Han Shin - Overland Park, KS

Lunch 1/2/13

2 Roll Lunch Special w/ Miso Soup and Ginger Salad - Ebi Roll and California Roll - It's hard to beat a $10 lunch with a great soup, salad, and sushi...and this special at Han Shin is no exception.  The soup and salad are good, but the main feature is the fresh, passionately prepared sushi rolls. 


Spicy Crab Salad - Coming from Florida, this is not something that is commonly known about or ordered. I was in to eat one day and the owner said, "let me make you something special." I was impressed that he could recognize the type of sushi that I enjoyed and made this delicious and crunchy crab salad.  I have been ordering this dish ever since that day!


http://www.hanshinkc.net/

First Watch - Overland Park, KS

Breakfast 2/17/2012

Chickichanga - Whipped eggs with spicy all-natural white-meat chicken, chorizo sausage, green chilies, Cheddar and Monterey Jack, onions and avocado rolled in a flour tortilla. Topped with Vera Cruz sauce and sour cream. Served with fresh fruit. Delicious!

http://www.firstwatch.com/

Fritz's Meat Market - Leawood, KS

Lunch 11/26/12

This place was recommended from a reader of the blog. I was very impressed with the sausages here, and will be back for more!

Hot Polish Sausage - The lady behind the counter recommended this sausage as a "customer favorite" so naturally I had to have one.  It tasted very good. I could tell it was done right because the skin snapped when I bit into it. Slight heat from the spice and nice smoky flavor. My favorite item here.

Italian Sausage - The Italian link was good, but lacked the flavor that I think a sausage should have. It almost seemed overcooked, as the inside was pretty dry.

BBQ Beef Sandwich - The beef was very tender, but I didn't care for the sauce.  The beef sits in a crock-like pot with the sauce to keep it moist, so there was no getting away from it.

Brobeck's BBQ - Leawood, KS

Brobecks BBQ - Leawood, KS
Lunch 10/12/12

Corn Nugggets - whole kernel corn wrapped in cheese and then deep fried. The nugget was crunchy and the corn was creamy. Not too greasy. Perfect southern corn nuggets!

Combo Platter - (3 ribs, 1 sausage, and beef brisket) The brisket and sausage needed no sauce...both had great flavor. The brisket had a mild flavor and needed the compliment of sauce.

Baked beans - mix of beans, dry rub, and bbq meat make these beans super flavorful.

Cheesy Corn - the corn looked great, but the flavor of sour cream masked the sweet corn. Not my favorite cheesy corn recipe.

Quaint little place just north of I435 on Roe Ave. Nothing fancy...environment is like a modern diner. The staff was very friendly!

Overall, Brobeck's serves great BBQ.

www.brobecksbbq.com/

Talk of the Town Grill and Bar - Leawood, KS

Lunch 8/15/12

Great selection of draft and bottle beer and specialty cocktails.

Patty melt with provolone cheese - bitter/tangy rye bread combined with smooth sauteed onion and provolone make for a balanced patty melt. The onion rings were not my favorite, but they weren't bad.

 

Medium Wings - I went basic and got the medium buffalo wings. They were very good.

http://www.talkofthetowngrill.com/

Spin! - Leawood, KS

Lunch 7/25

Margarita Pizza with goat cheese and mozzarella cheese
Chopped BLT salad
Boulevard Wheat beer

This restaurant came at the recommendation of a peer.  My first experience was great, so I went back for more.  This review is of my 2nd time here.

Boulevard wheat beer - For those of you who have visited KC, and have not tried a Boulevard brew, you are missing out.  KC's local brewery makes one of my favorite wheat bears.  If you like Shock Top or Blue Moon, you are sure to love this.

Chopped BLT salad - This romaine salad is topped with crunchy bacon and tangy Gorgonzola cheese.  I ordered the half salad and ate it all.  They have other salads available that I've heard are just as good.

Pizza - Known for its pizzas, you won't find anything close to Pizza Hut or Domino's here.  Spin bakes its pizza in a brick hearth, giving each Artisan pie the most flavor.  Though loaded with cheese, the margarita pizza I had was very fresh tasting.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this place to a friend, and will be frequenting here myself.

www.spinpizza.com/

Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue - Overland Park, KS

lunch 7/21

Onion Rings
Cheesy Corn Bake
Cole slaw
BBQ beansJacks Best BBQ - Crown Prime Rib, beef ribs, and beef burnt ends.

Onion Rings 3 stack - the onions rings were colossal in size and had a great flavor...not too salty.

Corn bake - a very cheesy, corn and potato chowder.

