Ventana Gourmet Grill, Excelsior Springs
November 2020
Sisterly ingenuity began Ventana Gourmet Grill. That same creativity has kept business booming—even during Covid.
Growing up in Excelsior Springs, Jill Rickart and Wendy Baldwin didn’t anticipate that their love of food would lure them back. When searching for a location for a restaurant, the circa 1890s building caught their attention. Exposed brick walls, an original tin ceiling and pine floors tied into its historic vibe.
“We started with a small menu and specials. Over time, we added the most popular specials to our permanent menu,” says Jill. “And we use our own proprietary seasoning blend in many dishes.”
My husband and I began with bruschetta prepared with tomatoes and robust roasted red peppers, a nice twist, and oh-so-good smoked chicken dip, velvety and satisfyingly smoky. Next, the beautifully-plated wedge salad delivered a taste sensation with bacon and blue cheese crumbles, ranch dressing and balsamic glaze. The generous spinach salad came topped with hard-boiled egg, bacon and sweet vinegar-oil dressing.
Unquestionably, the “Sugar Burger” lived up to its reputation. Bookended between two maple Belgian waffles, the brown sugar-glazed beef complimented savory sautéed onions, cheddar cheese and bacon. Diners have frequently ordered this must-try as an appetizer.
Another stand-out, the “Blue Balsamic Steak,” with its impeccably seared crust, came accompanied by grilled zucchini and mashed potatoes. Made-to-order pasta featured house-made alfredo and grilled chicken. Dusted with a hint of Cajun seasoning, it definitely registered as comfort food. Whole salmon is flown in weekly. Sides include yummy potato salad made the old-fashioned way with egg, mayo and pickle relish.
A full bar features “Martini Mondays” presenting chocolate and elderflower variations. The wine list contains approximately 30 labels from around the globe. Additional specials span Tuesday’s all-you-can-eat boiled shrimp to prime rib on weekends.
Leave room for cheesecake. Wendy has evolved the family recipe into nearly a dozen rotating flavors. Hits include gluten-free caramel pecan, peanut butter chocolate and pumpkin during the holidays.
“The staff is very aware of cleanliness and takes extra precautions,” says Jill regarding Covid. “This spring, our staff worked half-time, but we paid them for full time. Thankfully, we reopened May 4 to one of our busiest months ever.”
Visit VentanaGourmetGrill.com for more information.
Green Dirt Farm Creamery, Weston
August 2020
When autumn’s burnished reds, oranges and golden yellows make their debut, there’s no better time to cruise Highway 45 to Weston and Green Dirt Farm Creamery. The creamery sells the bounty of nearby 150-acre Green Dirt Farm—sheep and mixed-milk cheeses and charcuterie boards, sandwiches and fresh-churned ice cream.
Founder Sarah Hoffman grew up on homesteading farms where her family raised animals and grew their own food. As an academic physician, whose specialty was infectious disease and microbiology, she dreamed of giving her three children that same lifestyle. She and her physician husband transplanted their family from Seattle and bought land just outside Weston where the rolling hills resembled their former home.
“After we bought the farm, I stepped out of medicine and investigated agricultural-based businesses,” explains Hoffman. “I soon realized that my chemistry background lent itself to making cheese.”
Since 2008, Green Dirt Farm has won more than 80 awards, including “Good Food Awards” three years running for their fresh, plain cheese. In 2019, the farm also earned seven American Cheese Society awards.
“Soil matters when making cheese because the flavors in the milk come from what our animals eat, so we give them a diverse grass diet,” said Hoffman.
After ordering a cheese board inside the stone creamery, my husband and I planted ourselves at one of the socially-distanced picnic tables under towering trees. We tucked into award-winning, signature “Bossa” sheep cheese that tasted slightly nutty. A favorite was the mixed-milk “Aux Arcs,” a classic sheep and cow’s milk mountain-style cheese that varies in color from summer to winter due to the amount of beta carotene in the grasses. French farmhouse-style “Dirt Lover,” a smooth sheep cheese, had a thin layer of dusted vegetable ash. And two flavors of spreadable cheese, akin to ricotta, paired deliciously with local blackberry preserves on grilled toast points.
Customizable sandwiches included the popular Rueben layered with “Aux Arcs,” corned beef and small-batch sauerkraut made in Kansas by Hoganville Family Farms. Boulevard beer and local wines pair well with the menu. Velvety ice creams made on-site with local ingredients offered the perfect finish, especially Blackberry Rosemary and Chocolate Brittle. Before we headed home, I bought my favorite cheeses and frozen lamb chops for the grill.
Visit GreenDirtFarm for more information.
