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Subject: Culture and Lifestyle
Now Open: The Pizza Bar
Salvatore DiFatta puts raw sausage on his pizza and...it worksSalvatore DiFatta sells pizza at the lunch-only venues he owns in Chicago and Washington, D.C., but he's actually from Baltimore, where he began working at a pizzeria as a teenager.DiFatta was hired by the Cordish Company to re-vamp the Power & Light District's failed Vinino Bistro -- an Italian restaurant concept that was too fancy (and seriously unfocused) for its location. The initial idea behind Vinino was to serve b
October 9, 2009Battle of the Dishes: Candy Corn Alternatives
Candy corn is one of those seasonal items that appears well before the holiday to which it's attached. We wanted to sample candy corn weeks ahead of Halloween -- before it had time to age on grocery store shelves. Today's battle of the dishes pits two new candy corn alternatives against one another. In one corner, we have Brach's Milk Maid Candy Apple Candy Corn. In the other, Hershey Kisses' Candy Corn. Acting as a palate cleanser and baseline will be traditional Brach's Autumn Mix -- which
October 9, 2009Relic Tray: The Parkay Margarine Cookbook
With a nod to the archival treasure-seeking master Alan Scherstuhl, creator of The Pitch's Studies in Crap, Fat City will occasionally bring you culinary treasures from the past (both seriously historic and not-so-distant). We begin with this trove of recipes from 1980, when the conglomerate known as Kraft was having great success marketing its Parkay margarine with TV commercials like this (featuring future sitcom star Tracey Gold) and this one, with another future sitcom star, Vic Tay
October 12, 2009Ra Sushi is saucily seductive
October 15, 2009In Season: Sweet potatoes
We're right on the cusp of sweet potato season, and this versatile vegetable deserves a spot on your plate outside of Thanksgiving dinner. Everybody can pick out a good sweet potato. Just avoid cracks or bruised vegetables and opt for firm potatoes. Sweet potatoes don't need to be refrigerated and can last for several weeks as long as they remain dry. Cooked sweet potatoes can last for up to a week in a Tupperware container in the refrigerator.
October 14, 2009Second man pleads guilty to dogfighting charges
A St. Joseph man pleaded guilty today to promoting dogfighting.Rick P. Hihath, 55, pleaded guilty in federal court. He and six other men (including one who taught at a high school in my hometown) were charged in June with running a dogfighting operation. A three-state raid seized 350 dogs.Hihath, who worked at a state school for the disabled, pleaded guilty to transporting dogs across states lines (from Iowa and Nebraska to Missouri) to fight and being the Don King of dogfighting.Last week, C
October 14, 2009What's Puck-o-lating in the world of coffee
Just as he has done with pizza and airline food, celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck is hoping to change the iced coffee market. Nation's Restaurant News reports that Puck will be rolling out a line of bottled iced coffee drinks along the line of Starbucks' Frapuccinos. The Wolfgang Puck Culinary Iced Coffees will come in four flavors: Vanilla Fusion, Double Blend Mocha, Creme Caramel and Cafe Au Lait. A single bottle of the packaged coffee drink will cost $2.39, a four-pack $7.99."The coffees selec
October 15, 2009Top 10 hot but liquor-free drinks
Yep, it's cold outside. That makes us think about hot drinks. Here are the metro's Top 10 non-alcoholic warm-ups, according to Fat City: 10) Arrowhead Stadium -- Hot Chocolate. There's something about concession-stand hot chocolate: It's the right amount of sweetness and chalkiness that makes you feel like a kid again. 9) Madame Hatter's Tea Room -- Kansas City once had a dozen little tea rooms like this retro venue in Bonner Springs, mostly designed for ladies after a weary day of rig
October 15, 2009Download Wayward Blog's Halloween Mix, Part Three
Halloween is my favorite time of year. I spend ages obsessing over costumes, Halloween Spirit makes its appearance, and I get to hit up every store in town for spooky Halloween decorations (or, as we refer to them in our household, "decorations"). The best part of this holiday for me, however, is the music. I have scads of music that relates to Halloween, and for the past few years, I used my radio program, Sunglasses After Dark, to showcase it. Well, that ended when I graduated, so I was at a
October 16, 2009The Mixx is now open in the Power & Light District
The Mixx opened last Friday in the Power & Light District at 1347 Main, a sister restaurant to the popular Plaza eatery that lets customers mix their own salads and sandwiches. "My goal was to create an interesting and contemporary space for casual dining," says owner Jo Marie Scaglia, who is busy shuttling back and forth between her two locations and overseeing the company's growing catering business. At the new space, The Mixx has launched a hot breakfast menu and has a host of ne
October 16, 2009Fran's opens in Power & Light today
It's not often that party animals and families are both excited about the arrival of a new restaurant, but Fran's Restaurant -- a 24-hour diner opening in the Power & Light District today -- has something for everybody. "It doesn't matter who you are, you are going to like something on this menu, it's huge," says general manager Kandice Jenkins.The new restaurant at the corner of 14th and Main is the first U.S. location for the immensely popular Canadian chain (the original Fran's R
October 16, 2009No mo' show at GoJo?
