Celebrate along with Kelly's & McCoy's this weekend.
It's not summer until you've been to a block party. McCoy's Public House (4057 Pennsylvania) and Kelly's (500 Westport Road) are hoping to start a tradition in Westport with their first annual block party, which this year celebrates Kelly's 65th anniversary and McCoy's 15th anniversary. The party kicks off at 5 p.m. Sunday, on Pennsylvania Avenue in Westport between the two bars. Jeff Jenkins and Lost Wax perform live. The entrance fee is $5, and a Jameson tasting is available for an extra $5 from 5 to 8 p.m.
Story chef-owner Carl Thorne-Thomsen is ready for the next chapter of his Prairie Village restaurant.
There are a few reservations left for this Sunday's pig roast at Story restaurant at 3931 West 69th Terrace in the Prairie Village Shopping Center. The $10 dinner - roasted pig tacos with traditional garnishes and Santa Maria pinquito beans - celebrates the first anniversary of the upscale neighborhood restaurant created by chef Carl Thorne-Thomsen and his wife, Susan, in a former retail storefront.
Carl Thorne-Thomsen, the former creative-writing student who shifted his attention to culinary pursuits, says the first year was - unsurprisingly - a learning curve, especially in the day-to-day requirements and front-of-the-house operations of a restaurant. "My wife wasn't going to be involved in the restaurant initially," Thorne-Thomsen says. "We have two small children. But I learned quickly how difficult staffing was going to be and the front-of-the-house management. Susan had to step in for a while to help me. Things that involve a lot of time - payroll and paying bills - were taking me out of the kitchen."
There's been a fair amount of turnover since the restaurant opened: The original general manager is gone and several kitchen staffers. That's not unusual in a new restaurant. Thorne-Thomsen says 80 percent of the restaurant's original serving staff is still working in the dining room.
Chef Jesse Vega took home the Gold Fork last year for his take on chicken and waffles.
Find your new favorite spot in just one spot. Eat your way through the dishes of more than 20 restaurants at The Pitch's Taste of Kansas City. The eating and drinking extravaganza is Sunday beginning at 5:30 p.m. in the KC Live Block of the Power & Light District. Sample fare from new restaurants like Affare and Open Fire, while remembering why places like the Jerusalem Cafe and Saigon 39 are in your regular rotation. Tallgrass Brewing Co., Boulevard Brewing Co., and Stone Pillar Vineyard and Winery also are on hand.
While you munch on pizza and cupcakes, watch five chefs battle it out in the Gold Fork competition. Tate Roberts (EBT), Bobby Stearns, Beth Barden (Succotash), Michael Foust (the Farmhouse), and Jesse Vega (Our Lady of Mercy Country Home) showcase their knife skills and creativity in the Iron Chef-style challenge held on the KC Live Stage. Emily Farris (of Feed Me KC and Casserole Crazy) and The Pitch restaurant critic Charles Ferruzza are among the judges for the contest. Tickets for this 21-and-older event cost $35 in advance (they can be purchased online) or $40 at the door. VIP tickets gain you an extra half-hour of drinking and dining with a 5 p.m. admission.
The cast of a local radio program focused on restaurants - yes, including myself - will blab on the art of food writing tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Uptown Arts Bar at 3611 Broadway. The gabfest will be "presented in a talk-show format." For radio fans of Mary Bloch, Gloria Gale, Chris Becicka and Emily Farris, they're scheduled to be in attendance. There is no cover charge.
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.
Whether you want to be a better child or just get out of trouble, taking your mom to the Mother's Day Brunch at Capital Grille (4740 Jefferson) Sunday, is a good start. The Plaza restaurant is offering brunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. with a buffet that includes lobster eggs Benedict, oysters on the half shell, Kona coffee-encrusted tenderloin, chocolate-dipped strawberries and made-to-order omelets. It costs $46 per person ($18 for children and free for those under 6 years old). You can make a reservation by calling 816-531-8345.
If you're worried that you might not have a lot to say, the Jazz Brunch at the Majestic (931 Broadway) is the way to go. Bram Wijnands and sax legend Hal Melia play live Jazz to accompany the historic downtown restaurant's Sunday brunch from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dig into a frittata, croque madame or crabcake Benedict. Make a reservation at 816-221-1888.
It's a great time to be a good eater in Kansas City. Eat your way through the dishes of more than 20 restaurants at The Pitch's Taste of Kansas City. The eating and drinking extravaganza is Sunday, May 20, beginning at 5:30 p.m. in the KC Live! Block of the Power & Light District.
Sample fare from new restaurants like Affare and Open Fire, while remembering why places like the Jerusalem Cafe and Saigon 39 are in your regular rotation. Tallgrass Brewing Co., Boulevard Brewing Co. and Stone Pillar Vineyard and Winery will also be on hand.
You might not have a horse, but you should take your car to KCK this weekend.
Cinco de Mayo falls on a Saturday this year, which means this is the year that you can really let loose. Mestizo (5270 West 116th Place, in Leawood), which began its four-day celebration of the holiday Wednesday night, has VIP spots on the patio for $25, which comes with chips, guacamole, appetizers and a margarita or beer. Margarita's is celebrating 27 years of fiestas with drink and food specials at all four locations on Saturday. Frida's (14861 Metcalf, in Overland Park) has live music from 6 to 9 p.m. But your day should begin with the Cinco de Mayo parade in Kansas City, Kansas, which begins Saturday at 10:30 a.m., traveling from Fourth and Minnesota Avenue to 18th and Minnesota Avenue. The party is then at 12th and Minnesota Avenue, with tons of tasty eats from Bonito Michoacan.
If someone would just bring a whole gaggle of food trucks together, you'd have quite a rolling buffet. That's the idea behind the Westport Food Truck Festival, an event sponsored by The Pitch and the Boulevard Brewing Co., from 3 to 10 p.m. Saturday. More than a dozen food trucks will be at the Back Yard at the Beaumont Club, including the Good You, Pocos on the Boulevard, and the Funnel Cake Truck. Parking is free, and admission costs $5.
Fries should be hand-cut - this is one of the few food absolutes that we should have in this world. And Penn Station East Coast Subs, to their credit, understands this point. The Ohio-based chain, known for its Philly cheesesteaks, is offering a free small cup of fries to dine-in customers today.
There's one area location at 8667 West 135th Street in Overland Park. It's open from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. I can't speak to whether an Ohio chain has business selling you a Philly, but I can tell you that regardless, no purchase is required for you to redeem the fry offer.
Tomorrow is National Pretzel Day. And if you say those three words on that make-believe holiday to the staff at Pretzelmaker in Zona Rosa (7261 Northwest 86th Avenue) or the Oak Park Mall (11309 West 95th Street, Overland Park), they'll give you a free unsalted or salted pretzel.
A block party in Westport and other weekend possibilities
Sama Zama serves serious snacks where a cinema once stood
Does it bother you to dine alone?
Aaron Confessori plants his Boot in Westport
Chef Charles d'Ablaing wins 2012 Golden Fork Award
Walking the aisles at Natural Grocers
Parkville's Rusty Horse Tavern is now open and serving burgers and beer
New Plaza Bo Lings opens on June 11