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