Category Archives: Kansas City

December 8, 2015 · 4:26 am

My own mansion for the night in Kansas City

imageI am the only guest tonight (no surprise for a Monday night  in early December ) at the beautiful Oak Street Mansion, a lovely 1903 red brick mansion just north of the Nelson Atkins Museum.  The place is a great mix of old world furnishings and contemporary art. The owner has filled the place with his father’s art collection and it’s quite something. his dad was acame here from Cuba and spent his early years in foster care but somenhow managed to start collecting art, starting with African art and moving into I am not exactly sure what (there is at least on Thomas hart Benton according to a book about this place).

The famous PLaza lights!

The famous PLaza lights!

Anyway, beats the local Marriot and very close to where my work meeting is tomorrow morning and to a Gates BBQ outpost on Emmanuel Cleaver Rd. (I can’t return home without ribs wrapped to go!)

I had a nice dinner tonight with my lovely uncle-in-law Kenneth at Aixion, a nice little French place in the pretty Brookside area, another place I used to go during the brief stint I lived here in 1989/1990.image

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September 7, 2015 · 10:52 pm

Western Kansas: wright, dodge city,

To be honest, we didn’t do much in western Kansas beyond the confines of D’s 1960s ranch house in the tiny town of Wright, outside Dodge City. We were there to pack up and haul out all the stuff that a family of 8 children accumulated during the past 55 years. And we found things that were much older, some back to the late 1800s, we think.

A melancholy task, but good to be with other family who came from New Mexico and elsewhere in Kansas. Lots of laughter, occasional tears, family tales shared. We did emerge for lunch yesterday at Tacos Jalisco, our favorite Mexican place on Wyatt Earp blvd. in Dodge. A late dinner was at a surprisingly packed Applebee’s near Boot Hill, maybe some others were there because there weren’t many other options on a Sunday at 10 pm. I did have a very good limeade.

Today, we stopped to see family in Wichita and then picked up ribs “to travel” at Gates BBQ in Kansas City. Now three hours til home.

P.s. Comfort Inn in Lenexa turned out to be a mixed bag. Our room was clean but the thin walls meant nonstop noise from someone who appeared to fall asleep with the tv on. Argh

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September 5, 2015 · 4:01 pm

Smithville, Mo. Justis drugstore restaurant!

I have wanted to go to the Justus Drugstore, a farm to table t
Restaurant in an old drugstore in the pretty small town of Smithville, just north of Kansas City for some time and we finally did! One of the better meals I’ve had in awhile and we didn’t even eat in the main dining room (the old pharmacy) but instead on the east side patio. We shared a delicious sweet corn salad (corn, heirloom cherry tomatoes, herbs, butter, cheese from a local dairy and butter. It was light and sweet and mysterious. I would love to know how to make it at home.

This is the kind of place that makes its own ketchup, which resembled tomato paste but tastier. It arrived with the crispy hand cut fries that came with the burnt end sandwich, whIch was like nothing I’ve tasted before. there is a lot to be said for good ingredients and when every ingredient is good, the net effect knocks your socks off. The roll was delicious on its own, then there was the BBQ pork, various other ingredients I couldn’t quite make out (arugula, capers) added up to a sweet but spicy flavor. The fried chicken was surprisingly light and the chicken tender but not undercooked, served atop a delicious risotto and fresh greens.

The desserts were crazy. We shared carrot cake beignets which came in an oblong narrow tray with a beignet on either end and in the middle this light goat cheese foam with carrot caviar (yes,,carrot caviar, little bright orange beads, who makes carrot caviar?) The beignets were warm and moist and fabulous, even better when dined in the foam. We also tried the homemade ice cream, chocolate Brownie and sage butterscotch.
The main dining room is small, charming, with lovely landscapes and abstract paintings, all by the chef. Talented guy. The old soda found is lined with jars of homemade, hand labeled bitters, for making cocktails.
Smithville itself turned out to be a pretty little place with a row of old well tended red brick buildings, a brick patio and bandstand.
now we are at a comfort inn in Lenexa, Kansas. Not bad.

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February 4, 2015 · 8:33 pm

Blizzard and empanada madness: Kansas City

We took a welcome break from white out conditions along Interstate 35 from Des Moines to Kansas City for some grub at Empanada Madness, a little hole on the wall on southwest boulevard, just off the interstate in KCMO. Found was fresh, delicious and cheap. We ate crispy empanadas, arepas and plantains, plus rice and beans in a small nondescript dining room, then braced ourselves for more snow ahead. We seem to be traveling with the snowstorm, unfortunately, but for now it does look relatively clear south of overland PArk/ Olathe Kansas. We are passing the new ikea here, as I type, in Shawnee or mission or some such (Johnson county).

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December 30, 2014 · 7:10 pm

Kansas City – Cafe Trio

I’m always trying to remember the restaurants we eat at, particularly in a place like Kansas City (beyond the ones I’ll always remember like Gates, Stroud’s, Joes — formerly Oklahoma Joe’s, and Bryants.) So for the record we had a good meal with wonderful Uncle Kenneth at Trio, near the Plaza. I wasn’t that hungry, having had a big bowl of Bun at Saigon Cafe in Wichita a few hours earlier, so I just had a small plate – mainly grilled Brussels sprouts (a new favorite veg) well-seasoned with big pieces of lardon (bacon), little bits of pear and a small dab of orange-colored sweet potato (I think) puree. D had good crab cakes. N had salmon. K had chicken. The place was all decked out for the holiday, as of course was the Plaza, with its Spanish-style buildings lined with Christmas lights.

