Chefburger

Remember the ad campaign for the Power and Light district? Specifically, the commercial that used that Petula Clark Downtown song?? I get that song in my head every time we drive through the P&L, and had it in my head during my entire dinner tonight at Chefburger. I forgot all my troubles and forgot all my cares. I employed jazz hands. I was kind of ecstatic about downtown, and with the soaring melody in my head, who could blame me?

I know it isn't fair to judge a restaurant on their third day of operation, but I was emailed today and told, in no uncertain terms, to "Go. Now." And so I did. The build your own burger operation that existed at the start of the week is now gone (possibly temporarily), replaced with eight Signature Burgers (available in beef, turkey, chicken, and veggie) and four Signature Hot Dogs. They have a standard Chef Burger, which comes with lettuce, tomato, pickle, red onion and "chef sauce" for a terribly reasonable $4.99, or you can upgrade to one of the fancypants burgers for $5.99 to $6.99. My Hawaiian chicken burger was topped with bacon, pepperjack cheese, grilled pineapple, and Sriracha coleslaw. It was a gloriously messy wonder served on a big soft wheat bun with just the right proportions of everything. It wasn't a burger, it was a grilled chicken sandwich served like a burger - but it was excellent. The Chili Cheese Dog ($4.99) had black bean-chorizo chili and shredded cheddar cheese and got two thumbs up from across the table. The onion rings tasted beer-battered (yum!) and the sweet potato fries were crisp and perfectly salted. Both sides came in a generously-sized serving and were only $2.99.

If we had stopped there, I would have considered the meal to be reasonably priced for the amount and quality of the food. However, we decided to splurge and each picked a Spiked Milkshake for $7.99 each. They were worth it. The B-52 mixed Bailey's, Kahlua, Grand Marnier, and vanilla ice cream. My Alabama Slammer (with amaretto, Southern Comfort, butter pecan ice cream, and big toffee chunks) put me in such a good mood I gave an overly enthusiastic greeting to the Missouri basketball players that we encountered outside on the sidewalk. I was giddy - about my meal, about Kansas City, about downtown. If you'll indulge me...

"Things'll be great when you're/Down town/Don't wait a minute more/Down town/Everything's waiting for you."

Chefburger
1350 Walnut
in the Power & Light District

Christopher Elbow

Another new piece at Present Magazine about the delectable drinking chocolates at Christopher Elbow's Boutique. Read it here.

And while you're there, I'm a huge fan of the Caramels with Fleur de Sel. There is something magical about French sea salt and caramel together. Try one.

Pizza Bella

I had made up my mind that I wasn't posting again until we went to Pizza Bella. I had my heart set on it, much like a petulant child gets their heart set on a new toy. I've had plenty of yawningly average meals that I could've posted about, but I was uninspired, uninterested, and unmotivated. I was on strike until I could get my butt down to 18th and Baltimore.

Today, I am happy to report, was an inspiring day. Pizza Bella is beautiful and the food is worth the raves I've been hearing. El Dorado architects did a lovely job with the space - it feels modern inside without being alienatingly modern. It exudes a certain warmth that isn't just radiating from the wood-fired ovens, which are churning out delicious crusts beneath inventive topping combinations. I used to belong to the school of thought that held that no pizza should have more than three toppings - more than that and the crusts can be overwhelmed, the balance can be easily lost. But there are deft hands behind the counter putting these pizzas together, and there is just enough of everything on pizzas that could be overdone by the overzealous.

Let me just say, in case you need to direct your browser elsewhere: YUM. That is the long and the short of it.

We started with a crispy brussel sprout antipasta, which was perfectly dressed with a pancetta vinaigrette, hazelnuts, dried cherries, and pecorino romano cheese. We shared two pizzas - the sausage (made with delicious fennel sausage) and the potato (with a perfect balance of creamy gorgonzola cheese and bitter radicchio). The crust was exceptional. It had the perfect smoky flavor from the wood, and the texture was incredible. It held up well against the toppings but was delicious all by itself. A little rye flour in the dough made for a pleasantly complex flavor.

The Crossroads is turning out delicious food these days. It makes me excited for what downtown is on the cusp of becoming.


Pizza Bella
1810 Baltimore Ave
816*471*PZZA

Sun-Thurs 11am - 10pm
Fri & Sat 11am - 12am

Good Gravy!

I've heard tell that a humble plate of biscuits and gravy can make any hangover a little more bearable. Or maybe it's that it lulls you into a food coma, which allows you to nap, and that nap is what makes the hangover go away. Whatever it is, it's a hearty breakfast sure to cure something that is probably ailing you, even if the only thing that you're suffering from is hunger. Hunger is painful enough.
The Brick takes a plate of b&g to new heights on Saturday mornings, by offering a Biscuits and Gravy Bar for $3.95. Last Saturday the gravy choices included savory ham, traditional country sausage, and a cider house gravy with apples, sausage, and maple syrup. It was good gravy - especially the cider house - served with perfectly dense little drop biscuits and even more excellent with a side of bacon.
Their "Brickfast" menu has some standard choices on it, all good, but I recommend you ask about the specials. Last weekend's special was a crab cake benedict and it was awesome. Not too much hollandaise, the egg wasn't too runny, and the crab cake was especially crisp - good for holding its own against the egg and sauce. Served with potatoes (with a dollop of sour cream, a nice touch) and a little fruit, it was a bargain at $5.95.
In the cool dark interior of the Brick, with some hot coffee and good service, you can start to think about facing your Saturday. Or heading home to take a nap.

