The change in chefs likely explains a lot. We used to frequent here, and the burgers were top notch. Last visit they were all dry and over cooked. And served in a fast food style basket rather than on a plate, no less.
Wait staff didn't care, and filling out my comments on the website led to no reply. We haven't been back since- regulars turned to nevers.
I have taken the trek, passing through 4 counties along the way, to get there. I enjoyed the meal quite a bit. It is important to mention that the burgers are cooked on a flat top rather than a grill. This separates it from most other premium burger places. Will Johnson County be flocking there anytime soon? Probably not. There are however over 100,000 people in the Northland and no one actively courting the premium burger/craft beer crowd. I think there is room in that market for one place like this, and Rusty Horse is far ahead of their competitors.
I know nothing about beer, but from my past decades of bourbon drinking I can say that their selection is pretty impressive with good prices. Overall I think you gave the place a very fair review, Charles. We eat there pretty regularly, and while I’m not sure it will ever be a “destination” dining spot it absolutely has the potential to finally provide the neighborhood with a dependable longterm alternative to that giant vacuum from which not even light can escape- Nick & Jake’s. The latest menu is a big improvement over the first one, the fries are infinitely better than when they first opened, and if they can come up with more inventive signature dishes instead of the standard steak-salmon-meatloaf, then they’ll be off and running IMHO. Their daily specials can be great, and they are very consistent about keeping their Facebook updated, which is good news for those of us who are culinary impulse shoppers, and their website isn’t a rickety nightmare like many restaurants. We had one really bad experience with their carryout communication chain, but it was obvious management was on top of it and it didn’t happen again. The service has ranged from distant to chatty, but has always been efficient. I really wish them the best of luck, we love having them in the neighborhood.
I agree with Jeff. AWESOME beer selection and they'll let you sample any draft. They've got a larger selection of bottles than most places I've been to. The food is coming around slowly. The burgers are really good, but I'm not a big fan of the pretzel bun. It's lightyears ahead of where Agave was. We need more places like this in the Northland. All Star Pizza & Pub and Rusty Horse are my go-to's when I've got friends in town that like to hang out and drink good beer.
No mention at all of their excellent selection of craft beers that rotates faster than the merry-go-round at the local carnival? And no mention that Brian encourages his patrons to taste them all, vs. the stingy approach to craft beer tasting found at the other venues in Kansas City? These points deserve note, IMHO.
I think this review sums it up nicely, but might give the wrong impression in some ways. It is a "see and be seen" type place, but for the over 30 crowd. Unlike other recent additions to the culinary scene, this restaurant does not cater specifically to the 25 and under hipster crowd. Chef Smith is a new found restaurant talent who has excelled after being freed of the confines of a corporate restaurant. Execution is sometimes an issue during off peak times, but this can be said of most restaurants. It should also be mentioned that the menu is one of the most affordable in town for a restaurant of this caliber. This is my new go to spot in the Crossroads.
I just want to see the William Burroughs portrait.
The Jacobson is like the inverse of the phenomenon where all of the good midtown/downtown restauranteurs opening places out in Leawood (Rye, Rm 39, etc). The Jacobson is like a south JoCo restaurant in the Crossroads--which is not a good thing.
The owner of Peanches sounds like a mess.
And if the "pete peterman" that is commenting on this article is said owner, and not just some troll pretending to be him, then he has some pretty serious emotional issues.
I imagine there are a lot of cooks/chefs in town who aren't the most pleasant people, so I doubt "pete" is alone in that respect. However, it seems the other cooks/chefs in town who aren't pleasant have the good sense not to open their mouths and broadcast just how terrible they really are. That is what truly sets "pete peterman" apart from the rest.
Methinks Peanches and their crotchety oaf of an owner won't be for long.
Hm, my experience has been different. So far, I've been there three times, tried a variety of items and cocktails, and liked most of the things I ate. It's gourmet comfort food but not too gimmicky. The Syrup and Honey cocktail is amazing and not overly sweet, the Yard Bird is ridiculously tender, and I'm a huge sucker for the Brown Sugar cake. Both servers I've had were very helpful and attentive, even when it was a busy Friday night. I hope this place sticks around..
