by Sharm | Oct 3, 2014 | Articles
Kansas City Restaurant Week organizers are pleased to announce three local charitable partners as beneficiaries of 2015 Kansas City Restaurant Week. The donations raised during the 2015 event will benefit BoysGrow, Children’s Center for the Visually Impaired and Cultivate Kansas City. The Kansas City Regional Destination Development Foundation and the Greater Kansas City Restaurant Association Education Foundation, will again receive a portion of the donations, as well.
Kansas City Restaurant Week returns Jan. 16–25, 2015, for its sixth consecutive year. Founded by the Kansas City Convention & Visitors Association (KCCVA) and the Greater Kansas City Restaurant Association (GKCRA), the annual metro-wide dining event currently has 94 restaurants enrolled, the most ever at this point in the planning stages of Kansas City Restaurant Week.
2015 Kansas City Restaurant Week Beneficiaries
BoysGrow (www.boysgrow.com) – Founded in 2010, the mission of BoysGrow is to teach entrepreneurism to urban male youth in the Kansas City area through farming and agriculture. The organization operates two working farms maintained by male youth, ages 13-16, from throughout the metro. Participants use fruits and vegetables grown at the farms to create products such as ketchup, salsa, barbecue sauce and hot sauce to be sold in local restaurants and food stores.
Children’s Center for the Visually Impaired (www.ccvi.org) – Founded in 1952 in the basement of an area church, CCVI has grown to serve more than 300 children annually from birth to age eight in the Kansas City metro with visual impairments. The center offers programs for children and their families including a food program designed to teach children with visual impairments positive eating habits, leading to the development of good health and positive social skills.
Cultivate Kansas City (www.cultivatekc.org) – Founded in 2005, the organization works to grow food, farms and communities for a healthier local food system in the Kansas City area. Beginning in 2015, Cultivate KC will take ownership of Beans&Greens, a program to provide incentive to those receiving government assistance to shop at local farmers markets. The program matches dollar for dollar EBT, SNAP or other assistance-program monies spent at farmers markets, allowing low-income families to effectively double their budget when purchasing healthy, locally produced items as well as bringing new customers to local farmers.
Kansas City Regional Destination Development Foundation – Administered by the Kansas City Convention & Visitors Association, the foundation focuses primarily on the identification, development and advocacy of tourism products in Kansas City and its surrounding communities. The KCRDDF oversees the Heartland Tourism Ambassador training program and provides career development opportunities in tourism, with specific interest in at-risk populations, including youth, minorities and seniors.
Greater Kansas City Restaurant Association Educational Foundation – Administered by the Greater Kansas City Restaurant Association, the foundation seeks to promote the restaurant industry in the greater Kansas City area by offering scholarships to students pursuing a career in the hospitality industry.
Announcing the new charitable partners also sees the departure and a fond farewell to Harvesters – the Community Food Network as the beneficiary of the first five Kansas City Restaurant Week events. Due to the tremendous support of Kansas City and visiting diners, nearly a half-million dollars was raised for Harvesters over the course of the last five years. This amount translates to nearly 2.5 million meals provided to the hungry in Kansas City.
About Kansas City Restaurant Week
Kansas City Restaurant Week (KCRW) is KC’s premier dining event founded by the Greater Kansas City Restaurant Association and the Kansas City Convention & Visitors Association in an effort to support the regional restaurant community. 2015 marks the sixth year for the 10-day dining event, spotlighting KC as one of the country’s premier dining destinations. Each year, KCRW partners with local charities to raise funds for deserving causes. In 2014 alone, the 133 participating restaurants raised nearly $260,000, boosting the event’s five-year charitable total to more than $750,000. For more information, visit KCRestaurantWeek.com, become a fan on Facebook at Facebook.com/KansasCityRestaurantWeek, or follow on Twitter at @RestaurantWeek.
by Sharm | Sep 22, 2014 | Articles
Winter is coming! So get out and enjoy an appetizer and refreshing cocktail at the many restaurants at Park Place, where you’ll find outdoor patios to enjoy this beautiful fall weather we are having!
