Around the BLOCK

Marble Top Cafe

Written By: Mary Bloch - May• 13•12

Most of us know Chef Kamal as Yummy, the affable gentleman who offers samples of his hummus, baba ganoush and pita chips at Brookside Market and Whole Foods. But  Yummy knows that his products are never as fresh as when they are first packaged, so he decided to open a restaurant where he could serve up Mediterranean specialities right out of the kitchen.

Marble Top Cafe is in the old Quiznos sub shop on Ward Parkway, but Yummy has done a great job making it more appealing. Patrons order at the counter, but Yummy or a server will bring the food to your table.

The menu is small–gyros, salads, sandwiches, daily specials and a few sides. I went for  the vegetarian platter, because it includes most of the menu items all on one plate…..baba ganoush, falafel with tahini sauce, tabouli, hummus and pita, and dolmas (rice stuffed grape leaves) with yogurt sauce. The falafel, not typically a favorite, was crisp without a hint of oil, the tabouli was fresh and light, and there was more than enough pita to scoop up all the goodness on my plate. Had there not been, Yummy would have gladly given me more.

My dining companion tried the gyro platter with greek salad and rice. She could have substituted French fries for the rice–not sure why French fries appear on this menu, but perhaps Yummy feels a need to appeal to more mainstream eaters.

Portions are hefty and a great value. The Marble Top cafe will appeal to those looking for a quick and healthful bite. And Yummy recently started serving Turkish coffee, hot chocolate and teas.

Marble Top Cafe on Urbanspoon

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Shophouse Kitchen in Washington, DC

Written By: Mary Bloch - May• 07•12

Shophouse Kitchen is the newest brainchild of Steve Ells, who founded the hugely successful Chipotle chain. He’s now taken the same formula (vessel, filling, toppings) and applied it to Southeast Asian cuisine. The prototype is in Washington, DC and though no expansion plans have yet been announced, I would be shocked if that’s not where this is headed.

The concept is oh so clever..and obvious. It begs the question of why no one has done this before. This is the natural progression of Ells’ original idea..and it works beautifully.

As with Chipotle, diners go through an assembly line and tell the server what they want at each step of the process. Bowls are filled with chilled rice noodles, brown or white rice, or lettuce. A bun for a Banh Mi sandwich is the non-bowl option.

Next you can add either grilled steak, chicken satay, organic tofu, or pork and chicken meatballs, all of which have been cooked with Asian spices.

Vegetable choices include spicy charred corn, asparagus, blistered green beans, or eggplant and Thai basil. If you want to try more than one vegetable, they’ll gladly give you two half-portions, or you can pay a little extra for multiple full portions.

Sauces include red curry, green curry or tamarind vinaigrette, the latter of which is presumably for a salad or to drizzle on a sandwich. The server warned us before ladling on the red curry that it was quite spicy, and she was right. I LOVE spicy food and, though this wasn’t too spicy for me, I think it would be for the majority of consumers. I had no need for one of the bottles of sriracha sauce that was so artfully displayed on the wall.

Pickled vegetables, papaya slaw and fresh herb salad add some crunch and, finally, you can complete the bowl with one of several toppings— toasted rice, crispy garlic, or crushed peanuts.

The restaurant itself is quite narrow so seating space is rather limited, but we found a seat without delay, as it was a Saturday and undoubtedly less crowded than during the week. We wasted no time digging in, albeit without chopsticks, which is the only thing that could have improved the overall experience. As my husband pointed out, every mouthful had different flavors and textures, and since the combination of ingredients is almost limitless, it’s practically inconceivable that boredom would ever set in even after multiple visits.

Steve Ells, if you are reading this–please come to Kansas City. Our residents have sophisticated and adventurous palates, and we would embrace your new venture wholeheartedly.

ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen on Urbanspoon

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Trezo Mare

Written By: Mary Bloch - May• 01•12

When it first opened, everyone thought that, based on its name, Trezo Mare was an Italian restaurant. But the focus was more on treasures of the sea, which is the literal translation. The concept worked beautifully for the first couple of years, but the quality wasn’t maintained and a change was needed. Enter Chef Robert Padilla. He took over the kitchen and Trezo Mare became the Italian restaurant everyone expected when they walked in the door.

Padilla began his career at Lidia’s and honed his skills at Bluestem. His pedigree created high expectations for our recent outing to this upscale restaurant in Briarcliff Village, and though we had an enjoyable evening, it fell far short of the quality of his other stints.

The menu is fairly standard–Pizza, pasta, fish and meat, with a few house specialities to round it out.

Pizza has to be good at an Italian restaurant, right? So we ordered one for the table; it did not impress. The crust was fine, but not great. Sort of crisp, sort of chewy, not much to it. There were plenty of toppings, but the flavors didn’t pop. (As we were leaving the restaurant, we saw the basic cheese and tomato sauce pizza, which looked like it came out of a box). We didn’t realize how small the pizza would be, and didn’t ordered any other appetizers.

The fish of the day was corvina, which is similar to a sea bass. It came with dirty rice, Brussels sprouts and a touch of sauce that looked like a red pepper sauce. The fish was perfectly prepared, and pleasant though uninspired.

I tried the cabbage rolls, unfortunately thinking they would be prepared in similar fashion to what I enjoyed recently at Lidia’a. For those of you who have lived in Kansas City for decades, you may also recall that Venue on Main Street served vegetable cabbage rolls. They were almost ethereal—plump, moist and floating in a broth. Those were the best I’ve had…ever, and I still miss them. Having deviated from the description of the ones at Trezo Vino to dream for just a minute, I should point out that I am not necessarily a fan of cabbage rolls in general….just really good ones! Trezo Vino’s rendition is quite hearty, served atop mashed potatoes and covered with tomato sauce. The first few bites were quite tasty, but then I ran out of cabbage and was left with the stuffing…..unembellished ground Italian sausage. Fortunately, the mashed potatoes were awesome–they were a bit chunky, with the potato skins left on; the epitome of comfort food.

The others ordered the shrimp al diablo with fusilli pasta. The dish came with plenty of shrimp, but little diablo–it wasn’t spicy at all. The overall composition of the dish was pleasing though. With a few red pepper flakes shaken on top there would have been no complaints.

Prices are reasonable, portions are substantial but not coma-inducing, and the servers were attentive and friendly. On the midweek evening we were there, the dining room was not crowded, but the bar was packed. I’ve always loved the bar–the countertops and tables are a gorgeous granite, there’s a huge fireplace at one end, TVs entertain those interested in the game of the night, and it adjoins a lovely patio with views of our fair city. And it has great food and drink specials during happy hour. It’s also my preferred place to sit during lunch since the sun shines in from the wall of windows. During the noon hour a long list of salads and sandwiches supplement a handful of entrees for those who prefer a lighter bite.

Trezo Mare also has one of the city’s prettiest private dining spaces. Overlooking the bluffs, the private wine room boasts the best view in the restaurant and can accommodate 48 people.

Though our evening was hit or miss, the menu is large, so had we made some different picks, we could easily have had a more memorable experience. And there are few restaurants as attractive or where it’s easy to converse with your table companions.

Trezo Mare on Urbanspoon

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Topolobampo–Chicago

Written By: Mary Bloch - Apr• 25•12

I’ve been a fan of Frontera Grill for as long as it’s been open. But I’d never tried its more upscale neighbor Topolobampo–I just couldn’t believe it would captivate me in the same way. And the menu is meat-oriented, which can be problematic when traveling with my sister, who is not a carnivore (otherwise she’s the perfect travel companion–she’s lets me do all the restaurant picking!).

On a recent trip to Chicago, we perused the menu and decided to take the plunge. There were plenty of options from which to create an adventurous meal.

