Long and Winding Road

We were running late and trusting the Garmin (as usual) for the shortest/fastest route to Taco Republic which is located Northwest of the Plaza.  We were really winding our way around through some awesome looking neighborhoods and somehow spilled out onto Countyline Road in Kansas City, KS.  Sounds like a rural area, but it reminded me of Wornall--1960's buildings, busy road, not a lot of character--especially as compared to the lovely neighborhoods we drove through to get there.  But Taco Republic is worth the winding roads.  Taking our seats with fellow Gassies on a long outdoor picnic table, there was plenty of room for the youngsters to play around in the gravel.  I could see the fun was about to begin!

The traffic sound fell away as the conversation became lively (was that after Margarita pitcher #1 or #2???) and later a firetruck stopped at the red light, honked, waved and generally entertained our 3 year old Gassie before the light turned green.  All of a sudden, the busyness of the road just seemed charming!

Started out with some nachos that were clearly first rate and chose 3 tacos.  Was really excited about the Del Mar fish taco, but alas, it tasted very fishy and I couldn't enjoy it.  Loved the S & P tacos and would love to taste several more if I ever find myself in the area again.  Extra points for the creativity of the tacos and...just down the road--an ice cream custard shop.  Another reason to venture out!  Final Score 4 of 5 from Mrs. Ref

Taco Republic

Mr. Ref here, last month we visited Taco Republic and it was a little different, but i liked it.  I had (2) S&P tacos and (1) S&P chicken taco, and I would say the chicken taco was my least favorite, but I did enjoy both of the beef tacos.  One of the things I really liked about Taco Republic was it was out doors, so it allowed the kids to come and we always enjoy seeing the kids.  The chips and salsa was good but not great, but the cheese dip was really good.  So even though the food was back and forth, overall I thought it was good and I gave it a 4 out of 5.

I have been very remiss the last few months, so I am going to try to do a better job blogging. September was Taco Republic and it is a small place with outdoor seating.  We had perfect weather for the outing and Luke and Hazel were able to join us.   The outdoor space provided a nice areaa for Luke to play.

Since Tacos are their main menu items,  I wanted to try several and ordered 3.  One of the tacos, the S&P, was the Tuesday special and was my favorite of the 3 I ordered.   I ate so many chips and appetizers and had a couple margarita's,  I had to take my other two home for lunch the next day. The other two tacos were the tecate barbacoa and the Old school, both good, but not as good as the  S&P.  I give Taco Republic 4.1 and would love to go back, especially if I was in the area.

Hamburger Mary's Why?

Mr. Ref here, last month we went to Hamburger Mary's.  I wasn't sure what to expect because my wife told me it was a cross-dressing establishment, and when we first got there it was fine.  The hamburgers were good, not the best, but not the worst.  The fries were about the same good, not the best, but not the worst.  At this point nothing seemed all that different, there were a couple of cross-dressers and the decor mostly had posters and pictures of films, books, etc. about cross-dressing, gay couples, etc.  But again at this point I knew what type of place it was.  Then as we were finishing up our meal the show began, it was Charity Drag BINGO and it was not your regular BINGO.  They had several different types of BINGO, that on your BINGO sheet represented some type of sexual reference.  And this is when the flaunting began and when it became to flamboyant for me.  At this point I was ready to leave, but Mrs. Ref was wanting to stay a little longer, so we did, for about 2 or 3 rounds of Charity Drag BINGO.  Before Charity Drag BINGO began I was giving Hamburger Mary's a 3.5, but after Charity Drag BINGO I am changing it to a 2.5.  The food was good, but for me, the show was too much.

Hamburger Mary's--Why Not?

Didn't know what to expect as far as atmosphere here.  Is it a gay bar?  A place for transvestites?  I didn't really know.  The place was bright, fairly roomy, and full of movie posters, some of which had risque titles, some even a touch past risque.

Our appetizer plate, courtesy of Erin and Josh, was excellent as far as bar food goes.  Served hot and fresh--if you can say that about fried foods-- with several types of sauce to dip the chicken wings, tenders, fries, and fried green beans (yum!yum!) we slurped them up greedily!  The fired green beans could have served as my whole meal, I liked them that much.

