Quick Bite: Grinders

One of my favorite sandwiches in Kansas City is the Philly Cheesesteak at Grinders. I've never been to Philadelphia, so real live cheesesteaks are not something I'm well aquainted with - but when a restaurant goes to the trouble of getting the fresh bread for their cheesesteaks direct from Philly, then I'm led to believe that something pretty special is happening. My stomach totally agrees.

I get the turkey Philly (sacrilege!) with grilled onions, mushrooms, banana peppers and cheese whiz. An order of their perfectly crisp tots will help you mop up the dripping yellow cheese mess, and help you remember how much you love tater tots. I've eaten just about everything on their menu, but I just keep coming back to this deliciously messy sandwich.

Grinders
417 E 18th St in Kansas City
816*472*5454

Quick Bites

**Last weekend we had an exceptionally romantic meal at Cafe des Amis in Parkville. I love how cozy the dining rooms are, and how wonderful the service. I love long leisurely meals where no one leaves the check and then tells you not to rush; at Cafe des Amis you sit and sip your wine and finish your conversations (and eavesdrop on those around you) and then ask for the check when you're ready.

By far my favorite part of the meal was the mussels. Their Moules Marinieres Facon Odile are steamed in sherry wine with shallots and garlic and finished with cream. I wanted to ask for a straw to fully clean the bowl when the bread from our bread basket was gone, but I thought better of it. And I've thought about those mussels every day since, which I think means that they were exceptionally delicious. The rest of our meal was so good - but not mussels-good. I think I'm going to start using that as a new unit of measurement. I'm obsessed.

Cafe des Amis
112 1/2 Main St in Parkville, MO
816*587*6767

**Yesterday, we spun the lunch wheel at work and were ordered by fate to eat Chinese food. I love our lunch wheel - it has been altered to suit our favorites and weed out the spaces that always make us spin again, like "Donuts." It takes all the painful indecision out of lunchtime and tends to lean heavily toward the "Indian Buffet" space we created. It is a magical lunchtime tool - if you'd like to use a virtual version, try the Wheel of Lunch.

We decided to try someplace new to us and so we ventured out to Pei Wei, which is the fast casual concept from the PF Changs people. I loved my lunch - the Thai Dynamite with chicken had a zippy Sriracha chili sauce with Thai basil, garlic, and soy and was served with a huge mound of brown rice. The order of edamame was completely unnecessary but good, and I saw so many other tasty things whizzing by our booth that I hope we spin Chinese again next time.

Pei Wei Asian Diner
9222 Metcalf in OPKS
or
15141 W 199th St in Olathe

Happy Gillis

Todd Schulte, our very own Happy Soup Eater, was kind enough to let me come in and take photos at Happy Gillis last week. I went right after the breakfast rush, and right before the lunch one, and got to just enjoy the atmosphere and snap a few shots. We had been in for lunch their first week in operation and fell in love with the place. You will, too.
To see my photos, click here for the Present Magazine piece.
While you are there, be sure to enjoy the awesome hot pink bathrooms.

Happy Gillis Cafe & Hangout
549 Gillis St. in Columbus Park

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

Avenues Bistro

I love saving money. I also love being taken out to dinner. So today was, in essence, an awesome day, as my husband's folks saved money while taking us out to dinner at the Avenues Bistro in Brookside. They are big fans of the Avenues' Early Bird Special dinners, served every day from 3 to 6pm, and after dining there today, so am I. It's a limited menu, with smaller portions, but the choices they give you are wonderful and the servings were the perfect size.

My Hawaiian Sunfish was perfectly seasoned and served with a creamy herbed butter sauce and roasted potatoes; the Champagne Chicken was a deliciously tender chicken cutlet with a breading that was crisp and not at all heavy, accentuated nicely by the champagne and shallot butter sauce. The Schnitzel was given high praise, and I will be going back specifically to try the Lobster and Crab Cake dinner, which looked scrumptious. Our service was outstanding, and the dining room was busy with an older Brookside clientele. Entrees start at $9.95, glasses of house wine are $4 each, and you get to enjoy a nice meal in a beautiful dining room at a slightly earlier hour.

To view the early bird menu, click here.

Avenues Bistro
338 W 63rd Street in Brookside
816*333*5700

regular hours: Mon - Thurs 11am to 9pm
Fri - Sat 11am to 11pm
Sun 9am - 8pm

LC's BBQ

In spite of how hungry you may think you are, you really don't need your own order of french fries at LC's Barbeque. I learned that lesson the hard way. They are monstrous, and delicious, and my eyes were just a wee big bigger than my stomach when I asserted that yes, I would be ordering two orders of fries for the two of us.

