Edens Alley

We were invited to join the dinner club
And what did we hear
It's a great place on the Plaza
You have nothing to fear

We were enxcited to join them
We knew it was a great group
Then the restaurant was changed
And John caught the croup

Despite John not feeling well
And my vegan hesitation
I wanted to see the family before Christmas
And join the the fun occasion

Edens Ally was nice - very roomy and bright
The food was tasty
And the price was just right

I would definitely go back
and order salad and the yummy tomato bisque
I did not order that but had samples
And there is definitely no risk

I was reminded to blog
And told about the appetizer of shame
So I followed Josh's lead
but my limerick is kind of lame

Twas the week before Gas Club!

Twas the week before Gas club and all was clear,

The Plaza lights needed to be near,

As I called Cooper's Hawk in hopes of good cheer

They told me "we cant get you in for 3 weeks my Dear"

So I hurried and grumbled 

Each place I stumbled

Until I found Edens Alley

And decided this was the place we needed to be

I saw it was vegan so I was worried at first

This no meat place might be the worst.

As it took forever to park

It was getting quite Dark

We walked into Edens Alley

Beneath a church Abbey 

Erin and Justin were being quite Lame

So they had to buy an Appetizer of shame!

BBQ burger is what I did order

Would it taste okay or make me spur

After a few bites, I knew it was cooked just right

To my Surprise this meal was just a delight

A flavorful meal 

it was quite the deal

As I finished my beer

I thought to myself why this vegan I did fear.

4.1 out of 5

This place was far from a dive

And this is the end of my story

Of how Eden alley got all the glory.

Merry Christmas to all

And to all a goodnight!

Chueys

For November we went to Chueys, a wonderful Mexican restaurant on the Plaza.   They have a free Nacho bar and discounted drinks.  I had a strawberry mango margarita and it was delicious.  I ordered another, but with my dinner it was too much and I gave it away.

I ordered the chicka chicka boom boom, which is  chicken enchiladas,  they were excellent.  I also tasted Beth's steak burrito, it too was excellent.   The true measure of a Mexican restaurant are the margarita's and chips.   The margarita's probably in my top 3, maybe top two and the chips, although close to Harrisonville's chips, they aren't quite there, but very close.

I will say over the last two years with the dinner club, we have had some excellent wait staff, Our waitress was well versed in the menu, paid attention, but did not hover and I felt she was one of the best waitresses I have ever had.

My only issue with the restaurant was I felt we did not have enough space, 8 people in a space for 6.

Honestly, I believe  Chueys is the best Mexican Restaurant I have been to.  The food and drinks, excellent, the atmosphere fun and I can not wait to go back.  I gave Chueys a 4.2

This aint no chewbacca. Chueys!

Did you get my Star Wars Reference there? So it was Richards pick and I was all excited to eat some Italian food. But wait He picked a Mexican place, this is not the rich I know! But Let me tell you I was glad that he did. This was one fun and tasty place. Now its hard to stand out as a Mexican restaurant as they are all very similar. So how does Chueys do it? By giving you an all you can eat Nacho bar while discounting your margaritas Ummm Yes Please! Now this was a very good start to the evening, as we drank and ordered I decided to get a little sample of what they had so i had one that enchilada, taco, and much more. It was pretty good but nothing special. I than took a bite of Beth's Burrito and it blew me away it was one of the best Mexican dishes I have ever ate. Just Superb. I also really enjoyed the feel of the place. Good catchy music and every "room" had a unique decor. This was the 2nd best Mexican restaurant I have ever ate at so props to them! My only complaint was the margarita glass was huge, but deceiving it help much less than it looked as if it should! So overall a 4.1 from me. Oh and on the way home I got Glace "Grandpa's treat!"

OOO-WEEE, Let’s go to Chuy’s!

Tell 'em the King sent ya!

Chuy’s is a funky, zany place. Though it’s a chain, Chuy’s website promises if you’ve been to one Chuy’s, you’ve only been to one Chuy’s. It was wild. We walked in to find noise and color and overstimulation—perfect to drown out the squeals of a child. Or 100 children, because there were that many there.

The menu was extensive. I settled on the chile rellenos platter. It was tasty, as were the rice and beans. The margarita was good, the second one was better but very strong. I thankfully didn’t have a third. Service was great, and the food came out right away, another plus for the kid friendly set.

I recommend Chuy’s for a fun dinner. Don’t go for a quiet evening or business meeting because you will not be able to hear yourself think. Speaking of hearing, the music was great. All through dinner they played really great ‘80s music, like my own personal iTunes playlist. My score: I don’t remember because of the strength of the second margarita (see above). I’ll give it a 4/5 now.

