Kansas City Lunch Spots

Kokoro Maki House: 340 W 75th St

Posted by Dave at 1:41 am

Dec 312008

I love counter service lunch spots. They are almost universally faster than full service restaurants, they tend to be more informal, and the food can still be excellent. But let me begin by stating what I think should be a self evident truth:

Ordering sushi from a counter, paying and then waiting for it to be delivered is just wrong.

No one waits on you, no one fills up the water glass, and you are not at the sushi bar chatting with anyone. You are just waiting. It is purely a capitalist exchange of goods for money.

Kokoro Maki House is way more lunch-oriented than any of the other sushi places I can think of. The menu is small and a lot of the sushi is served a la carte. But counter service prevails here, and it can be very difficult to choose what you want to order. Sushi involves lots of hard decision making and I always feel rushed at Kokoro, especially when there are people in line behind me. When getting sushi there I always feel like I miscalculated the amount I really need. Moreover, if you want something else after eating your food, you have to go up to the counter and order it, pay, then wait for it. I call bullshit on that. Sushi is a splurge food for me. I want to be waited on, and that’s that.

So recently I stopped back into Kokoro and saw something I had not noticed before: Korean dishes on the menu. Much like Cho-Ga Kokoro offers lunch boxes with a Korean entree and various accouterments including rice, dumplings, 2 pieces of maki, and a salad.

I know, I know these boxes are not authentic Korean, but damn it was delicious! The bulgogi was perfectly cooked, piping hot and the dumplings were little deep fried nuggets of delight. My partner’s Bi Bim Bop and accompanying kim chee looked damn good too. The pickled daikon was my favorite of the three. She claimed it was one of the best dishes of Bi Bim Bop she has ever tasted.

What’s more, they seem to care about presentation at Kokoro. Details like the little foil square beneath the dumplings, black sesame seeds atop the rice, and nori strips on the Bi Bim Bop indicate that these are folks who care about what they serve.

I have had the sushi here as well, and found it very good and affordable. But it has been at least a year since I tried it, so I can’t really say much more about it with any confidence.

The food does take a while to come out, even when they are not busy. This is perhaps the biggest drawback. What service they do have is fine, although the teenager at the counter was not particularly helpful and seemed more interested in texting than taking care of us. But generally I give teenagers a pass; their lives are annoying enough without some half-assed food blogger complaining about how they do their jobs.

These are great little affordable Korean lunch specials right in the heart of Waldo. For those who need the Korean fix without venturing into Johnson County, look no further than Kokoro.

Yelp

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Earl Quick’s Bar-B-Que: 1007 Merriam Lane (KCK)

Posted by Dave at 8:46 pm

Dec 262008

I like this place. It’s bustling, unpretentious, friendly and the food is very good though I’ve only had a couple things. Quick’s is located practically next door to the glorious Boulevard Drive-in, making it a perfect joint to grab some take-out to bring to a summer double feature.

From what I’ve read, this establishment is not to be confused with Quick’s 7th Street which by all accounts is vastly inferior, though located nearby.

This is yet another BBQ joint with table service, but the interior is very casual. There is a counter up front as you walk in where you can sit if you don’t want to deal with servers. I sat up there once and got to see the kitchen in action, the copious number of people coming in for take out, and the waitress smack-talk. As this was just before Thanksgiving, the owner was talking about making smoked turkeys for people to pick up on Wednesday. This service wasn’t advertised anywhere, but Quick’s seems to have enough regular customers that everyone is pretty well in the know.

I’ve heard of places like Quick’s, Rosedale and Woodyard referred to as “hillbilly barbecue” (as opposed to African American barbecue, presumably) and sure, the label fits. People were talking about pickup trucks after all. But just like Bryant’s or Gates on a busy day, you will see people of all stripes and persuasions mowing down on ribs and brisket.

And they know what they are doing here. I received confirmation of this when I overheard the owner say that he has no oven in the place. Yeah–no oven, just a smoker, a fryer, and maybe a grill. Maybe. That’s hardcore, because anyone who makes barbecue knows that finishing stuff in the oven is mighty tempting. But it’s also cheating.