It's time for Charles Ferruza to go. It has become painfully obvious that he is not connected to the culinary heartbeat of this city. Are you too frightened, Charles, to tell the people how poor a new restaurant is? There are so many better options in The Crossroads. Kansas City now, officially, deserves better. After three seperate trips to The Jacobson it is obviously 0 star service and 1 star food.
Looks delectable will certainly try this place out!
Yes, yes. I've eaten fettucine Alfredo -- in Rome, among many other places -- and realize that the traditional dish is made with butter and cheese. But an Alfredo "sauce" (an American corruption, as you say) is a completely different culinary innovation made with cream and cheese. And that's what the menu says was allegedly added to the dish here.
Alfredo does not traditionally have any cream. It is an American corruption to do so. Are you going to start complaining next that your Caesar Salad came without a chicken breast?
Avenues is on it's last legs, hence the low prices.
I'm rooting for them to lower their prices a little bit. I was taken aback that four glasses of wine and two appetizers cost $100. I can go up the street to Avenues for a quieter dinner that I know will cost much less!
I'm not a pro, but this place looked closed last Thursday, Nov 29, 2012.
Loved Peanches!!
Peanches makes prix fixe menus very enjoyable, full of surprises, and best of all... easy on your wallet.
A lot of negativity around the chef, Pete, but he was very friendly last night, asked how our meal was, and his meal was outstanding... freshly prepared meals, crab cakes were hot (Anything fried should be hot when it comes out!) and probably the best I've had in this city... I'd say a very good hybrid between a "true" Maryland-style crab cake with the little filling and jumbo lump crab, but pan fried to crisp perfection on the outside.
The chicken liver mousse was to DIE for. It was perfect in its blending, the flavor, and although it has the gamey-ness of chicken liver (it has to, duh!), it was surprisingly light, fresh, and very airy and didn't have the usual density you'd expect with chicken liver mousse. The homemade bread had a hint of mocha/coffee that went perfectly with the whipped butter. One item I judge restaurants on is how well they prepare the bread.
The salmon was fresh... hard to find when you're in the center of the continental U.S. and furthest you can be from the sea. The mussels are just always harder to get fresh ones and you can seriously go wrong in this city with mussles, but Peanches' mussels were very well prepared. There are only a few places I'd eat seafood in this city, and I'd eat it at Peanches. The sauce was amazing... we all just cleared our plate with the bread... probably to a point where you could no longer tell it had food on it before.
The meat was all very good -- you'd expect that in middle of ranch country -- but it's probably one of the best. I like that it's not the classic filet mignon steak or KC Strip that was offered.
The presentation for each plate was also very nicely done.
Bravo! I hope this place really takes off.
Never threatened anyone, if calling a follow up email harassment guilty. I did smart ass twitted about that what ever the hell she was. You are right my restaurant, my five followers my world. My reputation is becoming larger than life thanks to you guys. Now you guys are using my name in the same paragraph as the top chefs in town. Some of you guys now have started to stalk my facebook....I bet some of you are just sitting on pins and needles to see if I reply. You can stalk me on twitter too maybe dog me for my incorrect spelling. Maybe next year the pitch will name me most hated chef in Kansas City...WOOOHOOO...drive on Joe!
Re: “Parkville's Rusty Horse Tavern is slow out of the gate”
So 7 days ago Pitch wrote an article ripping apart Blanc and it's adventures in growth and management turnover. In the meantime they were putting together this cushy piece on Rusty Horse and failed to mention in the article that this place is a complete Blanc rip-off. They don't even deny it. They even hired Brian Wilson as the GM --- if you recall he is mentioned rather prominently in last week's Blanc article. Are we missing the irony here? This is a guy that owned a successful pizzeria that has to venture into a different form of restaurant (in a terrible location). This sounds like a much worse idea than Blanc's ideas of expansion into Lee's Summit and Omaha. Rusty Horse opened up as a burgers-only restaurant (Blanc) that offered a variety of craft beers you could order off of a beer menu (Blanc) or the off-menu beers on the chalkboard (Blanc). They failed at that so now they have a new chef and boring, run of the mill entrees. This is far from a destination restaurant. Northlanders aren't even going there. The burgers are better than Sonic, but nothing worth traveling across town for. Once they stop advertising with the Pitch I can't wait for the hatchet article on Kevin Heaton's mis-management.... just like what Pitch did to Ernesto Peralta.