This Chain is no Fool

Mr. Ref broke the "no restaurant chain" rule for the GAS Club this month, but we all know that Mr. Ref is nothing if not a rule breaker!  I was checking my bank account last night to see if I could find enough cash for a down-payment for my own Chuy's franchise.  I think I could eat there every night!  Well, at least once a week.
Chuy's converted the old Figlio's (a restaurant with very fond memories for me, Mrs. Ref) space with bright, over-the-top classic Cheech and Chong décor and it is just good fun!  While waiting for Mr. Ref to find a parking space, Grandpa and I were invited into the bar by a young worker who was holding a table for us, and showed us the ropes of scooping up 1,000 extra calories at the nacho bar.  We had to celebrate with a $4.95 Happy Hour strawberry mango swirl margarita, of course!
The appetizer plate courtesy of Mr. Ref had a sample of a smoky, delicious fajita quesadilla that really whet my appetite for more.  I ordered the steak burrito, because I really wanted to try the green sauce.  Our energetic, efficient, friendly server warned me it would be too hot, but I was feeling Macho after my strawberry mango swirl margarita and went for it!  Delicious taste, but really, it was just too hot to fully enjoy.  I managed to eat the rest of it for lunch the next day using only about a half a box of Kleenex, so I guess the spicy evaporates a bit overnight.
Can't wait to go back and try the fajita's or maybe just the fajita quesadilla.  A bright gem on the plaza with the family friendly prices, friendly servers.  If you like Tex Mex--you gotta try it!
Final Score 4.5 of 5 (If we hadn't all been squeezed together at tiny tables, it would have been a 5!)

Chuy's Was a Touchdown ***GO CHIEFS!!!!!!!***

Mr. Ref here, last night we went to Chuy's.  This was my month to chose and I was looking for a sandwich type place, that served the Italian type of food I ate several years ago when I was in New Jersey, very near New York City.  So far I have come close, but I have not found anything that matches my memory of the very delicious food I ate back then.
I was not planning on choosing a Mexican place, because that has been reserved more for grandpa.  Mexican is grandpa's favorite type of restaurant food.  That's okay, because I think I did a good job with this choice.  Based on the feedback from last night it sounded like everyone had a good time and really enjoyed the food.
I ordered the "Famous Burrito (Big as Yo' Face)", seasoned ground sirloin, and it was really good.  It was a little different then what I normally get in a burrito, because I like queso sauce and this had red sauce on it.  The red sauce was good, but the insides of the burrito were very good.
I also had to buy appetizers, because I did not blog until the yesterday, so I ordered the appetizers plate so we could try the assortment of appetizers.  I personally liked everything on the plate.
The décor was very different, it had quite an variety of things going on all around you, with lots of different colors and lots of props, like hub caps, cameras, walls painted pink and many other things.
Our waitress did a very good job with everything, keeping our drinks filled, being patient, very helpful on meal choices (and correct) and she was very pleasant.
I gave Chuy's a 3.75 out of 5.

Little Pig Pleasure

Mr. Ref here, last month we went to Pigwich, which is run by Local Pig, and it was the most unique place so far.  Only because it was outdoors, we sat on picnic tables, there was no light and it was served out of a truck.  I had the Thursday special, which was a fried pork loin sandwich, and it came with homemade chips.  I would have to say that my pork loin sandwich was not the best I have had in Kansas City, I thought it was good, but not great.  Several of the others indicated it was the best they had ever had anywhere.  I felt it had to much fat in it.  When I had bites that did not contain the fat, then I though it tasted really good.  Unfortunately there was not enough of those bites.  I did however think the homemade chips were really good.
I did try a couple of others sandwiches and thought they were much better, so I gave it a 3 out of 5.

That'll do, pig(wich).

Last month we went down to the East Bottoms to the food truck connected to the Local Pig.  It is called Pigwich.  I had never been to the East Bottoms before.  It is kind of mysterious - there are a lot of older buildings that look unoccupied, but still well kept.  It is industrial - train tracks, the river, etc. - but then there is this artisan butcher shop and a honky tonk.  Pretty awesome.

The butcher shop had a lot of meats.  And a lot of butchers.  I have been to similar butcher shops, and there is always a ton of butchers.  If anyone knows why there are so many butchers at these places, let me know.

Attached is the food truck - Pigwich.  There are like 5 sandwiches to choose from, with one being a rotating special.  I got the Thursday special, a tenderloin.  It was delicious.  A hardy portion, but not one of those ridiculous portions where you need two buns to cover it.  The single bun was a pretzel bun.  It was an A-1, super-duper, tip-top, buy-it-before-its-gone, triple A rated, zero-down-no-credit-check, Cy Young award winning, Daytime Emmy nominated, A-for-effort, great-job-flossing-you're-cavity-free, pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey, J.D. Power and Associates best-in-class, I'm-going-to-Disneyland, diamonds-on-the-souls-of-her-shoes, come-on-down!-you're-the-next-contestant-on-the-Price-is-Right, ain't-no-thing-but-wing-on-a-string-from-Burger-King, second-prize-in-the-beauty-contest-collect-$10 kind of sandwich.  And the chips were good too.

I also thought Sara's Bahn Mi was exceptional.

