Providence New American Restaurant

This past Saturday, Dan and I had tickets to a recital at the Folly down town. We originally had reservations at 12 Baltimore in the Phillips Hotel but wanted to try something different, but it had to be close. That's when we remembered our friend Larry talking up the restaurant in the President Hotel. We went on line and looked up the menu and liked the offerings, so we called and made a reservation at Providence.
You enter the restaurant through The Drum Room, a very nice lounge off the lobby of the hotel. The restaurant is very nice, with beautifully restored barn wood for the walls, good lighting and overall nice decor.
We were promptly greeted by Kevin, our server, who explained some items on the menu and recommend some different wines. Dan went with an $8 glass of Pinot Noir and I splurged on a $12 Cab, knowing that I could only have one glass, lest I fall asleep during the recital.
Dan started with the Blue Note salad ($5.90), gem lettuce, blueberries, apple sticks and a blue cheese, blueberry vinaigrette. I chose the Providence salad ($6.50), bibb lettuce, arugula, pine nuts, golden beets, radishes and Tank 7 vinaigrette. Both salads were very good and plated nicely, as were our other dishes.
Dan's entree was Applewood Smoked Meatloaf ($15.50) with sour cream mashed potatoes and wild mushroom gravy. The meatloaf was so good and very different, consisting of ground pork, lamb and beef. The mashed potatoes had chunks of carrots and the mushrooms in the gravy were some of the best I've tasted. The dish also came with a small side of haricots vert.
My entree was the Bully Porter Braised Short Ribs ($20.00) with roasted vegetables and herb dumplings. This was a  very good choice! The meat was so tender, no need for a knife and the dumplings were awesome.
The restaurant is located 1329 Baltimore in The President Hotel 1329 Baltimore KCMO 64105 815-303-1686 www.providence-kc.com.
This restaurant has joined my list of new favorite places to dine in Kansas City including Julian www.juliankc.com, JJ's www.jjs-restaurant.com, and The Jacobson www.thejacobson.com.

Julian

Restaurant week in Kansas City started this Friday, 01/18/2013. We ate lunch at Julian in Brookside. Dan started with a nice salad and I had an incredible bowl of French onion soup. We both had the linguine with speck, delicious. Not a bad meal for $15. We had desserts too, not part of the Prix Fix, but they were both awesome. I had the bread pudding and Dan had the chocolate ganache. Great service and an open window to the kitchen where you watch Chef Tio work her magic. She actually delivered our food and checked on us to see if we were enjoying the food. Gotta love that kind of service! This is now one of my favorites, check them out. They are located at 6227 Brookside Plaza KCMO 64113. 816-214-8454. www.juliankc.com

Tarantino's New Location

If you didn't already know, Tarantiono's has a new location. They are located at 13th and Locust, the address is 417A East 13th. They are still serving up the best calzones, pizzas and eggplant around. Joe and Trish are working harder than ever, keeping up with their big new lunch business. They should have their liquor license by the end of this week, so be ready to enjoy a nice, cold Peroni with your favorite calzone. The space is much larger than the old place, but Joe and Trish have all the charm as before. Joe has such a passion for cooking and food and Trish makes you feel as though you are spending the evening with family. If you haven't checked them out before, make sure to add this to your list. They have their own parking lot behind the building, plus there is plenty of street parking. You can call for carry out and delivery at 816-421-0043. They are open Monday through Saturday from 10 to 10.

Justus Drugstore a restuarant

For my birthday, Dan took me to Justus Drugstore in Smithville, MO. We had been wanting to eat there for a while and we finally made it. I was worried that the place was over-hyped, but my concerns were for nothing. This place is wonderful!! It's worth the drive to Smithville, even with too high gas prices. Travel magazine even listed Justus Drugstore as the reason the visit the state of Missouri in their July '08 issue.

The kitchen is totally exposed to the small, beautifully appointed dining room. There is a nice sized outdoor eating area and a small, but fully furnished bar. Even the restrooms are worth checking out. Reservations are recommended, but they do welcome walk-ins.