The brisket and the ribs are both very good, expertly cooked and smoky. You can get sandwiches ($4.49) on white, wheat, rye or a bun, although I can’t imagine pulled pork on rye. Smoked turkey on rye? Perhaps I can get behind that. Like other barbecue joints, Quick’s offers sauces in sweet and hot varieties, and both have a nice balance of flavor and a good amount of tang (not the beverage). The fries weren’t my favorite, although not bad by any stretch of the imagination. They were potato wedges, lightly battered and fried. Something about battered fries bothers me unless I’m at Arby’s.

Quick’s really warrants several more trips because the menu ventures into a strange and wonderful realm with offerings like deep fried bologna and a glorious mess called “The Big Chili Dog:” a half-pound spiral cut, deep fried hot dog with chili, cheese, and onion. Oh. Yeah. I haven’t seen one (although Mr. Ferruzza has eaten one) but it sounds epic.

There are a number of of other specials as well. Quick’s is definitely going on The DLC’s BBQ rotation. But I don’t hit up this part of Kansas City, Kansas very often it’s unlikely I’ll be a regular. But for those of you who live or work nearby, check it out for some good BBQ, great service and good prices. While not the best BBQ in KC, Quick’s is definitely the real deal.

Yelp
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Happy Blogoversary to Me!

Posted by Dave at 9:47 am

Dec 152008

Hey y’all this is post number 100 for me here at KC Lunch Spots. I feel some small sense of accomplishment because I post a lot more infrequently than other bloggers. And frankly back when I started I didn’t really expect anyone to come and read this thing. Basically it’s also my 2 year anniversary since I started January 1, 2007

So kudos and thanks to all of you, especially to my very first commenters Sassywho and the illustrious Meesha, known then only by the cryptic moniker, “Mike.” Scott from KC Perky helped me out with a lot of suggestions in the early days as well. I’d be remiss not to mention Tony who linked me twice using the exact same joke about “eating out.” Awesome!

I’ve gone from short, cautious snippets to more full fledged review-type posts in recent months. And I’ve made plenty of mistakes along the way. If anything it has made me more appreciative of the work that real journalists have to do when writing about restaurants. It is very easy to forget details or just simply get the facts wrong. That why I’m a blogger, I can just chalk up my bullshittery to the sketchiness of the medium.

Anyhow, I just wanted to burn a post here thanking everyone who reads, those of you who comment, and most of all, you crazy people who actually take some stock in what I think. I know things aren’t perfect around here, but you guys make me want to keep trying.

Matsu: 427 Westport Rd. – CLOSED

Posted by Dave at 6:30 pm

Dec 102008

A few days ago, The Library notified me that there was a book on hold for me. I had come across a review for Asian Dining Rules by Steven Shaw a while back but had frankly forgotten about putting a hold on it. In a nutshell, Shaw explains how to order and eat various Asian cuisines at restaurants. Although not perfect, I love the way the author rebukes American culture for the stereotypes and misinformation about Asian foods.

For instance, he says it is not just silly but insulting that doctors recommend pregnant women avoid sushi. He also says there is no proof whatsoever that MSG has significant adverse effects. He chastises the media for periodic horror stories about the unhealthiness of Chinese food. Aahh, I love me some controversy!

But this ain’t a book review blog. So what’s my point? Well, after reading the Japanese chapter this weekend, I was hungry for some sushi!

I’ve eaten at Matsu several times before, as well as other places like Domo, Friends, Nara, Juns and whatever that place is in Town Center. I think they are all pretty good, I just happened to choose Matsu because it was the closest place at the time.

After reading Asian Dining Rules, I was excited to partake, but still didn’t follow Shaw’s recommendations to the letter. But I will select, condense, misremember and pass them along to you here:

1. Always eat at the sushi bar. You’ll get better stuff if the chef is right in front of you. Pieces of fish have better and worse parts so guess who’s gonna get the ass end of the tuna? Right, the dudes way across the dining room drinking beer. Plus, Shaw contends that sushi is best from chef’s hand to your mouth with as little time as possible in between.

2. Order the combo platters/chef specials. Allowing the chef to decide is always the best way. This will save you some serious dough and you’ll also get the best, freshest fish.

3. Talk to the sushi chef. This is a recurring theme in the book. If you are non-Asian it really helps to get to know the owners and employees. No one knows the good stuff better than the guy touching it all day.

4. Go during off hours. This will give you time to ask questions of staff and the food will be better because they are not rushed.

These are not exclusive to Japanese/Sushi establishments, though he does offer another whole procedure for getting the very best meal at the sushi bar, promising that it would be exorbitantly expensive.

