NORM!!!

Holly, Janel and Susan

Season's Greetings from Supper Club Six KC.  We hope this Holy Season was everything you wished.  We commenced the Holiday Season that is otherwise known as the Season of Eating in early December.  This was our Christmas Party so we did not have a designated host.  It happened to be my birthday so that worked out well for me and one of my dearest friends was in town to help me celebrate.  This was not Susan's first time to the rodeo so to speak as she joined us in the earlier years so she knew she was in for a night of gorging on good food and wine.

We decided to have a low key evening on the Plaza to take advantage of the Lights.  We stuck with a K.C. institution --JJ's the west end of the Country Club Plaza.    Most of us have been to JJ's for wine or cocktails but only a couple of us have had dinner at JJ's.  This is surprising considering it is one of KC's most well known local restaurants.  Our evening was phenomenal starting with the service we received at the bar.  We had 7:30 reservations and met in the bar about 7:00 for cocktails.  The bartender was attentive and let us switch our tab to our table without cashing out.  I always appreciate this.    From the moment you walked in the door, you felt like a regular despite the fact we were anything but a regular.  I half expected when I walked in for everyone to yell my name like Norm on Cheers.  It really felt like everyone knew each other.

JJ's has old world charm. Spanish terra cotta tiling, stained glass, arched doorways and dimmed lighting.  Very cozy.  Almost like you stepped into a wine cellar.   We were seated on time and shared a bottle of sparkling wine and a red.  The wine list is one of the most extensive in the city.  We chose a Ben Marco Malbec which was perfect.    The table devoured the Paco Shrimp.  It was large gulf shrimp stuffed with horseradish, wrapped in bacon and deep-fried and served with a Dijon mustard and white wine sauce, garnished with roasted red bell pepper puree. The Goat Cheese and Artisan Cheese plate starter was fabulous.  Just the right amount of appetizers for each of us to have more than just a sampling.

Michelle, Maggie and Kim

For entrees we ordered  Medallion Au Poivre.  This was comprised of grilled filet medallions with a mushroom and black peppercorn cream sauce and served with roasted garlic mashed potatoes.  A few of us ordered the petite filet and our waiter suggested we order it with the sauce from the Medallion entree.  Great suggestion.   The soup of the night was a pumpkin puree which was essentially creamy deliciousness.

Petite Filet with Peppercorn sauce

Our wonderful experience at JJ's wasn't just about the food.  Our waiter was very attentive and patient.  We ended up sitting at our table for hours.  We wanted to move to the bar after we settled our bill with the waiter who was leaving but the bar was full so we stayed in the dining room as the rest of the room cleared. Our second waiter came back with left over desserts when we had declined desserts earlier.   How could we refuse?  So we split a Jude's Rum Cake and a cheesecake.  Quite tasty, totally unnecessary but greatly appreciated.  Eventually, our original waiter popped back in the restaurant and joined us at our table for a few minutes and brought over a birthday shot of whiskey.  Did I mention we felt like regulars?

We highly recommend JJ's whether it is your first visit or returning to JJ's after a some time away.   You should definitely add it to your restaurant rotations.   Great spot for special celebrations.  Don't let the never ending construction scare you.  There is plenty of parking in the lots on the West End only a block or so away.

This concludes another year of fantastic food and wine but more importantly time with great friends.  Here's to even better times in 2012!

No, She Really Did Just Say That

Maggie our host and entertainment of the evening

Maggie was our host for our latest Restaurant outing.  We were down a member, one member racing to join us after being stuck at work, another watching her Blackberry because of a work issue and yet another dealing with tragedy at work.  That didn't set up this evening to be one of our best nights of Restaurant Club but somehow that is exactly what happened.  We found a way to laugh our way to one of our best nights that made us remember how much fun it is to hang out together and try new places.  Also, Maggie needs to take her schtick on the road because she is HILARIOUS.  None of which is printable in this G rated blog!

