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I can be reached by e-mail at barnett@ku.edu |
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[format (23 or 44)] Bluestem 900 Westport Road 816-561-1101 bluestemkc@kcnet.com Its web site |
Bluestem is "the talk of the
town." Bluestem
is in the Westport nightlife area of Kansas City, right on Westport
Road. They have a small parking lot behind the restaurant, and a
rather small
dining room. If you look at the reviews available on the
restaurant's web site, you will find that this restaurant has received
an astonishing number of rave reviews from local and national critics
and publications, nearly from the day it opened. For example, see
the 2005 review in Food and Wine
Magazine.
Indeed the two chefs (a married couple) at this restaurant have studied
at and worked at some of the best restaurants and chef schools in the
United States. For example, Colby Garrelt has worked at the 5
Star, 5 Diamonds TRU in Chicago as senior Sous Chef; and his wife,
Megan Garrelts, has studied at this country's top chef school, the
Culinary Institute of America in New York (as did Chef Krause now in
Lawrence), and has worked at TRU in
Chicago. It is no surprise that this couple is making a stir in
the Kansas City restaurant scene. Bluestem is the first restaurant that this chef-couple has owned and run themselves. I tried it soon after it opened. Is it another TRU? No, it is not --- yet. Is it currently the best restaurant in the Kansas City/Lawrence area now? Good question. Might Colby Garrelt and Megan Garrelts one day be the owners and chefs at the first five star restaurant in Kansas City? Could be. When it first opened, I was surprised that Bluestem was so soon being expected to acquire a higher Mobil-Guide-rating than Kansas City's American Restaurant, 40 Sardines, Cafe Sebastienne, or Le Fou Frog, or Lawrence's Krause's. It did not seem to me that Bluestem would soon dominate those fine restaurants---but the beginnings of the best were there then. Those who might believe that this restaurant already rates five Mobil Guide stars may never have been to a five star restaurant (or even to Tony's wonderful four star restaurant in St. Louis). Zagat's Guide rapidly rated this restaurant as having the best food in Kansas City. I agreed initially with the review by the Kansas City Star's eminent restaurant critic, Lauren Chapin, who ranked Bluestem as 3 1/2 stars in food, service, and atmosphere, as opposed to the best restaurants in the area, ranked by her as four stars. But she now has raised its rating to four stars, and I agree with that. Bluestem has improved and now merits four stars. At the time I was first there for dinner, the Bluestem Wine Lounge next door had not yet opened. I've now more recently been to that lounge, and I was very impressed. For a glass of wine and some wonderful appetizers in a fine atmosphere, you won't do better anywhere in Kansas City. I had not been back to the dining room for dinner in a long time, when a different chef (in Colorado) suggested that I "give Bluestem another chance." Based upon my experience at Bluestem's wonderful wine bar, I decided to do that, after a long delay. I was very impressed and more than a little surprised. Bluestem is now clearly a four star restaurant and is a match for the best of the best in Kansas City. I have sought out and been to many of the world's greatest restaurants, in Beijing, Paris, San Fancisco, Hong Kong, Buenos Aires, NY, Chicago, Brussels, LA, Florence, Lisbon, New Orleans, Syndey, Marseille, London, etc. I would not yet put Bluestem in the same league with the world's best, and I would not expect it to acquire Michelin three stars soon, but Bluestem already shows more of the signs of restaurants in that league than any other restaurant in the KC/Lawrence area --- and it keeps getting better. If you haven't been there recently, you should listen to the Colorado chef who told me to give it another try. He was right. It has been transformed from a promising restaurant into a wonderful restaurant. If it remains on its dramatically uphill track, we may lose Bluestem, sooner or later, to a bigger city. I hope not. |
| Blanc Burgers & Bottles 419 Westport Rd KC, MO 64108 816-931-6200 web site |
Best
upscale burgers in KC, including mahi mahi burger and lentil
burger. Also reasonable choices of wine and outstanding list of
beers. Fixed price lunch is an especially good deal. |
| Blue Koi 1803 W 39th St KC, MO 64111 816-561-5097 bluekoikc.com |
This
restaurant has difficult competition on the 39th St. Restaurant Row,
since a couple of blocks away is Po's. Both specialize in
dumplings. Blue Koi has a larger dining room, with comfortable
booths. Po's has no booths. Both have good choices of wine
and beer, and both have excellent dumplings. Blue Koi is
particularly popular with vegetarians and vegans. But some of the
non-dumpling dishes at Blue Koi are somewhat disappointing, often with
unnecessarily sweet sauces, including the vegetarian lettuce wraps and
the crispy tofu with spicy sauce. I was particularly disappointed
to find that the lettuce wraps are served with ordinary iceberg lettuce
leafs. The eggplant pockets with vegan filliing are interesting, but
deep fried in a batter. Unfortunately they cannot prepare them in
any other way. Blue Koi has a pleasant counter that is popular
with
persons dining alone. On balance, I somewhat prefer Po's. But then there are the dumplings. The dumplings at Blue Koe are outstanding. An interesting combination is the seafood and vegetarian dumplings. One order of each makes a fine meal. The seafood dumplings are more delicate, without the spinach in the dumpling dough. You not only get a contrast in texture but also in color (the vegetable dumplings are green, while the seafood dumplings are white). |
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This
wine bar, often viewed as "European," has a good selection of fine
wines. The prices are not a bargain, but all wines by the glass
are at $1 off during the happy hours, which are 4:30 pm - 6:30 pm on
Tues - Fri, and 10 pm - midnight on Tues - Thurs. They also have
food, but the menu does not fit their image as a European wine
bar. All of the entrees are sandwiches or wraps. They also
have side salads, but not as serious entrees. The sandwiches and
salads are very good, but I don't know where they got the idea that a
menu featuring only sandwiches or wraps is "European." What
country in Europe did they have in mind? I can't think of a
European country that would view solely sandwiches to be the entree
choices in a wine bar. That would be the case in Buenos Aires,
Argentina, but their wine bars feature tiny sandwiches, not intended as
meals --- and of course Argentina is in South America I'd say that Boozefish is an American wine bar. Parking is somewhat difficult in that area of Westport Rd., but Boozefish has its own small parking lot behind the building. That is a distinct plus. But neaby Rudy's Tenampa Tacqueria on that street has a more convenient parking lot next door on Westport Rd, and Rudy's offers more than sandwiches. I prefer Rudy's to Boozefish, although they are very different. |
Cafe Sebastienne 4420 Warwick Blvd. Kansas City, MO 64111 In the Kemper Museum 816-561-7740 Its web site |
If
there is any restaurant in Kansas City that you should not miss ---
this is it. This restaurant is inside the Kemper Museum of modern
art, near Country Club Plaza. The museum has a disappointingly
small collection; but relative to its size, the collection is well
chosen. However, the restaurant is a real stand out. It has
two dining rooms: the courtyard and the cafe. They
have very different ambiance. But if you really like modern art,
choose the cafe. The food preparations tend to be somewhat
more spicy than at the city's other top restaurants, but to my taste
the spice level could not be better. It is difficult to compare
Cafe Sebastienne with 40 Sardines, the American Restaurant, or
Le Fou Frog, which have excellent food. But all things
considered,
Cafe Sebastienne provides a combination of art and outstanding
