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.