Denis Culinary Tours

Downtown Chefs Savor the Rush of KC Restaurant Week By Jill Wendholt Silva Michael Werner’s staff at The Jacobson in the Crossroads is preparing to get slammed during “the busiest 10 days of the year,” aka KC Restaurant Week. Located at 2050 Central St., the hip eatery known for mingle plates and flask service can bring in “$100,000 easy.” In exchange, 10 percent of each meal is earmarked for charity, and grueling back-to-back double-shifts are a given. “It’s not just a money grab,” says Werner, the restaurant’s managing partner. “It’s about grabbing an oar, creating a hell of a party and getting the opportunity to raise money, and hopefully create a win-win on many levels.” During Restaurant Week -– which kicks off today and runs through Jan. 20 — multi-course menus at some of Kansas City’s best restaurants will ring in at $15 for lunch and $33 for dinner. Many savvy diners create their own bucket list and reservations fill up quickly. The list of participating restauran...

Classic Cup Cafe on the Plaza to try something different after longtime chef retires Read more here: https://www.kansascity.com/news/business/biz-columns-blogs/cityscape/article222194350.html#storylink=cpy By Joyce Smith   The Classic Cup Cafe has been a Country Club Plaza staple since opening nearly three decades ago. But in the last few years, customers have favored it more as a breakfast meeting place, and lunch and brunch “break-from-shopping” spot, their bags piled up by their tables. Or a place to people-watch from the front patio along one of the Plaza’s busiest streets. But not so much as a place for din...

Kansas City's Best New Restaurants of 2018 April Fleming , Jenny Vergara Black Dirt  It was a year of change for chef Jonathan Justus, and his wife and managing partner, Camille Eklof. They opened one of the most highly anticipated restaurants in Kansas City with Black Dirt, and closed their original namesake fine-dining restaurant, Justus Drugstore, in Smithville. With no other distractions, the two have focused on their new Kansas City café as they rolled out their lunch, dinner, bar and brunch menus to eager fans. Their hyper-local restaurant is not as fussy as The Drugstore was, but dishes like the rabbit terrine and Missouri Caesar salad along with hearty items like blackened local catfish, Camp Lindo fried chicken and Black Dirt pork chops continue to support their message of the importance of tasting the local terroir. (Photo by Anna Petrow) Black Dirt...

At Dick Hawk's Gaslight Grill you can treat that very special someone to a tailor-made dinner for two.  We have introduced an elegant Date Night Menu. Start with a fresh salad or our savory crab bisque.  Then share an entree combination of filet and lobster for two, or a 24 ounce porterhouse and crab legs, or any one of four other succulent combinations.  And finish your elegant dinner with a shared house-made dessert like Creme Brulee or a sumptuous tiramisu.  All for a discounted fixed price of $89 per couple, or $69 for the petite options.  And be sure to add a wine selection from our collection of more than 1,000 bottles to accompany your special evening. So join us on Wednesday or Sunday night for the special Date Night Menu at the Gaslight Grill.  Make your reservation for either the main dining room or the Back Room, featuring the live jazz of Lynn Zimmer and the Jazz Band, on our website (see link below) or by calling 913-897-...

New restauranteur, Jason Buck and Nika Marnell, are bringing the first sushi burrito restaurant to Kansas City. The sushi burrito is a new concept of Latin Asian fusion cuisine that already exist in very few places across the US.  After long research and development, it’s about time we bring this idea to you here in Kansas City, where we ALL love sushi and burritos. Komotodo is a franchise originally based in Denver, Colorado. The creator, Alonzo Martinez, opened this concept from scratch, without any restaurant experience. Since it’s opening 4 years ago, the hype is still growing strong and it’s time to spread the love to KC!  A sushi burrito is a new type of food that is basically an oversized sushi roll that you can eat with your hands but it has a ton more ingredients, such as; salmon, tuna, fish, crab, chick, steak, and an assortment of delicious fruits and vegetables topped off with a delicious sauce. Keep in mind, these burritos have an epic flavor with 1/3 the c...

A couple weeks ago I talked with Executive Chef Matt Barnes at Pierpont’s.   You can read that interview here , should you so wish. Chef Barnes said he cooks simply at home due to time constraints and “selective” diners. This man is busy!   So when I asked him for a recipe, he said the squash gratin below is pretty simple, always good, and can make anyone look like a great cook.   What’s a gratin you ask?  A gratin is a great example of something that sounds better when you call it that. It basically means a browned crust, usually with some kind of cheese.   But what I immediately noticed about this recipe that about two pounds of squash, not that much, requires one quart of heavy (whipping in my mind) cream!   And garlic.   So eating your veggie becomes a very happy occasion.   Try this, take a pic, and send to me!   Better yet, invite me to share it. INGREDIENT PREPARATION 2oz Butter ...

New and Crafty Call me parochial, call me insular, call me narrow, but since I don’t live out there, going south is sometimes a bit of a trial.   So I’m thrilled when something opens out there that’s worthy of comment.   That’s the newest restaurant, the Brass Onion , the concept developed by Brancato Family Catering with whom you may already be familiar.   This Prairiefire place was/is somewhat of revelation. I only have space today to talk about their cocktails.   Fortunately, that’s one of my favorite topics. Besides an extensive list of the usual (and not so usual) beer and wine suspects, they have a program where they age their booze in 10-liter oak barrels for 40 days.   These rotate and when you go, ask for what’s special for that day.   They make their own shrubs and syrups, too and you’ll be impressed by the variety at this impressive bar.   If you’re a real martini fan (as opposed to a cosmo or lemon drop fan), you should ...