food that is hard to match anywhere in the Midwestern United States. In fact, if I were here from out of town, this restaurant might alter my choice of hotel. While I otherwise would prefer the upscale Fairmont at the Country Club Plaza, or the Hyatt at Crown Center, I would take seriously the modest Holiday Inn Country Club Plaza, located a block from Cafe Sebastienne. This marvelous restaurant is right down the street from the Holiday Inn, and the Country Club Plaza is a short walk down the hill. Unless you particularly value the luxury of the best hotels, you can save a lot of money and get better food by staying at the Holiday Inn, while dining at the Cafe Sebastienne and the restaurants at the Plaza. It doesn't get much better than that---anywhere. This is not an inexpensive restaurant. But relative to the food and atmosphere, I'd rate Cafe Sebastienne as the city's "best buy" in fine dining. It is not difficult to spend 30% more for no better food or atmosphere at the city's other top tier restaurants. The chef uses the freshest ingredients available in the Kansas City area, and her preparations are masterful. But relative to my tastes, she has somewhat of a "sweet tooth." She often uses brown sugar, figs, and fruit sauces. But I am sure she would accommodate requests for different preparations. |
| [format (
[format (35)]) Cafe Trio 4558 Main Kansas City MO 816-756-3227 web site |
If
you like the feeling of big city restaurants you will like Trio. The
food preparations and quality are not among the very best in KC, but
the mix of food, local art on the walls, service, and location
marks this restaurant as a special place providing an "experience" that
easily merits a try. The
location had long been in Midtown on Broadway somewhat north of 36th
St. But the new location is on Main closer to the Plaza. The rest of the review will be about its new Main St. location, which includes much better parking behind the restaurant and an attractive outdoor patio. The wine bottles are half price on one day a week, but that day changes in different months. During happy hour (2 pm - 6 pm weekdays), all wines by the glass are half price, but they don't start serving dinner until 5 pm. Even at regular prices, the wines are reasonably priced, including the Frei Bros Chardonnay, which I like a lot and is priced very reasonably, and the B & G Pinot Noir priced moderately and very good. The Echelon Pinot Noir is excellent, but not worth the higher price. I have so far tried the sea food trio and the monkfish and have been very happy with them. I once ordered a daily special: mahi mahi. It was priced higher than the seafood dishes on the regular menu and not as good. I'll avoid the specials in the future I ordered olive oil on the side and was surprised to find it brought out with small tomatoes added. Although open earlier for drinks, Trio does not begin starting dinner until 5 pm. The service is excellent, most recently by Rachel (waiter 55). Regardinig parking, you technically should park in a "customer only" spot, rather than a Parkside Plaza Parking Only spot, since the latter spots are for the shops in that small strip mall. But you can use a Parkside Plaza spot for the restaurant, if the customer only spots are gone. This restaurant in its new location not only has an outside deck overlooking the Country Club Plaza, but also a substantial inside bar, if you should prefer to sit at a bar rather than at a table. It is sad to see the Frondizi's Italian restaurant gone from this Main St. location, but I do very much like Trio at its new location there. |
Californos Westport 4124 Pennsylvania St. KC, MO 64111 816-531-7878 web site |
This large and colorful facility is
perhaps better known for its special events in its private dining rooms
that for its public restaurant. But the regular restaurant is
very attractive, and the food, although from a rather ordinary menu, is
good. If you like booths, you can ask for "the booth." They
have only one. If you are not happy with the preparations
described on the menu, do not hesitate to ask for modifications.
They do can accommodate many such requests. In addition to special events in the private dining rooms, they have occasional public special events worth considering, such as the "opera supper" on 3rd Mondays from 6 pm - 9 pm from June through October. They also have happy hour from 4 - 6 pm on all weekdays, but they do not begin serving dinner until 5 pm. Their happy hour provides $2 discounts on all drinks from the bar, including wines by the glass. While this is not a vegetarian restaurant, there is a vegetarian chef in the kitchen who is sensitive to vegetarian preferences. For example, they have separate grills for meat versus vegetables and seafood. |
Chubby's On Broadway 3756 Broadway St. Kansas City, MO 64111 816-931-2482 |
Chubby's does have one claim to distinction. It is open 24 hours a
day, 6 days a week; and on the other day, Monday, it is open until 2
pm. But if
there were a prize for the worst food in the Midwest, this place would
rank high. Its coffee? Maybe the worst in the country. They do have some decent tea bags. So if I have to stop there very late some night when everyplace else is closed, I'll go for the tea. To add insult to injury, they don't accept credit cards. This place is a throwback to the worst of the distant past. At least a Dunkin Donuts would have a decent cup of coffee. |
[format (14)] Copa Room 3421 Broadway St. Kansas City, MO 816-931-5200 web site |
Unfortunately this restarant seems to be closed, but perhaps is moving to another location. Along with Cafe Trio and the Grille on Broadway, the Copa Room is in the Old Hyde Park area on Broadway. The Copa Room is a block north of Cafe Trio and two blocks north of the Grille on Broadway in a somewhat less crowded part of Broadway. The Copa Room is a take off on Rat Pack restaurants in Vegas. The singers in the evenings tend to have the style of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin and sing their songs. The style of food is Italian American. While that style often is not as good as the styles in newer, more innovative Italian restaurants, the Copa Room is an exception to that rule. The food here is excellent. Relative to that familar style, you won't find better in KC. Also the wine list is a good one, and includes some reasonably priced wines, such as Calina Chardonnay from Chile. The basa fish is excellent. If you prefer to avoid the breading and the butter in the sauce, you can request that the basa be broiled with an olive oil sauce. The diablo shrimp also is excellent, and is in a wonderful marinara sauce with lots of garlic. Most dishes come with pasta, but you can substitute asparagus for the pasta with a small upcharge. I like the portobello appetizer, but would have preferred more portobello and less toast. If you like high quality olive oil as much as I do, you can get an extra dish of extra virgin olive oil at a charge. I have not yet tried the house red sauce (sugo), but will do so the next time I am there. Unfortunately this restaurant has one very big problem for nonsmokers. There is no nonsmoking section. While this might fit the old time Rat Pack image, the second hand smoke can be a real problem to nonsmokers, especially in the lounge area in front, where the entertainers perform. We were told that the best ventilation is in the back, where there are three oval booths. We sat there and had no problems with second hand smoke. But we don't know whether there were smokers in that area, when we were there. Also you will not be able to see the entertainers from that area of the restaurant, although you will be able to hear them. Maybe KC will ban smoking in restaurants soon .... There is a small parking lot behind the restaurant. But access is along a steep one lane driveway. There is no separate exit driveway. The restaurant rents spaces across the street (slightly north of the restaurant on the west side of the street) in the Missouri Gas and Energy lot. I haven't tried it, but the MGE lot may be a better choice than the lot behind the restaurant. |
The Drop 409 E. 31st St. Kansas City, MO 64108 816-756-3767 web site |
The
Drop has some of the best bar food in Kansas City, outside of bars
connected to high end restaurants, such as The American Restaurant and
Bluestem. For example, the house marinated olives are among the
best I've ever had anywhere, and the bruschetta are excellent.