Lesson learned.

The sandwiches were so awesome it didn't matter that our service was indifferent at best. My turkey had the blackened crunchy bits on the edges and was marvelous dipped in their sauce. The burnt ends looked awesome, and the ham was moist and really flavorful. Sometimes I really don't mind being treated brusquely when the food is good - and this time it didn't bother me a bit. They have good meat, tasty sauce, and big fries. Yum.

LC's Barbeque
5800 Blue Parkway in KC
816*923*4484

Lutfi's Fried Fish

We went through a serious fried catfish phase. My husband was once even ticketed for speeding in his haste to get a fried fish dinner home while it was still hot. (In the filing cabinet, the file for the ticket says "Blame the fish!") As with all of our phases, this one died out only due to overindulgence and was rekindled...um, yesterday.

Lutfi's Fried Fish is my favorite in town. The breading on their fish is so crisp and just peppery enough and they have delicious fried okra, which is one of the best foods on earth. My love of fried okra is one of the ways you can tell that a significant part of my childhood was spent in the South. When I talk about fried okra, I even get my Southern accent back.

Their fish and okra are never greasy, and the macaroni and cheese makes you feel like you can go out in the winter without a coat. It gives you a protective coating against the elements, which I guess some people might refer to as fat.

One of their catfish sandwiches with a little tartar sauce and a ton of their hot sauce is one of my favorite things. If I was Oprah, I would give each of you one of your own to take home. I'm not, though, so you guys are on your own.

Lutfi's Fried Fish
in Kansas City: 3543 Prospect Ave.
or 6950 Prospect Ave.
in Raytown: 6709 Raytown Rd

Sabor Centro Americano

We're making a little project around here out of eating on the East side for the next couple of weeks. There are places we've always wanted to try, but we normally drive right out of the hood when we leave home on our dining adventures. Last night, on the way home from a long drive, we stared longingly at the food truck parked on Independence Avenue and decided it was time to quit being so stuck in our ways.

Our first stop was for pupusas at Sabor Centro Americano. Voted "Best Pupusas" by the Pitch this year, it seemed a sure thing, and it was. The pupusas had amazing corn flavor and the perfect amount of filling. The two we tried - with steak or beans and cheese were delicious with and without the slightly spicy homemade dipping sauce and the tart cabbage slaw that they came with. While I waited for my pupusas at the counter, I studied the menu and planned my next fourteen visits. (My next will have to be for breakfast. And that breakfast involves fried plantains. Mmmmmm.) You can drive through at Sabor Centro Americano, but you might as well get out of your car and come on inside, have a cold bottle of Jarritos and watch a little of the soap opera on the TV.

Sabor Centro Americano
2661 Independence Ave in KCMO
816*241*0204

A Watched Pot

This baby is fashionably late (in case you were curious), and I am the proverbial watched pot.
This watched pot has been escaping the stove for a few "last meals" and tasty treats, however.

* Miami Ice (1624 w 39th St): The ice cream (Yay! Peanut Butter ice cream!) is smooth and and creamy and the passion fruit Miami Ice (with a dollop of custard at the bottom of the cup) is refreshing and amazing.

* Spit Fire Grill (1809 W 39th St): Well-priced entrees and a comfortable interior make this a really great addition to 39th Street. My only complaint was with the plating of the food - the food itself is really well prepared (juicy pork chops, moist and well-seasoned rotisserie chicken, truly excellent french onion soup, crisp grilled sandwiches) that it seems like the presentation of it doesn't match the food itself. The macaroni & fondue side would have benefited from some parsley, and the dinner plates could use a little flair. Food that is made with this much attention to flavor (the sandwich with grilled asparagus and Gruyere was a standout) deserves to have a little more attention paid to how it is presented. Otherwise, a truly excellent meal in a great new spot.

Las Gorditas & Fig Toasts

This was a day in which we explored our city from one side to the other. We started on one side of the metro, with lunch at Las Gorditas at 844 Central in Kansas City, KS. It's a spot recommended by a friend of a friend and my husband's new favorite stop for lunch. They have other items on the menu (not many), but we were there for the gorditas. (If the place is named after a particular item, it seems rather foolish to order a burrito.) You can watch the ladies making these thick corn tortillas behind the counter, and they're as delicious as they look. We ordered three - one filled with pork and potatoes, one with nopales and chile, and one with a delicious fried chile relleno. The cheese in the relleno was gooey and thick and the pork was perfectly seasoned, moist and tender. My only complaint is that I didn't start with the nopales gordita, which had too much time to sit and become dangerous to handle. It fell apart in my hands, on my table, on my shirt. The cactus, however, was delicious (and thankfully, there were napkins on my table - lots of napkins). We washed it all down with bottles of soda - Mexican Coke for him, orange soda for me. Lunch was around $12 and service, while distracted, was attentive enough. We were the only non-Spanish speakers there at lunch, which is always a good sign.