Do the teppanyaki chefs still put on a show at GoJo?Larry and Barb from Lake Waukomis, Missouri, e-mailed us this week with an intriguing question. "We've gone to GoJo's since it opened and still enjoy the food. But there's no show anymore," wrote Larry, noting that when teppanyaki steakhouses like GoJo were all the rage in Kansas City, "most of their cooks/chefs put on quite a show. They were jugglers, percussionists and all 'round showmen, but now it seems that they just do a perfu
October 16, 2009715 opens in Lawrence
The "European-style" 715 is set to open this morning on Massachusetts Avenue in Lawrence. "Italian cuisine is not just about the pasta, tomatoes, cheese and other ingredients. It's about the lifestyle that brings you those dishes. Our goal is to emulate that feeling at 715 by offering the closest thing to a European neighborhood eatery as you can find in the Midwest," says Executive Chef Michael Beard.The new restaurant is named for its street address in the historic Anderson Building. "It's
October 19, 2009Kobe opens in the Power & Light District
The world of surf and turf came to the Power & Light District this weekend as Kobe Japanese Steak House opened on Saturday. The surf is the 14 hibachi grills, while the turf is a sushi bar in the main dining room at 1303 Baltimore Avenue. The Power & Light location is the sixth restaurant for a chain that began in Leesburg, Virginia."We always strive to use fresh, high quality ingredients. Our pricing is reasonable and we have larger portions," says manager Frank Ha. The sushi s
October 19, 2009The skinny on the world of cheesecakes
As a boy growing up on the East Coast, there were certain inalienable truths. Among them was that the only place to get bagels and cheesecakes done the right way was New York City. And to this day, cheesecake remains a food that, outside of Manhattan, isn't the same. Whether it's a question of water or baking practices, or simply because it's a food that can't be replicated because it has already been fixed in my mind, the ideal of a slice of New York City cheesecake holds its value. It is th
October 20, 2009Lee Chai’s new Hot Basil gets us all worked up
October 22, 2009Historical Hauntings & Harvesters Food Drive
October 22, 2009Chocolate: The Exhibition turns out to be ... bittersweet
The ancient Mayans prized the beverage created from the cacao There was quite a bit of hype leading up to last weekend's opening of Chocolate: The Exhibition at Union Station, so I wondered if there would be a line to get into the interactive touring show -- created by Chicago's Field Museum -- on Sunday afternoon. The answer was no, and that was fine. After all, who wants to fight crowds for a glimpse of the historical relics?Of course, many of the "relics" in this particular exhi
October 21, 2009Pranks and beans
The world of pranks has come to jelly beans with Bean Boozled Jelly Beans -- the latest product from the Jelly Belly Candy Company. It's a clever repackaging of the Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans -- a licensed Harry Potter candy that featured ear wax, vomit and bacon flavors. (The bacon was kind of tasty in an artificially bacon sort of way.) But with Harry Potter leaving movie theaters shortly and the books having ceased publication in 2007, Jelly Belly needed to find a use for its collect
October 22, 2009Download Wayward Blog's Halloween Mix, Part Four
Halloween is my favorite time of year. I spend ages obsessing over costumes, Halloween Spirit makes its appearance, and I get to hit up every store in town for spooky Halloween decorations (or, as we refer to them in our household, "decorations"). The best part of this holiday for me, however, is the music. I have have scads of music that relates to Halloween, and for the past few years, I used my radio program, Sunglasses After Dark, to showcase it. Well, that ended when I graduated, so I was
October 23, 2009The return of the restaurant matchbox
