Slow is Julian

I stopped into Julian on a beautiful sunny day for a late lunch. The restaurant was empty, but the patio was full! As we were seated, I observed the restaurant is a lovely setting in Brookside. However, I was quickly shocked to see only Ms. Tio herself, and one other staff member serving tables. Tio was in her full chef garb, and I believe that she was quite possibly not only serving, but also cooking. I immediately became nervous that my quick lunch might turn into a ‘slow food movement' experience. By the time the waitress came around to take our drink order after waiting for about 15 minutes, we were ready to order everything. I ordered the house smoked salmon. It was on top of what appeared to be brioche French toast, with a cream sauce and fresh chives. Let me just say that it was worth some of the wait. The fish was delicate and flavorful. Perfect for the light lunch I was hoping for.
My sister ordered a sandwich and French fries. I am a huge fan of crispy fries, but these were burnt. However, her sandwich was also lovely she says.

I am torn. The food was delicious, but an hour and a half lunch for one small plate is not my idea of relaxing. In fact it was quite stressful as we waited and waited to be taken care of. I may give Julian one more try simply because of my dish, but I would advise Chef Tio to either close up and not offer lunch, or staff up to make sure it is a good experience.

$9 for my salmon entrée and iced tea, a good value

3/5 stars

Holy Moly Dog Nuvo!

These are not your college 'quarter dogs' folks! I ordered the Chi-Town dog, basil lemongrass pickle, and bottled water. I really liked the small location. It is clean, and well kept. The whole store has a great street view.

The Chi-town dog was not only BEAUTIFUL but delicious. The bun was soft, the peppers were spicy, the dog itself was fresh, slathered in homemade jelly relish, thinly sliced pickle spears, peppers and teeny-tiny fresh tomatoes. I am certainly a hot dog lover, but these are some of the best of the best. I was staring at the dog hungrily as I drove back to work, and the smells were so good that I had to gobble it up before I even got back to the office.

The pickle is another story. Though the flavors were nice – and different – the brine was overly sweet. Not enough vinegary bite! The pickle was floppy, and somehow too sweet and salty at the same time. I would pass on ordering it again. Some shoestring fries might have been the perfect accompaniment to my dog.

At only $7, it is certainly a good value. I am certain I will be back to try more of the menu!
4/5 stars, but would have been a 5 if I hadn't ordered the pickle!

Eat at the Farmhouse (That's an order!)

My department at I at work went to lunch at the Farmhouse for one of our employee's last group meal with us.  She is going to have a baby!

First, I love the Farmhouse atmosphere.  Although it was 72 degrees out, for some reason they didn't have the patio open.  But when I've eaten on the patio, it has been a great treat in the middle of a long work day.

I ordered the veggie burger today.  It is a homemade burger, filled with white beans and green veggies with aioli and tomato relish on top.  They also make their own ketchup!  That is pretty much my favorite thing about the restaurant.  My only wish is that they learned how to get their fries crispier.  Because the ketchup and fries could constitute their own meal if only the fries were better.  

They typically accompany entrees with a variety of homemade pickled vegetables, but today it was just standard cucumbers.  Still delicious though.

Lunch for six, which included two BLT sandwiches, two veggie burgers, two orders of soup, one side salad, and a corned beef sandwich + tip was $82.  The soup was a white bean and ham in a tomato broth.  It looked delicious and received rave reviews.  I'll have to try the soup next time!

4/5 stars

Jia Joy

We visited Jia Restaurant in Leawood for Chinese takeout after noticing the 100% positive rating on Urban Spoon.  The menu is extensive and covers most Chinese American favorites.  We ordered Lemon Chicken, Kung Pao Beef, Chicken Lo Mein, pork fried rice, and Steamed Dumplings.

The takeout packaging was smart, with my lemon chicken sauce separate from the breaded chicken, which kept the breading nice and crispy.  I was also pleased that they offered brown rice as an option.

My rice was slightly overcooked, and the breaded chicken was more dough than chicken.  However, my guests raved about the Chicken Lo Mein and dumplings.  My little daughter was grabbing lo mein and chicken pieces off that plate.  She clearly likes salty food.  It was hilarious to watch her slurping up the noodles and getting sauce on her chin.  I was very happy to see her actually enjoying food!  We'll have to order that dish more often.