Nowhere else in the metro can you find such a plethora of delicious, right-priced small bites and cocktails all within a 5 minute easily walk-able radius.
The choices are truly mouthwatering, and the prices are equally irresistible:
Split a plate of pork belly corn dogs with your date (2 for $6) at 801 Chop House and wash them down with a glass of red wine sangria ($7).
Go to Burgerfi any Wednesday, order two glasses of wine and get the rest of the bottle free.
Ingredient offers bottled beer for $3 and drafts for just $2, with a selection of $5 appetizers like Calamari.
If it’s a well-crafted cocktail you crave, check out Mestizo Margaritas on Mondays.
Try Carma’s Marsala Chicken Flatbread for just $6.
RA Sushi offers select sushi, appetizers and tapas for $3.29 to 8.99, with select beer, sake, wines, and cocktails for just $3.95 to $8.00.
The choices go on and on with attractive specials like like $2 off wine and cocktails at Parisi, $1 Oysters at the bar at 801 Fish and $3 pub snacks like Maytag Blue Cheese Potato Chips and all draft beers for just $2 at Pig and Finch.
Click here to download and print a listing of the happy hours or view a complete list below.
801 Chophouse
Mon-Fri: 4-6pm
Prime Rib Sliders (2 for $6)
Oysters on the Half Shell (3 for $6)
Pork Belly Corn Dogs (2 for $6)
Red and White Wine by the Glass ($7)
The “Troon” ($7)
Red Wine Sangria ($7)
Boulevard Wheat Draft and Stella Draft ($5)
801 Fish
Every Day 4-6pm
$1 Oysters (in the bar)
Select Domestic Beers ($3.95)
Specialty Cocktails and Wine ($5.75)
*BurgerFi
Tues-Thurs
Tues & Thurs: $2 PBR
Wed: Buy 2 Glasses from the Robert Mondavi Wine Selection, Receive the Rest of the Bottle Free
*Carma
Mon-Sat: 3-6pm
Beef Sliders, Mussels ($6)
Pesto Ravioli, Toasted Ravioli, Meatballs, Eggplant, Calamari ($4)
Black and Bleau Flatbread, Sweet & Spicy Shrimp Flatbread ($7)
Marsala Chicken Flatbread, Margherita Flatbread, Proscuitto Flatbread ($6)
House Wines, Sangrias, Pineapple Martinis, Well Martinis/Cocktails ($5)
Draught Beer ($3)
Domestic Bottles ($2)
*Gordon Biersch
Mon-Fri: 4-7pm
Sun-Mon: 9-11pm
Tues-Thurs: 9pm-Midnight
Fri-Sat: 10pm-1am
Gordon Biersch Beers 21oz ($4)
Signature Handcrafted Cocktails ($5)
Premium Select Wines ($6)
Appetizers priced ($5/$7/$11)
*Ingredient
Mon-Fri: 5-7pm
Appetizers ($5)
Wine ($4)
Beer Bottles ($3)
Beer Drafts ($2)
*Mestizo
Mon-Fri: 4-7pm
Mon-Fri: 10pm-close
Well Drinks ($3)
Select Shots ($3)
Wine by the Glass ($3 off)
Daily Drink Specials:
Mon: Draft Beers ($2) and Mestizo Margaritas ($3)
Tues: Wine, Beer, Tequila Flights and Specialty Drinks (50% off)
Wed All Day: Bottles and Quartino’s (50% off)
Thurs: Bottled Beer and Tequila Flights (50% off)
Fri: Select Specialty Drinks (50% off)
*Parisi Café
Mon-Thurs: 5-7pm
Sunday Open-Close
Cocktails & Wine ($2 off)
Beer ($1 off)
*Pig and Finch
Mon-Fri: 3:30-6pm
Sat-Sun: 2-6pm
Pub Snacks – Maytag Blue Cheese Potato Chips, Bacon Marmalade, Pretzel Bites, Fried B&B Pickles,
Pork Belly Sliders, Hummus Plate ($3)
All Draft Beer ($2 off)
Select Premium Red & White Wine ($6)
Well Drinks ($5)
Blueberry Vodka Lemonade, Pig Martini, Finch Martini ($6)
*RA Sushi
Mon-Fri: 4-7pm
Mon-Sat: 10pm-Midnight
Sun: 8pm-Midnight
Select Sushi, Appetizers and Tapas ($3.29-$8.99)
Select Beer, Sake, Wine and Cocktails ($3.75-$8)
Featured Wine Selection
Edamame
Cucumber Sunomono
Salmon Nigiri (2 pc.)