BBQ - all three pieces of beef were spectacular.  The burnt ends were moist and juicy.  My favorite was the Prime Rib.  I've eaten some good prime rib in my days, but I've never had a BBQ smoked prime rib before.  I could come back and have just the P.R.  
BBQ beans - After hearing that I was going to blog about my eats, my waiter, James, brought me some of the BBQ beans.  He said that I must try them.  Apparently they add 10lbs of meat per 5 gallon batch of the beans.  Then they cook them in the smoker underneath the brisket.  The drippings from the brisket add more flavor to the beans.  Though reluctant to try them for fear of being disappointed, I'm glad I did.  They had a nice balance between sweet, smoky, and tangy.  Great side to an awesome BBQ!

http://www.jackstackbbq.com/

Sushi Mido - Shawnee, KS

Dinner 7/20/12

Rock 'N Roll

Samurai Roll

Dinosaur Roll

K.C. Chief's Roll

So as I looked for other sushi places in the KC area, that serve "my" type of sushi, I found Sushi Mido.  What I did not know was that they offer AYCE (All you can eat) sushi rolls for $18.99.  So first, let me explain what "my" type of sushi is.  I like all of my seafood cooked.  Furthermore, I enjoy rolls that are deep-fried and have shrimp or crab in them.  Alternately, if they are not deep fried, topped with avocado is good too.  I was skeptical that an AYCE sushi place would have low quality rolls, but was pleasantly surprised.

http://www.sushimido.net/Home.aspx

Bravo! - Leawood, KS

Dinner and Summer Blues Concert

Mozzarella ravioli
Margarita flatbread
New York style Cheesecake with a Vanilla Anglaise and brulee crust.

Ravioli - crispy fried mozzarella cheese tucked inside ravioli pasta.  Two sauces to dip (Caesar/ranch dip and pizza sauce).

Flatbread - thin slices of fresh tomato cover the flatbread.  Fresh basil and mozzarella is scattered atop.  Light and refreshing meal.

Cheesecake - By far, the best vanilla cheesecake I've had!  They slice this tall cheesecake and turn it on its side.  Then they sprinkle raw sugar on it and brulee it with a torch.  The end result is a spawn of Creme Brulee and cheesecake.  AWESOME!

www.bravoitalian.com/

Hayward's Pit BBQ - Overland Park, KS

7/18/12 - Lunch


Burnt Ends and Sausage Sampler
Mac n Cheese
Fried Okra


This was a recommendation from a co-worker who raved about the BBQ.


The burnt ends were charred and hard to eat.  I've had beef jerky that was more tender.  Thhough the sausage had good flavor, the sauce almost tasted like a marinara sauce.  For a place known for BBQ, you don't expect to have Italian sausage.


The Mac n Cheese was boxed, Kraft, Mac n Cheese.  Though I really like Kraft's M&C, I don't want to pay $4 for an Easy Mac portion at a restaurant.


The Fried okra was good...though it's hard to mess up fried okra.


I won't be going back here.


www.haywardsbbq.com/

Burnt ends, sausage, fried okra, and Kraft Mac n Cheese



Blanc Burgers and Bottles - Leawood, KS

7/14 - Lunch


Gouda cheese fries
Kobe burger


Fries - awesome!  Spicy gouda cheese sauce, real bacon, and green onions.  Pure bliss.
Burger - port wine onions, Kobe beef, mustard seed aioli, on a salt and pepper brioche bun.  Melt in your mouth.  Top five burgers of all time.


www.blancburgers.com/

Gouda cheese fries 

Kobe burger

Danny Edward's BBQ - Kansas City, MO

7/13/12 - Lunch


Ol' Smoky Sandwich


So, I saw this sandwich on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.  The Ol' Smoky was literally the best BBQ sandwich I've ever had!  Tender brisket pieces on a butter toasted bun.  The brisket overflows the sandwich, and gives you the chance to eat the pieces without the bread.  I will definitely be going back here!


*The part of town this is on is not the best, but the food is worth it!


dannyedwardsblvdbbq.com/

Ol' Smoky sandwich (burnt ends)

The Southwestern Corn Bake on the side is something they only make on Sundays.  Very Good!



Sullivan's Steakhouse - Leawood, KS

7/4/12 dinner


Long Island cocktail
Escargot
Chili crusted ribeye
Wedge salad
Horseradish mashed potatoes
Bananas Foster Bread Pudding


Long Island cocktail  -  nice balance of alcohols and sour mix.  Not too strong, but not all sour either.


Escargot  -  tender and delicious.  Large snails Nested in decorative snail shells floating in a sinkhole of garlic butter.  Perfectly toasted croutons alongside to use as a transport for the escargot to your mouth.  Dont eat all your dinner bread...save some to dip in the garlic butter.  Dont worry about your date...she will love it as much as you do.


Salad  -  very blue cheesy.  Nice tangy flavor.  Blue cheese takes over.the.salad, and tomatoes can be tasted.  If you dont LOVE for blue cheese, this is not the salad for you.


Mashed potatoes  -  pure potato goodness with a hint of horseradish flavor, not heat.  Lightly whipped and airy.


Ribeye  -  suprisingly sweet, beef flavor.  The chili brings out sweetness, not spice.  Perfectly cooked medium-rare. Very rich flavor that can get old after the first few bites.  The dollop of butter on top probably has something to do with that.


Bread Pudding  -  disappointing.  Baked like a muffin.  Crust was hard and chewy.  Dessert was served cold.  Flavor was good, but certainly not the best bread pudding ive ever had.


$95 before tip


sullivanssteakhouse.com/

Escargot 

 Wedge Salad w/ tomatoes and blue cheese

Chili crusted Ribeye with dollop of chili butter on top 

Horseradish mashed potatoes 

Banana bread pudding