When I walked in and was seated, I passed the sushi bar only to notice a piece of sushi and a half sliced maki roll on the cutting board: no sushi chef in sight. Did he go take a leak? Did he pause for a cigarette? Having recently read that sushi should be eaten as quickly as possible, I started to get a bad feeling. Fortunately the chef returned as we sat down at our table. For a minute there I was worried that our server doubled as sushi chef.

On my meager salary, I went for the Chef’s lunch special, a good deal but still a chunk of change at $14.50. For those insane people among you who do not like sushi (and vegetarians I suppose) there are a few interesting options in the $9-10 range. The donburi in particular looked very good, and Matsu had a few different kinds.

The miso soup is great. It’s much darker and richer than that at other Japanese restaurants. They have the usual assortment of intriguing starters such as daikon pickles, edamame, seaweed salad and even tempura alligator. The salad had a nice tangy dressing, but was virtually drenched in the stuff. The flavor was strong enough that they should have used half as much.

Unfortunately the sushi looked a little limp and sad when it arrived. It tasted good and was well cut but I suspected it was not the freshest available. The pieces were also on the small side. My piece of tuna had what looked like a little soy sauce fingerprint on it. That what I get for not sitting at the sushi bar, see?

The decor here is kinda funny, sort of like what a Japanese restaurant looked like 20 years ago. Various parts of the interior are meant to resemble pagodas. . There is a wooden crisscross frame across the entire ceiling, just below a bunch of exposed duct work and some painted tin. Some tables had funny tray stands carved out of tree trunks decorated with monkeys or zebras.

Our server was very friendly and did a nice job. He was way too apologetic about interrupting us to pour tea or clear dishes. Dude, just don’t say anything and pour the damn tea. A large white man started wandering around about halfway through our meal. He was puttering in the kitchen, the dishwashing area, and periodically perched himself at the sushi bar. I got the feeling he was the owner, since was wasn’t really doing anything productive.

After this visit, I find that I prefer most other sushi restaurants in the metro, although the Westport location is convenient. I know sushi has come up in previous posts, so where do you all like to go for really good sushi? Or quick, affordable sushi?

For more info on Matsu check out this a very good Yelp review.

Yelp

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Poll Results: How do you spell it?

Posted by Dave at 7:52 pm

Dec 072008

The results are in:

The readership of KC Lunch Spots decisively prefers “BARBEQUE” with nearly twice the votes of the nearest competitor “BARBECUE.” I myself admit to being in the last category: I spell it however the hell I want to. But I had always assumed that the correct way is with a C, not a Q.

So after the poll closed I did some quick research in the illustrious Oxford English Dictionary, perhaps the most exhaustive and authoritative resource on the English language. The OED’s take?

barbecue; barbeque; bar-b-cue; bar-b-que. The first form is the predominant and the preferred spelling.

The origin of the word is indeed the Spanish “barbacoa,” which is probably why the C remains official, while the Q was added, well, because the last syllable sounds like a Q. Other, more ghetto sources simply state that either form is acceptable, with some even claiming Bar-B-Que is an approved alternative. I imagine the shorter alternative misspellings came about because of clever business people, marketers and sign makers, the same people who brought you the word “Donut” and everyone’s favorite snack treat, Chicken in a Biskit.

Shorthorns: 22917 W. 83rd St. – CLOSED

Posted by Dave at 12:14 am

Nov 252008

This is so far west in Lenexa, it might as well be De Soto. That means it’s in the middle of nowhere as far as I’m concerned. But good food is worth traveling for so when I noticed Shorthorn’s BBQ just off K-7 (I think) on 83rd Street, I decided to give it a shot.

Well, this is basically a large bar that serves food. Frankly I was hoping for a little more of a unique atmosphere, and maybe a little local color, but there is really none to be found. The restaurant is riddled with cheesy throwaway sports/beer/babe decor and features a million television sets to boot.

The lunch time trade is slight but significant; there were maybe 20 people in the place. I sat at the bar and enjoyed very good service along with a truly mediocre beef brisket sandwich and some good onion rings. The menu has all sorts of other items, from chicken strips to meatball sandwiches to mini-corndogs (!). I like that sandwiches come with choice of Fries, Onion Rings, Baked Beans, Cole Slaw, Potato Salad, Cottage Cheese or Tater Tots all at the same price. Although I would not want cottage cheese with my BBQ. They also have steaks, pasta and salmon filet entrees if you want to throw away some more money.

