Blue Koi

There are only a two types of restaurant food I genuinely crave (and by "crave" I mean that the second it enters my mind I need to have it for my next meal): gyros and ... (this is random) Asian noodles of one form or another.

Damn, I did it again...now my next meal needs to be a gyro with a side of Asian noodles.

But two weeks ago, the words "pot roast" came up in the normal course of conversation with someone - I think it went something like this, "Hi Josh, geez your belly is huge, do you eat anything besides pot roast?"

No matter the context, the words reminded me that Blue Koi has the best Pot Roast over noodles I've ever had. So, of course, I couldn't get the thought of it out of mind. When my buddy Clint threw out Blue Koi as option to meet for lunch last week, I was all in.

We chose the location at Mission Farms in Leawood, only because I'd never been to that particular spot...except when the land was inhabited by Saddle & Sirloin about a decade or so ago. Blue Koi's original location is along 39th Street in KCMO. If you have the choice, I'd recommend trying the 39th Street location first because the ambiance has a bit more character, as does the entire 39th Street corridor over Mission Farms. But both locations are legit.

Anyway, Clint is my ideal lunch partner ... lunch partner, not life partner. The main reason is because he's not afraid to order an appetizer during lunch. As you know, I'm a huge believer in this. However, on this day - given that it was a special occassion (Tuesday) - we ordered two appetizers: chicken lettuce wraps and pan-fried pork dumplings. I'm salivating just thinking about these things. The lettuce wraps, which seem to be the signature appetizer at every Asian restaurant these days, were particularly tasty. The pork dumplings were delicious as well.

Lettuce Wraps: That spoon was a decoy. We used our hands to build the wraps, like normal people.

Dumplings: There were six originally. I could eat these things like popcorn.

Before I go any further, I've got to tell you about Blue Koi's "Awesome Sauce" - that's literally what it's called...Awesome Sauce. It is aptly named, believe me. It's a sweet, thick sauce that is perfect drizzled over just about everything on the menu. It tastes especially good with the lettuce wraps and the dumplings. Both appetizers came with its own soy-sauce-type dipping sauce, as well. As you can tell, I'm a sauce man (see last week's entry).

Awesome Sauce: Was I running when I took this picture? Where's Andre Agassi
and his EOS Canon Rebel when you need him?

When it came time to order the main dish, I had a decision to make. Do I go with my old faithful - the Pot Roast over Noodles or have the rare option of saying "Mmmm, I'll have what he's having" and order Ants on a Tree?

With most dishes you have the option to have it over rice, noodles or noodle soup. My craving, of course, made that an easy choice. And I decided to go with the Pot Roast...again. And...again...it was great! I like mine nice and spicy, so I doused some of that Sriracha sauce on it, as well as plenty of the Awesome Sauce. The beef was tender and tasty, nicely done. Now, it would have been just fine without either, but I don't like to leave things untouched on the table. So I use all my resources.

Pot Roast over Noodles: Knife and fork needed.

Clint ordered his old faithful, Ants on a Tree, which is sautéed minced pork with bean noodle. It's a lot like Pad Thai, just without all the weird plants that look like they were pulled out of a fish tank at Waldo Pets. By all accounts, Clint said his was as good as always. Next time I go there, I'm going to get that.

Ants on a Tree: That plate was empty about 2 minutes later.

They don't skimp on the amount of food they place in front of you. And Clint and I don't skimp on eating all of it. It's pretty filling stuff. But there are plenty of other dishes on the lighter side.

The price is a bit higher than a normal lunch spot, our dishes were around $13 before tax. The service is helpful and friendly. The only downside of the whole trip was that I had to go back to work (and stay awake). That, and the fact that I almost bit it on a snagged carpet runner on my way to the table. Oh yeah, and the refills on our ice tea and water were few and far between. At an Asian restaurant that is unforgivable...just leave the pitcher.

All in all though, Blue Koi is worth every penny. It hit the spot for me.

The only thing that would have made it any better was if I had had a plate of lamb meat, pita bread and tzatziki sauce on top of Asian noodles, instead. What's that? Sounds gross, you say? Maybe. But satisfying? Opa!

I picked up the rest with chopsticks...as far as you know.