They also have various appetizers, salads, panini, and sandwiches on
artisan bread. The location is somewhat of a puzzle. It is in an area called "Martini Corner." Evidently there once was much going on here, but if you walk or drive east, all you will find is blight (i.e., boarded up windows on buildings with large parking lots where at one time there must have been much going on). It is sad to see. Evidently the new Power and Light District is taking its toll on this nightlife area. Martini Corner now is one block, with parking lots on both sides, and a total of four bar/restaurants: The Drop, Tower Taven next door, Velvet Dog across the street, and the Sol Cantina across the street. The other three places seem to have a real "edge" to them, especially the Sol Cantina that has an outdoor patio behind it and the appearance of probably a raucus nightlife (I haven't been there after dark). Well, there also is Mint, which has "bottle service," etc., if you are into that sort of thing. It is next to Velvet Dog. But for food, The Drop is in another league. Its chef has worked at some excellent restaurants and has certainly done something very admirable by choosing this risky location for his excellent lounge. Evidently he has seen the potential for a bright future for this location. I hope he is right. |
| Cafe Seed 2932 Cherry Street Kansas City, MO 64108 816-561-7333 web site |
This
restaurant is strictly vegan and has no liquor license. Its
breakfasts and brunches are especially interesting. The brunch
menu is available on both Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 3 pm.
The restaurant is about 2 blocks northeast of Martini Corner, which is
on 31st St. Owners Diallo and Africka Kenyatta previously ran a
bookstore that served vegan food in NY City. The neighborhood is
not great, but there is much encouraging new construction close to this
restaurant, so it is getting better. This is not a place to go, if you are in a rush. The service and kitchen are amazingly slow. |
| Chili's 554 Westport Rd. Kansas City, MO 64111 816-561-1220 web site |
This restautant is now closed at this location. Yes, you know this chain. But as a franchise operation, the managements of the individual restaurants in the chain are not the same. This one is particularly good. This Chili's is willing to accommodate unusual requests. For example, the chain provides no olive oil or any other vegetable oil to its restaurants. Mostly they use butter. But they do have chimichurri sauce (cilantro, garlic, lime, and olive oil) that normally comes only with the southwest cedar plank tilapia. But if you ask for that sauce, they'll bring out as much as you want with no additional charge. Also if you are a pescatarian and do not want your fish or shrimp grilled on the same grill as meat, they'll do it on the individual wood planks normally used only for the tilapia. They have good wines, such as Toasted Head chardonnay, at reasonable prices. But what is really amazing is the happy hour drinks at big discounts ALL DAY LONG on Sunday - Thursday, and until 6 pm on Friday and Saturday. For example, their house wines, which are good ones, are prices at $3.50 during their "happy hours." Meanwhile this chain is good about providing nutritional information about everything it serves and uses, including its sauces and sides. |
El Patron Cocina 2905 Southwest Blvd. Kansas City, MO 64108 816-931-6400 |
This
restaurant is very popular. If you arrive at noon for lunch, you
likely will have to sit at the bar, and you may have difficulty parking
in their lot. At off hours, you can sit at one of the booths that
are along one of the walls. Virtually everything comes with rice
and refried beans. Although their refried beans are made with
vegetable oil instead of lard, refried beans are much higher in fat
than regular black beans, which they do not have. While the
prices are modest, this is basically a Tex-Mex restaurant with a few
unusual additions, such as oysters. I much prefer the nearby Taqueria Mexico. |
Friends Sushi and Bento Place 1808 W 39th St. Kansas City, MO 816-753-6666 web |
This
is a very pleasant Japanese restaurant in all ways --- except for
one. The atmosphere is very pleasant, the service is excellent,
and the food is good. But except for a few high stools along the
counter facing the window, all of the chairs are unpadded wood.
While the black painted wood chairs go well with the decor, they are
not particularly comfortable. On the other hand, their sushi chef really knows what he is doing and has some unique specials, such as his daikon roll, which is rapped in a daikon (radish) without rice. My preference is to have him omit the masago fish eggs. Two daikon rolls and the agedashi tofu appetizer make an excellent meal. The Vegetarian Heaven roll also is unusual, but is a meal in itself. No, it is not just one roll. |
Genghis Khan 3906 Bell Street (just off 39th) 816-753-3600 web site |
Although
known for its Mongolian Barbecue, that is not all that they have
here. If you order from the menu, you will find that this
restaurant has some excellent Oriental dishes. But I have been
disappointed by some recent changes. For example, the vegetable
soup isn't what it once was. This
restaurant is particularly good at preparing oriental "hot pots."
The seafood hot pot has an excellent clam base broth, but most of the
seafood is in the shell and a nuisance to pick out. Although
most of the entrees, including the hot pots, come with rice, you can
request substitution of
cellophane rice noodles or vegetables (usually broccoli). The
only fish they have is orange roughy, which is a fish high in mercury
risk, and not that good in the US, since frozen and shipped from New
Zealand. For good orange roughy, you'll have to go to New
Zealand, but you'll still have to cope with the high mercury risk. Unfortunately Oriental restaurants in Kansas City seem to be including more and more sugar and salt in their sauces. In fact I was told be a waiter in one such restaurant that Americans seem to have a sweet tooth and are happiest with sauces containing much more sugar than would be normal in the authentic Asian preparation. They won't mind, if you order from the menu and ask for no sugar, MSG, and chicken stock to be added, since they don't use much anyway. But if you want the most basic preparation, ask for "white sauce" on any dish or on any combination of vegetables and meats that you prefer, althought it also contains sugar, salt, chicken stock, and MSG, unless you tell them to omit it. Also ask for the chili sauce with oil to perk it up, since the white sauce is very mild. A particularly good choice is the shrimp with broccoli and mushrooms. If you prefer you can ask them to substitute tofu in place of the shrimp, and you can ask them to omit the sugar, MSG, and chicken stock for a surprisingly good vegetarian dish, especially if you add some of the hot sauce with oil. But, if you are a vegetarian, you should be aware that the tofu on the buffet was deep fried in the same pot as the chicken. If you want truly vegetarian tofu, you will need to ask them to deep fry it separately for you in the kitchen. Alternatively, you can ask for it to be fried crispy. In that case it will be fried with a batter made from corn starch and and flour. You would be surprise by what you can do with the various sauces and spices on the buffet here. For example, if you like Mediterranian style food rather than Oriental, as I do, try this: Two scoops of onion water, 2 scoops of garlic water, 1 scoop of wine water, 1/2 scoop of hot chile sauce (at most), lots of celantro, some jalapeno pepper slices, beansprouts, cole slaw, onions, tofu, and spinach, and then some basil and mild chipotle spice at the end of the line. I also add some of the fish, scallops, and shrimp. The buffet includes soup and is not limited to the ones that are out on the tables. For example, they have a vegetarian soup, but you will have to ask the waitperson to get it from the kitchen. It is nevertheless included in the fixed price of the buffet. The buffet table is often closed down between about 3:30 pm and 4:15 pm, for the transition between lunch and dinner. They have a full bar. Their house white wine is Woop Woop chardonnay from Australia, and I like it even better than their more upscale California chardonnay, Shooting Star. The Firesteed Pinot Noir is also a good buy. |
The Grille on Broadway 3605 Broadway St. Kansas City, MO 64111 816-531-0700 web site |
This
upscale, expensive restaurant is in the Old Hyde Park area on Broadway
near 36th St, about a block away from Cafe Trio. The Grille on
Broadway has easy parking in an outdoor lot just behind the
restaurant. You can get to the lot from 36th St. The best
table in the restaurant is table #5 (by the mirrors), although the
table next to the front window also is pleasant. Since the
restaurant is rather small, getting a good table is a plus. But
for the price, you are likely to be far happier at Cafe Trio. The mahi mahi had the consistency of frozen fish, but the halibut was much better. I was particularly astonished with the "wine list." There was no written wine list. The waitress said she was the wine list, and rattled off wines without mentioning prices. When I started asking about prices, it became evident to me that the prices were negotiable. I've never before encountered negotiable wine bottle prices at any restaurant anywhere. Even in the Third World, restaurants have fixed prices for wine bottles. The Grille on Broadway is in the process of producing a real wine list, and perhaps the negotiable prices will soon end. But meanwhile, I must say I was not at all impressed by this restaurant,which hopefully will improve. |
Harry's Bar & Tables
501 Westport Rd. Kansas City, MO 64111 816-561-3950 |
There
are Harry's bars all over the world, including Jerusalem, St.