The burger menu has lots of fun names for the different selections; I went for the Rockstar which was topped with smoked gouda and tasted delicious.  The burger was cooked medium - well, just as I ordered it, and still managed to be a little dry, but that was rectified by the sauce and I think it was just a marker of higher quality hamburger meat.  The fries that came with it were not hot, and totally tasteless (not worth the calories), but I tasted the sweet potato fries and they were hot and delish!

The funnest part of the evening started when we were finishing our meal -- it involved a man in an evening gown, a song, and Dirty Bingo.  But I'm not going to give away the details.  Use your imagination.  Or quench your curiosity and visit for yourself!

Mrs. Refs final score 4/5.  Why Not?  It was fun and I got to study a different culture :)

Last month we visited my part of town,  for the first time I got home before anyone else.   Back to dinner, we visited Lorenzo's and Italian Restaurant in Belton.   We had a couple of appetizers, fried ravioli and mozarella sticks, both were very good.   I ordered the seafood ravioli, it was a large portion with big chunks of seafood and a nice seafood bisque for the sauce.   I thought the dish was tasty with plenty left over for lunch the next day.   It came with a rather pedestrian salad and some very fresh, garlic rolls.   I would definitely go back, as the food was above average and a reasonable price.   I give it 3.5/5

Lorenzo's Italian Restaurant

Mr. Ref here, this month was my pick and I picked Lorenzo's Italian Restaurant in Belton.  As I have stated in previous blogs, Italian is my favorite food, I love spaghetti, lasagna, pizza and any type of pasta, so I have picked Italian restaurants a few times.  This month I wanted to pick somewhere other that Westport, the Plaza, downtown or the normal type places we go.  I wanted to see if there are other places around the city that compare to the normal places we like to visit.  Plus I wanted to be able to drive up to the front of the restaurant and be able to park without roaming around for ten minutes looking for a very small spot that looks like it was made for a VW bug and not a normal size car.  Don't get me wrong, I love the quaint little places we go to eat each month and almost all of the time the food is really good and the company is great.  But there has to be some other mom & pop joints around the city that can compete with those type of places.

Quite honestly, Lorenzo's was good, but it did not hold up to our norm.  Mrs. Ref & I, and one other, forgot to blog last month and so we had to provide appetizers for all, we had Fried Ravioli, Mozzarella Sticks & Meatballs.  The Fried Ravioli & Mozzarella Sticks were fine, and I enjoyed them, but they seemed very similar to store bought and not freshly prepared.  However the meatballs were a different story, the meatballs themselves were very good and the red sauce provided was even better.  The meatballs were definitely the best appetizer.  This may sound weird, but for my main dish I had a Philly Cheese Steak sandwich and it was surprisingly good.  It wasn't the best I have ever had but the meat was tender and cooked very well, the onions and peppers were also very good, but there was not nearly enough cheese.  The cheese was good, but for me to make the sandwich perfect it needed more cheese so the whole thing would just melt in your mouth.  I also tried Mrs. Ref's Seafood Ravioli and it was very good and very tasty, and had large chunks of seafood in every bite.  I did like Lorenzo's and I would go back, but I would not make a special trip.  I gave it a 3.5 out of 5.

Family Friendly Neighborhood Restaurant

Ambiance is in the eye of the beholder.  Youngsters love Lorenzo's because there is room to move around and, at least on this occasion, enough privacy that no one is disturbed by toddler antics and the rest of us can enjoy their exuburance!  Probably not a great pick for date night, but if you are looking for an outstanding Italian red pasta sauce and a reasonably priced night out for the fam--Lorenzo's is the place in Belton!


We started with the fried ravioli, mozzarella sticks, and meatball appetizer.  The star of the bunch was the red sauce accompanied by each.  Lorenzo's meat sauce can't be beat.  Great depth of flavor makes this the "go to" selection from the menu.  That being said, don't overlook the seafood ravioli recommended by the server.  Honestly, I was worried that this was going to be frozen pasta cooked from a bag purchased at Costco, but the ravioli was full of big chunks of crab and seafood--very impressive for the cost.  My only disappointment was the edges of the dish were dried out including exposed areas of the ravioli.  Did it sit under warming lights too long?  While our server did a great job servicing our group of 9, perhaps the kitchen struggled with the timing of the pastas.  And let us not forget to mention a crisp, tasty glass of Riesling for $4.50.