We were fortunate enough to have the General Manager/Owner Camille Eklof wait on us! She gave us lots of info on the restaurant and the menu. Everything is prepared from scratch and they buy from local farmers. Everything on the menu comes with a suggested wine pairing, so it takes all of the guess work out of what wine goes with what meal. I, personally took full advantage of this.

We started our meal with an Herb Cheese Spread that was made with house made goat and ricotta cheeses with chives and served with house made crackers ($8.00). This was very good and light, a perfect starter for a meal.

Dan had the Mixed Baby Greens with a creamy balsamic dressing ($7), while I chose the Maytag Blue Cheese Salad of mixed greens, beets, apple gelee and a thin Missouri black walnut praline ($9). Both were very good and perfectly dressed.

For dinner , Dan chose the Akaushi Beef, a Kobe flat iron steak served with a brandied morel mushroom cream sauce, chive mashed potatoes and asparagus ( $26). He loved it and from my taste, I agreed with his enthusiasm for the dish. I ordered the Akaushi Beef Brisket ($22). This was Kobe beef braised in their house brewed root beer with a celery root puree, smoked vanilla butter glazed carrots, watercress, sorrel and arugula dressed in a honey sassafras mustard vinaigrette with a sprinkling of vanilla pepper on the plate edge. The flavors were meant to evoke the old drugstore flavors and they did that and more. The flavors of this dish exploded in my mouth with each bite, truly amazing stuff.
For dessert Dan ordered the Flourless Ale Cake ($8) which was this nice white chocolate mousse with a mint foam and marshmallow meringue and I had the Goat cheese Cheesecake ($8) with a sour cherry topping and a shortbread crust. Not my favorite dessert of all time, but I don't really like goat cheese ( I was being adventurous).
The Executive Chef/Owner Jonathan Justus sat with us during dessert and told us a short history of his career and the opening of the restaurant. After dessert, Camille served us a complimentary glass of Moscato, the perfect ending to the perfect meal.
They are located at 106 W. Main, Smithville MO 816-532-2300 http://www.drugstorerestaurant.com/ .

Something Different at Senor Tequila

Last night , Dan and I headed to Senor Tequila, for some of our favorite Mexican food. It seems that I always order either the Tacos de Carne Azada or the Enchiladas Rancheras, with the occasional bowl of Caldo de Pollo. I wanted to try something different, so I scoured the menu and decided on the Carnitas ($9.75). The thing I love the most about the Enchiladas Rancheras is the wonderful chunks of moist and crispy pork that top the dish and the carnitas description sounded like the same thing. The Carnitas are pork tips served with rice and beans, shredded lettuce, chopped tomato and onion, avocado, jalapenos and corn or flour tortillas. This dish did not disappoint me, the pork was cooked to perfection and was just the right amount of food. I now have a new favorite dish to decide upon.
Senor Tequila is located at 6502 North Oak Trafficway, Gladstone MO 64119.

Peachtree Restaurant - Lee's Summit, MO

Yesterday, Katie and Dale took me to lunch at the new Peachtree Restaurant in Lee's Summit. I have always wanted to try their food ever since they opened at 18th and Vine, but never made it down there. They have since closed that location and are moving into the Power and Light District, which is much closer to my home. Not that it really matters after the lunch i had there yesterday. I have to say that I was very disappointed in the food and the service. I was expecting wonderful food from all that I heard and it was a very big let down.
We were seated by a very friendly hostess and our waiter was actually very friendly, too, he was just not attentive. He brought a basket of large warm rolls and these incredible sweet potato corn bread muffins, so far so good. I really wanted to order the fried chicken, but instead went with the Smothered Pork Chop which was covered in a brown gravy with sauteed onions and bell peppers. The pork chop was fork tender, but the gravy was over salted. The two sides I chose were some lackluster green beans and some candied yams that had too much clove in them. Katie ordered the Blackened Chicken Sandwich with sweet potato fries. The fries were good and crisp, but the chicken was on the tough side. Dale had the Chicken Tenders with some very good seasoned fries. He enjoyed his meal, but for the price 3 tenders was a little chintzy.
I also take issue with the fact that their iced tea is priced at $2.50 and I had to flag someone down to refill mine. I don't know if it's a sign that I'm getting old, but $2.50 for an iced tea is a bit much. Peachtree is not the only restaurant pricing this way, but if you charge that amount, then you better keep the glasses filled.
Not that I would recommend this place, but they are located at 1672 NW Chipman Road, Lee's Summit, MO 64081 816-554-8733 www.peachtreerestaurant.com .

