The Making of a Foodie

Digesting Trends

The end of the year is a wonderful time of year for a food blogger. It is when all of the food trends for the year, and those food trends for the coming year get predicted and published for public consumption. I love studying the year in food and looking forward to the future flavors to come. (Um, bacon-flavored toothpicks, don't make the list. Although, everyone should try them at least once,  just for the freaky novelty of it.)

This week I had the opportunity to interview for Jasper's radio show the Executive Editor for Epicurious.com, James Curry concerning their list of food trends or predictions for 2009. You can listen to that interview here:

James Curry and his team at Epicurious.com every year make some predictions on what will be happening in the world of food in the coming year.

Here's the full list their culinary predictions for 2009, along with my thoughts on each of them as they pertain to Kansas City:

Peruvian is the new Thai : You thought Peruvian cuisine was all about ceviche, maybe? Guess again: Peru boasts culinary influences from Spanish, Basque, African, Cantonese, Japanese, Italian, French, and British immigrants. Pisco Sour, anyone?

FOODIE: So, I said to James, once we stopped recording for the show: "Isn't the national dish of Peru, Guinea Pig?" He assured me it was not and that I might be thinking of Ecuador or some other South American country. But, I believe, I know my Guinea Pig . . .and in the Andes mountains in Peru, they eat our pets as food as you can read here. I'm not sure what this says about Peruvians for eating them, or us, for considering them pets. I tend to lean towards my Peruvian friends on this matter.

Rodent eating aside, I have not seen or heard tale of an actual Peruvian restaurant opening in Kansas City. Although, in speaking to Chef Michael Smith recently, I know he is really getting into South American dishes, cuisines and preparations. In his new restaurant Extra Virgin he has even placed the first Peruvian dish I have seen on any KC menu - Peruvian Ceviche with aji amarillo peppers, citrus & corn nuts for $11. Que? Corn Nuts?

Finally regarding Piscos Sours, I did travel to Chile a couple of years ago on a wine junket and was introduced to the frothy egg white and sweet and sour drink in a Chilean nightclub at about 1 am surrounded by the thud-thud-thud sound of the hypnotic Eurotrash dance music and a throng of sweaty club kids. Pisco Sours are considered the national cocktail of Chile (a distinction they share with Peru) and for good reason. I came home with a bottle of Pisco and dice game from Chile called Dudo in my suitcase. I actually learned how to play Dudo on that trip in a cozy, log-cabin, in front of a roaring fire, on a mountain top after too many Pisco Sours. However, I can tell you . . .Piscos Sours could be the new Mojito, except that Mojitos are "out" too . . .see #4 below.

Noodle Bars are the new Sushi Joints: With some seafood being suspect or overfished and raw fish prices high, noodles make complete sense. If there's no ramen, udon, or soba shop in your neck of the woods, there probably will be soon.

FOODIE: I have been reading in the industry trades that many casual dining and quick casual restaurants are trying to figure out how to add Asian dishes with rice or noodles to their menus. Why? Because in this slipping economy, it is low cost/high margin items like rice bowls and noodle bowls that can help a restaurant to survive. The more filler, the less meat, the cheaper the food cost of a dish. The lower price is perceived as a "value" by the guest which means they order this dish more often, allowing more money to be made by the restaurant. I can see how this one ties into the big picture of our economy, not to mention all of the issues with fish mentioned above.

I think the one hurdle we have is getting comfortable with using chopsticks and the slurp/shoveling method of eating proper Asian noodle or rice bowls. It really is the easiest and most proper way to eat them. I learned watching my Malaysian friends, but once you are good at it, you can surprise and amaze your non-Asian friends. Kinda like when you learned to tie the stem of a cherry in a knot with just your tongue. Like that, only, way more filling and fun.

"Value" is the new "Sustainable": These days, the economy dictates our cooking and shopping decisions. Bargains are in, no matter where they come from.

FOODIE: Particularly in the Midwest, where many people still care more about large portions of completely average food for the price, this rings very true. I had a friend once  tell me, "Yes, it is easy to choose to eat only vegetables in a country where you have a good enough job to be able to afford to "say no" to certain types of food, unlike starving third world countries who have never even heard of vegans." To stay true to your beliefs, and eat only sustainable food is a nice theory that can go down the drain when you can't afford it in your household budget.