- BTF

Danny Edwards' Boulevard BBQ

When I was a kid, my dad would tell me that you don't discuss religion and politics among friends and acquaintances. Wise words from a wise man. Words I will most certainly share with my children when they actually start listening to me (which, from what I hear comes over about a 2-year span from when they turn 9 to their 11th birthday). So I have a few years.

When that time time does come, however, my life experiences will lead me to add one more line to that adage: Never discuss religion, politics or Kansas City barbecue among friends and acquaintances.

Good idea don't you think? Just so things stay civil. It doesn't matter if you're talking about the restaurant, the meat, the sauce, the fries or your preferred order, each of us has our opinions. We all have our beliefs on who, what and where is best.

And those beliefs are deeply rooted in passion, field research and sticky fingers.  It sparks one heck of a debate. I'm sure each of you have taken part in at least one of these heated conversations.

Well, today, I'd like to start a new debate with this statement: Some of Kansas City's best barbecue is smack dab in the middle of our famed Mexican food district ... The Boulevard.

Yes, Danny Edward's Boulevard BBQ is good. Damn good. And, if you ask me, it keeps getting better.

Located just west of Ponak's Mexican restaurant on a small plot land right off the curb of Southwest Boulevard, Danny Edward's Boulevard BBQ serves up awesome barbecue for a good price in a classic setting.

Boulevard BBQ is Danny Edwards' second iteration of his locally famous restaurant. The place relocated a few years ago from Grand Boulevard near what is now the Sprint Center. It used to be called "Lil' Jake's Eat It and Beat It BBQ" (or something close to that) given the small digs and lack of seating.

However, his new location has just the right amount of seating. Plenty of tables that always seem to be full. I guess that's because most people who frequent the place still know it's best to eat it and beat it. It's just common courtesy...and always smart to get up and about as soon as possible after eating a plate of beef, beans and fries.

So, I was excited to spend Fat Tuesday with my good friend, Conor, at Boulevard BBQ. Conor had never been there, so I was excited to see his reaction to a new place ... instead of the old faithfuls like Bryant's, Oklahoma Joe's, Jack Stack, Gates and Arby's. Well, scratch Arby's ... but seriously, have you tried their barbecue sauce? Good stuff.

He ordered the pulled pork sandwich with a side of spicy beans.

Look at that overflow of pork. Nicely done.

I ordered the beef sandwich with a side of fries and spicy beans.

Isn't that bun beautiful? The fries taste like salty, buttery, greasy potatoes. In other words, perfect.

Look at the thickness of the beef! Best beef sandwich I've had in a long time.
Don't worry, I sauced it up even more with every bite.

Conor said his pulled pork was terrific, as was his order of spicy beans. I often get the pulled pork, myself, and I would agree with his assessment.

On this day, however, I wanted to give Boulevard BBQ the beef test. You see, I'm a firm believer that the beef sandwich, anywhere you go, is the riskiest sandwich to get. It can be fatty, greasy, gamey...anything.

Danny Edwards's beef sammy was up to the test. It was pure gold. Each bite melted in my mouth, literally. It was that good. The slices of beef were thick and very tasty. I like to load it up with sauce (personal preference) because I'm a sauce man.

Some men like (chicken) breasts. Some men like (pork) butts. Me? I'm a sauce man.

It's the reason I love barbecue so much ... the different sauces. Bryant's Bold & Spicy, Gates' Sweet & Mild, Oklahoma Joe's original and Danny Edwards' original. Don't worry, just like at most of those places, the sauce is waiting for you at the table at Boulevard BBQ. Just squeeze and enjoy.

The price is very affordable, especially if you get the deal of the day. We're talking about $8, a steal compared to Arthur Bryant's. But when it comes to barbecue ... good barbecue... price is not an issue, anyway.

I will pay top dollar for some of the world's best meals, which we have right here in Kansas City at our finest barebecue joints. For me, on this day, it was Danny Edwards' Boulevard Barbecue. Tomorrow, it may be Oklahoma Joe's or Jack Stack. Regardless of my preference from one day to the other, I'd say Boulevard BBQ can hang with the big boys any day.

Try it. I would expect no debate.

The Eat It and Beat It spirit is still alive. By the time I sopped up the last drip of sauce with my last fry,
they snatched my plate before I could snipe a pic!

