chicagowench

It is at once terrifying yet strangely compelling. Mike, please tell me you'll perform this cultural high watermark on Saturday?

The AP is reporting- and it was picked up in the New York Times today- that Daley's signed on officially to supporting the repeal.

Granted. However, since part of what we've been discussing is- as Pete posits it- the mindless slavish devotion to critics and what saps people are for listening to them, it does bear notice that if you simply do a search via the Star's restaurant page under '4 stars', those 5 spit out. Regardless of whether they currently hold it or not. (Which is yet another reason why the Star needs to be smacked). It's why I was careful to point out how it comes up when you search.

Might as well take it down, then, as it's now sullied and tainted by the presence of 3 other restaurants in the 4 star category. 40 Sardines, Cafe Sebastienne, and the American, when one searches the KC Star site for 4 star reviews.

Welcome to the KC area, Aaron! I am curious as well as to why she only tried...the steak. Especially when a restaurant has such a limited menu, it seems even more important to sample as much of it as possible.

Though the issues we deal with are far less pervasive, we too have had to do the special accomodations due to oral-motor deficiencies. There's only one 'chain' we've been well accomodated at....and that's Chipotle.

Great! I can maim myself and flash my husband in the privacy of our own home now! Aw dang, the dangly wire one isn't in there, and Squid's so much easier to eat from. Rats.

From the article: and and The apologetica re: the large group arriving doesn't ring true: perhaps that explains the accompaniment on the trout being overcooked, but it sure as hell doesn't explain a kitchen plating slimy, past date salad greens! nor does it explain missteps in flavor balance and selection. Her review reads as though 1/3-1/2 of all dishes had a serious problem. This merits 3 stars precisely....how?

Y'all know how to have a good time on a holiday weekend. We've never had a problem with service at Spin; then again, we tend to go at less crowded hours.

Yes, unless one's height relative to the table is such one is then performing a bizarro mix of a Laurie Anderson piece and the mating dance of the Blue Footed Boobie as one bobs one's head about and tries to judge height and distance and angle to get it right. I believe we'll simply have to agree to disagree; you may not find it awkward, I find having to angle myself at such a cant that my boss can tell what style of bra I'm wearing to be awkward in the old-fashioned sense of the word. For that matter, had it been my father in law, uncles, or heaven forfend grandfather, it would have been equally awkward. I'm in a weird line of work. It was, in essence, a field trip for us. So yes, we were focusing on the food and service, not executing contracts inbetween courses. Still, I was there with my bosses.

Amen. Because as a woman there with her bosses on a business dinner, I really, really didn't want to give either of them a flash of a little more than I intended as I had to leeeeean over and pluck food off of a wire with my mouth. Not only awkward and hard to eat, but socially uncomfortable as well.

I don't know if I should be offended (you think I'd take my sweet, tender, impressionable child to this place?) or honored (you wanted to hear me cut loose about this?). If it's the former, dude, you are so not invited to the smoke-out for labor day. My actual job- other than swanning about the boards, snarking about Joco- involves themed entertainment, for lack of a better euphemism, and edutainment. And even my moneygrubbing company, after the filthy, filthy lucre of the 'experience economy' which gives rise to horrorshows like this, refuses to design these kinds of places because man these kinds of 'immersion experiences' suck. I'm twitching on so many different levels- foodie, educator, parent, design professional- as I gaze upon this trainwreck of a restaurant concept. My child, upon being shown the menu and having it read to him, decreed the following: Me: "Um. They have a...bronto burger." Child: "*sigh* Mommy. Not bronto. Apat-o-saurus. Ffft. WRONG." Me: "And....Pterodacytl wings." Child: "*sigh*. mommy silly. Chicken wings. Pter-o-dac-tyl extinct. Can't buy at red store." (translation: Target.) "Can we have cous-cous now? Wit' goat cheese?" OK, you know your theme premise sucks when a three year old is crapshooting your twee faux content. Edited to add: Watch it, man, or theFlying Spaghetti Monster will own your nonbelieving rear.

Big Country, you had me at hello.

Yay! We've known for a bit but I didn't want to post in case it was supposed to be on the down low. Big Country, congratulations!

We hit OP yesterday and skipped Brookside (between OP, garden, and Organic Way CSA, we are rolling in produce, so...) Man, crazy! Glorious, glorious heirloom tomatoes by the bagful at OP, far more than just a few seasons ago. Vendors who had been planting the standards 3 years ago have really branched out, and it's great to see (actually, now that I think about it, we're seeing more variety at that market in several areas- tomatoes, eggplants, garlic, peaches, melons, squash). Great nectarines, multiple varieties of peaches, still some great greens.

Sooooo excited for the reservation I just made- friends of ours will be in town and we're dragging them kicking and screaming over. Doh! UE, check your pms. (Edited to add: what does it say about me that I just tried to guilt our friends into getting their butts down here on Thurs so we could do the 12 course spontaneous?)

