35 KC people, places and things that make us drool
1) Best indoor-grilled chicken to go
Even though it looks like the joint is on fire from the volume of smoke belching out a vent, just wave the smoke out of your eyes and walk on in to El Pollo Rey in Armourdale for the best grilled chicken in town. El pollo rey is Spanish for “chicken king,” and your choices in this tiny corner restaurant are chicken (whole), chicken (half) and chicken (wings). When it comes to chicken grilled over a real wood fire, this place has it going on. Spatchcocked (splayed) chickens are first placed around the edges of the grate above the roaring log fire behind the front counter. After the meat is cooked through, the birds are moved into the center to brown the skins. The meat is moist, and delicious and imbued with a smoky flavor. Average-tasting Spanish rice, pinto beans and warm corn tortillas come free on the side, as do pickled red onion slices. Refrigerated bottles of Coke and Jarritos (a Mexican soft drink brand) are the beverage selections. There are a few tables, but most customers get their chicken to go. If you dine in, you’ll be eating out of a Styrofoam box. Cash only — $12 for a whole chicken, $6.50 for half and $6 for 10 wings. Open daily at 1101 Kansas Ave., Kansas City, Kan.
CHRIS OBERHOLTZ/Kansas City Star
2) A family farm with deep roots
If you’ve ever been seduced by the sweetly intoxicating smell of fresh basil in the produce section of your local Hen House, then you’re familiar with at least one of Cal-Ann Farm’s hydroponically grown products. In addition to Osmin, Amethyst, Thai and lemon basil, this spring fourth-generation farmers Pam and Jeff Meyer of Basehor began test-marketing hydroponically grown baby dill and watercress plants — with the roots attached, for a “home feel.” For many farmers, the marketing end of the business doesn’t come naturally. But the Meyers and their daughter, Michelle McGown, know it’s important to get new products out in front of their customers. For immediate feedback, they’ve set up a blog at calannfarms.wordpress.com so customers can leave comments. The baby dill and watercress are available in extremely limited quantities at three Johnson County Hen House stores (87th Street and LackmanPflumm Road, 117th Street and Roe Avenue, and 83rd Street and Mission Road). You’ll know it’s a test product if it has a “test product” sticker and a handwritten name. If you like it, let them — or the produce manager know so they can grow more.
Jim Barcus/Kansas City Star
3) Best thing in the stockyards since the cows went home
The trendy new R Bar is pulling folks down to the West Bottoms who haven’t ventured there in years. The turn-of-the-century building with the big Rexall Drug “R” on one long inside wall is cool and certainly a draw. But it also helps that chef Alex Pope and bartender Shawn Moriarty know how to mix the food and drink scene up with trendoid-pleasing offerings such as smoked hanger steak and elderberry spritzers. And don’t forget the live music jams.
4) Best brats for summer grilling
From the outside, the weather-beaten “red barn” on Missouri 7 between Harrisonville and Garden City doesn’t much look like a porcine pit stop of the gods. But once inside, you’ll know you’ve arrived in hog heaven. Kurzweils’ Country Meats is often referred to as “home of the famous smoked pork chop.” The family-owned business has also had the honor of supplying the whole hogs for the King of Tonga’s inaugural luau. But as summer approaches, the freezer cases stuffed with frozen bricks of brats beckon boldly. Choosing from the 37 flavors is like standing at the Baskin-Robbins counter. So many — pineapple, tomato-basil, spinach feta, jalapeño cheddar, a 100-percent chicken “buffalo wing” and blue cheese, a smoked Philly and a mind-blowing peach habañero — that it’s hard to choose. The country store and deli at 30213 E. 286th Terrace in Garden City is well worth the trip, but you can order online at www.kurzweilscountrymeats.com. The gourmet brats cost $3.99 to $4.99 a pound.