The Brick
1727 McGee in downtown KCMO
open Monday-Saturday from 11am to 3am
Saturday Brickfast served 11am-3pm

Souperman

When I heard that there would be a place named Souperman opening downtown, I was a bit overly excited. I absolutely love cleverly-named places. I'm a sucker for a good name or a good advertising campaign - clever or witty or just plain weird goes a really long way with me.

Other favorable elements included the owner, Rob Dalzell, who has completely won over my husband with his restaurant 1924 Main. And then they had to put it in such a good location, next to the Barkley Building with the rocket on top. And the interior is stylishly industrial; it's a space in the bottom level of a parking garage that manages to be comfortable and hip at the same time. I've heard grumblings about the utilitarian presentation of the food - that the plastic spoons and very "to-go" looking soup cups aren't nice enough for the food that they make portable. Really, when the food is this good, I can't say that I care. Why be a snob when the food itself is enough to make you happy?

The food is unbelievably fast, it is always fresh, and the soups are hearty and good. The Boulevard Cheddar Potato Chowder was creamy with large chunks of potato and really potent cheddar ale flavor, while smelling the Moroccan Lamb and Lentil soup was almost as intoxicating as eating it. The sandittos (a sandwich wrapped in a tortilla, burrito-style) are served hot or cold and are well-made and filling. The roast beef with swiss, horseradish aioli, and grilled onions was absolutely loaded with tender roast beef. When the weather heats up too much for soup, they serve several salads, including a Chinese Chicken Salad with crunchy noodles & almonds, dressed in a ginger vinaigrette.

Souperman
1724 Main in Downtown KCMO
816*421*SOUP
Monday-Friday 10am - 3pm

small bites

• One of my most favorite recent bites was the Jalapeno and Cheese Tamales at Tarahumara (1001 W 87th Street in Overland Park). Perfectly moist and surprisingly hot and spicy. Sooo good.
  
• Enjoyed last week's KU game at the Tower Tavern on Martini Corner (31st and Oak in KCMO). Lots of TVs, excellent soft pretzels with beer cheese dip, and really good 12" pizzas. The pizzas had crusts that were both crunchy and chewy, great toppings (BBQ Chicken pizza with cream cheese and applewood smoked bacon...yum), and one was enough for two people, when paired with their excellent salads.
  
• Arun Thai Place (7th and Walnut in downtown KCMO) was home to the spiciest meal I've eaten in recent memory. You know how you order something "hot," expecting something less than hot, and then it comes out exactly as hot as it should? It was a deliriously endorphin-inducing experience. My Phad Kee Mow was incredible...and even hotter as leftovers the next day.
  

Savoy Grill

When something really special happens, when we have something that we truly want to celebrate, we go to the Savoy. It is, undoubtedly, my favorite restaurant in Kansas City. I like the history of it. I like the revolving door that spins you from the day you were having into a totally different era. I like the personal attention, the attention to detail, the meticulousness of the service. When we eat at the Savoy, I get giddy. I do a lot of giggling.

We started our meal with the calamari, served with a creamy aioli, flecked with small diced red peppers. The calamari was crisp but didn't lose its delightfully chewy texture. I squeezed lemon juice on every piece, and it was the perfect addition.

Our crisp and chilled house salads had a light vinaigrette dressing and about a pound of pungent and heavily veined blue cheese crumbles. It was more blue cheese than one person should eat. It was delicious.

The Alaskan King Crab Legs are our traditional meal at the Savoy. I know they're known for steaks, or even lobster...but I'm a crab girl. These crab legs are humongous and perfectly broiled, the drawn butter is golden, and the dressed-at-the-table baked potatoes have chewy skins and fluffy interiors.

It doesn't hurt the experience that you get to wear little red and white checked bibs, or that your server will help you tie them behind your neck. They empty your shell bowls before you even get them filled. They refill your water without you even noticing. The maitre d' comes by to make sure you're being taken care of. The professional details make it the perfect evening. The plump pieces of crab meat make it impossible to eat the next day.


The Savoy Grill
9th and Central
816*842*3890

Tarantino's

eggplant sandwich
Originally uploaded by noodletown.

We've been eating at Tarantino's and telling other people to eat at Tarantino's and I haven't gotten around to posting about it here because I can't seem to take a picture that is as good as the food in the picture. I've finally just given up on the artistic end of it because, well, the food is good and you should go eat there and see for yourself just how good it is.

The hand-rolled calzones are my absolute favorite. The crust is chewy, slightly doughy, and golden brown. It almost makes the interior irrelevant, except that the ingredients inside are good, too. And the little cup of sugo on the side is just exactly what you wanted to dip your bits of crust in. You'll be licking your fingers.

