Out and About: Pierpont’s

A couple of weeks ago, my dad and I took a brief trip to Kansas City. We were only there for one evening, and as someone who used to frequent Kansas City, he wanted to make sure he took me out to a proper Kansas City dinner. I didn’t complain, and I’m very glad I didn’t.

After hearing some rave reviews, we decided to make a reservation at Pierpont’s, which has been dubbed the “culinary jewel” of Kansas City. Pierpont’s is located in Kansas City’s historic, and somewhat recently renovated, Union Station. On Sunday evenings, they have a 4 or 5 course “tasting menu”, and we were lucky enough to have stumbled in on such a night. I elected to get the four course tasting.

For the first course, I selected Prince Edward Island Mussels, steamed in a white wine sauce with tomatoes and garlic, and with crusty bread for dipping. My dad ordered the shrimp cocktail, but he was too embarrassed to let me take pictures of his meal.

The second course was roasted red pepper and tomato soup (my dad-t the classic caesar salad) with Parmigiano-Reggiano croutons. I was slightly disappointed by the soup. I’m not really sure why, it just wasn’t what I expected. It was thick, and very smooth though. My dad loved it. Unfortunately, the croutons got very soggy, very quickly.

Next up was my entree, which did not disappoint in the slightest. I ordered the pecan-crusted striped bass which sat on a bed of sauteed spinach and an herbed risotto cake, with a puree of butternut squash and apple cider. Flavor wise, this dish ranks with the greats from Abacus. The pecan crusted bass and risotto cake were both perfectly executed, but the real star was the butternut squash and apple cider puree. If you know how to make it, tell me; I scraped the plate clean. My dad got the roasted chicken lyonnaise, which was also great.

The desserts were incredible, to say the least. I managed to convince my dad to let me take a picture of his, mostly because he knew all to well I would probably end up eating a good deal of it, which I did.

I ordered the milk chocolate and caramel mousse tart, which was indescribably rich, decadent, and wonderful. I think I said the phrase “slice of heaven” multiple times; my father concurred.

He ordered the white chocolate brioche bread pudding with white chocolate ganache and peach coulis, which was flambeed tableside with rum. To be honest, I’d never had bread pudding before, and this is joining the ranks of flourless chocolate cake in my book.

In conclusion, if you’re in Kansas City, go to Pierpont’s. Even if you’re not near Kansas City, take a trip to Pierpont’s. Please? I promise you won’t regret it.

-Mel

P.S. Sorry for the two week hiatus!
P.S.S. Top Chef Chicago started on Wednesday

Out and About: Abacus

Merry Christmas! I hope you have all eaten until your bellies are bursting, I know I have. I’m definitely past the point of having put on a “holiday coat” and am currently into the realm of a “holiday parka.” By the end of the week I plan to be sporting an igloo.

I traveled to Nashville for the week to celebrate Christmas with my family. The food filled time thus far has been documented, but that’s for a later post; however, the night before I left, Johnny and I ventured out to Dallas to eat at Abacus for our own Christmas celebration.

If you’re a Top Chef Miami fan, you may recognize Abacus as the home base for Tre Wilcox; one of the season’s favorite and most talented chefs. Tre was one of our favorites throughout the season (even with the unfortunate bread pudding incident that led to his demise) and he, as well as many rave reviews, promoted us to test the restaurant’s reputation. A reservation is necessary, and ours was made over a month in advance, but I must say the wait was well worth the reward.

The atmosphere within Abacus is upscale without being overly pretentious, and definitely noteworthy. the kitchen is in plain sight and it was not long before Johnny and I spotted Chef de Cuisine Tre(!) hustling about. The wait staff is extremely attentive, and the service immaculate. The menu changes frequently to Executive Chef Kent Rathburn’s liking.

First out was the incredible bread basket.

There were two types of flat bread, a focaccia with carmalized shallots, unbelievably tasty cheddar biscuits, sweetbread with pistachios and pears, and classic french bread. Our waiter warned us you could ruin dinner with th bread basket, and while entirely feasible, nothing could ruin the rest of dinner to come.

Next up was a starter of Abacus’ signature “Lobster Scallion ‘Shooters’”– the only thing on their menu which never changes.

The shooters are comprised of a bit of poached lobster in a wonton. The sauce is a blend of red chile, curry, and sake. The shooters come presented by the chef with the sauce on the side, and he instructs to simply “shoot, then chew.” The sauce is hot, really hot, but it hits the palate with an incredible amount of flavor. The wonton wrapped lobster is perfectly executed, and the flavors and textures marry together to form the most memorable appetizer I have ever encountered.

After such an outstanding starter, it seemed difficult for the entree’s to compare, but they certainly came through in the end. I opted for the seared diver scallops with a black-truffle and celery root puree with a shellfish emulsion. Incredible.

Johnny got the Corvian sea bass over basil gnocchi in some sort of tomato sauce. Another dish that was perfectly executed.

Dessert was the “Godiva Chocolate Soup;” an Abacus favorite. Godiva liqueur mixed with Valhrona chocolate, under an intensely chocolate brownie, topped with chocolate sorbet coated with macadamian nuts, with a wafer cookie and three honey-vanilla homemade marshmallows on top. There are no words.