With many a stop in between, we ended our food adventure at Dean and Deluca at Town Center. Two or so times a year, we go there for nothing in particular. I quickly lose him to the samples and the cheese counter and I can just wander aimlessly, exploring the jars and bottles and boxes and candies and breads. Forget clothes and shoes and compact discs, this is my kind of shopping.

This afternoon I had figs on the brain. Blame it on my current nine-months-pregnant state if you will, but a little something we saw last night on the television made me obsessed with figs. I scoured the shelves until I found a jar of Terrabianca Caramelized Figs, grabbed a wedge of Fourme D'Ambert (a perfectly creamy and mild blue cheese) and a good baguette and got the heck out of there before I spent any more money. At home, we whipped up these delicious little things (I'm calling them fig toasts), parked our rears on the back deck with cool drinks and called it a day. Also, I did lots of bowing and patting myself on the back. These were damn good toasts. Treat yourself sometime.


Fig Toasts

a good french baguette
caramelized figs
caramelized onion
good creamy blue cheese

Crisp slices of bread in 350 degree oven for 5-6 minutes. Remove from oven and top each slice with half a caramelized fig. Spread fig out as best you can - any naked bread can be drizzled with the thick fig juices in the jar. Top with caramelized onions and crumbles of blue cheese.

Cafe Cuba

We couldn't decide on dinner last night - I was hungry, mostly, for food - you know, the edible stuff that you eat when you sit down to a meal. That was about as specific as I could get. We drove down by the Art of Pizza in the Crossroads and it still wasn't open, so we kept going until we got to Westport. I said "Hey - there's that Cuban place," and as the words escaped my lips my husband pulled the car into the parking space right in front. Easy parking spaces can be a hell of a decision maker.
Fortunately, welcoming people who are eager to have you sample their foods also make decisions easy. The lovely young lady behind the counter, in between chatting in Spanish with the rest of the restaurant's patrons, scooped us up little cups of the homestyle Cuban dishes behind the counter to taste. It was all good. We ordered a Cubano Especial sandwich (ham, pork, pickles, cheese and mustard pressed between thick french loaf-style bread until it was super thin and crisp) and a dinner plate with a tender shredded beef, a spoonful of yucca, a huge helping of a delicious bean and rice dish called arroz congris, and a side of tostones (fried plantains). They have fresh fruit smoothies (just fruit and ice) with mango, guava and other fruits, and delicious Cuban pastries. It's really tasty food served by smiling faces - and it's way easier to get parking in Westport than to travel to Cuba anyway.

Cafe Cuba
4116 Broadway
816*531*6060

Em Chamas

My favorite person turned 34 this week, and we decided that the 34th birthday, of all the birthdays, should be a meat birthday. We kicked off the meat birthday with a hot dog party on Sunday and finished it off in grand fashion Monday night at Em Chamas

Brazilian Grill. It seemed, from all the stories we've heard over the past few months, the perfect place to celebrate a birth. With lots and lots of meat.

Anyone who knows me can tell you I'm not a big meat person - in fact, I used to be kind of anti-meat - but I went into this experience with a completely open mind, resolving to try just about anything that came my way. And it was easy to do here - absolutely everything about our dining experience was as pleasant as it could have been. Every aspect of our service was good - from the hostess to the young man who would not let my water glass go empty. And looking around the dining room, it was easy to see that everyone was having that kind of night. It wasn't just our server who was superb, it was all of them. The young men stopping at each table to offer one of 14-15 different types of meat were personable, generous, and charming. It was easy to ask questions and even easier to just eat and fully enjoy our evening.

For the meat-averse, Em Chamas' Gourmet Bar is a wonderful meal all by itself. We had salads with pineapple, garbanzo beans, shrimp, and chewy, spicy calamari. We had cubes of cheese, mussels, large salty olives, and beautiful slices of smoked salmon. There were smooth mashed potatoes, traditional Brazilian black beans and rice, and a tasty mushroom pasta. Our server, Christian, brought us the most wonderful provolone cheese biscuits and slices of caramelized bananas to cleanse our palates. The bananas, baked with cinnamon and sugar, melted in your mouth, and had an amazing effect on the palate.

