moosnsqrl

Paul Kirk, KC-based bbq guru, author, winner of many contests, refers to foil as "the Texas crutch" and doesn't resort to it for 'holding' or 'resting', so I've certainly had exposure to that school of thought before. Although true enough a lot of people use that method. I guess I'd like to read McGee on the subject (or perhaps one of our esteemed resident food scientists could weigh-in on the theory behind pro and con?).

They have to be crispy, the batter has to be airy and they are properly (IMHO) served with either ranch or bleu cheese, or both (separately). And I'm not a fried food person.

Haven't tried them. That's the only place in town I've ever noticed them on the menu. My all-time favorites are found at The Sidetrack in Ypsilanti, MI. Anyone traveling to the eG gathering up there should check them out. I still remember when and how they were introduced there. After quite a lot of skepticism, they were added to the regular menu.

Using the Plotkin book and overcoming my general rule of thumb about going somewhere mentioned in such a book (and the author's own claim that you would "hear more English and German than Italian") we nonetheless ate at Gianni Franzi. And the food was really quite good, plus we liked the atmosphere and, apparently, were lucky as there was a group of maybe 10 Italians celebrating a birthday and a few other 2-tops when we were there (ok, some were German) so the vibe wasn't too touristy. I had a zuppa de verdure that essentially ruined me for all other zuppa. The memory of it still haunts me. Damn, I wish I could make it but I think it's genetic or something.

joiei, This sounds wonderful - I should've followed you back down for it (esp in light of my fugitive status - NO ONE would look for me in Oklahoma!). The scallop course made me salivate - I love savory tapioca. And the sorbetto sounds exquisite. I may have to break out the ice cream maker later and play around with that. We'll have to wander down there one of these days. Although I *do* wish it were a Friday, so we could catch some of Darrell's 'maters later in the summer.

I was in the witness protection program but Sandy outed me a couple of weeks ago and now I'm on the lam. Hence my geographic ambiguity. I am, by birth, a Kansan and as such embrace the long-standing border war between our great, free state and the not-so-great-or-free one to the east. Although I did live in KCMO when I was younger (we bought our first house there, because property taxes are lower due to the fact that the moral imperative to educate children is apparently non-existent there ). I do currently live at a small lake (where the aforementioned Karl apparently grew up) definitely on the KS side but it is not in BS, KS. Beyond that, all you're getting is name, rank and serial number. Regards from the spider hole, moosnsqrl PS: Now that we've sorted that out, we should probably get back to either Tomfooleries or something at least vaguely related to food so Ronnie doesn't have to join the ranks of those tracking me down for various reasons.

While I appreciate your vote of confidence, I fear it is misplaced. I am a rather recent transplant and don't actually live there, although it is my mailing address. I'll do my best not to let you down, though ← You mean that was all for show with Karl that Saturday? ← I live at a lake near the lovely town of Bonner Springs. I do not consider myself a denizen, although I am not offended by the association (not having grown up in this area, the "'dotte" stigma has no affect on us. I simply don't really identify with it (in fact, I typically just cite my residence as "Kansas City" with no state designation, since I pay taxes on both sides of the state line and split my waking hours between Kansas and Misery. Sandy, no, not for show. I DO live at the lake where Karl grew up, but not in BS, KS, strictly speaking. Hence my reluctance to take credit for Chef McC's claim about Bonner women. I just don't think I can live up to the rep, ya know?

While I appreciate your vote of confidence, I fear it is misplaced. I am a rather recent transplant and don't actually live there, although it is my mailing address. I'll do my best not to let you down, though

Bring it on, 'Wench(es)! You'd better hope for my safe return, now that you're on record as having issued a threat.

I've been mistakenly attributing that to Marshall McLuhan for years. I wasn't ignoring your question, just couldn't remember. It's difficult to tell from the map I just looked at but I *think* it's the California Pizza Kitchen. Anyone know for sure? I'm donning my kevlar and heading that way to meet someone at 5:30 - if no one has confirmed or refuted by the time I leave I'll swing by there.

Right you are, thanks for helping me see the light. Note to myself: tuck a pair of reading specs into the evening bag . So it sounds like we should get the full tasting but only the 5-course wine pairings if we want to make it home? We generally take wine but I don't see any mention of a corkage arrangement, so I assume they don't allow it. Anyone have first-hand knowledge?

A former New Yorker writer, Bill Buford, originally thought he was going to write an article on the Molto Mario phenomenon. He decided early-on that there was enough material for a book, so he quite his day job and went to work at Babbo. Not content with that exposure, he traveled to Italy to study under some of the same teachers Mario learned his craft from. There is an excerpt here. Note: if you follow the link (upper right) to Amazon and purchase, it helps support npr. If you do go to Amazon, there is a guest review by one A. Bourdain. I was surprised to hear the author report that many of the old Italian chefs/cooks were surprised (and not all that pleasantly) by Mario's success. The author compared their reaction to that of the Delta Blues masters who toiled in poverty and relative anonymity long after the young white boys learned/stole their classic licks and made a fortune with them.