Shrimp Nigiri (2 pc.)
Avocado Roll
Seaweed Salad
Tuna Nigir (2 pc.)
Yellowtail Nigiri (2 pc.)
Spicy Shrimp Roll
California Roll
Spicy Salmon Roll
Vegetarian Roll
Pork Gyoza
Pineapple Cheese Wontons
Tootsy Maki
Spicy Yellowtail Roll
Crunchy Calamari Roll
Shishito Peppers
Spicy Sesame Chicken Wings
Chicken Yakitori
RA Tapas:
Garlic Citrus Yellowtail
Crispy Onion Albacore
Salmon Carpaccio
Seared Tuna
Shrimp Tempura Roll
Crispy Spicy Tuna
Grilled Short Ribs
Shrimp Tempura
Calamari Tempura
Viva Las Vegas Roll
Tuna Tataki
Rainbow Roll
“RA”ckin’ Shrimp
*Outdoor Seating
All items subject to change.
Please see restaurants for details.
Conveniently located in Leawood, Kansas at 117th Street and Ash Street and block east of Nall, Park Place is full of unique shops and fabulous restaurants.
Park Place
11551 Ash St Park Place Leawood, KS 66211
by Sharm | Sep 9, 2014 | Articles
Chick Events is brand new to Kansas City from the parent company, Just For Her (est. 2008). Chick Events is about creating an event with a purpose. Each event benefits a local nonprofit. The Handmade and Vintage Pop-up and Holiday pop-up markets partnered with REbeL, a peer group for high school students that encourages positive body image and natural beauty.
The Handmade and Vintage Pop-up market is an outdoor event at Park Place taking place this weekend September 13th and 14th. Tents will be lined up on each side of the street featuring 83 vendors. Eight different restaurants will be serving food, drinks and participating in a KS Pork Association “I Dig the Pig Pork Crawl.” Every vendor has either handmade products or vintage products, which was a requirement to participate in the event.
Prize pack includes a “KC Chick” t-shirt, koozie and two tickets to the upcoming Handmade and Vintage Pop-up Market ($30 value).
To enter please like Chick Events on Facebook and follow on Twitter as well as the What You’re Missing KC! Facebook and Twitter pages.
Then comment below that you have done so as well as which of the following is you favorite thing to shop for:
Clothing
Home decor items
Jewelery
Specialty food items
Entries will be received until midnight, Thursday, September 11th. Winner will be notified via email Friday, September 12th so please be sure and leave a contact email with your entry. Prize pack will be available for pick up at the ticket booth area on whichever day you choose to visit.
Good Luck!
by Sharm | Sep 5, 2014 | Articles
Kansas City’s newest steakhouse ’37 Steak in Harrah’s Casino is not your average casino restaurant. The concept for this establishment, named for the year (1937) when the very first Harrah’s opened in Reno, is to be a restaurant in a casino, not a casino restaurant.
Since I am not a big gambler or buffet eater, the thought of going to a casino for dinner never crossed my mind, until now. I recently had the chance to preview and sample some items from ’37 Steak and was certainly impressed.
Every aspect you associate with a casino restaurant flies straight out the window with ’37 Steak, starting with the cocktails.
There are only a few places in the metro that offer the kind of unique craft cocktail experience you will find at ’37 Steak. The detail that goes into making these drinks is truly an art. Fresh herbs, fruits and veggies as well as unique liquors are used and the technique is fascinating to watch.