However, take a another look at the math, shopping at farmer's markets for your produce and going through your CSA for your meat, etc. if you averaged the cost of shopping sustainable versus buying only supermarket food, I suspect it would be the same, if not cheaper. Besides, it is so much more fun to get out and meet the people that grow your food. To sit behind your coffee cup, and peek out from under your eyelashes so they don't catch you staring and watch with interest the Chefs who come out to shop for their restaurants at the market. (I'm not the only one, right?) The truth is the only thing you potentially lack when shopping sustainably is the variety of foods available to you (remember friends: food in season always tastes better than when it is not, so shift your mind set on this idea that you must have access to all produce all the time) and the convenience of shopping for it all in one place. 

I take issue with eating sustainably, when I am doing what's best for me, my family and the environment by eating this way and they want to charge me more. Much like the car rental companies want to charge you a premium for renting a eco-friendly Prius . . .but wait, I shouldn't have to pay a premium to live a better life. Right? I should be rewarded for making the best decision for not only myself, but the entire planet. In fact, you should pay me as an incentive to keep up the good work. Okay, sorry about the soapbox. I'm stepping off now.

Ginger is the new Mint: Move over, mojitos. Ginger beers and ginger cocktails (like the Ginger Rogers, Gin-Mule, and Ginger Smash) are bubbling up at places like the Violet Hour in Chicago, the Clock Bar in San Francisco, and Matsugen in New York.

FOODIE: I am not sure about this one being embraced by Kansas City any time soon. I was at an ice cream tasting last week that featured a new ice cream flavor with ginger in it. Most people at the tasting, preferred it the least, and felt like it was a very dominant, polarizing flavor, hard to ignore. I love it, but have not come across it in cocktails anywhere in KC. Has anyone seen this in KC? I'd love to know where to go to try a ginger cocktail in this town. A good one.

As far as mojitos or any other drink whose origins are from some other country, I'll say this. I really, really love the idea of national drinks from other countries coming over and hitting it big in the US. It's like traveling the globe and never having to leave your bar stool. It is educational, it exposes you to combinations and flavors you may have never had before.

But, I do have one request. Bartenders, dears, do me a favor, if you are going to put one of these international drinks on your menu, please don't call it by it's traditional name and then try to improve on an already good thing. Really, drinking something traditional, should be made just that way, traditionally, and simply for that matter. Don't worry, I will still love you, and your side burns, fitted black dress shirt, man necklace and dazzling smile . . .just make my drink the way it is made in the country it is trying to represent. That's it . . .that's all I am asking for.

I suppose I might be jaded. Having had one too many bad mojitos made for me to really say I am going to miss the mint stuck in my teeth . . .or in the case of a mojito I had in New York that was prepared with basil, instead of mint. When I asked the bartender if he meant to use basil, he shrugged and said that they were out of mint, so he thought basil would be a fine replacement. Yes, I thought, setting my untouched drink back down on the bar. They are the exact same thing, like apples and oranges.

Smoking is the new Frying: You know how everything tastes better fried? Well, almost everything tastes better smoked, too, and that includes cocktails. Bartenders (Eben Freeman at Tailor in New York, for example) are smoking their bourbons, and chefs, recognizing the national craze for BBQ flavor, are smoking more than just salmon and ribs: nuts, salts, even smoked steelhead roe (at Chicago's Alinea). Who says smoking's bad for you?

FOODIE: I think because of Kansas City's BBQ culture we are WAAAYYY ahead of the  curve on this one. Heck, we'd smoke our Momma's if they would sit still long enough. I just heard from Ryan Maybee, that he has purchased a PolyScience Smoking Gun (or chicken bong, whichever you prefer) and plans to start experimenting smoking dark brown liquors. I told him to call me, when he was ready to start taste testing. The bartenders up at Justus Drugstore are doing similar smoking techniques in their cocktails. Watch us go, we could own this trend in KC.