Panera Bread at 311 NE Englewood Road

Panera Bread is one of my favorite places to eat for "fast food". Unfortunately, the one that recently opened by my house has been a disappointment. The last few times that we have eaten there have left us wandering what's going on. The service is slow and the people working there have no customer service skills. I have never experienced these types of issues at other Panera's and wander if it's a Northland thing.
We stopped in last night and the gal behind the counter clearly did not want to be there and don't get me started on the two buffoons preparing the food. They were way to busy talking to one another to worry about the food they were serving. When I got home with my food the order was screwed up and there was food in the bag that we did not order and food missing. They weren't even working on any other orders, how hard is it to get this right!
I called the store and talked with Kevin who was apologetic and offered me free food. At this point I'm a little leery of going back. Good customer service is so easy to provide, but if it's not taught or enforced it doesn't matter.
People really do need to demand better service. You can be positive about it and let people know what you expect. When you eat at Panera, you expect just a little more from them. I hope they get their act together.

Senor Tequila Mexican Restaurant

I have posted on Senor Tequila in the past, but we ate there the other night and I thought they deserved another write up. We've been eating there ever since we moved up north and that's about 7 years now. We love the food, it's nothing fancy, but their sign claims that the food is 100% authentic. The service is also good, there have been occasions where we ended up with a lousy server, but you never see those guys anymore.
On this trip, I ordered the Enchiladas Rancheras($7.75). This is one of the dishes that I go back and forth between, the other 2 are the Tacos de Carne Azada and the wonderful, big bowl of Caldo de Pollo. The enchilada dish consists of 3 cheese enchiladas, topped with enchilada sauce and this incredible pork with onions and bell peppers and a side of shredded lettuce, sour cream, guacamole and sliced tomatoes. The shredded pork is both crispy and moist.
Dan, as usual, ordered the Chicken Fajitas($10.50). This is a dish that they certainly don't skimp on, the skillet is piled high with chicken, grilled onion, peppers and tomatoes. All that is served with tortillas, pico de gallo, lettuce, sour cream, gaucamole and beans and rice. I always say that I'm going to oder fajitas, but I always fall back on my other favorites instead.
We typically order the 32 ounce Dos XX for only $3.75. Compared to other restaurants that is a steal. They also serve up a pretty good margaritas at prices that are lower than most.
They are located at 6502 N. Oak Trafficway Gladstone, MO 64118 816-420-0640.

Tomfooleries at Zona Rosa

A couple of weeks ago, Dan and I were at Zona Rosa and decided to eat at Tomfooleries. We have eaten there before, both here and at the Plaza, and have always had decent food. They have such a varied menu, so it's easy to find something to try.

Since it was lunch, I decided to go a little on the light side. I ordered the Coconut Fried Chicken Salad ($8.79). This was a very good salad, with crispy coconut chicken and lots of it. The salad also had thinly sliced red onion, real bacon, tomatoes, Monterey Jack cheese and croutons served over mixed greens topped with a nice honey mustard. It was a very satisfying salad and much better than the Peanut Butter Fried Chicken Salad that I had on a different visit. That chicken was a gloppy, gooey, gross mess.

Dan ordered the Southwestern Chicken Cobb ($8.79). He enjoyed this salad topped blackened chicken, bacon, tomato, cheddar & Monterey Jack cheeses, black beans, tortilla strips all on top of mixed greens and served with salsa and ranch dressing. The blackened chicken had a great flavor and worked well with the other ingredients.

The service was good and quick and the food was satisfying. They are located in Zona Rosa at 8680 NW Prairie View Road KCMO 64153 816-746-8668.

Jazz a Louisiana Kitchen - Kansas City

We ended up eating out twice on Saturday. I called Stacy to get her e-mail adress and ended up with dinner invite. She and Tracey were going to Jazz for dinner and she invited Dan and I to tag along. Parking can be kind of crazy on a Saturday night along the 39th Street corrider, but we were lucky that night. We ended up with a Doris Day parking spot, right in front of the restaurant entrance!