The restaurants are gone, the matchbooks linger on....Even though it's illegal to smoke in restaurants anymore, one of the symbols of those carefree, let's-light-up-shall-we days -- the matchbook, or box of matches imprinted with the restaurant's name and logo -- is suddenly back in favor, according to an article this week in The New York Times. People love matches because they're free, they're a memento of a pleasant meal or a first date, they're always handy to have around the house
October 23, 2009Closed: The Coyote Grill
The coyote howls no more in LeawoodWell, it was a good try. Looking for a great idea to beef up profits at Yahooz, their Leawood "cowboy restaurant," PB&J restaurant group owners Paul Khoury and Bill Crooks closed the venue earlier this year and quickly re-invented the location as a new Coyote Grill. The Coyote Grill was a popular casual dining spot serving Southwestern fare at the now-razed Mission Center. It was an early success for Khoury and Crooks, so the idea of
October 26, 2009Cafe Europa: Sustainable restaurant
If you don't clean your plate at Cafe Europa, you shouldn't feel guilty. The Crestwood restaurant has partnered with environmental consultant Earthscraps LLC to implement a composting and recycling program. "This is about getting into restaurants and addressing the issue of waste. Cafe Europa is an experiment. I'm hoping to take all my experience in the restaurant industry and passion for trash, and work to create a sustainable environment," says Jerame Gray, President of the Kan
October 27, 2009Mezzaluna and Frank’s put homespun comfort before Continental glamour – and that’s fine
October 29, 2009Birthday Brick
October 29, 2009El Dia de los Muertos Fiesta
October 29, 2009Safe Trick-or-Treating
October 29, 2009Halloweekend Hitlist
October 29, 2009In season: Radishes
You probably have a strong opinion about radishes. Many people find the spicy, almost peppery flavor of raw radishes too bitter, missing out on what could be a colorful and flavorful addition to sides and dishes. Radish season begins in November, and because the red and white vegetables are a surprisingly good source of Vitamin C, you might give them a try this winter. When you're buying radishes at the supermarket, they should be fine as long as they are not discolored or soft. For stor
October 28, 2009Infused vinegar is the hot new condiment
As a potential topping or finishing drizzle, vinegar is the forgotten sister. But because it has the potential to be infused in as many different ways as oil, it's about time we started looking at the other half of the caddy on Italian restaurant tables.Herb-infused vinegar is delightfully straightforward to make. You just need your herbs of choice and a jar or container that can be sealed. After about a week, you pour the vinegar through a strainer and you're done. It will keep for several m
October 28, 2009Battle of the Dishes: Fast-food breakfast
Does a fried chicken biscuit sandwich really sound that appealing for breakfast? Not really, unless you're a serious fan of Chick-fil-A and love to start the day with a little cardboard box of Chick-n-Minis: three little buttered biscuits, about the size of a 50-cent piece, stuffed with a ball of not-so-crispy fried chicken, slightly larger than a marble. Very salty, with 2.5 grams of saturated fat and 260 calories. Even with a container of orange juice, not so good for you. The bre
October 29, 2009Leftovers: Fraud, Job Openings and Menus
Here are some random newsy items from my reporter's notebook. Fraud Alert Overland Park Police say there's been "a cyber intrusion into the credit card server" at Llwelyn's Pub. The police have received several complaints of credit card fraud, so if you've charged anything at Llywelyn's in the last six months, you're urged to monitor your credit card statements carefully. If you suspect any unauthorized purchases, you can contact the police at 913-327-6855.Now HiringThe Drop Bar put out a not