Louis, Venice, Montreux (Switzerland), Paris, Rome, Florence, London,
Singapore, Amsterdam, the KC River Market, and San Francisco. The
name was first made
famous by Hemingway, when he wrote about the one in a famous hotel in
Venice
(which bar, incidentally, is fabulous, but incredibly expensive).
Since the name is not franchised, any bar can use the name. But
traditionally they tend to be innovative and sophiticated lounge
bars. The Harry's Country Club in the River Market does not fit
that image. While that one has an outstanding selection of beers,
including some of the world's best Belgian beers, the atmosphere is
country and the food pleasant but average and not innovative. In
addition the Harry's Country Club in the River Market has no upscale
wines, only a few very modestly priced house wines. But the Harry's Bar in Westport does fit the image. I have so far tried the red bean hummus, Sato's guacamole, and the crab and shrimp cakes. All were unusually interesting and innovative in style. Also, as is fitting for a Harry's Bar, this one has some excellent wines by the glass, and they are priced at half price from opening to 7 pm each day (they open at 3 pm on weekdays and 5 pm on weekends). While this bar is not comparable to the awesome one that Hemingway loved, it does resemble some of the others. It most reminds me the one in Jerusalem. But while the Westport one is above ground with a great view of Westport Rd and a deck in back for outdoor dining and drinking, the one in Jerusalem (favored by Western media in the Middle East) is below ground with no sign and no way to know that it is there, unless someone has given you the address and you know where to go down the stairs to find the bar. Now if they could come up with the Jerusalem Harry's famous navy bean soup.... |
| Yes,
this is part of the Houlihan's chain. So you know that the
atmosphere is good, the seating comfortable (especially the oval booths
in back), and the food ordinary. The lettuce raps are especially
sad insults to that wonderful Oriental dish, with the wrong kind of
lettuce and an excessively sweet sauce. But what might surprise
you is that this Houlihan's is even there at that location at
all. I had been to the Fairway Shops Hen House many times, before
I noticed the Houlihan's. Strangely the city fathers of Fairway
gave a street name to a lane inside the Fairway Shops parking
lot. This restaurant has a street number for that "street" within
the parking lot. In reality, 53rd Street doesn't begin in that
area until you leave the parking lot and head west of the lot.
Why in the world they would have extended the street name into the
Shops' parking lot is beyond me. In reality the Fairway Shops is
a strip mall along Shawnee Mission Parkway. A plus to this Houlihan's is that it is in Fairway, which has a no smoking ordinance. If it were within nearby KCK, the owner would have been able to permit smoking by paying a fee to the city. Also this restaurant runs attractive specials, but they change about every few months. At present, all of their wine bottles are half price on Tuesdays. This is a particularly good deal, since their wines are priced moderately by the bottle, even without the discount. Most recently, I tried the Toasted Head chardonnay and the Jargon Pinot Noir, and I was happy with both. The Estancia Pinot Noir is better, but at its price, the less expensive Jargon is a very good buy. If not a Tuesday, so the wines are full price, you will find better prices on chardonnay than on red wines. Their wood fired grill is also a big plus. If I get the shrimp, I ask for it to be blackened on a skillet. They really know how to do that right in the Cajun way. For a salad dressing, I ask for vinegar and oil that I mix myself. But the salad is not included with any of the entrees, and includes bacon and cheese. So if you order a salad, expect an upcharge and bacon and cheese. The vegetables that come with the entrees are adequate, so I rarely order a salad too. The dressing that they normally provide masks the flavors of the salad ingredients, which really are interesting. The grilled shrimp are especially good. I also really like the fire grilled salmon but I add olive oil onto it and substitute for the mashed potatoes. The tilapia is excellent, but unfotunately it now is available only with the fish tacos. I don't know why they dropped it from the entrees. The hummus small plate is good as an appetizer,but unnecessary, since the entrees are adequate as a dinner on their own. Always bring warm clothing here. The kitchen is inside the dining room area, and to keep the cooks cool, they run the airconditioner at a level that keeps the dining room excessively cold. Perhaps they should be charged a special carbon tax for excessive energy use. |
|
[format (50)] Jazz, A Louisiana Kitchen 1823 W 39th St. Kansas City, MO www.jazzkitchen.com/ 816-531-5556 |
This
is the second restaurant of this Texas chain of Cajun restaurants to
open in the Kansas City area. The other is in the Legends
area. See the "Johnson County, Wyandotte County, and South KC"
section for more about this chain. This restaurant has live
entertainment in its back dining room every night starting at 7
pm. The happy hour is 4 - 6 pm on M-W, with substantial discounts
on the appetizers, including the oysters. But they get their
oysters only once a week: on Thursday. So don't expect to
find any left on Wednesday. In fact the last of them usually gone
by the end of the weekend. The best days for oysters here are
Thursday and Fridays, with Thursday being a fantastic deal. Not
only are the oysters at their freshest on Thursdays, but the price
drops to even less than the happy hour price, and for all day, not just
for happy hour. While listed as an appetizer on the menu, you can
order enough for dinner (about 1 1/2 dozen will do it) at the bargain
price on Thursday. If you are there after Thursday after 7 pm,
you also can enjoy the live jazz. Can't beat that for a "deal." There is no discount on wine during the happy hour, but the regular price of the house wine is always a bargain. My favorite sauce is the lemon-pepper sauce. But if you are a vegetarian, you should be aware of the fact that they use chicken stock in that sauce. They don't use chicken or beef stock in any other sauce. The cajun stir fry seems more Oriental than cajun, with a sauce based on soy sauce. But I like it a lot. A half order is a good side to go with whatever else you might order. In fact one of those half orders is likely to be larger than you might expect. |
McCoy's Public House 4057 Pennsylvania Kansas City, MO 64111 816-960-0866 web site |
Definitely
the best bar food in Kansas City, by a rather large margin!
