JWest
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Posts posted by JWest
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This is my best guess:
Seasoning: Flour, paprika, pepper, salt, garlic powder.
Blanch potatoes in oil at 275 degrees for 4 minutes. Cool.
Coat the blanched potatoes with the flour mixture and fry in 375 degree oil until crispy brown.
Or you can just buy the ore ida "restaurant style" french fries and coat those with the seasoning. I've even bought the actual frozen curly fries too.
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I've found that by taking wilted herbs (herbs that are getting close to dying out on you) and dunking them in luke warm water and then shake the excess water off, wrapping them with a damp paper towel and back into the fridge help for a few extra days and some how revives them back to a crisper leaf.
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I'd like to take this opportunity to point out that The Drum Room, in the President Hotel, is finally open. I've not made it yet but fully intend to and hope everyone will give them a try. I hear the food and service are good and I really feel sorry for anyone trying to establish a new business with the road construction nightmare going on down there.
Not sure if its the Drum Room, but I hear the President Hotel has a new chef, recently as a sous from the American.
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The very next night after dining at Tru, I ate at the kitchen bar of Avenues. This was my first time being here and at first I was hoping that Tru wouldn't spoil my dinner at Avenues. It' didn't even come close. The food at Avenues is on the money.
I had the Chef's Palate Tasting Menu with a couple of courses including foie gras.
I really felt that Avenues presents food in an exciting way especially in certain courses poking fun at classical preparations. There's a little bit of that *wink*wink* in the food that makes you just smile without tasting a thing. Then you taste it and all of a sudden you think how genius the flavor combinations are.
This dish was pretty much
Amuse Bouche: I want to say it was corn panna cotta or something like that with a crab salad, instructed to swirl everything together and all I can remember was that it was tasty and how thinking how nice it is to have it in a glass instead a plate, it's much easier to control mixing of the ingredients.
The Bread Service: I love having a variety of butters, in this case there were three. Although I can't remember exactly what the different kinds were. I think it was some sort of Salted, Unsalted, and Parmesan? Not sure.. Also, the breads change throughout the courses so they match better with what you are eating. It makes total sense, I love it.
Deconstructed Caeser Salad is what Im talking about when I say "poke fun"/*wink*wink*. The Savory Twinkie of Brioche filled with garlic Mascarpone. Im not much for subtle flavors and with ChefGEB's food that's not the case. This whole salad had lots of punch and no hidden flavors or textures. This is one of the main themes I found throughout the meal. Flavors were key throughout the night.
Tomato Confit with Tomato Water, and the Goat cheese Ice cream is amazing. The tartness and sweetness of the tomatoes play so well with the sweet and creamy ice cream (it also had this diserable stickiness to it..gooey goodness)along with a palate cleanser in the tomato water. It's just good stuff, it's that simple. The Basil Marshmellow was also another fun component of this dish.
Kind of like a deconstructed Clam Chowder in a dry form. The potato Terrine and all of the other accompaniments work well because they use classical flavor combinations in a different way. It was great but I wish there was some sort of sauce or something. Again, lots of flavor, you knew exactly what they were going for.
Mmm I like Kangaroo! Melon noodles with eucalyptus foam are balanced out by togarashi chili and the sweet caramel. The dramatic bowl effect is awesome.
I finally got what I've always wanted to try... the foie gras lollipop. Served with soft stewed peaches, watercress puree and Chamomile Gastrique. I find the strawberry poprocks coating the foie gras make an incredible texture/flavor combination. It makes your brain go crazy! Soft buttery foie gras combined with hard popping candy
was like the ultimate taste for me.
The ricotta gnocchi had the perfect density along with the sweet lobster and fresh favas. I wish there was a way to eat up all that truffle that went with it! ....Just stick my face in it and lick it all up
Rouget is one of my favorite fish, so I really enjoyed this one.
Arkansas Rabbit with Mustard Spaetzl, Arugula Coulis was a little dry for me. I felt it needed something to wet the mouth a little bit. The Rabbit was absolutely delicious, the Spaetzle was my favorite though. I don't think enough restaurants do spaetzle, it's such a good component for starch. I loved the crispiness and soft texture in the inside. I didn't realize the spaetzle had mustard in it though... but this explains everything for the next course.