There seems to be a crowd of regulars here. I overheard some of them talking about their drunk weekend shenanigans, which probably also took place at Shorthorns. The bartendress was very quick and friendly despite her tendency to shoot the shit with all the dudes handing around the bar.

Basically this is the kind of bland bar and grill I always wind up at when I’m at a conference by myself in a strange town and desperately want a meal and three beers. Sure Shorthorn’s is locally owned and maybe a little rough and tumble when the farmers get their drink on, but I’m sure it succeeds because people just want a close place to eat, drink and chat up a divorcee.

There is really very little to eat out this far west, so Shorthorn’s does the trick if you need to grab a quick lunch. But I would not go out of my way to eat here.

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Torreador: 7926 Floyd St (OPKS)

Posted by Dave at 7:36 pm

Nov 182008

Don’t ask me why I thought this place would be good.

It is literally steps away from Mi Ranchito at 80th and Metcalf, which is a perfectly fine (but overrated) local Tex-Mex chain. Mi Ranchito is well-priced, very consistent, and has generous portions. Whatever.

When it comes to Mexican food, that’s not good enough for me. Unfortunately I don’t work very close to any good Mexican lunch spots. I’d love to hit up the Boulevard or downtown KCK on a regular basis, but I can’t swing it. So I was having lunch at Mi Ranchito one time and noticed another little Mexican place across Floyd street that I had never noticed: Torreador.

Welcome to my thought process. It’s small, a little ratty looking, I’ve never heard of it, and it’s right by another successful Mexican restaurant. Gee, I think I’ll give it a try.

I pulled up in the parking lot and saw a skeezy looking dude and a middle aged waitress smoking cigarettes by the front door. The dude looked like a more down and out version of Mark Borchardt. Turns out he was one of the “cooks” in the kitchen. One side of the entrance door had a high chair sitting on the stoop in front of it. This apparently works better than a “please use other door” sign.

I walked into a space that is essentially a decent little darkly lit bar, with tables on one side and a lounge area on the other. My waitress was sitting at a front table chatting with a couple of ladies who were having margaritas.

I took a look at the menu and was not overly impressed. There were only 2 lunch specials, one of which was Taco Salad.

So I ordered the “Special platter” and began to have the feeling that yellow cheese and ground beef was in my future. There was a little table top display advertising something called “Southwest Egg Rolls.” I didn’t have the cojones to try them.

While I waited, my waitress brought out some chips and a little dish half full of salsa. She laid them down saying, “I’ll be right back to fill up the salsa, I have to open a new one.”

“That’s fine, I don’t need any more,” I replied.

“It’s no problem, I don’t want you to think I’m trying to cheat you.”

So she comes back with a plastic bar pitcher full of this salsa and pours it into the dish.

By this time I had eaten two chips already and had decided not to have any more. Good move.

Then my food arrived! Hey, do you remember those Old El Paso Taco kits? I’m sure some of you still use them, especially those of you with children. I used to make taco dinners for my family when I was a kid using those kits. You just brown some ground beef, add the seasoning packet, and serve them in the taco shells with the packet of “hot sauce” that came in the box. Do you see what I’m getting at here?

Torreador has, without a doubt, the worst Mexican food in the Kansas City metropolitan area.

Yeah, not good. They havn’t even figured out the trick I learned when I was 10, which is to bake the taco shells a few minutes before using to make them crunchier and more delicious. The enchiladas were made with flour tortillas and were covered in the same sauce that the chips came with. And the rice? Here are my thoughts on the rice:

Everything comes from a can, a box or a bag, and you can tell. The thing is, people who eat at Torreador probably think it tastes good because that is what they are used to. Why else would anyone go there? And really, who am I to argue; I’m just another white guy with a blog.

The server was actually extremely friendly, and I have no complaints about her demeanor or skill. The owner or manager person checked on me a couple times, then made sure I got my check and my change quickly.

The clientele seems to be the lower-middle class, upper middle-aged JoCo set. In my mind they are hard drinking secretaries, retail managers, and waitresses. They buy lottery tickets and drive American cars. I’m sure the scream from the Torreador was audible miles away when the Overland Park smoking ban passed. I’ll wager that it gets some business in the evenings from regulars looking for a post-work bottle of beer, and more still from folks wanting to meet friends or watch a game at night. It’s just a local hangout for a certain kind of person. A hangout with terrible food.