Walking to the front desk that services both restaurants, one can’t help but feel sorry for the people keeping track of reservations and waiting lists. The pace is frenetic and the crush of humanity around them must be stressful. We only waited 10 minutes (because we had a reservation, which is a major advantage over Frontera Grill’s policy of only taking them for large parties), but it was enough to witness the skill and tact required to make the operation run smoothly.

Unlike Frontera Grill’s dining room, Topolobampo’s is calm, lovely and filled with flowers. (Also dark, and I didn’t want to ruin the mood by using a flash.) The music is loud, but the patrons are not. Our server did an excellent job of helping us navigate the menu and, before even taking a bite,  we marveled at each dish placed before us. Each of the items we ordered had  ingredients in the bowl or on the plate, and then the server poured a sauce or broth over to complete the presentation. I’m sure plenty of dishes don’t require that extra touch, but it so happened that the dishes we ordered that night did.

One caveat–the portions are small. We had eaten a big lunch so that was fine with us, and we didn’t order a full dinner. There are several tasting menus offered that are designed to expose diners to the complete array of Chef Rick Bayless’ creations. Most include meat in at least one course so we ordered a la carte.

The server brought a complimentary bowl of guacamole to the table, ingeniously served with slices of cucumber and turnip rather than the ubiquitous tortilla chip.

We started with an item on the Ensaladas and Entradas list, Acamayas y Callos al Guajillo. The description reads as Pan-roasted North Sea langoustine and Baja bay scallops, red guajillo chile broth, velvety Nichols Farm parsnips, butterball potatoes, and roasted knob onions. But just looking at the dish, I wouldn’t have been able to identify all the ingredients had I not known what was in the bowl. The potatoes were diced to tiny, tiny cube size, and the parsnips were pureed and smeared as paint on a palette.

Next up was Pozole de Hongos, Mole Amarillo: Chanterelle and maitake mushroom pozole in Oaxacan yellow mole (guajillo chile, tomatillo, hoja santa), “oozy” quesillo cheese, meaty heirloom hominy, creamy field corn, crunchy popcorn, crispy tostadita. Heirloom hominy tastes nothing like the the typical bag found in the grocery; rather it is soft, and redolent of corn. The quesillo cheese looked like a light colored egg yolk and oozed on puncture, which was amazing to see from a cheese. And the popcorn was a fun touch that added another layer of texture.

We split an entrée called Chilpachole de Mariscos: Maine lobster, wood-grilled octopus, chilpachole (ancho and chipotle, epazote and velvety rich lobster broth), Nichols Farm sunchokes two ways, Bayless Garden mizuna, sunflower “sand.” It was a thing of beauty. And the “sand” was just that–sunflower seeds had been ground and mounded on the plate to resemble sand on a beach. Each bite was a revelation and tasted as fabulous as it looked.

As an example of other items on the menu, meat lovers would undoubtedly love the Carne Asada y Barbacoa en Chichilo: Seared Premier Wagyu ribeye and slow-cooked Crawford Farm lamb barbacoa in chichilo mole (dark chiles, almonds, raisins, tomato, garlic, avocado leaf, spices), corn husk-steamed chipil tamal, pickly vegetables (chayote, green beans, guero chiles), unctuous black beans.

I wasn’t yet ready to stop the hit parade; it was just so fun to watch these amazing dishes come to our table. So we ordered one dessert. “Taza” de Chocolate Oaxaqueno con Manchamanteles was a “cup” of layered frozen chocolate espumas (bittersweet, Oaxacan, turron, bubbly), toasted plantain brioche with cinnamon & sugar…and warm, fruity, chocolatey manchamanteles mole. Mole for dessert? Seems like a no-brainer really, when you consider that one of its key ingredients is chocolate. This was another “pour over” dish and, though it wasn’t my favorite of the night, it was another masterpiece.

It was such a memorable evening that I may never go back to Frontera again…unless I strike out getting a reservation at Topolobampo.

