Dave

Vietnam Cafe: 522 Campbell

Posted by Dave at 6:15 pm

Sep 062007

This is a great little Vietnamese place, nestled somewhat off the beaten track in Columbus Park, just east of River Market. For downtowners, this is too far to walk for a quick lunch jaunt, but would be a relatively easy drive or bike ride.

There are no frills here, and frankly I don’t want them. One jackass on CitySearch went here for his birthday dinner: guess what, he didn’t like it. Go to Sung Son in Westport if you want atmosphere and alcohol for twice the price. Vietnam cafe has something Song Son doesn’t: people. Have you noticed that place is never full? Weird. Anyway, despite its uninspired decor Vietnam Cafe does a very nice lunch business. The staff is friendly and attentive, and food is served quickly, without flourish.

The menu features everything you want in Vietnamese place: Spring Rolls, Pho, Bun, Com Da and Salads and it’s all good.

For those of you familiar with Vietnamese cuisine, this is a must-go type of place. For those who aren’t, go back to your hot pockets and gas station fried chicken.

The experience here is a little more laid back than Hien Vuong in the Market which is akin to eating lunch in your Vietnamese neighbor’s garage. I don’t care for the term “people watching” but if that’s your bag, this is a good place for it.

I am starting to realize that some KC folks are not particularly adventurous eaters, which is amazing considering the processed, packaged crap they serve at places like Sonic and Chili’s. I know what you’re saying: “but hey, those fried chicken, mashed potato and velveeta bowls they have at KFC are awesome!” Well, I’d rather have a fly in my soup than a mouthful of antibiotics, synthetically produced aromas, and red dye #12. Not to mention the preposterous combinations some of the chain restaurants devise. Applebee’s, Fridays and the like always find a way to combine steak, bacon, melted cheese and creamy sauce in one dish, it’s really out of control. Places like Vietnam Cafe don’t test their dishes in laboratories, they have been tested by a thousand or so years of inventive, discerning and very hungry people. I’m not a hippie, it’s just silly that people think Vietnamese food is “weird” when they will feed their children hot dogs from Target.

Despite this sentiment I detect among KC (and JoCo) populace, the success of BBQ in the city is testament enough to the fact that people will indeed support their local neighborhood hole in the wall when they see others doing it, and if there is a reason to be proud of it. KC doesn’t have enough of these places.

Yelp

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That’s a surprise

Posted by Dave at 2:40 am

Sep 022007

I would have been disappointed any other way…

Anthony’s: 701 Grand

Posted by Dave at 4:05 pm

Aug 162007

Nestled next to a small bluff at the intersection of 7th street and Grand Blvd (“of the Americas”), Anthony’s is a classic Italian joint. I’ve been here for dinner, sampled manhattans and Campari on the rocks, listened to the roving crooner sing “Volare” and eaten linguini and meatballs served by teenage Italian kids in white and black. So, i really like this place because it feels like it should.

I went in for lunch recently and had a decent experience. We were seated by a short, skinny, older woman with the largest hairdo I have ever seen. It looked like a huge, black football helmet. Very very impressive.

The lunchtime waitstaff pretty much consists of middle aged italian ladies who have been around the block a time or two. Our server was very friendly and did everything right. The lunch menu is big and doesn;t really differ much from the dinner menu. You can get pastas, chicken parm sandwiches, meatball subs, spiedini, all that stuff. Prices are ok–anywhere from 7-12 bucks depending on what you order.

The food here is not great: let’s make that perfectly clear. I don’t care what anyone says. The sauce is way too sweet, reminiscent of spaghetti-o’s. There is nothing remarkable about the way things are prepared or the way they are plated. That being said, so what? I would be disappointed if this place was too good. The reason you like Anthony’s has to do with the whole package: ambiance, music, decor, clientele, hairdos…The food is part of that certainly, just not a draw in and of itself.

Oh yeah, before I forget: Sinatra was playing in the restaurant the whole time I was there. On your way out, be sure to stop by the Virgin Mary shrine nestled in the limestone wall in the parking lot. Pay your respects, people. In summation, I would’t characterize Anthony’s as overly fast, or overly fancy. As they say: It is what it is.

Yelp

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About Kansas City Lunch Spots

Posted by Dave at 5:39 pm

Jul 302007

The Idea
I eat lunch at restaurants and write about the experience. Yep, I’m another jackass with a food blog. Why lunch? A good lunch spot is different than a good restaurant, and I think the demands of the working person’s meal are worthy of focused exploration.

Some of my posts are based on a single visit and thus not necessarily representative of everyone’s experience. In the real world, restaurants have one chance to appeal to us so I don’t feel that bad about it, but I try to be fair.

What makes a good lunch spot?