Maggie chose well in selecting Tannin Wine Bar & Kitchen.  Most of us didn't realize it was located in the space vacated by JP's Winebar. Heck, I didn't even know JP's had closed I was that far out of the loop.  MIchelle and Maggie met early and enjoyed a couple glasses of red on the sidewalk patio before the rest of us joined them. It was the perfect night for sitting outside. Tannin's wine list is very extensive.  Perhaps overwhelming to the novice but a welcome challenge to those of us who love to try new wines.  The pours are small and many only about $4 so you can try many different wines.  We each sampled within our preferred type.

Kathryn's Ahi Tuna

For those not familiar with the old JP's, Tannin is located in the Crossroads Art District.  Funny, at least half of us passed it or wondered if it was near the old JP's before realizing it was the same location.   When our whole party arrived, we moved indoors.  The owners of Tannin did not change much in the way of decor.   They didn't need to.  The decor is trendy and modern with several seating areas, small table tops and large semi circle booths in the back.  We had one of the booths.

Kim opted for the 8 oz. Wagyu Burger with smoked cheddar, grilled tomato, and crispy bacon on an onion bun with a plate full of pommes frites.  Which she said was a great burger and she took her leftovers home. The rest of us opted for the four course tasting menu priced at $38.   Kathryn ordered a wine tasting with her menu and each course arrived with a small pour of different wines and a brief description from our waitress.  We all managed to choose slightly different courses so we covered many of the items on the menu.  By the time we were seated, we were all fairly famished.  The ahi Tuna tartare and the Jumbo Lump Crap Dip starters were generous in size and very tasty.  The Tuna came with seaweed salad, watercress, wonton chips, sweet soy and wasabi.  The crab dip included garlic cream sauce, bacon, parmesan and a grilled baguettes.  Everyone was raving about their starters.

Kim's Wagyu Burger

Now on to the salads.  We ordered three of the salads.  All were fresh and just the right size.  The  spinach salad  crumbled blue cheese, balsamic vinaigrette, and crispy onions.    The house salad included field greens, grape tomatoes, chevre, red onions and a champagne vinaigrette.  Finally, the local bibb lettuce salad with bacon, tomatoes, red onions toast and chipotle dressing.  For entrees,  we ordered the ahi tuna, KC Strip and the pork chop.  There wasn't a bad choice in the bunch.  The wasabi mashed potatoes provided a great twist on an old favorite.  It is nice to see this greater emphasis on the food.  I can't recall ordering anything but cheese and small plates at the old JP's.

Some of us literally licked our plates clean.  However, we had one more course--dessert.  Three of us had the fresh baked, fudge stuffed peanut butter cookie with caramel sauce.  I'm still dreaming about it and I'm not a sweets kind of person.  It was divine.  Kathryn had the warm Missouri peach crumb with oatmeal almond topping and white chocolate ice cream.  We only wish we hadn't been so stuffed from dinner to thoroughly enjoy these delicious dishes.

Our waitress was friendly and attentive--unfortunately for her because she always seemed to approach our table when something outrageously inappropriate for a nice restaurant was flying out of our mouths.  We were seated in the back with no other patrons sitting next to us.  After our excellent meal, we could not fathom why the restaurant was so quiet.  Good word of mouth really needs to spread about this place.

We all were all impressed with Tannin's.  Hope everyone reading this blog visits this gem soon and laughs as hard as we did.  We needed a night like this and we all plan to go back.   

Pour Me Some Wine and I'll Take Some Milk to Go.

Kathryn was our host at our latest Supper Club. If you recall, Kathryn's last restaurant choice of authentic Mexican fare had some of us heading to the buffet for seconds while others spent some quality time in the powder room.  Although not necessary, she wanted to redeem her selection process.

Kathryn chose well.  We met up at the old Rieger Hotel building at 19th and Main Streets.  The first floor lobby has been converted into a restaurant (formerly called 1924 Main).  Now called the Rieger Hotel Grill & Exchange, the location sports both a restaurant and a basement speakeasy.