Stacy was already seated, she got there just in time, so we walked right in and took our seats. She had ordered some Hushpuppies ($1.99) and some amazing Fried Pickles ($3.99). Both are good starters, but those pickles are to die for. Our server reappeared and took our beer orders while we waited for Tracey to show up. The waitress was a little on the surly side and the 3 of were resigned to an evening of bad service. That is until Tracey showed up. Obviously our waitress has a thing for tall blondes, because once Tracey was seated our server's demeanor went from poor to joyous in a very short time.

For dinner, both Stacy and Tracey ordered the Shrimp & Scallops Pontchartrain($12.49). This was a plate of shrimp and scallops that were sauteed in a tequila lime cream sauce and served with dirty rice. Very good, but also very rich. Dan had a not full order of Cajun Fried Shrimp($7.99). I believe there were 8 pieces of shrimp in a spicy cornmeal crust with some hushpuppies and really good cajun coleslaw. He enjoyed his meal and even ate the cole slaw (he hates cabbage). I ordered the not full order of Beer Battered Shrimp($7.99) and was a little disappointed. It's not that the shrimp were bad, they just were a little on the bland side. I should have ordered the Louisiana BBQ Shrimp instead, but sometimes we all make mistakes.

Dan and I were actually a little hesitant in joining them for dinner. We used to occasionally eat at Jazz and then they opened a restaurant up north and ruined the experience for us. The Northland place had the world's worst service and had just become too painful of an experience to deal with. They have since closed that location. Jazz is located at 1823 W. 39th Street KCMO 816-531-5556. They have quite a few things to choose from on the menu, so everyone will find something to their liking,

Waldo Pizza

On Saturday, we were in the Waldo area and decided to stop in at Waldo Pizza for lunch. We used to eat there quite often when we lived in the area, almost once a week to be honest. They serve up some of the best pizza in Kansas City and we try to eat there whenever we are in the neighborhood.

They always seem to have things on their menu that you never see on other pizza place menus, like over 9 kinds of cheese including ricotta and Asiago. They have 6 sauces to choose from and ingredients like pine nuts, roasted corn and eggplant. They also have a great salad bar that features home-made dressings, like the ever popular garlic ranch. Waldo Pizza have also always had an extensive beer list and since we were last there, they have added a Tap Room that features 14 taps and 100 bottles of beer.

On this visit, we opted for the buffet since it was lunch. They charge $6.50 for their all-you-can-eat salad and pizza buffet. It's a great way to try out some different crusts and toppings and you don't have to sit and try to figure out what kind of pizza you want.

Waldo Pizza is located at 7433 Broadway at the corner of 75th and Wornall KCMO 816-363-5242. They also have a Lee's Summit location at Rollins Meadow in Douglas Square.

Changes in Store For Tarantino's

It looks like there are some big changes in store for my favorite calzone place, Tarantino's. I'm not going to give anything away yet, because I don't want to jinx Joe and Trish, but stay posted for the news.

In the meantime they are now serving dessert calzones, I haven't tried one yet, but am looking forward to it. We had take out from there on Monday night and it was so good. I had a calzone with Italian sausage, roasted red peppers and pepperchinnes. That is by far my favorite combination and they do it perfectly. Dan ordered his favorite, the Meatball sandwich, which is always a winner.

Tarantino's is one of my favorite places to eat in Kansas City, as you can tell by my previous posts. Joe and Trish do a great job of making their customers feel like they are part of the family and the food is great too. They are located at 601 McGee, 1 block east of Grand, in Kansas City MO. 816-421-0043.

