GAROZZO'S RISTORANTE: KANSAS CITY RESTAURANT WEEK

Kansas City Restaurant Week is currently on. It started off from January 16 and shall continue upto January 24th. A great celebration of local food, for every foodie worth her/his salt. We like to take our picks every year and try out a few joints. Sometimes, we will be repeating our favorites and sometimes, trying out something new. Last year, we had been to Garozzo's for lunch during the Martin Luther King long weekend. We had been to their College Boulevard location, among their three locations in town. It was a reasonably warm Winter afternoon, and we were looking for some food to warm our souls. I checked out the KCRW Menu for Garozzo's this year and saw that they have exactly the same menu for lunch. So if you are planning to sample their KCRW Lunch in the next few days, it could give you a foodie insight. Garozzo's is a family owned Italian restaurant which enjoys a high Zagat rating and has won multiple awards over the years.

We started off with the customary warm bread and butter. The KCRW lunch menu is priced at $15 and the dinner menu is priced at $33 for three course, excluding any alcohol or other drinks.

We started off with Canneloni, which is a Pasta Crepe, filled with Chicken, Beef and Veal. Served in a tomato cream sauce. If the menu had not read, three different kinds of meat, I would have probably not understood that. No, my tastebuds aren't that immune to flavor subtleties, its only that the canneloni was too doughy for my taste.

We ordered Baked Ravioli with Meat for my daughter, from their Children's Menu. It came with some house made marinara. She was more interested in the sauce than the pasta itself.

I opted for the Linguini Alla Fruiti di Mare. I love my seafood. It was linguini served with clams, shrimps, scallops, tomatoes and mushrooms in a light bechamel sauce. I really enjoyed it but the portion size for a bit too large. Seafood pasta loses its charm if it starts getting cold. The seafood flavors were beautfully paired with the bechamel sauce.

Our daughter's Children's Menu meal came with a serving of the famous Spumoni Icecream, which wa sbasically cherry flavored ce cream, mixed with fruits and almonds, surrounded by chocolate and pistachio ice cream. The Children's Menu is not a part of the KCRW special fare. Three different ice cream flavors, churned into a single dessert. It was also one of the dessert options in the three course Lunch Menu we had opted for. I had a bite from my daughter and was pretty darn impressed.

For his main course, my Husband had opted for the Vitello Parmigiano. It was Milk fed-Veal breaded and sauteed in Maggie's Sugo with melted Fontina cheese and served with Pasta. It was a handsome serving, I must say. I am not much of a fan of breaded meat for lunch,but the meat was juicy and tender.

We ended our Three Course KCRW meal with a serving of Cannolis. This was the Cannoli to blow your socks off. I loved how luscious the secret filling was, yet not too sweet and clawing. A few nibbles of Cherries added just the right touch of acidity.

My husband opted for the Limoncello Torte, which was layered with mascarpone cheese and white chocolate shavings. Simple inrgedients but such a complex flavor profile. My favorites of teh three course KCRW Lunch at Graozzos had to be the desserts.

The portion sizes of every course was quite impressive, and I had to box up my main course for my left overs. The first course was the least impressive of all, with it being so doughy. As they have the same menu for KCRW this year, I am probably going to be checking out a few other places. But I do want to sample their famous Stuffed Artichoke for dinner someday. 

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CAPRESE SALAD AND PESTO PASTA: FATHER'S DAY SPECIAL

Recently, we dropped in at our local Olive Garden, for lunch. The food was anything but good.The calamari was over salted and rubbery.The stuffed mushrooms, did not have any seasoning. The Pasta was superbly mediocre. That really prompted us both in saying, that as a couple, we make much better Italian food. Case in point: The Father's Day Dinner. So despite a fussy baby, I knew it was time to pen down the long delayed post. So I sip my caramel machiato, at the local coffee shop and type away, to tell the tale of another evening, which began right here. Cheers !

Being First-Time Parents, every milestone with our baby, is a celebration for us. Some cake, some good food, some pictures for sure, and a great memories, to last a lifetime. Needless to say, we were majorly excited for our First Mother's Day and Father's Day this year.