Mrs. Refs final score at the restaurant was 3.5/5.0, but on reflection--I think I will move it to 4.0/5.0!

Just the right amount of Char makes the BBQ just perfect!

So what to say about Char Bar? Lets start by saying this is one of the best BBQ joints in KC. That is truly a feat considering the fine BBQ we have here.

To start off as we were walking up I notice this amazing outside place with Bocce and croquet and other lawn games. I stopped and told Erin "Man why can't we ever go to a cool place like this" As I turned the corner and notice this exactly where we were headed too. So it is one of the coolest places to eat at in KC.

Now that is out of the way lets talk about the food I tried just about everything thanks mainly to John ordering the platter that had all their meats and some amazing fries on the side and it was dankedy stankedy good. I had a sandwich was surprise to surprise... Good!

I would recommend Char Bar to anyone that enjoys BBQ or enjoys a good time... or just wants good food!

I will be going back and this time I'm playing BOCCE... Who's coming with?

4.8/5

Char Bar

For the month of June the group met at Char Bar.  A few weeks before Josh and I were in Westport and walked pass this place and commented how cool it looked.  It had not opened, however the fun courts outside were developed.  Little did we know when we heard the place we were going in June for GAS was this place!  When we got there we were so excited to be trying this place, since only a few weeks before we were commenting how when it opened we would love to go.  During this visit we sat inside so did not go out and play, so we will definitely be returning to do that!

So when we arrived we started by ordering drinks.  I was excited to hear they had Boulevards raddler.    It is such a great beer and perfect for the summer.  You can't find it everywhere, so when ever I do I order a few of them! :)

 We started with an order of hush puppies, which were unlike any hush puppy I had ever had and for the better! It was delicious.  It was like a hush puppy/cheesy tot combined!  Yummy!  For dinner I was stuck between choosing the Sweet Caroline, (I mean I am a Carolina Girl) or the CBGB Burger.  I asked our waiter (who by the way was awesome) what he recommended and he said the CBGB.  It was ground smoked brisket with smoked gouda, smoked bacon and caramelized onions on an egg bun.  Boy was it GOUDA! I had never had ground brisket which was made into a patty.



Next time we go, which will be soon I hope, Josh and I decided we are going to go with what John ordered and get the big daddy platter!

For what you get you really can't beat the price.  We have said we would love to go back with some friend and order this, some appetizers and drinks and just all split it!

I was really impressed with Char Bar.  The atmosphere, wait staff and food was all phenomenal.  I give it a 4.9/5.

A hunka hunka burnin' love at Char Bar

June's dinner selection went to my parents, who picked Char Bar in Westport. Way to go, Mom and Dad!

I had vaguely heard of Char Bar, but it must have been the catchy name. I had no idea what to expect. Hazel and I walked up from the north, and first saw a huge outdoor space with bars, tables, porch swings and happy people playing croquet and bocce on a lovely Missouri summer evening. Amazing!

We sat inside, being a large group. Service was excellent. I had a Boulevard raddler of sorts, and it was refreshing. I ordered the jackfish sandwich, and it was delicious. Full of large chunks of -- what's that, crazy Asian fruit! -- spicy jackfruit with avocado and cucumber. My side was a tasty and different carrot/golden raisin slaw. The hush puppies are a stand out too--wow. Just wow. Go and try them.

I sat right next to my dad, who ordered the largest platter of meat I've ever seen. (No, he didn't eat the whole thing despite some jokes from the waiters.) Everything I sampled from his platter was tasty. I think Char Bar can give the old BBQ standbys a run for their money.

Now to dessert. They offer a concoction called the Velvet Elvis: banana bread-peanut butter ice cream sandwich, spiced walnuts, bananas, cracker jacks, hot fudge and whipped cream topped with a bourbon-soaked cherry. I ordered it, because, come on, Elvis is awesome and you only live once. It was stupendous and fun to share. I probably wouldn't order it again, being just so big and full of stuff! But what an experience. That's livin'.

