Happy Gillis

If you watch the Food Network, you may recognize this jewel.  Guy Fieri, accompanied by 7 lbs. of  "bling" and his platinum blonde hair, stopped by Happy Gillis and featured the restaurant on his show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.  Smart move, Guy.  

This place is definitely what you would consider a "dive".  With only five tables, a vintage couch and two plush chairs, this place seats about 25.  And while the restaurant may be small, it doesn't stop the masses from showing up.  Open for breakfast and lunch, Tuesday through Sunday, this place rocks!  From daily homemade soups like carrot-orange bisque with herbed celery slaw to ridiculously delicious sandwiches, Happy Gillis is a place that I frequent about once every week. 

Here is what we had on our visit last week. 

The entrance to this old-school dive which is located in Columbus Park, just northeast of downtown KC.

No paper menus here folks.  The chalkboard menu displays your choices.  Here, Todd Schulte, owner, takes orders.  The menu generally stays the same, except for seasonal changes.  However, they do offer different soups every couple of days and will usually have a specialty sandwich during the week.

The BLT.  Okay, so I know what you're thinking, "It's a BLT, right. Big deal.  A monkey can make a BLT.  What's so special about this one?"  Well, sorry.  This isn't just your ordinary BLT.  This is a Happy Gillis BLT. 

No thin slices of bacon that have been sitting in a plastic package for weeks.  No ordinary, run of the mill tomato.  And not your standard white bread.  Nope.  Happy Gillis uses Webster City bacon, which is this really flavorful, thick cut bacon that has a bit of smokiness.  And instead of a regular tomato, they oven roast the tomatoes, which brings out their natural sugars and really concentrates the flavor. This is what makes the sandwich. Finally, they use Farm to Market bread, which is a local favorite here in KC.

Another sandwich, which is another favorite, is the Curried Chicken Salad with Toasted Cashews, Cilantro and a Sweet Chili sauce.  Personally, I'm indifferent to chicken salads normally.  But to use one of Guy Fieri's signature lines, this chicken salad is the mayor of "flavortown".  Plus, they serve it on a whole grain bread baked by Farm to Market.

I think this sandwich is genius. Obviously curry chicken salad is something you don't see very often.  But the flavors meld so well together.  The hint of spice in the curry powder is balanced with the sweetness of the chili sauce.

Honestly, I can't say enough good things about Happy Gillis. I try to eat there at least once a week and when I don't, it seems like a part of me dies inside.  I mean, I ate there the morning of my wedding because I hadn't been there in 10 days.  Not only is there lunch fantastic, their breakfast is great as well. 

So, if it is around breakfast or lunch time, turn off your computer and run, don't walk, to Happy Gillis.  It'll be the best decision you will make all day.

Happy Gillis
549 Gillis Street
Kansas City, MO 64106
816.471.3663



Julian

I think it's only fitting that the first post on my blog is about a restaurant that has quickly become one of my favorites in Kansas City, if not THE favorite.  This quaint Brookside establishment boasts one of the top chefs in Midwest, Celina Tio.

Since opening Julian in 2009, Chef Tio has certainly made a name for herself in Kansas City.  She competed on Food Network's Next Iron Chef, where she tied for 3rd with Asian-Fusion extraordinaire and celebrity chef, Ming Tsai and was recently named the First Lady of Kansas City by the mayor of Kansas City.

Currently, she is taking her culinary skills to Bravo's Top Chef Masters, where she is taking on some of the United States' best culinary minds.  In connection with the Wednesday airing of each episode of Top Chef Masters, Chef Tio offers a prix fixe menu where she serves various dishes that she prepared during that episode.  She also has TVs set up throughout the restaurant which allow customers to watch the show and eat the dish that she is preparing, all at the same time.  It is such a great concept and makes for a fun dining experience.

Without further ado, here is what Jessica and I had at the Episode 2 watch party.

We started out with a bottle of 2008 Napa Cellars Pinot Noir.  This is such a delicate Pinot but gives you a lot of bang for the buck. It is just a great bottle of wine.  Some berry notes and a hint of spice make this an easy drinking wine that pairs well with just about any type of protein.  You can pick it up at most liquor stores or wine shops throughout KC and it goes for about $16 per bottle in store.

The first Quickfire challenge that the contestants faced was to make a meatball dish using a handcrank meat grinder.  And the contestants only had 30 minute to do so.  Chef Tio offered up Pork and Lamb Meatballs on Grilled Ciabatta with house made Ricotta cheese and a Citrus-Pine Nut Vinaigrette. 

I thought the ricotta went together well with the meatballs and the vinaigrette had just a hint of citrus, which was nice.

The main course was a Pan Seared Fluke with Asparagus Risotto.  For those who don't know, Fluke is also known as a Summer Flounder and is a flaky white fish with a very mild flavor.

This dish is the reason that I like Julian.  Such a simple dish but just really good.  It was perfectly cooked and the asparagus risotto paired very well with it.

If you watched the show, you'll notice that this dish wasn't made by Chef Tio.  The Elimination Challenge was to take a dish from the 1960s and put a modern spin on it.  Chef Tio randomly selected Coq au Vin, which is chicken braised in wine for hours on end.  Celina mentioned to us that since taping was a while back, she had forgot what she had made so we didn't get to experience the Coq an Vin.  Maybe next week we will get lucky...

Dessert: Homemade Chocolate Pudding with a warm ginger doughnut hole.  Just another simple yet delicious offering.  Either there was a light dusting of salt on the doughnut hole or salt was actually sprinkled onto the pudding and it was an amazing contrast between sweet and salty. 

Jessica, myself and Chef Tio

Well, that's it for my first real post on the blog. If you have yet to try Julian, check it out.  As is mentioned on her website, she offers "soul-satisfying dishes, crafted with the finest local and seasonal ingredients, refined with signature twists..." 

Julian

6227 Brookside Plaza

KCMO 64113

816.214.8454

http://www.juliankc.com/ 

The beginning...

So I've never blogged before so this will be an interesting experiment.  I really have no expectations going into this so I guess I'll be happy with whatever it produces.


I just love good food and wine and want to be able to share my experiences with others.  Whether those experiences are in Kansas City or elsewhere, maybe someone, somewhere will enjoy what I have to say.


And yes, the blog is a bit boring right now but I'll jazz it up soon...