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!

Caprese Puff Pastry Pizza

Recipe No. 6
Caprese Puff Pastry Pizza

Serving Size for this Recipe: 6-8 people
Average Cost: $9 to $11


This is a fun little dish to throw in the mix for your weekly menu!  Taking the classic caprese salad recipe and using a soft buttery puff pastry to tie it all together.  This is So super simple but so super good.  You're gonna need a few things:

1 pkg of puff pastry
2-3 Roma tomatoes
1 lb. of fresh mozzarella cheese- BelGioioso is a good one that you can find at most grocers.
1/2 cup of fresh basil leaves
1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp of good extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Lay out the puff pastry on a sheet pan, dock the pastry with a fork and cook as instructed on package.  Making these small holes will keep that pastry from puffing up (like a pizza crust!)
In a small bowl- whisk together the vinegar, oil, salt and pepper. 
Once it's cooked- let it cool for 10 minutes, then add the sliced tomato, torn basil leaves, thin slices of the mozzarella, and (whisk it together one more time) and drizzle over the balsamic dressing.  Add some kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper and eat it!

Remember to K.I.S. in the kitchen!
Keep It Simple.

I hope you have a great day, foodies!

Mama's Recipes at Maggie's!

Critique No. 9

Restaurant

Maggie's
100C Southeast 3rd Street
Lee's Summit, MO 64063
(816) 554-0722

Cuisine: Authentic Mexican
Max. Occupancy: 26
Price Point Average: $5+


If you are walking downtown in Lee's Summit, you can find small shops of all kinds. There isn't a lot downtown that I haven't been to yet, but Maggie's was a place I'd missed! This little restaurant with big heart opened in October '09.

The mission was clear for Maggie’s owner, Ryan Schnabel. He had started a catering company, about 2 years ago with homemade recipes at the heart of his business- but decided that downtown needed authentic Mexican food, and so he opened the restaurant. Named Maggie's after his mother, the restaurant and menu have hints of family throughout them- even the combos are named after his aunts. Okay now, lets talk food.

I have been looking for a place to try a culinary masterpiece called Pazole. It's a deeply flavored broth of tomato and herbs with pork and hominy (soft corn kernel without the hull or germ). I order a side of this delicious soup (which came with flour tortillas- homemade), Mexican rice, and the star of the meal- Pork Chili Burrito. The burrito is a part of the ever changing $5 lunch menu- CHECK IT OUT PEOPLE!!!

If you will, first notice the plate. It comes with the food only- not fancy non edible garnishes here...and you know why? Because this is REAL MEXICAN FOOD!!! Mexican food that is from Mexican recipes and a down home- real life- simple Mexican kitchen. The majority of what people consider Mexican food is just an Americanized version of it's true self. Next, notice the nice char on the edge of the tortilla. This is key in a good burrito- some nice smokiness, and the burrito was filled with the chili pork and rice. The pork, just tender and moist- there was such a nice earthiness to the meat, you could taste the spices and they were deeply cooked in. The Pazole was everything I thought it'd be. Very hearty and warming, a nice spice- not too much heat. The one falter of the meal for me was the rice. It wasn't bad- I ate all of it- it was a little on the bland side for my taste- and that is the only bad thing you'll hear me say. This was a great lunch- I enjoyed talking with Ryan, he was very nice to me in answering my questions about his business. You can tell he loves his restaurant. I will definitely go back to try more of the menu (that you can see below)

In conclusion- I like Maggie's and I'll be back there to try more of their food. I think it is a valuable addition to Lee's Summit- my words to Maggie's are "buenos suerte y gracias"

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5

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

Chickity-China-The Chinese Chicken

Critique No. 4
Restaurant:

Aikou
608 Ne State Route 291
Lees Summit, MO 64086
(816) 347-9888

Cuisine: Chinese
Max. Seating Occupancy: 28
Price Point Average: Lunch- $4.99, Dinner- $7.99