Regional Roasters are the new Starbucks : It's come full circle. What started as a local coffee phenomenon migrated to other cities and turned Americans into java junkies. Then the chain overexpanded, and the little neighborhood coffee roasters thrive again, like Stumptown (Portland, Oregon), Blue Bottle (San Francisco), and La Colombe (Philadelphia).

FOODIE: Again, I am proud to say we have so many good examples of local/regional coffee roasters in this town. Roasterie, Parisi, Friendly Bean, Broadway Cafe (which of course will always be remembered as the little coffee shop to chase Starbucks off the corner of Westport Road) Heck, we even have big corporate coffee as we have a Folger's coffee roasting plant downtown.

Portland ( Maine ) is the new Portland ( Oregon ): Abundance of great chefs, restaurants, and local foodies? Check, check, and check. Want examples? Visit Five Fifty-Five, Hugo's, and Fore Street to start.

FOODIE: Really? Really, really? I honestly had no idea that Portland, Maine was blowing up on the food scene in the US. I knew that Portland, OR was a hot bed two summers ago when I went to Seattle . . .all they could talk about was the amazing restaurants in Portland, OR. The restaurant examples given do look like interesting and relevant choices . . .including Hugo's a restaurant exclusively dedicated to everything cooked in duck fat. Portland, Maine . . .hmmm.

Rustic Food is the new Molecular Gastronomy: Wacky weird-science cuisine that requires fancy-schmancy equipment doesn't necessarily make food taste better, and more often than not it adds needless complexity (there are exceptions). Most importantly, no one really wants to do this at home. Expect to see comfort food stage a comeback again.

FOODIE: I think we are still a little too much of a Cowtown and exist too far from a really big city to get much interaction with true Molecular Gastronomy, like Alinea in Chicago, for example, or Chef Ferran Adria from elBulli located on a mountain top in Spain. I suppose the closest we have in KC comes from the very talented couple, Chef Colby and Chef Megan Garrelts at Bluestem who came to KC from Chicago. The other thing we have working against us is that most folks in the Midwest, think molecular gastronomy is a joke and a rip-off for the money you pay. If you don't understand or appreciate the art or creativity, you could never value the experience of paying to eat this type of cuisine. I can't tell you how many people refer to it as "space food." I even find myself (as someone who would certainly love to pay to eat this food) referring to it as "frozen balls of fluff on fire" from time to time. The truth is we are much more comfortable eating things that we understand and that puts us at supreme ease. And with the state of the economy this holiday season, who doesn't need to be comforted in any way possible. Rustic, home cooking, can certainly give us those feelings. We have always been more about rustic food in Kansas City. Reminds me of the food at Joe D's new place in Mission Farms called Zest. We were "in", before "in" was "in".

"Top-Rated" is the new "Critic's Pick": Power to the people; single critics are a dying breed. Why believe what one person says when you can read and reflect on what hundreds think?

FOODIE: This is probably the most interesting to me as a food writer and blogger in Kansas City. I think both the single critic and the masses can co-exist to educate all Foodies as a whole. But it goes without saying that your opinion of a restaurant should also way heavily into the mix of outside sources.

But I think any of them, all by themselves, does not really tell someone the true picture of what a restaurant is capable of day in and day out.

Here's what I would like to see in terms of food reviews, being someone who reads and pays attention to what both professional food critics and the great unwashed masses have to say about restaurants:

1) Food critics must have palates somewhat close to those they are reviewing on behalf of and informing. They can certainly be more experienced and more educated than the average palate, but they should certainly not be any less experienced. But if a critic were born and raised in, say Asia, for example, with dining experiences in 5-star restaurants all over the world that most of us have never experienced . . how can they advise us on what we might like or appreciate in a local restaurant?  Basically, their palates would have developed so far beyond most of ours, that perhaps no local restaurant could technically ever measure up, or perhaps they could, but none of our palates would be able to tell the difference. In other words, they speak only for the few who have had the level of experience they have. Instead of bringing us all up with them, their negative reviews make us feel like they, well, hate us and our food. I want to know they speak and review for me, and not just for themselves and their own personal bar, wherever it might be on the scale.

2) They need to have more than a passing interest in eating food and drinking wine. You must have a passion for it. You need to have studied them both, but you don't need to be a Chef. You need to be well-read and well-traveled and you need to be a great written and verbal communicator.

