2.26.2009

Blue Grotto


The latest KC Foodie event occured at Blue Grotto, a nice pizza place
situated next door to The Brooksider on Brookside Plz, right off 63rd street.
The restaurant presents itself in an interesting way. When you walk
in you have to go through the bar to get to the hostess. I found this slightly confusing, but courageously moved forward with the evening. Black trim, steel accents, and a natural maple floor lend themselves nicely to the environment's modern organic feel.
I was meeting my party there, so after a brief verbal exchange with the pleasant hostess, I was directed to go upstairs and around a couple corners. The table we were seated at fit ten and we definitely filled that space. It was positioned alone on a catwalk that served as a visual transition for the bar and restaurant space below. This location had a very light open feel that surprisingly felt rather nice. I was expecting a cafeteria -esque feeling to the meal, but fortunately that never came.

When I got to the table I was treated to a barrage of greetings from my enthusiastic friends. This was gonna be a fun night, as long as the food and service were okay. As the night progressed and a couple Boulevard Smokestacks and a few dirt ies (foodie talk for a dirty martini) were consumed, the appetizers for our meal came.
Here's what we ordered: Sun Dried Tomato and Goat Cheese Torte, New Zealand Lamb Chops, Roasted Long Stemmed Artichoke Hearts, and P.E.I. mussels. Of these dishes, the highlights would be the cheese torte and the P.E.I. mussels. The mussels come in a chardonnay cream sauce that carries the richness one expects from something like an Alfredo sauce, but is still thin like mussel sauces should be. The cheese torte is like any cheese ball you might find at a decent party, except much less ball-ness and way more flavor goodness. Either of these are a must order.
After appetizers came the meal. (As one would expect.) We ordered the following pizzas: Margherita, Salsicca, Spicy Shrimp and Andouille Sausage, and the days special. Of these there is nothing particular to say about any one of them. In general though, they were all very good and larger than expected. My only complaint is that the crust got a little soggy in the middle and couldn't hold its shape.

We didn't order dessert and called dinner done after the pizzas. The server couldn't split our bill so we spent the next 25 minutes trying to figure out who owed what. Apparently math is hard after a drink or two.
The server herself did a fairly good job. She had to deal with a chaotic group of ten people and only forgot one thing. She didn't anticipate our needs, but was prompt when we voiced one.

Overall, Blue grotto is a good place to go. Between an appetizer and a pizza, you could probably feed 3 people and stay under $40 for the table, even with a drink or two. A great place to take a date and definitely worth a visit. The appetizers are where the restaurant sets itself apart, so a light meal and drinks is a great way to experience this modern Brookside pizzeria.

Overall it gets a 7.5 out of 10.

2.23.2009

1924 Main Happy Hour!

If you haven't had the chance to stop by 1924 Main's bar to try a drink from their "Classic Cocktail" list, you need to soon folks...

The list has been inspired by the demand for creative, throw-back, but most importantly UNIQUE cocktails. 1924's bar is serving as the beta to introduce these fabulous drinks. Ryan Maybee from JP Wine Bar has teamed up with chef Rob Dalzell to open a "speak-easy" concept bar, but unfortunately no other information is available at this time. The drink menu at 1924 is a manifesto of Maybee's scientific style. Cocktails to look forward to: "Ginger Rickey", with hendrick's gin ~ lime ~ ginger syrup ~ club soda. The "PC Fizz" will feature, "pimm’s no. 1 ~ yellow chartreuse ~ lemon ~ egg white. Opening mid-March.....

---1924 Main site!!

Facebook Group

2.15.2009

For Froyo, get some Yummo!

Located in the power and light district right next to a sister shop, ChefBurger, Yummo is a great mid-day, frozen yogurty treat! There are roughly 8 different flavors to choose from that change out somewhat frequently. I had the peanut butter which was MONEY and mixed in some Reese's cups. Everything is self serve which is really fun and gives you the chance to score that custom treat you've wanted all day! Make any size you would like but beware, the froyo is priced out by ounce.

-Yelp Review
-Urban Dictionary Definition - "Yummo"

Extra Virgin Patio
Warm weather in February...Spring is almost here-!

2.11.2009

Extra Virgin=Extra Sexy

From the moment we entered the front door, all we could do was wait...wait and see exactly what that grilled beef tongue or the braised pork cheeks would taste like. And unfortunately, we waited a while! But it was a very busy night and this slow service would surely be different on a night when every yuppy KC hipster was not cramming into the dining room after a long stroll through First Fridays (just down the block).
We ordered about twelve different dishes. The idea here is to get a taste of many things....and a taste of many brand new things for some. All of the orders are tapas style: small plates. We indulged in the baked pasta formaggi, charred hangar steak, and baked maine mussels to name a few.
This will be a great place for groups to sample different dishes.
The restaurant is connected to Michael Smith's original self titled restaurant next door so feel free to sneak a peek at that on the way to the restrooms.
For now,
1. Food-8
2. Atmosphere-8
3. Service-5
4. Value-6


Yelp Review-
Restaurant Site
http://www.extravirginkc.com/Home.html

FACEBOOK GROUP!!

2.07.2009

First Fridays = First Foodies Adventure

To open up the Foodies season we went down to The American for some amazing wine and appetizers. Willy, the bartender, offered amazing service and was always looking for ways to make us feel comfortable and at home. The atmosphere of the lounge has a definite 70's feel and the house pinot noir was a great way to start an amazing evening. After getting some light food and a few drinks we made our way down to the Crossroads District to participate in the always amazing First Fridays. The weather was beautiful for this time of the year and patrons were flooding the streets and galleries. After visiting some of the amazing galleries and listening to an awesome 7th/8th grade rock band, we went over to check out Extra Virgin. With the sudden weather spurt the Crossroads was packed and the restaurant was probably as busy as its been all winter. We started off with some excellent cocktails, champagne, and dove into the food head first. - Food Review Up Soon!--

Check out The Crossroads District Site-
CLICK HERE-!