Excuse me? There is a man in my bathroom.

SupperClubSix a.k.a. MacNCheeseSix is on a roll.  Or rather a hamburger bun.  Back to back burger joints and both awesome additions to your restaurant rotations.

It was Kim's turn as host and she chose a new Prairie Village spot.  BRGR Kitchen + Bar in Corinth Square at Mission and 83rd street.  It was hopping.  When you walk up you are greeted with a great outdoor patio with a fire place and garage-type doors opening to the bar area inside. ​The main dining room is comprised of shiny concrete floors, wood tables, warm brick walls and metal accents.  We ran into a group of friends partaking in some drinks on the patio.   It was a bit chilly outside last night so I'm sure we found more room then we would have found if the sun was shining.   It actually feels more like a casual wine bar than a burger restaurant.

The place is a lively neighborhood hang out.  Both happy hour and family friendly. All ages are represented from local retirees enjoying a night out to babies snoozing in strollers.  Oh, and you can find a couple four legged friends curled up on the patio, too. We started at the bar (of course). Beer galore.  Cheap to expensive.  By cheap I mean Old Style, PBR.  Classic beer.  The majority of us settled on Blue Moon.  The Dirty Martini's were quite Dirty.

Despite hearing that the wait for a table could be upwards to 90 minutes, we were seated after about 25 minutes.  We ordered our signature appetizer:  Mac n Cheese.  The menu includes a build your own so we opted for adding some garlic and bacon to our version.  Tasty but not a contender for our top Mac n Cheese in KC.  We will continue on our quest. We are M&C snobs.  Despite this, we did practically lick the bowl clean.

The menu is enormous. Almost overwhelming but it encourages repeat visits to try all the different types of burgers and other comfort entrees.  The prices are very moderate.   You can hold on to some of your cash while you enjoy some American classics.  In fact, the restaurant seems to take classic American fare and reinvents it in a funky humorous way.

We all ordered burgers:  Jucy Lucy, The Pittsburger, Mangia, BRGR classic and Philly.  We also ordered the trio of fries which included truffle fries, sweet potato fries and onion straws.  The truffle fries were seasoned with cilantro which is a weird accent that worked.  Burgers were solid. Cooked to order and several options. The Pittsburger was absolutely decadent topped with slaw and fries. Too much to finish.  The condiments are home made and the ketchup was very unique. We had a minor ketchup landslide when Michelle poured some on her plate. It is definitely not thick like Heinz.  The ketchup is no doubt controversial.  People definitely have their opinions about this popular condiment.   The water was a chilled bottle of tap water for the table  served with tiny glasses. Quaint but I guzzle water and we had to constantly ask for more water.

Surprise of the evening?  Walkng into the bathroom and finding a man at the sink.  Oh, wait.  It is a communal unisex bathroom à la Ally McBeal. You share sinks but the individual stalls have gender assignments.  Not sure how we feel about this.  Why should men see how we reapply our faces when we escape to the lou?

We weren't necessarily wowed by the food. It was more that we were impressed with the whole package:  great location, wonderful addition to PV, the space is fun and cozy, and the food hits the spot.  I think we will all be back and I envision some happy hours lounging on the patio.   We highly recommend you check out BRGR.

Mac n Cheese Six

The March edition of SupperClubSix prompted a new moniker for the group or at least a nickname.  Holly had us all guessing about her selection.  Typically, one or two of us guess the location when given enough hints.  (I frankly never get it.)  She peppered us with hints:  casual, Crossroads district, new establishment and finally the name included the term some gay men use to refer to each other.  Still nothing.  However, we had some creative guesses.   Have you guessed it?


Hamburger Mary's!  Eat, drink and be . . . MARY!  Holly definitely stumped us.  Hamburger Mary's is a chain hamburger joint that is decidedly gay and flamboyant including the toxic purple colored building on Southwest Boulevard.  Although, the chain is definitely geared towards a GLBT crowd, it's straight friendly as well with an assorted mix of patrons.  The decor is tongue and cheek over the top funky filled with every gay cliche from Cher on the video TV monitors to flamboyantly dressed wait staff.  Fun and playful. 

(However, for six straight teetering on the cusp of "extremely  pre middle age/ post hipster age" the music was a bit loud because we couldn't hear each other speak.)

We first scoured the menu for our signature appetizer--Mac n Cheese.  To our delight we found, Deep Fat Fried Mac n Cheese.  It sounded like such a good idea when we ordered it.  Unfortunately, it didn't live up to our expectations.  The fried batter was essentially the only flavor you taste which is fine when you are frying cauliflower but we wanted to taste some Mac n Cheese.    Now that we are such Mac n Cheese connoisseurs with discriminating taste,  we've dubbed ourselves Mac n Cheese Six.  

The burgers were juicy bits of heaven.  Several different types to order with names like Big Johnson, Rock Star (gouda cheese, roasted garlic, caramelized onions), Proud Mary, Queen Mary and a Peppermint Patty Melt.  Succulent.  Don't come here for the vegetarian fare.  However, it was Lent and our lone (practicing) Catholic did enjoy a black bean burger.  

Have I mentioned "The Dirty Mary"?  Oh, yeah.  I had one.  Maggie had two.  Sorry, had to "out" you, Mags!   The Dirty Mary is "Skyy Vodka and olive juice, shaken like a bad girl".  The rest of the table ordered a Carrie Bradshaw ("Aka:  Sex and the Tini" which includes Clementine vodka, peach schnapps, raspberry liqueur, pineapple and cranberry) and a Bucklers.  How was that Bucklers, Kim?