Topolobampo on Urbanspoon

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Bluestem Lounge

Written By: Mary Bloch - Apr• 19•12

I shouldn’t be writing this. In fact, I’ve put off posting a story about the Bluestem lounge over the years because I didn’t want it to get so crowded that we could never again get in the door. But based on my last couple of visits, the cat is clearly out of the bag, so there’s no reason for me to keep quiet anymore.

Bluestem lounge represents one of the best deals in town, especially during Happy Hour. From 5-7 pm, Tuesday through Thursday, and 5-6:30 on Fridays, the lounge menu is significantly discounted. Until recently, dishes were 50% off, but now it’s closer to 40%, which still makes my husband a happy man. The menu features comfort food type dishes as opposed to the upscale cuisine in the dining room. But no frills doesn’t mean lower quality. Fabulous burgers, hangar steak with chimichurri sauce and French fries, Mac & Cheese, grilled pork chops….and amazing Shrimp & Grits. When I wrote the story in the Kansas City Star about the resurgence of grits, I interviewed Colby Garrelts, chef/owner of Bluestem about this dish, and a spectacular photo of it graced the front page of the Food Section. Colby gets his corn for the grits from Mark Meinke of Bonner Springs, who provided a local angle to a story about an ingredient typically found in the South. Between the quality of the corn Mark produces and the skill and creativity of Colby, this is one awesome dish–every bit as fabulous to the palate as it is on the plate.

Drinks and bottles of wine are cheaper during Happy Hour, too, and Jeremy Lamb’s expert wine list is available. Though Bloody Marys are never among the drink specials, my husband always splurges on one anyway; he thinks it’s one of the best in town. Wherever he imbibes, he always asks for his go-to cocktail to be extra spicy, but Bluestem’s server told him that it always is. Skeptically he took a sip and was wowed not only by the explosion of flavors but the level of heat. There’s no such thing as a drink that’s too spicy for him, but be forewarned that it may be too much for the average drinker to handle. The vodka is infused with peppers and it’s not for the faint of heart.

Bluestem was recently recognized by Open Table as being in the Top 100 restaurants in the country for Best Service. You don’t have to order a pricey prix fixe meal to rate fabulous service; you’ll find it in the lounge as well. Colby and Megan (the pastry chef) are extremely talented, passionate and dedicated restaurateurs, and they succeed in making the lounge as memorable an experience as in their wonderful, artful dining room.

Bluestem on Urbanspoon

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Roasted Carrot and Avocado Salad

Written By: Mary Bloch - Apr• 13•12

Before I visited ABC Kitchen in New York City,  everyone told me I HAD to order the Roasted Carrot and Avocado Salad. Online and print media outlets all touted it as being the best carrot salad any of them had ever had. Really? Roasted carrots? I was skeptical that it could be so special, but I went with the recommendations and ordered it.  

Wow. It was as fabulous as the reviewers had said it was.  I dare say Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, who has owned many restaurants over the years, has a new signature dish. I’ve since had it at the Pump Room in Chicago, which he also heads up.

Roasting the carrots brings out their sweetness, and the citrus in the dressing is offset by the creaminess of the avocado and sour cream. And it’s a striking presentation,  the perfect dish to bring into my home. It was just a question of whether I would be able to duplicate it effectively enough to serve to company.

I was easily able to find the recipe online by googling it.

http://food52.com/recipes/15021_carrot_avocado_salad 

Making the dish was simple, but more time consuming than I would have imagined. There’s a marinade for the carrots, in which they are then roasted, the sesame and pumpkin seeds need to be roasted, and there’s a dressing that is drizzled on the salad once it’s all assembled. But it tasted almost as good as the original so I was glad I had made the effort. I’d make it again, but not for a run-of-the-mill weeknight supper. This is one of those dishes best reserved for a special occasion, or honored guests (like my kids).

