The Pitch, Pitch

Yes, you can still get a Valentine's night reservation

Charles Ferruzza — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:18:04 -0600

What do you mean you haven't made a dining reservation for Valentine's Day evening? It's four nights away and one of the busiest nights of the year for any restaurant.…

Lack of a Big 12 schedule creates bridezillas

Ben Palosaari — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:52:08 -0600

Mizzou's divorce from the Big 12 is causing wedding-day blues for Jayhawk fans. The New York Times discovered that since the Big 12 football schedule hasn't been released to the public, engaged couples planning fall weddings are having a hard time finding venues and hotels for their nuptials.…

The Brick's Sheri Parr is firing on all senses

Jonathan Bender — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:00:03 -0600

The looks started coming from booths and tables around the dining room in the Brick in the winter of 2010. Owner Sheri Parr would look up from the bar or just outside the kitchen and wonder whether somebody need a refill or their check.…

Weekend idea: Roy Ayers, Jessica Care Moore, and Louis Reyes Rivera at the Gem

Abbie Stutzer — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:18:01 -0600

Are you guys jazzed for the Jammin' at the Gem show at the American Jazz Museum this weekend? If not, you should be.…

Bar Louie will open in Zona Rosa on February 21

Jonathan Bender — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:20:59 -0600

Bar Louie has never been a chain to shy away from calorie-intensive dishes — loaded tater tots and $1 burger nights can attest to that — and so perhaps it's fitting that the newest Kansas City location will be opening in the Northland on Fat Tuesday, February 21.

The modern take on the neighborhood bar and grill (an expansive cocktail menu paired with comfort food) is in the former O'Dowd's Little Dublin space at 8600 N.W. Prairie View Road in Zona Rosa.…

Is there dining karma?

Jonathan Bender — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:24:30 -0600

When I was a server, there were occasions where one table continually got the short end of the bread stick. I was late putting in their order.…

Val-O-Ween and other weekend possibilities

Jonathan Bender — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 08:00:26 -0600

Ready to stop taking Valentine’s Day so seriously? Then Val-O-Ween 2012 is the place for you.…

MAW set to reveal 'Pit of Desire' at the Replay this evening

Abbie Stutzer — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 07:11:45 -0600

It’s hard not to support a band like MAW. The five-piece, woman-powered band packs a sweet and somewhat unsettling rootsy, Americana punch.…

Iain Ellis' latest, Brit Wits, now available

Nick Spacek — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 06:04:00 -0600

We first reported on Iain Ellis' follow-up to Rebels Wit Attitude almost two years ago; Brit Wits: A History of British Rock Humor is now available for the Kindle. It'll be available as a print edition via Intellect Ltd. next month.…

Aaron Confessori opens The Boot tonight

Charles Ferruzza — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:02:00 -0600

Restaurateur Aaron Confessori has hosted a couple "friends and family" evenings in his new Italian restaurant, The Boot, over the past few days, but the official opening night for the long, narrow storefront venue at 415 Westport Road is tonight. Confessori first announced the restaurant last fall, shortly before opening his Street Fare food truck.…

Your Marriage Proposal in 30 minutes or less

Jonathan Bender — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:43:00 -0600

You no longer have to just save up for the ring if you're thinking about getting engaged. Now you can save up for the ring ... and the pizza.…

Suspect in 1993 British heist, found working as cable guy in southwestern Missouri

Ben Palosaari — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:41:00 -0600

In a story that sounds straight out of an episode of Dateline, a man wanted in Britain fo pulling a £1 million bank heist was found working as a cable guy in Ozark, Missouri. "Fast” Eddie Maher had been sought since he worked as a bank delivery-truck driver in Felixstowe, England, in January 1993 and vanished with his truck's cash.…

Craig Finn is at RecordBar this Saturday

David Hudnall — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:23:00 -0600

The genius of the Hold Steady has long been the balance of frontman Craig Finn's streetwise colloquial poetry and the band's party-rock hooks. Finn's recent solo debut, Clear Heart Full Eyes, is a less beery affair, with alt-country tones providing the backdrop to the lyrics.…

In defense of the Royals' signing of Bruce Chen

Jonathan Bender — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:22:00 -0600

Watching the Kansas City Royals can do strange things to a man. It can make Ned Yost fall in love with Chris Getz. It can convince a man to wear a cape and travel the country with his favorite team.…

Black metal at the Paragraph Gallery, William Elliott Whitmore, and more in this week's Pitch

David Hudnall — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:03:58 -0600

This week in print: Scoping out the brutality at Black Thorns in the White Cube, a black-metal-inspired exhibition showing at the Paragraph Gallery. Also, a talk with farm-dwelling reformed punk William Elliott Whitmore, who brings his songs to Lawrence on Friday.…

Is forgotten silverware a forgivable restaurant sin?

Jonathan Bender — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 07:30:59 -0600

Dinner can lead you to unpredictable places, like standing by the soda dispenser at a fast-casual restaurant wondering why there aren't any forks next to the sugar packets and straws. Last night at Noodles & Company, we received our food sans silverware.…

Kansas City (and Lawrence) benefits: Three causes to support Friday night

Abbie Stutzer — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 07:02:00 -0600

"Let's put on a show!" is the default answer that wide-eyed young hopefuls shout in films in which money needs to be amassed quickly. There are fine reasons for this.…

Out of Time & Space Astrology

Quan Tracy Cherry — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 04:00:00 -0600

by Quan Tracy Cherry Freak (freek) n. (plural freaks) 1.…

Dennis Moore, Kansas congressman, is in the early phases of Alzheimer's disease

Justin Kendall — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:39:00 -0600

Statement From Dennis Moore

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Michael Forbes Bar and Grille opens Brookside location tonight

Charles Ferruzza — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:50:00 -0600

Restaurateur Forbes Cross quietly opened his new Michael Forbes Bar and Grille in Brookside — in the old Sharp's 63rd Street Grill location at 128 West 63rd Street — with a private fundraising party Monday night. The actual open-to-the-public debut is tonight, beginning at 5 p.m.…

Modern Family's Eric Stonestreet shows his support for marriage equality

Justin Kendall — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:07:15 -0600

Saw this sweet photo of Modern Family's Eric Stonestreet and Jesse Tyler Ferguson on the Facebook page for It's Time: Marriage Equality. No surprise here.…

Love on the airwaves, with KJHK and the Buzz

Nick Spacek — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 09:46:33 -0600

Two area radio stations offer up Valentine's Day gifts. The Buzz will give listeners a treat when its morning host, Afentra, brings her annual VD Party to the Midland this Friday, February 10.…

Five things to eat and drink this week

Jonathan Bender — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:45:02 -0600

Wednesday is the day when meal planning tends to fall by the wayside and you're just looking for somebody else to get you through the week. Fat City is here to help.…

Six tours that we'd love to see come through, but won't

Nick Spacek — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:32:00 -0600

Bands, why must you forsake Kansas City (and Lawrence)? It seems that many, many tours coming through in the upcoming months hop right past our section of the Midwest, going from St. Louis to Denver, or from Oklahoma City to Omaha.…

How often do you regret your order at a restaurant?

Jonathan Bender — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:00:10 -0600

When growing up, we often made fun of my father for the longing looks he gave food that was headed to other tables. As a kid, I was embarrassed when my dad would snag a waiter's attention to find out what had just wafted by his nose.…