This was my favorite Course I think. Quail Roulade held with Transglutaminase , Watermelon, Sassafrass Barbeque, and Okra. The combination of everything worked so well together, the watermelon was ripe, the quail was tender, and now I want sassafrass with my barbeque now that Im back in Kansas City
The funny thing though, was I could have sworn I tasted mustard in the dish. I asked one of the cooks and he asked chef Bowles and the rest of the team about it and no one knew what I was tasting... Then I realized, the mustard spaetzle must have carried through the next course on my tongue... all of a sudden I could taste mustard after eating the barbeque and watermelon. I love eating. 
Ahi Tuna, Cauliflower Puree, Heirloom Cauliflower, and Red Wine CousCous
The Cauliflower is delicous and suprisingly to me fits well with tuna.
The Kobe Beef was delicious, I liked the black beluga lentils but I felt the dish was dry, some sort of demi or puree of some sort might have done the trick.
Licorice Soda cleansing/cooling to the body and I was happy it wasn't extremely potent as I originally thought it would be. Smoked Cherries and Fennel round out the Explorateur.
I could eat a whole bowl of the Creme Fraiche Ice Cream, I truely think thats the best way to use creme fraiche now... in an ice cream form.
Guiness Chocolate Cake, Ice Cream, and this ball with chocolate oozing out of the center. I really enjoyed the foie gras milkshake, when I tell people about this... they cringe but I think if you really try it, it's pretty tasty...real tasty.
Mignardise in a form of an ice cream sandwich.. I believe it was mint flavored? Tasty little bite.
This meal was superb in many ways, I really don't understand why the place isn't packed full every night... Everything matched well together, it was nice to see ingredients and components with a purpose on the plate. It wasn't only nicely prepared and focused food but it tasted well. It was presented in a dramatic fashion and had flare. Every dish had something "magical" about it, either in the sense of philosphy or realities of the human senses. Like one of the chefs at Avenues told me, "we aren't re-inventing the wheel here, we're just presenting the food in a different way" ... and I think that little bit of effort to present food in a different form is just enough to make great tasting food more than just that.
Oh, BTW, the parting gift of jarred honey and a poppyseed cake is great for breakfast!
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I had a feeling about that...
Even though I was almost positive that Tramonto and Gand were not there I asked a server if they were there that night anyways. He lightly laughed about the idea as he was telling me they were not in. I took it as if they're rarely there.
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ouch... that's embarassing.
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Pictures from my last post:
My 9:15 PM reservation happened on a Monday. I've always been a fan of Rick Tramonto and Gale Gand. I've read everything about Tru, read the books, and the only thing that I haven't done was to eat at the restaurant. Whenever I go to restaurants at this level, I feel nervious and excited at the same time. It's almost that same gut feeling you get when you are waiting for the announcement weather or not you got 1st place or last place. I don't know if that's normal or if it happens to anyone else but for me it does. I decided to go with the Summer Collection.
Lobby: Arrived a little bit before the reservation.
First Amuse: Piquillo Peppers, Cauliflower Panna Cotta, Tomato Water, Small Sorrel all layered in a shot glass.
Bread Service: SanFrancisco Sourdough and Parmesan Biscuit(Biscuits made in house). Later on I had an amazing Pumpernickle which was full of balanced robust flavors. Bread was served with Salted and Unsalted Butter.... I felt they had an off taste of metalic.... these were not my favorite.
Second Amuse: I was confused with the two amuses but Im guessing everyone gets the first one and the 2nd one is for the summer collection. This was Raw Tuna served two ways. One in Cucumber water and one with Apple Gelee.
I personally enjoyed the tuna with apple gelee... just very crisp and cleansing at the same time.
First Course: Raw Maine Diver Scallop, Kumamoto Oyster, Italian Black Pearl Osetra Caviar, Preserved Lemon.
Clean, Smooth, Citrusy, Salty, Delicious.
Second Course: Butter Roasted Langoustine, Hearts of Palm, Sunchoke, Brown Butter.