When you're ready to face the rodizio service, flip your little circular disc on your table from the black side to the yellow and let the meat come to you. They will slice meat from the skewers to your liking - medium to medium-well done for me - and the dance will begin. Top sirloin, lamb, chicken drummettes, turkey wrapped in bacon, pork loin, filet of beef, pork sausages...the list goes on and on. On the recommendation of our server, we tried the top sirloin marinated in garlic and oil and were entranced. It's best to use your little disc as much as possible - take breaks, savor your choices, and plan on spending a couple of hours having a leisurely culinary adventure. We were promised that the desserts were superb, but couldn't even face the sweet choices they had to offer. We slowly spooned chunks of the soft caramelized bananas on to our plates and called it good. And then promptly went home and took a long walk around the neighborhood.

Em Chamas
6101 NW 63rd Terr
in the Tuileries Plaza (I-29 & 64th Street)

816*505*7100

Pizza 51

Since moving out of the South Plaza area over eight years ago, I don't frequent my old haunts as much as I thought I would. I found a new Peanut to call my own, a coffee shop other than Muddy's, I'm frequenting the northernmost Bo Ling's, and aside from dropping in at the Mixx and Accurso's, I mostly drive quickly through the area to get to my people in Brookside or Waldo. But on a recent warm night we found ourselves pulling up outside Pizza 51 to enjoy a little al fresco pizza.
I'm sure there are times when the place is crawling with college kids, but summer means the place is crawling with the younger set. Yelling, galloping, and making chalk drawings on the concrete patio, these kids were having a good night. Mixed in with the young couples, families, and big parties, the vibe on the patio was lively and fun. Ordering at the counter was easy, our table service was quick and attentive, and the pizza was fairly good. The crust had a crispness and chewiness that was very pleasing, but lacked a little in the flavor department. The toppings were plentiful, however, and the side salads were made even better with the addition of their house herbed vinaigrette, which was more like an herb paste and was wonderful for dipping my pizza crust in.

Pizza 51
5060 Oak Street
816*531*1151
open 11am-10pm daily

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

Longboards

On the second half of the Food Critics today, they talked about all of our great eating choices North of the river. Since I'm in old Northeast KC, the Northland beckons from my back yard and operates as my 'burbs of choice. So I tuned in to see if there were any recommendations for places we haven't tried. Lo and behold, I think we've missed a place or two.
Longboards was the perfect stop for a late lunch this afternoon as we found ourselves driving along North Oak. They serve "California-style Wraps and Bowls" in a funky little storefront hidden in one of the many ubiquitous strip malls lining the trafficway. We've driven past it a couple hundred times, but I can guarantee you we won't be missing it again.
They have cold wraps, hot panini-style wraps, cool bowls, and hot noodle salads (cold noodles with hot toppings). They have the ginger beer I fell in love with in Jamaica and really excellent garlic potato salad. We tried the Kung Pao panini wrap and the Baja Club. The hot wrap was crispy on the outside and perfect on the inside - the spicy kung pao chicken had a good dose of Sriracha sauce along with rice and crisp veggies. The cool Baja Club combined turkey and bacon with the creaminess of guacamole. It was the way a wrap sandwich should be done - never dry, fresh and crisp veggies in every bite, with not too much tortilla gumming up the works.
They've got great choices for vegetarians and lovers of krab as well as the musclebound protein seeker. We ate for less than $15 and surfed on out of the strip mall, fully satisfied.

Longboards
California Style Wraps & Bowls
6269 North Oak Trafficway
816*454*0008

mon-fri 11am - 8pm
sat 11am - 7pm
closed sundays

Harry's

I love Harry's Country Club. It is my favorite outdoor eating and drinking venue in the city and a great place to show off KC to an out-of-town guest. They have a great beer (and whiskey...and tequila) list, I have yet to eat anything off the menu that I didn't enjoy, and if you're lucky enough to have Rose as your server, you're guaranteed a good evening. (She's "sparky," as my mother-in-law likes to say.)

Start your evening with the onion rings, which are served with a roasted ancho ketchup. And while I'd eat an old shoe covered in the roasted ancho ketchup, these rings are even good nude. They have awesome sandwiches, including a yummy Catfish Po' Boy, a messy Patty Melt, and a delightfully lowbrow Fried Bologna on white bread. The sandwiches come with fries that are perfectly thin, crisp, and salty.

The City Fried Chicken has a creamy pan gravy and comes served with garlic cheese grits, while the Pork Chop Adobada is marinated in a flavorful blend of stuff and comes with a huge chile relleno and corn relish. It's a dish that will make you the envy of your table. If you have room, polish your meal off with a milkshake, or maybe just another can of Old Style.