We had high hopes for dessert.  Fried Twinkies and Snickers but it soon became evidently clear we would have several medical emergencies if we consumed any more food.  One of us may have unbuttoned her jeans at the table.  The rest of us made it to the car.  Seriously, we went from starving to engorged in 15 minutes. 

Our service was okay, the atmosphere is fun and there is an upper deck that we all hope to enjoy this summer.   We will return with stretchy pants.  

Our bill arrived in a gold lame 6 inch heel.  We happily paid our bill and waddled out to our cars leaving the Marys to whoop it up late into the evening while we all made it home in time for 10 o'clock news.

Comfort Food with a little Zest

Last night SupperClubSix had full attendance for our seventh restaurant selection.  Holly was the host of the evening, treating us to a spread of cheese and wine at her home before we made our 7:00 p.m. reservations.  The last time we were all together was the infamous Limo and Lights night, so we had some catching up to do and a few of us had a doozy of a week.  Some more "doozier" than others.  Wine and good friends tend to ease the angst of the work week so we were sure to have generous helpings of both. 

Holly chose well once again.  She is 2 for 2.  I think I'm .5 for 2.  If that.  Zest is a new Leawood restaurant in Mission Farms (Mission Road and 106th) that serves comfort food with a bit of zest.  The menu is full of family favorites but all with a bit of a twist and upscale presentation. It is like Mom made the meal after she took a few classes in how to jazz up your favorites.  The owners are Mike Shreiber and Jo DiGiovanni--the original owner of the recently closed Joe D's in Brookside. 

Maggie was waiting for us at the bar and the place was bustling.  This is heartwarming to see given the sad state of our current economy and when each week brings the news of another local restaurant closing its doors.  At least two of the last six restaurants we have reviewed are no longer in business with rumors swirling that at least one other is struggling to stay open.  By the crowd in Zest last night, finding customers is not an issue for them right now.  The decor is trendy yet comfortable with both booths and tables.  We all liked the striped dining room chairs.  Maggie attested to the fact that the bar stools were quite cozy and there are even small nooks on each side of the front entrance for a private lounge--or as private as sheer curtains can provide. 

We were seated immediately in the dining room and ordered a round of martinis from the cocktail list.  Our waitress was gracious and agreed to snap several pictures of us.   For appetizers, we split an order of creole fried calamari and truffle gouda mac and cheese from the Pasta portion of the menu.  We all wanted to try the mac and cheese but not order it for our main course.  Perfect compromise.  We would recommend both choices and we devoured them. This isn't the first time we have split mac and cheese for an appetizer.  A couple of us preferred the mac and cheese served at the Delaware Cafe which sadly just closed.

Four of us ordered the meatloaf which consisted of a combination of ground sirloin, veal and pork served with wild mushroom gravy and goat cheese mashed potatoes.  Excellent--but some of us thought it should have been served a tad warmeer.  I still managed to plow through half of mine and ask for a doggie bag and I'm not a doggie bag type of gal.  (By the way, it tasted great cold when I sampled a bite this morning.)  Kathryn ordered the porter-braised pork shank which she enjoyed.  The meat appeared to just slide off the bone.   Maggie ordered the Cordon Bleu Chicken pasta which I believe was a special but really should be on the regular menu.  Our service for the most part was fine and friendly but there were a couple of requests that had to be asked twice. 

Kathryn selected a bottle of Pinot Noir Au Bon Climate '07 which Maggie and I were more than happy to share with her.  The wine list is extensive not to mention the wine rack that separates the dining area from the bar.

The table split an order of bread pudding with vanilla Bourbon sauce for dessert.  It was like a cinnamon roll smothered in sauce.  Outstanding but we were all miserably full after we finished it.  Maggie ordered the "Babysitter Chocolates" which the menu suggests to bring take home because good babysitters are hard to find.  She bought them for her husband Todd.  

Zest definitely received a resounding thumbs up from the group and many of us plan to return. It was not lost on us that comfort food might be exactly what the folks of Kansas City are looking for right now. 

What's Old is New Again

The Supper Club Six made it through a full rotation of restaurants  and it was time for me to make my second selection.   If you recall, I hosted the inaugural Supper Club Six.  Fear, anxiety and dread fell upon me as I scoured the Internet looking for possibilities.   I wanted to avoid another Vinino's disaster.  Do I go new?  Do I go old?  Finally, I settled on the Delaware Cafe.   Although this River Market restaurant has been around for years, this Spring it began serving dinner under the hands of a new young chef. 

The space is very urban with the exposed brick and high ceilings.  We were seated in the side dining room but I would have preferred to sit in the main room with the bar as that really had a more lively atmosphere.   We were down one as Kim was in Wisconsin for the weekend.  True to our M.O. we ordered up some drinks first and the martini's were a hit.  The wine flowed as well.  Our waiter had the unfortunate problem of constantly running into the screen door collapsed against the wall behind our table.   He seemed genuinely shocked ever time he ran into it.  He was attentive and friendly even supplying Kathryn with a smoke on the patio when she correctly took him for a smoker.  

The table shared a Mac N Cheese appetizer.  We may have ordered a second one I can't recall but it was a divine combination of  fusilli, fontina, white truffle, and bread crumbs.  As you can see from the picture, Kathryn made sure she got her fair share by licking the bowl.  A couple of us ordered the cider brined chicken breast and a couple had the scallops.   Although the group had mixed opinions (don't we always?), in general we found it a fine meal.   No rave reviews but no real complaints.  I would go back but would definitely sit in the bar area.   

The evening was fun.  The conversation . . . well, risque--right Maggie?  Although we did not get our meal for free this time (the only redeeming part of my first selection),  we had a pleasant meal and it is nice to have another option for dinner in the River Market.   --JMF