The langoustine was better than any lobster I have ever had. It melts immediately in your mouth. I felt the hearts of palm and sunchoke were very sour from the lemon but when you had everything together at once, it was harmony. I feel like that was the theme throughout the tasting menu, everything together tastes great but seperately not so great.
Third Course: Veloute of Summer Corn and Leek, Corn-Herb Fritters.
The soup had the taste of a 100 ears of corn. The soupe was extremely rich and coating. The Fritters were perfectly crispy and soft in the center that went well with the soup.
Fourth Course: Canadian Foie Gras Torchon, Salad of Ranier Cherries, Hazelnuts & Radish, Country Toast, Cherry Jus.
I've never had Foie Gras from Canada but I felt the torchon had a lot more mineral flavor than usual. The walnut salad was sweet and nutty. I also loved that Country Toast as something else to go with the foie gras... I enjoyed this very much so.
Fifth Course: Grilled Loup de Mer, Braised Baby Fennel, Tomato-Orange Nage
Im a big fan of grilled fish skin especially bass. The fennel was soft to the bite and firm to the fork, I could drink the nage all day long.
Sixth Course: Roasted Elysian Fields Lamb Saddle, Salt-Poached Potatoes, Petite Summer Vegetables, Lamb Jus.
The Lamb was excellent, everything else was okay, I felt the jus was inferrior. I felt it tasted cheap and poorly executed.
Seventh Course: The Cheese Cart.
I went for the cheese option and Im glad I did! I can't exactly remember the names but if I ever hear the name I would remember. I chose 4 different cheeses along with all of the accompaniments.
Dessert Amuse: Mixed Berry Sparkler
A nice punch in the mouth to wake your senses alive. Intense berry flavor.
Single Shot Espresso: Illy Brand with Classical Accompaniments
Nice Crema!
Eight Course: Gale's Dessert Collection of Banana&Butter Bread Pudding and Chocolate Semi Freddo with Blackberries.
So good! The desserts in my mind were the highlight of the night. The Bread Pudding was tingling to the tongue and the semi freddo was smooth and velvety to the mouth.
I really enjoyed Chocolate and rootbeer together... As someone who takes his rootbeer seriously, I felt that chocolate ice cream is a nice partner with the soda.
Mignardise Cart: A selection of lolly pops, sweet delights, and candies.
I selected a chocolate lolly pop, Candied Grapefruit Skin, Cashew Brittle, Marshmellow, and a raspberry tart. I really enjoyed all of this even though I was about to pass out on how much food I ate... but my suprise was the grapefruit skin. It was firm on the outside and when you bite into it melted. I usually have to chew on candied citrus rinds to consume them but this one was just extra special.
MORE CHOCOLATE: They really do a good job stuffing you!
I noticed that the tasting menu had about the same sized portions as Alinea did but I was getting worried because Alinea was serving me twice the amount of courses. Then after eating the cheese course I was stuffed! It's amazing how much food is in the Summer Collection. They also send you away with a complimentary Chocolate Madeline, makes a great midnight snack.
Overall, Flavors were subtle but the desserts are in your face full of flavors. Everything was perfect just not amazing. The only amazing part of the meal was the service. I would go again just for the service alone. I think I was expecting the same kind of food that are in the books.
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I felt Alinea's service was superb and I would be extremely suprised if U.E. has a third dissapointing performance from the front of the house.
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Just dined at Tru last night... I will have pictures once I get back in town...I had the Summer Collection.
Overall I felt it didn't live up to the hype from the books or anything.
The service was absolutely perfect, dining by your self, you really get to watch and notive everything they are doing. No mistakes in service ettiquite, timing of marking courses, water replenishments, descriptions, in between course timings, everything. Not one mistake or fumble. if you want to get picky, I noticed that their linin was not pressed very well... to many crease marks. That's just one of my pet peeves about fine dining.
Amuse
Piquillo peppers on the bottom, something else, and tomato water gelee on top in three different layers inside a double shot glass. Small Sorrel Leaf on top.
Delicate flavors, something I found to be evident throughout the courses.
