The Making of a Foodie

Forget-Me-Nots

I received a few other invitations to dine this month that came from places not always top of mind for me. They are places that I seem to forget about, not on purpose, but perhaps because they have existed a while on the scene, or they are hidden away in a place not always remembered first for their food. They can be places I keep meaning to get into but never seem to make it happen or they can even be old friends that I have much love for, but somehow end up neglecting with all the new places to go and see.

Each of these places,The Drop, Cafe Sebastienne and Chaz at The Raphael, falls into one of these categories above. It is not a testament of their skills, but more a testament to my schedule and ability to remember them. They are all places that should be considered Forget-Me-Nots in your Spring dining bouquets.

The Drop - Eddie Crane and Chef Kelli Daniels at The Drop had been asking me to come in and taste some of Chef Kelli's food for at least a couple of months. I knew I would get myself in to meet my old friends for dinner eventually, but something always came up, and I never seemed to get it on my calendar.

Besides, I felt like I already knew the food at The Drop. The near cult-like love, and most copied dish in all of KC - The Drop's bruschetta, or how about the Arugula salad or delicious soups. It was the food I remember eating when Chef Josh Eans was with Eddie and Ernesto cooking at The Drop. I loved it then, and I love it now. So, when Eddie and Chef Kelli kept calling me to come eat, I couldn't imagine why or what had changed. Now, I know what has changed, and who has changed it. Chef Kelli Daniels. Period.

The funny part is, I actually introduced Eddie to Kelli after I had met her briefly at the Christmas party. My impression of her was that she was someone who was very poised and mature, someone who knew who she was and was open to what would be coming next in her culinary future. She had just left a Chef's position at Skies Restaurant at the Hyatt downtown and she described to me her culinary style as Low Country Delta cooking meets Mediterranean food, which I thought was an interesting combo. But, what struck me the most was listening to her talk about all of the various skills and jobs she had held on her way to becoming a Chef and how her father, who is a well known Chef, was also a major influence in her life and her "waste not, want not" approach to cuisine. At different points in her career, she had worked for a fish monger and a butcher. She had held high end cuisine jobs and casual cookin' gigs. She had worked the gamut and was still in the game. She was also the perfect person to step into The Drop and help Eddie figure out how to get the most from every dollar of food cost. She breaks down her own proteins, makes delicious sauces from what's already in inventory like Apple Cider Vinegar and yet she doesn't cut corners where it counts by using local Campo Lindo Chicken and Elysian Field’s Farm lamb or more widely known among foodies as "Chef Thomas Keller's lamb."

When I did make it in to eat dinner with Eddie, Chef Kelli sent out the dishes she wanted me to see and eat and I was struck by the fact that these where not nibbles or small plates, these were full on entrees. The Drop was officially serving dinner in lovely little, picture perfect portion sizes. Eddie ordered the crab cakes to start and they were very good, with little flecks of fresh herbs mixed in with the crab, but it was the Greek Antipasti platter that made me forget all about The Drop's bruschetta. Literally, as good as their bruschetta is, it is old news, compared to this plate of slices of delicious pork sausage, grilled Halloumi cheese, fresh feta cheese and house made Naan bread toasty warm served with a side of cucumber kalamata olive topping. (If you follow me on Twitter, you know what a freak I am for cucumber.)

After that was a series of her "serious" entrees:

House made gnocchi with roasted chicken, shitake mushrooms, toasted walnuts, arugula in a whiskey butter sauce for $12.

Half a rack of lamb with truffle mint potatoes, wilted spinach and apple cider reduction sauce. $22

Pork Tenderloin encrusted in cumin & cinnamon, grilled polenta, apple slaw and a romensco sauce. $13

I asked Eddie why he had never served food like this before at The Drop. He said, from the day they opened, they had really been severely limited by the kitchen, or lack of kitchen, that they had.

Then Chef Kelli came out to the table and we began talking about her amazing food, and that's when Eddie said "What Kelli has been able to do with a hot plate, a toaster oven and a small convection oven is impressive."

"Wait, a minute", I said, "are you telling me that there is no stove or commercial gas range in the back?"

They both looked at me and shook their head, no. How can this be? The food I just had could not have come from a kitchen without a stove, impossible. Without another word, I picked up my camera and said, "show me, right now."

