Shoo gnat shoo . . .shoes?

For our sixth meeting of the Supper Club Six, our host Michelle chose a place with a unique concept.  You can try on shoes while you are waiting for your table.  A new open air center with shops, a spa and restaurants opened in Leawood at 119th and Roe called simply One Nineteen.  Soho 119 is a clothing store designed to resemble an art gallery with high end (pricey) designer duds.  The space uses screens hung from the ceilings to divide the open floor plan.  In the back of the store, there is a gourmet restaurant separated from the store by a glass paned wall. 

 

After meeting at Michelle's for wine and cheese, we headed to One Nineteen for our 8:00 p.m. reservations.  Upon entering the store, the women's clothing is on the left and the men's area is to the right.  We made our way to the back of the gallery/store--stopping to check out the displays on the way--and were immediately seated.   A few other diners were seated in the rather small space.  The service was excellent and our waiter was very attentive.  In fact, there appeared to be more servers than customers.    Staying true to our priorities, we began by ordering cocktails from the martini menu.  Our drinks were quickly served and received a thumbs up all around the table.  The vodka dirty martini hit the spot.  For our appetizer, we ordered a platter of antipasto.  Let me remind everyone, this was our second round of appetizers of the evening having consumed about 10 pounds of cheese at Michelle's--but we still devoured the platter without complaint.  

Lamb chops with polenta and a pistachio encrusted chicken were among the specials.  There was a consensus on the chicken which both Maggie and Michelle enjoyed.   Opinions were mixed with regard to the lamb chop and lobster avocado panini.  Two of us really liked the lamb chop and panini we ordered while two others were not as impressed with their entrees--finding the lamb too fatty and the panini bread to hard.   All in all, the food was fine but the prices seemed steep for the portions.  The smaller portions are fine, even encouraged, but the price should also reflect the amount of food on the plate.

Our group did agree that the concept and location are unique (odd actually).  Two things I do not expect to find when I dine are gnats and shoes.  Shoes I can handle but when gnats crash your dinner party the table becomes a bit crowded.  Our waiter apologized several times for the gnats swarming around our food.  I'm not sure what caused the gnats--though we had fun coming up with possible theories.  It gave dinner kind of a picnic feeling and not in a good way.  

We wandered around the store when we were leaving to the chagrin of the wait staff I'm sure.  We were the last people to leave the store and they quickly locked the door behind us.  No one can argue that the clothing and shoes were not beautiful.  If you are in the market for a $625 pair of shoes or a $400 shirt, this store is for you. However, it felt more like a place to go admire clothing for its aesthetic value rather than to purchase anything in the store.  We left wondering whether the target customers even exist in Johnson County--especially given the state of our economy at the moment.  --Janel

Supper Club Six Plus One--Blue Grotto

Maggie was our host in June and graciously chose a restaurant closer to the majority of us -- right near my house!  The Blue Grotto in Brookside opened in May.  It boasts the longest Bar--I've now bellied up to that bar two or three times.  My friend Susan, in town from Lincoln, joined us bringing our Supper Club to seven for the evening. 

We met early for drinks at the bar and Maggie grabbed the tab--I should have ordered more!!  

First, let me describe the location.  The space used to be a sock store.   I probably walked past the store front a hundred times without noticing it but now there is a trendy storefront that catches your eye.  When you walk in,  you step into a very urban and hip bar that you would expect to find in the Power and Light District but not in Brookside.  It definitely fills a need.  On the wall behind the bar are extremely original and tall wine racks.  The bar leads into a dining area in the back with the brick pizza oven in the center of the restaurant and stairs leading to more seating in a loft area.  We sat upstairs. 

The one downside is that it was extremely hot upstairs.  We were getting all the heat off of the oven.  Baby don't like being in a corner but Baby don't like being hot even worse--so I was a tad uncomfortable.   I've gone back and I avoid sitting above the oven.  I'm not sure if they have corrected this issue yet.  

The antipasto platter was superb.   In order to get a sampling of many things on the menu, we ordered three or four pizzas, a couple salads and appetizers.  A couple of the Six thought the pizza was okay but were not wowed by any means.   The pizza is simple and fairly priced.   I tend to have a lower expectations given I'm not a huge pizza fan but I've gone back a couple times and definitely will continue to go.  I enjoy meeting there for drinks and it is a great alternative to other places in Brookside.   Janel

 

Dorothy, We are still in Kansas and its May

Best laid plans of mice and men often go awry . . . and so do dinner plans.  Kim was our host in May and I don't even remember her original restaurant pick but it was located in Westport--we will get back there some other time.  Instead, our plans were swept away when tornado season officially descended upon Kansas City.  We all met at Kim's house for cocktails and appetizers.  Amid all our catching up, we heard over our chatter that certain wail that is all too familiar in the Midwest in Spring--sirens.  We dashed to the windows to take in the greenish pall that had settled over the street.  

So like any safety conscious Midwesterners, we freshened our drinks, turned on the local news coverage, and Kim assigned us all a candle to snuff should we have to make a mad dash for the basement.  Unfortunately, the storm was scheduled to descend upon Kim's neighborhood about the time we would be in our cars headed to the restaurant so she canceled our reservations. We survived the storm and headed to Cactus Grill a block away and had an awesome meal despite it being our last minute choice. 

Great magueritas, fast service (we were pretty much the only people in the restaurant) and Mexican food--what more can you ask for during a tornado.  Janel

Grilled Cheese Heaven--Sometime in March

The Spitfire Grill was the third convention of our Supper Club Six.  Another stellar choice.   Kathryn was the host this evening and went with comfort food in a bistro setting.  The menu is very simple and most of us ordered the specialty--grilled cheese sandwiches.  

The Ultimate Grilled Cheese sandwich was grilled on sourdough bread and several cheeses including a cream cheese and a tomato.  There were several twists on the standard grilled cheese sandwich--including choices of chicken, asparagus or prime rib.  Heavenly--and a very moderate price.  One member (who shall remain nameless) was rhapsodizing over how delicious her prime rib grilled cheese sandwich was and mid bite remembered it was Lent . . . and it was Friday . . . and she's Catholic.   Fortunately or unfortunately, she only had a few bites left.  

The Soup of the Day was creamy squash delight that we all devoured.  Janel