Harry's Country Club
112 E. Missouri Ave, in the River Market
816*421*3505

pb & anything

*I think I've been just a little bit peanut butter obsessed as of late. When in NY, we visited Peanut Butter & Company in Greenwich Village and bought a jar of their spicy peanut butter. I was mainly thinking of all the satay and peanut noodles I could whip up with it, but it also makes a surprisingly good (and odd) pb&j sandwich. They sell PB&Co products at local Super Target & Dillon's stores.

*Ever since Otto's closed, I've had a hole in my heart shaped exactly like one of their truly amazing peanut butter milkshakes. They used chunky peanut butter, so you always got little peanut surprises coming up your straw along with the lusciousness of the peanut butter & ice cream combination. Last weekend, on a soujourn down 24 HWY (Independence Avenue), we stopped in at the Hi-Boy Drive In and I had a nearly Otto's experience. The peanut butter was creamy, but the milkshake itself was ridiculously thick and good. The menu also boasted a peanut butter fudge shake, which will just have to wait until next time.

Hi-Boy Drive In
(click the link to see a Google Map of all three locations)
924 W US 24 Hwy
Independence, MO
(816) 252-4050

*Spring Rolls dipped in peanut sauce trump pb&j or peanut butter milkshakes any day of the week. And Saigon 39 has the best damn peanut sauce in town. You can even buy it to-go and act like you made it yourself, if you're a good liar. Sometimes I double the peanut sauce pleasure and add a tiny serving of it to my spicy rice noodles with chicken when we eat there.

Saigon 39
1806 1/2 W 39th Street
(816) 531-4447

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

Room 39

We had lunch at Room 39 today, and it was truly a perfect lunch. We got there early enough to sit at a nice table (although I like all the tables there the same) and eat their wonderful warm bread with meltingly good butter. I had fresh-squeezed lemonade simply because it was sunny outside and I wanted to celebrate that a little. It was perfect - tart, but not too tart. Sweet, but not too sweet. And then, to completely clash with my lemonade, I had the winter risotto. The arborio rice still had the perfect amount of firmness, the oyster mushrooms were curled little pieces with a really pleasing texture, and the butternut squash was perfectly paired with the romano cheese.
My husband's steak and egg sandwich featured steak that was grilled to the perfect point with a gooey egg on top. Two of his favorite things, really - pink steak and runny eggs. Then they topped it all off by layering it on a soft egg bun with mayo, truffle oil, lettuce, and gruyere.
Our service was perfect - lively and attentive. The sun was shining. It was a good lunch.

Room 39
1719 West 39th Street
816*753*3939

Guilty Pleasures

I love the chicken sandwich. Not the bad chicken sandwich - the one with the limp chicken, the horrible lettuce leaf, the see-through pink tomato slice and the low-fat mayo. A good one, for me, means good chicken, good bread, some sort of gooey condiment, and something extra, like pickles. (Pickles aren't a requirement, but they certainly don't hurt anything or anyone.) These are my favorites, in no particular order:

1. Chick-Fil-A: I've talked to a lot of people who are "eh" about the whole Chick-Fil-A madness that seemed to accompany the opening of the Ward Parkway location. I contend, however, that it is the best fast food chicken sandwich money can buy. It's not just the waffle fries, either. The chicken is always hot, perfectly breaded, and looks (and tastes) like good white-meat chicken - not some chopped up processed mess that has been shaped to resemble a patty. And it comes with pickles. You don't even have to ask.

2. Max's: The Charbroiled Chicken at Max's is marinated or basted in a savory somethingorother that, when it comes off the grill, makes it juicy and perfectly seasoned. If you get it with everything, you get mayo, onions, lettuce, and pickles, and by the time you're nearly finished the soft bun is falling apart in your hands. It's a mess, in a good way. Eat it there, on Wornall, and enjoy it while it's hot.

3. Westport Flea Market: The Cajun Chicken sandwich here is awesome. Sometimes they can be a little heavy-handed with the cajun rub, but the flavors themselves are always good. Once they call your name (real or pseudonym), you can dress it however you like it. It's even good with the thousand island dressing.

4. Jerusalem Cafe: Not a traditional pick (and no pickles here), but the Chicken Gyro fills all my other sandwich needs. Good well-seasoned chicken wrapped in freshly-baked pita bread, with lettuce, onion, cheese and a sauce that will make you want to lick the plate. You can use your pita for this, however, and spare yourself any embarrassment.

5. The Mixx: Anything involving the words tarragon mayonnaise and butter croissant would make me smile from ear to ear, but the Tarragon Chicken Salad Sandwich ups the ante by mixing it up with tender chicken, crunchy jicama, grapes, and pecans. The crunch factor is a huge plus, and washed down with one of their fresh-squeezed lemonades, this sandwich will pump up your day from good to excellent.