3) You must make writing about food and restaurants fascinating. Make us feel like we were there at the table with you. You must be technical about your reviews and give us specifics, but not too technical. You must educate us without making us feel stupid. You must tell us a couple of things worth ordering, and what you would skip. You must also be able to properly judge the circumstances of your meal - decor and atmosphere, time of day, state of the restaurant, service and timing. If you can only judge food, you are not reporting on the full dining experience. Once your report is written and filed, you must also call and speak to both the General Manager and Chef about any issues. Ask them what they think happened to make your meal extra special or what went wrong and needs improvement. Teach them to get better as you learn your craft in an open and honest way. Publish what they tell you, and publish what you think.

4) If you truly cannot find anything positive to say about any given restaurant, not one thing, then don't publish your review. Just don't review them. Let your absence of mention, be the greatest statement you can make about a place. Trust me, if they aren't doing a good job, they won't be around long enough for you or anyone else to worry about them.

5) Also, I do NOT think that a single reviewer needs to eat at a restaurant more than 1-2 to be able to properly review it. Most of us would never give a crappy restaurant another chance, if provided with crappy food or service or some combination. Why should a reviewer give them more chances than we would?

6) Review only local restaurants, high end to low end from different parts of the city. Review no national chains. In this economy, our local places are the ones that give KC it's unique food culture and experiences. They deserve to be supported first and foremost. We all know that the chains are out there. The only exception I might make would be to review a new chain that Kansas City had never seen before, but even then, if you travel at all, you will have seen even the new chains in another city.

7) I think the days of anonymous food critics has come and gone. First, everyone already knows who you are in the business. Lauren, Charles, G.E. - everyone knew/knows these faces once they hit a restaurant door. It's your job to know who these people are. So why pretend that a single person can go in anonymously and review a restaurant in this town. If you really think that is important or makes a difference in how you get treated, then send in a different person to each restaurant to do and write the review. Have a whole team of people you can dispatch around the city that would write under one anonymous name for your publication. But, I think an even better choice is to have a single reviewer that everyone could get to know. One, that can build a rapport and loyal following with your readers. If I am to trust what you are saying, I need to know who you are. If the restaurants already know who you are, and your publication knows who you are . . .then why can't I, as a reader, know who the heck you are too?

8) Finally, everyone, including the single critics, should read everything that others say about a restaurant on different the food boards and blogs. You can tell, just by reading the entries on Chowhound and other food blogs like Kansas City Lunch Spots if someone knows what they are talking about . . .or not. Use your best Foodie instincts and look for reviewers and boards that have a variety of food interests and people on them to make sure you are reading what a cross-culture of people think about a particular restaurant.

9) Finally, once the research is done, eat at the restaurant and form your own opinion. Don't let anyone lead your thinking, make up your own mind and stand by it. Do allow these resources to help you fill in around the borders of your experience for additional richness and clarity, or use them simply to decide which place you want to try first.

I am looking forward to taking a big bite out of 2009, now that I have digested these trends. Aren't you?

Watching the Markets

From almost the moment I arrived in Kansas City, 15 years ago, I have dreamed of having a loft downtown. It would be a wide open space, very little furniture in it other than a fireplace, bed, writing desk and a nice kitchen.  It would be modern, but warm and sexy-cool. I would wander around in it wearing nothing but a silk slip, a cashmere robe and woolen leg warmers pulled up over my knees and a hot mug of coffee in my hands . . .don't ask, I chill easily, besides whose fantasy is this anyways?  Seriously, how sick am I to have the outfit picked out for the loft that has never come to fruition?

