Third Time's a Charm?

Critique No. 5
Restaurant:

Maxwell's Downtown Grill

301 SE Douglas

Lee's Summit, MO 64063

(816) 347-9177

Cuisine: American/Grill

Max. Seating Occupancy: 134

Price Point Average: Lunch- $6.99, Dinner- $8.99 and Up

I recently went out for lunch with some friends and co-workers. Someone recommended Maxwell's Downtown Grill, and since I hadn't eaten there before I was game for it. I had been to the business that previously occupied the space at 301 SE Douglas- a place called Beauchamp's on the Rail (a "BBQ" restaurant). The tale of my adventure to Beauchamp's is fun little story; It involves a cold day, a tow truck, a supposed to be surprise party and bad mac n' cheese (ask me sometime, and I'll tell you). Now... I knew that the owner of Maxwell's also owned two Italian restaurants in the area and I'd visited the one in Lee's Summit with marginal satisfaction, but as they say "third time's a charm". With high hopes and an empty stomach we walked into what looked to be the same restaurant with a new sign out front- but I moved on. The landscape was pretty empty when we arrived- just one other group of 4 or 5. We sat ourselves, and soon after a waitress came and took our drink orders. The menu was full of things you might see on a normal sit down grill kinda place, a club sandwich, some reference to black and bleu (oh so clever), there were a cast of soups and salads and so on. Nothing spectacular. I decided to take my culinary fate into my own hands and selected "BUILD YOUR OWN BURGER". Thank you, thank you. There were several items you could choose from, I opted for Provolone, Bacon, and Avocado. This came with lettuce, tomato, onion already. With a choice of classic fries, sweet potato fries or pomme frites (spelled incorrectly on the menu... its supposed to be pommes frites- but this isn't Belgium so I'll let..it..slide?) I went with the frites, for $6.99 it seemed like quite a deal. After some chit chatting-Out comes the food!

Now before we continue, just know- that this isn't all going to be negative...but the majority of it is. Anywho- First of all, these were not Pommes frites, they were regular french fries, with garlic, and parsley on them. Pommes Frites are super crunchy on the outside with a soft texture on the inside. Don't get me wrong- I ate all of them, just calling it like I see it- Not Pommes Frites. Next- Take me to BurgerTown! Oh, it looked sooo good, cheese was nice and melted with the crispy bacon and all the ooooooo I'm drooling now. So I stacked up some onion and tomato, some K & M (that's ketchup and mustard to you) and dove in.
My brain starts dancing...what am I tasting in Order of Taste???

Nice toasted bun- CHECK

Freshness from the Tomato and Onion- CHECK

Slightly salty provolone- CHECK

Crispy Bacon, so smokey and good- CHECK

HAULT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Bland, unseasoned avocado! NOOO! we were doing so good. :(

back to the brain dance, taste order...
Burger cooked to medium, nice char, juicy and delicious- CHECK CHECK CHECK! This was some good tasting burger!

and finally, one more layer of toasted bun with the tang of the K & M- CHECK.

What did I Learn on this mouth journey? Let me tell you, I learned that one rotten apple, ruins the whole burger. The avocado killed it for me. Every bite was dulled down to utter blahness by it. If the chef had thought about seasoning the avocado (because come on now, it needs some salt and pepper)- I would have been smiling all the way home. But no.

Well- I ate it and it was filling, but I was left feeling empty from what could have been achieved at Maxwell's. We sat there after eating waiting to get our check for mmmm.....15 minutes- which seemed like hours, as the restaurant started filling up. Finally we departed the downtown grill and it was back to business as usual. Please take away THIS very important tip from my visit to Maxwell's - Flavor comes in layers, so season each layer properly and don't get carried away with calling your food something- it isn't.

Overall Rating: 2 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 Coconut Pork Tenderloin

Recipe No. 2
Spicy Coconut Pork Tenderloin

Serving size for this recipe: 6-8 people

Average cost: $25 or less


Summertime makes me think about grilling. Taking whatever I want to eat and putting it into a vessel that is made to impart flavors that are smokey and delicious. This is a recipe that I am excited about making for friends to enjoy at a party, hanging around the pool- relaxing. Lets get started!

To prep the tenderloin for marinating- remove any silver skin that may be left on it and then you should be good to go. Go ahead and pre-heat your oven for 325 and get your grill going. I prefer to use charcoal on this just because of the great smoky flavor you get. Now, besides the star- The Tenderloin- these are the other ingredients you'll need:
5 cloves of fresh garlic
1 1/2 cans of coconut milk
1 poblano chile
1 lime
½ a white onion
1 small tomato
1 ½ cups of fresh chopped cilantro
1 Tbsp of Cumin
1/4 Tsp of Cayenne Pepper
A good amount of flour tortillas (enough for 8 people)
3 cups of Oaxaca cheese (substitute Monterrey Jack if unavailable)

Now, place your poblano chile on the grill to char the skin, then place the chile in a bowl- cover with plastic and let it set for 2 minutes (this will help when you’re removing the waxy outer skin of the chile) then remove the stem, seeds and inner ribs. Dice it up and set it back in the bowl. Next you're going to chop 1 cup of the cilantro, mince the onion, and garlic - combine with the pablano, cumin, cayenne and stir in the coconut milk, salt and pepper - this completes your marinade.

Okay- take a deep breath, you made it through the marinade!!! Now back to business.