Wish they had lighting near their picnic tables. Otherwise nice job. 4/5 
 

For the month of October we met at the picnic tables of the Pigwich.  It was a beautiful night out and the sun was beginning to set.  We went up to a cute little train car and ordered our food then walked around the butcher inside.  It was amazing to watch them cutting/slicing all the meats so quickly.  It was fun to just sit back and watch them for a few minutes.  We then went back outside to wait to hear our name called for our food.  I loved being outside and the feel of the environment.  I decided to order the Philly Cheese Steak.  Unfortunately, I did not love my meal.  I am used to Philadelphia Cheesecakes, that are smothered with onions, peppers and cheese.  Even though it is a heart attack waiting to happen, it is one of the most delicious things EVER!  So unfortunately when I ordered that is what I was expecting.

The cheese steak came on a nice piece of bread with some onions. To my surprise it also came with mayonnaise smothered all over it and we all know how I feel about mayo!! DISGUSTING!!  I decided to suck it up and try to eat just the bottom half, however that truly took down my points.  The sandwiches also came with chips, which happened to be the BEST chips I have ever had.  They were the perfect crunch and so salty!  They were truly wonderful!  I had a great time, loved the atmosphere and location, however did not love my meal.  My overall score was a 3.3/5.0

Pigwich or "This Pig was no Witch"

I have a firm rule to NEVER read the blogs before I blog.  But I broke my rule this week because I couldn't remember the name of the Vietnamese sandwich I ordered last month at the Pigwich.  I was rewarded with a Bon Apetite' worthy review written by the Rock Star blogger Sarah.  How can I compete with that review?  So how about this:  Ditto what Sara said! 
My Banh Mi sandwich was a little too anticipated I'm afraid, and so I was a little disappointed when I actually ate it.  I had read astounding reviews about the sandwich months ago and so the anticipation mounted to a crescendo that the real thing couldn't quite stand up to.  On the other hand, it was a pleasant sandwich that I was able to enjoy.  But I didn't really want to eat it once I tasted Mr. Refs tenderloin which was without equal in the tenderloin department.  The pretzel bun, the crispy outside of the loin and juicy flavor of the meat blended beautifully with the flavorful sauce.  Like a fine wine, it had such subtle layers of flavor that finished with a compulsion to eat more and more.  I'm probably not safe going back there--I think it would take 2 tenderloins to sate my appetite!
Final Score 4/5 (Mrs. Ref)

Deep down, we all just want to eat a really good sandwich

Last month the gang headed to Pigwich, the Local Pig’s food truck in the East Bottoms. This was my pick, thank you very much.

There’s a bridge that takes you from metropolitan Kansas City into an entirely different place: the East Bottoms. You feel like you stepped on the wrong side of the tracks in 1950s New Orleans. Knuckleheads is a few blocks away, and you can smell the river and hear the trains. This place has character.

Pigwich offers a small menu of 5-6 sandwiches, one rotating based on day of the week. I opted for the Banh Mi, a Vietnamese sandwich with scrumptious pork meatballs on a baguette. For a $1 more, you can get a drink and house-made chips with your sandwich. DO IT.

We dined on picnic tables out of cardboard boxes. My sandwich was delicious. I should have saved half for lunch the next day, but I just didn’t stop eating. The chips were hot and salty and thin, everything chips should be. I nearly finished them off, too.

Then the bikers showed up.

First it was the spandex-clad cyclists. I heard the food truck chefs mutter “they’re here,” which tells me this band of folks are either regulars or that they have a reputation that precedes them. Then another posse of bikers—motorcyclists—showed up. Was it awkward, you ask, sitting between two groups of bikers? Yes, a little. But there was no rumble, and everyone enjoyed his or her sandwiches in peace. I guess no matter how different we seem on the outside, deep down, we all just want to eat a really good sandwich.*

I will definitely head back to Pigwich in the spring, when the weather warms back up. Don’t expect any frills, but do expect great sandwiches for a great price, enjoyed in a funky neighborhood. My score: 4/5 stars.

*quote attributed to Liz Lemon, 30 Rock: Season 4, Episode 4 (Yes, Justin, the Chuckle Hut one.)

This little piggy went yum yum yum all the way home!

Aww to eat straight from the butcher what a joy! Last month we all went to a little food truck in what seemed at first to be in the middle of no where... Wait it was in the middle of no where. But like they say out in no where is where you find the gems. And this little butcher shop that had a food truck attached was no exception. With a short but delicious menu, I quickly decided on the tenderloin sandwich which is almost always my decision if its on the menu. While we waited we went in to the butcher shop to seem the hacking away chunks of meet from just about every farm animal you find in Charlotte's Web. After watching you would think I would have lost my appetite, but on the contrary I was even more hungry than before. As they called our name we picked up our order in these little boxes. Open up and bam a tenderloin sandwich on a pretzel bun with all the fixings. I took a bite and the flavors swirled around my tongue flavorful. It was sweet and tangy with the mayo and crunchy and so good. In the box there was also a generous portion of homemade potato chips and let me tell you the oil they were cooked on dripped with goodyness and each crunchy bite was better than the next. Now I have to admit this wasn't the best tenderloin I have ever eaten, but it was in my top 3! And with how many tenderloins from so many different restaurants a top 3 is quite the praise. If I worked in the downtown area I could see my self getting stuffed like a pig from this little Piggy truck! I have to say 3.78 from me!