Behind the black curtain, is a very small T-shaped kitchen. With a medium sized walk-in, a dish pit on one side and a prep station and convection oven on the other side. By the back door, which is kept propped open when it is nice out to help ventilate a room with no hood, is the safe with a little stainless table on top and two hot plates next to the slicer. This is what serves as the range top at The Drop.

I turn to Chef Kelli and shook her hand. I said, "you are one creative, talented lady to be cooking with this set-up."

She showed me her prep list which she has to carefully organize her time around with only two hot plates in the back. She starts most things off on the hot plate and then finishes them off in the convection oven.

She talked about the fact that because they have a smaller oven, it means that only certain sized pots and pan can even fit in there.

It totally makes sense now why my friend Chef Josh Eans went bruschetta as their hero small plate . . .look at what he was working with back there. It is with new eyes, that I now have to reconsider what I thought the food at The Drop was all about. Let's just say, I now have a new appreciation for the labor it takes to turn out a beautiful plate of food like the ones I enjoyed above. Go eat at The Drop and see for yourself why Chef Kelli and Eddie deserve to be remembered.

Cafe Sebastienne  - Chef Jennifer Maloney was the first Chef in Kansas City who upon meeting me, said "Yes, I read your blog. I like it very much." You could have knocked me over with a feather. I have seen Chef Jennifer at many, many culinary events over the last year or so and she is always so very nice to me, and remembers me, which I also find so flattering and kind. But, that is just the way Jennifer is, she is friendly, she is outgoing, she is nice. She also happens to be very well liked and respected by other Chefs in this town. That's because she is extremely talented and because she is passionate about using and finding seasonal food.

We became Facebook friends several months ago, and one night she popped up to chat and said: "So when are you coming to eat at my place?" See, I had confessed to Jennifer that although I had eaten her food at culinary events, I had not made it into the Kemper Museum to eat at her restaurant. Several mutual friends, who love Chef Jennifer and Cafe Sebastienne had also told me what I had been missing and encouraged me to get into her restaurant to eat. I just couldn't place the idea of this earthy Chef, with an interest in ethnic cuisines and flavors, being inside of this art gallery.

When I responded back to her Facebook chat about coming in to eat, she said, "Everyone forgets me here inside the museum." Something about that totally honest statement rang true to me and it pulled at my heart-strings. It is easy to forget those really good restaurants that are tucked away inside of a place you go to for a different reason, other than to just eat.    

Eatie and I made a date and went in for dinner right around my Birthday, in fact I called this my birthday dinner when I was chatting with a friend on the phone a couple of days later. It was a Friday night, and we were seated inside the art-filled main dining room. I wondered if all of the color and movement of the artwork would be distracting or somehow too busy to enjoy our meal. But, in reality, quite the opposite was true. It was the calmest, most still room that I have ever dined in. It wasn't dead air, it was like eating inside of a library or a museum. I found it most soothing after a hugely busy, hectic week to escape into this soundless booth or cocoon. I could talk to Eatie in peace with no competing background noise and no rowdy table mates . . .I swear we could have solved world peace that night with all of the quality communicating that got done.

The people who were dining around us, and we did have many tables, consisted of a very educated, art-loving crowd. Lots of designer glasses, lots of black, lots of good wine being enjoyed while deep and meaningful conversations were going down at the table. I leaned over to Eatie and said: "I feel smarter and more educated just eating the food in this restaurant." It was like they were rubbing off on me, in a good way.

In terms of the food, we had the Soup du Jour, which was a Moroccan Vegetable Stew that was hearty and spicy and full of smoky aromas when it arrived at the table with a plate of rolls and butter.

The server we had that night, played our table just right. Just funny enough to be amusing, and yet, when we needed a serious wine recommendation he had knowledge to spare and really took care of us.

Chef Jennifer also took care of us, sending out extra entrees of short ribs with a beet horseradish cream that was bright pink and perfectly complimented the rich beef flavors.

Eatie ordered the grilled duck with poblano mole and sweet corn polenta for $24. The mole was dark and velvety with a kick of pepper. I ordered the Panko-crusted flake with roasted tomato-fennel relish and French green lentils. For dessert, Chef sent out the Pineapple Cobbler and their flourless chocolate cake. Both desserts, were outstanding and hit the spot after so many delicious entrees.

