th Street Reopened - Return to "The Club"

The internets are a wonderful thing. Yesterday afternoon, a notice from the 75th Street Brewery announcing that it would reopen in a few hours appeared in my inbox. Throughout the afternoon, friends forwarded copies of the notice to me, knowing I would be pleased.

For those of you who didn't make it in to celebrate the first day of spring and the last day of clublessness, I'm pleased to report the old place is almost exactly as it used to be. They painted the walls, and they haven't yet put up TVs, but the bar, menus, tables and beer are unchanged. If you had a mug in the Mug Club, it's still there.

And the IPA they filled mine with was as perfect as ever.

Wait Until Friday for 75th Street!

According to today's Star, the current plan is for 75th Street to open on Friday, not tonight, as previously reported here. Sorry for any late change of plans required.

If you're looking for a good, locally-brewed beer, I'd recommend McCoy's in Westport, River Market Brewing downtown, or a 6 pack of Boulevard anywhere you want it.

BIG NEWS - 75TH STREET REOPENING TUESDAY, 3/20!!

You heard it here first - the long, painful wait is almost over. On Tuesday, March 20, the 75th Street Brewery will be reopening for business.

I look forward to sitting down with my personal mug full of great ale, and enjoying my membership in the only club that will have me.

Barred from "The Club" - For How Long?

Because my wife and I are members of the Mug Club at 75th Street Brewery, "The Club" has become family slang for the brewery. Heads turned at the Pembroke Hill mother-son luncheon when the quotation "Let's have lunch at the club" was identified as our family's quotation. One wealthy matron quizzed my wife - "I didn't know you belonged to a club. Which one is it?"

While our club does not have golf, tennis, swimming or a history of segregation and exclusion, it more than makes up for their absence with a great selection of handcrafted ales. Their Good Hope I.P.A. is a great splash of hops, and their Possom Trot Brown Ale is a good beer that achieves insanely wonderful heights when they serve it as their cask ale - a naturally carbonated, keg-conditioned version that they serve at "cellar temperature". Better yet are their seasonals - there's almost always something special to taste, from Fountain City Red to a rich Imperial Stout served in a snifter. For those who appreciate good beer, and who really appreciate astounding beer, "The Club" has been a source of joy since its opening in 1993. And yes, their food is good, too.

Unfortunately, the fire at Kennedy's has resulted in damage to 75th Street. Here's what their website has to say about the matter:

Friends, Guests, Loyal Patrons

Thank you for your inquiry about the status of the "Brewery." We know all of you are curious as to when the Brewery will re-open for business. Because of the fire we have sustained considerable smoke damage, and we are currently without utilities. There is a lot of work to do before we open for business and do appreciate your patience. We will continue to update this website on a weekly basis to keep you informed of our progress.

Our thanks and prayers go out to the injured firefighters and their families.

Sincerely,

Your Friends at the Brewery

It looks like I'll be looking for a new lunch place on Saturdays . . .

Hien Vuong - Great lunch, Fascinating Company

Having read the laudatory review of Hien Vuong penned by newbie blogger Ancillary Adams, I had to give it a try. So, when a friend from Liberty suggested meeting for lunch, we chose this little shopfront on the west side of River Market.

Superb choice. My friend chose Fried Rice with Barbecue Pork and Chinese Sausage, and I chose something (#67 was the only way I could pronounce it) with crispy fried noodles and chicken. Hers looked good, but I know mine was better. Lots of crispy noodles, plenty of tasty chicken chunks, a nice sauce, and perfectly done chinese cabbage. Then I grabbed the bottle of home-made pepper sauce and made a few bites hotter than a Kansas City chemical factory. Beat me, hurt me, make me write bad checks. That was some good eats.

This is a tiny little shop - probably around a dozen people gathered to eat there. But it was a who's who of Kansas City. First was super divorce lawyer Barbara Hecht, who I haven't seen in years. Then came in Gonemild's favorite Jackson County legislator, Scott Burnett. Then there was the former proprietor of much-missed Waldeaux Wines and Liquors. Finally, the subject of Matt Bartle's 17-hour hissy fit, none other than Warren Erdmann. All that, and Kansas City's most urban blogger. Quite a crowd for a small restaurant.

So, where do you go to see Kansas City's famous and infamous?