Bread and butter: SanFrancisco Style Sourdough, Pumpernickle, and Parmsean Biscuits. Served with two styles of butter: Salted and unsalted... Unsalted was from Vermont.
The sourdough was really flavor lasting and bothered me because of the flavor coating in my mouth. The pumpernickle was my favorite..very robust and flavorful. The biscuit was a little crumbly... I've had better.
I really didn't care for the butters... I felt they weren't very satisfying for some reason.
First Course: Amuse Bouche
Tuna two ways: one with Cucumber Water and the other with apple gelee
Apple gelee was crisp in flavor and soft in texture. Cucumber water was cleansing. Delicate again.
2nd Course: Oyster with Caviar, Scallop carpaccio.
Just wondferful.
3rd Course: Butter Roasted Langoustine, Hearts of Palm, Lemon vinaigrette like sauce.
Best Langoustine I have ever had, you would have thought it was poached slowly in butter because of its melting texture. It was my favorite taste and texture of the night. The lemon mixture was extremely Sour... I felt that when you put everything together in one bight, it was harmony. This plays in a lot of the dishes I had... you needed to have everything at once in order to achieve what I think the Chef wanted to happen in your mouth.
4th Course: Corn Veloute Soup with Corn and Herb Fritters.
THe soup is just luxiurous and extremely powerful in terms of corn. The fritters were perfect in crispy and soft textures. So good.
5th Course: Foie Gras Torchon, Apple walnut, frisee, Radish, Sour Cherry Sauce, Warm Country Bread.
The foie gras by it self seemed very metalic...just more than usual. The components together were spot on perfect, I loved the country bread to enjoy with my foie gras. I took my time to enjoy this one.
6th Course: Grilled Loup De Mer with Braised Fennel, Orange-carrot Nage, Fried Fennel Fern.
Mmmm... I love grilled crispy skin on fish. Fennel kept its flavor and had a perfect bite in texture... not too soft and not too hard. The Nage was flavorful but delicate to the tongue.. almost tingles it.
7th Course: Lamb Saddle with Fingerling, Favas, baby carrots, onions.
Lamb was extremely soft to the chew and flavored with salt thoughout the entire meat. The vegetables seemed okay...
8th Course: Cheese Cart
I had four cheeses.... I can't spell any of them right now and I dont have time to look them up..Im at an Apple Store using their internet
but this was one of my more fun courses, I chose to have all the accompaniments that were offered..... good cheeses!9th Course: Mixed Berry Sparkler.... boy was that in your face! mmm
10th Course: Banana, Bread and butter Pudding, Chocolate Semifreddo, Black Berry.
Her desserts are dazzling and charming to the mouth. Visually she shows her fun side. Delicious Desserts... Amazing almost.
11th Course: Chocolate Ice Cream and Root Beer Float... MMM I like the flavor combo!
12th Course: Mignardise Cart
Chocolate Lollipop, Marshmelllow, peanut and cashew Brittle,candied grapefruit skins
13th Course:Truffles
Parting Gift: Chocolate Madelines.
Overall I felt that the flavors were too subtle. I was dissapointed in that I didn't see any micro greens, no emulsions and foams, nothing innovative. Maybe they are going in a different direction... but nothing even came close to what they had in the book. Oh well
Although the service was amazing, the food was perfect but nothing exciting.... I would say it was just as perfect or better than Alinea's service. As someone who is young and not as experienced as some older cooks and chefs it was extrmemly exciting... I was almost nervious at the beginning. -
We both worked for them at two seperate times, I'm going to couch my words out of the little respect I have for them. So how bout those dodgers?
... moving along...
Did anyone read Chapin's review of Cafe Maison? Anyone care to step up and say that the food was on par with, say bluestem or 40 Sardines? (She gave C.M. 3 1/2 stars for food)
u.e.
That's ridiculous.. I really would like to watch her eat and talk about food.... by her giving out stars like candy only temporarily helps restaurants' ecomonic situation... it doesn't help it in the long run.
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I don't know when Monkfish worked for M&D but I know that they were doing a lot better food in the years they were nominated and won the by eard award. I guess not better, but more innovative. Possibly you didn't have the opportunity to see what they were made of at the time. Rex may have been great at what he does but M&D mean much more to Kansas City than Rex. Although, I have never seen his work or menus, I have only heard of stories about him from people who have worked with him.