I have consistently been impressed by the freshness of the
ingredients in all of their food. In addition, the menu includes
an admirable number of vegetarian choices. Also they have good
beers, which they brew themselves. I especially like their India
Pale Ale and Unfiltered Wheat. I am less enthused about their dry
stout. But the wine choices are a bit
odd. They have
moderately priced house wine, of moderate quality, and a good choice of
better wines --- that are overpriced. So if you want wine with
your
bar food, you are stuck either with a fair house wine or
better wines priced suitably for a fine dining restaurant, which this
is not. The smart move is probably to order beer with dinner, at
not too late an hour. Late in the evening on a weekend, this
restaurant can get very crowded. I have enjoyed the Sake Salmon and the Moroccan Stir Fry, but both come with a glaze that is too sweet for my tastes. But you can tell them to skip the glaze and provide olive oil instead. The salmon is listed as Norwegian, but is farm raised. This is rather unusual, since most farm raised salmon is Atlantic salmon. It's typical quality farm raised salmon. It's fine, but don't get your hopes up for fresh Norwegian salmon. |
Matsu 427 Westport Rd. Kansas City, MO 64111 816-531-2602 |
Matsu
and Ichiban are Japanese restaurants that are (or have been) in central
Westport on Westport Rd. I can only conclude that Westport is not
a good place for Japanese restaurants. Ichiban is closed. I
went to Matsu on a very hot day. It was hotter inside the
restaurant than on the street. The waitress told me there was
nothing wrong with the airconditioning, but it was very hot out and
there was too much body heat inside (there were people at only two
other tables). Someone brought food out from the kitchen and
similarly said the airconditioning was working, but it was really hot
in the kitchen. The waitress told me the heat was "driving
me crazy." She offered to bring out ice. Huh? Next time I want Japanse food, I'll go to Kabuki at Crown Center. At least the airconditioning is adequate there. |
New Peking Chinese Restaurant 540 Westport Road Kansas City, MO 64111 816-531-6969 menu |
This
restaurant
serves some of the best Chinese food in Kansas City.
As is necessary for fine Chinese food, the ingredients are very fresh
and the sauces excellent. The menu is not very innovative,
especialy the lunch menu. The choices at dinner are much better
than at lunch, but still tend to emphasize the Chinese dishes that are
the most well known in the US. The dining room is very pleasant
and comfortable with many booths. I especially like the booths on
the upper level. The choice of authentic
Chinese teas is especially noteworthy. I especially like the Hot
Plate Seafood Combination here, but I ask them to skip the squid and
add more of the shrimp, scallops, abalone and vegetables. If you are a vegetarian, you'll have to inform the waitperson, since they use chicken stock in most sauces. But they are able to provide water-base sauces that are really first rate, if you make clear your preference. Also it is best to request no sugar added to get closer to an authentic Chinese sauce A good sauce that works well with water base is the garlic sauce or the garlic-ginger sauce. If this seems aukward to request, you may wish to consider the fact that in some places in China, it can be difficult to get waitpersons to understand that chicken stock and pork are not "vegetarian," unless you claim to be a Buddhist. The restaurant is across the street from Gold's Gym in Westport, and is usually open normal hours on all holidays, including Christmas day and Christmas Even. There is a parking lot directly in front of the restraurant and a garage across the street. Unlike many Chinese restaurants, this one has good wine choices. |
| This
restaurant evidently has the same ownership as McCoy's and The Foundry
across the street. One80 has some of the most comfortable booth
seating in Westport and excellent service. But the management is
another story, and in my opinion should be replaced as soon as
possible. I know that times are tough in the restaurant business
during the current recession, but the management of this restaurant is
playing unusual financial games with the customers. I enjoyed the
food that I ordered and ate in the restaurant, was impressed by the
service, and liked the atmosphere and booth. As a result, I also
then ordered more food to go for the next day's lunch. It was
brought out rapidly along with the bill that included a 50 cent
upcharge for packaging the food to go. I've never heard of that
bagging charge before. When I complained, I was told that they
would remove the charge. But I am not willing to encourage that
kind of behavior. I refused to accept the take out food and
insisted that they remove it from the bill and trash the food.
They did so. Unless you want to encourage businesses to nickel
and dime you to death with such unexpected and ridiculous upcharges, I
suggest that you too not put up with such trickery. The happy hour here ends at 6 pm and offers no discounts on their better wines, only $4 prices on their house wines. |
|
Pangea Cafe and Market 900 West 39th St Kansas City, MO 64111 changed to: Caliente Grille 816-561-0900 |
Unfortunately the Pangea Cafe now is closed. A new restaurant has opened in that location: Caliente Grille This pleasant Mexican restaurant has comfortable booths and a full bar, unlike the Pangea Cafe formerly at that location. I got the shrimp fajitas, but was disappointed in a few ways. While they have good flour tortillas, their corn tortijas are like cardboard. While they have refried beans and pinto beans, they do not have black beans. Their hot sauce is very mild, unless you emphasize that you want it very spicy. They do not provide guacamole with the fajitas, unless you request them. Although located within the 39th St West CID, it is on the far eastern border of the district, just before the Southwest Tfwy, a few blocks east of the tightly packed "restaurant row." While on the fringe of the CID, it is in a strip mall that has easier parking than in the center of the CID. |
| Po's Dumpling Bar 1715 W 39th St. Kansas City, MO 816-931-5991 Its web site |
Sadly
the excellent Circe restaurant,
which previously had been at this location, has closed. It now is
Po's Dumpling Bar, which has excellent Oriental food. I was
particularly impressed by the steamed dumplings that are comparable to
those in the best restaurants in Beijing. Also the hot chile sauce that
you can request on the side is much better than usually available in
Kansas City. It reminds me of the XO sauce that is available in
the best restaurants in Hong Kong. |
| [format (stage=11; 12+13)] PotPie 904 Westport Road 816-561-2702 http://www.kcpotpie.com/ |
As
suggested by its name, this restaurant has a "down home" theme, as
evidenced by the country and western music they often play on their
sound system and the one pot pie that is always on the menu. But
don't be fooled. This no place for chicken fried steak or other
typical country food. In fact it is a very good restaurant with
very good food. But it is not secret, as evidenced by how crowded
this enjoyable restaurrant often is, especially on weekends. I
especially like the fish and shellfish here. The scallops are
served only for dinner, but the mussels and one fish are usually served
both at lunch and dinner. The lunch portions are smaller than the
dinner portions, but much less expensive. A lunch entree plus a
side salad is a great deal. In fact the house salad is garden
fresh and hard to beat. The preparations use more butter and less
olive oil than I like, but still really good. What really
surprises me here is how fresh the sea food is, including the mussels,
