Katie Nell

Yes, I've been there... how could I resist a place devoted to sweets?!? I had the dessert sampler, I think it came with cheesecake, creme brulee, and a flourless chocolate cake. It was very good... I usually don't care for creme brulee but it was excellent!

I'll be honest... this is the part of the meal I look forward to the most! I've been know to not eat all of my veggies just so I have room for dessert... who am I kidding?!? I always do this! A dinner the other night at 1924 Main (fabulous, by the way) made me wonder who has the best dessert in Kansas City. I'm sad to say that I haven't tried enough to really be a good resource, but I know what I've liked so far. The dessert at 1924 Main probably tops the list so far: I had a gingerbread waffle with spiced apple compote and cream cheese ice cream... excellent blend of flavors and textures. My boyfriend had the chocolate molten cake with espresso ice cream (I think it was espresso.) I wanted his over mine, but I was a good girl and dealt with the cards I had chosen! I really wanted to try the Christopher Elbow Chocolates, but could not attempt the port wine it came with! My favorite restaurant, while not in KC in actuality, Pachamama's, always disappoints me on desserts. They always sound interesting, but then they kind of bore me. Don't get me wrong... they're always "good," but to me the appetizers and entrees go above and beyond and the desserts just fall flat. As far as consistency in desserts, Yia Yia's is probably my favorite, although, they did get rid of my favorite dessert... the apple pie, and sometimes their desserts lack imagination. So, what are your favorites? Tell me where I need to beg my boyfriend to take me next!

That is my favorite commercial of all time!!! I wait in anticipation every year! Yes, it's official... I'm a dork!

I don't suppose you would care to give the society members a preview of what types of dishes you're thinking of serving in the "new space" (are you just calling it "The Wine Bar at bluestem" or...?). And maybe we can help design the special service pieces you'll be using. Oh, wait, wrong thread. Sorry. ← And will the new menu be offered all the time or will there be a different menu for lunch and dinner?

Said to my boyfriend's 80-yr. old Grandma... "You have a happy plate Grandma!" Grandma said, "It would be a lot happier if it had a slice of that pumpkin cheesecake on it!" Yes ma'am!

My boyfriend ALWAYS lets me have the first bite of whatever dessert we are eating... the tip... the best part! After receiving my first Le Creuset on clearance and cooking with it a few times, my boyfriend said, "you know, I really think you should get another one of those since you love it so much, even if it's not on clearance!"

I think good caramels are difficult, at least for me they are. I struggle with cheesecake too... the perfect cheesecake anyway!

Beautiful post CarrotTop!

I definitely agree with this. I always thought I didn't like vegetables at all, but what I didn't like was the way they were prepared. Roasted vegetables are a revelation!

I second that request!!!

If it is the gadget that you roll the garlic clove in until the skin comes off, I think that the onion skins might be attached a bit differently. It is worth a try but I am not planning to buy one of those for this express purpose ... appreciate your idea however, Katie! ← That's the one. I thought maybe you could trim the ends of the onions and then roll. I actually have one of the peelers, and though it works well, I don't use it very often. It's just one more gadget to clean!

We do one like this with chicken, sweet potato cut into sticks, bell peppers in strips, garlic, and chili sauce in a packet... we take them camping a lot too.

We do this a lot: brush shrimp with soy sauce and grill on skewers and then serve with simple peanut noodles... one of my favorite fast dishes. Wrap salmon in grape leaves and bake... pour white wine around the salmon half way through, and then finish baking. Looks fancy, but so simple! Homemade tomato soup with grilled cheese. Spaghetti with red clam sauce. Agree with Carbonara.

Sara Moulton did a show once with a submarine chef and helped him cook and serve a meal to all the men on board. It was very interesting!

Could you not use one of those handy dandy garlic contraptions... the garlic peeler, to peel them? Forgive me if that's a stupid question, but it works well for garlic!

I agree with all the points thus far, but what about the desserts? That's one area I find particularly lacking in the "creative" restaurants I've been to lately. And to me, it's a completely missed opportunity to be really outrageous and creative. This is the part of the meal that I look forward to most, but am most disappointed in usually. One of my favorite restaurants that always has interesting and unusual amuse bouche, appetizers, and entrees, has very boring desserts for the most part. Every once and awhile, they'll surprise me, but for the most part, it's an apple tartlet or a flourless chocolate cake... BOR-ing! Here's my question: can you say something to the restaurant? Or is that the worst thing you could ever do in one of your favorite restaurants? To me, if I were a chef, I would want to know if things were starting to get tired.

I'm curious how your pumpkin cheesecake turned out Megan? Especially, the texture... that's what I always struggle with.

I agree with munchymom and therese as well. It's not a matter of remaining anonymous to argue and rant; it's purely a safety mechanism. Don't you people ever watch CSI Miami or Law and Order SVU?!? While those are usually extreme cases, identity theft, harassment, etc. can happen to anyone!

What kind of people are you eating with?!? We always share at my table!

Guess I was the last to know! Oh well!

Every once and awhile we actually eat at the dining room table, but I'm afraid we've gotten into the bad habit of the balancing act. This is partially my fault, because there are just certain shows I can't miss! Growing up, we always ate at the dining room table, but it was always casual. And alas, I can't do presentation plates, because if I did, the food would be cold before I was done "decorating!" I got in trouble for this much as a kid!

On the back of the January issue of Fine Cooking, there is an article about Christopher Elbow and his chocolates... they are gorgeous! He is out of Kansas City, MO. I am definitely going to order some for Christmas presents! http://www.elbowchocolates.com/

We did something similar to this one year for Christmas... it was a Martha recipe. I tried to find the recipe, but no luck. I think basically we took a sugar cookie dough and pressed four pecans splayed out into a walnut size ball of dough. Then we baked them, and put a large dot of melted caramels (I don't think they got too hard) and then put a smaller dot of melted chocolate chips on top. It's a bit foggy though! On a side note, while I was looking for the recipe, I ran across this one that sounds interesting! http://www.marthastewart.com/page.jhtml?ty...MSL&site=living

Here is a thread I started on candy and cookie packaging... some good ideas and sources! http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...ookie+packaging

This recipe is not chewy at all, which is what Kim was looking for in her chocolate chip cookies! So, what the hell is wrong with asking for a different recipe?!?