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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REPRESENTING INDIA AT THE KC ETHNIC ENRICHMENT FESTIVAL

 It was an honor representing INDIA at the recently concluded KANSAS CITY ETHNIC ENRICHMENT FESTIVAL.Its a three day festival which is held in Swope Park, in Kansas  City. A weekend full of celebrations. Music, food, dance, fashion, you name it and its there. US is a country which has residents or citizens from across the world. All these people from different parts of the world,who bring with them their unique flavors and lend to the flavor profile of the great American plate. So this weekend seeked to celebrate these different unique flavors. More than 60 participating countries celebrating in a festival which seeks to create an understanding an appreciation of cultural diversity.

Our slot was on Sunday, the last day of the festival. every country was given a certain time slot, and they had to present anything on stage which represented their culture and their uniqueness.

The INDIAN ASSOCIATION OF KANSAS CITY  had planned their slot well. A Fashion show celebrating Indian outfits. From Sarees, to lehengas, from anarkalis to patialas, we had it all on show. And we also shared the stage with our daughters.

Choreographed by Kansas City based Fashion Designer and Choreographer Preeti Gandhi, it was a show which had the audience asking or an encore.

The colors, the fabrics, the ladies and the tiny gentleman all summed together to make it a great show.

India itself is a country of diversities, and Unity in diversity is something, we live by everyday. So even the stage representation had to bear that spirit.

If there as a fashions how celebrating Indian fashion, there was the BHARATNATYAM food offering dance.

Followed by a beautiful KATHAK rendition.

And if we are celebrating INDIA,how can BOLLYWOOD be far behind. Yes, we decided to hold an impromptu BOLLYWOOD DANCE SESSION for anyone who was interested. Shaking  leg to the latest desi chartbusters with a  bunch of KC kids was indeed a great experience.

The LATKAS, the JHATKAS and the THUMKAS were not to be missed.

It was total Paisa Wasool kinda fun for everyone. Those of us on stage had a great time performing and the audience had a great time soaking in all the fun. Win Win as they say.

Time for some some photos with all the other Fashionable ladies who took the stage with us. It was an honor and a pleasure to represent INDIA.

Huge Thank you to my husband for the lovely photographs all day.

Then it was time to literally let our hair down and explore the festival. There were tents or stalls from every participating country. From kinck knacks to clothes to food and drinks, every country was offering their best. We decided to stick to food. You could not miss the smoke from the meat on the grills, floating about, or the sheer power of aromas of all the different cuisine, which could take your taste buds for a craving. Our Food journey had to commence fast.

Started off with NIGERIA. It was GOAT CURRY and a sweet fritter called POP POP.

Followed by ETHIOPIA. A lovely chicken curry with a heady dose onions. Very similar to the Chicken Rezala I felt.

Then it was time to sample the famous CHICKEN ADOBO and PORK KEBABS from PHILLIPPINES.

We were so full that we had to literally had to collapse on the hay bales, to recover from the food coma. A bit more exploring and it as time bid farewell to Swope Park this year.

It was indeed a unique experience celebrating the cultural diversities of so many countries.

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RYE, KC : EATING OUT

If you're a foodie in Kansas City, then you should make a stop at RYE, in Leawood, Kansas. And the next stop should be BLUE STEM, in KCMO. Both these restaurants are owned by Megan and Colby Garrelts. Not to forget that the Colbys have James Beard wins and other laurels , snug in their kitty. They celebrate Midwestern food in their signature style. Jazzed up comfort food, with a hint of Farm to Table thrown in the mix.

We decided to dine in RYE for my birthday last year. It was a typical cold Midwestern evening, and we wanted some comfort food, which was also special and suited the occasion.

While the BLUE STEM spells out, fine dining in every way, RYE is more casual, in both its decor, approach and menu. As we had a toddler in tow, we gave up the lure of settling down on the bar stools, and opted for a comfy table in the dinning room. Recycling vintage wine bottles for water was such a great idea. I am surely gonna try this at home, sometime soon.

As it was a special night, it had to be spirited. We decided to skip the traditional choices and asked our server to surprise us. She had a quick chat with us, regarding our favorite flavor profiles and alcohol choices and then came up with her suggestions.

The Man opted for COFFEE AND CIGARETTES and I opted for PIM'S PUNCH. Mine was nice and fresh and fruity but it was the man's cocktail which blew our socks away and got the party started. It was complex, yet smooth, smoky and everything nice. We had to drive, so we didn't dare order for a second round. But I am surely going back to RYE, in a cab, to try out a few rounds of COFFEE AND CIGARETTES. Our best regards to the bartender .

Whenever we dine out, its always great to know, where is our food coming from. In a true Farm To Table strain, RYE gives due recognition to all the farms who were catering to the kitchen and to our table. Did I mention, that my favorite farm, GREEN DIRT FARM, was  also on the list .

We started off our daughter with some MINI SLIDERS AND FRIES. But she was more interested in our choice of Appetizer.

We decided to get the party rolling with the RYE BUTCHER BOARD. That was literally the Midwest, served on a plate for us. The choicest selection of cured meats, with a generous helping of pickles, spicy and coarse grain mustard  and not to forget the crostini. It was literally meat heaven. And did I mention, that Food Coma had already started to creep up its head.

But wait, the main course,was yet to arrive. We had opted for two different entries, rather than opting to share. What were we thinking?

