Denis Culinary Tours

Ragland Road Irish Pub in the Power and Light district is the most recent place to fall under the spell of what I’m learning is a trend of cuisine confusion. The restaurant is gorgeous to behold, although its sheer size betrays some of the intimacy of a real Irish pub. It has an excellent beer selection and what appears to be a correctly inspired menu until the final result arrives. I have lamented over the recent gimmicky trend of restaurants to try to dress up food that is better left alone. I ordered fish and chips, a bellweather for Irish food if one ever existed. I received some sort of fish sculpture with a couple of confused sauces and a creative and, frankly, useful chip presentation. If only the fish came the same way. Fish and chips is a lovable dish from the U.K., one of the few palatable native cuisines of that area of the world (and I am an anglophile, I drive an English car, wear English clothing, and am an intolerable Doctor Who fan). I expect it to be served in a s...

There is a confusing trend in the restaurant world these days: upmarket 'gourmet' prolaterian cuisine. While I am not adverse to food like hamburgers and pizza, the recent attempts to somehow turn these into a special dining experience makes little sense. If one is going to do it, however, pizza can at least be understood, especially since Wolfgang Puck’s experimentation with gourmet pizzas in the 80’s. Even with that the concept is a tricky one to navigate. Pizzabella is a nice execution. California Pizza Kitchen is not. Apparently this has now morphed into the fad of upscale hamburger joints. To me, the best hamburgers can still be found at places that smell of grease and serve them in paper, in a manner that is completely unpretentious and serves the nature of the food. Recently I attended a team lunch at Blanc in Westport. Blanc is situated in the location previously filled by Tatsu Arai’s unsuccesful sattelite bistro. Although the name is reputed to be a reverent nod to Wh...

My wife and I recently had dinner at Azul Latin Bistro and loved it. The interior design is remarkably different compared to its exterior. It set a great mood for a great meal. We started off with the chorizo and goat cheese quesadilla and a couple of their signature cocktails. The drinks were a bit strong, but good nonetheless. The quesadilla was fantastic, perfect amount of cheese and chorizo. Our dinner took about 20 min to get to the table, which was fine considering my wife ordered the chicken and received a bone-in chicken breast cooked perfectly. I had the chile relleno and found it impressive. The black bean puree and ancho chile sauce was a great contrast smoothed out by the cream sauce. The presentation on all of the dishes was great and each had a good balance. I read on some other posts that the service was sub-par but I have to disagree. We had excellent service, very attentive and the right amount of talkative. Perhaps some of those post were older and they enacted some p...

Boudreaux’s located in the New Mission Farms area in Leawood. They feature unique Cajun and Creole inspired cuisine. We were seated within the large, open dining area which is the perfect setting for a casual and relaxed dining experience. If you prefer outdoor dining, they also have a very large, comfortable patio which overlooks the beautiful golf course. Our extremely friendly servers made every effort to assure our comfort and provide us with a fun and enjoyable experience. Owner Robert Boudreaux was also there to greet us and answer any questions we had. He was very nice and went to each table to personally introduce himself to everyone in our group. We were served several interesting appetizers to start us off. We were all impressed with our appetizer of Fried Alligator. These bite sized nibbles have a mild taste and texture and are served with a side of cream style gravy for dipping. Most of us had never tried alligator before so it was quite a tasty treat! The Crab Bisque ...

EBT is the acronym for Emery Bird Thayer but after our March Dine Around, I would venture to change that to stand for Extraordinary, Brilliant and Tasty! Our large group of diners was treated to an awesome sampling from this exquisite menu amidst the beautifully remodeled interior. When we first entered the restaurant, we could tell right away that this was no ordinary place! The ambiance bellowed luxurious yet relaxing. Our servers were very friendly and knowledgeable. The food was incredible! As we dined, we were entertained with the soothing sounds of live piano music. Our meal started with a few appetizers including an Artisan Cheese Plate, and melt in your mouth Maryland Crab Cake served with remoulade sauce. We were then treated to a sampling of beautifully prepared and presented entrees. The Parmesan Breaded Chilean Sea Bass was amazing! It was served with large spiral pasta with a sun dried tomato cream. Being the seafood fan that I am, I would say that was my favorite. Ho...

When reviewing restaurants, I often find myself becoming something of a curmudgeon. I seem to expect failures, and so they often happen. It is the ultimate fate, I believe, of any critic, to be eternally disappointed. It is this resignation to destiny that makes a surprise so spectacular. Two Saturdays ago, I received such a surprise at Room39. I had dined there many times before at lunch, and always found it to be a charming little coffee house/bistro, but nothing earth-shattering. If I had any idea what a wonder this place became at night, with white-linen clad tables and low light, I would have dropped everything and come running. My wife and I had been out to the Auto Show and decided to get something in town, but, with it being a Saturday night, all the usual haunts were booked solid. I knew that Room39 had a dinner menu, so I suggested we stop in. . All of their tables were booked, but a seat at the bar was kindly suggested. We took it, and found ourselves transported...