October was a fun month when we visited the Pigwich food truck.   The truck offers 5 sandwiches and a daily special, which includes chips and a drink for $8.00, quite a bargain.  The dining area consists of 3 or 4 picnic tables that are covered, but has no lights, so need to get there before dark, if eating there.  I have always wanted to try a Bahn Mi and I finally had my opportunity.  The meatballs were exceptionally tender and delicious.   The bread was a little hard for my taste, but the sandwich as a whole was very good.   The chips are fresh sliced, fried on site with a perfect amount of salt.  They were the most amazing chips I have ever eaten, the chips by themselves are worth the trip.   I am going to go back on a Monday, for lunch so I can give the Cuban a try.  I rated Pigwich, 4.0.

Bellaaaaaaaaa!!!! Hey Bellaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!

Last month we got GAS-sy at Bella Napoli in Brookside.  Josh and I had gone to a Royal's day game, and saw Mike Moustakas hit a walk-off homerun in the 13th.  Nice.  Hard to follow that act. 

Josh and I discussed that if the Royals didn't win it that inning, we'd have to leave to make dinner club on time.  I had a pleasant evening at Bella Napoli, but in hindsight, I would have stayed for the 14th inning.

I like Bella Napoli a lot.  I have gone there for coffee before, and they have a nice little market inside.  It has a cool feel.  We sat in a room by ourselves, because Josh farted and the waiter wouldn't let us sit with the other people... just making sure your still with me - it was actually because we were a party of 8.  The private room was fine, but eating by ourselves, I think we missed the atmosphere that comes with dining in the main area.  Plus, it wasn't a huge room, and Josh farts when he eats pasta.

While Luke flirted with the barista, I examined the exhaustive menu. Tons of stuff to choose from.  Tons. I had the braised short ribs.  It was OK.  Actually, I am being kind because I wanted to like the short ribs - it was too salty.  And I like salty food. 

I also had some gnocchi from someone's plate, and it was good.  And I had some tastes of the other things people ordered, and recall they were all good.  Everyone seemed to enjoy their food - but mine was not great. 

The wine was good and reasonably priced (I had the house chianti); in fact, I thought all of the menu items were reasonably priced.  The service was very good.

I give Bella Napoli a 3.0. I think I gave it higher at the restaurant, but on reflection, the reasonable prices, excellent service and tasteful, relaxed atmosphere could not fully compensate for the salty short ribs.

Oh, and one more thing: Nick Swisher eats boogers.

Bella Napoli

For the month of September we met in brookside for a meal at Bella Napoli. I always love going to the area and have been wanting to eat at a restraunt in the area. We approached Bella Napoli and it had a very cute outdoor area with seating. We were taking back to a private area with a coffee bar and large table.
After looking at the menu I decided on a white sauce dish with thick noodles, peas, shrimp and clams.        For an appetizer we got asparagus. As we waited we had delicious bread with oil and balsamic. It was devine!  The bread and dipping sauce was phenominal! I could have ate the entire bread bowl! When my meal got delivered i was excited to dive in. I must admit I was a little disappointed.. I thought it was a little bland. There was not much flavor and kind of an everyday easy to make dish. Even though I didn't love my main meal, I really enjoyed other things. I LOVED out asparagus! It was delicious! It was so flavorful and good! I really enjoyed the gnocchi dish Justin ordered, Becky's pizza and Richard's calzone! I really enjoyed all three of those dishes and would love to go back and have one of those dishes! 
I would give Bella Napoli a 3.8/5

Bella Napoli KC's Italian Cafe

It was finally my turn to pick a restaurant, I can a long list of restaurants on my calendar and then try to decide what type of food I want before I make my pick.  My list is about 15 restaurants long and Bella Napoli was near the top and has been on the list for a long time.

Off to Brookside, one of my favorite areas in Kansas City, we went.  Bella Napoli is a restaurant, café/coffee shop and deli/grocery.  It is everything Italian and what I imagine a side walk café in Italy would resemble.

I ordered a spicy prosciutto pizza.  It was excellent.  We have had pizza several times with GAS club, but I believe this was the best yet.  Everything about it was delicious and surprisingly was almost as good heated up in the microwave for my lunch the next day.  Now that is the mark of a good pizza, when it is almost as good left over.

I also tried Richard's Calzone and it too, was delicious. 

I gave Bella Napoli 3.9/5 and would definitely go back.

Charming, Neighborly and Italian

"You talkin' to me?"

Becky's turn finally came around again in September, and she made the group an offer we couldn't refuse: dinner at Bella Napoli in Brookside. It was delightful, and earned a 4/5 stars from me.

This place does it all: it's a nice dinner place, a coffee shop, an Italian deli and lunch joint. We ate inside, in our own little secluded side room--perfect for discussing the family business, if you know what I mean.