As if the meal wasn’t perfect enough, we met Tre! After mentioning to our waiter we were big fans, Tre personally presented us with a signed menu and discussed our meal with us. A perfect ending to the perfect meal, and a perfect evening.

Merry Christmas!
-Mel

Out and About: P.F. Changs

On Friday night Johnny and I hit up P.F. Changs after a hankering for Asian food. He ordered the orange peel chicken, and I got the cantonese shrimp with snow peas and brown rice. Due to immense hunger, we forgot to snap pictures of these dishes, but they both tasted fantastic.

The main dishes were good; however, the real star of the evening was dessert.

“The Great Wall of Chocolate”

Six, count them, six layers of chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and chocolate chips in one extra large slice with a raspberry dipping sauce. Two food-filled people could never finish this, right?

…right?

Demolished, destroyed, delicious. That measly piece of cake never stood a chance.

-Mel

Out and About: Bice

So last night Mel and I had dinner at Bice to celebrate our 1 year anniversary!

I had the Shrimp stuffed Monk fish on a bed of spinach, olives, and cherry tomatoes.

Mel had the Chilean sea bass in a butter sauce with baby squash, tomatoes, and olives.

I know it all looks great, but dare I say…it really wasn’t. The Monk fish had absolutely no flavor by itself, and the dish as a whole was washed out by the taste of…olive. Mel’s sea bass was better than my dish, but still lacking. Both were in desperate need of some acidity, and were drowned out by…the olives.

All in all it was a pretty disappointing trip. The bread and water were actually the best part of the meal.

But! Despite the dining disaster, we had a great night. Mel is now the proud owner of a KitchenAid Artisan stand mixer!

Fantastic. Happy Anniversary to us!

-Johnny

Out and About: Brio

Well well. It looks as though we have been absent lately. You must forgive us as we’ve been vacationing in the lush lands of Italy, eating and drinking our way through. Ok not really. But that would have been a sweet excuse!

Last night Mel and I ventured out to Brio to celebrate my birthday. I had my usual Lasagna Bolognese Al Forno (which is the size of a newborn baby) and Mel had her usual Insalata Roma (Wood-grilled chicken, Gorgonzola, haricots vert - “french green beans”, grapes and spicy pecans with Tuscan Italian dressing…and some sort of raspberry vinaigrette that is amazing).

The pictures aren’t fantastic - mainly because it’s embarrassing taking pictures of your food in the middle of a restaurant.

And here is the wonderful German Chocolate Cake that Mel made for me from scratch!

She also got me a personalized chef’s jacket with my name on it. Needless to say, I’ll be wearing it to sleep for the next two weeks.

Happy Birthday to me!

-Johnny

Out and About: Carrabba’s

This weekend Mel and I ventured out to what we consider our “headquarters” restaurant, that is to say, the one that we frequent at the drop of a hat (or moan of a stomach). Carrabba’s is a nice little place with one main dining room, a bar, and a lounge. It’s basically the Olive Garden of the 90’s. The decor is a cozy old country Italian with various signs and plants posing on the walls. Frank Sinatra twiddles along in the background behind a soft hum of the other patrons and the lighting is personalized by a single hanging lamp above the booths and tea cup candles on the table tops.

Sadly, this time our favorite waiter Bob was not on duty. He’s a little old man who I swear stepped straight out of a time machine post marked 1955. He takes great pride in his service and makes you feel like you lived there…or even owned him. He really makes the dining experience. Maybe I’ll smuggle in a hidden camera to capture his essence one of these days.

We had the Minestrone and Tagliarini Picchi Pacchiu with shrimp.

“Fine pasta in a sauce of crushed tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and basil”

Delicious.

-Johnny

Out and About: Ferré

Ferré: “The interior displays an urban-like loft space reminiscent of the SoHo district in New York. Warm light radiates throughout, complementing geometric shapes in furniture and upholstery. An exhibition kitchen featuring a stone-fired pizza oven and open-fire grill is the centerpiece of the restaurant.

The bar/lounge area showcases an urban lifestyle al fresco patio, where an extensive wine list and unusual cocktails prevail. “

I had the Gnocchi with a vodka creme sauce, parsley, roasted pears, walnuts, and ricotta cheese.

For those who don’t know, gnocchi (nyo-key) is Italian for ‘dumpling’. You can read more about it and what it’s made of here.

Overall it was a good dish. A little heavy for a warm summer night, but “aint’ nobody kerr”. The pears really lifted the palate and added a nice acidity. The walnuts were a great contrast to the chewy dough and the ricotta was, well..cheese - and who doesn’t like cheese?

Mel had the fettuccine with shrimp, scallops, and asparagus in a lemon-basil broth. She enjoyed her dish, although she mentioned the seafood could have been a little larger. It was lighter than the gnocchi, and perfect for a summer evening. The potatoes pictured in the background were truffle-infused, and quite good. However we were both expecting a little more of a unique flavor out of them, when they were primarily just high-quality taters.

Ferré is now on the radar for future Italian themed outings. Top it with a blonde fox like Mel and you’ve got yourself a saucy Wednesday night!

-Johnny