I honestly could just never afford to make the leap in my twenties. I settled instead for living in the Baker's Apartments on 39th Street. Not too shabby a zip code for a future Foodie, as 39th Street is now known as Restaurant Row. I had heard a rumor from the Landlord back then that the famous local food writer/restaurateur/critic in Kansas City, Lou Jane Temple, lived in the top floor of my apartment building. I always wondered about that, as I have never met her in person so I could ask her about it. Looking back now, it seems like karma I ended up living there. Those were the final days of Cafe Lulu (which was Lou Jane's baby) and the rise of Cafe Allegro, who produced many a talented KC Chef that were scattered across our city when they finally closed. I enjoyed eating pizza from d'Bronx, oyster po'boys from Jazz and the best tuna fish sandwiches from The Nutty Girl. It's funny I just recently discovered a clothing store I love down there called Revue. When I asked the gal working in there how long the owner had been on 39th Street, she replied casually, "oh, about 20 years." In other words, she was there when I lived directly across the street. I never knew that. (I received an email from the owner of Revue today, she is closing for good on December 15, and liquidating the store this week. How sad for her and for me. I wait so long to find you, only to lose you.)

However, many of my friends lived downtown in those early years. Usually with the financial help of a roommate or a serious boyfriend or girlfriend. Back then, I was unwilling to share my new found freedom with a roommate, even in exchange for my beloved loft. When I would wistfully ask my friends what it was like living in an urban loft downtown the refrain was the same . . ."Oh, you know parking on the street sucks and there is no grocery store anywhere close to me. I have to pay a fortune just to buy toilet paper and coffee from the gas station down the street."

There were always rumors of this grocery chain or another getting ready to go in downtown. I can remember when the rumor was that Dean and Deluca was going in downtown.  Of course, they never did. Back then, there was really no reason to . . .it was a time before all of the high rise, empty nest condos were being built, so there was not enough of a tax break or population influx to need to figure out how to put a decent grocery store downtown. So my friends living downtown would flock to the SunFresh in Westport. They had no other choice. They had to, *gasp,* drive to get groceries. This was a big deal for anyone who had visions of not needing a car, if you lived downtown. It should all be right there within walking distance, or else, why do it. But the fantasy of being able to walk to and from the grocery store is the ultimate psychological symbol that one is truly living the urban dream. (That is until they realize that they can only carry two bags of food home at a time. A Foodie nightmare, no doubt.)

That's why I personally threw my hat in the air, Mary Tyler Moore style, in celebration at the news that downtown would finally have a proper grocery store. Those brave souls taking the tax break and the gamble are our local Cosentino's Market going in across from the Midland Theater. (FOODIE NOTE: This store will be opening to the public on January 6, 2009, I am going to be there with bells on to check it out.)  I was at a restaurant grand opening event a few weeks ago down in the Power & Light District and parked my car in the garage right next to this new store. When I walked by the windows and realized what I was looking at, I began snapping these photos. Let me tell you, it is going to be a behemoth space. My mind raced and my mouth salivated at the idea how much wonderful food and wine would be crammed into every square inch of this new store. Trust me, the discriminating folks living downtown are going to want for nothing as soon as the doors of this place blow open. Let's all say it in unison: "It's about time!"

The people who live and work downtown are really counting on the Cosentino's to "bring it" with this new store that so many have been waiting so patiently to arrive. It will really be so nice to have this option, perhaps not for me as I do not live or work downtown, but for all of you living my loft dream.

If you know anything about the current Cosentino's Market in Brookside, then you know it is truly considered a foodie mecca by those in the neighborhood who shop there. Especially, if you are into local and organic food. I've also heard good things about their little wine department. (O.M.G. I miss living on the Missouri side of the state line. Yes, I would like a little cheese with my whine, thank you.) Unlike the other 22 SunFresh, Price Chopper and Apple Markets owned by The Consentino's, The Market is the gourmet older brother to all of their other stores. They use this store to try, test and perfect ideas . . .and their patrons are most thankful they do.

I don't think Cosentino's has anything to worry about in terms of whether the business will be there to sustain them. This is how I think the math will work. I think the population living downtown that might shop their store matters, but is not the most important thing. 1) They have the convenience factor on their side, even if the prices are a little higher, people will still pay something for convenience. If you build it, they will come. 2) More than likely their customers will be working, educated folks . . with educated tastes. I don't know about you, but if I had to visit a gourmet grocery store every couple of days to pick up some staples to be able to walk home easily with them, I would go broke giving them all of my money. Foodies love to shop for, what else, food. Especially, if I can find all my favorite gourmet brands. 3) Consider all of the people who work in the urban core, who could walk down from the office and pick up a handful of things to take home and make supper with. 4) Finally, I suspect there will be plenty of other reasons it will succeed, including the opportunity to purchase your weekly wine allotment as you make your grocery purchases.

