The Making of a Foodie

35 Holiday Gifts for KC Foodies

35 Foodie gifts to give this Holiday Season (in no particular order): Shop Local, Eat Local!

1.    A bottle of delicious Tawny Port from Somerset Ridge Vineyard & Winery http://www.somersetridge.com/

2.    A Cellar Rat Wine Club Membership between $29.99 per month - $149.99 - http://www.cellarratwine.com/

3.    Loaf of povitica from locally-owned Strawberry Hill Povitica - https://secure.povitica.com/flash/home.html#/home

4.    Box of Chocolates from Annedore’s Fine Chocolates - Chef Aaron Dearinger is the only Chef in town still making his chocolates 100% by hand. http://www.annedoreschocolates.com/

5.    Shatto Milk E-Z Open Bottle Opener and a bottle of their Pumpkin Egg Nog - http://www.shattomilk.com/store.html

6.    Meadowlark Acres – Suzanne Frisse makes the best homemade jellies in flavors like Fresh Mint Lime Moijito, and Pink Champagne Ruby Basil. http://meadowlarkacres.com

7.    Medium Hot XXX Pickles from local guy Cobinsteinz’s Pickles & Peppers - http://thegourmetpickle.com/

8.    Gift Certificate to take a class from the Culinary Center of Kansas City - http://www.kcculinary.com/

9.    Green Dirt Farm Cheese “Dirt Lover” - http://www.greendirtfarm.com/

10. Vita Craft Cookware - http://www.vitacraft.com/ manufactured in Shawnee.

11. Absolutely anything from Pryde’s in Westport, best kitchen store in this city - http://www.prydeskitchen.com/

12. Bon Bon Atelier in Westport sells recycled restaurant ware with cool designs like a pig’s heart or skull, or you can get the kitch n’ glam apron - http://www.bonbonatelier.com/index.php

13. An assortment of whole cooking spices from Penzeys Spice in downtown Overland Park or Whole Foods - http://www.penzeys.com/ and a mortar and pestle to grind your own spice mix.

14. A new Chef’s knife with a carrying kit to transport all of your knives to Ambrosi Brother’s on Main Street, to be sharpened - http://www.abcutlery.net/

15. New set of flatware in time for the holiday’s from Silverwarehouse on Vivion Road - http://www.silverwarehouse.com/

16. A unique cookie cutters from Off the Beaten Path – Leading supplier located in KC - http://cookiecutter.com/about-us.aspx

17. Craig Adcock of Belly Up BBQ’s famous – Jude’s Rum Cake  http://www.judesrumcake.com/

18. CSA Membership for locally grown vegetables and locally raised meats and eggs. http://www.kc-csac.org/farms/

19. Shatto Milk’s old fashion wire milk carton that fits two large bottles of Shatto Milk with a handle. Awesome. http://www.shattomilk.com/store.html

20. Christopher Elbow’s Glace Ice cream and all natural locally made Soda Vie to make ice cream floats. http://www.glaceicecream.com/ and http://www.sodavie.com/

21. Local company, Velvet Cream Popcorn, bring in your can and they will refill it for you. KC holiday tradition. http://www.velvetcremepopcorn.com/

22. Local KC photographer, Todd Zimmer, Amazing Hot Sauce - http://www.Zims-Sauces.com/

23. Chef Robert and Molly Krause’s new cook book “Cook’s Book of Intense Flavors” – they are signing books everywhere this holiday season. http://www.amazon.com/Cooks-Book-Intense-Flavors-Extraordinary/dp/1592334326

24. Tickets to Harvesters Forks & Corks event next April 28, 2011 – buy now and save $10 off the ticket price only $75. All the money raised goes to Harvesters to help feed the hungry in Kansas City. http://www.harvesters.org/GiveMoney/Index.asp?Reference=ForksCorks

25. iPad to get exclusive content from Food and Wine Magazine and the newly reborn as an online only pub – Gourmet Magazine has Gourmet LIVE only on the iPad. http://store.apple.com/us