Chef Jennifer is doing amazing things, with various ethnic flavors and cuisines, inside of the Kemper Museum of Art, I say it's time to support the culinary arts and eat at Cafe Sebastienne.

Chaz inside The Raphael Hotel - I had come to the grand opening of the newly remodeled Chaz Restaurant, which is somewhat unfortunately named after a family member that owns The Raphael Hotel. I only say that because, you have to admit, it is a somewhat dated name. Images of Regal Beagle the bar on Three's Company, always seems to jump in my head when I hear that name. That and the character Larry, from the show, with his tight polyester shirts and his chains and chest hair hanging out (shudder).  But as the PR/Marketing rep for The Raphael, Rick Hughey, explained to me when I put him on the spot and asked him about the name, was that the focus groups they did, actually preferred that name to others because it was international sounding and could be from any culture or country on the planet. That, I could actually see, and understand. 

It also adds up when you see the creative and colorful facelift that the old restaurant has received. With bold punches of red and gold, it's kinda Asian/Moroccan, kinda glamorous Shabby Chic, kinda your Grandma's formal living room all rolled into one. The total impact to the restaurant is visually stunning.

After the grand opening event, I was more than a little surprised when, Rick Hughey, emailed and wanted to know if I would be interested in coming to eat at Chaz. The timing was great, because I was interested in understanding Chef Peter Hahn's food. As a 17 year veteran Executive Chef of the hotel, he has always been held in high esteem in Kansas City. I had also just introduced myself to him at the grand opening event, so I thought this would be a nice way to close the loop with him.

Rick Hughey, graciously offered to join me for dinner, and I gladly took him up on it as a chance to learn more about him and the hotel where Eatie and I had celebrated our honeymoon and our 10 year anniversary a couple of years ago. When I told Rick this story, he laughed and said that I would be shocked to know how many people in Kansas City shared that same story. He said many, many people in Kansas City have honeymooned at one of the most romantic hotels in Kansas City. I laughed and thought there is a story or a marketing stunt in that idea there some where. Perhaps The Raphael should stage a "love in" and invite all the couples that have honeymooned with them in the past back for a night's stay or a special cocktail hour. Something to remind them of that romantic and special night. Heck, I'd go. Why not?

So, we were seated at my favorite booth in the whole restaurant. The one with the round floral ball chandelier seen above. I really thought this table was the cat's meow, until I realized how close it was to the live music playing in the lounge. At times the music was nice ambient noise, but when Rick and I really started talking it suddenly seemed very loud.

After listening to the specials for the night, I was intrigued by an ingredient on a fish dish that he referred to as "celeriac". I thought to myself, perhaps the server mispronounced it. Then I thought I might have mis-heard it. Finally, I just had to ask the manager who had stopped by the table to chat what "celeriac" was. He confessed he was not sure either and gladly went back to Chef Peter to ask exactly what it was. He returned to our table with this piece of produce. Celery Root. Celeriac is another name for Celery Root. I had no idea.

In the other hand, the GM carried a bowl of freshly sauteed celery root for us to try it, along with a bowl of raw celeriac for comparison. How lovely? What a great foodie touch, I thought, crunching on the tasteless raw celery root, and then marveling at how the sauteed root really had the flavor and texture of hash brown potatoes. This apparently comes from the natural sugars in Celeriac, that come to the surface and caramelize. WOW! I had no idea you could saute celery root.

I ordered the fish special and enjoyed it and a piece of duck breast and oat cakes from Rick's plate. We were sharing the food and stories about our past lives. He was a most enjoyable dinner companion.

Chef Peter did come out to our table and we briefly chatted about our meal and his tenure at The Raphael. I asked him if he had everything exactly where he wanted it in the kitchen by now, and he said for the most part, but he would still like more room. Every Chef would enjoy a little more room in their kitchen and a window or two to look out of .  .  .people don't usually realize the hovel holes that most professional kitchens tend to be. There is no office with a view when you cook for a living. You sit in front of a tiny slit of an expo window and have a small view of the restaurant that you give your blood sweat and tears to every day.

I like Chef Peter and I like Rick Hughey very much. I wish them luck with this historic hotel restaurant and will think about my night there as being one to remember.