That alone will make Cosentino's Market a long-awaited smashing success.

So, I applaud you Cosentino, as will all of the fine people who live downtown the minute you open your doors. Heck, I am so happy to see you open, I might drive in from Lenexa to start shopping at your store just to show my appreciation for filling a long time Foodie need in Kansas City.

A little further south on 39th Street, my good friend Vivanne Berghmann and her husband Steven Pauwels have finally opened their convenience meal take-out/restaurant business called The Duchess of Flanders in the old Mulberry and Motts location. I met Viv and her husband at the Missouri Bank Small Business class, and when I heard Viv's story I was intrigued. Vivanne is originally from Belgium with a lovely accent to match. For the past six years, she's been making staff lunch for the workers of our own Boulevard Brewery, where her husband is the brewmaster. After doing this heavy lifting catering for quite some time, Viv got the itch to own a little place of her own. A place that would serve the working men and women of the community put a good meal on the table for their families after a hard days work. This is a tradition from Belgium, where butchers who used to sell just cuts of meat to be made into a meal, just went ahead and began preparing meals you could stop by on your way home from work and purchase to feed your family. The prepared dishes would be charged by the pound, just like the meat was in the butcher shop.

I emailed Viv when I had heard she opened and she sent me a lovely email telling me that she had a few tables in her shop where people could purchase her food and sit and eat it if they chose to, but that the bulk of her business was convenience meal take-out. She sent me her current menu for December which has different selections each day for lunch and dinner. Lunches are full of sandwiches and flavorful soups, and dinners appear to be hearty fare, but not too fancy that your family would not recognize them, things like: Provençal Roasted Pork Loin and roasted potatoes, Meatloaf with Tomato Jam and Macaroni and Cheese, Flemish Beef Stew and Chili Con Carne. All entrees are between $8-$12 a pound. Viv also makes side dishes, vegetables and desserts all for take-out as well.

I need to get in there and try her wonderful, hearty dishes for myself even though I no longer live close to 39th street, I want to support Viv and her Foodie dream. If you go see her, please tell her I said "Hello," and tell her I will be coming in soon to check out her food and her place. After all, she told me in class, "You know, Dean and Deluca? I am going to be like a mini Dean and Deluca serving the neighborhoods around 39th Street." Aim high, Viv, aim high!

Speaking of Dean and Deluca, I have become a stalker of the new One Nineteen shopping center out at 119th street and Roe. I keep watching and waiting as they are building out the brand new Dean and Deluca location on the pad out front. (FOODIE NOTE: So, no sooner do I publish this, than I get a source tipping me off that Dean and Deluca WILL NOT be moving across the street into this new location. It is just a rumor, but I have it now from two sources that One Nineteen is shopping for a new tenant for this space. Now, if you will excuse me, I think I need to be alone now.)  It is going to be a whopping 15,000-square-foot site, many more square feet than their old location on the corner of Town Center. It is scheduled to officially open in the spring of 2009, but they plan to make the move from the old space sometime in February. (Hurry up, I can't wait much longer sez Foodie.) Now, I am left to figure out what exactly are they doing to do with all of that extra space? Do you think they will expand their coffee bar? A larger dessert area? Perhaps they will add back in their wine selections, that they opened the store with across the street, but then quickly took out as it apparently wasn't selling and taking up too much floor space. Will they be able to add more space for cooking gadgets and cookbooks. (Psst, I am looking at canelé molds at the moment, perhaps you could consider adding that to the inventory.) Or perhaps more racks of specialty ingredients and interesting canned goods from other countries.

This New York retailer really does a nice job bringing all of the things Foodie together under one roof. Gadgets, tools, specialty ingredients, prepared entrees, sides and desserts for convenience meals, a lunch counter that makes fresh soups, salads and sandwiches fresh to order, a coffee bar with terrific desserts, and a butcher, a fish monger, a bakery and a cheese shop all rolled into one. I try really hard not to drool when I go in there. Oh, you will pay a pretty penny . . .which is why I have to limit my exposure to them or I would be in the poor house. This store always reminds my of my first trip to London many years ago when I discovered the Food Hall inside of Harrod's department store. I had never seen so much perfect and delicious looking food in my life as I did in that gorgeous tiled food hall. I remember snapping away photos of the food, and being immediately asked by a security guard to put my camera away. (Yes, security guards in most places (stores, art gallerys, airports etc.) love me. They are drawn to my inherent sense of lawlessness and joie de vivre and immediately feel like that need to put me in check. I must look like the enemy to them.)