I can't wait to go back to share Char Bar with Justin, who didn't make the outing. Let's go, like, tomorrow.

My score: 5/5 stars. Perfect.

Char Bar

For the month of June, the group decided John and I should pick.  I must admit we felt a little pressure and had many discussions as to where to go.  We were told about Char Bar and it sounded interesting.  Reviews found on the web were favorable.  I found their website and immediately fell in love with their retro mural. 

When we arrived we were greeted immediately and offered many seating options for our group. That was a tough decision for outside looked great but we decided to eat inside.   The tables were roomy and the booths were incredibly spacious.  The mural filled an entire wall.  We decided to get a beer while waiting for them to get our tables together.  The beer list was incredible.  From craft beers, to Belgium beers to old time brands like Hamm's and Stag, they had it all.  We ventured outside and it was amazing.  There was croquet, bocce ball and more.  It all looked so entertaining.   

We sat down and our waiter was there immediately to offer suggestions and answer any questions we had.  We decided to try to hush puppies for an appetizer.  I have never had a hush puppy like this before.  It was out of this world - so delicious stuffed with cheese.   For entrees, I ordered the Sweet Caroline and John decided on the Whomp Platter.  My sandwich was very tasty and I would definitely order it again.  The chicken was delicious and even the bun was very good.  The Whomp Platter was huge.  Many of us were able to sample the different meats with this platter.  It could easily feed several people.  It came with a couple sides and a bucket of sweet potato fries.  Those were some of the best sweet potato fries I have ever had.  Throughout dinner, our server checked in with us as well as others.  I think some were checking to see if John was going to eat the entire platter.  Needless to say, we had leftovers for a couple days and they were still delicious. 

We would definitely recommend this restaurant.  It was fun, the wait staff was wonderful, and the food was great.    On the news today, I heard Times magazine listed Kansas City No 1 for barbeque.  They also mentioned Char Bar as a new place to go.  I would have to agree with them.  We will definitely go back.  I think we initially scored it 5/5 but since no one is perfect, we will have to give them a 4.9/5

Blue Grotto

I did the honors last month, and the pressure was on. My last pick in July 2014 was pretty bad. But that's in the past.

I wanted to redeem myself by treating the Gassies to a nice dinner, so I chose Blue Grotto in Brookside. I ate there when Justin and I first moved back to Kansas City (with Becky and Beth, perhaps a foreshadow for the dinner club to come).

Blue Grotto is in lovely Brookside, and the space is hip and dramatic. We were seated at a large table on a catwalk, with a view of the bar to one side and the open kitchen/pizza ovens to the other.

I owed the group an appetizer, so I picked the smoked salmon. It was great. The cheese sampler was too, and the other (spinach artichoke dip, maybe?). I had a tasty reisling.

My sausage pizza was very good. I enjoyed sampling the other pizzas, and I think Josh's bacon/pepper one was one of the best.

On to service--it left a lot to be desired. Our server was friendly at first, if a little slow. She seemed busy with a private party. As the evening wore on, she was nowhere in sight. It took 30 minutes from the time I finished my pizza for us to pay the check. I try to be sympathetic with a busy waitstaff, and it's possible it was just bad timing.

A few pluses: The leftover pizza was better than the first night. Hazel got hungry so I nursed her on a comfy couch, underneath a skylight with a view of some nice art. It was like they put that couch there for me! That gets a few extra points in my book.

Blue Grotto got a 4 stars from me, though the service issues brings it down to a 3.25. I would go back, though maybe it would be instead for a few glasses of wine and some delicious appetizers.

I will say that despite a few disappointments, I had a wonderful time with the family. We ate, drank and were very merry, so what more could you want?

Blue Grotto is a fun pizza place in Brookside.  It is a modern venue and we were seated in a somewhat private area, upstairs where you were able to watch then make the pizza. We had several appetizers and they were all very good, especially the smoked salmon. The pizzas were good, I tried several and they were all tasty.  Mine was prosciutto and fig pizza, that was a little salty, but still very good and tasted better warmed up the next day.   The jalepeno pizza was my favorite, just the right amount of heat.