October 29, 2009Every Halloween Show Your Little Heart Desires
In what we hope is the master list for your Halloween shenanigans, there's a lot to get through. For one thing, since the holiday falls on a Saturday, some folks are getting it started a little early Friday night. For instance, Fourth of July is at the Eighth Street Taproom (801 New Hampshire in Lawrence) Friday night with Sultan Sea. As you can see from the flier (by Pre Sense Form and Zaguar Collages, featuring the sexy Brendan Hangauer from last year's Halloween), costumes are not onl
October 29, 2009Top 10 pumpkin dishes in Kansas City
When it's not busy being carved into a jack-o-lantern, a pumpkin is one of the most versatile things in the city. Jonathan Bender and Charles Ferruzza discovered an entire menu from, start to finish, inspired by the orange fruit. 10.) Pumpkin donut holes at Hy-Vee. The dense holes from the bakery are sugary, sweet and mini -- so it's not like eating a whole donut. Unless you consume a dozen, which is fairly easy. 9.) Pumpkin bisque at Souperman. The soups consistently rotate
October 29, 2009Download All Four Wayward Halloween Mixes Bonus Mix
If you're looking to soundtrack your Halloween party tomorrow night, look no further than Wayward Blog's Halloween Mix. We've posted all four parts in the weeks leading up to this weekend of weekends, and you can get them all right here, right now, for a four and a half hour mix that will get your party going. Part 1 - "Rue Morgue Radio" (Track listing here) Part 2 - "I Was A Teenage Brain Surgeon" (Track listing here) Part 3 - "The Haunted House of Rock" (Track listing here) Part 4 - "E
October 30, 2009Ingredient opens downtown location
Ingredient opened its fourth location on Monday at 1111 Main Street, in the downtown space formerly occupied by the Mango Room. The fast-casual restaurant's concept is defined in the "formulate satisfaction" slogan from the sign: In addition to an expansive menu of salads, sandwiches, soups and pizza, Ingredient offers salads and pizzas made-to-order from a bevy of options. Salads on the menu run from $7.95 (caesar) to $10.95 (Tuna Nicoise with grilled ahi tuna). Grilled sandwiches a
October 30, 2009Service Industry Horror Stories, Episode #2
Some servers love to dress up ... I wasn't one of themI did a lot of things as a waiter that I'm not particularly proud to confess. I threw tip trays at stingy customers (prom kids were the worst), I once used a foreign accent when working in a Greek restaurant (I was bored!) and more than a few times served caffeinated coffee to customers who demanded decaf. What can I say? The caffeinated java was fresher. One thing I would not do was wear a costume on Halloween. My theory was this
October 30, 2009Battle of the dishes: Caramel Candy Corn vs. Chocolate Caramel Candy Corn
The final battle of the dishes for Halloween candy is a test of Brach's new line of alternative candy corn flavors -- Caramel Candy Corn and Chocolate Caramel Candy Corn. In one sense, this follows up our sampling of caramel apple candy corn just a few weeks ago -- it's taken that long for to forget what a bad idea that was. But, we're here again to see whether any of the other flavors are worth adding to the annual ritual of buying candy corn, gorging on it for several weeks and then not cra
October 30, 2009Now you have plans for the weekend
You need plans. Fat City has a recycle bin full of listings. In this post, all our problems are solved.Dust off your costume. With Halloween falling on a Saturday night, this weekend has the potential for greatness. Quaff Bar & Grill has a Night of Mayhem, with drink specials and a costume contest from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. Facebook Friends get in free, everybody else it's $5. Californos' annual Halloween Bash starts at 8 p.m., with the costume contest three hours later. The Power & Light
October 30, 2009Can you have Thanksgiving without the turkey?