Tammy Ljungblad
5) A better Bloody Mary
It’s easy to screw up America’s favorite brunch cocktail — too much pepper, too much Worcestershire sauce, too much Tabasco, too much vodka, any V8 — the list of possible transgressions is long. But a good Bloody Mary is a beautiful thing indeed, as comforting as a BLT in a glass, as rousing as a burst of sunshine breaking through a wall of thick fog. Such a one is Blue Grotto’s San Marzano Bloody Mary, which uses the juices of imported canned San Marzano tomatoes from Italy. Blue Grotto owner John Grier has been making his version of America’s favorite pick-me-up for 20 years, and his lips are sealed as to the precise recipe. The garnishes, of course, are plain to see: lime and three olives. Three cheers for banishing the celery stalk, which too often injects jarring crunching and munching into what should be a genteel sipping experience. The astonishing price, $3 on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., is the final imperative to get thee to 6324 Brookside Plaza.
CHRIS OBERHOLTZ/The Kansas City
6) Chefs scream for her ice cream
Now here’s a really cool connection. That delicious, creamy vanilla bean ice cream served with your profiterole at Aixois? It’s made by Poppy’s Ice Cream, once upon a time known as Doc’s. Teresa Poppinga has been operating since July 2007 out of a little shop on the edge of historic downtown Lee’s Summit at 307 S.E. Douglas St. You can drive there and enjoy a selection of ice cream, sorbet and custard, but you can also find her scoops perched atop some of the city’s best restaurant desserts. The current wholesale customer list includes Grand Street Cafe, Café Sebastienne, Pierpont’s, Blue Koi and Eden Alley. Favorite flavors? Gianduja, a silky smooth hazelnut and chocolate, and dolce de leche. But Poppinga is happy to whip up custom flavors.
CHRIS OBERHOLTZ/The Kansas City
7) An Easy-Bake Oven for adults
Retail store buyers and culture bloggers such as Jezebel were all a-Twitter over the Babycakes Cupcake Maker that debuted last month at the 2010 International Home and Housewares Show in Chicago . The George Foreman-like appliance comes in bubblegum pink or buttercream yellow. Pour cake batter into tiny paper liners, and you have mini cupcakes in just five to eight minutes. So who says the Midwest isn’t keeping up with the Joneses on the coasts? “With all the cupcake craze of the last couple of years and all the cupcakeries, I think we knew it was pretty on-trend,” says Eric Endres, marketing manager for Select Brands of Lenexa, who is getting inquiries from national retailers, including JC Penney and Bed, Bath & Beyond. Locally the appliance is sold at A Thyme for Everything in Lee’s Summit for $39.99 or go to www.selectbrands.com
CHRIS OBERHOLTZ/Kansas City Star
8) Best restaurant that's open only one day a week
A banquet hall decorated with Egyptian-themed art in the Quindaro neighborhood of Kansas City, Kan., draws throngs of soul food seekers, many in their best church-going clothes, each Sunday. They line up out the door of Nefertiti to feast at an all-you-can-eat buffet of caterer Rita Anderson’s Southern-inspired dishes. She is most famous for her hot water cornbread, small cakes that are lighter than the typical Midwestern buttermilk cornbread. Trays of piping hot fried chicken, fried fish, ham, roast beef, mixed greens and candied sweet potatoes keep coming out from the kitchen throughout the afternoon. Customers sometimes have to wait for the next batch of cabbage, scalloped potatoes, macaroni and cheese or peach cobbler, but they don’t seem to mind because it’s so fresh. It's $12 a head; ministers and kids 5-11 eat for half price. Open 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays only at 1314 Quindaro Blvd., Kansas City, Kan. No reservations accepted.
CHRIS OBERHOLTZ/Kansas City Star
9) Smokin' good gourmet wood
Serious smokers are particular about what they light up. And for area competition ’cue squads and backyard pit masters alike, Woodyard Bar-B-Que in Rosedale is a go-to source for their preferred pecan, apple, cherry, oak and hickory smoking wood. Sacks of stick wood weighing 30 to 35 pounds cost $22.50 to $29.50. Wood is also sold by the cord and half cord. As a side note, the restaurant operation at Woodyard Bar-B-Que is about to get slammed, courtesy of a Guy Fieri drive-by taping. The indoor and outdoor eating areas, which have a charming Key Largo ramshackle quality, are likely to lose some of their laid-back ambience after Woodyard appears on Fieri’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” on Food Network. (A new episode featuring several Kansas City locales is expected to air July 12.) Open Monday through Saturday at 3001 Merriam Lane, Kansas City, Kan.