26. Amigoni Vineyards – local urban winery owned by Michael and Kerry Amigoni, with a charming tasting room in the West Bottoms. Try their 2008 Mourvedre – $18.00. http://www.amigoni.com/winery/index.php

27. Chef Erin Reynold’s of Dolce Baking, Holiday Kringle  - in cream cheese/raspberry and apple. http://dolcebakingcompany.com/

28. Box of chocolate covered almonds from André’s Confiserie Suisse. Their #1 best selling item. http://www.andreschocolates.com/store.php?cat=2&item=46

29. A bottle of quality olive oil from The Tasteful Olive in downtown Overland Park - http://www.thetastefulolive.com/ and a loaf or two of Fevere Bread at 17^th and Summit to dip into it. Best bread in the city. http://www.fervere.com/

30. Subscription to the best food magazine in KC - Tastebud Magazine - http://www.tastebudmagazine.com/

31. A bag or two of genius small batch local roaster Greg Kolsto’s Oddly Correct Coffee - http://www.oddlycorrect.com/

32. Our own Boulevard Beer – anything from the Smokestack Series will please the beer lover on your list. http://www.boulevard.com/beers/smokestack-series/

33. Homemade Italian Christmas cookies are hard to find in KC, but Chef Jasper Mirabile, Jr. has contracted with a local woman to make these cookies and he is selling at his restaurant Jasper’s. Get the fig cookies. http://www.jasperskc.com/

34. Cake Drops from locally owned Slice Custom Cakes, found at McGonigles. http://www.slicecustomcakes.com/drops.html

35. Gift cards to any of the independently owned restaurants around town.

Top 5 Restaurant Trends in KC in 2010

I love this time of year. It is a chance to look back at the entire year and ponder what was really new, and noteworthy in food in Kansas City. The sad fact is, the economy forced many restaurants into taking very little chances with their menus and their expansion plans. I don't blame them. This was a survival year, after the crappiest year on record in 2009. This was a great year to play it safe, while planning for the future, if you owned a restaurant. Safe, solid and sound advice. 

In spite of the economic buzz-kill on the restaurant industry as a whole, there were significant movement and trends coming from the comfort food category. You will notice many of the examples I give in my short list below, come from restaurants that are more quick casual than fine dining. These folks had concepts or cuisines that were wholly understandable and affordable, while keeping it tasty.

Because money was tighter for most of us in 2010, it became the year in KC we started looking for good food at a small price. We also got more adventuresome in our interest in ethnic cuisines because of the flavor/taste/price equasion. Even fine dining got into the act, with almost every place in town offering some sort of incredible cheeseburger or slider on their menu. We saw places like Aixois in Brookside start serving delicious Taco Tuesdays in their high-end French restaurant.

There were certainly many more bright spots to the KC dining scene in 2010 than just what I mention below, but they were just that, bright spots, not sustainable, newsworthy trends. It takes more that one restaurant to make a trend.

I had a whole list of predictions for restaurant trends in KC for 2010, but many of them I was a little early on. I'm saving them for next year, perhaps those trends will hit our fly-over state in 2011, as predictions for the health of the restaurant industry look much brighter in the new year.

1)    Burger, Burger, Burger, Dog - The back-to-basics, Americana comfort food trend that has swept the United States in the last two years continued in Kansas City this year. We saw a plethora of local burger joints and a few notable hot dog joints fly on our radar. Our local favorite, Blanc Burgers + Bottles, opened their second burger concept in Lee Summit called B:2, and moved to their Westport location to a more high profile position in the Country Club Plaza. B.R.G.R. Kitchen + Bar opened this year in Prairie Village serving the neighborhood community “Juicy Lucy” burgers and sweet potato fries along with a hopping bar scene. Beer Kitchen opened in Westport giving us great beer and burgers stuffed with burnt ends, while others were topped with duck confit. Five Guys Burgers & Fries and Smashburger were notable chains with a good little burger that rapidly expanded across the KC metro. In the hot dog scene, the biggest splash was made by Chef Marshall Roth, and business partner, Harry Blasco, when they opened Dog Nuvo in the old Souperman location on Main Street. Big City Hot Dogs on Grandview Road made a name for themselves with their “city style” hot dogs. Serving everything from Chicago to Boston to Detroit and even Santa Fe-style dogs. The Kansas City dog is topped with pickles, bacon, diced onions, BBQ sauce & blue cheese.