Another piece of good news as shown by this photo I took above, is that this new Dean and Deluca will also have drive-up service to make your life just a little easier. I quiver to imagine having the bank to afford to be able to purchase so many things that I would actually need to use the drive-up service to have help loading it into my car. But in case you do, they are ready for you, just as we are ready for them.

So, in the continuing theme of authority figures who love me, when I snapped these photos today at One Nineteen a security guard in a RED development truck stopped long enough to give me the hairy eyeball before slowly rolling by me as he was doing his rounds, literally, around the entire parking lot. But in his defense, I was wearing my talk o' the town rabbit fur Elmer Fudd hat and sunglasses today. How could he resist my charms in this get up I wore to ensure all of my body parts survived the cold today. Artic blast = fur hat. If he would have interrogated me, I would have told him, No worries, my friend, I was just watching the markets today. Aint nothing but a Foodie thing.

FOODIE NOTE: I realized that I have one more market to add to this list and that is the new Restaurant Depot that is now open in the West Bottoms. I was lucky enough to be given the Foodie tour by a friend who has a Costco-style membership card, which you need to get in and take advantage of the large quanities at terrific prices. (There is no membership fee, all you need to get your own card, is a federal tax ID number.) The week this place opened, Foodies all over KC were calling anyone and everyone they knew to get inside and take a peek at what a warehouse full of restaurant produce, meat, cheese, canned goods, paper goods, party trays, to-go boxes, straws, eating and drinking utencils, uniforms, all the way up to restaurant equipment. They run the complete gamut. There are no minimums to buy. If you just need one or two of something, they will sell it to you. You need more, they will sell it to you. They staff their stores with people who have worked in restaurants or the food service industry, so they will be able to help you find what you are looking for in their four walls. They have locations in 23 states in this country and are expanding quickly into many more.

So, the day my Foodie friend snuck me in to take a peek . . .I saw no less than three local Chefs in there checking the place out and looking at prices. It did occur to me that Restaurant Depot would be perfect for the following types of people:

• Local restaurants/bars who can't meet the minimums or don't have a dock for supply trucks.
• Local Catering companies
• Local Churches, Schools or Daycares that offer meals.
• Local BBQ boys on or off the circuit
• Local food festival folks who host annual events

When I took my tour, I was most interested seeing in the food . . .although, I will confess, I ran my fingers over the Chef's jackets fantasizing about getting one for my own personal use. But then I felt conflicted. Wouldn't that be like wearing a doctor's white coat if you weren't really a Doctor. I am not sure where the line is there, but out of respect for the profession and all Chefs everywhere . . .I decided not to get one. If any Chef out there would like to send me one of theirs to wear, Foodie would happily wear your colors. 

One final question I was pondering once I had toured the lovely produce and large meat department (with pigs and lamb hanging on the hoof, no less) was this, which I'll now pose to you: "If we as Foodies think that shopping at Costco is a slap in the face to supporting local and sustainable farming and food, then why would we be excited that our favorite local restaurants would be buying their foods from Restaurant Depot that does not buy or provide local foods to our restaurants?"

Chew on that. 

Foodie Family Fun

For the last two weeks, my Table Hopping segments on LIVE from Jasper's Kitchen have been focused on foodie family fun for everyone. I thought I would go ahead and publish these recommendations for all of you to read in case you missed the show.

I take my son every year around this time on the Tasty Trains excursion and we are about due this year, so I hope these give you some fun ideas of ways you can share your love of food and adventure with your children. Enjoy!