which usually disappoint me in KC, but not here. Its location is right next door to Bluestem. They share a small parking lot behind the two restaurants. I've heard that you alternatively can park in the Sonic Parking lot in the evening when the Sonic is closed at 5 pm. The Sonic is on the other side of Roanoke Street from Bluestem and PotPie, all three being along Westport Road at Roanoke. Alternatively, there is a large parking lot at the Old Westport Plaza just west of the SW Trafficway about 2 blocks of the restaurant, if you don't mind crossing the SW Trafficway on foot. PotPie does not close between lunch and dinner, but they do not switch from the lunch to the dinner menu until about 4:45 pm. Lunch from Tuesday to Friday is 11 am - 4:45 pm. Dinner from Tuesday to Thursday is 5 pm - 10 pm, and Friday and Saturday 5 pm - 11 pm (but usually available at 4:45 pm). Closed Sundays and Mondays. All of the chairs are padded, but still rather hard and not that comfortable, except for the benches by the window on the raised "stage." There is a small 2-top table there (table 11) and a comfortable 4-top (which is tables 12 and 13 normally pushed together). The latter is the best in the restaurant. If you are alone, there is a bar area, which is pleasant and not a problem. |
Rhythm Lounge
3535 Broadway Kansas City, MO 64111 816-561-2626 |
Puts
Kansas City on the map! If you are accustomed to really big
cities, like New York City and Paris, you will appreciate this
club/restaurant/bar. It is located where Trio previously
was. There is a multilevel garage directly behind it, with the
entrance immediately to the north of the entrance. The decor is
upscale, the live entertainment is excellent (currently on Friday and
Saturday evenings starting at 8 pm), the small plates provide good food
(although a surprising number of the menu entries were not available),
and the full bar is what you would expect in a fine lounge. On
Wednesday evenings the wine is half price. People in the know,
drive to the upper levels of the garage and back into a space, since it
is a tight garage and can be hard to exit otherwise. But there are puzzles. It was written up in Ink on October 7, 2009. The article was titled "This sexy jazz spot keeps a low profile." The article mentioned that there is no sign on the front, no web site, and no advertising for this jazz lounge. It is located in the historic Old Hyde Park area, which has not so far done well at making its expected comeback, other than the Uptown Theater across the street a few blocks away. There still is no sign on the front of the Rhythm Lounge, no web site, and no advertising. There is a Facebook page and a very large number of Facebook fans. When I went there, the owner walked over to me and asked whether I lived in the neighborhood and had walked there. No, I do not live in that neighborhood. I can see why, with no sign in front, he might have thought I lived in the neighborhood. Perhaps many of the customers do. But I am sure many do not. There are far too many Facebook fans to be from that neighborhood. The customers are very different from those who previously had patronized Trio in that location. Those customers were from the burbs and mostly had driven long distances to get there. Now they do not have to drive so far, since Trio has moved to the Plaza. In contrast, the customers in Rhythm Lounge are mostly upscale African Americans and interracial couples. Did I feel out of place there, being one of the very few white people in the Lounge, other than the servers? Not a bit. I loved it there. I'll be back. There is an entrance from the garage directly into the lounge, so in bad weather you need not even walk outdoors. If you arrive after the entertainment starts at 8 pm on Friday or Saturday, seating may be limited. I did notice many reserved signs on the best tables. But there were a few other tables available and a few seats still available at the bar. Now I know that Kansas City has made the big time. It's no longer necessary to drive to the historic Jazz District to be among the sophisticates, who know what they are doing with their nightlives. If you are in that neighborhood, are accustomed only to small towns, and have bad taste, go across the street a few blocks away to Chubby's. You'll feel right at home. If you have good taste, go to the Rhythm Lounge. |
| format (13)] Room 39 1719 West 39 Street Kansas City, MO 64111 816-753-3939 web site or 10561 Mission Road Leawood, KS 66206 913-648-7639 |
Room
39, named after the location of its primary location on 39th St, is the
best restaurant on the 39th St. Restaurant Row. What more is
there to say? There is another location in Leawood. In addition to the fact that the quality of the food, preparations, and service are first rate, this restaurant has an unusually well selected wine list. For example, if you like white wine at a reasonable price and without the woody taste of American chardonnays, this restaurant offers Cuvee Centenaire Domaine Lafage Cotes Due Roussillon at a moderate price. On the other hand, if you are "politically incorrect" on this matter and actually like American Chardonnays (as I do), you might prefer those on the list at similar prices and qualities. In short, you can find on this wine list whatever you like and at reasonable prices. While the seafood selections on this menu are limited, they are genuinely fresh. This is among the few restaurants where I can order entrees prepared exactly as described on the menu --- with no requested changes at all. This restaurant is excellent. Oh, and there are other positives here: the walls are covered with excellent local art, and there is a parking lot about two doors to the east on the south side of the street (at the 39th St. location). I also like the recorded music on their sound system. Now for the negatives. There are no booths or tables that provide privacy. All of the tables in this small restaurant are close together. Also the chairs are wooden without padding. The service is variable. In short, they need a larger dining room with more comfortable seating for a restaurant of this quality. Unlike many of the other restaurants on 39th St that open for dinner at 5 pm or earlier, this one opens at 5:30 pm. |
| Rudy's Tenampa Tacqueria 1600 Westport Rd. Kansas City, MO 64111 816-931-9700 web |
If
you are from the Southwest and don't think that the Mexican restaurants
in Kansas City meet your expectations, then try this one. rudy's
was the first to bring fish tacos in Kansas City. I haven't tried
them here, but I've tried the quatro taquitos, and I was
impressed. I was very impressed. But the restaurant is
small, so you might want to try it at an off hour, when it is easier to
get a table. They are very willing to accomodate different preferences. I said I did not want rice or refried beans. They gave me the whole black beans I wanted and substituted a fourth shrimp taco plus more lettuce for the rice I didn't want; and those tacos are wrapped in real corn tortijas, instead of the deep fried flour tortijas used by the chains. Also they have their own parking lot next door on Westport Rd. While not "interior-Mex," Rudy's is a match for the Tex-Mex, California-Mex, or New-Mexican-Mex that you might expect in the Southwest. |
| Szechuan House 1403 W 39th St. Kansas City, MO 64111 816-931-0092 |
Formerly
in the location of Macaluso's, Scotty's, and a few other failed restaurants,
Szechuan House has a typical American Chinese menu, but with more
Szechuan choices. Unlike many American Chinese restaurants, this
restaurant does not use chicken stock in any of its sauces. All
are water based, as they should be. Most of their sauces contain
sugar. I don't know whether this restaurant is catering to
American tastes by using more sugar than would be used in China.
