Denis Culinary Tours

Thanks for the Memories, 2017 I’m a lucky girl as I get to eat out often.  A lot.  But when asked to come up with the best meals of 2017, I must pause, ponder, try to remember.  I would say that entire spectacular meals are tough to recall –  , well, not to recall beyond, “That was all wonderful,” which makes for really boring reading.  Instead, I tend to remember one especially wonderful dish which casts its glimmer on everything else to create that total glowing impression. So I’ll mention a few, briefly. First things first.  That means, before dinner, a drink.  Surprise. I’ve been on an old-fashioned kick recently (well, the last ten years) so I think I’d pick the one made with Scotch at Porto do Sul or one of the newer riffs on the classics at Pierpont’s .  I also really like the aquavit tasting at the Krokstrom Klubb and Market – you drink these and your mouth even feels clean as your brain gets cold. Since my perfect meal dre...

One Great Chef:  Jeff Dietzler Back at the end of September, a friend and I went to Jax Fish House & Oyster Bar and were treated royally.  We had about six different things on the menu, and honestly, all were terrific.  Shortly after, I spent some time with Jeff Dietzler, chef de cuisine there and we had a great conversation about him, his views, his challenges; oh, let’s just say his life in general.    Jeff is a pretty determined and motivated guy I concluded.  He grew up in St. Louis and then went to Johnson and Wales University in their culinary school in Denver.  He worked in Denver for ten years and then for three years at the local Jax, gradually working his way up the ladder.  He transferred to Kansas City to open up the restaurant here and became chef de cuisine in the spring of this year. Jeff said that this current position puts much of what he learned at school to work – the scheduling, costing, management s...

The Craft of the Cocktail So a gal walks into a bar . . . Or a restaurant.  And says to the bartender, “What’s special?”  He hands her an entire menu of what can only be called specialty drinks. Take specialty up a notch and you have the trend that’s been going for several years now as the “craft cocktail craze” continues unabated.  Almost every bar worth its hand-filled olives serves at least five or many, many more, riffs on the classic cocktail, usually devised by that bar’s enthusiastic mixologists.  Though the execution in restaurants is different from the best-known crafty bars (for example, Manifesto, Julep, the new Monarch, or P.S. Speakeasy ), the intent is the same:  a drink that is very special, very unique, very memorable. It’s no coincidence that rise of the craft cocktail somewhat parallels the rise of the artisan food movement with its emphasis on fresh, high quality ingredients –  but that cocktail could have more ingredients than ...

Hereford House’s quite excellent lunch menu! As a long-time resident of K.C. and its burbs, I thought I knew everything about Hereford House I needed to know.  Hand-cut steaks, four locations (east, west, north, and south) plus Pierpont’s in Union Station, great burgers (hand ground from their steak meat every day), good happy hours, and this year, sixty years old.  What I didn’t know about especially was their great lunch specials every day of week, like a 12 oz. ribeye for just $25 on Mondays or what turns out to be a pretty famous meatloaf on Thursdays.  On a recent lunch date with publisher Kathy Denis last week, we were treated to their newest steak – the Hereford special strip steak.  What makes this different is the fact that it’s “marinated” overnight – dried porcini mushrooms, salt, black and crushed red pepper, and a couple of other ingredients.  The result is the juiciest and most flavorful strip I’ve ever had – and I’m a ribeye girl....

What's In Season  Fall is a fantastic growing season throughout our region in terms of variety of produce. This time of year, fresh local fruits and vegetables are filling the Farmers Market. Here's what's local and in season right now: Veggies: Acorn Squash, Asian Spinach, Basil, Beans Beets, Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Butternut Squash, Cabbage, Cabbage Sprouts, Carrots, Chestnuts, Chili Hot Peppers, Cilantro, Corn, Cucumbers, Cucuzza Squash, Daikon Radish, Eggplant, Field Tomatoes, Fresh Herbs, Garlic, Gourds, Green Beans, Green Peppers, Habanero Peppers, Jalapeno Peppers, Kale, Kohlrabi, Lemon Grass, Long Beans, Mushrooms, Okra, Onions, Peppers, Potatoes, Pumpkins, Radishes, Rainbow Chard, Red Potatoes, Spaghetti Squash, Squash Blossoms, Sweet Banana Peppers, Sweet Corn, Swiss Chard, Tomatillos, Tomatoes (green house), Turnips, Velvet Beans, Yellow Squash, Zucchini Fruits:  Apples, Asian Pears, Gra...

ENJOY HISTORY FROM HOME  To celebrate our 60th Anniversary, we're offering an exclusive, limited-time carryout package that includes two of our top-selling and oldest menu items - Beef Brisket and Pork Spare Ribs. Our Family Classics Feast package includes: Salad for 6 2 lbs. Brisket 1 Slab Pork Spare Ribs 2 quarts of Classic Sides (choice of Hickory Pit Beans, Cheesy Corn Bake, Creamy Coleslaw, or Old Fashioned Potato Salad) Just $89.99. Serves 6 people. Available from 10/15 to 11/30. No substitutions.  Call to place your order now:  Martin City 816-942-9141   Overland Park 913-385-7427  Freight House 816-472-7427  Country Club Plaza 816-531-7427  Lee’s Summit 816-621-7427  

More Than Happy Hour The other day I was in McCormick and Schmick’s having a happy hour lemon drop ($7.00) and contemplating what a great happy hour they have – voted #1 nationally in fact by USA Today .  Their scrumptious fish tacos and a full-size burger (each just $5) or their seared ahi tuna or coconut shrimp ($9) are definitely just a few of the reasons I like it there.  Oh, there’s also the fact you can get a martini or Manhattan for $4.50. But I also had dinner there very recently and it, too, was very fine.  Our party of five was in one of the more secluded booths and we could hear each other speak while using our indoor voices, more and more a rarity these days.  The food was . . . exceptional, every dish. I had the almond crusted Idaho trout, perfectly pan seared with a butternut squash orzo – which I hadn’t planned on finishing since I knew we were having dessert – but I ate it down to perfect plate shininess.  One person had a huge lob...