In other words, the food probably isn’t the important part. At least it sure doesn’t seem that way. I’m sure the owners are proud of their business, but I simply can’t count it among the spots I will visit again.

Don’t take my word for it, read more:

Y
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elp

Browne’s Irish Market and Deli: 3300 Pennsylvania Ave.

Posted by Dave at 2:00 pm

Nov 132008

Browne’s is a crusty but delightful little Irish themed deli and store just east of the hustle and bustle of Broadway in what feels like another world. I had heard of Browne’s before but it fell off my radar until the “Top 10 Kansas City Foods to Eat Before you Die” meme got started. One of my favorite reads, Another Kansas City Blog had a list that I think was my favorite, and included the Reuben sandwich from Browne’s Deli. Y’all remember how much I love the Reuben dontcha?

Along with the Monte Cristo, the French Dip and the Grilled Cheese, the glorious Reuben holds a hallowed place in the pantheon of classic grilled lunchtime sandwiches. So I was excited to try the Browne’s variety.

First things first, Browne’s is a very small shop on the corner of 33rd and Pennsylvania, and is a real slice of KC’s past. It is an example of the kinds of corner shops that use to riddle midwestern neighborhood corners, whether they were drug stores, taverns or hotels. The building is old, and it shows on the inside. It’s just a very cool old space with a ton of character. The business has been located on that corner and owned by the same family since 1901.

They do things very casually here and it’s a tad odd. You order at the back counter, but they don’t care if you pay first or after you eat. There are plenty of well-worn shelves with Irish jewelry, clothing and foodstuffs aplenty. So if you are looking for a Shamrock-in-a-heart lawn ornament, this is the place to go. While I’m not crazy about commodified, Americanized Irishness, the merchandise does give you something to look at while you are waiting for Drunky McSwilligans to make your sandwich. It was unclear whether they typically bring stuff out to you or if you are supposed to wait. There was hardly anyone there when I went, but I’d hate to see Browne’s on a busy day.

The menu is printed out on a piece of paper and taped to the deli case. There are some other Irish items advertised behind the side counter: meat pies, bangers, rashers, black pudding, white pudding, and other funny limey delicacies that I couldn’t identify if they were placed in front of me.

The also have several kinds of homemade soup, and today I opted for the lobster bisque. They also had potato soup and…uh, some other kind. The side counter offers an assortment of homemade cookies which Browne’s advertises as “the best in Kansas City.”

They’re not.

But the reuben is damn good, but much smaller than those at other establishments. No triple deckers or oversized bread slices, just a normal sized sandwich on normal sized bread (with a choice of light, dark or marble rye). I actually love the modest portion size, and one could easily down a whole sandwich and bowl of soup. The corned beef was well-trimmed, tender and delicious. The lobster bisque was insanely rich and astonishingly flavorful. It was delicious and well-made, but I couldn’t finish it all.

Browne’s ain’t fancy, everything comes on disposable plates and even the can of Guinness was accompanied by a plastic cup.

Yes they have beer, their authenticity is assured.

Prices are decent but not great. I think the half sandwich and soup combos are about $7. A few bucks more with drink and a modest tip. 10 or 11 bucks might be a bit much for a place with counter service and plastic forks, but it won’t stop me from going back, and it shouldn’t stop you from trying it.

Yelp

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A Public Service Announcement About Food Safety

Posted by Dave at 5:20 pm

Nov 112008

A recent tweet from Pensive Girl got me thinking about food safety, of all things. She wanted to eat lunch at a well-regarded Indian restaurant in town, but had heard rumors about food safety misdeeds. This is a complicated issue for anyone interested in good food. There is a lot of misinformation out there, but there are also a lot of dirty little secrets.

Enter the Kansas City Health department and its database of Food Establishment Inspection Results. It ain’t fancy or pretty, but it allows you to search by restaurant name or location and provides a detailed list of violations and inspector notes. ShawnF provided a very useful link to the Overland Park Health Department inspections, a site that is jauntily named “The Food Court.” Johnson County does not, as far as I can tell, allow you to search for individual results but it does list complaints received.

UPDATE! Big thanks to JH who provided a link to the state of Kansas Inspection results. Check it out!

If you have heard rumors about improper food handling, these are the places to check. If you have a legitimate complaint, these are the places to register your complaint officially.