Mike and Debbie made a huge impact with the City by their accomplishments. I was too young to see any of it but I have been impacted by them in a tremendous way in different aspects and different ways. If only they were still doing that style of food but they still uphold quality at 40 sardines just in a different way.
I've considered them as the King and Queen of Kansas City Food.
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Don't they know the key ingredient to good fried chicken is Crisco!?
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I was just curious what was going on with Moto? There hasn't been a post for sometime, especially one with any sort of review/details. Has anyone been recently and experienced any new inventions or cool creations?
I still have not been able to make it to moto, but that may not be so for long and I'm curious if I should still consider it to be on my high priority list for my next chicago visit. Thanks.
Id be going in if it weren't for being closed on sundays and monday
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the beard is such a joke.
Far from it, The James Beard Foundation is an extremely useful tool and organization with education and food culture. The foundation is responsible for giving thousands of thousands of dollars to young students who may not be able to afford post secondary education and would like to make the best of it. I hardly find it a joke to see many dedicated young people who want to educate their mind in whatever they feel is necessary for there future careers.
Also, 99% of the best chefs in the country are involved with the James Beard Foundation. The standards of these chefs exceed much higher than any other organized group of culinarians such as the closed minded ACF. It's no longer just a foundation or "organization" but a community as well. It's not like Strouds won Best of the Midwest or anything anyways.
The James Beard Foundation has increased the awareness of quality standards in the food undustry and has given an opportunity of all kinds of chefs to shine when their has come. There's nothing wrong with covering all different kinds of cuisine, restuarants, food, chefs, and ideas. That's why the U.S. is very unique, we are diversed in many ways that has shaped this country's cuisine into being extremely diverse. Sure, it's had some problems behind the scenes but it still carries the same tradition of recognizing chefs and educating people. Even Ferran Adria who doesn't have to do anything for anyone or anything is involved with the James Beard Foundation. Thomas Keller, Daniel Boulud, Jean-George, Grant Achatz, Gary Danko, and I definetly know Charlie Trotter wouldn't put his name on it if he thought it was a joke.
By calling this country's best culinary community a joke is extremely humorous and revolting. It's just foolish to think like that.
You never found it kind of funny that hmmm....I'll give you an example...The American Restaurant before they opened their doors hired this dude name James Beard to consult for them......and Poof low and behold on their 25th anniversy the chefs there recieved an award from the foundation, only after the Halls spent about a million or so to promote the foundation?....The foundtion was great about 15 years ago, now it's just a machine with no tools, other than the ones it so calls invite (if you want to call it an invite). It is what it is!
Celina Tio's hosting of The American Restaurant's Friends of Benefits Dinner 10th Anniversary in 2005 didn't help her win anything. Maybe its because Smith and Gold had a menu that was worthy of the award!? The year they won the best of MidWest (ITS NOT EVEN THE BEST CHEF or OUTSTANDING RESTAURANT AWARD!!!) was the year when the MidWest was consider the weakest out of all areas in the Nation. Their menu and production came out on top, the staff at the time had future Kansas City Stars... hmm it's interesting to see that well almost the whole kitchen staff all run the best kitchens in the City now and some in the East Coast! They had the perfect combination of chef power, kitchen talent, products, service, ambience, you name it they had it. The only reason someone would discredit an award as small as something like the Best of MidWest from Gold&Smith is because they are stuck in the times of the Rex Hale Era. Also, the Awards Ceremony is one day out of the whole year. They don't just sit on thier "foie gras" for the rest of the year.
Also, ANYONE can vote for the nominations!
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the beard is such a joke.
Far from it, The James Beard Foundation is an extremely useful tool and organization with education and food culture. The foundation is responsible for giving thousands of thousands of dollars to young students who may not be able to afford post secondary education and would like to make the best of it. I hardly find it a joke to see many dedicated young people who want to educate their mind in whatever they feel is necessary for there future careers.