I also enjoyed a nice glass of Riesling and then a walk over to Foo's for ice cream top off a wonderful evening of food, family and friends.  3.8/5

Pizza Pizza

So we went to a lovely little Pizza bar called Blue Grotto. I love my Pizza and this place did not disappoint. It was in Brookside a lovely little area and the place was amazing a really cool overview from our seats and we were secluded yet around everyone it was very nice. Now I tried every Pizza and I have to say my Jalapeño and Bacon was by far and away the best Pizza there. Coming in 2nd Sara's Pizza. I really did enjoy all the Pizza's, but why are pizza places so expensive? its honestly the only reason that would make me hesitant to go back. However I ave heard they have a grey happy hour so maybe i will try that. Either way it was great for what it was. 4.0

Blue Grotto

In May the crew met at Blue Grotto.  As always, Josh and I arrived early and before everyone.

While we waited for others to arrive we admired how cute and modern the restaurant was.  We sat upstairs in a private little area, where we could overlook the bar area.

When the group arrived we all started the process of ordering drinks. I started by ordering a glass of Sauvignon Blanc Carmenere.  There were a variety of appetizers ordered, including: Smoked Salmon, Cheese Platter and Spinach Artichoke Dip. I am not a huge fan of smoked salmon. however I did try it and it was pretty good for what it was. The cheese platter and artichoke dip were both delicious! We then ordered our food.  I was torn between ordering the gnocchi or a pizza.  I decided to go ahead and go with a pizza, since this was a pizza place.  I was glad I didn't get my heart set on the gnocchi because come to find out, they didn't have it that night?  I was torn between what pizza to order, but I finally decided on the Meatball Pizza.  We waited for a bit for the food to come, but when it came we dove in!  My meatball pizza was, okay. I don't know what I was expecting, but it was a little different then what I got.  To me, it didn't have any special taste to it.

I ended up trying a piece of everyones pizzas.  I tried: Cheese, Prosciutto and Fig, Bacon & Jalapeño, Quattro Stagioni,  and Salsiccia.  My favorite in order were: Bacon & Jalapeño, Salsiccia, Cheese, Meatball, Prosciutto and Fig and Quattro Stagioni.  The Bacon & Jalapeño was great. It had a ton of flavor and great tastes.

I ordered another glass of wine, this time going with the Riesling.  Being able to go over and get Foo's after dinner made this place even better! :) I give Blue Grotto a 3.5/5.

Cool Vibes

Blue Grotto is one of those places that is warm and inviting and has a cool vibe.  This evening, the All Stars nabbed a long table in a semi-private area on the balcony.  Could barely decide what to order because the menu is full of great sounding choices.  My memory of the fig pizza I had tasted there in the past left my mouth watering for another!  This time, however, instead of Pizza Nirvana, the taste of salt was overbearing.  Several of us ordered this pizza and had the same trouble; certainly left me wishing I would have gone for the risotto!  

Some of the other pizzas fared better, so perhaps just a bad night.  It did seem busy for a Thursday night and there was another large group in the balcony, so perhaps the faux pas committed by our waitress can be attributed to fatigue.  

I greatly enjoyed the appetizers, especially the cheese plate--thanks to our Non-bloggers last month! I may have been a little disappointed in the pizza I was anticipating would bring my tastebuds joy--but I love Blue Grotto and expect there will be a next time.  This visit 3.5 of 5 stars from Mrs. Ref.

Blue Grotto

Mr. Ref here, we went to the Blue Grotto this month and I was looking forward to pizza.  Pizza is one of my favorite meals.  I got the Salsiccia pizza, which has sausage, tomato, peperonata, oregano and mozzarella.  It was good, but it was not great, I have had better pizza at several different places.  What I liked the best was the crust and I did think it was very good.

What I also liked, besides the company, was the decor and just the overall way the inside was setup.  We had a table on the mezzanine, which allowed us to see the entire restaurant, plus we could watch our pizza's being cooked.