  2)    Kicking it in KCK – I wrote a blog post a couple of years ago called “What’s Wrong with KCK?” wondering why people seemed so hesitant to go over the bridge to enjoy of the most authentic Mexican food in the city. The heart of Mexican food in this town no longer sits exclusively on Southwest Boulevard, it can be found in “The Dot”. This year Kansas City woke up to that fact, with food bloggers    and the local press beginning to give the truly authentic Mexican restaurants in Kansas City, KS the props they so richly deserve. Like El Camino Real for $1.50 street tacos filled with pork, beef, chicken or some of the nasty bits that taste so good, like brains or tongue. El Pollo Rey on Kansas Avenue is another place serving a wonderful ½ a grilled chicken and serving it with beans, salsa and tortillas for under $10. Paleteria Chihuahua on Kansas Avenue serves wonderful Mexican snacks, fresh fruit popsicles, like tamarind and mango, and authentic Mexican flavored ice creams.

3)    KC Chefs & Restaurants Represent – We were lucky enough to have two Chefs, one wine shop owner, a cupcake guy and a host of other local restaurants featured on Food Network or other nationally broadcasted shows this year. This was our opportunity to show the nation the kind of food culture we have here in KC. Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-in’s and Dives paid us another visit this year featuring BBQ joints along with other local favorites like Happy Gillis. Man vs. Food also made a stop  through town this year with the Travel Channel. But it was Executive Chef Debbie Gold from The American Restaurant on Season 2 of Top Chef Masters and Executive Chef/Owner of Julian, Celina Tio, who admirably competed on Food Network's Season 3 of The Next Iron Chef, that truly showed the nation the kind of culinary talent, cool under pressure, classy with a “c” kind of Chefs we have in this town. Girl power. Booyah! 

  4)    Egg was the new Bacon – Bacon has certainly been the single most important ingredient in the last few years on the KC food scene, but this year the scale tipped to bacon’s breakfast counterpart, the egg. Whether fried or poached, we saw eggs on everything, and it’s not just for breakfast anymore. Happy Gillis has them on their redonculously delicious “Keller-eque BLT”,  Succotash features one on their Cobb Salad, the running yolk making the most rich and delicious salad dressing. Blue Grotto in Brookside puts it on their breakfast pizza and Blanc Burgers + Bottles has one on their Brunch Burger.

5)    Sous Vide Me - French for "under vacuum", sous vide is a method of cooking food sealed in airtight plastic bags in a water bath for long periods of time—72 hours is not unusual—at an accurately determined temperature much lower than normally used for cooking, typically around 140 °F. The intention is to maintain the integrity  of ingredients. The result is a juicy, moist, tender cut of meat that can be held and served at the perfect temp. It gives Chefs much more control in the kitchen of what their finished product will look and taste like. We saw many of these machines being shared in KC a few years ago with Chefs swapping one or two machines between themselves. Now, even places that serve simple hot dogs, like Dog Nuvo, are using these machines to make their lives easier. There is even a home cook version of a sous vide that you can buy for around $500, or if you use the Google there are plenty of websites telling you how to make your own sous vide MacGyver-style. Sous Vides are everywhere making them a permanent piece of equipment in many Chefs kitchens and home cooks kitchens in KC.

I had the opportunity to discuss my Top 5 Restaurant Trends in KC in 2010 with Carolyn Long from KCTV 5 on the 4 pm news yesterday. Here's the video of my first television appearance. (Woot!)