 

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Burger Stand at the Casbah

Written By: Mary Bloch - Apr• 07•12

The Burger Stand first operated in Dempsey’s Pub. About 18 months ago culinary couples Molly and Robert Krause and  Simon and Codi Bates moved it to the old Casbah grocery space. Now called the Burger Stand at the Casbah, it sits next door to the other restaurant the foursome own, Esquina. Esquina recently revamped its menu and switched up its cuisine from Mexican to what they are calling  ”Mediterranean Food with a Spanish Flair”.

This is an order-at-a-counter operation, though if you grab a seat at the bar a bartender will wait on you. There’s also a separate line for ordering downstairs that is open on busy nights, which it was the night we visited. I suspect it’s always packed on game nights, but they do a good job of getting the orders out and turning the tables. We stood in line for about 25 minutes, ordered our burgers and a pitcher of beer, and were lucky enough to snag a booth where we waited for our name to be called. The pick up area is in the back, down a few steps, where diners can also  pump their own ketchups into little paper cups for dipping fries.

The Burger Stand offers several vegetarian options, but we opted for the black bean burger (as opposed to lentil or tofu) and it now has a prominent spot on my list of favorite veggie burgers. The poblano salsa and pepper jack cheese gave it some spice and my addition of cactus-habanero jam (which comes with the Fire Burger) kicked it up a notch.

I rarely eat a real beef burger, so when I do I want it to be really something special. The Black and Blue obliged on all fronts. It was incredibly flavorful and juicy, a perfect medium rare as ordered, the big chunk of bleu cheese impacted every bite and the apple chutney added a bit of cool. I realized when I was nearing my last bite that I hadn’t added ketchup or mustard, which is as natural a motion to me as people who salt something before tasting it. The burger was perfectly composed as it was.

The Burger Stand offers a ton of  homemade sauces for dunking the burger or fries…. cherry-pepper ketchup, guajillo-chili dip and parmesan-roasted garlic aioli, and  a variety of mustards.

The french fries were my least favorite part of the meal. I thought the sweet potato fries were better than the duck fat fries or the truffle fries. I’m a skin-on lady, so these didn’t do much for me, but my dining companions were less picky and enjoyed them. I’d have to give Blanc Burger the nod on the fries, but I’d drive back to Lawrence for those burgers.

The Burger Stand recently opened a second location in Topeka. I know there are plenty of burger joints in Kansas City, but I’d love to see the next expansion eastward so I don’t have to drive so far for one of those black bean burgers…..

The Burger Stand at the Casbah on Urbanspoon

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Succotash

Written By: Mary Bloch - Apr• 01•12

I’ve always been a fan of Succotash, but more so since Beth Barden moved the operation to 26th and Holmes a couple of years ago. It still has the funkiness of the original River Market location, but service is better and it’s more spacious. With a larger kitchen, the offerings have expanded to include so many mouthwatering options that I always have trouble deciding what to order. I don’t get there as often as I would like, but I was there twice recently, once for brunch and the other time for lunch, both times trying new items on the menu.

Sunday brunch is always crowded, and since they don’t accept reservations we got there about 9:30 to beat the rush. We had our pick of tables at that hour, but the restaurant was full by the time we left.

My son had the Burrito of Love; a huge pancake masquerading as a tortilla, with eggs and pancake wrapped inside. The pancake was light and fluffy, though the meal was anything but light. My pork hash wasn’t for the faint of heart either. Beautiful pork carnitas were served with their house fries (which could have been more well-done), black beans and pico de gallo, all of which was topped with two fried eggs and salsa verde. It’s as close to Santa Fean food as we get in Kansas City, though in New Mexico, the dish would have been smothered with green chile. I asked for more of the salsa verde to try to achieve that effect and was charged an extra $.75. Not a big deal, I guess, but when I think of those cheap breakfasts in Santa Fe it did give me pause. The good news is that it probably meant that the salsa was homemade and therefore labor intensive. It was a great breakfast, and in my case, lunch and dinner….I had no appetite the rest of the day.