CHRIS OBERHOLTZ
10) Best way to extend the shelf life of milk
What do you do when you have more fresh milk than you can sell? Make darn good cheese with the rest. Of course, it’s a bonus if you have a cheesemaking room so city folk (aka agritourists) can watch after they get bored petting the cute calves over in the barn. Shatto’s milk — sold in glass bottles and available in an ever-expanding rainbow of colors and flavors — has become iconic, even though the company has been leaving milk mustaches only since 2003. The chocolate milk was ranked among the top three in the world at a recent dairy expo. But that doesn’t mean owner Leroy Shatto is resting on his laurels. Shatto and cheesemaker Gary Campbell also are gaining recognition from cheese connoisseurs for their aged cheeses, such as Shatto’s Parrano (part gouda/part Parmesan), which placed 16th out of 58 in the 2010 World Championship Cheese Competition. Not bad for guys who have been making cheese for less than a year. It takes 10 pounds of milk to make 1 pound of cheese. This spring, Shatto opened a window into the cheesemaking process with a room that allows visitors to the farm to watch the handling of the curds and whey. Shatto estimates 160 to 200 people make the trip to his farm in Osborn, Mo., on any given day. For driving instructions, go to www.shattomilk.com. Shatto cheeses are available at Whole Foods, Cosentino’s Market downtown and in Brookside.
11) Sweeter than SpongeBob
How do you know when it’s officially snow cone season? Just look for the cool mint-and-white Shasta trailer with “Snowy” on top. Snowy is the mascot for Fresher Than Fresh, a traveling snow cone business showcasing fresh, natural syrups, such as watermelon basil, blackberry lavender, espresso and Mexican sugarcane or pineapple and serrano pepper. Snowy is the invention of Lindsay Laricks, a former creative director with a local advertising agency. He’s a smiley guy who wears child-size flip-flops, and he has an LED bulb inside his head that changes colors when the sun goes down. Snowy has become so popular that Laricks has rendered Snowy’s cartoon likeness on buttons, available on her website for $7 for three images. Fans can get his image on custom T-shirts sold at the trailer. Laricks recently quit her job to devote herself full- time to her snow cone business. She’s busy with special events on most Saturdays, so you can often find Snowy hanging out from noon to 7 p.m. on Sunday afternoons from May to September — in the garden at 17th and Summit streets, west of downtown. Snowy also makes appearances in front of Hammerpress during First Fridays in the Crossroads. For specific times and locations, check www.ftfsnowcones.com.
CHRIS OBERHOLTZ/The Kansas City
12) Restaurant pizza in your freezer
The Dish, a popular family-owned pizzeria in Liberty, sells deep-dish and thin crust pizzas out of a single location. When husband-and-wife owners Jason and Mattie Ransom wanted to win a larger customer base, rather than opening new locations in other parts of the metro they partnered with local grocers to sell frozen restaurant pizzas in dozens of area supermarkets. Sales have been so strong, they have branched out into the Des Moines, Iowa, market. Nine varieties of deep-dish and thin crust pies are available for around $7 or $8. For a list of supermarkets that carry them, go to www.dishpizza.com.
Roy Inman photograph
13) Casa Somerset's open-door policy
“Our home is your home.” Michael and Christine Hursey have opened the doors of Casa Somerset, their three-story Tuscan villa-style digs in Paola, Kan., for cooking and dining events. Trained at Johnson County Community College, “Chef Mike” hopes his open-door policy spurs local agritourism and turns the area into the “Napa of Kansas City.” Just 20 minutes from Overland Park, the villa is literally a stone’s throw from Somerset Ridge Winery, a few miles from the Louisburg Cider Mill and about a mile from the 4 D Acres Emu farm. With two well-equipped commercial kitchens, a living room, extra bedrooms and a wraparound veranda, the house is a perfect place to host cooking classes, parties, business meetings and weddings. Contact the Hurseys at 913-557-9288. 16315 W. 287th St., Paola, Kan.
