Your Goose, Cooked

'Twas the night before Christmas, and no turkey was cooked; the family planned to eat out, but the Plaza was booked. So they opened The Pitch, which pointed the way, to nine ethnic restaurants open on Christmas Day (plus a place for Dad). For Chinese food, Princess Garden (8906 Wornall, 816-444-3709) is open from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., and New Peking Chinese Restaurant (540 Westport Road, 816-531-6969) is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Also in midtown, Aladdin Café (3903 Wyoming, 816-531-5982) serves Mediterranean food from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Vegetarians should check out New Café Tandoor (3623 Broadway, 816-216-6305), The Pitch's 2008 pick for Best Vegetarian Food, which will be open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and for dinner from 5 to 9:30 p.m. If you're in the River Market and craving Vietnamese, Hien Vuong Restaurant (417 Main, 816-842-1020) is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. There are plenty of open spots in Johnson County, too, especially Indian restaurants in Overland Park: Paradise India (7119 West 135th Street, 913-814-0177) serves a buffet — named by The Pitch as the 2008 Best Indian Buffet in Kansas City — from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and dinner from 5 to 9:30 p.m. Masalas Authentic Indian Diner (7301 West 91st Street, 913-649-8888) is open from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., as is Ruchi's Indian Restaurant (11168 Antioch, 913-661-9088), which will be open from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and from 5 to 9 p.m. If none of the above do it for you, there is also Korean with Chosun Korean BBQ (12611 Metcalf, 913-339-9644), open from 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. Finally, for a very nontraditional Christmas, try Bazooka's (1717 Main, 816-421-1915), which celebrates from 7 p.m. until 3 a.m. Think of it as giving charity to young women named Charity.
Thu., Dec. 25, 2008