Movin' on Up

Critique No. 13

Restaurant

Fiesta Azteca

705 E. Melody Ln (Near 291 N and 50 HWY)Lees Summit, MO 64063

Hours:

7 Days a week 11AM-10PM

Cuisine: Authentic Mexican

Website: http://fiestaaztecakc.com/
Phone: 816-524-1290

Max. Occupancy: 150

Average Price: $9

As you may know, Lee's Summit has it's share of Mexican restaurants and restaurants that sell "Mexican food".  Well, on December 11, 2010- Fiesta Azteca opened it’s doors.  Bringing with it, Owner Andres Orozco's family recipes and a following.  You see, they had already been WOWING the city of Raytown for 7 years with their traditional offerings and one of a kind specialties.  The new space is bigger, and believe me- from the crowd that was in there when I visited- They Needed the room!

I went in for lunch one afternoon with my sister.  Like usual I didn't draw any attention to the fact that I was going to be critiquing the place-  nonetheless, the hostess was very warm and inviting. 

We were seated and my taste buds began to dance!  I could smell the aroma of grilled meats and veggies from some Fajitas.  I knew then what I would try. I looked over the menu that was PACKED FULL of Combination plates (39 to be exact). BTW, they have a huge burrito that goes by the name of El Azteca- this thing is over six pounds of delicious Mexican flavor. If you can eat it all, your real name might be Adam Richman (MAN VS. FOOD).  I couldn't resist the fajitas though.  I chose the Fajita salad.   We were served chips and salsa, as well as some of the queso blanco that my sister ordered.  It was all Very good, and very fresh.  The chips were crisp- not greasy and flimsy as you might find if they didn't fry the tortilla long enough or at the right temperature.

I was reading on their menu that they are well known for their margaritas. They are about as big as a fish bowl, and they only use premium ingredients.  Maybe when it's not 12:15pm, I'll go back and order one....to share with a small village.

AH HA!! The feast arrives.

Yum!

I liked this plate on many levels.  I liked the colors, the smells, the presentation.  It was inviting me to eat, so I did! I could taste the grilled char of the chicken.  The crispness of the onions and peppers was a nice contrast against the creamy guacamole and sour cream.  The salsa had a great smooth consistency, and a nice citrus note from the cilantro was the cherry on top (so to speak).

When I spoke with Andres after we ate, I could feel his energy and passion for the place.  You could tell that he really loves his work.  I would love to tell you there was some hidden flaw in this place- but if there was one, I haven't tasted it yet.  I've been back a few more times and everything I've eaten has been delicious. 

Remember that when you drive up to a place and it LOOKS like the other restaurants you've seen- Go ahead and try it, you might find something very special inside.

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5

Please visit this locally owned business and see if you agree!

Not Too Far From the Tree Pt. 1

Critique No. 12

Restaurant

The Fig Tree Cafe & Bakery

817 NE Rice Rd.

Lees Summit, MO 64086

(816)347-0442

http://www.figtreecafels.com/

Hours:
Mon-Tues 6:30AM to 2:30PM
Wed-Fri 6:30AM to 8PM
Saturday & Sunday 7AM to 3PM

Cuisine: Local/Regional Specialties/Mediterranean/ Bakery

Max. Occupancy: 100

Here we are with another referral from a friend of mine.  Let's see how this place stacks up.  In Lee's Summit you have choices when you want to eat out for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  There's a little bit of everything.  Though it is a town that has the corporate eateries, I am happy that there are several home grown places!  If you're driving down 291 Highway, you'll find this hidden little spot at the corner of a strip mall in between a gas station and a hair salon.  When you walk in to The Fig Tree, you get a feeling of calm and relaxation.  The dark wood and brightly painted walls makes for a very whimsical atmosphere.

I visited the cafe on a Monday- right around closing time.  The waitress (which happened to be the manager) was very nice, she brought me my tea and I began to look over the menu. 

After opening the first page- I was astonished that this local restaurant had more things on it's menu than IHOP!  52 options (including the "kids menu") And then there was the Bakery options (not listed on the menu, I guess you have to ask?)

With my focus these days being on getting a meal that has good protein and fairly low calories- I went with the "This, That and the Other" option.  You get a half order of any soup, salad or sandwich.  You can pick 2 or 3.  I chose the Chicken Club Salad w/ Spicy Garlic Dressing and a cup of the Lentil Soup. 

A few minutes later- This is what I got!

The first thing that hit me was the color and scent of this soup.  The smell of Curry filled the air, and I got excited.  After snapping my little picture here, I turned to the soup, stirred it around and noticed that the lentils were very broken down (DING). But, it smelled really good. So, I took a spoonful and tasted... I tasted what I can only describe as lifeless, under seasoned broth with the slightest trace of curry, onion and nothing else (not even lentils (DING, DING)  I ate one more spoonful then gave up on the "soup" (DING, DING, DING!)

Salad, SAVE ME! 

I got knee deep into this salad, and I really liked it.  I was happy to see they were using Turkey bacon (a good option for people trying to cut some calories), good black olives (not the shriveled up black discs you usually see), and a dressing that had a lot of flavor!  The chicken was also seasoned well.  Now, I eat quite a bit of salad- so I've got some grounds for comparison and over all- I was happy with this one.  The only criticism I have for it was the croutons. On the menu it says the salad had "house made brioche croutons".  As you can see in the picture- this looked more like a slice of wheat bread that they toasted dry and had nothing on it.

Okay.  I left this encounter with a clear picture of how this blog entry would go- But I wanted to give them another shot because there is so much more to try.  Stay tuned for Part 2 of this review- coming soon!