CHRIS OBERHOLTZ/The Kansas City
14) Best food product spin-off
His name may be synonymous with exquisite chocolates, but Christopher Elbow also has a thing for premium ice cream. “It’s a great vehicle for flavor,” he says. Last summer, the artisanal chocolate maker began churning his first pints, mostly for fun. Over Memorial Day weekend, Elbow opened Glacé Artisan Ice Cream at 4960 Main St. Some of the 24 flavors mirror his chocolate combinations, including the caramel fleur de sel, French lavender, Venezuelan dark chocolate and strawberry-balsamic. But there are less familiar flavors, too, such as crème fraiche, sweet corn, salted pretzel, pineapple-cilantro and goat cheese and cherry. Branching out into the ice cream business complements his chocolate business in another surprising way: Sales of chocolate are typically down in the summer, just when everyone and his dog is screaming for ice cream.
Shane Keyser
15) All-natural meat megamarket
Bison. Elk. Wild boar. Alligator. Rabbit. Kangaroo. It’s what’s for dinner, or could be if you shop at A Cut Above Natural Meats in western Shawnee. And yet the exotic game meats are not what set this meat market apart. Instead, it’s the vision of owners John and Diane Suman of Shawnee to stock the store, which opened in late 2009, with only meat, poultry and seafood that have been raised in accordance with the couple’s personal standard for natural meat, because the government has not yet regulated what a claim of “all natural” means for meat. “We only sell meat that has never, ever been given antibiotics, growth hormones or steroids, from birth to plate,” says John Suman, who was meat manager at Whole Foods for five years. All the meat and poultry comes from free-range animals fed a vegetarian-only diet. The beef is exclusively Kansas-raised Angus. Open 7 seven days a week at 5431 Roberts St., Shawnee.
CHRIS OBERHOLTZ
16) Hogwarts for spices
It’s not that Penzeys Spices has more spices than anyone else, although it probably does. It’s the way it makes they make you think about spices. You walk into the airy storefront in downtown Overland Park to grab a whole vanilla bean for the first homemade ice cream of summer, and next thing you know, half an hour has passed and you’re contemplating the difference between Vietnamese and Ceylonese cinnamon. Economical, large quantities of popular items are sold in plastic bags to refill the store’s trademark black lidded glass jars. Open seven7 days a week at 7937 Santa Fe Dr. Drive, Overland Park.
CHRIS OBERHOLTZ
17) Best eclairs in Kansas
A true éclair is the queen of French pastries, all pillowy soft custard filling and flaky pastry and chocolate fondant. It is not a chewy doughnut filled with vanilla pudding and topped with cake icing — that’s a long john. Fortunately for Kansas Citians, pastry chef Natasha Goellner, who earned a grand diploma in pastry arts from the French Culinary Institute in New York, has mastered the Old World technique. Her éclairs are just one delight at Natasha’s Mulberry & Mott in Mission Farms. Other pastries that will transport your palate to the Right Bank include the pain au chocolat and almond macaroons. The whole boutique is a picture book feast for the eyes as well as the taste buds, with white painted pressed tin ceilings, a white blown glass chandelier and stunning cakes displayed on fancy stands against a mirrored wall. Open Monday through Saturday at 10573 Mission Road, Leawood.
CHRIS OBERHOLTZ/The Kansas City
18) A new frontier for tasting geeks
"Have you been to the oil and vinegar store?” already sounds like a joke. And a subsequent visit to the Tasteful Olive in downtown Overland Park reveals the shop is even more specialized than that. The oils are all olive, the vinegars all balsamic. But what a lot of them! The tasting-room setup means all the fresh stone-milled oils are displayed in shiny stainless steel fustis, or storage tanks with spigots on the front. Next to each fusti is a stack of thimble-sized pleated paper tasting cups that you can use to taste oils from seven countries and California. Among the vinegars, which are all from Modena, Italy, black cherry balsamic and coconut white balsamic are standouts. There also are three wine vinegars: red, champagne and sherry. Prices for 375-milliliter bottles poured fresh to order start at $12 for vinegar and $15 for oil. The store is owned by Jeanne Mackay of Lenexa. Open Monday through Saturday at 7945 Santa Fe Drive.
