honky tonk (food) heaven

Went to Nashville recently to meet up with my bro (he lives in Georgia, I’m in Missouri, so Music City is about halfway). Of course this involved some great food. Though we did suss out some traditional Southern fare for a meal or two, the highlight was—surprise—a restaurant with a decidedly Italian bent.

City House: After reading great things about this fairly new restaurant in several Nashville publications, we thought we would give it a try our first night. Had reservations and they were able to seat us right away, even though it was still fairly crowded for 8:45 p.m.

City House is a hopelessly hip place for hopelessly hip people of all ages—minus any pretentiousness. I felt like I had stumbled upon some cozy neighborhood find where everyone just happens to be as effortlessly stylish as the beautiful restaurant. The wine flows freely, laughter echoes off the high ceiling, delicious aromas waft through the air, and most importantly, people are just there to eat a great meal with friends or family Oh, and I loved the open stainless-steel kitchen.

We ordered a kale salad to start at the recommendation of our server, one of their specialties for the night. It was good, though not particularly memorable other than for the fact it was impeccably fresh and locally grown. More or less, a simple plate of greens with vinaigrette.

There wasn’t anything boring about our next  course, though. We ordered a pork belly pizza with a fried egg on top. SO good. City House makes its own mozzarella, so you can imagine the gooey goodness on top of the crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside crust. The pork belly was delicious with the egg yolk, and the sauce had a bit of a kick to it. All of the flavors melded together to make one of the best pizzas I’ve ever tasted.

Next, we ordered the house-made sausage entrée, with was served with cabbage, cannellini beans and horseradish. The sausage was very tasty, but the beans and cabbage were a little underwhelming. We both agreed we could swapped them out for another sausage link and the entrée would have improved 50 percent.

Dessert was an apple crostada, hot out of the oven, topped with homemade ice cream. It was the perfect antidote to the chilly weather and good ending to a satisfying meal. Perhaps more than the meal itself though, I remember having a great conversation with my brother in a warm, inviting space full of happy strangers—and that pork belly pizza.

back in the game

Like anything in life that is easy to put off, updating a blog—once you’ve taken a substantial (say 6-month) break—isn’t easy to start back up again. I’ve decided my self-imposed sabbatical has gone on long enough and it’s time to once again pick up my fork and start writing about the food I eat with it.

Recently I went on an extended vacation in the great American Southwest. We spent a few days in Vegas, the ultimate culinary playground, and then a week in Phoenix—while unable to top Sin City in number of celebrity chef-tagged restaruants per square mile, can definitely boast some great food.

First up, Vegas:

Mon Ami Gabi in the Paris (breakfast):  After a 6:30 a.m. flight from St. Louis to Vegas, for most people, the first thing they would want to do as soon as they got off the plane would be hit the slot machines or blackjack tables. Not me. I had breakfast on my mind, and after a little research, I settled on French bistro Mon Ami Gabi, with its solid reviews, promising menu and outside seating right in the center of the strip in the Paris Hotel.

It was the perfect beginning to kick off a three-day stay in Sin City. I had the Croque Madame, which was wonderful, and a mimosa. The french country bread was thickly sliced and a hearty base for the tender ham and melted Gruyere, and the fried egg on top was a deliciously decadent “sauce” when the yolk was broken. It was served with pommes frites—MAG’s version was more like chips, but tasty nonetheless. My husband ordered the French toast, which came with blueberries, but they kindly substituted with strawberries at his request, and a pillow of whip cream. My dad ordered the ham and Gruyere omelette, served with breakfast potatoes and the aforementioned french country bread, and my mom ordered the fresh fruit bouquet with creme fraiche and mint syrup, a side of toast and thick-cut oatmeal.

All in all, a great start to eating our way through Vegas.

aixois: french for “bleh”

Another KC weekend, another dinner out with foodie friends L and M. Aixois was a place we’ve been wanting to try for awhile now, so to say that we were coming in with great expectations is probably an understatement. Maybe that’s what led to our disappointment with almost every aspect of the cozy little Brookside bistro—maybe if we hadn’t expected delicious food and impeccable service then we wouldn’t have been so underwhelmed. Too bad dropping $60+ without anticipating that I would be in for an incredible meal just isn’t a luxury I and my other twentysomething friends can afford.

aixois

justus drugstore: a food-lover’s paradise

This might be the ultimate foodie post because Justus Drugstore, a restaurant, is the ultimate foodie destination. I had read snippets about the Smithville restaurant in Food & Wine, Bon Appétit, USA Today and most recently, the paper of record, so I knew that whatever is going on in that remote little town past Kansas City must be something special. Oh, and it was…

I went with two food-minded friends, L and M, after convincing them we should make the drive and that by all accounts, it would be well worth it. I’ve never been to Smithville, but it struck me as your pretty average small town, but with one big exception—one of the best new restaurants in the country just happens to call it home.

like a phoenix rising from the ashes, lutz’s returns

In my opinion the best barbecue in Jeff, Lutz’s was temporarily shut down a few months ago after a fire apparently started in the restaurant. It must have been relatively minor damage, however, because Lutz’s is already back and better than ever. I went there to get take-out on Friday for the Mr. and I after a long week of work, and it did not disappoint. My turkey was perfectly smoked and sliced thick and my husband’s prime rib was tender and moist minus excess fat. As usual, the homemade chips were outstanding (we like the house seasoning). Two substantial meals for about $17, and it tasted just as delish after a car ride home as it does in the restaurant—the true test of good take-out.

when the blogger’s away…

Been working like crazy with the legislative session in full swing, so that explains my spotty posting. Have lots of foodie adventures to brief you on, so look forward to postings on Blue Koi (KC), Taj Mahal (Columbia), Addison’s (Columbia), JP Winebar (Leawood) and Justus Drugstore (Smithville) in the near future.

battle of the breakfasts

I’ve made two trips to Kansas City recently and a breakfast out was a reoccurring theme, both with my best friend.

First up was Eggtc., which is just south of the Plaza. We walked in at about 9:30 on a Saturday and were seated right away. It was pretty busy, but it seemed as though the crowds were heavier as we were leaving. I’ll chalk it up to lazy Saturday mornings.

le fou frog: c’est bon

The holidays can mean a lot of things to a lot of different people, but for me and my ilk, the holidays mean good food, and usually, a special meal out.

My family stayed out west for Christmas, so it was up to me and my husband to continue the tradition without them while we went back to KC to see the in-laws.

I had a kansascitymenus.com gift certificate to Le Fou Frog (400 E 5th St.), a French restaurant in the River Market that I have wanted to try for years, so that’s where we went. And may I say, trés magnifique!

photographs by Hollis Officer

2009 will be fine

So I have been a little lazy with the posting lately, but in my defense, I am just getting over a nasty case of the flu, and it’s the holidays. Not the time for over-achievement.

My new year’s resolution (because you just have to have one) is to not neglect my blog. And like all resolutions, I’m sure it will stick.

not-so-traveling fork

The traveling fork has been stuck in the drawer these days. I’ve been cooking a lot at home lately and the meals we do eat out are pretty generic (I love Chili’s as much as the next person, but I don’t think you want to hear about the Cajun Chicken sandwich I eat every time I go there). Even trips to Columbia have been few and far between since Thanksgiving.

So here’s the plan. With the crappy economy throwing off my going-out-to-eat-at-great-restaurants hobby, or at least making my meals out less frequent, I’m going to revisit some of the great places I have been to in the last year or so.

Stay tuned.