The service was good, but not great, we did have trouble getting one of the meals, not sure if they forgot it or it was just running late.  There was some confusion on splitting up our checks, although we did get everything straightened out.  And it did take a long time from the time we sat down until we were ready to leave, the serve was pretty slow.

Even though I would go back, if Mrs. Ref wanted to, I gave it a 3.25 out of 5.

Blue Grotto

In May, we visited the Blue Grotto for our monthly outing.  The décor was great and we had a great secluded area for our table of 9.

Apparently this restaurant is well known for its wood fired pizza.  I saw Gnocchi on the menu as one of its entrees.  I was more in the mood for that than pizza so I ordered it.  John ordered the meatball pizza.  After some time, the waitress came back and stated they were out of the Gnocchi.  What - there are only 3 entrees on the menu and you are out of it?  Quickly, I perused the pizza options and ordered the Quattro Frommagio pizza.  The pizza was nothing to really brag about.  It was simply okay. 

We did not feel the service was very good.  The really disappointing part of the evening was the bill.  We told the waitress we wanted separate checks and she said she would put all the orders together and separate them later.  It took quite some time to get our bills (we only needed 5 separate ones) and she made it much more difficult than necessary.

After driving home, we discussed our ratings for this restaurant.  We felt our initial rating was too high.  We both agreed on 3/5. 

Danny's Big Easy

Last month was Mom's pick, and she chose Danny's Big Easy at 18th and Vine.

I had never been to 18th and Vine, and it seemed pretty cool, though slow on an early Thursday evening.  The food at the restaurant was very good.  I had crawfish etouffee.  It was good.

A band was playing that night.  They were fun to listen to, and toward the end of the night, people had even started dancing, and more and more people came in.  However, the music made it very difficult to talk to the other All-Stars, and that was disappointing, and a part of Dinner Club that I missed. 

Danny's was good, the music was good, the food was good.  Nothing spectacular, but solid.  But the music was a bit much for a group dinner.  I give it a 3.

N'ARLENS

Now lets start off by saying that Cajun food is proof that God loves us and wants us to be fat. I mean honestly if he didn't why would he make Cajun food taste so DAMN GOOD?

As Erin mentioned 18th and Vine has been a place we have both wanted to go to to listen to Jazz and have drinks so this was the perfect opportunity for us. We get there and thanks to John and Linda we are finally not the first ones there. We order a few drinks and so that we are not beating a dead horse I will say it only once the Service was SLOWWWW... Now I wouldn't say it was bad service she was super friendly it just seemed like everything took forever and I was starving as I was saving my caloric intake for the day for this meal.

When we got the food I had an awful hard time trying to decide what I wanted Crawfish? Étouffée? Jambalaya? How could I go wrong? Well I didn't I picked wisely! I chose Étouffée for 2 reasons. 1. I feel its that perfect balanced between Jambalaya and Gumbo. 2. It is super fun to say go ahead say it to yourself Étouffée! See that was a lot of fun wasn't it!

Well it did not disappoint it was very good and lasted about 2.3 minutes before I had slurped it all up. The hush puppies were good as well, which is something I always want but rarely ever get (Thanks Erin) and the side of jambalaya was just heaven. In fact all of the food I ate was very good even Erins Fried Shrimp wasn't as bad as she made it out to be its really hard to mess up anything fried... Yeah it wasn't great but only because there was much better food on the table. Now I have to be honest it was not the best Cajun food I have ever had, honestly not even close as you know I have been to N'Arlens. But like the Famous words of Grandpa There is only 3 types of Margaritas Good ones Fantastic ones and Great one, well that applies to Cajun food as well.'

The band was good I really wanted to have more of a jazz feel trumpets or at least a sax but it was fine, with our group I wish we could have been in the back of room instead of front, but I knew what I was getting myself into before I signed up.

Overall I gave it a 3/5 Would go back with Erin for the music but to just eat Cajun food I would recommend Jazz or moms homemade Jambalaya and I said I wouldn't bring it up again but I lied the service was not up to par and that really puts me off to a place.