CHRIS OBERHOLTZ/The Kansas City
19) Coolest culinary village
Cockrell’s Mercantile is a charming country “village” devoted to modern cookware, bakeware, dinnerware and gourmet food. The nooks and crannies of five cottages and barns are filled to the brim. The main building is a 115-year-old general store just off of U.S. 50 between Lee’s Summit and Lone Jack. Other buildings include the Fiesta Cottage, devoted to vivid displays of richly colored Fiesta dinnerware, and the Morton House, with clever bakeware and baking supplies stacked floor to ceiling, including ingredients from King Arthur Flour. The Cockrell Annex displays flowerpots, and the Cockrell Cottage has gift items, including a Vera Bradley room. The mercantile’s original owner was John Perucca of Pryde’s Old Westport fame. Now Becky Glaze, a former Pryde’s employee, and her husband, Chris, stock, run, maintain and live on the property with their two children. Most people learn about the store through word of mouth: “It’s hard to explain what we have here,” says Becky Glaze, who has a terrific eye for detail, so allow plenty of time to work your way through all the buildings. Not sure what to do with the non-cooks of the family? Civil War buffs will also be interested in the history of Cockrell, which was home to traders and frontiersmen. There are plenty of history links on the website, www.cockrellmercantile.com. Find it at 30003 U.S. 50 in Lee’s Summit. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Note: It’s a bit tricky to find. Just past Missouri 7, look for a small Cockrell’s sign. Follow the road for about a half mile.
CHRIS OBERHOLTZ/The Kansas City
20) Best reason to cut out of work early on a Friday
So you think you’ve got what it takes to get an invite to a power lunch? Better hope you win the lottery. Boulevard Brewing Co.’s monthly Brewmaster Luncheons have become so popular with beer enthusiasts and local foodies that space is at a premium. Chosen randomly and alerted to their good fortune by e-mail, lottery winners score a VIP tour of the state-of-the-art Southwest Boulevard facility (the bottling room used to serve as the company basketball court) followed by a three-course meal in which a guest chef shows off by creatively pairing food with craft brews. A recent luncheon prepared by Barley Brewhouse featured the following pairings: the coriander and orange peel-tinged Zôn with smoked salmon rillettes, the Smokestack Series Rye on Rye with New Zealand baby lamb rack and the coffee-tinged Smokestack Series Dark Truth with blackberry rhubarb crostata with vanilla bean ice cream. Pat your tummy. Too tired to go back to work? You’re welcome to kick back on the patio with a spectacular view of the downtown skyline. Upcoming summer luncheons are set to feature Raoul’s, Wil Jenny’s and Webster House. To enter the lottery, go to www.blvdbeer.com and click on “events.” Luncheon runs from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. $35.
GARVEY SCOTT
21) The Brazillian alternative to Red Bull
Who needs all those souped up energy drinks when a can of Brazilian guarana (gwah-rah-NAH) will put the same pep in your step? Made from a berry that grows in the Amazon and contains plenty of caffeine, the soft drink is the hands-down favorite beverage of Brazilian children. It tastes like a cross between ginger ale and cream soda. There are other brands of guarana, but the leader is the Antarctica brand. Not planning to travel to South America anytime soon? Look for the green can at Brazil Supermarket, 11012 Quivira Road in Overland Park, 913-499-5631.
CHRIS OBERHOLTZ
22) A salute to the barbecue brain trust
When it comes to barbecue, Paul Kirk, Carolyn Wells and Ardie Davis are three of the pivotal minds that have guided the phenomenal growth of the Kansas City Barbeque Society. The KCBS started a quarter century ago as a grassroots group for cookers but has transitioned to the big time with 13,000 members, official sanctioning powers, certified judges, yearly competition purses totally $2.5 million and corporate sponsors such as Sam’s Club. “It’s taking on more of a NASCAR or NFL feel. It’s not just touch football anymore,” Wells says of her favorite sport. To celebrate the KCBS’ 25th anniversary, the three founding members spent almost a year combing through their personal archives and memorabilia to create the “Kansas City Barbeque Society Cookbook” (Andrews McMeel, $24.99). It may look like a high school yearbook — hey, camaraderie is still what it’s all about — but you’ll also find a treasure trove of knowledge, plus mouthwatering recipes, spread across those grease-stained, smoked-filled pages.
