Subject: Food and Cooking

• Can promise conquer problems at the Westside Local? Here’s hoping so

  September 17, 2009

• The West Bottoms might get...happier

  Todd Schulte has an idea for this space, but no deal yet​There's been a lot of incorrect information floating around about Todd Schulte's future plans. Schulte -- the entrepreneur behind The Happy Soup Eater, a home-made soup delivery service and Happy Gillis Cafe and Hangout, the popular soup-and-sandwich restaurant at 549 Gillis Street in Columbus Park -- has been reported to be moving his restaurant to a space in the West Bottoms. Not true. Schulte is, however, contemplating put

  September 16, 2009

• Ciao Bow Wow

  September 24, 2009

• Best Of Extra: More Best Brunches

  The Sunday brunch rule: Pick up a plate and try everything ​One of the standard categories in the annual Best of Kansas City edition of The Pitch is Best Brunch. The combination of breakfast and lunch is an alluring proposition, particularly if it's one of those fabulous all-you-can-eat affairs. Since buffets can be an expensive endeavor for some restaurants, the order-off-the-menu brunch is becoming a more popular option. That's the format at the European-style boite that we chose a

  October 2, 2009

• This week's "Best of Fat City": The Best of Everything

  ​The American Dream, in the 1950s, was to have the best of everything -- it was even the title of a 1959 movie! And guess what, people still want the best of everything, even in a difficult economic climate. And, damn it, that's what The Pitch wants you to have, providing lots and lots of enticing suggestions in this week's annual Best of Kansas City issue. Naturally, in Fat City, we're most concerned with the culinary choices offered in the issue, both the choices selected by The

  October 2, 2009

• The three wines you need in your wine rack right now

  ​You've probably had to cut corners in your home bar and there is nothing sadder than an empty wine rack. So in the interest of letting you shop smarter while still having the kind of bar that is ready should you suddenly discover your house has become a party, here's a quick guide to three wines that will help you through the rough times while making it look like you're living easy.Your dinner wine should come from Burgundy. As the weather gets cooler and you move towards heartier meals, ther

  October 5, 2009

• In season: Figs

  ​Eating a fresh fig can be a bit like getting on a motorcycle for the first time -- slightly intimidating but joyous.While I've heard their taste described as a mix between a peach and a strawberry, it's safe to say that the pulpy flesh is richly sweet and juicy when they're properly ripened. If you're picking figs, you want to know what color they are supposed to be when they're ripe -- there are a number of varieties from yellow to black. While the texture should have some give, as with most

  October 5, 2009

• Best of Extra: Server of the Year!

    Joel O'Laughlin is waiting for his big break while waiting tables​Joel O'Laughlin is a writer. He's a waiter. He's a writer and a waiter and the Reader's Choice for "Best Waiter/Waitress" in this year's Best of Kansas City issue. Since O'Laughlin -- who has also dabbled in stand-up comedy -- may have the perfect credentials for professional restaurant work, it's no surprise that his friends and fans sent in lots of ballots for the Kansas City native who has worked at Waldo P

  October 6, 2009

• Parkville’s Iron Horse bistro is on the right track

  October 8, 2009

• New fall lunch menu at Cafe Sebastienne

  Grilled swordfish, left, and a hot Kentucky brown highlight the new menu. ​While there are plenty of new and interesting exhibits at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, diners should be excited to learn about the new fall lunch menu at Cafe Sebastienne. Although Executive Chef Jennifer Maloney changes the dinner menu weekly to account for seasonal and locally sourced ingredients, the lunch menu changes only seasonally.   The two new dishes that caught our attention are the Swordfi

  October 7, 2009

• The honest truth about tipping

  ​Last month the debate raged on Fat City whether 15 percent was still an adequate tip, but now the question is whether the concept of tips should even exist. In a recent essay, columnist David Mitchell of The Observer tries to explain why he feels tips are outmoded: If you're going to a restaurant to be served and eat a meal, why is the price of the delivery open to negotiation but not that of the food itself, the ambiance, music, heating or use of the furniture? All of these things can disa

  October 7, 2009

• Wine in Brookside celebrates first anniversary

  ​Wine in Brookside, our winner this year for Best Wine Tastings, celebrates its first anniversary next week. The folks there hope lots of customers will join in the celebration at 112 W. 63rd Street.  The week's events kick off with a wine sale on Monday, October 12 -- five percent off everything in the store. Tuesday is a special wine and food pairing for $100 per person. At Friday's wine tasting, customers can enjoy a birthday cake from Andre's and Foo's custard. And a big birthday sal

  October 8, 2009

• Now Open: The Pizza Bar

  Salvatore DiFatta puts raw sausage on his pizza and...it works​Salvatore 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, 2009

• Battle 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, 2009

• Relic 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, 2009

• Ra Sushi is saucily seductive

  October 15, 2009

• In 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, 2009

• What'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, 2009

• Top 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, 2009

• The 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, 2009

• Fran'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, 2009

• No 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, 2009

• 715 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, 2009

• Kobe 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, 2009

• The 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, 2009

• Lee Chai’s new Hot Basil gets us all worked up

  October 22, 2009

• Chocolate: 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, 2009

• Pranks 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, 2009

• The 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, 2009

• Closed: The Coyote Grill

  The coyote howls no more in Leawood​Well, 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, 2009

• Cafe 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, 2009

• Mezzaluna and Frank’s put homespun comfort before Continental glamour – and that’s fine

  October 29, 2009

• In 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, 2009

• Infused 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, 2009

• Battle 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, 2009

• Leftovers: 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, 2009

• Top 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, 2009

• Ingredient 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, 2009

• Service Industry Horror Stories, Episode #2

  Some servers love to dress up ... I wasn't one of them​I 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, 2009

• Battle 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, 2009

• Night of the Day of the Dead

  The night of the living on the Day of the Dead at Club 15-Twenty​This 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, 2009

• Chilli n Spice Indian Bistro doesn't deliver on the promise of its name or ambitious menu

  November 5, 2009

• An 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, 2009

• Forget 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, 2009

• Leftovers: 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, 2009

• Grand 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, 2009

• Top 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, 2009

• Restaurant folks always band together

  Former Magic Pan employees will reunite Saturday at the RecordBar​Back 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, 2009

• An 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, 2009

• Back in the kitchen: Max Chao

  Max Chao is back in the Crossroads​Last 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