Locally owned and operated

Fast/Efficient

Inexpensive

Tasty

Friendly

Unique

Do I take suggestions?
Yes I do. I actually keep a spreadsheet of the restaurants I have yet to review. Although comments are more fun, feel free to add a place directly to the document.

Will you go to lunch with me?
Do you have a lunch spot that you want to show me? Generally if I have met you, if you are someone who reads and comments on the blog, or are someone who I know on twitter or facebook, I would be delighted to have lunch with you at the restaurant of your choice. I’m not in this game to meet strangers and develop my awkward conversation skills, but sometimes it’s fun to connect. I will not let you pay for me, and I will not pay for you. Give me a holler and we can work something out.

12Baltimore: 12th St and Baltimore

Posted by Dave at 5:56 pm

Jul 192007

This is the lower-rent cousin of the Hotel Phillips’ esteemed Chop House restaurant. 12Baltimore is meant to be a casual bar/lunch/happy hour spot, and succeeds mightily at least in terms of visual appeal. The place is cozy, yet big enough to handle a sizable lunch rush. The dining areas are quite attractive with natural wood paneled columns, tasteful, sparse artwork and nice soaring bar filled with gleaming top shelf liquors. Mmmm, liquors.

The menu itself seemed to offer a small but very appetizing number of options for diverse palettes. Several entree salads, a burger, crabcakes, fish & chips, shaved prime rib sandwich–all sounds like good stuff to me.

Unfortunately, our dining experience was somewhat tarnished by strangely inattentive service, and food that should have been better for the price. I ordered a chopped salad–those of you familiar with the noble classic, cobb salad know what I’m talking about. Basically a cobb for restaurants too cheap to spring for avocado. It featured romaine lettuce topped with chicken, crumbled bacon, blue cheese, hard boiled egg and tomato. Sounds great right? Well it would have been except that the chicken was deep fried. That’s right a breaded and fried chicken breast, sliced expertly and placed upon this otherwise glorious mound. What should have been a very nice meal turned into a glorified Wendy’s salad in a box.

For the second meal this week, I was not offered a refill on my overpriced little glass of coca-cola. And worst of all, we must have waited 20 minutes for our check. I don’t know why it is so hard for people to hand over the bill. true professional waitstaff do not commit this egregious error. Why? Because it gets you in and out quickly, and turn-over is the name of the game when you make a living waiting tables. But this is a problem I;ve run into at a bunch of lunch spots in Kansas City. Don’t they get it? Lunch is about speed, people have to go back to work or school or masturbating or whatever charmed life they lead. Certainly many 12Baltimore diners come from the adjoining Hotel Phillips, and those folks may not have a tight time frame. But I’m sorry, if you serve lunch, don’t make your customers wait for anything. Moreover, if you make your waitstaff wear stupid black business suit uniform-type things, at least train them how to deliver a damn bill in a timely fashion. And when they do, train them to at least acknowledge that they have made you wait.

I wouldn’t rant like this at a smaller restaurant, at least not with such vehemence. But if a restaurant is going to give off airs of being classy, it has to deliver. Experiences like this make me remember why I started blogging here in the first place. Finding good restaurants is fun, but bitching about them is much more satisfying.

Yelp

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Drum Room: 13th and Baltimore

Posted by Dave at 2:00 pm

Jul 182007

I had never been to the Drum Room and had heard nice things about it. Of course the Drum sign is an absolutely essential selling point, but I found the interior to be surprisingly modern, and completley lacking in old school charm. This was actually fine since the hotel itself offers plenty of that, including a cute archival display of old hotel relics like china, room keys and photos.

Unfortunately, the service during my visit was absolutely abominable. I’m not a bad diner mind you. I typically give every server the benefit of the doubt. I;ve waited tables and I know it sucks. I know what it’s like to be busy. But this shit was ridiculous. No one was rude, just oblivious and uncommunicative. My co-diner and I stood for about 15 minutes before anyone acknowledged that we were waiting for a table. Finally we were sat and given water and the made to wait at least 20 minutes for a server to pay attention to us. I was sucking ice cubes at that point and had changed my mind about what I wanted to order at least 5 times.

The waitress was extremely friendly and apologetic when she finally noticed us, but the offenses continued. After bringing drinks and taking our orders, we never saw her again. I was hoping for a refill on my $2.50 coke in an 8oz glass full of ice, but was never offered one. The food was excellent and reasonably priced for a fancy joint. Sandwiches run from 7-12 bucks. Add in 2.50 for your drink and a small tip for shitty service and there you have it.

I was very disappointed because when I go to a nice place, I am prepared to pay more. But for that money I expect better food and better service. The staff in the Drum Room had no idea what they were doing. A guy across from us got a free meal and an apology from the chef because they screwed something up pretty bad with him. I would have been happier if they completely ignored us so at least I wouldn’t have to pay for such a mediocre experience. But oh well.