For instance, the Sage of Anthos begins with catching a sprig of fresh rosemary on fire and includes a liquor infused with variety of herbs including: sage, rosemary, fennel, thyme and more with lemon and simple syrup finishing the drink. This is definitely a lemonade for grown-ups that is absolutely delicious.
The Treaty of Amity, featuring Applejack Brandy is served in a glass infused with apple wood smoke. The sweetness from the apple brandy combined with the smokiness from the glass is a unique combination and would pair well with many of the grilled steaks and other entrees ’37 steak offers.
Fresh red jalapeños, Thai chilies, whiskey and Absinthe make up the Smoke and Spice which is a new drink that will be hitting the menu this fall. The heat from the peppers, the coolness of the ice, the sweetness from the liquors, the spicy scent and the gorgeous red peppers adorning the glass ignite all of you senses. This is one drink not to be missed!
If you like to drink your dessert, the Egg Cream is the perfect ending to your meal. Godiva chocolate liqueur and mint are poured over a compressed ice sculptured sphere, which is made right before your eyes.
The solid sphere of ice keeps this sweet and chocolaty drink from getting watered down from ice melt.
Head Craft Bartender Michael Strohm is truly an artist and has a wealth of knowledge about many different liquors. He keeps what he calls a “Personal Rolodex” in his head full of cocktail recipes that are not featured on the menu. For instance, when I told him that lavender was one of my favorite herbs, he made me The Dennie, a drink he named after his mom.
Prior to pouring the concoction which includes Aperol, Dolin Blanc and Tangqueray the glass is misted with an infused lavender liqueur. The lavender scent is intoxicating and the taste is delightfully light and not to sweet. The color and garnish of fresh sage almost made it to pretty to drink, but I seemed to manage!
If you don’t see a drink on the menu you would like to try, just tell bartender Mike what you like and he can create a personalized cocktail just for you. You can also catch him on Mixology Monday on YouTube where he demonstrates how to make a new drink each week.
The bar area is just as lovely with plenty of tables and chairs as well as bar top seating where you can get a front row seat to the cocktail slinging action.
The bar side also offers a very laid back casual but unique menu featuring a grilled mac and cheese sandwich and their famous candied bacon, which by the way is phenomenal! Other bar bites include tenderloin sliders, flatbreads, wings, shrimp, house-made chips and more and start at just $5.
Like every detail ’37 Steak considers for your cocktail the same goes for your meal. The wine room features a great selection of wines from all over the world while the food menu offers a fine dining selection of entrees featuring some of the best steaks and seafood available. Elegant appetizers, fresh salads, house-made soups and gourmet sauces, butters and sides complete the menu to appeal to any taste.
The pricing is comparable to other steak houses with entrees starting in the $20 range with the most expensive being the seafood trio consisting of lobster tail, king crab leg and 3 jumbo prawns for $74. I do need to mention that I saw this dish go by and the crab leg was enormous! I just got back from a trip to Alaska and didn’t see crab legs that big! Most of the filets and steaks are in the $30 to $40 range. The array of sharable sides are only $5.
Hubby and I split a gorgeous 12 oz filet and sharable sides of off-the-cob sweet corn and baked potato. The filet was perfectly cooked and the corn still had kernels connected from being cut straight from the cob. The loaded potato rounded out this delightful meal and experience.
For dessert we shared the Peanut Butter in my Chocolate, which is their version of the beloved peanut butter cup. I have to mention that chocolate and peanut butter is one of my all time favorite combos and I enjoyed this dessert immensely. The chocolaty crust and the creamy peanut butter filling was a tasty!
I wish to thank ’37 Steak for hosting me but also need to mention to you, my readers that although I was a guest of ’37 Steak, I only write about an experiences if I truly think is something you are missing! Even if you are not a big fan of steakhouses you should at least go for one of their magnificent cocktails and some candied bacon from the bar!
The service is great, the atmosphere is delightful and the fare is tasty! ’37 Steak is worth a visit.
And to make that visit a little easier on the wallet, ’37 Steak has given me a $50 gift certificate to give away.
To enter leave a comment below what your favorite cut of steak is.