While the Mother's Day Celebrations did not take place as planned for some undesirable elements, I made sure that at least D-Boy got his First Father's Day, as memorable, as possible.

So a few clicks, and lil bit of time in the kitchen, and it was all set. Co-ordinating Tshirts for both father and daughter, and the evening started off, at our local coffee shop.

Click , click went Mommy, as Daddy and Baby exchanged smiles and smiles and sometimes no smiles at all.

Going to the Farmer's Market, by the Missouri River is  something I look forward to always. This time around, it was extra special. I was going there, a day before, to pick up supplies for an all out Italian meal at home, for the First Time  Father. Fresh produce makes cooking so much easier.


The stars of the day were surely Fresh Mozzarella and some good sun dried tomatoes. So i had to spin my dinner around them. The answer was quite simple.

As I had also picked some sweet Italian Basil. Did I mention, some juicy heirloom tomatoes. Yes, the first course was undoubtedly Caprese Salad. It made for some decadent platter, and honestly, I did not even need a second course. But hey, I was planning it for the man,not myself. Each bite was a juicy one. The velvety mozzarella, the firm yet soft tomatoes, and some good EVOO.How can you go wrong with something as classic as this.  I could have added a dash of Balsamic, but then, I always forget things on my grocery list, don't I !


Some fresh pesto, some al dente thin spaghetti, sinful sun dried tomatoes,some sharp Parmesan cheese, and  handful of meatballs. Easy Peasy Pesto Pasta. What better way to make sure that the sweet basil does not get freezer burn ! Hard core Pesto fans, would not be comfortable with the idea of julienned sun dried tomatoes, but I must say, its a great combination of flavors. Not to forget, it also makes a colorful plate. As they say, a great looking plate, satisfies half the hunger. No, I didn't make the meatballs myself on that very day. I just used some frozen, store bought all beef meatballs, with a touch of fennel. Feel free to add in a protein of your choice. Bacon, chicken or even prawns would do well. But please, no Tofu !

It was one big hearty Italian Plate, which was washed down with some crisp Moscato. Baby entertained us with her Cooing, and it surely made for one memorable celebration. A lil secret for  all my readers: if your day is spoiled, make sure at least, some one else's day is a good one. It does give you a warm fuzzy feeling, to see someone else smile.

CAPRESE SALAD: 

Ingredients: 
Fresh Mozzarella balls: 1
Heirloom tomatoes, or large ripe Roma Tomatoes: 2
Sweet Basil leaves: 5 to 6
EVOO(Extra Virgin Olive Oil) : A dash
Salt
Freshly crushed Black Pepper
Balsamic Vinegar: A dash (I had run out of it)

Procedure: 

Cut thick rounds of the mozzarella and the tomatoes. Arrange the tomatoes slice son a large plate. Top that with the slices of fresh mozzarella. Place a couple of sweet basil leaves on every slice. season with salt and pepper, and drizzle EVOO and Balsamic Vinegar. Voila ! First course is ready.

PESTO PASTA:

Ingredients: 
Thin Spaghetti: 8 oz
Broccoli Florets: 1/2 cup
Chopped Mini Portabella Mushrooms: 1/2 cup
Frozen Meatballs: 1 cup
Pesto Sauce: 1/4 cup
Salt
Sun dried Tomatoes: 1/4 cup
Pepper
Parmesan Cheese
EVOO

Procedure:
If you're using store bought Pesto sauce, then you can skip this step. In a small blender, throw in a bunch of sweet basil, some Parmesan cheese,a few gloves of fresh garlic, salt, pepper, and EVOO and churn, till its a smooth green, thick sauce.

Boil the pasta according to package instructions. It should have a bite(al dente). Strain and keep aside. Make sure that the pasta water is well salted. reserve a cup of the pasta water.

Cook the frozen meatballs according to package instructions. I like baking mine in the oven, rather than cooking over the stove top. Keep aside.

In a large non stick pan, add in some EVOO. Throw in the veggies and toss them around for a couple of minutes.Throw in the sun dried tomatoes,and the pesto sauce.Season with salt. Cook the pesto sauce for a few minutes, then toss in the noodles and meatballs. If you feel that the sauce is too dry, then add in some pasta water,to incorporate things better.

Bon Appetit !!

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