Welcome, Dividend! I see you've been online for a few weeks but I'm afraid this is the first I've noticed. Great to have you. In some apparent form of self-flagellation, I seem to find myself in one of the twilight zones everyday. I think it's some kind of penance for not working for a while. Whatever the motivation, I found myself on the 119th corridor a couple of hours ago. Now I fully appreciate Z's comment about the mirror-image affect between ZR and that area (whatever it is called). I still haven't felt the need to subject myself to the 151st area. I'll have to work up a lot more guilt about slothfulness before subjecting myself to that. Your comments about 'a new place to go that seems familiar' and the Disney/Main St/movie set facade are spot-on and I'm afraid I know Oak Park syndrome well enough that I got a vague queasiness reading your post. It looks like the KC population on eG is tipping northward, with Z's and UE's relocations and your work location. Surely there's something up there that won't cause some kind of coma (whether boredom- or grease-induced). Happy hunting. And I'll sign-off with the standard apology to Katie for dissing her hood. Maybe I should just make it part of my tagline.

That's funny - I saw a few boot camp students walking the halls on my recent visit there and wondered idly how long it would take before this would happen. Apparently the ink was already drying on the page before I could even think it. I guess I might check it out from the library to satisfy my curiosity but I can't imagine it will find its way onto my shelves.

Oh, Sandy, say it ain't so! I might have let you slide had you not edited your post to add the heretical suggestion of schmearing a slice of tomato with the vile substance! My grandmother, who thought nothing of spending a half-day circumnavigating the city in search of the perfect, most-flavorful homegrown tomato every Sunday of every summer, must be spinning like a lathe! Maybe we can have an intervention next time you're in town and try to save you from this terrible affliction.

If you don't fancy Mexican at La Super Rica, consider Olio e Limone (I believe it gets a mention on most SB threads, and deservedly sp). If your situation suits take-out, go to Lazy Acres (an amazing natural foods store) and either gather ingredients or pick up ready-made foods. They have incredible variety of things, as well as wines/beer, and even flowers to decorate your table.

The hardest thing as a consumer of fine foods is having an appetite (and by that I mean capacity AND financial) to try everything you want to try. I know fine restaurants can't give it away and survive (but wouldn't that be great?) but I am always willing to "donate" what my allowance allows and pleased if I get some "gravy," because I am a glutton for punishment. Edited to fix quote

I like your style.

This brought back a very amusing moment from my early college days. I only semi-remember it but I think one of the housemates (I would NEVER have done anything so foolish ) actually ended up calling the landlord trying to sort-out how the "broiler" worked or how to light it or some equally silly question.

This won't help with your alchemy but I just made a tequila and watermelon juice with a little (ok, quite a little) salt. Very refreshing although you do have to make it relatively weak to keep the tequila from overwhelming the melon.

Somehow I've missed this thread and just found out I'm dining there the 17th, so I was delighted with the pictures (thanks RJ!) and comments. I'm curious about the menu situation, though. The website has only a "market menu" (5 courses, $70) but I see references here to 5- and 10-course, and upthread a mention of $150-$170pp which, I guess is attainable with wine and tip but not if you do the pairings. Has something changed? And Russell, sounds like you crossed a lot of culinary rubicons all in one meal. Bravo!

Thanks, I was afraid I was going to have to do this alone and, as we were chatting and I did not take notes, my details are sketchy. I opted for crab cakes as a bridge between the amuses and the main event. I don't often order crab cakes these days, having had too many bad experiences ranging from disappointment to illness. My gold standard for them is not anywhere near an ocean, rather that notable seafood center, Chicago IL. Susie Crofton (Crofton on Wells) is the autueur and I can't walk down that street without involuntarily salivating. But I digress. Chef McClure's were thoroughly enjoyable and I'm really glad to know, when the craving strikes, I can drive fewer than 7 hours and indulge. His version have a delightful texture, neither too dense nor too crumbly, yet I didn't detect any significant presence of filler. Apart from basic freshness and quality of crabmeat, that is my single highest criteria and the cause of failure (IMHO) more often than not. I may have to sneak into the kitchen to observe how the miracle occurs. The cakes were served over a salsa fresca with either creme fraiche or crema (the slightly more-liquid Mexican cousin), with some cress. A brilliant and welcome alternative to the more cloying (and more common) sauces resembling a marriage of tartar and thousand-island dressing.

Glad I could brighten your day. Hell's waiting room pretty much captures it alright. And they have some serious traffic engineering issues. It took as long to exit off Prairie View onto Barry Road as it took to age my tuna. Actually maybe that's what happened to it - maybe it was fresh when it started its voyage and was 'off' by the time the delivery guy could get through Dante's ninth circle to drop it off. God I hope the Briarcliff area where Tim Doolittle's new place is going to be is better-conceived.

The last time I ate at Starker's Reserve there was still a "Harry Starker's." My memory's not all that great but that was quite some time ago. I don't think it will take me that long to return unless something goes terribly wrong. The choices on the Plaza are few these days, if you want a unique dining experience. And, since Plaza gift cards seem to be holding strong as the favorite corporate gift, we find ourselves all too often choosing between the lesser of several evils. I'm happy to have rediscovered fine dining where "the card" (lower case) is accepted. I will post in greater detail when I've managed to clear the cobwebs from my memory (it was only a few days ago but I've been up to my ears in naan, raita, and other Indian delights since and have to cleanse my palate before I can do it justice). I will start the ball rolling with the first amuse: a house-made potato chip topped with beautiful, tiny coral roe and a very mild horseradish (the name of which sounded like Edmund Hillary's Sherpa comrade, Mr. Norgay. Tenzing? Can I get an assist here?)