As for the Kung Pao Beef, there were mushrooms in the dish.  The wonderful husband is allergic to mushrooms.  SO, basically I can't tell you whether it was good or not, as he was very nervous to eat it, even with all of the mushrooms removed.  He also noted it wasn't as spicy as he had hoped it would be.

The staff were friendly and helpful.  All in all, I would say it was a good value.  The food was high quality, a step above average Chinese.  I believe we will be back!

3.5/5 stars

Deli Disappointment

Continuing my downtown Deli tour, I visited Market 3 KC today. I don't know what's up with the River Market area sandwich community, but upon entering, I again had no idea where to go to order. Deli owners - put up signs that say "Order Here"! If you don't, your patrons feel uncomfortable. Also, once I ordered, I was uncertain how to proceed thereafter. What I discovered after wandering around a bit, is that aside from the sandwiches, you basically help yourself to everything else you need. Soup is at the end of the salad bar. They will ring you up once your sandwich is complete. It is all quite a bit confusing.

The market is clean, with a large kitchen. The menu is relatively simple.

I ordered a BLT on wheat with cheddar and helped myself to a pint of lentil soup. Also on the menu today were corn and shrimp chowder and a tomato based andouille sausage soup.

The BLT was not particularly special. I hoped for the price to get an herbed aoili or really fantastic bread. But it was fairly pedestrian.

The lentil soup was warm and comforting, but really quite bland. Almost no herbs, lacking in salt, and almost seemed like it was a combination of 50% water/50% vegetable broth. And I found a whole bay leaf in my portion that would have been a horrible surprise if I hadn't seen it before the spoon went in my mouth. Chef, remove the bay leaves! They aren't palatable!  Many of the lentils also weren't completely cooked.  They were harder than al dente.

Sad to say, the highlight of my meal was the iced tea, which was strong and flavorful. And I do love my iced tea. For the money spent, I really found myself wishing I had taken my hard earned money to Happy Gillis in Columbus Park, where I could have spent the same amount for twice the meal.

The market is clean, ingredients are fresh, and the food is filling. However, the chef needs to step up the efforts in terms of flavors and originality.

$14.00 for a BLT with cheddar, a pint of lentil and vegetable soup, garden veggie chips, and a large iced tea.

2/5 stars

Blooming in the Winter

Bloom Baking Co. is probably my worst kept secret. I rave about it everywhere I go. I'm worried that my own ravings won't be enough - as it is rarely busy. However, the cupcakes are fantastic. The large size is the best value in my opinion.

The Berry one is my favorite. Today, I had a light chocolate cupcake with a marscapone based frosting. The frosting was light, and not too sweet - really perfect.

I've tried almost all of the cupcakes, and you can't really go wrong. Out of the probably 15 cupcakes I've tried, probably only one of them was a bit dry. My advice would be to ask which came out of the oven most recently. The macaroons are also lovely.

I also learned today that they are now serving sandwiches! I'll be back soon to try one. Please give this place a visit if you are at the city market for lunch. I would love to see their business flourish. The owners are kind, attentive, and really help educate you on their products and make you feel welcome. And their products are refined, well edited, and delicious.

$19.50 for three large cupcakes and a cappuccino

4.5/5 stars

Blustery Day at Carollo's

It seems that recently I have been attracted to Italian delis. I ordered my favorite menu item - an Italian trio. This time the #1 - Naples style with giardiniera. Carollo's version is probably the most authentic to what I remember receiving in Italy.

I typically order the #2, which is also delicious. The meats are perfect. The atmosphere isn't much, but it is a pleasure to browse the aisles admiring the beautiful tins of olive oil, and drooling over the stuffed peppers, and beautiful italian dessert treats.

Carollo's is probably my favorite sandwich between Pandolfi's and Johnny C's. The staff is quick, efficient and attentive - though not extremely friendly.

It is also a bit unclear how to go about your ordering process. Here's a quick summary - visit the sandwich counter. Get someone's attention and order your sandwich. If you want anything special on it, such as peppers, etc. you need to ask. They won't ask you! All the sandwiches come with Lays potato chips, which they will hand you. Grab an Orangina or San Pellegrino. Then, go ASK FOR A CANNOLI and pay.

You won't be sorry ... my entire meal is affordable, delicious, and a pure delight.

$7.85 for a sandwich, chips and San Pellegrino

5/5 stars