Last week I stopped by Aikou, a Chinese restaurant in Lee's Summit, for lunch. When you pull up to it, it looks like many other nondescript Chinese restaurants that have been dropped into a strip mall. A very simple Asian theme dressed out this blank canvas. I was seated and very nonchalantly asked if I wanted a drink. I took the menu and peered over it as I saw the usual suspects. I decided to go with the General Tso's chicken, it came with Won Ton soup, and rice for $4.99, seems pretty awesome. I got some spring rolls- of course...who doesn't love spring rolls?!?! First came the spring rolls. They were very crispy and flavorful but a touch greasy for me. (I know they're deep fried, doesn't mean I want a serving of frying oil on my plate) Next, I got my Won Ton soup- and It was a 180 degree difference. The broth was super refreshing. It was full of ingredients, including: shrimp, chicken, beef, carrots, scallions, and jicama (nice touch ;) Not to mention these incredibly tender won ton wrappers filled with pork. Yum Diddley Dum-pling.
Then the chicken showed up. It was different than the General's chicken I'm used too.

It had this crazy blast of orange flavor that was cooling off the heat of those chile peppers. The rice on the other hand was a bit dry and not so flavorful- mediocre at best. When I told the employee behind the counter that I write a food blog, and asked to get some general info on the place- she just stared at me....blankly... So I turned and walked into the sunset- not really it was only like 1PM. Nonetheless, 2 out of the 4 menu items I ate were very good- BUT- 50% is hardly a passing grade. They have been opened for business in Lee's Summit for 3 months...maybe with time they'll tighten the screws and get it all in line. I guess in this case I received the short end of the stick at Aikou -as the saying goes- You get what you pay for.


Overall Rating: 3 out of 5


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

Spicy Hot- Spicy Good!

Critique No. 3
Restaurant:
Thai Spice
1192 NE Douglas
Lee's Summit, MO 64086
816-347-9859

Cuisine: Authentic Thai
Max. Seating Occupancy: 57
Price Point Average: Lunch- $6.99, Dinner- $8.99

(Well, I was referred to this next restaurant by a reader of the blog- Thanks for the tip, and keep the referrals coming!)

In an unassuming little strip mall off of Douglas Street in Lee's Summit you'll find dry cleaners, Army recruiters and other merchants; but rarely do you find a restaurant that pays attention to details like this one does. I walked in to Thai Spice, Authentic Thai Cuisine and was pleased to see a business owner that cares about presentation. They've been at their location for a year and 8 months and have been embraced by the community as the "go-to Thai place". I was seated at my choice of table or booth (I took the booth). The aroma of Thai tea was perfuming the room, so I had to order some. Then I was told that with my meal comes with either a salad or hot and sour soup, I opted the soup and it was amazing. A delicious combination of mouth-feels, the soft texture of the tofu and the silkiness of the egg all mixed with the deep complexity of that broth. For the appetizer I enjoyed the Fried Dumplings.

They were filled with wonderfully tender chicken and vegetables and a homemade sauce was served for dipping. It was rich and savory. The thing I loved about these dumplings was how they were plated. This is when I started to notice the cuisine part of Thai Spice. A Rectangular plate with a bed of red and green cabbage and these little pillows of fried goodness resting on top. The simple detail of garnishing food with food you can eat instead of scraps of parsley. The cool, crisp cabbage against the warm tenderness of the dumpling all tied together with the sauce...ahh..it was scrumptious; and this was just the appetizer! Next was the entree of Pineapple Fried Rice.

This was something I'd never even heard of- and the reason is simple, it's a Thai food classic and this was my first Thai meal. Fried jasmine rice with segments of sauteed pineapple, shrimp, chicken, roasted cashews, raisins, egg and scallions. Wow! This was served with two wonderful little Crab Rangoon and a beautiful dish of four sauces and spices. Red chili flakes, jalapenos, a hot and sour sauce, and a scallion vinegar sauce. The hostess told me that the red chili sauce was good on the fried rice, so being the brave soul that I am- I went for it! OH MY! They lived up to the Spice in their name. Spicy, but in a way that didn't kill you- it kind of rolled around in your mouth then ends up on the back or your pallet to cool down. In all of this experience, I've tried to be objective and not just sing the praises of an establishment but look at any negative or challenging aspects. In this case however...I really can't. This was a great meal, served by great people, in a relaxing environment and I have nothing but good things to say it. They are open 7 days a week for dine in or carry out. Thai Spice is a family owned, local gem that you won't mind visiting time and time again.

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5

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