- BTF

Pandolfi's Deli

If you've never been down to the Columbus Park area of Kansas City, it's worth the trip. It's a throwback to old times, tucked away in the shadows of the downtown Kansas City skyline. Where is it, you ask? Simple: When you get to the River Market...head east. Near the intersection of 5th and Campbell - among old red brick homes and multi-family apartments, and across the street from Holy Cross Catholic Church and around the corner from the original Garozzo's - is a small little Italian deli with a traditional yet fresh menu, welcoming decor, and very, very good food.

This little place is called Pandolfi's Deli. It's received its fair share of press lately - with features in The Kansas City Star and various other blogs.

Fittingly, Pandolfi's is located in the heart of our city's historic Italian neighborhood. There are a few other classic delies in that part of town - none more impressive than Lasala's. That place...whew! You order the sandwhich according to how much of the loaf of bread you want. So a "half loaf" is litterally a half a loaf of Italian bread with meat on it. Yes please!

Anyway, back to this week's featured place: Pandolfi's. I was fortunate enough to share this week's lunch date with two of the world's greatest ladies - my mom and my grandma. There we were, three generations of women...Oh wait...There we were, three generations of family sharing a meal, and opinions about the food we were eating.

And let me tell you ... my grandma - a mother of 10 and head cook for a family that has about 10,000 people come to family parties - and my mom - a mother of 3 and head cook for a family that cherishes its food like its going out of style (seriously, if you've ever seen me, my dad or my brother eat, we guard our plates and bowls with our left arm and eat with our right. It was a matter of survival at the dinner table back in the day.)... know what they are talking about when it comes to food.

Okay, back to Pandolfi's: It's a very clean place, with a simple approach. You walk in through a faux courtyard area that reminds me of Venice...if I'd ever been to Venice. Then you head up to the counter, put in your order, take a seat and wait for the made-from-scratch sandwiches to reach your table.

Open just a few months, Pandolfi's already has a crowd favorite...the muffaletta sandwich, a New Orleans specialty. I, however, have despised olives for the past 30 years. And an olive tapanade (the dressing spread on the muffaletta) isn't my style. So I ordered the next best thing (so I thought): The Italian Meat Sub...Mortadella, salami, spicy capocollo, and fontinella cheese with Pandolfi’s Balsamic
Vinaigrette, lettuce, red onion, tomato. Yum.

How good does this look!

My grandma wisely ordered the meatball sub (the real best thing), served piping hot with melted cheese. She was kind enough to share half with me. Yes, I ate a sandwich and a half for lunch. And no, I don't feel bad about it. Never do.

The Italian bread is made fresh daily from a nearby bakery. I'm always weary of Italian delies and their bread. If the bread's too hard it's a deal breaker. Fortunately for me, Pandolfi's bread is just the right kind of crispy, yet soft. Well done.

Mmmmmeatball sandwich!

Not pictured is my mom's sandwich, the Prosciutto & Pepper...Oven-roasted red bell peppers, havarti cheese, olive oil, lettuce, red onion, tomato. My mom said it was good, but Prosciutto can be persnickitty. If it's fatty, it's sort of tough to chew. Thus was the case with my mom's sandwich. She said the taste was fantastic, but the porsciutto was a little too hard to get down.

FYI...each sandwich costs around $7 or $8. If you add chips and drink, it comes out to be around $10. I'd say its worth it, if you ask me.

I took the liberty of ordering a side of pasta salad - since Mom was paying, of course. It was pretty good, but not incredible. My mother-in-law's recipe blows Pandolfi's out of the water. But it did the trick however...I'm a sucker for pasta salad. Easy to please.

Garbanzo!

Perhaps the most pleasant surprise of our lunch date was dessert. Yes, I ordered dessert too. I orderd the Chocolate Chip Amaretto Brownie. It was absolutely perfect, especially the chocolate and amaretto frosting. It had such a distinct taste, I really can't explain it. It was just darn good.

About a second later, nothing was left.

Well, after the final bite of brownie, I was spent. My mom and grandma picked me up and carried me out of the restaurant, all with smiles on our faces.

I'll definitely be back.

Fin.

-BTF