Big Easy

So, I must admit I am embarrassed how long it has been since I last blogged, but was not going to forget this time!  For April the Gas Club met up at Danny's Big Easy down on 18th and Vine.  I was really excited to head that way, Josh and I have been talking about visiting that area for quite some time.  When we arrived I really liked the feel of the place.  There was great art on the walls and really felt like a homey place.
We got the night started with ordering drinks, which I decided to keep it simple and just get a beer.  I was a little surprised how long it took for us to get our drinks.  Once everyones drinks got delivered, I realized she had forgotten mine so I had to wait for an additional 5 minutes.
When deciding what to eat I went back and forth between a few things and narrowed it down to Pasta Jambalaya and Fried Shrimp Platter.  I was leaning more towards the pasta, however when Mr. Ref asked the waitress about it and I heard her description I changed my mind and went with the fried shrimp.  I must say, I was rather disappointed with my decision.  To me, the shrimp were nothing special.   I enjoyed the hush puppies and jambalaya that it came with, however was not impressed with the shrimp.  When I tried the pasta I immediately regretted my decision.
I loved the music, although it was a little difficult to have table talk that is what I expect with a live band.  I think this would be a fun place to possibly go again to listen to music and have a few drinks, maybe order an appetizer.  My overall score was a 3.25/5.

Danny's Big Easy

John and I joined the group and were excited about the Cajun food.  The atmosphere of the restaurant was great.  We really enjoyed it and loved the band.  However, there was no way to have a conversation and that adds so much to a great dinner.

John ordered a catfish dinner and I had the shrimp poor boy.  It seemed to take a long time to get our food and it was not all brought out at the same time.  The best part of both meals was John's side order of jambalaya.  It was fantastic. 

As I mentioned before, the atmosphere was great and we loved the music.  However if you want to go somewhere and have a dinner conversation, go early or elsewhere. 

I think we gave it a 4/5

Danny's Big Easy

Mr. Ref here, well this month we went to Danny' Big Easy.  It is New Orleans style food, so I was looking forward to some Cajun cooking.  I have been to a few different Cajun style places in town, over the years, and one thing I have noticed is they are all a little different.  Usually my favorite thing to try is the Jambalaya, and by trying the same thing I can kind of compare the taste and quality of the food.

To start, I really like some of the decor, they had several pictures on the wall, some of famous people that have visited the restaurant and some painted pictures that I really liked and definitely thought went with the theme of New Orleans.  They also had a band that played and they were really entertaining, however for my preference, being with my family, it was too loud and we were not able to continue our conversations.

Now to the food part.  After reviewing the menu I asked the waitress about the Jambalaya and exactly what types of meat were in dish and if it was a red or brown Jambalaya sauce.  She told me the information, however when I received my dish I realized she was incorrect.  That told me she was not familiar with the prepared food.  It was fine because it was better than what she had indicated, but someone else was wanting to order the same thing and did not because of the misinformation.  The Jambalaya was very good and was the one saving grace for the experience.  For me it was the perfect amount of spice, the Jambalaya red sauce was very tasty and the sausage, chicken and shrimp were all good.  I very much enjoyed my Jambalaya, but the rest of the experience was just okay, excluding the great conversation with the family.  I gave Danny' Big Easy a 3.25 out of 5.

Danny's Big Easy

We had a great group tonight at Danny's Big Easy and greatly enjoyed our Guest Gassies tonight!.  Our large group may explain the slow service we received; but who cares when we have plenty of great company and a talented band singing about 18th and Vine while crooning the classic "Kansas City"!  The beers were flowing, and I wanted to try a real New Orleans drink--The Hurricane!  Tasted like a delicious fruit punch, but didn't pack much of a punch (except to my pocketbook at $9.00 for a few slurps through my straw).  

My first bite of Big Easy food was Mr. Ref's Jambalaya Pasta--mmm, mmm delicious!  Lovely nuanced flavors mixed in with chicken, sausage, and shrimp for a perfectly balanced bite!  A taste to remember.  I chose to order the shrimp creole which was suitably spicy, but strangely sweet.  The sauce lacked subtlety, and reminded me of tomato paste, sweetened with  a tablespoon or so of sugar.  Served over chewy rice, it filled me up quickly but lacked style.  Becky's stuffed catfish was fabulous with flavor and Grandpa's hot, crispy french fries were some of the best I've ever tasted.  Some of the other traditional creole dishes fell flat.