Tammy Ljungblad
23) Making Whoopie in the Crossroads
Whoopie pie fever is picking up where the cupcake craze left off. Only instead of lavish swirls of icing on top, a whoopie’s sweet stuff is sandwiched between two cakey cookies. And, of course, they’re wrapped in cellophane, because tearing it off is half the fun. Kansas City whoopie pie proprietess Gina Ciaccio-Holmberg compares the treats, which are a Northeast specialty with ties to the Amish, to “gourmet Little Debbie oatmeal cream pies.” Ciaccio-Holmberg, a former actress who grew up in Chicago, recently started baking whoopie pies in such flavors as red velvet, pumpkin spice, pistachio, vanilla bean, banantella (banana Nutella) and cocopanutter (chocolate-peanut butter). They’re available frozen from her online bakery Whoop.De.Do (www.whoopiepieohmy.com) for $3 each, $25 a dozen and $40 for two dozen. Or you can buy them on First Fridays at a card table outside the Bridgeport Church on the northeast corner of 18th and Oak streets in the Crossroads Arts District.
CHRIS OBERHOLTZ
24) Farmers market for night owls
There is much to love about Badseed beyond the quirky name. The downtown farmers market at 1909 McGee St. is open only Friday evenings, so late-risers who have to settle for leftovers at traditional markets can be first in line at 4 p.m. at Badseed. The brick building they sell out of has a refrigerator, so you can pick up local eggs and cheeses as well. Married proprietors Brooke Salvaggio and Daniel Heryer raise organic backyard crops on their half-acre lot in south Kansas City. Hours are 4-9 p.m. Fridays through Nov. 19.
CHRIS OBERHOLTZ/The Kansas City
25) Because everybody loves a secret sale
Waechtersbach (pronounced “VEK-ters-bahk”) is like Fiestaware from Germany. The heavy ceramic dinnerware and accessories are prized for their brilliant glaze and vibrant colors. The company’s U.S. headquarters is in Kansas City, North, and it has an annual one-day warehouse sale that, until now, was mainly publicized by word of mouth. Sale attendees could sign up to receive an e-mail with the date of the following year’s sale, said spokeswoman Dawn Roberts, but if you missed a year, your name dropped off the list. At this year’s sale, which is 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. June 18 at 4201 N.E. 34th St., shoppers can sign up for a new e-mail list that will send a notification each year unless a request to be removed from the list is received. For a $3 donation or three canned goods to benefit KC Kansas City Rescue Mission, anyone can attend the sale of dinnerware, decorated mugs and Christmas ware at prices 50 percent to 70 percent below retail.
CHRIS OBERHOLTZ
27) Bartenders go barhopping
When the restaurant 1924 Main went out of business this spring, Manifesto, the speakeasy-style bar below, was left without a liquor license. Not wanting to put their formidable mixology skills on hold while they figured out their next move, Manifesto bartenders Ryan Maybee and Beau Williams created Traveling Manifesto. Basically, the duo are guest bartenders for a night. So far, plenty of bars have been willing to let them shake things up. They’ve had stints in the Kansas City area at Pierpont’s, the Patio at Justus Drugstore, BRGR Kitchen + Bar, Maker’s Mark Bourbon House & Lounge, Screenland Armour and Pi and Eclipse in St. Louis. You can find out about the next gig by checking out Manifesto on Facebook.
28) When two chocolatiers are better than one
Alan McClure of Patric Chocolate in Columbia has been crafting chocolate bars for a couple of years, using single-origin batches of cocoa beans he carefully roasts himself. But the $7 gourmet chocolate bar market is a slim one. Hoping to flesh out his product line yet stay true to his chocolate-making values, McClure approached artisanal chocolatier Christopher Elbow about co-branding a bonbon. Elbow, who frequently collaborates with local food entrepreneurs, was game. Recently, the two chocolatiers met at Elbow’s shop at 1819 McGee St. to test the marriage of Patric ganache with Elbow’s enrobing chocolate. “I wanted to merge something unique that is not just Patric or Elbow, but is something new and exciting. It’s intellectually interesting,” McClure says between bites, “and it’s delicious.” Expect more collaborations in the future, including a co-branded chocolate bar and Patric chocolate ice cream. Patric/Elbow bonbons are available occasionally and in limited supply at Elbow’s shop at 1819 McGee or on Patric’s website, www.patric-chocolate.com. Watch for availability alerts on Christopher Elbow and Patric Facebook pages.
