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.