The Atlantic is touting brisket as a new alternative for Thanksgiving dinner -- which raises the question of what exactly you can remove from your Thanksgiving feast before it becomes something else entirely? For me, stuffing, cranberry sauce, turkey and mashed potatoes must be on the table. These are the non-negotiable. After that, you're free to include whatever desserts, sides or secondary meat or vegetarian options you want. Even when I spent Thanksgiving in Paris, France, there was roast
November 2, 2009Night of the Day of the Dead
The night of the living on the Day of the Dead at Club 15-TwentyThis is the first year that Kansas City has hosted the national convention for the Mexican Restaurant Association, a three-year-old non-profit organization whose mission is "to integrate all Mexican restaurants while promoting the vast diversity of Mexican gastronomy and culture." Kicking off the three-day conference was an opening night party last night at Club 15-Twenty, celebrating El Dia de los Muertos (The Day of the
November 3, 2009Chilli n Spice Indian Bistro doesn't deliver on the promise of its name or ambitious menu
November 5, 2009An etiquette guide for servers
We've all got a mental checklist of things that servers can do to improve or ruin their tip. The New York Times blog You're The Boss has created a two-part list (the second half will run next week) of "100 things a restaurant staffer should never do." The first 50 suggestions all seek to put the needs of the guest first, to keep the restaurant running smoothly and to avoid value judgments. The list feels a bit like Miss Manners for restaurateurs -- a formal and slightly outmoded advice guide
November 4, 2009Forget man caves, the future is cheese caves
For the past two decades, options for what to do with your old fridge have been limited to turning it into a beer fridge or, if you're a bit more committed and own some power tools, a kegerator. But instead of banishing it to the garage or hoping that somebody won't flake out after contacting you about your Craiglist ad, consider turning your old fridge into a cheese cave. It's your first step towards getting off the cheese grid and becoming fully cheese independent. Kraft conspiracies aside,
November 4, 2009Leftovers: Openings, moving, and menus
Here are some random newsy items from my reporter's notebook.Get Ready for Freddy's Freddy's Frozen Custard is coming to Kansas City. The Wichita Eagle reports on eight possible franchise locations, with the first to open next spring near 135th and Metcalf in Overland Park. Freddy's Web site lauds the Wichita-based company's steakburgers, shoestring fries and concretes. Health Inspector's Close Sharp'sSharp's 63rd Street Grill was temporarily closed on Monday after the Kansas City Health Depa
November 4, 2009Grand Street Cafe now open for breakfast
Grand Street's Monte Cristo looks like a serious sandwich. Grand Street Cafe launched its new breakfast menu on Monday with a number of sweet and savory options designed to lure in the Plaza corporate crowd. "We expect to have a strong business crowd, it's definitely going to be a big component," Chef Ian Hockenberger said when Fat City caught up with him in the dining room earlier this week.The new menu grew out of an informal arrangement. Grand Street Cafe regularly hosts two to three
November 5, 2009Top 10 soups in Kansas City
Soup is the ultimate comfort food in winter. There's something about a warm bowl and cold weather that just feels right. Perhaps it stretches back to the days when Julia Child used to make primordial soup. So, Jonathan Bender and Charles Ferruzza set out with their soup spoons in hand in an effort to find out bowls were worthy of a place at a table. The list that follows is the Top 10 Soup options in Kansas City. 10) Roxanne's Cafe -- This family-owned Parkville diner offers two ho
November 5, 2009Restaurant folks always band together
Former Magic Pan employees will reunite Saturday at the RecordBarBack in the early 1980s, Tom Damico was a waiter, serving crepes at the old Magic Pan restaurant in Seville Square on the Country Club Plaza. One of his Magic Pan co-workers, Sherri Blades, later married Bob King and a few years later, Tom, Sherri and Bob all worked together -- you know how servers move around from restaurant to restaurant -- at the Hyatt Regency Hotel; Sherri was at the Terrace Restaurant, Tom was at J.
November 5, 2009An etiquette guide for servers: Redux
The New York Times blog You're The Boss is back with the second half of its "100 things a restaurant staffer should never do." And although author Bruce Buschel suggests that these are merely guidelines for his restaurant, the insinuation is that there's a lesson every server can learn. It's interesting to watch Buschel's tone change slightly from what he describes as "a modest list of do's and don'ts" in part one (published earlier this week) to the end of the second post's introduction wher
November 6, 2009Back in the kitchen: Max Chao
Max Chao is back in the CrossroadsLast year, Max Chao was working as general manager for the newly opened Masalas Authentic Indian Diner at 91st and Metcalf in Overland Park. Masalas had opened in the spot where Chao had, for three years, been running a casual dining restaurant called Ohana Hawaiian Grill. But Chao says he was "downsized" by the owners of Masalas a few months ago, and started looking for new employment opportunities. When he stopped by restaurateur Casey Adams' Nara
November 6, 2009
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© 2009 Village Voice Media All rights reserved.