Holidays, Pitch

Mother's Day brunches ... reservations still taken

Charles Ferruzza — Fri, 10 May 2013 06:05:00 -0500

Don't feel guilty: You're not the only one, by any means, who has procrastinated until the very last minute to make reservations for Sunday brunch for your mother, your wife, your significant other, the woman who is still collecting your court-mandated child-support payments, and all the other lovely people who deserve to be honored on Mother's Day, May 12.

Instead of asking Mom to dress up in her best frock only to take her to the drive-through at Sonic, why not make a reservation - it's not too late!…

Polski Day: the first rainy one in ten years?

Charles Ferruzza — Fri, 03 May 2013 17:13:00 -0500

The weather report for Saturday: rainy.

But Cathy Kolenda-Smith, the longtime chairwoman of the annual Polski Day in Kansas City, Kansas, isn't concerned.…

April 2 is National Peanut Butter & Jelly Day

Charles Ferruzza — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 12:52:00 -0500

The marriage of peanut butter and jelly seems like a timeless one. Because Tuesday, April 2, is National Peanut Butter & Jelly Day, it seems as good a time as any to celebrate the culinary combination, which most Americans seem to love (for the record: I'm not one of them).…

Easter brunches...up and down the bunny trail

Charles Ferruzza — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 12:32:00 -0500

No, it's not too late to make Easter brunch reservations for this coming Sunday, March 31. In fact, there are plenty of local restaurants that would be - forgive me for this - eggs-cited for you to call and request a table for holiday dining.…

Today is National Ravioli Day

Charles Ferruzza — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 07:00:00 -0500

I was riding on a bus from New York City to Atlantic City one day when I overheard two older women talking, loudly, about ravioli.

"It's a pasta," said one.…

Valentine's Night? It's not too late to make plans

Charles Ferruzza — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 14:39:00 -0600

If you're thinking that all of the really popular restaurants in Kansas City are booked up for next Thursday, February 14 - Valentine's Day is one of the busiest nights for restaurants in the United States - you're probably right. But because there are always procrastinators out there who wait until the very last minute to take a loved one out for a romantic dinner, Fat City offers some possibilities to consider in addition to the, well, more obvious alternatives (Winstead's, hot dogs in the parking lot at QuikTrip, In-A-Tub).…

What's open on Christmas Day?

Charles Ferruzza — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 15:40:43 -0600

Not everyone wants to make Christmas dinner. But there aren't a lot of restaurants open December 25, including many Chinese restaurants (no matter what the movie A Christmas Story suggests).…

Not cooking? Go out for your Thanksgiving dinner

Charles Ferruzza — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 07:31:31 -0600

My mother had an epiphany one year: She hated cooking Thanksgiving dinner and wasn't going to do it anymore. Unfortunately for my family, she had this revelation on Thanksgiving Day, and my father had to scramble to find a place to take his four small children, his impossibly snobby mother-in-law, her pixilated husband (he drank a bit on festive occasions) and my stubborn mother.…

Thursday is National Ice Cream Sandwich Day

Charles Ferruzza — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 12:39:00 -0500

I haven't eaten one in, maybe, decades, so I was surprised to learn that Dairy Queen is still selling the round "DQ Sandwich," one of its few ice-cream products — like the Dilly Bar — that date back to the 1950s. It's also one of the fast-food chain's cheaper ice-cream treats, selling for about $1.15.…

Friday is National Creme Brulee Day

Charles Ferruzza — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 16:52:12 -0500

For years, egg custard — that creamy old-school dessert standby — was a staple on American restaurant menus and buffets (the old Putsch's Cafeteria had a great version), but it sort of became unfashionable when the "loving hands at home" style of desserts (tapioca pudding, layer cakes, prune whip) fell out of favor. But a more elegant spin on the same custard concept, creme brulee, was taking over.…

Storm the Bastille! Vive le France!

Charles Ferruzza — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 07:06:27 -0500

I'm thinking that with the exception of Cinco de Mayo and Bastille Day, Americans haven't really embraced very many holidays and commemorations specific to other countries: you never hear about a local restaurant celebrating Guy Fawkes Day or Sveriges nationaldag (National Day in Sweden).