Interestingly, a lot of good food is inherently risky–rare steaks and sushi come to mind–but there is also a sense in which little homespun lunch spots cannot or do not keep up with the dizzying array of food and beverage regulations set forth by the local health department. It bears to keep in mind that some degree of minor failure may be tolerable.

In Los Angeles and some other cities they have a grading system for health inspection results. Establishments are required to place a placard in the front of the restaurant clearly displaying their grades. You can search a database to check out LA health inspection results and the resulting grade given. People I know who have lived in LA, however, tell me that the best restaurants are always B’s, not A’s.

Much lower than a B, however, and I think you would have a little PR problem on your hands.

Why would B’s be better? I don’t really know, other than the fact the large chains probably get A’s routinely because they have systems and procedures in place for food handling, while smaller joints don’t always have the wherewithal to establish such concrete measures. Sanitation is typically monitored by managers and executive chefs, luxuries that corner burger shops cannot always afford. But certainly some restaurants are a mess and deserve public scrutiny for missteps, particularly repeated missteps.

Years ago, I took a food safety and sanitation course in Chicago because of my job as the manager of a catering company. It really is fascinating stuff, and it affected the way I prepare and order food to this day. Here are some things I learned:

Soup is one of the most commonly mishandled foods because it takes so long to cool down. If you take leftover hot soup, cover it and refrigerate it, the center will not reach an acceptable temperature for many, many hours. Add to that the widespread practice of mixing old with new soup and you have a real problem going on. Lesson? Don’t eat soup from a sketchy restaurant. Proper handling involves cooling it down on the counter in a shallow pan, then refrigerating it.

Pizza is one of the safest foods to eat at a restaurant because it is generally fully cooked. Sure, a dirty, half-baked, dred-locked hippie puts the toppings on, but that 500 degree oven cooks the crap out of anything transferred from his bacteria-laden fingers.

There is really no such thing as “stomach flu.” It’s usually some form of foodborne illness.

You really, really don’t want to get Botulism.

Matching these scary but avoidable realities are the misconceptions. People get very paranoid about food safety, and often declare personal boycotts on restaurants that “got them sick.” My understanding is that the incubation periods for the most common forms of foodborne illness run from 1-2 days. So it’s usually the food that you ate yesterday or the day before that got you sick, not what you had for lunch. Also, misconceptions abound about ethnic restaurants, particularly Asian ones. Please resist the urge to label a practice as dangerous just because it is unfamiliar.

In general always take complaints about restaurants with a grain of salt. And if you have doubts or worries, check the inspection results. If a place has the same scary violation over and over again, something is wrong. Sure, you may eat there anyway, but at least you know what you’re getting into.

Aixois: the drunkard’s lunch

Posted by Dave at 12:36 am

Oct 292008

A few Saturdays ago when the weather was a little warmer, my lady friend and I decided to get out of the house and take a long walk. I had stayed up somewhat late the night before and was feeling a little fuzzy. My breakfast had consisted of a small bowl of Good Friends_tm cereal, three cups of coffee and half a xanax. I thought some exercise would do me some good, so we headed out the door in the general direction of Loose Park. We never made it.

You see, an obstacle was in our way: the dreaded French bistro Aixois. I’ve posted about this very good restaurant before. Even though it has its annoyances, we simply could not pass up the sunny patio and the promise of something good to eat. It is a very good choice for lunch or dinner, but as we passed by 55th and Brookside at about 3pm, I wasn’t sure if Aixois would even be open. A lot of these places close between lunch and dinner.

Imagine my delight at discovering the Aixois afternoon menu!

That’s right, six days a week you can get a nice sampling of small plates that range from sandwiches to cheese plates to mussels from 2:30 to 5:30pm.

Not lunch, not dinner = perfect.

Oh did I mention that there is an afternoon drink menu too?

Yeah it’s 9 bucks but that Aixois Rouge is something special. I’m going to be making a few of those this Thanksgiving, I promise.

So we sat there and had some alcoholic beverages, a great salad and perhaps the best shrimp cocktail I’ve ever had.

Then we took the long way home, because actual exercise would have just ruined a perfectly delightful afternoon.

Although this blog tends to be about the midweek working-person’s meal, one shouldn’t overlook the necessity of the weekend drunkard’s lunch. Part of it was the spontaneity, part of it was the sheer genius of the idea, but this was one of the really good restaurant experiences I’ve had in Kansas City.

Yelp

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