The All American Meal

The last month has been a whirlwind of good food and interesting invitations to dine at various restaurants around town. It is a rare and wonderful thing when a Chef thinks enough of you and what you are doing to invite you come in and dine. I always feel so honored and flattered, but mostly I am excited, because I know that the Chef is going to take good care of me. They are going to put out the food they are most proud of, or something they believe deserves to be highlighted in some way.

Sometimes, I get invited in the hopes of a mention on the blog or in Tastebud Magazine, sometimes it is because they want my opinion on a dish or a new menu, and sometimes it is to prove me wrong on something I have assumed about their food or their restaurant. Don't get me wrong, if I am invited to dine to "right a wrong", it is done light-heartedly, in a sort of  "check yo' self, before you wreck yo' self" sort of way. Trust me, I appreciate it. If I need to be schooled, then school me.

Sometimes I pay for my meal, sometimes they pay for my meal, or at least some part of it. I never assume that anything will be comped when I agree to accept an invitation to dine, but of course it is lovely when it happens.

Are they buying a mention in my blog, by picking up part of the tab? I don't view it that way. If I go and there is nothing about the meal worth mentioning, then I do not mention it or them. I write this blog to please myself, to put thoughts I have in printed word so that I can ponder them, learn from them and hopefully spread what I have learned to you. 

I usually never turn down an invitation from a Chef, because there may be a story that needs to be told. Whether I have dined there before. . .if you keep asking questions, you will learn something you didn't know before. Either about the restaurant business or about cooking in general. It's my homework and my boot camp, to go and dine out as often as I do. Some weeks, I am really full. Some weeks, I wish I was full. It's feast or famine. Welcome to the world of restaurants.

The most intriguing and surprising invitation came from The American restaurant after reading my post called The American Anew. Napkins across laps? Good, then let's dig in to my most recent meal there.

The American Restaurant - Um, yea, so when Chef Debbie Gold, Executive Chef at The American, calls you on your cell phone and says she read your blog post about The American, and would like to invite you to come and dine at the restaurant so you can taste her food . . .you tend to take that call. I know I sure did. 

The truth is, I have met Chef Debbie Gold before, but not in a way she would remember me. I had also met General Manager and Wine Director for The American, Jamie Jamison, at a couple of different functions I attended last year at The American. I always found him to be gracious and entertaining as well.

So, of course, I accepted the invitation to dine on the rainy Thursday night at The American. I arrived and met my husband, Eatie, at the bar located on the top level tier of the restaurant just as he was ordering a cocktail from the near famous veteran bartender Willie Grandison, who was absolutely proper . . .almost regal in his presentation of Eatie's drink. That man is history. He could sit you down over a stiff drink and tell you some stories, now. I guarantee it. He has seen some stuff, and heard some stuff at this bar over the years. 

The meal that followed was 5 courses of Chef's choice at my request, with a couple of excellent wine suggestions from Jamie. The food that came out of Chef Debbie Gold's kitchen was much different than the food I had enjoyed a year ago for my birthday, when I had celebrated with Chef Celina Tio at The American. This is not to pit one Chef against the other, but to say the differences in their cooking and plating styles and their culinary points of view were much clearer to me now seeing each of them at the helm of this culinary icon in our city. 

Chef Debbie Gold is writing the next chapter of her culinary story in Kansas City right now at The American. Her food is the same, yet completely different from her 40 Sardine days. She has a refined, yet unfussy, way of putting together her dishes. They are serious plates with a mature and educated view of timely, seasonal ingredients that blended together in a sophisticated, yet uncomplicated way. Artful plates, beautiful to look at, with simple ingredients that were meant to be together, yet they were not the usual suspects. Eating her food, to me, was a surprise with each bite. That is what I found most amazing. That, as a fan of her work, she was still able to surprise me with how interesting, or delicious or creative or humble the flavors of the dishes were. This, from one of the best Chefs in KC. I wondered, "who am I to be surprised?"  As a fan of Chef Debbie's, I was pleasantly surprised.

Clearly, she is changing the stuffy image at The American, not to a more casual one, but to a more up-to-date culinary one. I thought, eating her food and seeing her dishes, that she was really producing dishes that were "of the moment" in what's happening in food today. Seasonal, local ingredients, edible art, making things in house - goat butter for the table, then using the whey left over in a sauce on the fish. Wha . . .? Really. Oh, yes and they are now making their own sausage and dry curing it in the basement of The American. (But more on that in a minute . . .)