Yelp

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Succotash: City Market – MOVED

Posted by Dave at 4:04 am

Jul 182007

FYI: Since my original visit 2 and a half years ago, Succotash has picked up and moved from the CIty Market to 26th and Holmes.

This place gets a lot of kudos from my friends, random strangers and the KC press. I’m happy to report that it is not entirely unwarranted. Most people I think, go to Succotash for weekend breakfast or brunch. Indeed they offer brunch fare all day long, in case you have a crepe craving at 1pm. I typically don;t have a crepe craving ever so this doesn;t matter to me.

Anyway, the lunch menu is not as huge as other places, but everything truly looks good. My Turkey Club was just about perfect–homemade bread, fantastic bacon, mesclun greens, nice cheese. It had the whole package. I’ve had their salads before too, and they do not disappoint.

Moreover, the service is casual, jaunty and quite efficient. It’s a place with nice food that nonetheless does not suffer from pretension. I’m trying desperately to find something negative to say, but honestly it’s hard. The prices are even fair. I did have to sit next to a couple with a restless child. This was not really a big deal, but I did get a kick out of seeing the family drive away with the child strapped in the front seat of an old-school jeep with no doors. Not a car-seat in site. Shades of my 70’s childhood.

Yelp

Blue Nile: 20 E 5th

Posted by Dave at 4:26 am

Jul 172007

Ethiopian food is great, but it’s just plain weird for lunch. I’ve always imagined that this place does good business, but instead found it to be almost empty at the height of lunch hour.

They don’t have a menu specifically for lunch, which is a shame. Basically you end up ordering way more food than you want, because otherwise you would order way too little. You see, the waiter told us that one portion was more than enough for one person, but too small for two. I know, Ethiopian food is all about the communal plate, sharing heavily spiced food mounds with several of your closest (and hopefully cleanest) friends. But lunch is a different ballgame–if the food doesn’t translate, than come up with another idea.

With all that being said, the Ethiopian food here was actually quite good. I have no complaints about the flavor or presentation. And it came with entertainment–you see, the waiter spilled a glass of water on my lunch companion. hehe.

Were this blog entitle KC Dinner Spots, I’d find myself tossing out an unmitigated recommendation. But for lunch…I don’t know, the food is pretty rich and heavy. Anyone who has eaten it knows that it’s hard to stop when you’re full too. I think the key is to go to Blue Nile when you are out with a few other people–certainly not by yourself. Half the fun is being able to try several different things and you need a larger group to make that work.

Yelp

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Eat It An Beat It

Posted by Dave at 9:53 pm

Jun 282007

Eat It An Beat It, originally uploaded by ImaginaryGirl.

Am I the only one who finds this slogan rather dirty?

Dos Hombres: 528 Walnut St – CLOSED

Posted by Dave at 9:27 pm

Jun 282007

Dos Hombres closed its doors this week after a 3 1/2 year run. This blurb cites the poor economy as the cause.

I was actually craving some mediocre Mexican food today. Thankfully Kansas City has plenty of that. Enter Dos Hombres, a relatively mundane, whitey-looking Mexican joint in the River Market area. I always see this place when I’m down there, and choose Harry’s CC instead. Anyhow, Dos Hombres features a completely terrible name, but a decent menu of sanitized tex-mex delicasies. The place is really as much a bar as restaurant. I opted to sit at the bar, which proved to be a good call. In fact, it’s always a better option when dining alone: the service is better and you don’t feel like a loser for sitting by yourself.

The staff is a crew of professional servers. What does that mean? Well, these people know what they are doing for sure, but they also exude that air of worldy crustiness that is unique to the service industry. Many restaurants in this town don’t feature what I consider true food service personnel, but Dos Hombres has ’em. These people are used to moving fast, serving drinks, and talking shit with the best of them. No, it’s not rough and tumble or anything, it just seems like these folks are truly making a living being waiters and waitresses and not just pulling extra cash for looking cute or screwing the owner.

Anyhow, the food as I mentioned is not altogether authentic. The lunch menu is decent and affordable however, and I found the pork in particular to be very tasty–likely homemade and not dumped out of a cryo-vac Syco bag. My food did come topped with grated parmesan cheese–undoubtedly an effort to “class up” the entree. But really it was just disconcerting. I mean, freeze-dried cheese out of a shaker is hardly impressive, people. Anyway, I was served very quickly and the bartrendress was quite adept at making idle chatter. I was out of there in less than 1/2 hour, which is quite good for a sit-down joint.

In short, this is a surprisingly good option simply because it is efficient. The food is fine and the portions are large.

Yelp

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