But anything with white sauce can be prepared without sugar. All
of the other sauces on the menu already contains sugar, so they can't
modify that, if the sauce is too sweet for your tastes. I was especially impressed by the freshness of the ingredients. I particularly enjoyed the shrimp with pea pods. The scallops in garlic sauce also are fresher than usual in Chinese restaurants (without the rubbery texture of frozen scallops). They are served lightly breaded. The garlic sauce is very good, but somewhat unusual with a red color and a slightly sweet and source taste. Their "spicy" Szechuan style dishes are not as spicy as in China, but if you ask for their hot chili sauce, that will fix it. In fact their hot chili sauce is unusually good. Obviously it is not out of a bottle. They must make it themselves. Since the vegetables are very fresh here, I prefer the lighter white sauce to the brown sauces that they mostly use with their Szechuan dishes, since the heavier brown sauce somewhat overwhelms the taste of the vegetables, but I do add chili sauce to the white sauce. They do not accept American Express, but they do accept Visa and Mastercard. |
| Spitfire Grill & Wine Bar 1809 W. 39th St. Kansas City, MO 64114 816-437-7299 web site |
This restaurant has closed. It appears that it will be replaced by a BBQ restaurant (groan). |
Sung Son Vietnamese Bistro 4116 Pennsylvania Ave. Kansas City, MO Westport 816-931-0670 |
In
my opinion, this is the best buy in Vietnamese food in the Kansas City
Area, and among the better restaurants in the Westport area. Sung Son is
open Mon - Sat 11 am - 10 pm and Sunday noon - 9 pm. In addition,
as is common in the U. S. , Vietnamese food tends to be a bargain, so
you can get an enjoyable meal here at a very modest price. This is an exceptionally vegetarian friendly restaurant. The menu includes an entire page of vegetarian dishes, and all on that page are genuinely vegetarian (no chicken stock). The Canh Chua Chay soup is wonderful and enough for two persons. It contains tamarind spice, which is excellent. Be careful about adding extra spice to this soup, since you easily can overwhelm the subtle flavor of the tamarind spice. The Dan Hu Sot Ca is not spicy, even though the menu says it is. In addition, it is a bit sweeter than I'd prefer. The Gia Xao Dau Hu is not at all spicy, but has a delicate flavor that is improved by addition of the hot sauce that is always supplied in a bottle, or their own chile sauce, that you will have to request. They call it hot oil. The Vanh Cuon Chay in steamed rice crepes is unusual, and worth a try. It is a full meal, despite its modest price. It could be shared as an appetizer, but is too much as an appetizer for one, despite its modest price. The Dan Hu Cai Xao in brown souce is listed as a Vietnamese dish and is fine, but seems about the same as many common Chinese dishes in brown sauce, so not at all unusual. There are so many choices that you are sure to find some you will like. They also have many seafood choices. I've tried the Ca Sot Ca Chua (salmon with garlic tomato sauce with basil). The salmon is only fair and the sauce is sweeter than I prefer. Although they provide rice with most dishes, you can request rice noodles instead, and their rice noodles are worth requesting. The spring rolls (Goi Cuon Chay) are very good. Parking is somewhat difficult on that part of Pennsylvania Ave., south of Westport Road, but there are nearby parking lots on Pennsylvania Ave north of Westport Blvd. Also there is a lot behind Streetside Records on Broadway, only a block away. |
| Indian
food uses some of the world's most interesting spices, and emphasized
healthy ingredients --- with two exceptions: the use of coconut
oil widely in south India and the use of ghee (clarified butter) in
north India, both being highly saturated oils. But the Taj Palace
uses neither. Instead they use vegetable oils. I love this
place. Their curry sauce is especially outstanding. They do not use curry powder. They make their own curry sauce, and chop up fresh spices, some acquired from Chicago. I request the curry dishes prepared "spicy," which is just right for me (on their scale of spice, that is #7 spice level). In fact that is my preferance with everything on the menu. But you might prefer "moderately spicey" (level #5 on the spice scale). The tandoori dishes also are excellent here, since they have a genuine tandoor oven. But the sauce they usually use on their tandoori dishes are somewhat more sweet and not spicy enough for my tastes. However, they are happy to provide alternative preparations to your tastes. The curry sauce is excellent on the tandoori dishes. If you like very spice sauces, try the vindaloo sauce. Although both the vindaloo and the curry sauces may appear to have tomato base, the curry sauce's red color comes from the paprika in the sauce. The vindaloo sauce does have a tomato base. Never ask for vindaloo "extra spicy" or "very spicy," since vindaloo sauce is always very spicy, since it contains vinegar. Also avoid vindaloo sauce, if you don't want potatoes, since potatoes are often added to dishes that include vindaloo sauce. The ingredients are sometimes not exactly as on the menu. For example, the vegetarian baingan bhurtha (baked egg plant) sometimes includes potatoes, even though not mentioned on the menu. But this is not normal for this excellent dish, and probably resulted from the fact that I requested substitution of vindaloo sauce, that often is served on dishes including potatoes. The shrimp mushroom is simply wonderful. It is with a tomato sauce that could hardly be better (my preference being #7 on spice). The shrimp bhuna also is very good, and includes vegetables in the sauce. For a change, you might want to try the chholle saag (chick peas with spinach) aand the dal makhni (black lentils). They have a different kind of preparation that seems somewhat creamy, and indeed they both contain dairy. But they are happy to prepare it without dairy, if that is your preference. Similarly the mushroom mattar makni (mushrooms and peas) comes with a cream sauce, but you can request that it be changed to the curry sauce, if you are a vegan. It's excellent either way. I especially like the fish curry, which contains bite size chunks of catfish in their outstanding curry sauce. But the sauce contains no vegetables. If you request the chutney spice tray, that helps. But you might want to ask for vegetables to be added to the sauce or order a side order of a vegetable dish to go with the fish curry. While I usually don't like okra, the bhindi masala (spiced okra) is surprisingly excellent. In addition to having Taj Mahal beer, which I consider to be among the world's best, they have a reasonable wine list. Their wine bottles are a better buy than their glasses. The Kendall Jackson chardonnay wine is a good match for spicy Indian food (and less filling than beer), despite the controversies about " overly woody" American chardonnays with European foods. After dinner, I order the Indian tea (chai). It contains dairy and interesting spices. If you prefer the vegan version, you can request it without the dairy. In fact the flavor of the spices is even more evident without the dairy. Most dishes are served with a large dish of basmati rice, which is among the world's best and most healthy kinds of rice. The tandoori dishes are served with nan instead. But personally I prefer the whole wheat flour tandoori roti bread to either the rice of the naan, and I often request that substitute. I always start with a soup. The muligatany soup is excellent and is a famous Indian soup. But you might want to try the lentil soup, which I like even better (spice level #7 for my preference). The tomato soup contains dairy and is good, but you can request it without the dairy, if you wish. I find the other two soups to be more interesting. At lunch, they offer a buffet. Unlike most of the restaurants on the 39th St Restaurant Row, the Taj Palace is open 7 days a week. You also can order from the menu at lunch, but some items on the menu are only available at dinner. For example, the roti whole grain bread is available at lunch, but the prantha whole wheat bread with spinach or cauliflower is usually available only at dinner. On the other had, partha bread usually contains much oil and often butter, but roti (especially if you make clear that you do not want butter) is a very healthy whole grain choice. Unlike many Asian restaurants, this one is not open continuously all day. They have separate hours for lunch and dinner. They begin serving dinner at 5 pm. If you are looking for an earlier dinner, then there are other restaurants on 39th St. that are open all day. If you want outstanding service, ask to be served by the owner: his name is Harry. |
|
Taqueria Mexico 3300 Rainbow Blvd. Kansas City, KS 66103 913-722-9200 |
This
restaurant, at the corner of Rainbow and Southwest Blvd in Midtown is
part of a chain providing an excellent collection of choices of Mexican