The man opted for SMOKED PORK SPARE RIBS which came with a choice of sides and pickles. He went ahead to order a LOADED POTATO with it. Yes, with the extra sharp Cheddar Cheese, fried Bacon and scallions. Coming back to the Spare Ribs, they fell of the bone, at the slightest tough, yet had a great texture, when you took a bite. Not overtly sweet or clawing in any way.

I decided to go with SHRIMP AND GRITS(WITH PULLED PORK). The reason why I mention the Pork in a bracket, is that I had forgotten to read about that in the menu. While I thought, I am better off, ordering simple small plate, what came to me, was the Chef's version of a SURF ' N ' TURF. But the foodie in me was not complaining in any way. The Grits stole the show for me, in the first place. Sometimes, its the easiest of things,which are the most difficult to cook with, or infuse flavor into. Grits is a case in point. If you are not an expert, you will land up with a  rubbery gloopy mess on your plate. The grits melted in my mouth and I knew the rest had to be good. The BARBECUE SHRIMP did have a Southern flair to it but the Pulled PORK screamed Midwest in all its glory. It all went down together pretty well. Now thats's how Birthday dinners should be.

We were pretty full by this time, and would have had trouble, getting off our seats, with our super full tummies. But there had to be dessert. Twinkling candles and decadent desserts complete the birthday party for sure.

PEACH COBBLER with SUMMER ICECREAM  for Mommy and Daddy and an order of CHEF MEG'S SPECIAL COOKIES for our darling daughter. We had heard that Chef Megan uses pure lard in her Pies and Crumbles and Cobblers, and when we took our first bite, we knew we had heard right.

Every course was thoughtfully crafted and beautifully presented. The portion sizes were quite generous. And it was great to see that the Chefs had paid such attention in designing the kids menu as well. A great dinner and some lovely memories.


LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS POST: 

RYE, KC : http://www.ryekc.com

DISCLAIMER: This is not a Sponsored Post. The opinions are of those of mine and mine alone. The Dinner was paid by us, in full.

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BRUNCH AT JULIAN, KANSAS CITY : EATING OUT

STRIKING A POSE WITH CHEF CELINA TIO: CHEF -OWNER OF JULIAN, COLLECTION, BELLFRY

I love Brunches. Weekends with brunches become more meaningful for the foodie in me.  And sometimes, and some weekends, I need to go for Brunch to my favorite places in town,and if possible say Hi to my favorite Chefs.

We had some friends visiting us a weekend not too long ago. Friends who used to be part of the crazy bunch of ours in Kansas City, till they moved back to India. So when we were planning a weekend of fun to relive the old times in KC, JULIAN, was surely on our minds. We had been planning to go to Julian together almost 5 years back I guess. We have all been to Julian on our own, but not as a group. This time,we knew we had to make it happen.

It was Sunday morning and I sent a message to Chef Celina Tio on social media asking her if she would be in Julian that afternoon. When she said, Yes, we wasted no time, in heading to Brookside.  as you know, I am a huge fan of Chef Tio and have utmost respect for her. If she is in the house, you can expect something special on the menu.

The Brunch options were either you opt for the Brunch Buffet or order a la carte. One look at the menu, and i Knew what I would go for. So did the others. What about the Toddler? There is usually no kids menu but trust the Chefs  to whip up something special. Didn't i mention that earlier. Our server suggested that Chef could whip up some fresh Pasta or some PARMESAN CHICKEN TENDERS for Riona. We went with Chicken Tenders. Its Sunday Brunch and we can all indulge in some fried food. 

Not only did we order an off the menu item but it was served to the table by the Chef who created it for our daughter. As was rightly mentioned, she is growing up with expensive tastes. 

She is a picky eater and the way she tackled the food,without saying much, I knew how good it was. Daddy even sneaked in a tender from her bowl, with the excuse that there was a lot for a kid's portion. We get that Daddy. We know you enjoyed it too. 

As for me, I opted for Chef's play on Egg's Benedict but with slightly different ingredients. SMOKED SLAMON BENEDICT WITH 63 DEGREE EGG AND HOLLANDAISE. The Salmon was just perfect, the Hollandaise I could drink from a pitcher almost(how smooth it was). It was like, I had died and gone to food even with just that plate. The house cut potatoes were a great side.

The boys opted for the open faced Burgers. They were Cheeseburgers where you could choose your own toppings. They stuck to the Hollandaise theme. So it was CHEESEBURGER WITH HOUSEMADE FRIES AND PICKLES, TOPPED WITH BACON, FRIED EGGS AND SPICY HOLLANDAISE. It looks a lot similar to my plate but i forgot to photograph theirs, as I was enjoying my plate so much.

We were clearly stuffed but then we had to make room for DESSERT. We ordered for DONUT HOLES DUSTED WITH GINGER AND SUGAR and LEMON CREME BRULEE. The ginger was a great compliment to the pillowy soft donuts. I am tired of sugar and cinnamon combinations served at most brunches, so this was a welcome change.

And who doesn't love a Creme Brûlée. The lemon flavor of it made it even lighter. It was perfect as a palate cleanser after all that we had tucked in.

Over many many cops of Coffee, and plates of great food, we didn't realize how time had flown. We said Hi to Chef and thanked her for the lovely food. It was time to say Goodbye. Time to drop off our friends at the airport.

Thank You Julian for helping us relive our old times with our friends.

Bon Appetit !!!

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS POST: 

JULIAN,KANSAS CITY : REVIEW:  http://journotalk.blogspot.com/2015/03/juliankansas-city-eating-out.html

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