For more information you can check out ’37 Steak’s Twitter page and Harrah’s Facebook page as well as the What You’re Missing KC! Facebook and Twitter pages.
Entries will be received until midnight Friday, September 19th. Winner will be drawn using random.org and be notified via email, so be sure to leave a valid email contact with your entry!
Good Luck!
’37 Steak
Harrah’s North Kansas City
1 Riverboat Dr North Kansas City, MO 64116
816-889-7037
by Sharm | Aug 21, 2014 | Articles
I recently got the chance to try out the newest HTC One smart phone the M8, courtesy of Verizon Wireless. It is now time to send it back but before I do, here is the scoop on some of the features I enjoyed about the phone.
I am not that tech savvy, so for a list of specifications, sim card sizing, storage information and slew of other tech lingo I do not quite understand you check the HTC website.
As far as the ease, use of the phone and features I liked, here is my take.
Aesthetically: The new HTC One is a sleek looking phone. The rounded edges and brushed nickel finish give it a stylish look. The curved back is slightly slick so if you are a butterfingers like me, I would suggest some kind of rubberized case.
Sound: With front facing speakers on both the top and the bottom of the screen gives this phone excellent sound.
Screen: The large five inch HD display screen is vibrant and is easy to see even in the sunlight. The text is sharp and clear.
Battery: On most days the battery lasted all day. If I found myself out with the battery getting low I could switch to the “Extreme Power Saving Mode” which allows calls and texts to come in but shuts everything else down to save on battery life.
Blink Feed: Keep on top of social media, trending news and more with this home screen news feed. Pick and choose the highlights you want to keep track of and if it ever gets to take up more of your home screen than you like, it can easily be removed.
Camera: This phone has both a front and rear facing camera that produces super sharp images. Additionally there is a “selfie” taking mode as well as a dual capture where you can take a shot of both of the images that are appearing on the rear camera and front facing. There are also plenty of editing and filter options as well to add even more character to your pics.
Sense TV: In just a few short steps, you can pair the HTC one to your TV, cable box and home theater and then use it turn on the television, change channels and adjust volume.
Apps: The HTC One is an Android format so searching the Google play store will get you plenty of cool apps that will work beautifully with this phone.
If you are in the market for a new smart phone, this one will not disappoint.
I wish to thank Verizon Wireless for lending me the phone. I had a blast trying it out!
For information on specs, ordering or pricing visit the Verizon Wireless website.
by Sharm | Aug 14, 2014 | Articles
The cool folks over at Verizon Wireless recently loaned me the Mophie Juice Pack Powerstation Duo charging unit. It has come in very handy and have to say it has been a lifesaver with all of the summer traveling we have been up to.
From Texas to Alaska with a few stops in between this Mophie Juice Pack Powerstation has kept our devices charged and ready to go.
We were able to charge the iPod to keep the tunes going and for movie watching while on flights and waiting in airports it kept the iPad’s battery full! While on the road in Colorado for ten days it kept our, phones up and running so we never missed a call or text and allowed us to get the directions we needed from the GPS app at a moments notice.
The unit is sleek, small and portable, being just a little narrower than a deck of cards. It even came in handy at a couple of hotels where we stayed when the outlets by the bed were unreachable to plug in our regular phone chargers.
It is now time for me to send it back but before I do, I wanted to give you a sneak peek at all the cool features and why I will probably end up buying one!
The Mophie Duo Juice Pack is sleek with a rubberized black plastic body and stainless steel outer band.
It measures 4.3 by 2.3 by 0.8 inches (HWD) and weighs 6.9 ounce.
It has two full sized USB ports, which allows two devices to be charge simultaneously.
The 6,000mAh battery unit charges easily when connected to a laptop or iPad wall adapter via the USB cord and comes with an LED indicator light to let you know when it is full and ready to go.
With a charging output of 2.1 amps, the Mophie Juice Pack Powerstation Duo can handle all of your charging needs and is truly a lifesaver when you need portable power!
Retails for $99.99.
For further details on specs, ordering or additional information visit VerizonWireless.com or mophie.com.
I wish to thank for Verizon Wireless for letting try it out.