Also, 99% of the best chefs in the country are involved with the James Beard Foundation. The standards of these chefs exceed much higher than any other organized group of culinarians such as the closed minded ACF. It's no longer just a foundation or "organization" but a community as well. It's not like Strouds won Best of the Midwest or anything anyways.
The James Beard Foundation has increased the awareness of quality standards in the food undustry and has given an opportunity of all kinds of chefs to shine when their has come. There's nothing wrong with covering all different kinds of cuisine, restuarants, food, chefs, and ideas. That's why the U.S. is very unique, we are diversed in many ways that has shaped this country's cuisine into being extremely diverse. Sure, it's had some problems behind the scenes but it still carries the same tradition of recognizing chefs and educating people. Even Ferran Adria who doesn't have to do anything for anyone or anything is involved with the James Beard Foundation. Thomas Keller, Daniel Boulud, Jean-George, Grant Achatz, Gary Danko, and I definetly know Charlie Trotter wouldn't put his name on it if he thought it was a joke.
By calling this country's best culinary community a joke is extremely humorous and revolting. It's just foolish to think like that.
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I hope Katie gives her report on her last visit...
I stopped in earlier this evening for some tapas items. A couple of things are different since the 1st time I visited Tonic (which was before the Grand opening).
- Lot's of people in the bar/lounge area. A little bit more exciting, a mix of young and older crowds. Hip and sophisticated crowds as well.
- Service was a 100% better this time for me. Hey, I wasn't dying of thirst this time! My server was very nice and informative about timing of food.
- I asked if it was okay to not have a reservation and the host said it was perfectly fine and that I could sit in the dining room but then he realized he couldn't... for some reason? When I went to restroom I noticed the dining room wasn't completely full.. just 3/4. So, I sat a table in the lounge area.
- The menu seems virtually the same. I didn't see anything new on the menu.
- The food in quality was the same for me, which is sad. Extremely hit and miss with more misses.
First Tapas
Coriander crusted Tuna with seaweed salad and wonton.
I was extremely dissapointed in the way this was presented. Small triangles of Tuna that werent seared evenly, wasn't very appealing with the poor slicing. The wonton was stale, which was pretty much a base for the seaweed salad. The seaweed salad was awesome again. The coriander kept your mouth spicy throughout the whole dish but with the sweet basalmic reduction kept it balanced...tuna got lost in this dish, there was more seaweed then tuna..
2nd Tapas
Seared Duck Breast With Yam Puree, Thyme Jus
Duck was cooked well done...why!? You can't mess up pureed yams. The thyme jus looked and tasted like the Minors beef stock base that you get in a bucket.
3rd Tapas
Rack of Lamb with Creamy Polenta and Jus
Rack of lamb looked over cooked but it was mid rare in the inside. So im guessing they roasted them ahead of time, sliced them and then when the order came in just warmed them in an oven. So it didn't look pretty at all. The Creamy Polenta... I dont know how they get creamy out of that because it had the texture of chickpea flour and cream. It also was broken too... I dont know how you do that but... there was a puddle of oil in the corner of my plate and the polenta had a broken texture. It was dry but still soft if you can get an idea what that would be like. Once again, the jus tasted like processed cheap Minor's beef stock base or it was just bad stock thickened with cornstarch.
Obviously Tonic has been focusing on the martinis, night life, and the bar a little more than the food I think... I still havent had any of the regular entrees but if the tapas' are the main attraction .. I can't imagine what the entrees are like.
I thought it was kind of funny to see televisions in the bathroom too.
It's definetly a cool place to hang out if you aren't looking for food as a primary reason to go out. Although, it may have some okay food for a bar atleast.
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I guess thats why I've never herd of it until egullet.
