3 Great Reasons to get to KC

For as long as I can remember, there has been a certain grudge that people from St. Louis and Kansas City hold against their cross-state metropolis....and I'm ignoring the baseball rivalry.  Even beyond the sham that was the Royals winning the 1985 fall classic (Denkinger), there is a clear disconnect between our two cities.  Well, I have been a fan of KC for many years, and this past week I went for a visit.  It was my first in almost two years, and I'm embarrassed about that.

KC has some amazing dining, drinking, shopping, and cultural experiences worth enjoying.  So let me tell you about three spots I visited this week.  Something old, something new, and somewhat of an expansion on one of KC's best!

Something old:

The Uptown Theater

With the not so recent closings of both Mississippi Nights and American Theatre (yeah, Robert's owns it, but they hardly book it,) St. Louis has very few mid sized quality music venues.  Uptown is my favorite in KC.  Uptown opened in 1928 and has quite a storied past.  I won't regurgitate the history here...just check out their website, if you are so include.  The perfect anchor to any trip to KC is a show at the Uptown.  Check out their concert calendar and start planning.  May I recommend the upcoming MGMT show, or Pavement in September?  Yes I may.

Something new:

The Westside Local

New to the KC scene, I was so happy to be directed here upon my arrival.  I had, quite possibly, one of the best burgers I've ever had the pleasure of consuming.  No joke!  Topped with emmenthaler cheese and served with perfectly crispy garlic french fries, this was a huge win.  Throw in a great beer list, awesome liquor selection, and communal tables outside (I LOVE IT) and this place is a huge win!  The fact the owner Troy McEvers spent time working in San Francisco shines through here.  I definitely felt like I was having lunch in a Bay area eatery.  Even if it is slightly out of your way when visiting KC, please stop by and check it out!

Old favorites getting better:

Extra Virgin

When I first started coming to KC on a regular basis in 1999, Michael Smith was the celebrated chef at The American Restaurant.  That year, he won the James Beard Award for "Best Chef in the Midwest."  Since then, he has only continued to improve the KC culinary scene.  Two years ago, I had one of my favorite KC dinners ever at his then-new space, Michael Smith.  Now he's taken over the space next door and opened Extra Virgin, a beautiful space featuring Mediterranean tapas.

The cocktail scene has taken a huge, hopefully temporary hit, with the closing of Manifesto (which hopefully will resurface soon.)  In the meantime, I have to say I was very impressed with the drinks at Extra Virgin.  The number of drinks featuring house-made syrups was impressive, and tasty!  E/V offers a great happy hour featuring 1/2 price appetizers and discounted cocktails and wines by-the-glass.  The ambiance at Extra Virgin is 2nd to none for a great place to get an after-work cocktail or three, along with some small plates to soak it up.

Short and sweet, there you have it!  Three places you must visit the next time you're in KC.  I could on and on, but three seems like a good number today.  Enjoy!

St. Louis spirits scene is knockin' on Death's Door

Artisanal spirits are on the upswing across the country, but those of us in the midwest often get left behind. Not in this case!

I recently had the pleasure of meeting Brian Ellison, President of Death's Door Spirits. Death's Door is a Madison, Wisconsin based distillery. They are currently producing vodka, gin, and a white whiskey. That's right, a white whiskey.

Let's start with the vodka. Vodka, by definition, is a flavorless, odorless spirit. So what really separates a quality vodka from a sub-par vodka? Well, attention to detail and small distillation batches help. That shows in this instance by the amazingly smooth mouth-feel and ultra clean finish. The vodka is distilled three times, made with locally grown hard red winter wheat. I will never be a regular vodka drinker, but I am more than happy, as a bartender, to continue to educate those that insist on vodka that the mass produced, mass marketed labels like Grey Goose are inferior products. Death's Door has a winner here. Maxim Magazine agrees too. Check out the April issue, which features this great bottling, along side another of my favorites - Ransom Old Tom Gin.

Now for the exciting stuff. Gin baby! Death's Door Gin was named one of Wine & Spirits Magazine's "Best Spirits" 2009. This gin is distilled with three botanicals - juniper, coriander, and fennel. It is triple distilled in small batches, just like the vodka. The end result is a London dry style, but with much more character than most gin. The finish is silky smooth! I tried this in three of my favorite gin drinks and found it to be a great partner, especially in cocktails that really highlight the gin, rather than the gin playing a supporting role to more intense flavors.

Okay okay! I know! You want to know about the white whiskey. Well, here you go. This whiskey is double distilled, then rested, then put in new oak for a short 72 hours, hence there is next to no color on this bottling. The end result is something akin to a silver tequila, or a pisco, or even maybe a little cachaca'esque flavor. It is definitely a unique experience, and a quality one!

So what do you do with a white whiskey? At Brian's suggestion, I tried a "White Manhattan." 2 ounces of white whiskey, 2 ounces of Dolin bianco vermouth, .25 ounce of Benedictine, and 2 dashes of Regan's Orange bitters. Stir for 30 seconds and serve up with a flamed orange twist. Good stuff!

Brian plans on releasing more traditional, barrel aged whiskey in the future. It obviously takes time to do so, and he doesn't want to do it too soon and not have enough product to keep a supply in the marketplace.

It's truly exciting to get a new, high quality family of craft spirits in St. Louis, and I hope you will all give these products a taste! Where/when can you get this good stuff?!?! Well, it will be in the market in the next few weeks. I know Wine & Cheese Place has picked it up, along with other folks in town. Also look for it on the back-bar at the best places in town for cocktails, including Pi CWE (yours truly) and Taste by Niche.

Here are some recipes to try:

Traditional Moscow Mule
2oz Death's Door Vodka
1oz fresh lime juice
Build over ice and
Top with Osterweis Ginger Beer (available at Schlafly & Fitz's)
DELICIOUS!

Ginger White Ribbon
1.5oz Death's Door Gin
1oz Chateau Le Mothe Bordeaux Blanc (or another french sauv. blanc)
.5oz Canton Ginger liqueur
.25oz Navan vanilla liqueur
Stir for 30 seconds. Serve up with a lemon twist. Clean, summer goodness.

New times!

So.....The next few days will show more truly the course which this blog will take. Look for a thorough review of the best new downtown spot (hint: Bailey) and also a summary of the best wine dinner of 2010, now and future, to take place in St. Louis (hint: Frost/Galliano). Talk soon friends!