Denis Culinary Tours

Esteemed publisher Kathy Denis and I had lunch last week at Webster House , one of my favorite haunts.   Not that that old school is haunted in any sense of the word.   They’ve freshened up their menu again which Chef Brandon Winn does seasonally at least, so we felt compelled to eat heartily.   The mushroom soup managed to be light but hearty with the mushroom flavor unmistakable – and the slices and chunks of mushrooms helped that of course.   Determined to be healthy, I ordered the house salad then said we’d split.   Kathy got the pan-seared scallops with butternut squash puree and an apple cider reduction and they were perfect.   Since I’d been so healthy so far, I then proceeded to wolf down most of the short rib tartine whose eponymous rib just dissolved in my mouth along with the caramelized onion and smoked pepper jam.   We shared both dishes (somewhat) and finally, sated, sat back and sighed happily. And then our cute and very obl...

Throughout the month of March, Jax Fish House & Oyster Bar will celebrate the mighty mollusk with weekly chef specials, contests, giveaways, all-you-can-eat oyster night, pints of Emersum Oyster Stout, ad a National Oyster on the Half Shell Day party, and the 4 th annual Jax Oyster Eating Contest. A portion of sales throughout the month, and all revenue generated from the Oyster Eating Contest, will be donated to the Midwest Chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society KC , a local organization that works to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. Each week throughout the month, Chef de Cuisine Jeff Dietzler will serve a signature oyster special inspired by oyster-loving cultures from across the globe, as well as an expanded mignonette and raw oyster menu. Among these is the Emersum oyster , cultivated exclusively for Jax Fish House by Virginia's  Rappahannock River Oys...

Kansas City, to my mind, has never been a particularly great place for hotel dining and drinking. (Oh, sure, there was the Peppercorn Duck Club and Skies, I still miss them both.) You are welcome to disagree but among my friends and me, we never think about getting happy in a hotel in this town. Traveling, sure. But now I’m starting to think we should put hotels on our list. Case in point: The Drum Room adjoining Providence New American Kitchen in the Hilton downtown. Their happy hour runs from 4 – 6:30 p.m. – I like that extra half hour. Also there’s parking across the street which is less expensive than most of the lots around and who knows, you might get lucky with street parking. You’re downtown, folks. But during that time, you can actually have dinner if you have that burger craving all good Midwesterners fall prey to – it’s just six bucks as are their duck fat fries (I ALWAYS ask for extra crispy no matter where I go) that come with a beer and cheese fondue. ...

André's Confiserie Suisse is featuring a rosé wine flight throughout the month of February in its Coffee and Wine Bar. The flight includes three fine European rosés with chocolate pairings and tasting notes for $25. The Coffee and Wine Bar is open from 7 a.m. – 9 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Reservations can be made by calling the store at 816-561-3440. In addition to the rosé flight special, André's Confiserie Suisse also has plenty of sweet options for your loved ones this Valentine’s Day, including chocolate hearts filled with its infamous chocolate covered almonds, chocolate covered strawberries, pecan heart cookies and more. Through three generations of Swiss confiseurs and more than sixty years in business, the local, family-owned chocolatier has perfected its Valentine’s Day selections. Valentine’s Day Treats at André's Chocolate Covered Strawberries Long-stem strawberries covered in signature milk, white or dark chocolate. Chocolate Hearts André’...

Wow! I know some of you believe every year is the day, week, month and year of the dog, but according to the Chinese New Year Calendar, this year occurs only every 12 years but the earth dog occurs in only 2018 (and years 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, and 2030). But no matter, the Nelson-Atkins Art Museum will celebrate the Chinese holiday new year on January 28 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and this year is especially special.  Bo Ling's Chinese Restaurant is going to be there (rooms 4 and 5) to help by serving some of their fine cuisine like dan dan noodles with pork, Sichuan dumplings, roasted chicken, vegetable fried rice, and rangoon dip with crispy noodles. Besides trying some unusual dishes, you and your family can enjoy several different dance groups, a traditional Chinese dress show, even a yo-yo demonstration along with special Asian influenced menu items in the Rozzelle Court Restaurant. There’s so much going on – and it will help you learn about a different cultu...

Braised Red Cabbage One Great Dish A while back, as I’m sure you’ll recall, I spoke with Chef Jeff Dietzler at Jax Fish House and Oyster Bar and wrote in that blog that he does even cook at home when he has time.  One thing that creative chefs do is reach into their memory banks and recreate.  This recipe is an example of that and a perfect wintry pick-me-up as well. Braised Red Cabbage Ingredients: 1 head red cabbage, finely sliced                              2 carrots, medium grate on box grater   2 apples, granny smith, medium grate    1 red onion, small dice                   ½ t. nutmeg                ...

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...