Tasty Trains - Union Station

DO: Make the drive downtown to our very own operating train station, Union Station. You will want to stand in the lobby and take in it’s fully restored beauty, enormity and history. Then go down and watch the Amtrak trains pulling in and out of the station. If you have never traveled by train, a ride on an Amtrak train can really fit the bill. I know people who ride the train from Kansas City to Hermann, MO to tour the wineries out there or ride it to St. Louis for a long weekend. It is a relaxing way to travel and see the country.

Next, head back up to the lobby at Union Station and check out the Holiday Village Model Train Display that they set up every year. Watch miniature trains zip around miles of track and through a variety of very small but very elaborate scenes including a fanciful holiday village. The train display runs through Jan. 4 from everyday except Monday until 5 pm. FREE.

Once you have seen the miniature trains in action, then it is time for your own little conductor to take a train ride. The Holiday Spirit Train located in the Main Hall of Union Station pulls back into the station this year. Bring the kids for a ride on this restored train formerly operated at the Jones Store in downtown Kansas City. Train runs Nov. 28 – Jan. 4 everyday at 9:30 am, 12 pm, 3 pm. Cost is $3 per child, per ride.

EAT: Then take the sky walk from Union Station to Crown Center and have lunch at Fritz's Railroad Restaurant. This train-themed diner serves up some very tasty cheeseburgers and hot dogs the whole family will enjoy. Orders are phoned in tableside and then delivered by train, complete with whistle blowing, right to your table. This is a patented, one-of-a-kind delivery system that, I promise, will delight the Conductor in you.

Tea Party - Country Club Plaza

DO: Treat your family to a fairy-tale experience by starting with a carriage ride around the plaza. Look for the Kansas City Carriages - Cinderella Horse Drawn Carriage. While you ride, get an up close view of the famous Plaza Christmas Lights, while snuggling under a blanket. This particular carriage can be found on the corner of Nichols Road and Pennsylvania in the Country Club Plaza. Carriages run Monday-Friday 5 pm – 10 pm and Saturday-Sunday 1 pm to 10 pm. Cost is $60 for two people and each additional child is $5 ages 4-12. Children under 3 no charge.

EAT: Then walk across the bridge from the Plaza to the Intercontinental Hotel and indulge in a delightful Holiday Afternoon High Tea from 2-4 pm in the lush Oak Room – cost for tea service and snacks $24-$34. Enjoy delicious teas, pastries and tea sandwiches. Three teas to choose from: Traditional, Diplomat or Champagne. Reservations are required. The Oak Room really provides a lovely view of the Plaza and the twinkling holiday lights. And don’t forget to stick that pinky out when you sip your tea.

“Hot or Cold” Ice Skating - Park Place Shopping Center

DO: Bring your own skates or rent them at the brand new outdoor ice rink located at the Park Place shopping center off Nall, right behind the Town Center in Leawood, KS. For $6 admission and $3 for skates, you can hit the ice with friends and family, or someone you love enough to watch fall down and pick back up off the ice. Open Mon-Sat until 11pm and
 Sun. until 8pm.

EAT: Then head to Ingredient, the second outpost for the Kerner brothers, whose first location is in Lawrence. Ingredient is a fresh and delicious local soup, salad and sandwich restaurant conveniently located next to the ice rink. Warm up with some hot coffee, hot chocolate or chocolate fondue from their i-Bar.

EAT: Or keep the ice theme going and hit the new gelato place called Paciugo “pah-CHOO-go” located on the other side of the ice rink for some fantastically flavorful gelato – think pumpkin pie, Mediterranean sea salt carmel, or dark chocolate and jalapeño.

Farm to Table Christmas Cookies - Shatto Milk Company Farms

DO: Drive up to Osborn, MO (near St. Joe) and take the Shatto Milk Company Dairy Farm Tour – Tours are by appointment only, and last for about and hour and 30 minutes. $5 per person with children under 2 FREE. See a baby cow, pet a cow, feed a cow, milk a cow then watch the bottling process in their signature glass bottles. Samples are included in the tour price. To make an appointment for a tour call (816) 930-3862.

EAT: After the tour, purchase the goods at their on-site Country Store to take home with you to make the best Christmas cookies you have ever tasted using Shatto butter, cream, milk etc. . . .and don’t forget to pick up some Shatto Farms Egg-Nog for you to sip on while you are baking. Tis’ the season to treat yourself.