Spin Neapolitan Pizza

I was excited to see a new pizza place go up in the Summit Crossing shopping center in Lee's Summit. I have worked in Lee's Summit for 5 years now and I find the lunch choices to be pretty bad. Unless you like chain food or fast food, you're better off bringing your own lunch. Then I saw this big, bold sign pop up saying Spin Neapolitan Pizza and I thought, finally something different.
I checked out their website www.spinpizza.com and was even more intrigued. The pizza and sandwich selections looked good and different. I wanted to try a pizza and see if they were anywhere close to resembling a true pizza from Napoli, but the Roasted Chicken Sausage Panini was what got my attention. For $6.95, you get a grilled sandwich with sausage, white bean spread, onion fig marmalade and Asiago cheese. They even give you your choice of a salad. I called in the order and picked it up.
The restaurant is large and open. The kitchen is right there for all the world to see and the staff were all pleasant. I paid for my food, received the bag and headed back to my office.
The salad was a nice sized Caesar with Romaine and lots of little crunchy homemade croutons. The dressing was a little on the oily side, not creamy, but the flavor was good and not fishy. The sandwich was a big disappointment though. It was grilled perfectly and actually quite large for the price. The sausage was thinly sliced and every time you took a bite a big ol' piece came out of the sandwich. It seemed that all the pieces were the skin of the sausage, not too appetizing. The onion fig marmalade(which is the reason I ordered the sandwich), was pretty lackluster. And if I had not looked at the menu again while typing this, I would have to say that the bean spread was nonexistent.
With all that said, I will go back and try the pizza. I try not to be too judgemental on a first visit, but that pizza better be pretty outstanding to get me there for a third visit. They are located at 1808D NW Chipman Rd. Lee's Summit, MO 64081 816-246-7746. They also have an Overland Park location and one that will open in Olathe this Spring.

Pizzabella and Trezo Mare

Our friend, Larry, was in town for short visit, so last night we took him to a couple of places that we like. We started at Pizzabella for dinner and then moved on to Trezo Mare for dessert and after dinner drinks. We had a great time and really hated saying good bye at the end of the night.
I actually decided to order something other than Brussels sprouts for a change. I noticed Broccolini on the menu last night and I don't recall seeing that on the menu before. Broccolini is one of those things they use on the Food Network and you see in magazines, but you can never find in the grocery store, so I decided to go with that. It really tastes like regular broccoli, just a little on the delicate side. They serve it with speck ham, chili flakes and toasted garlic. This was a nice dish, with just the right amount of heat for me. I also ordered the Salami pizza, which is covered in a light tomato sauce, soppressata salami and oregano.
Larry ordered the Brussels sprouts and he loved the combination of flavors, the salty pancetta, sweet cranberries and the nutty hazelnuts. He ordered the Mushroom pizza, which is my favorite. I love all those mushrooms with the sweet cooked onions and thyme.
Dan got the Mixed Greens salad with that wonderful dressing and the Prosciutto pizza. It's a really nice, light pizza with the thinly sliced prosciutto and the topping of fresh arugula.
Pizzabella is located in the Crossroads District at 1810 Baltimore KCMO 64106.
All that and a couple of Peronis make for a pretty good evening, but Dan had further plans for us. He thought it would be nice to go to Trezo Mare and sit by the fireplace and enjoy a drink and dessert. The lounge is open until midnight, so we headed on over.
We had the place all to ourselves, so we picked the table in front of the fireplace and waited for the bartender to take our order. Larry ordered the Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Bars($8) with a Taylor Fladgate Port($8). The peanut butter bars were rich and decadent, covered in a nice light chocolate mousse and fudge sauce. All of us enjoyed that dessert the most. Dan had the Spice Cake($8) and an expensive Grand Marnier($11). The spice cake was very flavorful, but a little on the dry side. The vanilla ice cream on top helped even it out some. I ordered the Espresso Creme Caramel($8) and the Fonseca 10 Year Port($7). The creme caramel was actually very well flavored and light. This was the perfect way to end an already perfect evening.
Trezo Mare is located in Briarcliff Village at 4105 N. Mulberry Dr. KCMO 64116. Their web address is http://www.trezomare.com/.

Trezo Mare for Lunch

I have had more comments on my postings of Trezo Mare Ristorante than any other of my postings. People seem to be very passionate about this place, either loving it or really hating it. Personally, I have only had good experiences there, both the food and the service have been above the norm for Kansas City. That being said, Dan and I went there for lunch on Saturday to see what the $9.00 Combo Menu was like.