Finally, pastry Chef Nick Wesemann, who we missed that night, but enjoy his work, gave us a dessert worth talking about in "Beer n' Pretzels" - Oatmeal stout sabayon, spiced porter cake, Guinness profiterole and pretzel ice cream. All I can say is "bottoms up" . . .when it came to the table it was lovely, and carefully crafted. Once we dug into it, the flavors began exploding in our mouths . . .the Guinness profiterole was like biting into a sweetened, beer soaked, cream puff. The flavor of beer shooting into our mouths was inventive, fun and playful. The pretzel ice cream was salty and creamy and delicious. It's nice to see artful desserts with a sense of humor in this town. Bravo! No cheesecake, no key lime pie, no molten chocolate brownie exploding tower of power . . .beer and pretzels.

Let's face it, being the Executive Chef at The American . . .well, being a chef working for The American period, is an honor. It means you are working in the most lauded and highest ranked restaurant in the city. A restaurant that has won more awards over the years than any other restaurant in town to it's credit. The Halls have given every Chef that comes through their doors to cook at The American the opportunity of a lifetime. As another Chef said to me, "the folks at The American work in the greatest culinary playground in this city." 

The American may be the Hall's Family gift to Kansas City, but it is expecting a return on its investment in that they want to have the best, most interesting, most heralded food in the city. The Chefs at The American are expected to have the best equipment and be allowed to experiment with the latest techniques. I want them to have this freedom because if The American restaurant is going to be the iconic symbol of high culinary cuisine in KC to the rest of the country, they need to be serving and creating some of the best food in this city. I think they are.

You can enjoy 3 courses for $65 at The American on up to 9 Courses for $111 per person. Go back to The American to see what you think of Chef Debbie and her band of creative young Chefs . . .see if their food doesn't change your mind, like it changed mine, about the kind of food coming out of that kitchen.

Of course, I might be a little bias. Chef Alex Pope, my first Chef at Test Kitchen, who works at The American under Chef Debbie, came to my table to say "Hi" and dropped off this house-made dry cured sausage that he is making in "the basement" of The American for me to try. It is not often that Foodie is given a Chefs sausage to taste, especially in front of her husband (sorry bad joke), but it was the perfect goodbye gift and a symbol of the culinary playground and the exploration in food that is happening at The American.

April 2009 Table Hopping

TASTEBUD Magazine
Table Hopping - April 2009
“Neighborhood Charm”

Oak 63
408 East 63rd
Kansas City, MO 64110
816-569-6310

Chef J.B. Bremser’s first restaurant, Chez B, was located in the back of High Cotton after Honeymom’s closed. Now he has brought his southern French cuisine and bistro food to a new address just east of Brookside in the old Café Masion space. A tiny kitchen and no storage, means he shops for what he puts on his menu daily. Lunch is rumored to have the best Rebuen in town, but dinner is a French affair with most entrée’s around $15. Try the Seared Duck Breast over arugula salad for $14 and don’t miss the pomme frites. Menu and wine list are short, sweet and simple. ASK: Chef J.B. what is fresh that day to ensure you get the best he has to offer, if he promotes it, you should expect it. 

Stonewall Inn
10242 Pflumm Road
Lenexa, KS 66215
(913) 492-3066

Listed as one of the oldest restaurants in Johnson County, the Stonewall Inn is a little over 30 years old. This restaurant is located in a little white house that sits behind a little stone fence that shares a parking lot with Stonewall Pizza. The original owners, the Kieltyka family, started out serving kielbasa and sauerkraut, which is still excellent, but the current owners have also added homey favorites, like pan-fried chicken to the menu. The relaxed, lodge-like atmosphere is casual and comforting. With good burgers, sandwiches and their two-piece pan fried chicken dinner for $9, Stonewall is easy on the wallet too. FEEL: free to bring your kids to eat, although there is a full bar, it is kept separate from the dining room.