Of the sandwiches, the "New Yorker," one of their signatures, has been the cause of repeat visits to Tarantino's in the same week. Served on a toasted onion bun, the Capicola, salami, and pepperoni are layered with roasted peppers, pepperoncinis, and melted provolone cheese. The Eggplant sandwich is another hit - lightly breaded, crisp, and smothered in sugo and provolone.

I've already programmed their number into my phone. It's located right above my Mom's.

Tarantino's
Gourmet Pizzas and Subs
601 McGee St
816*421*0043
hours:
Mon-Thurs: 6am - midnight
Fri-Sat: 6am - 3am
Sun: 3pm - 10pm

Arthur Bryant's

I refuse to get involved in the "which KC BBQ is best" conversation. I know my favorites and I respect your favorites, icky as they may be. I cannot claim any sort of advanced barbecue knowledge anyway, since despite having moved to the area in 1993, I've really only been a converted BBQ eater for the past few years.
When we moved into our house, four years ago in October, my husband introduced me to the original Arthur Bryant's. We hop on Brooklyn and in what seems like a blink of an eye, we're pulling into the parking lot and ogling the line out the door. I like the experience of eating at Bryant's as much as I like the barbecue. I like the guys behind the line and the mix of people in the dining room. I like looking at the photos on the wall and I like the way my clothes smell when we leave.
I do however, really love cold barbecue sauce, as crazy as that may sound. And the only way to get the cold sauce with the hot sandwich is to bring the giant pile of meat home, where it can feed us for days and days. Leftover Bryant's is a beautiful thing. And they never ever skimp on the pickles.

my Arthur Bryant's is located at
1727 Brooklyn Avenue
816*231*1123

Lill's on 17th

avocado cream toasts
Originally uploaded by noodletown.

Go outside to eat.
Have a glass of wine on the front porch at Lill's on 17th. Order the avocado cream toasts served on cruchy Fervere bread.
You're welcome.
Lill's
815 West 17th Street
816*421*4441

Fervere

fervere
Originally uploaded by noodletown.

We had a very food-centered Saturday, starting at the Bluebird for breafast and ending at Tarantino's for calzones. Those places all by themselves are entries for another day, because today I'm enjoying the cheese slipper we bought at Fervere.
It's not greasy like other cheese breads, and it isn't overwhelmingly cheesy - instead it's like the perfect marriage of cheese and bread - soft, chewy and slightly salty. I've brought home the orchard bread, fat with dried fruits, and the polenta bread, which had the best texture, but you can go and try for yourself all the available varieties from the generously cut samples on the counter. There's even olive oil for dipping.

Fervere
1702 Summit
Thursdays & Fridays, open 11 to 7 (or until sell out)
Saturdays, open 9:30 to 7 (or until sell out)

Cupini's

I love on Saturdays where you have enough stuff to do that you can just skip breakfast and go straight to lunch. I know it's the most important meal of the day, but to me, a really enjoyable breakfast always seems like a meal for a lazy Sunday morning - with the newspaper and lots of refills of my coffee cup - but Saturday seems the perfect day of the week for lunch.
We avoided the grocery store all week long, so on Saturday we called ahead to Cupini's and ordered some sandwiches for carryout. I love having a Cupini's downtown. The location on Westport Road is great, but I like having a Cupini's within a 5 minute drive of my front door (I do hate the downtown traffic situation, but I'm trying to look at the big picture and not be one of those people who is indignant at the smallest inconvenience). I like knowing that there will be bags of frozen Pumpkin Ravioli that close for when I'm feeling like melting a little butter and sage and indulging in someone else's pasta handiwork. Cupini's has excellent everything, but my favorite is the fresh turkey panini, which gets a little added zest from the artichoke spread. The gangster also gets rave reviews for the creaminess of the garlic aioli and the roasted eggplant mixed in against the thin slices of prosciutto and salami. The thing that makes any sandwich memorable, however, is the bread - and Cupini's baguettes are crisp and chewy. They're good on their own, but they make the sandwiches just that much better.

Cupini's
25 East 12th Street or
1809 Westport Road

Red Dragon House

We live just East of downtown, and at least three times a week we drive to the Quality Hill YMCA so that I can feel a little better about all the eating out I love to do. Last week construction forced us to change our normal route and we drove past the Red Dragon House on 8th, which I had to admit I had never even laid eyes on.
We stopped in last night for dinner and it was like stepping back into the Chinese restaurants of my childhood. From the script on the menu to the paper Chinese Zodiac placemats, this Dragon and her date, an Ox, had a dinner heavily steeped in nostalgia.
The food is good, basic Chinese-American fare. I had to order Sweet and Sour Chicken simply because it is what I would have done as a child - I wanted to eat the memory. We the Sweet and Sour Chicken, Chicken in Garlic Sauce, Crab Rangoon and Egg Rolls and our meal, with tax, was less than $25. It is the perfect place for a downtown lunch - they have all the standard lunch specials from Monday to Sunday 11am to 3pm.

Red Dragon House
312 W 8th Street
816*221*1388