 

 

December 2010 Table Hopping

TASTEBUD Magazine

Table Hopping – December 2010

“In a hurry? Get it To-Go!”

 

Papu’s Café

Inside the Shell Gas Station 

604 W. 75th Street

Kansas City, MO 64114

(816) 822-8759

Here in KC, we understand that great food can come from restaurants located inside of humble gas stations. The owner of this Shell Gas station decided he wanted to offer Middle Eastern specialties and with the addition of a small kitchen in the back he has created a place for Papu and Tony, the two cooks that run this place, to offer some delicious carry-out options along with the opportunity to pay for your food at the same time you purchase your lottery ticket. There is a line most days for their Lamb Gyro or their Chicken Shawarma sandwich both around $6. Convenience and delicious Middle Eastern cuisine. OPEN: only for lunch, typically from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm.

 

Market 3

114 W. Third Street

Kansas City, MO 64105

(816) 268-7833 

www.market3kc.com

 Owners, Jim Andrews and Mark Ringenberg, decided to open Market 3 when the number of people living and working down in the River Market had grown to support it. Aside from a wonderful selection of local foods and convenience items, they are also offering deli sandwiches, soups and a salad bar for anyone wanting to take a quick bite back to their home or office to enjoy. Try the River Market Roaster sandwich with roast beef, swiss cheese, lettuce, red onion, horseradish on Ciabatta for about $7. With Roasterie coffee and free WiFi this will be your new neighborhood hub. CHECK: their Facebook page for the soups of the day and any lunch specials at http://www.facebook.com/mrkt3.

  

Lulu’s Thai Noodle Shop

2030 Central Avenue

Kansas City, MO 64188

(816) 474-8424 

www.lulusnoodles.com

 For over a decade, owner, Malisa Monyakula, has been serving up her Father’s family recipes for spicy noodle bowls and fragrant Thai specialties in her original location on Southwest Boulevard. Now, you can find Lulu’s right around the corner in her colorful and new location in the historic Jacobson Building. With a much larger space to work with, coming in to carry-out for lunch or dinner is a breeze with a special dedicated area. A gorgeous new bar with over 20 house-infused liquors and a rocking Happy Hour are more reasons to come in and check out the new digs. TRY: the new menu items, including new Thai ice cream flavors developed especially for Lulu’s by Christopher Elbow at Glace.  

 

Rock–N-Moroccan

1710 W. 39th Street

Kansas City, MO 64111

(816)-572-6809  

www.rock-n-moroccan.com

 Amine Lamrani was born in Morocco and lived in France and Switzerland in his former life as a professional tennis player, until he caught the cooking bug and decided to open a food cart at 1519 Main Street in KC. Now he has a second location on 39^th Street, with a walk-up carry-out window to order and a separate dining area to eat in one door down. The menu reflects the countries in which he has lived, with traditional Moroccan dishes, crepes, hot dogs and deli sandwiches all living together. Order half of a whole roasted lemon chicken with saffron rice and a lovely sauce made from the pan drippings for $10. ORDER: his Moroccan Couscous 24 hours in advance, it’s worth it. Available with lamb, chicken, beef, vegetarian or “royale” with all meats, cost between $8 - $12.

 

Dog Nuvo

1724 Main Street

Kansas City, MO 64108

(816) 474-8899

www.eatatdognuvo.com

The latest in gourmet Americana cuisine has landed in KC in the form of Chef Marshall Roth and partner, Harry Blasco’s, new hot dog venture called Dog Nuvo. Located in the former Souperman location, Chef is utilizing a sous vide to prepare all of his hot dogs and gourmet toppings, which allows him to operate in such a compact space. They also have just opened for dinner with a great bar to land for a drink and a dog. Get the Thai Dog that features an organic heritage chicken dog with spicy peanut sauce, bean sprouts, fresh chopped basil, cilantro & mint and is topped with toasted peanuts and sesame seeds for $6. VISIT: Monday-Thursday from 11:00 am to 9:00 pm and Friday and Saturday 11:00 am to 11:00 pm.