NCAA dining ideas

Going to the NCAA tournament? Here’s a list of restaurants near the Sprint Center that we’ve recently reviewed.

WestChase Grille closes in Overland Park

After four years of operations. WestChase Grille has closed in Overland Park. Friends John Westerhaus and Chase Wilcox opened the “fine dining without all the fuss” restaurant in late 2008. They had been in the business for a combined 35 years and both are trained chefs.

Judge strikes down New York’s ban on big, sugary drinks

A judge struck down New York City's pioneering ban on big, sugary drinks Monday just hours before it was supposed to take effect, handing a defeat to health-minded Mayor Michael Bloomberg and creating confusion for restaurants that had already ordered smaller cups and changed their menus.

Two KC chefs vie for Food & Wine award

Food & Wine is letting readers pick the best chefs in the country. Ten chefs are in the running for The People’s Best New Chef: Midwest, including two from the Kansas City area: Patrick Ryan from Port Fonda in Westport and Carl Thorne-Thomsen from Story in Prairie Village.

Local Pig rolls out a food truck

Owner Alex Pope says the truck, called Pigwich, will peddle sandwiches made with Farm to Market bread and all-natural Local Pig meats — which are hormone, steroid and antibiotic free — in the lot behind the butcher shop at 2618 Guinotte Ave. in the East Bottoms.

Gastropub Pig & Finch adds to Park Place dining mecca

From the Des Moines folks who brought us 801 Chophouse, one of the most expensive steakhouses in town, comes a more casual concept. It’s an attractive bar and grill called Pig & Finch, which opened a couple of months ago in a remade Park Place space that formerly housed Trezo Vino.

At Port Fonda, brunch with a slice of the city

Port Fonda is more than a restaurant. It’s a place to introduce newcomers to Kansas City. Whether we’re talking about the KC hats by Baldwin Denim worn by the staff, local food or the mishmash crowd, it’s a mirror of some of our city’s finer qualities.

Blast that destroyed JJ’s also leaves a hole in KC’s culture

To some people, JJ’s, the edge-of-the-Plaza restaurant leveled by a gas explosion Tuesday night, had the best and deepest wine list in town. To others, JJ’s was a white-tablecloth dining room for special events, power lunches, tender steaks and sumptuous seafood. JJ’s was a down-to-earth place that felt like a hideaway.

Port Fonda is a sizzling success

Patrick Ryan’s restaurant moves from a trailer to a Westport building with its delectable Mexican food and hipster vibe intact. When Ryan debuted his refurbished 36-foot trailer in The Star’s parking lot to inaugurate Food Truck Friday in May 2011, the lines that snaked across the asphalt indicated he had an instant hit on his hands.

Cafe Provence in Prairie Village makes Zagat’s ‘top service’ list

Zagat Survey has selected its 25 “top service restaurants” in the nation. Prairie Village’s Café Provence, in The Village shopping center at 3936 W. 69th Terrace, made the list, described as adorable, family-owned, and a hidden monument to flavor and hospitality with a crew that “makes you feel at home.”

Good vibe, good food in President Hotel’s Providence

When the renovated President Hotel reopened under the Hilton flag in 2006, its Drum Room lounge and restaurant looked pretty good, but the restaurant operation never really caught fire. Now, the dining room has been made over once more. Providence, New American Kitchen has a pleasant, all-American vibe, and the results seem much more like a hit.