Food & Drink

Where Are The Best Places To Dine Outside In The KC Area?

Matthew Long-Middleton — Fri, 17 May 2013 19:36:19 +0000

In Kansas City it's expected that the weather will jump from snowy, to balmy, to sultry in a matter of weeks.

But now that we're firmly into spring, and summer is just around the corner, restaurants are opening their outdoor patios, decks, balconies, rooftops and sidewalk seating.

Many diners love the opportunity to dine al fresco, surrounded by the beauty of nature – or asphalt parking lots. Other Kansas City diners see outdoor dining as a nightmare of bugs, noise, cigarette smoke and gawking strangers.

After 7 Nominations, Local Chef Wins Award

Beth Lipoff and Steve Kraske — Thu, 09 May 2013 23:00:00 +0000

After seven nominations, Bluestem's Chef Colby Garrelts took home the prize this week as Best Chef of the Midwest at the James Beard awards in New York City.

Food Critics: Korean Food

Matthew Long-Middleton and Claire McInerny — Fri, 03 May 2013 14:40:22 +0000

Korean Restaurants:

Recent Restaurants:

Korea has been top of mind lately as the threat of conflict has been rising, but on this Central Standard Friday the food critics take a look at another explosive element of this country's culture: its cuisine. From famous dishes like kimchi and Bibimbap, we look at what makes up Korean food, and where you can find it in Kansas City.

Our critics this week are Charles Feruzza, Grace Suh, Emily Farris, Chris Becicka and Gloria Gale.

Local Distilleries

Maria Carter, Matthew Long-Middleton and Claire McInerny — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 21:00:01 +0000

Socializing and drinking go hand in hand, and across the United States the hobby of making your own beer and wine has grown in the last few decades. But when it comes to liquor, the law makes it much more difficult to home brew whiskey, vodka or rum as a hobby, and as a result there are very few local distilleries across the nation. We're joined by three special distilleries: Patrick Garcia the master distiller at Dark Horse Distillery in Lenexa, Kansas; Ralph Hayes the marketing director for Pinckney Bend distillery out of New Haven, Missouri; and Seth Fox president of High Plains in Atchison, Kansas

Craft Distilling: Dark Horse Distillery

Julie Denesha — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 14:24:13 +0000

In Lenexa, Kansas, a local, family-owned distillery is producing craft spirits in a micro-distillery. Dark Horse Distillery was established in 2010, and since 2011, the Garcia clan has been producing bourbon, whiskey, and vodka hand-crafted in small batches.

A recent edition of Central Standard featured guests from three distilleries, including Dark Horse Distillery.

Food Critics: Soul Food

Matthew Long-Middleton — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 22:22:41 +0000

In her book The Soul of Southern Cooking, Kathy Starr calls soul food "generous and earthy, like the people who created it. I'm not talking about small slivers of skinned chicken breasts surrounded by miniature carrots and radishes cut like roses. I'm talking about something to eat!" In Kansas City you'll never walk out hungry from one of this town's soul food restaurants or buffets. Classic southern cuisine like fried chicken, greens, macaroni and cheese, and peach cobbler are soul-soothing dishes. They may not be so good for your waistline, but they're nirvana for your spirit. Food Critic Charles Ferruzza, Emily Farris, Gloria Gale and Mary Bloch explore the best soul food of the city.

Food Critics-Bakeries

Matthew Long-Middleton — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 20:57:15 +0000

Kansas City has always been a great place for baked goods. Cakes, pies, cream puffs and breads have all been important to the growth of this town as a cosmopolitan and corpulent community. On this episode of Central Standard Friday Charles Ferruzza, Mary Bloch, Emily Farris, and Gloria Gale extend their forks to all parts of the metro to uncover the best bakeries offering the most decadent doughnuts, the crustiest baguettes, and the flakiest cinnamon rolls.

Spicing Up Your Passover

Beth Lipoff and Stephen Steigman — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 23:00:00 +0000

When you take bread off the table, what goes on yours? Award-winning cookbook author Joan Nathan has a few ideas.

Where Botany And Alcohol Mix

Beth Lipoff and Suzanne Hogan — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 23:00:00 +0000

Your backyard garden can be a great place to grow vegetables, but the Drunken Botanist has something else in mind for the space.

Irish History in Kansas City

Matthew Long-Middleton and Claire McInerny — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 21:28:55 +0000

As St. Patrick's Day approaches next week, the 'Kiss Me I'm Irish' t-shirts are getting pulled out of the closets and shamrocks will plaster the city. Kansas City has a special relationship with Irish culture that goes hand in hand with the city's narrative.

Food Critics: Belly-Busting Buffets

Matthew Long-Middleton and Monica Sandreczki — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 22:09:34 +0000

Buffets: you either love them or hate them. And in a tough economy, the idea of an all-you-can meal can sound alluring, even if the choices can be more about quantity than quality. On today's Central Standard Friday, we'll fill our plates up with suggestions for the best, the cheapest and the most unusual buffets in Kansas City. Today's food critics are host Charles Ferruzza, Chris Becicka, Mary Bloch and Emily Farris.

Fixing The Food Waste Problem

Beth Lipoff and Steve Kraske — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Your mother said the leftovers you threw out in your house could feed a small country… but was she really close to the truth?

Wine, Shrimp, Camaraderie: Food Critic Remembers JJ’s Restaurant

Sylvia Maria Gross — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 06:03:31 +0000

Local and federal officials are trying to piece together exactly what happened last Tuesday evening, when a natural gas leak led to an explosion just west of the Country Club Plaza. The explosion and resulting fire at JJ’s restaurant killed one woman, and injured 15.

The Food Critics: Restaurant Etiquette

Matthew Long-Middleton — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 23:33:58 +0000

There are a number of social land mines that can be tripped in restaurants. How is the best way to handle a declined credit card, or when do you send something back to the kitchen? On Central Standard Friday food critics Charles Ferruzza, Mary Bloch, Emily Farris and Gloria Gale tackle this subject and all the new restaurants of KC.

Local Butchers in KC

Peggy Lowe, Matthew Long-Middleton and Claire McInerny — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 16:01:21 +0000

The butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker. Professions once so famous that they made it into nursery rhymes, but how does modern commerce accommodate traditional business? Butchers and meat shops are still present in town, but how has the independent butcher shop changed with meat preparation moved into grocery stores and other superstores?