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.