Farm to Market makes custom pretzel sticks for Affare.
The Fat City article in this week's print edition looks back at the local restaurants and food shops that have opened in the past two months, as well as a few of the places set to open this summer.
The newest restaurant in Kansas City proper is Haus, a sausage and beer emporium with an attached beer garden that opened this past Friday in Martini Corner. But the newest restaurant has been open for only 48 hours, and that's the Rusty Horse Tavern in Parkville (which Charles Ferruzza visited on the opening night).
As for Haus, the sausages at restaurateur Chris Seferyn's place come from chef Alex Pope's butcher shop, Local Pig. The fries are hand-cut, and the beer list (half of which resides on the bar's 20 taps) is predominantly Belgian, German and Austrian. Haus is open 3 p.m. - 1:30 a.m. Monday - Friday and 11 a.m. - 1:30 a.m. Saturday. Anybody had a chance to go to either of the uber new restaurants? A listing of other new spots follows.
You have to ask yourself just how much the lobster bisque recipe is worth at the Bristol. The Kansas City Business Journalreports that Houlihan's is considering a sale.
Houlihan's has six locations in the Kansas City area, plus J. Gilbert's in Overland Park. It also runs two Bristol Seafood Grill restaurants in Leawood and the Power & Light District. The chain has six total concepts, including the Braxton Seafood Grill, Chequer's Seafood Grill and Devon Seafood Grill. If you want to know about the history of one of the signature Kansas City franchises, Charles Ferruzza wrote back in November about Houlihan's early years and its life after the Plaza.
Restaurateur Kevin Heaton found this treasure in an antique shop, and the new Rusty Horse Tavern is the result.
Parkville restaurateur Kevin Heaton - best known for his Stone Canyon Pizza operation on the riverfront hamlet's main drag - opened his newest venture, Rusty Horse Tavern, last night at 6325 Lewis Street in the Parkville Commons. The location had been formerly occupied by a less-than-memorable Mexican restaurant, Agave Mexican Grill & Cantina.
The space is clean and attractive with an appealing, semi-enclosed outdoor patio and a separate bar area for more raucous patrons. Families (and there were quite a few of them dining last night) congregate in the main dining room. Between the really loud music and the wailing of a couple of tiny infants, it was hard to conduct a conversation, but our server was chatty, so we let him do the talking.
General Manager Brian Wilson was a former partner at Blanc Burgers, but that's not the reason that the Rusty Horse Tavern menu (created by chef Lindsey Hintz) is so burger-heavy. Hey, it's a tavern!
The kegs are chilling. The bottles are on ice. And your face - well, it should be ready to get filled with beer. It's American Craft Beer Week - a manufactured holiday for drinking the best that the micro and independent breweries have to offer. A guide to where you can hoist a few around town follows. If you need additional suggestions, KC Beer Bloghas spent a lot of time putting together a comprehensive list.
It's about time you started training, and with Wing Busters & More coming to 1128 Oak next month, you'll have plenty of time to get in football-watching shape. The Grandview wing shop has more than 30 sauces (from mango hot to jalapeno BBQ to bourbon), bone-in and boneless wings and a menu full of burgers, fried fish and Philly steak sandwiches. Wing Busters is going to be open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., serving breakfast, lunch and dessert.
Anybody been to the spot in Grandview (11902 Blue Ridge)?
Not all mixologists and chefs like you messing with their recipes.
Every chef, regardless of their motivation for getting behind a hot grill, has a vision of the food they're sending out into the dining room. The composition of dishes is intentional and, in many cases, a reflection of the chef's influences and evolving abilities over years. And then a diner sits down and explains that they really don't want salt, butter or cheese, and could the sauce just come on the side?
Chefs are apparently striking back in what Time's Josh Ozersky calls "The New Culture of Culinary Coercion." In the piece, he wonders if a culture of tasting menus and inflexible chefs has gone too far. So, should every restaurant allow substitutions, or are there dishes from chefs of certain renown, bartenders with certain skills, and restaurants at certain price points that we (as nonchefs) shouldn't be allowed to monkey around with?
Once it's noon, raise your glass to the Kansas House, which approved a bundle of liquor bills last Friday. The legislation allows bars to offer happy hour; distilleries to sell and serve booze like microbreweries; and liquor stores to sample beer, wine and spirits. The package of bills did not include a provision to let grocery stores or convenience stores sell full-strength beer and alcohol.
You can get your snow cone fix five days a week now.
Everyone who has a trailer dreams of one day finding a home without wheels. For Lindsay Laricks, a more permanent home was just across the street. The owner of Fresher Than Fresh Snow Cones unveiled her new venture, Little Freshie (811 W. 17th St.), on the West Side last week.
Stone Brewmaster Mitch Steele will be in KC on Monday and Tuesday.
It's always smart to travel with brewmasters. They bring the best beer. And now one's coming to us - Stone Brewing Co.'s brewmaster, Mitch Steele, will be in Kansas City for Craft Beer Week. Tonight, he's stopping by Julian (6227 Brookside Plaza) for two events. At 5 p.m., he leads a dry-hopping seminar, where participants will create their own version. Then, he's sticking around for a beer dinner at 7:30 p.m. featuring Stone brews, Citra and Simcoe hops braised pork belly and duck with Chinese black vinegar (served with Stone 11.11.11 Vertical Epic Ale). The class is $40 per person, and dinner is $60 per person - if you stay for both, the cost is $90.
Tomorrow, he's at the Martin City Brewing Co. (500 E. 135th St.) in Martin City at 6 p.m. for an informal meet and greet. And with him will be the 2012 Stone Imperial Russian Stout and the Stone Smoked Porter with vanilla beans. The Pitch caught up with him via e-mail to find out what the California brewery has in store for KC.
The grill will be sizzling outside Orange Box today, with homemade veggie, turkey and beef burgers, as it is every Friday at 2700 Jarboe. Chef and owner Scott Welsch shared his vision for his month-old restaurant on Wednesday, and yesterday he made his case for who has the best bowl of pho in Kansas City. Today, he explains why his dream eating destination doesn't involve what he ate, but where he ate it.
Exotic Cantonese flavors spice up bedtime at ABC Cafe
Parkville's Rusty Horse Tavern is now open and serving burgers and beer
Kansas City's restaurant scene is revving up for summer
How much do you love the Bristol? Houlihan's might just be for sale
Where should we draw the line on menu substitutions?
Chiusano's challenges the Legends with elk-sausage pizza
Sweet Dreams: Little Freshie opens on the West Side
A guide on where to drink during Craft Beer Week