Subject: Food and Cooking

• 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

• Now Open: Shabby Hattie's Tea Room

  It's girly, but the portions are man-sized at Shabby Hattie's Tea Room in Parkville​Professional seamstress and former cocktail waitress Marcia Cherrito (the niece of local entertainer Frank Cherrito) had a dream: She wanted to open her own little tea room that served baked goods, breakfast, lunches and tea. Last week Cherrito threw open the doors to her turquoise-and-teal tea room on downtown Parkville's main drag (113 N. Main). Shabby Hattie's Tea Room and Boutique (named for Cherrito

  November 9, 2009

• Yes we pecan

  ​November is National Pecan Month -- so, it's your obligation to give pecans a try in either all their raw glory or via the traditional intake: pecan pie.Earlier this year, pecans were the inspiration for a limited-edition Ben & Jerry's flavor, the Obama tribute Yes Pecan! This January featured flavor consisted of "amber waves of buttery ice cream with roasted non-partisan pecans." Here's how you can make your own butter pecan ice cream at home.Even though they work well in ice cream, peca

  November 9, 2009

• Kansas City's first official Casserole Party

  Emily Farris is crazy about casseroles, seriously​Emily Farris, blogger and author of the cookbook Casserole Crazy: Hot Stuff for Your Oven (Penguin, 2008) hosts her first Kansas City Casserole Party next Monday, November 16 at Pryde's Old Westport. It's open to anyone who wants to compete in the casserole competition, but space is limited and the last day to register is this Friday (read the rules and regulations here).Farris, who works part-time at Pryde's, began hosting casserol

  November 9, 2009

• Craft beer trends: Collaboration and barrel-aging

  ​The Boston Beer Company is a great barometer for what's happening with the craft beer market, so the announcement of the Samuel Adams Barrel Room Collection is great news for beer fans.The limited-edition brews are aged in barrels that go back to when the makers of Sam Adams first began experimenting with the process 16 years ago. Barrel aging -- a burgeoning trend in craft brewing -- offers brewers the opportunity to infuse a richness of flavor such as fruit or smoky overtones, depending on

  November 9, 2009

• In an age of imitation, Rob's Café and Roxanne's Café are two classic diners

  November 12, 2009

• What your waiter is Tweeting about you

  ​In just a few months we've gone from a server being fired for what she wrote on a blog to a server being fired for a Tweet about a customer. Keep your eyes peeled for the waiter that is terminated following a Facebook status update or for participating in a Reddit thread about the parent company of their restaurant. Meanwhile, after the jump, there's a list of some of the weirder interactions between servers and diners that we found through a Twitter search. 

  November 11, 2009

• Leftovers: Breadsticks, menus, and hirings

  ​​Here are some random newsy items from my reporter's notebook.Farm to Market Launches Line of Breadsticks  The Farm to Market Bread Company recently introduced a new line of Grissini Torinesi -- traditional Italian-style breadsticks. The grissini will be made by Claudio Cantore, a third-generation baker who emigrated to the United States from Italy in 1974 and served as an early mentor to Farm to Market founder Mark Friend. "I'm really proud we can offer Claudio's Grissini," Friend say

  November 11, 2009

• Attn Colby Garrelts: Here's your new name for the amuse bouche

  ​When local chefs have questions, Fat City has answers. Chef Colby Garrelts of Bluestem posted the following to his Twitter account yesterday: I hate the term / word / name amuse bouche.....It's a passe and I'm not french :D Any suggestions for a new name? I know, tough one!The amuse bouche is the small bite of food a chef might send to your table shortly after you sit down, as a welcome and a sign of the meal to follow. The morsel or spoonful tends to be an interesting combination of sea

  November 12, 2009

• Does anybody drink a basic cup o' joe these days?

