Category Archives: Uncategorized

Wichita’s 10 best restaurant patios

May 21, 201312:27 p.m.

Happy people dining outdoors at Newport Grill

I don’t know if you all caught the Perfect Summer section in Sunday’s paper. It was a fat, 72-pager, and it was filled with lots of good restaurant news.

One story I wanted to make sure you didn’t miss was one I wrote about my favorite outdoor dining spots in Wichita.

Wichita restaurants have lots of nice patios, and the tiny window when you can properly enjoy them — after it warms up but before the flies and sweaty temperatures arrive — is closing quickly.

Check out my list, and see if your favorite patio made it. You also can read stories I wrote about the best beer and wine for summer, ideas for throwing outdoor summer foodie parties, and a list of places you can take summer cooking classes.

And if you want to get up close and personal with the Cake Face folks, you can read about their idea of a perfect picnic.

By Denise Neil | Tags: , Filed under Outdoor dining, Uncategorized | Comments

Bid for foodie dream jobs at charity event

May 16, 20133:56 p.m.

Among the jobs up for auction at Friday’s event: A chance to learn how to brew like a master from River City Brewing Co. brewmaster Dan Norton, left.

After editing a brief I’d written about the Children’s Champions charity event, which raises money by auctioning off “dream jobs,” my co-worker Julie was skeptical.

She grew up working in her parents’ Chinese/American restaurant and said she definitely would not classify it as a dream job.

But she and I agreed that the foodie jobs being auctioned on Friday — including a chocolate-making lesson and beer-brewing instruction — might be a lot more fun.

The event is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Friday at Botanica, 701 N. Amidon. Among the opportunities being auctioned are a chance to work a shift for the Flying Stove food truck and create a sandwich or burger for the menu; a chance to have a hands-on chocolate making experience with Cocoa Dolce’s Beth Tully; and the chance to go behind the scenes at River City Brewing Company and craft a beer with brewmaster Dan Norton.

The event will feature hors d’oeuvres provided by The Anchor, soup from Tanya’s Soup Kitchen and custard from Freddy’s Frozen Custard. Tickets are $75 at the event’s Facebook page.

Proceeds will go to help local children participating in Child Start’s head start programs.

Let me know if you win.

By Denise Neil | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments

Food truckers rallying again on Sunday

May 16, 201310:14 a.m.

The Flying Stove food truck

Wichita’s food truckers, headed up by the guys at the Flying Stove, have decided to start putting on monthly food truck rallies, usually on the last Sunday of the month.

This month, to avoid Memorial Day weekend, the truckers are gathering a Sunday early. The usual suspects, including the Flying Stove plus B.S. Sandwich Press, .SCakeface, Espresso To Go Go, and R&J Concessions will gather from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday at WaterWalk Pavilion. The rally is starting to attract festival-type concessionaires, too. This month, Bakerman Concessions, which specializes in cinnamon rolls, will join the crowd.

The gathering will also have live music, and representatives from the Kansas Humane Society will be there ready to perform on-site adoptions.

Expect the rally to grow in June. Two new trucks, The Hopping Pita and Let’m Eat Brats, have said they’d like to join in, too.

By Denise Neil | Tags: , , , , , , , Filed under Food trucks, Uncategorized | Comments

Mediterranean festival to become more festival-ish

May 7, 201310:37 a.m.

Kafta will be added to the menu at Saturday’s Mediterranean Festival at St. Mary Orthodox Christian Church.

The annual Mediterranean Festival at St. Mary Orthodox Christian Church — a celebration of Mediterranean food — will be a little different than it’s been in the past.

For one, the festival — which is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday  at the church, 344 S. Martinson – will be put on for just one day rather than two. The Orthodox Easter, which was last weekend, conflicted with the preparation schedule, necessitating the change this year.

Also, organizers this year are trying to make the festival a little bit more festival-ish. In the past, attendees ordered food, ate food and left. This year, the event will feature an outdoor tent, where people can dine al fresco, listen to Arabic music and watch Arabic dancing. They also can watch and sniff as church members grill kafta and chicken kebabs. (Kafta - lean ground beef, mixed with onion and spices, then grilled and served in a pita with a garlicky minty sauce – has been added to the menu this year. Stuffed grape leaves have been taken off.)

“When people hear the words, ‘Mediterranean Festival,’ they expect dancing and music and fun, not just walking through a buffet line and getting food,” said Alison Pike, one of the orgnaizers. “We are trying to make it feel more like a true festival.”

Attendees can order items such as kibbe, baklawa and meat pies a la carte in advance by calling ll 316-264-1576. They also can show up and dine in, either indoors or outdoors, or carry out. The festival also features a “market,” which will be expanded this year, that sells items such as pita bread, salad dressing and more.