CHRIS OBERHOLTZ
29) The best restaurant view around -- and around
When the Seattle Space Needle opened in 1962, it sparked a nationwide craze for revolving restaurants. Kansas City finally got a spinning dinner destination in 1980, when the Hyatt Regency opened. Today, Skies remains the most spectacular dining vista in the city, even though it has fallen off many people’s radar. Ask a friend to meet you there for a drink, and you are extremely likely to hear, “Is that place still open?” Fortunately, yes it is. And the views just keep getting better, with the wowza neon village called Power & Light and the crystal croissant that will be the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts rising to the west. A full revolution takes about an hour, just enough time to grab a bite before a performance or unwind over a Sky-tini (a vodka concoction with fresh mint and cucumber slices). Like most revolving restaurants, the building itself doesn’t turn. Instead, a disc that the tables sit on glides past stationary windows marked with the four points of the compass. Skies, 2345 McGee St., is open from 5-10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 5 p.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday.
Roy Inman photograph
30) A young chef on the move
Nick Jonjevic, 31, has the chops for an ambitious culinary career. He spent the past year updating Powell Gardens’ catering and restaurant operations, but his kitchen was largely hidden from view. Recently, he was lured away by Marshall Roth, executive chef of the McClain Group, which owns several destination restaurants on the historic Independence Square. Ending one job on a Sunday, he took the reins as executive chef of Ophelia’s the next day. Jonjevic, who grew up on a family farm in Michigan before graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, describes his cooking style as “French meets Midwest comfort food.” But the results can be surprising and unexpected. For instance, at a spring theater benefit he served a broccoli terrine in aspic, a classic dish popular before the turn of the last century and a luxury so laborious to make that it was reserved for honored guests. At least until instant Jell-O came along. “It went over really well,” Jonjevic says of his playful yet contemporary adaptation. “Lots of people were surprised by it.”
Shane Keyser
31) Way better than Swanson's
If you’ve ever looked to your freezer for a culinary assist at the end of a long day only to close it again because nothing sounds appealing, it’s time to stock up on some Culinary Center of Kansas City frozen dinners. With choices such as Grown-Up Mac & Cheese with five cheeses, bacon, caramelized onions and buttered bread crumbs, Tomato Cognac Soup, Coq au Vin and Chicken Pesto Lasagna, your kitchen can become a restaurant, even if you’ve asserted the opposite to demanding family members in the past. The foods are sold in the store out of giant Viking freezers. The foil containers are oven-ready, and instructions for reheating are printed on the lids. Prices range from around $10 for a two-serving entree to $30 for large pans that serve 12-15. Open Monday through Saturday at 7920 Santa Fe Drive in downtown Overland Park. For a list of what’s in the freezers today, go to www.kcculinary.wordpress.com/dinners-on-demand.
CHRIS OBERHOLTZ
32) Because sometimes, ambience is overrated
Authentic Mexican street tacos are a far cry from the shattering hard-shell American version. Instead, warm, soft corn tortillas cradle beef, chicken or fish fillings and come with condiments such as pickled red onions, radishes and lime wedges on the side. No iceberg lettuce, no grated cheese, no tomato-y sauce. Among worthy vendors on both sides of the state line, Taqueria Camecuaro in downtown Kansas City, Kan., is a standout out — and not for the atmosphere. The dining room has all the ambience of an employee break room. But it is large, and there are lots of tables. The menu lists five filling choices for tacos ($1.50 each) or soft-bun tortas ($3.50). Don't miss the al pastor filling made from roasted pineapple and chili-marinated pork. Two fiery-hot hose salsas are offered if you dine in. Unfortunately for your shirt, the chips they are served with are wagon-wheel shaped, fried pork-flavored chips that function more like a sieve than a scoop. Worth checking out in the grocery store and meat market are the chorizo sausage, the giant house-made flour tortillas (perfect for quesadillas on the grill) and — for adventurous eaters — tubs of the restaurant’s incendiary avocado-tomatillo and roasted red pepper salsas. Credit cards accepted. Open daily at 309 N. Seventh St.