We decided to sit in the bar, so that we could be close to the fireplace. The bar is actually quite nice and a lot bigger than I had thought. There was one bartender and he was responsible for all the tables and he did a good job of taking care of his customers. We both ordered Stella's since they serve it on tap and checked out the menu. The lunch menu is actually quite nice and has a lot to offer.

We decided to start out with the Seared Fresh Lump Crab Cakes($14) . They serve two nice sized crab cakes with a champagne butter and baby rocket. We both thoroughly enjoyed them. We both decided on trying something from the $9 combo menu. Dan ordered the King Crab Bisque and the 1/2 Shrimp Club. The crab bisque was good, but a little too buttery and rich for my taste. The shrimp sandwich was very good, much better than either of us thought it would be. I ordered the Roasted Tomato Bisque and 1/2 Turkey Sandwich. The tomato bisque was thick, smoky and tangy-very good. The sandwich was also very good, the bread they use was grilled and both sandwiches had smoked bacon and a nice lemon aioli.

They are located at 4105 N. Mulberry KCMO 64116 816-505-3200.

Grinder's - Kansas City, MO

On a snowy December Saturday afternoon, Dan and I were in the Crossroads and we were looking for a place to eat. We had driven past Grinder's many times, but had never stopped in. Our friend, Lisa, had recommended it before, so we thought we try it out. The snowy weather did not seem to affect the business, because they were pretty busy.

We took a table in the back and were promptly greeted by our waitress. We ordered beers and pondered the menu. They have a large variety to chose from including salads, sandwiches, pizzas, and wings. Dan ordered the Meatball Grinder($6.00) and a side of Tater Tots($.95). The grinder was excellent, with very good meatballs that were covered in a red sauce and cheese and then baked. The order of tots was big enough for two and they were also good. I ordered a half South Philly Cheese-Steak($4.99) with turkey instead of beef and had both provolone and Cheese Whiz on it. The sandwich was really good. The grilled onions, peppers and mushrooms were cooked perfectly. I ordered the 1/2 Ass Fries($1.25) with my sandwich, but really did not need them because there were so many tots.

I would defiantly go back and try some of their other items. The service was good and so was the food. The decor is a little bit on the thrift shop/garage sale end, but it adds to the atmosphere. They have a large outdoor sculpture park that is used for weddings, concerts and the like. The also have daily specials that seem worth checking out. They bare located at 417 E. 18th Street KCMO 64108 816-472-5454.

Red Dragon House - Kansas City, MO

Dan and I have been eating at the Red Dragon House for 14 years now and I'm sure he was eating there before then. Actually, now-a-days, we usually just get take out from there. It's right on the way home for Dan and that makes it way too convenient.
Both of us always seem to get the same thing, I always get the Chicken Fried Rice and Dan gets the Kung Bao Chicken. The Kung Bao has a nice spicy brown sauce with veggies and peanuts and the fried rice has peas, carrots and egg. I love to drizzle a little bit of sweet and sour sauce over it, for a little added flavor.
We sometimes order Egg Rolls or we get an order of Crab Rangoon. You get two egg rolls with an order and six crab rangoons. Both are good and sometimes we splurge and get both. They also do a pretty mean egg drop soup, but I usually only order that when we eat there. I also like their Empress Chicken and their Moo Shu Pork. The plum sauce is so good and I love those little pancakes.
They are located in the Garment District at 312 W. 8th Street KCMO 64105 816-221-1388.

Bristol Seafood Grill

On Monday, New Year's Eve day, Dan and I met our friend Lisa at Bristol Seafood Grill for lunch. We love eating there, but it's so far from our house that we don't get there as often as we would like. The customer service there has always been great and the food is good too. I also love the interior of the restaurant, especially the beautiful stained glass dome.
On this trip, we had a very good waiter who explained the days specials. He also suggested the the crab cakes as an appetizer, boasting that their's were the best. We ordered the crab cakes ($12.50) and I have to say that they were very good. The crab was very tasty and the sauces that were served with the cakes were excellent.
For lunch, both Dan and Lisa ordered the Atlantic Salmon special ($13.95). They each ordered their salmon cooked through and it came out perfectly. It was a nice piece of fish sitting atop some pretty awesome lobster risotto with a side of asparagus. I had the Japanese Breaded Fried Shrimp ($12.95). I loved this dish, the shrimp were big and cooked to perfection. It came with a side of fries and a nice little dish of jicama slaw.
We really had a nice lunch and sat and talked for quite a while after our meal was finished. It was nice to be able to sit there and not feel rushed to leave. The Bristol is located at 5400 W. 119th Street, Leawood, KS 66209 913-663-5777.