By Denise Neil | Filed under Food festivals, Lebanese food, Mediterranean food, Uncategorized | Comments

Farewell for now

April 15, 20134:56 p.m.

I’m off for some much needed R&R.

I’ll be somewhere fabulous drinking wine and eating fabulous food.

That’s the best kind of vacation.

See you on April 22.

By Denise Neil | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments

French restaurant to open in Clifton Square

April 10, 20131:14 p.m.

A new French restaurant is opening in the old John Brown’s space this summer.

A French and Belgian restaurant called Au Paris-Bruxelles will open in the old John Brown’s space in Clifton Square in June, the center said today.

Florence and Didier Fraikin are relocating from Belgium to open the restaurant. They’ve visited the United States several times over the years and say they have dreamed of opening a restaurant here, too.

This means that Mortimer’s Piano Bar, which Kevin Brown and Tracy Fahrbach had previously announced they’d open in the space, won’t go there. Several calls over the past few months to Brown have gone unreturned.

Florence is a graduate in cooking arts of the Citadel in Namur, Belgium. The couple also has a restaurant in France, located one hour south of Paris, called Le Vieux Bruxelles.

The restaurant will offer Belgian specialties such as fish soup, terrines and salad nicoise. They’ll also have French specialties such as  bœuf Bourguignon.

Stay tuned to this blog for more information.

By Denise Neil | Tags: , Filed under About-to-open, Uncategorized | Comments

Espresso To Go Go will stay put put

April 9, 20134:56 p.m.

Espresso To Go Go’s future home

One of the many things that happened while I was gone with the Shockers: Another popular food truck decided to go stationary.

Espresso To Go Go, the mobile coffee shop that  Warren and Ann Tandoc opened last August, will move into a permanent location starting in May. It’ll be in a tiny, 650 square-foot space in the corner of the Zelman building at Douglas and St. Francis, so it’s not really designed for lingering. The couple plan to keep the name Espresso To Go Go because they’ll still specialize in coffee to go, though there will be about 10 bar stools for those who want to sip-in.

The menu will offer the same gourmet coffee drinks that the truck serves, from lattes to espressos. They’ll also have a limited number of food items from their friends at Cake Face, another food truck that’s planning to park.

Warren and Ann Tandoc

As for the trailer, a 1973 Airstream Land Yacht: It’s a little too large and gas hungry for the Tandocs, it turns out. They’re looking for a place to park it so that it could serve as a second, drive-through location. But nothing’s turning up, so if they don’t find a space soon, they’ll try to sell it.

Coffee fans can follow the progress of the new shop on the Espresso To Go Go Facebook page — or right here on this blog.

By Denise Neil | Tags: , Filed under About-to-open, Coffee, Food trucks, Uncategorized | Comments

My absence is the Shockers fault

April 3, 20133:56 p.m.

I’m so sorry about my absence of late on this dining blog. Three weeks ago, my editors asked me if I’d travel with the Shockers to write stories about the fans and the experience in the tournament. None of us imagined I’d still be going now.

I’m in the airport about to head to Atlanta, and when I return next week, the blog will be back to normal. Rest assured that I’ve been eating in many fabulous restaurants over the past several weeks — it’s just that none of them have been in Wichita.

In the meantime, you should know that Carlos O’ Kelly’s is celebrating Shocker dominance by practically giving away queso and margaritas. All day Saturday, they’ll mark the team’s appearance in the Final Four with 4 cent queso all day. If the Shockers make it to the final game, queso will cost 2 cents on Monday.

Margaritas on Saturday will cost $1.04.

The offer is good at all Wichita Carlos O’ Kelly’s locations.

See you next week.

By Denise Neil | Tags: Filed under Uncategorized | Comments

See you soon

March 5, 20134:07 p.m.

I’ll be back on Monday. Until then, dine with care.

By Denise Neil | Filed under Uncategorized | Comments

First Tuesday talk will feature local food celebs

March 5, 201310:09 a.m.

Schane Gross

Two of Wichita’s most recognizable restaurant celebs will be speaking as part of a panel at Creative Rush’s First Tuesday talk, scheduled for 6:45 p.m. tonight.

Schane Gross, owner of downtown’s popular bar The Anchor, and chef Jason Febres, the chef and owner at Taste and See, will be two of the three panelists talking about “Success in the Unexpected.”

Local musican Ryan Windham also will be on the panel. The talk will be at Bluebird Arthouse at 924 W. Douglas.

The panelists will speak for about 45 minutes, then they’ll answer questions.

‎Anna Murdoc’s Cafe will be providing Indian tacos, and Febres is bringing dessert. Admission is free.

By Denise Neil | Tags: , , Filed under Uncategorized | Comments