food. If you are there at lunch, make sure to look at the back of
the menu, that includes lunch selections. Regarding their seafood
soups, I much prefer their shrimp soup to their fish soup, that
contains only chunks of catfish including bones and skin. The
shrimp soup is a winner. They have a shrimp plus filet fish chunks with veggies that is a big winner, but needs hot sauce and sliced jalapenos, which they are happy to provide. Also they have an especially nice outside covered patio, with two unusually comfortable tables along with other more routine metal tables and chairs. |
Thai Place Grill 4131 Pennsylvania Westport 816-753-THAI Web site |
The
best times to try this restaurant are during their happy hours, from 3
- 6 pm on Monday - Friday. They offer discounts on appetizers and
$2 off on all of their wines by the glass. Otherwise, as Thai
restaurants go, this is not an inexpensive restaurant. This excellent Thai restaurant is one of five in a local chain. For more informaton about it, see the "Johnson County, Wyandotte County, and South KC" section. Among the surprises at this very enjoyable restaurant is a well chosen wine list. For example, they have Zamba chardonnay from Argentina, which I prefer to most American chardonnays. Unlike the heavily oaked American chardonnays, this one is only 30% fermented in barrels and is a blend with viognier grapes. The result is a very enjoyable wine at a moderate price. Among the highlights on the menu is the volcano soup, which is Thai soup at its best. But if you are a vegetarian, you should check whether they are using chicken stock in the soup. The last time I was there, they were. If you request, they will prepare it without the chicken stock. In terms of seafood, the best choice in this restaurant is the scallops. Their crab meat is the imitation kind. I have not yet tried any of the vegetarian choices in this restaurant, but there are many. Between the spicy basil seafood and the spicy seafood lemongrass, I like the latter one better. But they don't use as much lemongrass in that preparation as I'd prefer. They say that they do not use chicken stock or beef stock in any of their sauces, which use soy sauce, seafood stock, and vegetable stock. But unfotunately that is not necessarily the case with their soups. The Thai Place has its own parking lot next to the restaurant (on the south of the restaurant) on Pennsylvania St, but it is a rather small lot. There is another lot just past it, but it is only for the stores that surround that lot, except when the stores are closed. Continuing further south on Pennsylvania, the street becomes a dead end. But in the evening, parking near the dead end is a possibility. Perhaps the easiest place to park nearby is the lot behind Streetside Records on Broadway, only a block away, but be careful about the end of the lot that has private parking signs. Regarding spice level, they offer four choices, numbered from 1 to 4. I recommend level 3, called spicy. I sometimes add my own choice of additional spice to level 3 from their tray of four kinds of spice. Level 4 is called Thai hot, and is too hot for me. |
| Thomas 1815 W. 39th St. Kansas City, MO 64111 816-561-3663 web page AOL web site |
This
neighborhood restaurant on the 39th St. Restaurant Row can be a very
pleasant place to stop for good food and entertainment. You
either can order from their entrees or from their small plates.
In either case, they are happy to make changes to your tastes.
The sauce that I especially like here is the olive oil and garlic
sauce that they serve with their bruschetta. They'll substitute
it for whatever they usually provide on any of their other
dishes. I also request a small amount of their diablo (marinara)
sauce on the side plus some crushed red paper, to add
spice. Also they have very fresh vegetables, and I often
request
substitution of their mixed vegetables for the rice or potatoes
included with many of their entrees. Here the mixed vegetables
are first rate. Also the spinach is excellent, especially with
the olive oil and garlic sauce. As an appetizer, I like their
hummus, but I ask them to substitute slices of fresh green peppers for
the pita bread. Outstanding. They are happy to make things to order. I often request blackened scallops with spinach or blackened shrimp with spinach. On the other hand, their usual preparation of scallops is really excellent. But if you don't want meat in your sauce, don't get that sauce. They are very cooperative with requests, and they do have good quality shrimp and scallops. The scallops come in on Mondays and Thursdays, and on those days the scallops are as good as it gets in the Midwest. On many evenings they have a pianist, Vince Cook, who can play anything on a list of hundreds of songs, currently close to 1000. He often slightly mumbles some of the words (who could get all the words right for a thousand songs?), but he gets the music right and has a pleasant singing voice: great background music for dinner. You can request any of the songs on his amazingly long list. Thomas's has a rooftop deck that is open in good weather, but smoking is permitted on that deck. If you want to add spice to any of their preparations, you can request crushed red pepper or horseradish on the side. They do have Tobasco and a ferocious hot sauce called Death (skip it). The crab cakes here are good, but not to my taste. I like them when mostly crab. Here they include bread crumbs, crackers, vegetables, and eggs, as well as crab. They open for dinner at 4 pm and they offer small plates that can compete with the best tapas in the city, at better prices and larger portions. They do also have entrees on the regular menu and daily special fresh fish entrees that are available only on Thursday - Saturday. Unlike many restaurants with daily specials, this restaurant has its specials available for dinner from the time that they begin serving dinner at 4 pm. Many others will not provide their daily special until they've been serving dinner for at least an hour. They are closed on Sundays. Oddly they do not have any American chardonnay. Of the two that they do have, my preference is for the Clara Benegas from Argentina. They also have good "Fat Cat" Pinot Noir at moderate price. If you want to experience wine etiquette at its best, ask to be served by Aaron. This is a unique place, well worth a try. You could easily miss it, since it is not listed on KC Originals or on OpenTables.com. |
Vietnamese Restaurants on the 39th St. Row Saigon 39 816-531-4447 and Vietnam Cafe 39th 2200 W 39th Ave. Kansas City, KS 66103 913-262-8552 |
While
Sung Son in nearby Westport is outstanding, the Vietnamese choices on
the 39th St. restaurant row are surprisingly restrictive in what they
offer. For example, Saigon
39
at 1806 1/2 W. 39th Street, while having a good reputation for
its food, has no liquor license. They do not accept American
Express but do accept Visa and Mastercard. They have a large
selection of soups, but all contain either chicken broth or beef
broth. They have no vegetable or seafood stock, so will
substitute water, if you don't want the chicken of beef stock.
You will lose a lot of the flavor from that substitution, if you are a
vegetarian or pescotarian. Their concept of "seafood dumplings"
is rather odd. They contain chicken. In contrast, the Vietnam Cafe 39th at 2200 W. 39th St (at corner of Rainbow Blvd) accepts credit cards (but not American Express) and has a liquor license, but only for beer (not even wine). While the Vietnam Cafe includes a separate page of vegetarian dishes, the menu is more complicated for vegetarians than might otherwise seem to be the case. For example, they have no vegetable or seafood stock to use with soups or sauces. So if you don't want chicken or beef stock in your food, you will need to ask for "water base." While the restaurant's specialty is a soup called pho chay, they cannot provide that with water base. In fact they have only one soup that they will prepare with water base (if requested). That is Canh Chua Chay (Tamarind Soup with tofu and veggies), but that Tamarind Soup is outstanding and spiced just right. Regarding sauces that they can prepare with water base, the oyster sauce here is really excellent. For example, I especially like the tom xao rau (shrimp and veggies in oyster sauce). The tofu vegetarian dish (Dau Hu with lemongrass) is good, but they don't use enough lemongrass. I am sure if you asked for extra lemongrass when you place the order, they'd be happy to accommodate, and I would ask for a lot of extra lemongrass. The booths on the lower level are more comfortable than the booths on the upper level. If your preference is for wine with your Vietnamese, you can drive to nearby Westport to Sung Sun, or call in for takeout food from Vietnam Cafe. They will not deliver, but have a substantial business selling take out food (pick up at the bar near entrance). |
|
I can be reached by e-mail at barnett@ku.edu |