First, let's cover where we all agree.  The space is beautiful and has a great atmosphere. The dining room is long with dark wood and light green walls decorated with art work.  It is a tad noisy so you do have to strain to hear the conversation at your table.  The owners have created a very inviting space.  The bar is immediately to your right as you walk in the door.  There is a parking lot on the south side of the building.  It was full when arrived but it was easy enough to find street parking on a Thursday night.  Some of us ventured downstairs to check out Manifesto after hearing an unsubstantiated rumor that it was some type of S&M dungeon at some point in its history.  You do have to pass through a dark corridor to reach Manifesto but once you arrive you find a sophisticated basement lounge.  We need to head back on a weekend night.

Second, they had us at the cocktail menu.  We started the evening seated at the long bar enjoying cocktails.  There is an eclectic cocktail list.  We ran the gambit with sangria, vodka gimlets, dirty martinis  and moscow mules.  This would be a great place to meet for drinks whether you stay for dinner or not.  The bartender was friendly and shared his recipe for whiskey cherries.  After catching up at the bar, we were seated at the back of the restaurant.  There was also seating in the back where you could watch the sous chefs preparing your meal.  I would love to try this some time.

Our waitress was Sarah and she was extremely attentive.  She obviously knew the menu well and offered some suggestions.  We started with the Salmon Tartare which was a chopped mixture of watercress, sauce gribiche and cucumbers and the Beef Carpaccio.  The Salmon Tartare was delicious but wasn't served with any crackers or bread so it was a bit awkward to share among six people.  Double dipping abounded at the table.  The Beef Carpaccio was fine but definitely second to the Salmon.   We each ordered a salad.  The Farm salad made of organic greens, local vegetable and garlic herb dressing was tasty if a bit skimpy.  In fact, the appetizers seemed skimpy for six people.  Our waitress should have stressed the size of the appetizers because we only had a enough for a couple bites a piece. (Perhaps that was the point but we are Americans afterall-so we like generous portions.)  Holly raved about the Melon salad which was served with pistachio vinaigrette.

Braciole

For entrees, a few at the table ordered the special which they regretted.  It was an unusual fish--not a white fish more of a muscular fish but not an oily fish.  It was stringy.  The sides included in the special were excellent but the fish didn't really sit well.  I ordered the Braciole which was braised flank steak, Italian sausage and tomato sauce.  It was mouthwatering.  Perfect proportion and served with polenta, kale and chickpeas.   Kim and Holly  ordered the side order of seafood risotto with scallops, shrimp, heirloom cherry tomatoes and basil as an entree.  It was rather small but our waitress did point out that many people do this and order a salad.  For dessert, we ordered the bread pudding and the fresh mint baked alaska.  Very tasty.

Towards the end of the meal, Maggie fielded a call from her husband who wanted her to stop for milk on the way home.  Sarah to the rescue.  She asked how much milk she needed.  When Maggie told her enough for a couple bowls of cereal in the morning, Sarah was back with a portable container filled with milk.  We were definitely impressed.  Sarah also gave us tips on where to buy some quality bras and overheard us discussing Michelle's birthday the next day so she brought out a flaming shot.  Definitely a renaissance woman/waitress!

Got Milk?

Overall, our reviews were positive with some of us liking Reiger more than others.    We loved the space, the cocktails and dessert.   The reviews were mixed on our entrees.  There definitely was some entree envy going on at the table.  Everyone enjoyed at least one course and if we return would likely find something to enjoy.  We do recommend people try The Reiger.  The prices are very reasonable and the service was excellent.

Come Sit Next to Me, I have a Story to Tell

Kim was our host for our latest evening dining out but she didn't make her choice alone.  Instead, she emailed out pdfs of two menu redacting the names of the restaurants for us to vote.  We had a near unanimous decision everyone but Kim chose Story the new bistro which opened in the Prairie Village Shopping Center.  She never should have let us pick!   After enjoying some wine at Kim's house, we ventured over to Story for our 8 p.m. reservations.  Kim lives only blocks from the restaurant and being true Americans, we hopped in my car and drove to Story.