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We're definetly not a big city in many aspects but would it hurt the restuarant industry if the rating system was much more sophisticated with a stricter scale? Would people start thinking about how "well, we have a lot of 1 and 2 star restaurants, where are the 3 and 4 star restaruants?" Maybe I am over thinking about it but would the public start demanding higher end restaurants? Just based off the idea of that the 1 and 2 star restaurants are great, then 3 star restaurants must be even better. I personally think it would help the general public get a better idea how the food scene works. Many people don't understand what makes an idependent restaurant much more special than the Cheesecake Factory and PF Changs. A different rating system, better exposure to the rating system and restaurants, and publications dispersed in a better way will catch the public's eye. They will see that Yia Yias recieved a 1/2 star and notice that 40 Sardines has something like 2 1/2 or 3 stars. Then they see why Starkers, bluestem, soredux have a higher rating based on the whole experience but they'll also realize that well theres still space left to get 5 stars. Then, they make the decision, are we ready for something better rather then making them think that this is the best it gets. Right now its the best it gets in Kansas City but they could ultimately make the change if we give them the opportunity to see the big picture. A lot of people just don't know what they are missing and I bet that a lot of people would like to experience what they are missing...especially with all that money in JoCo and KasasCity.
Maybe Im just day dreaming a bit... I really hope its not just a fantasy. Everyone called Trotter crazy and stupid for his vision of his new restaurant in 1987 in the sausage city.
Just because it's an independent restaurant doesn't make the food taste better. If Kansas City has a hard time supporting mobile rated restaurants and wine spectator awarded restaurants how would raising the bar on the little guys do any good? The bulk of the dinners that support those level of cuisine are tourist. I'm sure all the tourist that come to KC for the races and BBQ will have no problem supportting a mobile rated restaurant (even though arthur bryant's bbq has a mobile 1 star rating)or another other type of rating like that. If I remember right a few years back Applebee's was highly rated by the Zagat in KC.
Arkansas has alot of money but the food scene has progress backwards about ten years. Money doesn't really figure in here.
Your restaurant may be an exception, I wouldn't know. But in general, if a restaurant feels they are the best then they know they dont need to do anything else to keep there customers. If another restaurant comes in and steals the spotlight, all of a sudden you have competition. When theres more better restaurants in the area, everyone starts to produce a better experience. With better restaurants, then there comes more pressure on proveyors. All of a sudden you have better product which makes restaurants even better. With better proveyors, better restaurants, better food, and happier customers. With all that, more better chefs come in making the competition even higher. More cooks and students are being more educated and become even better chefs. By raising the bar, it allows room for restaurants to expand in different aspects of their business. But I really think that people need to be exposed to a lot more restaurants and that reverts back to my earlier discussion about publications doing a better job letting people know whats out there. Everyone knows about the corporate restaurants, they have a lot of money to advertise there locations.
It doesn't take a group of egulleters to realize that you can get a lot better than paying $70 at the cheesecake factory like a soredux 7 course dinner for $38. The people that are eating at the high dollar restaurants are usually wealthy. Not saying all of them are. In general people go to places they think are suppose to be good. Obviously we all know that you can get a better meal some place else than the Capitol Grill. So much money gets pumped into these kinds of places, only because of name and glamour. It's hard to miss a glowing flashing sign in front of a huge establishment in the middle of the plaza. Theres only a few independent restaurants that are able to keep up in the plaza area. The rest have to rely soley on word of mouth, with better publications people will be exposed to other restaurants. Im not here to start an argument, knowing from your past posts we both have similiar views on corporate vs. independent.
Im not a big fan of the Zagat, with ratings of Tatsu's(KS) and Daniel(NY) being extremely close to each other makes no sense.
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We're definetly not a big city in many aspects but would it hurt the restuarant industry if the rating system was much more sophisticated with a stricter scale? Would people start thinking about how "well, we have a lot of 1 and 2 star restaurants, where are the 3 and 4 star restaruants?" Maybe I am over thinking about it but would the public start demanding higher end restaurants? Just based off the idea of that the 1 and 2 star restaurants are great, then 3 star restaurants must be even better. I personally think it would help the general public get a better idea how the food scene works. Many people don't understand what makes an idependent restaurant much more special than the Cheesecake Factory and PF Changs. A different rating system, better exposure to the rating system and restaurants, and publications dispersed in a better way will catch the public's eye. They will see that Yia Yias recieved a 1/2 star and notice that 40 Sardines has something like 2 1/2 or 3 stars. Then they see why Starkers, bluestem, soredux have a higher rating based on the whole experience but they'll also realize that well theres still space left to get 5 stars. Then, they make the decision, are we ready for something better rather then making them think that this is the best it gets. Right now its the best it gets in Kansas City but they could ultimately make the change if we give them the opportunity to see the big picture. A lot of people just don't know what they are missing and I bet that a lot of people would like to experience what they are missing...especially with all that money in JoCo and KasasCity.
