My Top Ten Picks For Kansas City Restaurant Week 2012

January 20^th kicks off the best week of the year to be a food lover (on a budget) in Kansas City.  Restaurant week returns and once again provides an opportunity to eat at some of the best restaurants in Kansas City for just $30.  You will also be making a $3 donation to Harvester’s Food Bank with each meal you enjoy.  This year marks a record number of restaurants participating (although the inclusion of a dozen Popeye’s makes this stat slightly less meaningful).  In order to help you sort out this year’s options, I wanted to give you my top ten picks (in no particular order) for Kansas City Restaurant Week 2012.

The American Restaurant: Kansas City’s only five star restaurant is also the best value of restaurant week.  Take a chance to sit in this incredible dining room and enjoy Chef Gold’s offerings.

Justus Drugstore: My favorite restaurant in Kansas City is run by my restaurant hero.  They are the only one on the list that has not released their restaurant week menu, but I have never had a disappointing bite at this restaurant.

The Majestic Restaurant: Come enjoy a truly unique Kansas City experience.  Live jazz, dry aged steaks, and a selection of over 100 whiskeys.  There really is no other restaurant like it in Kansas City.

Westport Café & Bar: I eat more meals at Aaron Confessori’s restaurants than anywhere else.  The consistency is amazing and their restaurant week menu is a great selection of my favorites.

Nara: Once you have enjoyed all of the steaks and cream sauces on this list, you might need a light option.  Nara is Kansas City’s sexiest Asian inspired restaurant.

Tavern In The Village: This restaurant is setting the standard by which all other suburban neighborhood restaurants are judged.  The service and execution keeps this among my favorites.

Starker’s Reserve: My top pick on the Plaza during restaurant week and the rest of the year.  The classy and elegant dining room is only enhanced by this incredible menu.

Julian: Chef Celina Tio breaks the mold once again by creating different offerings for each night of restaurant week.  Stop in for the meal that appeals to you the most and you will find yourself returning soon.

J. Gilberts: No matter how many years pass, this restaurant still lives up to the standards of the restaurant legend it is named for.  This is an impressive menu and one that won’t disappoint in Overland Park.

Café Trio: This restaurant seems to have found a winning formula year round.  A great menu, friendly staff, and live music have kept this restaurant successful in spite of an often overlooked location.

Those are my top picks.  There are plenty of other great options though.  No matter where you choose, you will be helping out a great organization.  Take advantage of some of these great offerings and try out some new restaurants.  Just remember to take care of your server.

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Weird Restaurant Stories 11/6

This week I ran across an article of particular relevance to this series.  Most of the regular readers know that each week I give an award to the restaurant hero of the week named after Chef Jonathan Justus.  I guess the bad review he received on yelp did not hurt him too much.  His restaurant was recently named the best restaurant in Kansas City by the new Zagat survey.  Congratulations to Justus Drugstore.  What makes it noteworthy in this series is that the byline on the story is the namesake of the restaurant jerk award, Charles Ferruzza.  Worlds are colliding.  With that lets turn to the real news stories of the week.

Read the full post at Restaurant Laughs

The Greatest Customer Complaint Response Ever

Meet Chef Jonathan Justus, your new restaurant hero

I had lunch today with my friends Emma and Senor Esparza.  They ate at Justus Drugstore last night.  Justus is on the outermost outskirts of what could be considered Kansas City.  In the few years that it has been open it has developed a reputation of being well worth the drive.  I personally have never dined there.  A little to pricey for my blood, but after reading what I am about to share you will see why I have never felt a restaurant owner was more deserving of my hard earned tips.

They were telling me about how incredible the food and wine was and how the chef joined them for a glass.  Then Emma full of glee interjected with a story.  She said she had read an incredibly negative review.  As we waited in line at Oklahoma Joe’s for America’s best meal served inside a gas station, she conveyed the details of this complaint.  After coming home and reading it, I can say she did not do it justice (HA! Get it a complaint about Justus Drugstore).  Enough of my puns, here is the review from Yelp!:

Read the full post at Restaurant Laughs