  ​On occasion, Fat City is written from the hallowed tables of coffee shops across the city and over the past several weeks, it's become apparent to me that everything but coffee seems to be going out the door. Take for example a recent lunch hour I spent at Coffee Girls in Waldo -- here's a sample of the orders that I overheard at the counter: Toddy coffee (my order); double shot of espresso; a water; umm ... a Diet Coke; steamed skim milk and decaf coffee; hot tea. Not a single cup of unadult

  November 13, 2009

• The Well rolls out Sunday brunch

  ​The Well has quickly established itself on the Waldo circuit since opening this August -- and now it's hoping to attract more patrons with a host of new menu and drink offerings. The bar and grill debuted its Sunday Brunch yesterday, which features an omelet bar among the six stations offering breakfast breads, fruit, eggs benedict, salads and desserts. For those who need it, there's also a Bloody Mary bar with enough vegetables for you to consider that your meal. 

  November 16, 2009

• Here's what you missed at last night's Casserole Party

  Nadia PflaumTubs o' goodness​Holy casseroles. Eighteen of them, to be exact. It was a great turnout on a chilly, wet night, which means Kansas City's first casserole party was truly a success. Fork yeah!After seeing 18 casseroles lugged through the doors of Pryde's Old Westport, each swaddled in warming towels, I had a whole new respect for Emily Farris' original, Brooklyn-based party -- can you imagine taking a casserole on the subway? Farris told me that one year, a lady shlepped her cassero

  November 17, 2009

• Keeping it local: A holiday wine guide

  ​The Missouri Wine and Grape Board has a few suggestions for in-state wines you can select when looking for the right complement to your holiday meal. I've added a specific bottle to each recommendation  -- all of which are solid, if not world-beating wines. With the first course or even by itself, the MWGB recommends a sparkling wine such as the semi-sweet white Vignole from Stone Hill Winery. 

  November 17, 2009

• At Julian, Celina Tio delivers on her promise of "feel good food"

  November 19, 2009

• Dear Madre: Seriously, what have you done to your hair?

  November 19, 2009

• The Majestic

  November 19, 2009

• Now Open: Cozy's Cafe

  Kozeta Kreka just wants customers to get cozy ​To her family and friends, Kozeta Kreka is simply Cozy. And that's the name Kreka -- a native of Pogradec, Albania -- gave to her new restaurant, Cozy's Cafe. The placed opened two months ago at 6740 W. 75th Street, directly across the street from Fritz's Chili and the Petco store. Kozeta ran her own candy company before leaving Albania with her husband Albert and two children in 1997. For a few years after moving to Kansas, Kreka was

  November 18, 2009

• Relic Tray: 101 Glorious Ways to Cook Chicken

  In the 1960s, it wasn't enough to just cook chicken, damn it. One had to cook it gloriously. At least, that's what the manufacturers of "lighter, clearer" Wesson pure vegetable cooking oil wanted their customers to do. That's why Wesson published this free 15-page booklet (consumers had to order it by writing to "The Wesson People" in New Orleans) filled with recipes for cooking up some glorious chicken. There are several recipes for pan-fried chicken, of course, as well as oven-fried, oven

  November 18, 2009

• Lee's Summit scoop shop gets national recognition

  ​When real estate appraiser Greg Berry realized that the real estate market was getting to the point where he could no longer support his family, he set about appraising what other business opportunities might exist around his neighborhood in Lee's Summit. He saw a need for ice cream. "We looked into opening an ice cream store without going the franchise route and that's when we started to learn that we could make our own ice cream in the shop," says Berry. Berry and wife Amy signed up for a w

  November 19, 2009

• Going out for turkey day? Plan now!

  Who makes it at home anymore?​Plenty of restaurants will be open on Thanksgiving Day this year. The holiday wasn't always a big business day for the restaurant industry; until the late 1980s, Thanksgiving was considered a holiday when most people preferred eating -- and cooking -- at home. But anyone who has ever hosted a Thanksgiving dinner for the extended family knows it can be an ordeal: roasting that bird for hours, creating all those side dishes, trying to remember which relative

  November 20, 2009