I enjoyed the house red wine, a chianti, which was very good. They brought us a little tribute of bread with oil and vinegar, also very good.

I ordered the Tagliatella alla Bolognese, thick pasta with meat sauce and a touch of cream. Simple, meaty, delicious. Worthy of the Don, on the day of his daughters wedding.


Since I was sharing with a very hungry and squirmy Luke, I sprung for a side of sauteed spinach, which was the. best. ever. It had generous amounts of oil and butter, topped with salty parmesan. My Nonni always told me to eat my veggies, but I've never had 'em like this before. (Being green and all, Luke still wouldn't touch the spinach. But if he had, he would have loved it.)

Next time, I'll try a cannoli for dessert, but we were all too stuffed.

The restaurant was lively and bustling but not too loud. Decor was simple and authentic feeling for me, and our waiter was great. Go for a nice dinner--I personally vouch for it.

So this is Italian!

Always happy to eat Italian and Bella Napoli is supposed to bring an authentic touch.  Cute Italian bistro initially lost some points until I got a lesson in authenticity.  But my surprise and disappointment at eating perfectly prepared fresh grilled eggplant cold, quickly dissipated when world traveler Sara clued me in that in Italy, cold veggies rule.  The taste was beautiful--I just wasn't used to that temperature.  I scooped some onto my Pizza Margarita and it really jazzed it up.  My favorite plate of the evening, however was Mr. Refs calzone.  Not the kind of thing I would usually waste calories on--too big, too much bread from the looks of it, but I didn't count on the big taste!  Gotta go back and get me one of those!  And it sure didn't hurt that the house red (Chianti) was inexpensive but luxurious tasting, and perfect with the Italian bread dipped in olive oil and balsamic.
Mrs. Refs final score 4/5.

When the moon hits your eyes like a big Pizza Pie thats Bella Napoli

Bella Napoli! What a little gem in beautiful Brookside! Brookside iws a fantastic place to eat for several reasons, 1. It has a really cool feel to it when you walk around there. 2. It is super close to my house which makes it easy to get to and easy to come home from! 3. It is were Foo's is located! But enough about the Location lets talk about the dinner.

Bella Napoli, is an Italian restaurant and it doesn't disappoint. As I walked in after coming home from a Royals come from behind win, I truly thought the day could not get any better, but I was wrong it did! As we sat there talking about the game and what was new with everyone, I asked the waiter to recommend a wine for me and all I told him is I prefer a semi dry red wine. He suggested one and at first sip I was in love it was one of the best wines I have had. Now Let me tell you something about service. I know it is tough to always make suggestions and most times they just try to up-sale you something that is okay, but this was a medium priced wine at $7 and it was exactly what I wanted! Props to him. Speaking of service this was by far the best service I have been given and with our group going that extra mile really says something! He was quick, helpful, friendly, fast just everything you wanted in your wait staff. Props to him!

On to the food! I ordered a Spaghetti Allo Scoglio, which was mussels, clams, shrimp, octopus, tomato sauce and hot peppers. Now I am not one to normally order seafood pasta and put red sauce on it, I usually want white, but they pulled it off. It was pretty good, but by far not the best thing at the table or even the best thing on my plate. The best thing on my plate was the asparagus, it was crunchy with a sauce on it which was just terrific!  I tried a little bit of everything and it was all excellent, but the best thing I tried was my mothers Pizza, it was great! the crust amazing, the toppings amazing, the pizza AMAZING! Next time i go to this gem i know its lame but I am getting the pizza. 

Overall this was my 2nd favorite Italian Restaurant in Kansas City, behind you guessed it Anna's Oven. I will give them a 3.95 cannot wait to go back! 

Another Bite of Heaven

Mr. Ref here, this month we went to Bella Napoli, and as I have stated before Italian is my favorite.  Bella Napoli was no exception, I ordered the Calzone and it was very good.  I choose the sausage calzone and the crust was outstanding, as well as all of the fillings.  I cut up some pieces to pass around and everyone seemed to agree that the calzone was very good.  The service was one of the best we have had, and the fact that Bella Napoli is not only a restaurant, but it is also a market store, adds to its unique flavor.  I thought it was very nice and the food was very good, I gave it a 4 out of 5.

Italian tonight

Our club is meeting at an Italian restaurant for our September dine-out. We were all good and blogged, so no mandatory apps this evening. Stay tuned for our reviews. Ciao!

Taqueria Mexico

A few weeks ago, for Grandpa's pick, the All-Stars went to Taqueria Mexico on Southwest Boulevard.  It is a nice restaurant, with good lighting, an open dining area, a jukebox with a lot of music I didn't recognize (Mexican music, I expect), and a friendly staff.

The menu was extensive, which is always a little dubious.  There can't be a chef in the back that has the ingredients for, and can cook from a selection of 50 different dishes for a table of 8 in 20 minutes - it's got to be frozen.  But that doesn't mean it isn't decent. 