CAFE DES AMIS At this time I feel that I need to right a wrong. I have read an unpleasant review of one of my ‘perfect restaurants of Kansas City’ on this blog, and, after further review (by dining there repeatedly), must come to their immediate defense. Café Des Amis is still a perfect restaurant. My brother and I attended for my birthday, in January, and my wife on the weekend after Valentine’s Day, so I must testify with the following evidence: Exhibit A: Guillome. Guillome is the hardest working man in show business, from what I can tell. He’s always there, sometimes cooking, usually serving, mixing drinks, opening wine, a true jack of all trades. Didier has a jewel with this guy, and, let’s face it, he’s the reason why H1B visas were created in the first place. From the H1B visa regulations: “requiring theoretical and practical application of a body of highly specialized knowledge in a field of human endeavor”. Exactly. Exhibit B: Food, glorious food! Best Escargot in the world...

Last Friday I was invited to attend a boxing/mixed martial arts event at Harrah's casino in North Kansas City. Now when I think of casino food, the sneeze-guard hog trough buffets come to mind, yet I found this interesting little seafood place hiding around the corner from the front door. I sat down at the bar and asked about half-bottles of wine. They didn't have any. Nonplussed, I pressed onward, requesting a by-the-glass list. I then asked which of the wines had been opened that day, as more often than not, 'by the glass' means 'crappy oxidized vinegar'. None of the reds and only a couple of the whites fit the bill, so I picked a martini. Like James Bond, I like my martinis a very specific way, with the only variable being the brand of Gin. “Sapphire Martini very dry, shaken, up, with a twist.” I got a warm, stirred martini with too much vermouth and 2 olives. Ok, for those unused to my reviews, I have very high standards for my restaurant service. I like...

My boyfriend of three years had never made a dinner reservation in all the time I have known him until two weeks before Christmas. He said he wanted to go someplace nice for dinner. I showed him KC Restaurant Guide online and told him to let me know where he wanted to go. About 30 mins later he comes out of the bedroom and tells me we have 7:15 reservations for Friday night. I was a little shocked. We arrived about 2 hours early for dinner and had planned to walk around the plaza but it was so cold. The staff at Ruth's Chris was able to seat us immediately. We had the shrimp cocktail to start and they had to be the biggest we had ever seen. The salad and the drinks were also good...but not half as good as the steaks! The service could not have been better! Aside from the fabulous food, spectacular service, and wonderful view of the plaza from our table, my boyfriend asked me to marry him following dinner. Our server, who was aware of the occasion, gave us ample time to e...

Nice concept but upon entering the second floor establishment the first thing that caught our eyes was the two dirty ceiling vents ajar and hanging down, as well as an empty hole above the entrance. As diner service started the lobster bisque was an enjoyable starter. However the entrees were less exciting. When the entrées arrived, pheasant breast pink peppercorn and chablis sauce served with the usual potato and veggie. Presentation was fair, but the pheasant was not seasoned and the sauce was not reduced and did not meld together and began to separate, which created pockets of different bitter flavors. Tur other entrée was duck breast in a fig port reduction. Presentation was nice and the duck was seasoned and cooked properly, but the port sauce was slightly overpowering. Service was a bit off as I only received one full glass of iced tea during dinner and our waiter visited the table a half dozen times throughout the evening. One other concern is the menu pricing which we f...

Vinino presents an ingredient-driven menu with exquisite yet straightforward wood fired flatbreads, thinly sliced meats including coppa, salame, and prosciutto, and wonderful cheeses. More information about Vinino. Azul Latin Bistro for a distinctive dining experience! The dining room features a beautifully lighted blue wall creating a unique ambiance in which to enjoy your Spanish, Cuban and Mexican fusion cuisine. More information about Azul.

Almost 50 people were on hand last month our monthly Dine-Around. This almost record setting turnout was treated to some fabulous cuisine at two popular Plaza area restaurants. Our first stop was Fiorella’s Jack Stack .From the moment we arrived; we knew we were in for a treat!! The aroma of smoked meats enveloped us as we walked through the restaurant. We were seated on the incredibly comfortable new patio overlooking Brush Creek. There was a cozy fire pit in the middle of the patio, and glowing torchieres for light. It was the perfect night and the perfect setting for some absolutely wonderful food! We started off with some appetizers. The large, crispy, sweet onion rings were a hit among the crowd! The smoked ribs were so tender they literally fell off the bone! The burnt ends were smoked to perfection and just melted in our mouths! The entire staff was extremely courteous and accommodating. They certainly gave us the VIP treatment! This is the ideal place to enjoy barbecue! More in...

I have frequently touted the perfect service at Starker's Reserve, and my visit last night did not disappoint. This restaurant was always a favorite of mine, but I had not yet had an opportunity to enjoy the culinary offerings of the new owner/chef John McClure. Let's just say we were not disappointed. Mrs. Food Snob and I began with a nice selection of Stags' Leap 'the leap' cabernet from the famous wine list. We ordered the mushroom soup with truffle oil as a first course, which was smooth, subtle, and perfect. I followed with the Rabbit confit with puff pastry and a truffle scented cream presentation, while my wife ordered the seared foie gras with an inspiring apple butter with beignets that reminded her of apple fritters and spoke of autumn in the way that only apples can. The foie gras was crusted with sea salt, which offset the creamy texture of the liver with a wonderful little crunch. For the third course, I selected the rack of lamb with golden raisins and...