CHRIS OBERHOLTZ/Kansas City Star
33) Pop goes the nano-batch
In a high-fructose-corn-syrup-infused world, soda made at a “nano-brewery” using all-natural products is a refreshing find. Since January, Sean Henry and Benjamin Topel have been marketing Soda Vie, a line of sodas in 10 unique flavors, including celery, cucumber, strawberry-lavender and Thai basil clove. The sodas intentionally contain solids, such as a sliver of chili pepper that pours out of the Citrus Kicker to show the flavors are naturally infused. And so are the bubbles. The beverage goes into the bottle still and achieves its bubbly head of foam a few days later as it ferments. Each bottle has an expiration date. The brews are sold in reusable bottles for $3 and $4.25, plus $2 bottle deposit. But so far, collectors are finding the bottles so cool that only 40 percent are returned for the deposit. Soda Vie is produced in the kitchen of Big City Hotdogs in south Kansas City. Ten percent of the profits will go to projects that help widows and orphans around the world, a particular passion of the partners. Look for Soda Vie at Blanc Burgers + Bottles, Dean and DeLuca, Better Cheddar, Green Acres Market and the Brookside Farmers Market.
CHRIS OBERHOLTZ
34) Best retro food revival
The crêpe (pronounced “krep,” not “crape” in French, if you care) is a traditional staple of cozy inns in northwestern France and food carts on the streets of Paris. In Kansas City, flaming crêpe Suzette was a trendy upscale restaurant dessert in the ’60s and ’70s, and the Magic Pan chain opened an outpost in Seville Square on the Country Club Plaza that was popular in the ’80s. After that, fini. Until recently. The metro now has a couple of crêperies that use authentic flat griddles and wooden “rakes” to create paper-thin pancakes that are then filled with sweet or savory ingredients. Real-deal crepes are enough reason to visit Crepes on the Square in Liberty. The restaurant’s picturesque location on the town’s historic square is a bonus. Open seven days a week at 4 N. Main in Liberty.
CHRIS OBERHOLTZ/Kansas City Star
35) Where the Iron Chef would shop in KC
What a cool concept: a family-owned Asian hypermarket. Kansas City has long been blessed with little specialty Chinese, Vietnamese and Japanese markets. Emphasis on little. Many are tiny, and midsize ones often have the aisles crammed so close together they feel little. The new 888 International Market, 10118 W. 119th St., Overland Park, could not be more different. Walking through the automatic glass doors feels like stepping into Target — in Shanghai. Owner Tim Liu opened the store, which has almost 6,000 square feet, in December. The inventory is truly pan-Asian, with Korean, Japanese, Thai and Vietnamese products as well as Chinese. Seafood fans should check out the competitively priced lobsters and crabs in tanks. Bubble tea lovers will want to check out the café’s new slushy versions, and the selection of frozen dumplings and pot stickers (pick up dipping sauces a few aisles over) is worth a trip by itself. Don’t miss the housewares area at the far back of the store, where you will not believe the size of steamers and woks — up to 4 feet in diameter. Best value tip: on a recent visit, stems of Stargazer lilies with three or four salad plate-size blooms were $3 each. The checkout area induces an oddly happy feeling, with each lane decorated to the hilt with red banners, lanterns and lucky cats. Open seven days a week.
CHRIS OBERHOLTZ/The Kansas City
more galleries
-
House & Home | Weekend Treasure Hunt: On the Prowl for Vintage...
-
Star Magazine | Rabbit Revival: Rare Hare Barn feeds a gourmet...
-
The dainty pastries known as macarons
-
PHOTO GALLERY
-
'Forts and Fairy Gardens' at Powell Gardens
-
House and Home | Edging
-
Memories of the Kansas-Oklahoma-Missouri League
-
Donna Summer, queen of disco, dies at 63
-
Entertainment | Carol King, Will Smith, Josh Brolin, Sara Rue,...