Story is located in former retail space.  The decor is all white and very modern.  The layout and architectural design are unique.  There is a rather large outdoor seating area but it was too sweltering to enjoy so we headed inside.  There was a strange smell to the restaurant that was a bit reminiscent to mothballs despite the elegant atmosphere.
We were seated immediately.  All the tables were covered with white linen.  True to form we ordered our cocktails first and then perused the menu.  We then perused the menu again and again.  The service was definitely not attentive.  We were there 20 minutes before our drinks arrived and our appetizer order was taken.  This didn't put us in the most generous mood.

When ordering several appetizers, Kathryn asked that the split pea soup be split amongst all of us to sample.  The waitress looked at Kathryn in annoyance and said the chef wouldn't like it.  There may have been a bit of a discussion between the two while the rest of us stared at our drinks.  Alas, the soup did come out split 5 ways.  However, so did the other three appetizers we ordered.  Not exactly what Kathryn asked but the presentation was great and each of the appetizers were delicious.  We also ordered the Ceviche, carpaccio, tuna tartare and smoked duck empanadas.   All were excellent.  The english pea soup was unusual but most of us liked it. Kathryn had the braised short ribs with shallot rings.  Although she found it a bit heavy for the summer, it is a dish she would order again in the winter.   The rest of us ordered a couple different whitefish dishes including walleye.  Very delicious.

Back to the service.  Although we ordered fairly basic drinks, wine and a few martinis, we again attempted to order our second round of drinks and had to wait a long time for them to arrive.  At one point, one of us went to peek in the bar to see if the waitress got lost.  She did apologize for how long it was taking.   Hopefully, the staff will improve because there were quite a few kinks.

For dessert we had small round fried-batter "doughnuts," dripping with vanilla cream and salted caramel.  This was a favorite.  We also ordered a spin on German Chocolate Cake.  It was fluffy and layered with coconut creamy layer.  Two of us thought it tasted like suntan lotion but admittedly we aren't coconut fans and the rest of the table enjoyed it.  We commandeered the rest of the donuts.

This review is a mixed one.  Unfortunately, the Story didn't end well.  Three out of five of us had some less than pleasant side effects the next day.  We didn't drink enough for it to be a hangover and we all ate the same dishes so we don't really know what caused it.  Some of us would definitely return and a couple us would definitely need to be wowed next time to keep it in a regular rotation.

Short and Sweet and Late Blog Post

For our April outing, Holly chose Cafe Europa, located in the Crestwood area of Kansas City.   The restaurant is in a charming space with a very quaint continental bistro atmosphere.  When you enter Cafe Europa, you will find a display case, filled with pastries, cupcakes and other desserts.  Most days, there isn't much reason to go beyond the case.  However, we were there for dinner.  There is a very small bar with enough space for a few patrons to wait to be called to their table.  The dining room is also small but more homey than crowded.

Our service was friendly and prompt.   The menu is a sampling of European fare but also some decidedly American dishes as well.  For an appetizer, we had the steak tartare.  It was delicious.   We all sampled something different for entrees including the wild mushroom risotto with scallops and the pork loin.  Both excellent choices.  Maggie ordered the roasted chicken and walnut salad not quiet realizing the word "salad" meant she was getting a salad.  We'd had a couple glasses of wine by then.   Nevertheless, she enjoyed her entree. As always, we enjoyed the red wine.

The lateness and brevity of this post has nothing to do with the quality of Cafe Europa but more to do with sudden onset slackerness of the blogger.  This was a very nice choice for dinner and it is more than just a place for the ladies who lunch crowd.  We all recommend trying it for dinner.  Finding a place to park was  a bit challenging.  I parked a couple blocks away so be prepared walk off part of your meal on the way to your car.

