JoyceKC: New Pizza by KU Med, Foo’s reopens in Brookside, Plowboys opening downtown

▪ Locally owned Topp’d Pizza has opened in the 39Rainbow development in Kansas City, Kan.

Owner Chad Talbott had worked for chain pizza operations for 15 years - the last five years as a franchisee. But he wanted to open a place that would focus on local ingredients and local craft beers.

“We wanted to get away from the franchise concept. We wanted to branch off and do our own thing instead of creating their idea over and over again,” Talbott said.

So at his new pizza shop, at 3934 Rainbow Blvd., there are no microwaves or freezers on-site and every ingredient comes in fresh.

Build-your-own pizzas are $6.99, with single topping pizzas $5.99. Talbott uses hand-prepared dough made in-house from scratch, all natural sauce, meats sliced in-house and freshly shredded cheese.

Toppings include nitrate-free pepperoni, free-range chicken, char-grilled Italian sausage, antibiotic-free pulled pork, diced Roma tomatoes, roasted garlic, banana peppers, jalapenos, buffalo wing sauce and Topp’d Inferno spice blend. It also offers a gluten-free crust and hopes to add a vegan cheese option soon.

Signature pizzas include the Monster Meat (with red sauce, cheddar, pepperoni, Italian sausage, Canadian bacon, chopped meatballs and bacon), the Thai Peanut (with Thai peanut sauce, mozzarella, chicken, red onions, shredded carrots, jalapenos, fresh basil and roasted peanuts) and the Kansas City BBQ (with barbecue sauce, cheddar, pulled pork slow-roasted in-house and caramelized onions).

39Rainbow project, across from the University of Kansas Medical Center, includes an 83-room Holiday Inn Express, a 7-Eleven and a Five Guys Burgers and Fries.

Subway plans to open in the center in late March or early April. An IHOP also is scheduled to open in the center later this year.

▪ Brookside's Foo's Fabulous Frozen Custard, a Brookside mainstay for more than 26 years, has reopened after a major remodeling.

Owner Betty Bremser renewed her lease with Brookside’s new owners, First Washington Realty Inc., in August. She agreed to remodel the spot at 6235 Brookside Plaza and temporarily closed Foo's on Oct. 30 for the renovation.

“I just wanted to make it fun and happy and neighborhoody like it always has been. Foo’s is all grown up now. I look like a 26-year-old now,” Bremser said.

▪ Plowboys Barbeque plans to open to the public at 11 a.m. Thursday in the Town Pavilion at 1111 Main St., Suite 115, at the corner of Petticoat Lane and Main Street.

Plowboys Barbeque, a Blue Springs smokehouse that opened in 2013, is known for its award-winning pulled pork. Other menu will include barbecue nachos, burnt ends, barbecue salad, barbecue potatoes, and sandwiches with a choice of pulled pork, sliced brisket, smoked sausage, pit ham or sliced turkey.

This story was originally published January 26, 2015 at 10:56 AM with the headline "JoyceKC: New Pizza by KU Med, Foo’s reopens in Brookside, Plowboys opening downtown."