With a fork, make 8-10 punctures up and down the tenderloin (this will help the marinade get in for maximum flavor.) Place the tenderloin in a large zip tight bag, add the marinade and let this sit in the fridge for at least an hour (overnight would be amazing!) when you're grill is smokin' hot- remove from the fridge let it sit for 10 minutes out to come up to temperature. Place on your grill sear all sides, this should take 7 minutes at most. Then move it to a baking sheet- cover with foil and cook for 45 minutes at 325 degrees.
While that's going- let's make some salsa. Take your tomato and dice it as fine as you like. then chop the remaining cilantro, add fresh lime juice, a pinch of cayenne, and salt & pepper and you're done!

Once your pork has cooked and rested(at least 10 minutes) slice it into equal portions for your guest. I recommend that you fill your tortillas with the pork, sprinkle on some Oaxaca cheese and fresh salsa.

You're going to taste the smokiness from the grill on that pork- the coolness of the coconut should come through with a little kick from the cayenne and garlic, some great flavor and texture from the cheese and salsa to round it out.

You see- summertime is a state of mind. Put out some cold drinks, great food and add some good friends/family and you're guaranteed a good time. Enjoy!

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!

Verde Chicken Tacos

Recipe No. 1
Verde Chicken Tacos

Serving size for this recipe: 5-7 people

Average cost: $15 or less

I love the flavors that are spicy, sweet, crunchy, soft... you know, All the pairs of mouth feelings or tastes that contrast but match up so seamlessly when we eat! This is one of those dishes. Great as an appetizer or the main thing.
Okay, start with:

5 Boneless skinless chicken breasts (frozen is fine)

You're going to put on a deep pot of water to boil, once boiling add in all the chicken. This will cook for 10 to 12 minutes if frozen- and as little as 8 minutes if fresh. Once cooked, drain the chicken in a colander and set it aside.

Now its time for the salsa Verde!
you'll need:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium red onion chopped
1 jalapeno diced
8 tomatillos, husked and chopped
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Heat the oil in a large pan over med/high heat. Add the onions and jalapeno and cook them till they're soft. Add the tomatillos and cook them until they're soft,(10 to 15 minutes) Transfer the mixture to a blender, then add the lime juice, honey and cilantro, and then blend it till its a smooth consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

by this time the chicken should be cool enough to handle. shred the chicken and combine it with 1 and 1/2 cups of the salsa- mix it thoroughly. (you can save the remaining salsa in a mason jar for up to a 2 weeks)

Get your tortillas- because we are making a crispy taco shell with flour tortillas!
the small sized flour tortillas are good for this. you can use white corn if you want.

In a skillet- heat on medium; 1 and 1/2 cups of vegetable oil to 350 degrees.
one at a time!- add a tortilla for about 12 seconds then flip it. the other side for about a count of 5. Place on a plate with a paper towel to drain any excess oil.

Once these are done- they'll be crispy, but not firm- you should be able to fold them in half to eat as a taco.

Fill with the Verde chicken, some cilantro, and a little sour cream or crema and enjoy!
I hope you enjoy these tacos. They're one of my favorite things to eat.

Don't be afraid to cook and try new recipes- even the pro's started at home.

Thinking Italian?

Critique No.2
Restaurant:
Original Pizza and Italian Restaurant
905 NW Chipman Rd
Lees Summit, MO 64063
(816) 554-1322

Cuisine: Italian/Buffet
Max. Seating Occupancy: 55
Price Point: $5.99 for all you can eat buffet, average prices off menu- $10+

When you drive down Chipman Road heading north you'll find the run of the mill fast food places. With all that you see you can kind of miss the stand alone building that Original Pizza and Italian Restaurant occupies. When I first walked in I wasn't sure if they were open because it was very dark inside- only natural light coming from the wrap around windows and a few fluorescents. It looked a typical buffet with a salad bar and hot bar. A few TVs playing sports and 10 or so tables with no one sitting at them. I was the only one there at lunch time on a week day. The overall atmosphere was kind of awkward. Now the food! I first tried their claim to fame- Pizza. It was a thin crust with the large pepperoni and sausage pieces. It was very tasty- good sauce, nice bite from the thin crust, and good mouth feel from the cheese. I then went to the spaghetti and meatballs; an all time favorite of mine. I was disappointed when I saw pasta that was dry and hard on top and somewhat mushy underneath. The sauce with a dark black film on top and meatballs in a separate pan. The meatballs were sitting in what looked like tomato flavored water, about 3/4 of the way up. I did taste it, and it was pretty much tasteless. The meatball was very bland and mushy.
Perhaps they should consider dropping the Italian restaurant part and stick to the pizza? Its unfortunate that my visit was like this, and they do have other locations...
Speaking for the Lee's Summit location, The pizza, I'd give an 8 out of 10, but I have to say I was quite disappointed in the quality of the other food offered on the buffet; salads included.

Overall Rating: 1 out of 5

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

Flavors of India in Lee's Summit, MO

Critique No.1
Restaurant:
Bombay Palace
1313 NE Douglas St
Lees Summit, MO 64086
(816) 525-2300

Cuisine: Traditional Indian
Max. Seating Occupancy: 40
Price Point: $9.00 for all you can eat buffet, average prices off menu- $7 to $12

I first tried Indian cuisine at a young age and fell in love with it. Full of deep, intense flavors, it offers an experience that is distinct and delicious.
Highlights- Kheer(rice pudding) was spot on, Very good Masala chicken, complimentary chai tea after your meal was nice.
Opportunities for Improvement- Some of the dishes (mixed veggies, and chutney) seamed to have an overuse of the curry. It overpowered the main ingredients leaving them indistinguishable.

There are other options in the area for Indian food, this was in my humble opinion the best bite for the buck!

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5

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