Maybe Im just day dreaming a bit... I really hope its not just a fantasy. Everyone called Trotter crazy and stupid for his vision of his new restaurant in 1987 in the sausage city.
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Very true Monkfish, I agree because everyone will not have the exact same dining experience as the person over the table next to you. Like U.E., he had a terrible experience at The French Laundry but everyone knows that its a rare occasion for that to happen. It just so happened that rare occasion came upon to his reservation for that night.
I personally feel that the national press has done a great job but the local press has done a poor job with KC. It's not beacuse of the disagreements but more along the lines of getting that information out to the people. I feel that only "foodies" and chefs see and read all of the Kansas City Dining magazines and guide books. Some how they need to get more of that information to the people.
A while back I was cooking for an 8 person dinner. They all kept talking about how they want that kind of food in KC and begging for me to open a restaurant one day in KC, when I get older. I told them, well there are some great restaurants out there and I listed them off and they had never even heard of them. It suprised me and I really think that people who dont live to eat really have no idea what kind of restaurants are out there.
I think the Kansas City Originals, KC Restaurant Guide, and all the other Kansas City magazines are great but I think they could be better with better websites as well.
I really wished that The Dining Out Publication would have more cities like Kansas City with their own book.
I feel they do a great job listing every restaurant in the city, in Denver I noticed every home seemed to have this book on there coffee table. Everyone uses this book when they feel like going out to eat for whatever occasion. They have sample menus, pictures, information about the restaurant, location, hours, pricing, and everything you need to know. I know some of the magazines in Kansas City do that but its not as informative as the dining out magazines.
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Her star ratings confuse me, such as George Brett's recieving 2.5 and Pizza51's 3 stars. Then only giving 3.5 stars to Starkers and bluestem. I know its not the same scale as a place like Chicago but it's just frustrating to see certain restaurants getting more stars than they probably should recieve. I don't think theres anything wrong with using a 1 star as long as you let them know what the situation is. If I were to give George Brett's a 1 star doesn't mean I don't enjoy going out with the guys to watch the nba finals and eat a good greesy burger but it doesn't mean its the same experience as if you were to sit down for an evening at Starker's Reseve with carefully executed cuisine.
She raves everyones' mashed potatoes and in fact she stated that she was happy to see Brio Tuscan Grill serve the side dish on many of there entrees...She holds a responsibilty of guiding the citizens of Kansas City and by her always reviewing beef and potato dishes doesn't help any progression in the food movement of Kansas City. For instance in her review of Main 1924, she had three beef dishes in three visits. There's nothing wrong with letting the people know that they served three different beef dishes in three weeks but to review each of them is just a stretch.
Sorry about the rant.
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Anyone know of any good Chicago style pizza or chicago dogs places nearby the Peninsula Hotel or the Navy Pier? ...if not, I'll go for a longer drive if needed.
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Bumping to call to your attention a special event at Starker's Reserve.
August 7 we'll be enjoying the Local Heirloom Vegetable Dinner, as interpreted by Chef John McClure. The format is 5 courses with wine pairings for a reasonable (assuming no plonk
) $75.By then all of the really good stuff should be plentiful and who can't use a new idea or three for the glut of tomatoes, squash, etc. that we long for ~9 months of the year and then curse in August and September?
If you wish to discuss attending, please do so within the parameters of the forum policies
I was just thinking about going in for the heirloom vegetable dinner the other day.. .
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All of a sudden I am craving Rouget with Foie Gras Vin....mmm midnight snack
I will never again . . . (Part 3)
in Food Traditions & Culture
Posted
First time I ever cooked on hot line of a professional kitchen....
Put oil in pan...then without thinking putting the plastic speed pour bottle on the french top, turning around to get something and turning around again to see the bottle melt and oil spreading all over!