Schnitzel with a Side of Gulasch

It was my turn to host this rotation of Supper Club Six.  I wanted to choose a type of restaurant that we had not yet reviewed so I went to my roots.   My German roots.  Besides an occasional Brat, none of us indulge in German food so it was a new experience for all of us.  When you think of German or Austrian food, you probably don't envision a fine dining experience but rather you think of Sauerkraut, Weiner Schnitzel, Bratwurst and Strudel.  Well, I'm not going to kid you but you will find some of those on the menu at Grünauer but there are some other surprises.  I may have grown up with some German meals but Austrian is new to me.

We met at my place for some wine before heading to the Freight House District.  Grünauer is located next to Lydia's where the City Tavern was located.  The original Grünauer's is in Old Vienna  but it has been replicated by a family in Kansas City.  The space is very warm with brick walls and dark wood with very high ceilings.  The space remains very similar to how it looked as the Tavern City.

We began the meal with the smoked trout appetizer served with sliced apple, cucumber salad, and apple horseradish. The trout was flaky , moist and very smoky.  Almost as good as my Dad's smoked trout.   The apple horseradish was very tangy and a unique flavor.  My only complaint is there wasn't enough for five of us to have more than a taste.  (We were down a member that night).  We also had a plate of litauer cheese and pate served with rye bread.  Both were delicious and we ordered our first bottle of red--a nice Pinot Noir.  It was a Friday night and the place was hopping which is always nice to see in Kansas City restaurants.

Service was fine except for the amount of time between bringing out appetizers and taking our entree order.  We surmised they must have a very quick turnaround given the smaller menu.  For entree's, we ordered Cordon Blue, Wiener Schnitzel, Hungarian Beef Gulasch and an unfortunate special of the evening.  By unfortunate I mean, it was definitely not what one member expected.  The rest of us were mooning over our platters and practically licking our plates dry (don't worry, we only do that at home).  However, Kim opted for the Sauer Braten and the sauce on the sauerkraut was a clovey cinnamon flavor and the meat was doused with some kind of sauce that Kim said tasted like "#$%".  This coming from someone who likes everything.  So by unfortunate, I mean we all devoured our food and she was left with a plate of bland mashed potatoes and beef that was drowned in a sauce she couldn't escape.  It just wasn't what this German gal was expecting.      

Now back to the entree's we loved!  I opted for the Wiener Schnitzel.  Besides just loving to say Wiener Schnitzel, I do love it.  My plate arrived with two humungous  breaded pork cutlets that did not taste fried at all (I know they were but they tasted "light").  They were definitely not greasy.   Several of us selected for a side dish the trio salad which is small servings of a tomato salad, a cucumber salad and a potato salad.  Very fresh and a nice compliment to the Schnitzel.  Maggie opted for the Cordon Bleu which was a pork cutlet stuffed with smoke ham and emmenthaler and  gruyere cheese.  It was excellent.  Michelle and Holly both ordered the Hungarian Beer Gulasch.  I think it could have served all of Hungary.  (How is that German and Austrian?  I'll check my European History source Wikipedia at a later date.)    Tender chunks of beef drowned in paprika sauce.  (I do think drowning things in sauce is a German thing--and if you like the sauce all the better.  Not so much if you don't.)

There is a Biergarden that was obviously closed for the winter but I suspect some of us will return to check it out and watch the trains go by while we sip our cold German brews.   Although we stuck with red wine with dinner the beer list included many German Bieren such as Weizen, Pils, Hofbrau and Warsteiner.   We capped the evening off by moving to their full bar called the Wunderbar.

We encourage you to try out Grunauer and a great place to take out of town folks.  The service in both the restaurant and the bar was friendly.  Come hungry because the serving sizes are very generous.  We skipped dessert so I plan to save room next time.  It is a nice change of pace from the typical Americano/European fused generic restaurant.  Anytime you can enjoy some authentic ethnic food, I think you should jump right in because it's nice to have the variety.   Go for the great food and stick around for the atmosphere.  Even Kim who was disappointed with her selection, thought the space and the atmosphere would bring her back.  She just may stick with the Schnitzel.