I ordered the ceviche, which was very flavorful, and received well by the other All-Stars.  But they only had few bites.  It was never bad, but the flavor became overwhelming halfway through the dish, and I couldn't finish it.  It's like that experiment where they have people try Pepsi and Coke, and people choose Pepsi when they just get one sip, because it is sweeter, but choose Coke when they drink the whole thing.  The ceviche was good, but only for a few sips.

Not a big chips and salsa fan, so I will defer to the other authorities in our group for that.  I am a big margarita fan, and these were good margarita's.  They were tangy, and not too sweet.  And Sara drove home.

I tasted Josh's infamous tongue.  Well, not his tongue, he's my brother.  What's the matter with you?  I tried the cow tongue that he ordered.  First I inspected it, and, in case you have never seen a bovine mouth organ up close, cows have huge taste buds (oh God, I hope those were taste buds).  I pressed the cow tongue firmly against my tongue, feeling the taste buds rub roughly against my own.  He was firm, yet gentle.  I was basically French kissing a cow.  A dead cow with his tongue cut out and sautéed. And I liked it.  I don't know if I was tasting him, or he was tasting me, but we were delicious and tender, and I will never order it for myself.  Let's leave it at that.  We had one wonderful night, but it isn't meant to be. If you love something, set it free, right?  

To finish the night a mariachi band stopped in a played for a bit.  That was fun.  I danced with Luke some, and it was great.  Nice finish to the night.

I give Taqueria Mexico a 3.3/5.

Can I get a Margarita with my Cow tongue?

So what is better than some Mexican food? How about some cow tongue with a delicious margarita to wash it down? Yum yum yum! Now if you can get past what it is you know a cow tongue it is quite delicious! I tried several meals all were very tasty in the grand scheme of things for a Mexican restaurant I can think of only one better in kc... Oh and the music was so much fun as well. I'm looking forward to another visit here to get cheap tacos and margarita I believe on a Tuesday! 3.25 for me

You Want Some Tongue with That?!?

I had just worked an 11 hour day and the perfect solution to my long day was the large margarita sitting in my empty chair!

I had a nice big sip of the margarita accompanied with some delicious chips and salsa. I decided to order what I always order at a Mexican restraunt, enchiladas. They came out just smothered in cheese, yummmm! They were spinach enchiladas.  

They were good, however i wish they would have had some chicken in them... They were a little bland. I then tried Josh's tongue.  Call me weird, but I really enjoyed it!

 I thought it had a lot of flavoring to it :) I give it a 3.2/5

Mexico Taqueria

Mexico Taqueria is a fun little restaurant on SW Boulevard.  They had a wide variety of dishes to try, some fairly authentic, others very Tex-Mex and of course the always popular cow tongue.  Now I was not brave enough order the cow tongue, but Josh did and I had a bit.  Not a bad flavor, but very much like sweet breads, I just couldn't get past the idea, the texture and the freaky little taste buds, kinda like the little sucker things on squid....creepy.

Though I don't remember  the name of what I ordered, it was a nice combination of beef and shrimp with melted cheese.  It was pleasant dish and little different than that I normally order.  However, for me, Mexican food is not about the food it is about the chips, salsa and the margaritas.  Now on my scale of 1 to 10, I would rate the chips and salsa a 7.75.  Not the best, but not too shabby.  Now the margarita's are definitely in my top 3, on any given day they could be number 1.  I would rate the margaritas a 9.5.

My overall rating during the review was a 3.9, however, before we left a traveling mariachi band from Spain stopped in and played.  It was such a delightful surprise and so much fun, I raise my overall rating to a 4.1

Mr. Ref here, this month we went to Taqueria Mexico.  It was Grandpa's choice, he always picks Mexican food, he really likes the refreshments they have there.  Especially the ones "on the rocks" or "frozen" with salt on the rim of the glass.  I ordered a burrito, I usually get this when I go to Mexican restaurants, it was the Grande Burrito and it was not so Grande.  I thought it was rather small compared to other restaurants.  Probably because instead of filling it in across the middle, side to side, and rolling it around the filling, they put the fillings in the middle, folded it on both ends and then rolled it into a burrito.  This meant there was a lot less filling.  It tasted fine but it was nothing to write home about.

I did taste a few other items including the cow tongue that Josh ordered, and the cow tongue was better than I thought it might be.  That doesn't mean is was really good, I just did not expect it to be very good and it was fine, more tender than I thought it would be.

The chip and salsa were really good and I eat plenty of that, plus we ordered the cheese dip and it was very tasty.  The service was outstanding, they always keep the chips and salsa on the table and the glasses filled, without being a bother.  Overall I would have to say it was not on my top ten list for Mexican food, but it is worth a try if you like to try different places to see what you think.  I gave it a 3.25 out of 5.

Did anyone mention the salsa?

