Local Love

Kansas City’s been getting a whole lotta love lately, and it’s very well deserved. Centrally located and reasonably priced, KC boasts some damn fine food & drink, not to mention a thriving art & music scene. It’s also home to some amazing entrepreneurs putting out some tasty products. The lead-off company in this article by KC Magazine is one that’s near and dear to us.

Zim’s sauces are produced by such lovely people, and the products are amazing!  My husband puts a little Bufsas on almost everything and he swears it cured his chronic heartburn.  My favorite of the hot sauces is the Kiksas, which has more of a sour zing.  But my overall favorite product is their savory balsamic.  It’s super thick, lightly seasoned so that it still tastes like balsamic, and is flavorful without being too spicy.  Drizzled on roasted veggies, scrambled eggs, grilled chicken…pretty much anything. When we went camping last summer it was one of the few condiments we took because it was so versatile.  They also take the balsamic a step further for the Zim’s Vim and mix in olive oil, tangerine, and blood orange juice.  It’s a perfect ready-to-go salad dressing or bread dipping sauce.

We’re not listed in the article as a vendor but we do carry the 12oz Bufsas & Kiksas, as well as the 12.5oz Balsamic and Vim.  Aside from picking up one for yourself, it makes a great hostess, housewarming, or even going away gift…a little KC for the road.

XOXO

Starboard Cannons & Ambiguous Fiddle

This past weekend Kansas City hosted the Folk Alliance International Conference. This conference brings a ridiculous amount of amazing music and cool folks to the city, and we were pleased to meet a number of them.

One group, Starboard Cannons from Australia, were sweetly enamored of our space and spent some time filming on Friday. As a consequence we had the lovely strains of guitar, fiddle, upright base, and beautiful voices wafting through the restaurant. We so infrequently have music in the shop that I forget how nice it sounds, and theirs was the perfect compliment to the space.

Aside from their talent as musicians, they were so very gracious and genuinely appreciative, as were the film crew from Ambiguous Fiddle. Starboard Cannons was kind enough to gift us with their new album and I’ve had it on repeat all weekend. I suggest you check them out on You Tube and keep an eye out for their touring schedule.

Cheers to good music and new friends! XOXO

RIP Friday Dinners

I’m afraid I haven’t properly blogged since about this time last year other than to update daily specials and post the regular menus.  Unfortunately, the year on my last post isn’t clear and may have caused some confusion.  The dinners officially ended as of August 2012 and we have no current plans to reinstate them.  I DO hope to keep the blog more current, perhaps this is the kick in the butt I needed.  Thank you so very much for your continued support!  We can’t do it without you!  XOXO Annie

The Last Three Dinners and One Menu

It’s sad but true…dinners will be no more.  The next three scheduled will be our last.  Of all the reasons they will be discontinued, lack of interest was NOT a factor.  Many thanks to those who joined us on a regular basis, as well as those who only came occasionally.  If you always wanted to come but couldn’t find the time, now’s your chance!  The last three dinners will be June 15th, July 20th and August 10th.  Email me for a reservation at YouSayTomatoKC@gmail.com.

As an incentive to make a reservation for next Friday’s dinner, here’s the proposed menu.  As always, it’s not completely set until the day before or even day of.  If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to email me.  The Eggless Caesar and Fried Chicken remain the same.  The seasonal salad will be a Panzanella with cucumbers, tomatoes, toasted bread, red onion, feta and kalamata olives, tossed with a lemon basil vinaigrette.  The vegetarian entree will be a Vegetable Lasagna made with seasonal fresh vegetables.  The meat entree will be a Pork Chop Saltimbocca – a bone in grilled pork chop stuffed with fontina, prosciutto, spinach and sage.  That and the Fried Chicken will be served with a Lemon Parmesan Risotto as well as a simply prepared seasonal green vegetable.  Dessert options will be a Vanilla Ice Cream with chocolate chile sauce and toasted pinon nuts or Peach Crumble with bourbon brown sugar ice cream.

Almost the entire menu will be gluten free with the exception of the Lasagna and Peach Crumble.  The Panzanella will not be not be made gluten free, but will have a gluten free option.  And I almost forgot the beverage!  We’ll be serving a Cherry Limeade made with fresh limes and house-made maraschino cherries.  As always, we will be featuring the gluten free flour from Be Free Bakers and hope to showcase primarily Goode Acres produce.

We very much hope you’ll be able to join us!  XOXO Annie

Evening Shade Farms

I had the pleasure of spending Memorial Day weekend in Osceola Missouri.  Evening Shade Farms hosted their 12th annual Herb Days in May festival.  It was by no means a leisurely 3 days, but even working hard I treasure my time there.  Gayle (who is no longer with us) has infused that land with a particularly beautiful spirit – HER spirit.  I miss her so much, but I know she would not want me dwelling on things that can’t be changed and instead focus on the now.

I came back with a fresh batch of soaps – some standards and some new.  One of the ones that is new to me (but has been in production for many years) is the French Clay Facial Soap.  The bar is moistened, applied to the face, dried, then wiped off.  While it’s on you can scare people with your green alien face!

They’ve also expanded their Critter Ridder line.  The original Critter Ridder was oil based that you put on pressure points.  The new Critter Ridder Light is in a non-oily base that can be put on pressure points as well as clothes.  It’s an awesome, natural “bug spray.”  They’ve also put the formula into a soap that you can bathe with before you head into the garden.  The Pine Tar soap is an old standard for problem skin but it serves another purpose in the summer.  If you get bug bites or get into something itchy just wet the bar, rub it on the itchy spot and let it dry.  It totally stops the itch!

New Dinner Dates!

Alright, we’ve finally set the dinner dates for the summer!  They are June 15th, July 20th, and August 10th.  The menus are nowhere near set yet, but I foresee some awesome summer fare made with local, seasonal produce.  Thanks to the mild winter and early spring, the growing season has started early (and will hopefully last long).  Goodeacre Farms is already bringing in peaches, zucchini, cucumbers and heirloom tomatoes.  If you’d like to make a reservation, please email me at YouSayTomatoKC@gmail.com.  Hope to see you!  XOXO Annie

May 18th Dinner

Good morning!  This Friday we will host the second of our May dinners.  I’ve attached the menu for the FIRST dinner, held on May 4th which, aside from a few small changes will be the same.  The Tenderloin will be served with a wild mushroom cream sauce instead of the demi glace, and a new (and I’m sure delicious) dessert will replace the Lemon Meringue Pie.  If you’re interested in joining us, please email me at YouSayTomatoKC@gmail.com for a reservation.  At this time we have openings scattered throughout the evening.  We look forward to seeing you!  XOXO Annie