1924 main Kansas City, MO

I finally made it 1924!! Last night, Dan took me there for dinner and was it ever good. I have to say that it was one of the best meals that I have ever eaten, this place really has it going on. The menu was set up into 3 courses for $36 or $56 with wines paired with each serving.
I chose the Saffron Arancine with Chorizo Bolognese for my beginning. This was 3 fried risotto balls in a wonderful, spicy bolognese with olives and Parmesan cheese. The wine that was served with this was a 2004 Paneretta Chianti Classico from Italy. Dan had the Butter Lettuce Salad with sarta chorizo, radish, sherry vinaigrette and polenta croutons. This was served with a 2005 Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc from Clarksburg. Both of our starters were wonderful, but Dan's salad was the best.
For my middle course I had the Forever Braised Short Ribs with Parmesan polenta, balsamic braised radicchio and crispy fried onions. This was paired with a 2006 Torbeck Wood Cutter's Shiraz from Australia. This dish was incredibly good. The ribs were cooked to perfection and the combination of flavors was awesome. Dan had the Ribeye with garlic potatoes, pancetta creamed chard (YUM), fried green tomatoes and a Cabernet sauce. This was paired with a 2005 Castle Rock Cabernet from Napa Valley. The combination of flavors and textures in both of these dishes were wonderful. We also loved that fact that the amount of food was just right, no overloading the plates here.
For my ending I had the Espresso Pot de Creme with chocolate shortbread, cinnamon creme fraiche and chocolate Kahlua sauce. This was paired with a wonderful Rutherglen Muscat from Australia. Dan chose the Pineapple Spiced Rum Crepe Suzette with cream cheese ice cream and a coconut macaroon. This was served with a Chateau Hallet Sauternes from France.
Very good service, wonderful atmosphere and great food! This was a great holiday dining experience that was ended with a drive through the Plaza to see the lights. I could not have had a better gift for Christmas.
The restaurant is located at 1924 Main, Kansas City MO 816-472-1924.

Poco's on the Boulevard Revisited

Friday night, we met out friends Paul and Chris at Poco's On The Boulevard - Kansas City, MO . We were there at 7:00PM and the place was deserted. All I can say is that people are missing out on a great chance to try some excellent food. There are a few misses at Poco's, but overall the food is very good and it's priced well. Plus with the fact that the owner is back in the kitchen preparing the food, you know you are getting what she intends for you to get.


We decided to start out with a sampler starter special, that included crab cakes, shrimp, empanadas and ceviche. The ceviche was killer and not something that I would usually order, but in my book it was pretty much perfect. Each of the starters came with their own sauce and each was unique. She actually made 4 separate small crab cakes for each of us, that is the type of service you can expect here.


Before we ordered our meals, Chris asked the server about their mole sauce. She brought him out a sample of the rich , thick, chocolaty sauce to try. He loved it and ordered the chicken mole. The mole was served with pieces of boneless breast meat, which was little on the dry side , but the sauce and sides were very good. Paul ordered theYucatan tacos de puerco, and like Dan on our first visit wasn't all that wowed with them, he expected them to have a little more orange flavor to them. Dan ordered the salmon encrusted in tortilla and loved it,. The fish was cooked as ordered and the tortillas added a nice crunchy bite. I ordered the best meal of the evening, the cherry tenderloins. This was a very large serving of sliced pork tenderloin, cooked to perfection and covered in this amazing cherry sauce. It was served with asparagus and some really good polenta. We ended the meal by sharing a good piece of tres leches cake.


Overall, it was good experience. Great food and wonderful company are what it's all about. Check out Poco's for dinner sometime. They serve it on Thursday , Friday and Saturday nights only and it definetly worth it. They are located at 3063 Southwest Blvd. KCMO 816-931-2526.