Just when I was inspired to get up and swing with the band, it was their break time and Gassies chance to pay the check and make our way home.  Danny's Big Easy stands out for it's cool location and diverse crowd (by the time we left the place were nearly full of band lovers!) and the hour it took to get that Hurricane!  Final score from Mrs. Ref 3.5 of 5.

Westport Cafe. I sure can pick 'em.

Last month was my pick, and I sagely chose Westport Cafe.  It was a great pick, really exemplary.  Top notch.  What foresight!  Let's just say, if I was the Portland Trailblazer's GM in 1984, I would have picked Michael Jordan instead of Sam Bowie.  That's the kind of picker I am.  And Westport Cafe is the restaurant version of Jordan.

I got the filet mignon, which came with a mushrooms and savory bread pudding.  The steak was perfect, and the sauce meurette was great with it.  The mushrooms were like the Jordan flu game - unbelievable.  The bread pudding was drier than I expected - maybe it was supposed to be that way, but I thought bread pudding was supposed to be more moist.  Didn't matter, it was basically a loaf of some of the most delicious stuffing I have ever had.  I also had bits and pieces of other people's meals, and they were all great, but I particularly loved the curried carrot soup.

The feel of the place was great.  It was energetic and casual.  There was a general din, but it was easy to hear everyone in our group.  Our waitress was anonymously wonderful.  The cost was appropriate for the quality of food and atmosphere.

I thought it was great.  Let's just hope they don't go all Wizard's or White Sox Jordan on us.  4.9/5.0 (I might have given it a 5.0 at the restaurant). 

Westport Cafe

We visited Westport Cafe in March and the name cafe brings to mind, more burgers, salad, cottage cheese and green jello.  Westport Cafe is nothing like that.   I have never traveled abroad, but believe cafes in Europe may be similar, small, dark, and incredibly amazing food.

I only tried a couple of the dishes, I had order trout and it was delicious, but better yet was the Char that my dad had ordered.  It was the 2nd best fish I had ever eaten right behind the red fish I had in New Orleans.

I felt the restaurant was a little small and cramped, but I would go back in a heartbeat.   I felt for the quantity and quality of food it was well priced. I give a 4.8/5.

Westport Cafe & Bar

Mr. Ref here, it has been awhile since I have blogged.  Actually, it has been awhile since any of us have blogged.  We took some time off from our monthly family gathering to increase the size of the family.  Welcome Hazel!!!!  We have already had some great times with Hazel and the rest of the family during the holidays and are really looking forward to the spring and summer months ahead.

Last month we went to The Westport Cafe and Bar.  If I am being honest, I really do not remember the experience very well.  I do remember I had the Bar Steak sandwich, as usual I cheated and had to look at the menu online.  I do remember that the sandwich was good, but I did not feel it was great.  I thought since it was a prime rib beef sandwich, with horseradish cream sauce, that I would love it and that is probably why I was a little disappointed, because I did not love it.  I think the waitress did a really good job and the decor was nice.  I gave it a 3.25 out of 5.

Oui! Oui! Westport Cafe

Now that I have exhausted my French with the above title, I will endeavor to use English to express my intense satisfaction with this outstanding establishment.  Our waiter delighted us by bringing out a lovely cheese plate to share--free of charge.  (I think an expatriate had gotten lost on his way to the bar...or the wait staff couldn't locate him in the cavernous space...or maybe it just dropped on the floor and they could see we would be happy to scoop it up and gobble down every morsel!  In any event, it was the right way to start off our dinner as we sipped red wine purchased by Becky and Grandpa.

I had braised chicken with rosotto that was delectable!  But honestly, it was the fennel soup that earned my admiration.  It still calls out to me in my dreams and I can't wait to return and order a bowl of my own.

The Westport Cafe delivers on atmosphere, food, service and drink.  Don't know what more could be asked--except--Why is it so small?  They could pack a restaurant twice the size!  Final score 4.5 of 5.