But slowly, Bastille Day — July 14th marks the 223nd anniversary of the storming of the Bastille prison and fortress in Paris — has caught on, particularly since Kansas City now has several popular French restaurants.…

Go ahead and eat some golambki, Saturday is Polski Day

Charles Ferruzza — Thu, 03 May 2012 07:38:00 -0500

Last year, the line was so long to get into the Parish Hall at All Saints Church in Kansas City, Kansas, for the traditional Polish lunch served for the parish's annual Polski Day, that after waiting an hour, I finally gave up and drove over to have a hamburger at Fritz's Railroad Restaurant instead. This year, I've learned my lesson: If you don't want to wait a long time to get to the cabbage rolls and the pierogi, skip the parade and eat early.…

Your definitive Easter brunch list

Charles Ferruzza — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 09:30:00 -0500

Fat City has tried to find out all the different restaurant venues where the Easter Bunny - or a reasonable facsimile - might be appearing on Easter Sunday, but the only definitive confirmed appearance will be from 9 to 10 a.m. at Powell Gardens, which is hosting a "Breakfast with the Easter Bunny" featuring a Chris Cakes breakfast of pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage, orange juice and coffee. (The price for breakfast, including Garden admission, is $16 for adults or $9 for Powell Gardens members.…

Don't worry, you can still get a table tonight

Charles Ferruzza — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:01:05 -0600

For the Fat City reader who neglected to make a dinner reservation for tonight — Valentine's Day — or maybe just found that one true meaningful love over the last 48 hours (I mean, it does happen, I've heard), it's not hopeless. "Does bribing a host or hostess help get a table on a crowded night?" a Fat City reader asked.…

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

Charles Ferruzza — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:18:00 -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.…

New Year's Day: Eat Something, Part Two!

Charles Ferruzza — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 11:37:15 -0600

If our earlier Fat City list of New Year's Day dining options didn't catch your fancy, here are several more ideas:

The manager at the Village Inn Family Restaurant in Mission (5800 Broadmoor, 913-236-7088) says a slice of this restaurant's French silk pie is a great hangover cure, preferably after a big hearty breakfast with eggs, toast, bacon, fried potatoes and lots of strong coffee. The Village Inn is open on New Year's Day from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The tasteful, intimate Chaz on the Plaza in the Raphael Hotel (325 Ward Parkway, 816-756-3800) is almost booked up for Sunday-morning breakfast — it will be serving from the breakfast menu from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.…

New Year's Day: Wake up, eat up, sober up!

Charles Ferruzza — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 08:00:00 -0600

New Year's Day doesn't have the crazy expectations that cling to the previous night: Excitement! Romance!…

Don't cook on Christmas, make a reservation

Charles Ferruzza — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 12:30:00 -0600

I'm not from Kansas City and have no relatives here, so I was invited — during my first few years here — by well-intentioned friends and co-workers to spend Christmas Day with them. It was a gracious gesture from lovely people, but I never had a very good time because, well, I can hardly tolerate my own family, so why would I want to spend the day with a strange family, sometimes even more dysfunctional than mine?…

Happy Thanksgiving. Let's pick this up again on Monday

Jonathan Bender — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 15:00:02 -0600

You know everyone's fairly close to mailing it in after you hear a grown adult suggest, on the local news, that it's going to be fine weather for Gobble Day. We're off here at Fat City until Monday, but we wanted to wish you and yours a happy Thanksgiving.…

Why cook for Thanksgiving? Go out to a restaurant!

Charles Ferruzza — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 14:33:00 -0600

Thanksgiving is just 10 days away. For some of us, that means actually taking on the task of hosting an entire holiday meal (I've done it — but never again) or preparing a side dish or a dessert to take along to the home of a relative or a friend who is gracious enough to host a family gathering.…

Mother's Day is three days away -- have you made reservations?

Charles Ferruzza — Thu, 05 May 2011 11:48:35 -0500

Mother's Day is, historically, one of the busiest days in the restaurant industry. Because the holiday always falls on the second Sunday in May, it's been a tradition to take Mom to lunch or brunch instead of dinner.…

You want Polish food? Polski Day is around the corner

Charles Ferruzza — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 16:09:05 -0500

Kansas City has a wide variety of ethnic restaurants, but not so many representing the Eastern European community. There have been Croatian, Hungarian and Russian restaurants over the years that have come and gone, including the old Jennie's restaurant near Strawberry Hill in Kansas City, Kansas, which served Croatian dishes.…

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo five days early this year

Charles Ferruzza — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 14:36:04 -0500

The official day for celebrating Cinco de Mayo -- the anniversary of the 1862 victory of the Mexican militia over the French army at the battle of Puebla -- will be Thursday, May 5. But festivities begin as early as this Saturday when Azteca de Greater Kansas City hosts its 20th Cinco de Mayo celebration at Emerson Park, at the corner of Strong Avenue and South 29th Street.…

A basketful of even more delicious ideas for Easter Sunday dining

Charles Ferruzza — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 16:17:09 -0500

Earlier this week, Fat City presented a list of restaurants serving brunch, breakfast, lunch and dinner on Easter Sunday, which is only two weeks away.

Today we offer even more restaurant suggestions for the holiday. Remember, it's always good to make reservations for holiday dining.…

Take a peep at different options for Easter Sunday dining

Charles Ferruzza — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 14:30:43 -0500

It's true: There's an actual "Peep Show" going on at the historic Phillips Hotel at the corner of 12th Street and Baltimore. But not the same kind of peeping that one might have found during the 1960s and the more bawdy days of 12th Street.…