I went back for lunch the following week and, remembering the perfectly roasted pork in my breakfast hash, opted for the Cuban sandwich. It had been griddled inside of soft and chewy baguette, layered with ham, melted swiss, creamy mustard and chunks of pickle, enough for every bite. It had a bit of a kick to it, which I never quite figured out, and was accompanied by those same home fries…but this time I asked for and received them extra crispy.  It was as good a Cuban as I’ve had in Kansas City, and I hope it becomes a fixture on Succotash’s menu.  It’s hard for me not to get the Cobb salad with succotash and a fried egg on top and buttermilk basil dressing, but this is my go-to lunch for now.

Treat yourself soon.

Succotash on Urbanspoon

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Westport Street Fare

Written By: Mary Bloch - Mar• 26•12

Aaron Confessori and Richard Wiles are busy men. They own Westport Cafe and Bar, the recently opened Boot, and they are operating the Westport Street Fare, a food truck parked at the corner of Westport and Pennsylvania in the parking lot just to the west of Harry’s Bar and Tables.

The truck serves up mostly Mexican fare with a bit of a global flair. The menu is very straight forward. There are five fillings–spicy pork, chicken confit, Korean short rib meat, seared mahi-mahi and crispy tofu, and four vessels for enjoying them–in a burrito (with rice), as a quesadilla (with cheese), as a torta (with avocado, mayo, Pico de Gallo, lettuce and chipotle crema), or in a corn tortilla to make a taco.

The mahi is marinated in soy and pineapple, and topped with sliced cabbage, avocado, pico de gallo and chipotle crema. The short ribs are crispy chunks of meat, marinated with Korean seasonings, including sake and pear. The pork is marinated with three types of dried chiles including chipotle, guajillo and pasilla. The chicken filling combines confit chicken (which they use for their hash at brunch at the Westport Cafe) with hash browns and roasted tomato vinaigrette.

I have sampled all of the offerings and loved everything I ate, in every format. However,  I am especially partial to the pork torta; it has to be one of the best sandwiches in town. The rolls as well as the tortillas are made at Carniceria y Tortilleria San Antonio and are still warm when delivered. The Korean short rib tacos are special, too,  and the flavors will really grab you.

There’s typically a ramen special with housemade noodles, pork belly and short rib. You’ll need the chopsticks they give you to pick up the big pieces of pork belly and short rib that are floating in the soup.  It’s all very soothing on a chilly night, but it might not stay on the menu in the heat of the summer.

Richard and Aaron wanted to keep the menu simple and it works beautifully.  The one addition I would make is to add chips and salsa.  The fiery red salsa and smooth avocado tomatillo salsa that accompany each item are homemade and, while the offerings don’t need embellishment, I really wanted  some chips to dip into those little containers.  It was really hard to throw out even one drop, because the heat and texture of both have me thinking the salsas are as fine as you’ll find in Kansas City.

The little courtyard is strung with lights that make the area festive, and there’s a ledge that goes around the fence so after you pick up your food there’s a place to land while you eat it. Rich said that at some point they may add stools for outdoor dining. At the moment, no beer is served, but they make their own sodas. I sampled the lemon lime and it was perfect for putting out the fire in my mouth from the salsas.

The Westport Street Fare is open Thursdays-Saturday nights, from 7 pm to 3 am. Yes, you read that right. Aaron says a big wave of customers come in the wee hours of the morning, undoubtedly after rolling out of one of the nearby bars. But those of us who aren’t up that late can grab a bite during its more civilized hours of operation. It really doesn’t matter when you go…just go.

 

 

 

 

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Visit KC 2012 magazine

Written By: Mary Bloch - Mar• 20•12

The 2012 Digital edition of Visit KC magazine is hot off the presses. Click the link below to read all about our city’s incredible resurgence. Included are several interviews I conducted with people employed in various industries around town who shared their favorite haunts and activities in Kansas City.

www.maddenmedia.com/digitalbooks/MOKCVG12

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