Authentic Mexican on the Boulevard!  Well, I don't know about authentic-- but it was authentic enough for this North American.  The chips and salsa were freely flowing at this Taqueria, and very tasty too!  Add a frozen margarita and Wallah!  Who needs an entrée?  There were so many potentially tasty delights that I settled on my Go To Mexican Entrée--quesadilla.  This time I ordered the shrimp quesadilla, just to change it up a bit.  Our waitress vouched for the shrimp and she was right--big, fresh, perfect textured shrimp nestled in a VERY generous portion of melted cheese, had a fine flavor but I definitely missed the peppers and onions.  The spicy salsa helped, but for me the cheese overwhelmed the dish a bit.
I really enjoyed Justin's crevich(sp?)  Never heard of it, never tried it, but I will definitely look for it next time.  What a treat!
Bottom line--this is one Mexican Restaurant that didn't disappoint!  Excellent service--bottomless chips and salsa--solid entrees.  Margarita's are "worth the calories" and after sipping on one or two....or three the Rating Points just keep adding up!
Final Score 4 of 5

Uncle Josh ate what?

Hi everybody. It's me, Luke, back to review another restaurant.

I liked Taqueria Mexico. I ate my carried-in dinner of cheese crackers and lima beans, but enjoyed eating a big portion of my mom's refried beans and rice. I loved the musicians. There were lots of other children and babies in the restaurant, so I felt right at home in my high chair.

Now I'm learning a lot these days, especially the names of body parts. I know nose, hand, foot, belly and mouth. Now I know another body part: tongue. It seems Uncle Josh ordered cow tongue for his dinner. Cows say "moo." Any kid can tell you that. It was a very educational outing.

Taqueria Mexico: Good service, great food and more

The Brothers Ski like Taqueria Mexico!

A few weeks back, the club met up for dinner at Taqueria Mexico on Southwest Boulevard. It was terrific.

We talked in and had the restaurant to ourselves. We were immediately greeted with smiles, followed by chips and salsa, which were tasty and generously refilled. We ordered a few pitchers of margaritas: one frozen, one on the rocks. Both were really delicious: just the right balance of sweet, tart and boozy.

The menu offered lots of options. I tried the Chile Rellenos: stuffed, battered and fried poblano peppers, served with rice and beans. They were very delicious and made for even tastier leftovers the next day. I enjoyed Justin's ceviche very much.

I think we all enjoyed our meals, so the restaurant received high marks. Esmeralda, our server, was very attentive. I gave it a 4/5 stars.

After kicking back after a huge meal, in walked in a band of roving musicians from Spain. They played and sang, which delighted all, especially the children in the restaurant. I hope to go back very soon.

A whole new meaning to the word "tasty"

This evening we gathered at Taqueria Mexico on Southwest Boulevard. My official review will come later. I just wanted to offer a little sample of the evening. Josh, this is for you:

Westside Local

July was a perfect month to visit Westside Local.   We were able to dine outside at picnic tables.  The area had grapevines growing and gardens in the back.   I ordered the BLT.  The sandwich was served on my favorite bread Farm to Market Grains galore, with a delicious tomato jam.  The bacon was also, quite good.   We had a couple of appetizers, mussels which I did not try, but the sauce they were in was delightful and another very good cheese plate.

I tried a couple of other items, Luke's hummus and Justin's lavender infused carrots.  The carrots were by far the best carrots I have ever eaten.  I have even tried to recreate them, with no success.

I give Westside Local 4.1/5.0

Happy Two Year Anniversary, GAS Club!!!

This month is the 2 year anniversary!  So, I did what all engineers do when they want to celebrate: I made a statistical analysis using Excel!!! PARTY!!!!

We have had 22 dinner outings. Here are the superlatives for the core All-Stars (excluding Grandpa):

Favorite Restaurant: Grunauer (4.950 Avg.)
Least Favorite Restaurant: Oklahoma Joe's (3.000 Avg.)
Note: Ratings of guest All-Stars included in this category.  Not all restaurants received the same number of reviews, perhaps to the their detriment or benefit.

Restaurant	Average
Grunauer	4.950
Farmhouse	4.767
Blue Nile	4.500
Anna's Oven	4.457
Pizza Bella	4.200
The Westside Local	4.025
Martin City Brewing Co.	3.950
Happy Gillis	3.950
Osteria Il Centro	3.944
Korma Sutra	3.850
Marakech	3.850
Louie's Wine Dive	3.750
BRGR	3.720
Blue Koi	3.664
Thai Place	3.650
Marco Polo	3.410
Coal Vines	3.340
G's Jamaican Quisine	3.317
BBs Lawnside	3.217
Guadalajara	3.071
Oklahoma Joe's	3.000
Sung Son	No Rating Given

Restaurant Most in Agreement About: Blue Nile (0.000 Review Standard Deviation)
Restaurant Least in Agreement About: BB's Lawnside (1.030 Review Standard Deviations)
Note: Oklahoma Joe's and Sung Son did not have enough reviews to calculate a standard deviation. Ratings of guest All-Stars included in this category.