Jasper’s
1202 West 103rd Street
Kansas City, MO 64114
(816)941-6600
http://www.jasperskc.com/

Chef Jasper Mirabile, Jr. or “JJ” and his brother Leonard carry on the family tradition started by their father Jasper Sr. even after moving from their original location on 75th Street to their current home in Watts Mill. Not content to rest on his numerous laurels, Chef Jasper has taken great pains to keep his menu creative and his Italian restaurant up-to-the minute current. He offers seasonal menu’s highlighting the newest techniques and dishes he picked up from annual trips to Italy and the world of slow food. Standouts are the veal dishes for $19 and the Osso Buco for $24. DON’T: miss the opportunity to try their selection Italian wines or any of the house-made “cellos”, a traditional Italian apéritif /digestif. Lemoncello, Blood Orangecello and now Applecello that are all made in house and are stellar.

Potpie
904 Westport Road
Kansas City, MO 64111
(816) 561-2702
http://www.kcpotpie.com



Chef John Williams, and his wife Sarah, opened Potpie in Westport years ago, never dreaming they would actually be serving pot pie on the menu. But, they soon learned that their customers expected them to serve that 1950’s classic dish on their menu. They do a mean pot pie, but you will love the creative and comforting fish, chicken, pork and beef dishes on the menu. Entrees are usually priced in the teens and written on a large chalkboard, which serves as the menu, in the center of the dining room. The place is cozy but not cramped and can be quite romantic at night for dinner. STOP: in for a cocktail at the little bar and you’ll have a front row seat to see into the galley kitchen.

Broadmoor Bistro inside Broadmoor Technical Center
6701 W. 83rd Street
Overland Park, KS 66204
http://www.broadmoorbistro.org/

Before last year, when money from the school district allowed Broadmoor Technical Center to build this new “bistro”, these culinary high school students were cooking Wednesday night dinners for friends and family only. They started out as 25 person practice dinners in classrooms, but soon grew to over 250 people. Go online to view upcoming menus and reserve your seat for one of the final bistro dinners of this school year. An incredible deal, get 4 gourmet courses for $25, with all dishes concepted and prepared by student talent. No alcohol is allowed or served on campus, but you’ll never miss it. HURRY: and make your reservations to attend one of the Wednesday “Bistro Nights” dinners in April before school ends in May for summer break.

A Wing and a Prayer

When I met my husband, Eatie, I was 22 years old. I had finished college in Oklahoma and secured my first "corporate" job at Payless Cashways office downtown on Main. I was hired as a full time Design Contractor for the Marketing Department at Payless Cashways.

(Get this . . .) In 1991, I was hired to sit in a closet in the Marketing Department, and scan line art of building materials into the computer. This line art was used by graphic designers and copywriters to create weekly tabloids that ran in the Sunday newspaper. If there was a piece of clip art they wanted to use, or if the wholesaler had a line drawing in a catalog we thought we needed to use, it was my job to scan in the artwork and COB it, if needed. Ha, to think they actually paid me to do this grunt job by today's technology standards is laughable. Many things were laughable back then, including my palate. Ah, yes, the good old days. When my lunch hour was spent eating mystery meat in the corporate lunch room or bringing my lunch to work to save money. Can you say Ramen? I sure could, back in those days.

In terms of me wanting to be a Foodie, back then I had no idea what that even was. I was just at the beginning of my experimental food phase. I was fortunate, in that, I had a completely open mind to new foods and was more than willing to try new things when presented with them. It helped that I've always loved going out to eat as well. The only thing that made me nervous was I just didn't want to show my lack of sophistication about food and wine and embarrass myself in public. So, I developed an intelligent way to compensate for my weakness. I would listen to what someone else ordered, and if it sounded interesting, then I would say: "I'll have the same". Smart, no? I tried Mussels, Lox & Cream Cheese on a Toasted Bagel, Steak Diane, Calamari and Spumoni ice cream using that little trick. Clever girl.

Once, I was introduced to something, tried it, and liked it, then I felt confident ordering it on my own next time. There was nothing I did not enjoy eating, that I can remember. I was blown away by Thai food and Vietnamese food the first time I tasted it. I remember taking a wine class for business executives to learn more about the basics of wine and how to order it in a restaurant. The teacher discussed the over-exposed popularity of Merlot and Chardonnay, and with audible enthusiasm had us all repeat after him in class one day, "Don't be a slave to Chardonnay." I still use that line today.

