Uncle Josh is redeemed

A special note from Luke:

I was very disappointed in my dear Uncle Josh for not ponying up and participating in the appetizer of shame. This dinner club has rules, and he didn't follow them. I'm just a baby but have been told this is wrong.

But on Thursday, my loving Uncle Josh redeemed himself by treating us all to the mother of all appetizer platters at Il Centro. I didn't get to try any of it, but could tell my relatives really enjoyed it.

Thanks, Uncle Josh, for being so generous and a good role model for me.

Get to know the gassies

Time for another thrilling installation. This month's pick went to Beth, so we're spotlighting her in this post.

What is your favorite Kansas City restaurant?
Pierpont's

Of all the restaurants the dinner club has tried, which one would you like to eat again at most?
I've been back to Grunauer twice and the Indian place several times. I'd pick Oklahoma Joe's.

What’s the most delicious dish you tried at a dinner club outing?
Lentils at Blue Nile

What’s the most unique food you’ve ever eaten?
Oxtail

If you could banish any one ingredient or dish from the earth, what would it be?
Coconut

Is there a food that you enjoyed as a child that now you don't like?
No

Is there a food that you didn't like as a child that you now enjoy?
Everything

If you could travel to any country for the sole purpose of eating, where would you go?
Italy

If you could eat dinner with any three people, living or dead, who would they be? 
Winston Churchill, Teddy Roosevelt and Eckhart Tolle

Dinner club meeting this evening

Greetings, blog readers. This month is Beth's pick, and she's selected an Italian restaurant in the south Plaza area.

The club gathers this evening. Stay tuned for our reviews of the mystery restaurant.

Blue Koi: good

Last month, we went to Blue Koi, which is on west 39th St. near Anna's Oven.  It is a Chinese restaurant, and I had duck and noodles.  I really like duck.  It is really fatty, but good fatty, and tender and flavorful.  And Blue Koi did a good job of letting the duck stand on its own, and not using it as a base for something else.  The noodles went well with the duck, and were thick, fat noodles, with a nice sauce.  Unagi.... uuuunnaaaaaagi... uuuuuuuuuuuunnnaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagi.

I was late so I missed the beginning, but everyone saved me some fried tofu which was good with the awesome sauce.  It is really called "awesome sauce".  It is a much more enticing than its former name: "pretty OK sauce" (that one was for you, mom).

By the way I am petitioning the Gastronomical All-Stars for Josh to still deliver an appetizer-of-shame.  Basically, he got to pick an appetizer as punishment for forgetting to blog.  Pick is not the same as pay.

Overall, Blue Koi was good.  The menu selection was good, the food was good, the atmosphere was good, etc.  But it was missing something to make it stand out, something unique to Blue Koi, its own personal El Guapo (one beer to anyone that can name the movie reference - no wikipedia, honor rules).  Blue Koi was good, but a victim of the personal El Guapos of its predecessors.   

I give it a 3.1 out of 5.

Also, one more note for all our crew: tune in next time for a special review. 
On pins and needles, wondering what this could be?  Well, my friends, just wait and see.      

So I was welcomed back to KC by the lovely gas members as it was my turn to choose a restaurant.  I was very excited about getting to choose and although we didn't get to go to my first pick (thanks Josh for not telling me until last minute) it was easy to find a replacement.  I actually found Blue Koi a while ago and was going to take Josh there for his birthday, but chose somewhere else instead.
We walked into Blue Koi and I immediately noticed that the kitchen was in view and you could watch what the cooks were doing, which I think is neat. I did not feel like the restaurant had a "Chinese" feel, however it was a nice environment.  Josh had to buy appetizers, since he was a slacker, although he didn't end up paying for them!! The tofu was DELICIOUS!  I absolutely loved it.  Tofu is always something I want to like, but am never pleased due to the texture.  This tofu was lightly friend and yummy!  I really enjoyed the sauce to dip it in.  We also had pot stickers, which I thought were ok.  For my meal I ordered the Almond Shrimp with Asparagus, without the mayonnaise of course and it was delicious.  I had mine with chicken rather than shrimp.  I LOVED it.  I thought it was very refreshing, the right amount of sweet and spice.  The slivered almonds added a nice crunch to the dish.  I wish there would have been a little more asparagus     
Overall Rating 4.3/5

Back  to the wonderful neighborhood of Anna's Oven, this time to visit Blue Koi.   Blue Koi was a delightful little restaurant, the seating inside was comfortable and the noise level was low enough so that we could visit with each other.   Thanks to Josh, we were able to try a couple of appetizers, though I don't know how well he learned his lesson since his Grandpa paid for them (boo, hiss).  Josh order dumplings and tofu with awesome sauce.  I had a pork dumpling, it was fair, but  not great.  However, that said, the tofu and awesome sauce, was pretty awesome.  The tofu was lightly fried and the dipping sauce was very tasty.   I ordered Almond Shrimp with Asparagus, and a glass of Plum wine.   The Almond Shrimp, was sweet, yet spicy.   I really enjoyed the sweet/spicy combination.  There were plenty of almonds, but the dish could have used mored asparagus.  The wine, was good, but even a little too sweet for me.   I also tried Josh's duck and Justin's noodles.   The duck, even though it was supposed to be very spicy, was not as spicy as my Almond Shrimp.  Justin's noodles were very good.   I enjoyed the Blue Koi and rate it 4.25/5, and look forward to going back some day.

Fusion Smushion--it's Chinese Isn't it?

Blue Koi restaurant sounds like it should be a sophisticated respite on the "right" side of the tracks. This Westport location felt more like a neighborhood hangout that was boisterous and teeming with an energetic, younger crowd.  (Younger than Mr. Ref, anyway--I don't know about me.)  Exposed brick walls,  geraniums on the window sill, and original art don't exactly scream Chinese American restaurant; more like Very Casual Bistro.  Just the kind of place you can feel comfortable and kick back for a satisfying meal that won't pinch the pocket book.  The meals are large enough to save half for your lunch the next day!

I chose the chicken with bean sauce that was served with chunky stir-fried bell peppers and mushrooms with a side of sticky white rice.  Every item on the brief menu piqued my interest.  I was willing to try just about any of the dishes listed, and enjoyed tasting several of my tablemates dishes.  Maybe it wasn't authentic Chinese/Asian/Fusion; but the entrees were full of sugar & spice &  everything nice.  The food was well prepared, tasty, and served hot and fresh at a reasonable price.  As a bonus, the friendly waiter sure made our GAS Club outing was a pleasure.  He indulged every question with a thoughtful answer and never seemed as if he was rushed or irritated.  He seemed to genuinely enjoy serving us and this certainly added to my enjoyment of the evening. 
Rating 4 of 5
P.S.  The leftovers in my lunch tasted just as good the next day!