Restaurant	Std. Dev.
Blue Nile	0.000
Grunauer	0.071
Korma Sutra	0.132
Thai Place	0.212
Louie's Wine Dive	0.238
Farmhouse	0.252
Pizza Bella	0.265
Martin City Brewing Co.	0.283
BRGR	0.303
Marco Polo	0.305
Anna's Oven	0.310
Osteria Il Centro	0.347
Coal Vines	0.383
Guadalajara	0.402
Marakech	0.495
Happy Gillis	0.514
G's Jamaican Quisine	0.609
The Westside Local	0.691
Blue Koi	0.834
BBs Lawnside	1.030
Oklahoma Joe's	N/A
Sung Son	N/A

Most reviews: Sara (20)
Least reviews: Erin (9)
Note: Some reviews did not have ratings.  This category is the total number of reviews, not ratings.  Sara and Beth tied for the most number ratings (17 each), and Justin and Erin tied for the least number of ratings (9 each).

Reviewer	Reviews
Sara	20
Beth	17
Josh	15
Becky	13
Richard	13
Justin	10
Erin	9

We also had 1 review each from guest All-Stars Michael and Porsia.

 

Most Generous Reviewer: Sara (4.153 Avg.)

Harshest Reviewer: Richard (3.404 Avg.)

 

Reviewer	Average Review
Sara	4.153
Erin	3.911
Becky	3.827
Justin	3.756
Beth	3.706
Josh	3.687
Richard	3.404

Most Consistent Reviewer: Becky (0.3903 Review Standard Deviation)

Least Consistent Reviewer: Richard (0.8632 Review Standard Deviation)

 

Reviewer	Review Std. Dev.
Becky	0.3903
Josh	0.4423
Erin	0.5183
Sara	0.5719
Justin	0.7333
Beth	0.7717
Richard	0.8632

 

 

Pre- Appetizer-of-Shame Review Rate: 30.4%

Post- Appetizer-of-Shame Review Rate: 77.6%

Pre- Bernie-of-Shame Review Rate: 60.4% (Overall Review Rate to date)

Post- Bernie-of-Shame Review Rate: ???

Note: The above rates assume each person has attended each outing, which is not the case. 

Westsiiiiiiiiiiide

Last month was my pick, and I chose The Westside Local, at 17th and Summit. This part of town is great with its rolling hills, hidden parks, and great restaurants. So I called for reservations, and when asked if I wanted to sit inside or out, I quickly checked the weather, saw a break in the heat, said a prayer to Gary Lezak (and a few Our Stormys and Hail Breezys), and picked the beer garden.

We brought Luke, and I was grateful that the restaurant was accommodating for our little dude. Happily they sat us at the far end of the garden, where we had a little room for Luke to wander when he got squirmy, and a large fan to drown out his cute squeals as a learns how to cope with impatience, the little stinker (read: annoying screaming, if he wasn't my kid). The restaurants garden was also just through the doorway at our end, so we could take a look and be jealous of how much better their garden is doing than ours - show-offs. Most importantly our corner gave plenty of room for Mom to show us all how to Bernie.

Under the comfort of the pergola, where a huge grape vine -- vine? -- where a huge grape tree roamed with full bunches of grapes, so fantastic in shape and color that I didn't believe they were real until Sara ate one, we started with cheese and mussels from our forgetful (but still dedicated) All-Stars. Great cheese, perfectly cut (heh, heh). Solid on the cheese. Mussels were also terrific, a little kick to them, if I remember, and the broth they were served in was perfect for bread sopping.

The menu selection was satisfactory, especially with it all being local, which I imagine gets some artistic license, because I got the trout, and I am not sure where the nearest trout farm is to KC. But maybe there is one close by. Maybe. The trout was great, very crispy on the outside, not overcooked on the inside, well seasoned. But the best part of my meal was the carrots. The lavender carrots: just-north-of-subtle lavender flavor on these perfectly tender, sweet carrots.

I also had some of mom's BLT, which was great. Good thick bacon, tomato jelly. Lettuce.

I had some of Sara's also, but I don't remember what it was. I think it was good, but I forgot. It was a month ago.

Luke had the hummus plate, which was great. And there were these like-pita crackers that were very good.

For dessert, we had bread pudding, and then we ate Josh's/Erin's/Mallory's bread pudding. It was delightful, especially Josh's/Erin's/Mallory's, suckers.

The service was good, our waitress was attentive and friendly, and didn't make us feel ostracized for bringing a toddler to a nice restaurant. Beer selection was good - like most decent KC restaurants, a healthy line-up of Boulevard, and some other crafts for good measure. Prices were reasonable for a nice restaurant.

Company was great as always. Sad that Grandpa couldn't join us, but special guest Mallory restored the balance. And mom ended the pleasant evening with another Bernie lesson on the street. 

Bonus: the market next door has huge piñatas!!!

I give The Westside Local a 4.7 out of 5. I mean, I wrote about the carrots - the carrots!!!  Justin, you nailed it again... you always do.

I leave you with this from the sage American artist, and apparent Westside Local aficionado, Tupac Shakur:

Throw it up y'all, throw it up, throw it up
Let's show these fools how we do this on that west side
Cause you and I know it's tha best side