Denis Culinary Tours

Fiesta Time at Pryde’s A true foodie knows that a delicious meal is about more than taste – there’s the ambience of the place, there’s the staff, the smell, and the visual, too. Recently, the visual has come to mean the arrangement and the sheer esthetic of the food. But wait, say I, what about the basis, the foundation? Yes, I’m talking PLATES and their accompanying family, dishes and glassware. And silverware, too, if you must be exact. But what comes first to my mind when I think of the well – dressed table? The plate. How does it fit the food item? Does the color make the food look more appetizing? Does the texture add or subtract from the flavor? And the first plate that has continually struck my fancy? The circa 1930s fabulous Fiestaware with its trademark bright – or light – colors and high gloss surface that almost beams its own light onto the food. And if we’re going to talk Fiesta, we need to talk Pryde’s Kitchenware and Necessities. They’ve only been i...

KANSAS CITY, Mo.  – Easter Sunday is a foodie paradise at the restaurants at Argosy Casino Hotel & Spa with traditional holiday menus set for Journey Steakhouse and Terrace Buffet. All nonsmoking restaurants are located off the casino floor offering hundreds of seating options for the whole family on Easter Sunday. TERRACE BUFFET Starting with breakfast, Terrace Buffet has two prices for Easter (April 16) depending on a diner’s arrival time. Traditional breakfast favorites will be offered from 7 to 10 a.m. at 14.99 for adults and 9.99 for children. With nearly endless options of made-to-order selections featuring fresh, local ingredients, the Easter Buffet is open from 11 a.m. to 9pm for $26.99 (adults) and $15.99 (children). The Terrace Buffet Easter Special offers traditional Easter cuisine such as leg of lamb, sliced-to-order ham, slow-roasted strip loin as well as non-traditional favorites from throughout the world: Italian, Chinese, Japanese, as well as seafood,...

Let’s Get Happy for an Hour (or More)  You have probably noticed that Kansas City has a plethora of Mexican food restaurants. Some are specific to an area, some are, pretty commonly here, what we need to call Tex-Mex. That means, broadly, lots of cheese (queso) of one kind or another, meats, veggies, often with a variety of sauces ranging from mild to hot due to chili peppers but those are usually red or green.  For a fuller explanation of the origin, don’t miss my current centerfold article, “Culinary Customs” in the newest Restaurant Guide, available all over town or right here . OK, done with shameless self-promotion.  Anyway, I have a place for you to try for happy hour – it’s cheap, plentiful, vacation-y feeling, and very good. Ted's Café Escondido has a new (since January) happy hour from 3-6 p.m. weekdays. It’s a place where $5 goes a long way: 18 ounce schooners of house margaritas, Dos Equis Amber or Pacifico beers. Great way to start. Then ...