Eatie and I met while working in the Marketing Department at Payless Cashways. He was a copywriter there, I was a closeted graphics grunt. He thought my pants were too fancy for him, I thought he was too frat boy for me. We drank with the same group of friends after work, and while I thought he was attractive, he seemed to have little substance to him. I could not have been more wrong. Then there was the morning I saw him on the news, being interviewed by a TV newscaster about being a CASA voluteer and how much he loved helping children have a voice in the court system. That was all I needed to know about his character and his heart. I was hooked. He changed my mind about him.

About one month after I saw Eatie on TV, we went on our first real date. (There were some interesting events leading up to this, but for purposes of this post let's just say, he didn't stand a chance. Foodie always gets her man, always.) He was from St. Louis, and loved the St. Louis style Italian Hill Food at Garozzo's Ristorante at 526 Harrison Street in Columbus Park. "It is the original location," he told me proudly as we pulled in and parked in the mostly Italian neighborhood. The place was small and dark, but I remember thinking it had a really close, quaint, romantic quality to it. Could have been the company, however. :-) 

When we sat down at the table, Eatie leaned over and told me he was starving. That's when I realized I was feeling just a little nervous. The waitress came over, and after we each ordered a glass of wine, Eatie said, "You like stuffed artichokes, right?" I fell silent and my eyes dropped to my menu nervously. I did not have the slightest idea what he was talking about. Stuffed Artichokes? I honestly, did not know people ate them, much less stuffed them.

I wanted to be honest and tell him I had never had one before, but the waitress was standing there expectantly waiting for my response, so I managed a quick nod of my head and mumbled, "sure". Once, the waitress left the table . . .that's when I started to panic. How was I ever going to be able to tell this lovely man, who is on his first date with me, that I have never had an artichoke before, and that I had no idea how to even eat one? I would be branded a bimbo redneck forever in his mind, I just knew it.

I managed to make small talk while we waited for the impending doom of the dreaded artichoke to arrive at the table. My plan was to wait until it had been served, then go to the bathroom and tell him not to wait for me. By the time I got back, I could watch him eating it and then I could join in the fun. I pulled my stunt, and was horrified to get back to the table to find him and the artichoke both waiting patiently for my return. He thought it would be rude to start eating it without me. Oh no, and he has manners, too! Foiled.

When Eatie told me to "dig in" to the artichoke . . .I finally blurted out that I had never had stuffed artichokes before and had no idea how to eat them. With calm, grace and poise he laughed in a relaxed, no worries, kind of way and said, "Really, well, it's easy,  just pull a leaf off the artichoke, place it in your mouth, and scrape it across your top teeth taking the flesh of the artichoke and the stuffing into your mouth at the same time, then you discard the remainder of the leaf." It was a little tricky to master the technique, but well worth the work. It was delicious. But the real experience was getting down to and then watching him clean the heart of the artichoke and cut it in half, one half for him and one for me. Eating the heart was when I really understood the true flavor and texture of an artichoke.

The rest of our meal went by quickly with Toasted Ravioli's, which were invented on "The Hill" in St. Louis, followed by their famous Chicken Spiedini. Garozzo's invented Chicken Spiedini as a healthier alternative to beef or pork. (I had a girlfriend who lived in Leawood who would never host a party in her home without catering in panfuls of Garozzo's Chicken Spiedini. When I asked her why she served it at all of her parties, she shrugged and said "It's easy, and everyone loves Chicken Spiedini.")

The date went well with Eatie. It was memorable, obviously, because all these years later . . .after a dog, a kid, a car and mortgage payment .  . .I still remember that dinner at Garozzo's and the night I learned to eat Artichokes.

On Monday, April 6, 2009, Garozzo's original location at 526 Harrison in Columbus Park will turn 20 years old and Owner, Michael Garrozzo is celebrating. On April 6, dine at any of their four locations and order from the original menu from 1989 sold at 1989 prices. Then on Tuesday, April 7, they will be hosting a special Wine Event Celebration with two seatings at 6:00 pm and 8:30 pm featuring classic dishes and wine pairings. For more information visit their website.

Michael Garozzo said, "we opened 20 years ago on a wing and a prayer." Eatie and I will have been married 14 years this May . . a wing and a prayer . . .indeed.