Blue Koi, Kansas City
May 2020
Along bustling 39th street, Blue Koi retains a loyal following, even in these unprecedented times. Brother and sister Scott and Jane Chang opened this midtown restaurant in 2002 and their Kansas location in 2007. As a testament to their culinary prowess, they’ve been featured twice on Food Network’s, “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives”, most recently, last year. The Changs are grateful for their devoted following.
Culinary genes run in the family. The Chang’s parents, who trained with some of China’s best chefs, immigrated from Taiwan in 1979 and opened their first Kansas City restaurant in 1985. Scott, Jane and Mindy, who passed away five years ago, grew up eating the cuisine of their heritage. Jane and her mother created Blue Koi’s menu using family recipes as well as new ones. She described the menu as Taiwanese-Chinese comfort food.
“Blue Koi is like eating at our family table,” says Jane. “Our mother grew up in a tropical climate where they served rice and sweeter sauces with a Japanese influence and using fresh ingredients. And our father came from northern China where they ate wheat noodles every day and dumplings for special occasions.”
Given the restrictions at the time of our visit, my husband and I carried out and feasted around our kitchen table. The restaurant’s signature from-scratch dumplings and noodles are made daily, and we savored the satisfying goodness of pan-fried chicken dumplings. The celebrated chili pepper wontons delivered a mild kick with an infusion of garlic, ginger and house-made hot oil, topped with chopped scallions. We dipped pillows of crispy organic tofu in the accompanying spicy awesome sauce, a sublime cilantro-infused concoction.
For entrees, the ever-popular black bean sauce with chicken, which can be ordered with shrimp or organic tofu, contained chunks of portabella mushrooms, red and green peppers and optional jalapeno slices. As a lighter compliment, the delicious sautéed almond chicken asparagus featured chicken marinated in a garlic mayonnaise sauce, fresh asparagus cuts and sun-dried tomatoes, all over brown rice. Dishes can be customized for a variety of needs, such as low sodium or gluten free.
Blue Koi’s crave-worthy Taiwanese bubble tea comes in approximately 20 flavors including my favorite, almond joy. The optional “bubbles” are wonderfully chewy tapioca pearls. It can be served iced, warm, smoothie-style or amped-up with a kick of rum, vodka or Kahlúa from the full bar.
Visit www.bluekoi.net for more information.
Catalpa, Arrow Rock
February 2020
Tucked into a delightful replica of Missouri artist George Caleb Bingham’s house, Catalpa, and its chef-owner Liz Huff, remain a force to be reckoned with. She’s even been selected as the guest chef for a historic preservation dinner that Governor Parson will attend in April.
We entered through the flower-filled brick patio where Bingham, the cat, lay stretched out like he owned the place. He barely gave us notice. In the family for years, nooks and crannies of the house-turned-restaurant displayed family photos and memorabilia. It personified Chef Liz and her warm, vivacious spirit.
“I like to welcome our guests, just like they’re coming to my house for dinner,” says Liz, who grew up in Marshall and trained at the New England Culinary Institute in Vermont.
In the scratch kitchen, Liz whips up her grandma’s double yeast rolls, bakes homemade crackers and dreams up ice cream, sorbet and custard flavors in her six-quart old-fashioned churn. Dressings use non-GMO, organic sunflower oil, including her peach-lemon-tarragon vinaigrette that she bottles and sells on-site and at Dierbergs. Mindful of dairy and gluten-free sensitivities, most sauces incorporate vegetable stock.
My husband and I launched into the seasonal menu with flakey spanakopita, the most popular starter since day one. Shrimp, cooked in Chimayo red chilies from New Mexico with slices of fresh garlic, sizzled on an iron skillet. For entrees, the half duckling basted in homemade ginger teriyaki sauce came plated on basmati lime and scallion rice—ginger juice reduced for hours created the sauce. A wild salmon steak and seared beef tenderloin tips also appear on the menu.
Not-to-be-missed, double chocolate mocha cake accompanied her cappuccino ice cream and fresh raspberry coulis. Creamy Mexican vanilla ice cream in the classic Affogato was topped with shaved Belgian chocolate and chopped roasted hazelnuts with a shot of espresso tableside. Liz uses natural ingredients in her ice creams, custards and sorbets.
Rolling out June through September, a $25 fine dining lunch and dinner menu will include a non-alcoholic drink and dessert. Off-season events range from themed dinners, such as an eight-course Italian feast; cooking classes on Wednesday nights and Sunday afternoons and multiple-course, beer-pairing dinners. Dinner parties for eight or more can be arranged in Arrow Rock or off-site in a host home as far away as Kansas City, St. Louis or beyond.
Visit CatalpaRestaurant.com for more information.