Bumping this thanks to KC Star coverage of the bakery (hah, moosnsqrl, 'my' bakery? Like I'd get up at 3 am! Though...I am very proprietary about getting a chocolate eclair now!)

babern38, Yes, you can get the same menus at a table. Here's a pdf of a sample menu set. You'll notice there are several menu choices, and then the Chef's Palate. Looking at my copy of a menu from the last time I was there, the Palate was $138, $235 with wine pairings. The other menus were $115. Someone who's been there more recently than me can correct me if the prices have changed. I cannot speak highly enough for the flexibility of the staff at Avenues. The sommelier staff is wonderful and very accomodating, and will happily recommend one or two glasses to pair up with several courses if you don't want to do a full tasting. They'll also open up bottles not on the by the glass list, within reason. The kitchen handled my whacky set of allergies with aplomb.

and as tumbleweeds roll across this topic....

I thought I read about Maison in the Pitch, and have been wanting to get over there. But I think I'm going to give them a while to get used to a gas stove in there and finish with the dining room rennos.

The husband swung by after work on Tuesday afternoon to try and get me a treat. They had one loaf of bread left at 5 pm and nothing else. So at least they're not overbaking and throwing away product at the end of the day! I'd strongly suggest, if you're not there at the crack of, calling ahead and placing an order. The coffee eclair are very good, as are the chocolate croissant. The napoleons are a little too sweet for my taste. The selection is very classic and somewhat limited- moreso if you're not there very early!

Or we just never sleep See, regarding restaurant press here, I don't even feel like I get a pair of slippers instead of a bike on Christmas morning. Perhaps I'm spoiled by having lived in Chicago for so long, with a vibrant restaurant press scene. And, not to bash Lauren or any reviewer specifically, as moosnsqrl went on to say she was avoiding, I too have that problem here. I can't benchmark against anyone. And so it's why, when I do meet someone whom I share a dining ethos with, I rely on them- whether it's calling them up and asking them about where they've been recently, or having a fast exchange of comments on their blog. While monkfish103 may feel, regarding amateurs not posting about bad experiences: I am slavishly grateful when an erudite, smart person throws themselves out there for rotten tomatoes, particularly since it's hard to find good, consistent restaurant criticism out here. Shitflinging for the sake of shitflinging? No. But a well thought out, clear, insightful blog entry about a restaurant? Incredibly helpful to me. Do I ever think a blogger is a pro critic? No. Do I take their opinion to be gospel? No. Do I elect to avoid a restaurant based on one person's petty bitching post on their livejournal account? No. Among those who take the time to write detailed, balanced pieces, posts on their blogs (and a few on here) have helped me have better experiences at restaurants, without a doubt. Hell, on my own blog I pointed out problems at two of my favorite places (Bluestem and Avenues). And, given my chats with the chefs at both places, I don't think they hold that against me. Uh, GEB, CAG, lemme know if I'm now on the persona non grata lists.

I'm seizing on such a small point here, but: Man, yes. Time after time I try to dig up information on places here, and find lousy- if they even exist- web sites. The new French bakery here in OP? Dreadful site (granted, they're selling out every day, even with the site, but it's not user friendly, it's off-putting). Having a great site is not a matter of shilling oneself to the reviewers or critics- it's putting your restaurant out there in the new way people are looking for places, and I wish more restaurants and groups of restaurants around here would get that. It seems to speak to a certain...oh I don't know. Provincialism? Reticence to move with the times? Inability on the parts of some (not all!) to recognize there's a want here for a better experience, all the way around- from when you first look into going to a place, to dining there, to wandering out to your car and heading home talking about it? False modesty, perhaps- oh, we're just Kansas City. F*** that noise, we've got great restaurants, but the entire engine around it- criticism, advertising, pr- is not like that in other cities, and it's holding great restaurants back from consumers- from the consumers who want them and from the consumers who could be transformed by discovering them.

I swear to god it's not us! I just sigh inwardly when I go to pick up my kid and see the parking lot at the new Bonefish/Cheeseburger in Paradise absolutely packed (as well as the Ted's). And then gently steer my neighbors to 40, Sushi House, or Cassis since they whinge about the city being too far to drive into. What is it about people thinking 25 minutes in a car is a Haj?

No photos of the bakery, as I cannot wrangle three year old and a camera at the same time. They were slammed- understaffed due to holiday and long, long line. Limited selection of 'breakfast' type goodies but I think that may have been a 'sold out' situation (eg- I know they sell almond croissants, yet there were none out). Varied selection of breads- we bought a baguette and a walnut-bleu cheese (special loaf of the day). Got a couple of croissants and a pair of pain au chocolat, and a selection of pastries (coffee eclair, as they sold out of chocolate eclairs in front of our very eyes and hi, if you were there and subjected to my child wailing in lamentation for the denial of chocolate eclair, I apologize. Also, a chocolate ganache...thing and a napoleon) So far, the ravaging has been thorough. Baguette gets 2 thumbs up from the kiddo, who savaged half of it in the car. The coffee eclair was assertive but not bitter, and the pate choux was not soggy in the least (also, ravaged by kid). The chocolate croissant was light, flaky, and crispy around the edges, little shy on the chocolate. Husband gives the regular croissant a big old 'mmmmmph, 'sgood'. Photos of what remainds when I find the camera.