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October 16, 2014 · 1:54 am

In honor of the KC Royals– recalling when I met George Brett 25 years ago

Since the Royals are in the World Series for the first time since 1985, it’s time to share again my chance encounter in about 1989 with Royals Hall of Famer George Brett at the old now demolished Stroud’s road house in KC, MO.

To be honest, I didn’t know who George was but my husband filled me in after spotting him waiting in a crowd alongside us mere mortals for a table at Stroud’s (where the fried chicken was so good people were willing to wait for hours to eat it since the old place didn’t take reservations. Nor does the newer Stroud’s.)

Brett, for the uninitiated, was Kansas City’s best ever player (my husband reminds me of this today) and a key factor in the Royals last World Series win (in 1985.) So we were sitting next to a little boy, about age 8, who was staring at George in amazement. Awestruck. His mom was encouraging him to ask George for his autograph but the kid couldn’t do it. (In this day and age, he’d be asking George to take a selfie with him.) So I said I’d ask George and sidled over to where George was talking to several attractive blond women. He seemed uninspired when I mentioned the little awestruck boy and didn’t provide an autograph. “Jerk,” I thought as I returned to the kid empty handed.

But a short time later, as the little boy and mom were being led to their table, the boy left his jacket behind on his seat by mistake. “Son. hey son,” George called out to him. “Here’s your jacket.” And he handed it to him. The boy looked like he’d won the lottery. “Not a jerk,” I thought, revising my opinion of George Brett.

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June 19, 2014 · 2:40 am

Much better burnt ends: Oklahoma Joes in Kansas City

We thought at 2 pm on. Monday there might NOT be a line at this super popular (for good reason) BBQ joint in one half of a gas station in an out of the way corner of Metro Kansas City . Think again. But at least the line wasn’t as long as last Friday’s 1 1/2 hour wait. After a half hour of standing in line, ogling other diners’ plates, we had our very own slab of ribs (meaty, juicy AND crispy) and burnt ends (succulent chunks of BBQ beef – still not the chewy shards I remember fondly, but from where? Bryant’s?)  Also good spicy slaw, fries sprinkled with some magic spices, rich tangy beans. Worth the wait!

 

 

 

 

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June 14, 2014 · 3:11 am

Bummer Burnt Ends at gates BBQ in KC

Not sure what happened to the crispy shards of BBQ beef that used to be served as burnt ends at Gates on Main Street in downtown Kansas City but tonight it looked more like hash or ground beef with the odd bit of fat. Blech. But pleased to report that the ribs remain fabulous.

bring back the real burnt ends!

 

 

 

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December 28, 2013 · 1:59 am

Tale of 3 restaurants: tres amigos/dodge city; saigon/wichita; & story./prairie village

The “El Capitan” cattle drive monument, Dodge City

Our dinner tonight at story., an upscale new American cuisine restaurant, in a fancy shopping area in the Kansas City suburb of Prairie Village could not have differed more from dinner last night at Tres Amigos, on Wyatt Earp Blvd. in Dodge City. But both were good in their own way. story. Has a clean dramatic decor with dimly lit white walls and large pieces of understated contemporary art. I had a beautifully prepared and presented piece of red snapper, with a slightly crispy crust but light and moist inside, atop a bed of sautéed spinach, salty bits of pancetta and a light lemon wine sauce. another stand out was the braised short rib with gnocchi and onion rings. best of all was the company, a favorite uncle who lives in Kansas City.

Tres Amigos is a much humbler place with somewhat ordinary Mexican fare but it easily accommodated our party of nine on a holiday weekday. Today in Wichita we stopped at our favorite Vietnamese restaurant Saigon, which was even busier than usual. but as usual, the service was brisk and the food (#45, bun with charbroiled pork and egg roll!) was fresh and tasty. Discovered the shrimp chips this time and they are much better than the ones I try to make at home. We also stopped at our favorite middle eastern restaurant in Wichita , N&J market, to pick up some hummus and pitta chips to take home.

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December 24, 2013 · 7:00 pm

Oklahoma joes thumbs up

We are breezing down two lane highway 156 towards Ellsworth Kansas on ChristMas eve. Nary another car or soul in sight. The fields are snowy, the sky is a sunless white-grey, the temperature is up to 25, who hoo! Better than the frigid sunny 9 degree weather that greeted us this morning in the icy parking lot of the Baymont Inn in Lawrence (where I slept fitfully on a too soft mattress.)

Oklahoma Joe’s BBQ was indeed in a gas station in Kansas City, Ks, which added to its street cred and quirky charm. (Pix below) The ribs and brisket were, as reported, excellent. On a Mpnday night, the line to order at the counter was long but moved fairly quickly and everyone was in a cheerful, pre-holiday mood. The ribs were meaty and moist, well seasoned, good sauce on the sweet side, akin to Gates. Also had good sides …spicy coleslaw, beans with chunks of beef in them, seasoned fries. We will be back!

This morning we had an excellent breakfast at Milton’s in Lawrence, stopped to get some goodies at the bakery Wheatfield’s (surprisingly delicious rugelah, a rustic rosemary bread, pecan raisin bread) then hit interstate 70 west. man this road is empty (although behind us somewhere are our kids in another car). This annual road trip to Wright, Kansas, this time of year, always feels like we are driving to the end of the earth.

The sky has just turned hazy and we are not sure if there is fog or blowing snow ahead.

 

 

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