We’ll be talking about Wichita’s new Greek restaurant, how you can drink martinis for charity, and all sorts of other delicious topics. One slight change: You’ll need to login via Facebook, Twitter or (???) Myspace to participate. It’s easy. Just follow the instructions.
Chat starts promptly at 1:30 p.m. Be there.
No Tanya’s soup for you today
WHERE ARE WE SUPPOSED TO EAT?????
Oh yeah, we’re not supposed to drive.
It’s rare when a restaurant closes on a scheduled day to be open, but the fact that several around Wichita are closing or opening late today is a testament to how much white stuff we have on the ground.
Tanya’s Soup Kitchen — one of the city’s top purveyors of cold-weather food — announced yesterday via Facebook that it would shut down for the day. Doo Dah Diner at 206 E. Kellogg announced the same thing this morning. I also saw that Chick-fil-A west has decided to delay opening until 10:30 a.m., which means no chicken biscuits for you. Chick-fil-A west later decided to close for the whole day.
Also, Chef Jason Febres at Taste & See at 3825 E Harry St. just announced on Facebook that he’ll be closed for lunch today but hopes to reopen for dinner.
The Anchor also decided to close for the day.
The moral of the story: If you’re out today, check with your favorite restaurant before sliding over.
UPDATE:
Newport Grill at 1900 N. Rock Road reports that the parking lots at Bradley Fair are cleared and that it will open for dinner at 5 p.m. tonight. And Linda Davis from Wichita’s two Jimmie’s Diners wrote to tell me that they’re open as usual.
Redrock Canyon at 1844 N. Rock Road also will be closed on Thursday, managers report.
The Cabernet Sauvignon will be flowing at Hereford House on Thursday.
Two wine dinners are coming up, and both have my Monday morning taste buds on high alert.
One is an event scheduled for Thursday at Hereford House, inside the Terradyne Country Club in Andover and put on by the Wichita chapter of the American Institute of Wine & Food.
The event will feature Casidy Ward from the Hidden Ridge Vineyard, who will pour the vineyard’s well-regarded Cabernet Sauvignon, along with several other wines. The event also will feature a four-course meal plus appetizers and dessert.
It’s $7o for AIWF members and $85 for non-members. Call 316-682-5502 for reservations and information.
Oeno Wine Bar at 330 N. Mead also is planning a wine tasting called “Indulge” and scheduled for Jan. 26. It’s $35 a person and features a three-course tasting, each course paired with wine, plus dessert. For reservations, call 316-440-5000.
It looks so beautiful in a mountain setting, doesn’t it?
In case you haven’t heard, the Oscar Meyer Wienermobile is back in town this weekend. This dog-shaped vehicle seems to have a real affinity for Wichita because it just keeps coming back and back again.
The mobile’s staffers will distribute Wiener Whistles and hot dog coupons. Folks can get their photos taken with the 27-foot-long wiener on wheels, too.
It’ll be at the grand opening of the new Goddard Walmart at 18631 W. Kellogg from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today and Saturday and at the Walmart at 4794 E. 13th in Wichita from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday.
Join me at 1:30 p.m. today for a live dining chat. On the menu: Sushi, chef cooking classes and more. Tell everyone you know.
Back in 1996, I watched and loved the acclaimed Campbell Scott/Stanley Tucci movie “Big Night,” about a pivotal evening in the life of an Italian restaurant.
The dish the whole night hinged on was called “timpano,” and it was a layered, dramatic, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink creation that wowed the restaurant’s guests.
I’ve wanted to eat timpano ever since, and 16 years later, I have. In honor of my colleague/friend Katie Lohrenz’s departure from the Eagle, I made the “Big Night” timpano using this recipe from the New York Times. It was fun, and it was good.
Please compare and contrast our two scenes:
A sampling of the chili bowls to choose from at last year's event.
The Dash and Dine 5K isn’t the only fun food even going on this weekend.
There’s also the annual Chili Bowl Sale, which is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday outside of Kirby’s Beer Store, 3227 E. 17th St. N. For $10, diners get their choice of a handmade ceramic bowl crafted by Wichita State University Ceramics Guild filled with a choice of 10 different types of chili. Proceeds benefit Envision. The event will be outside on Kirby’s patio, so children and families are welcome.
Another event is the is the Taste of Home Cooking School, which is in its third year at Hartman Arena. An Expo is is from 3 to 7 p.m. and the cooking school is from 7 to 9 p.m. on Friday. Tickets are $15 at the door. For more information, visit hartmanarena.com.
Inside the new Garden Grill Cafe.
Since d’Sozo went out of business last spring, I’ve been getting frequent e-mails from vegetarian/vegan diners wanting to know where chef Miguel Larcher was and when he’d be cooking again.
On Thursday, Larcher finally opened his new restaurant he’s been working on for months, Garden Grill Cafe, on the first floor of Occidental Plaza, 300 N. Main. (Longtime Wichitans will remember Two Feathers, El Torero and other restaurants operating in the space.)
The restaurant focuses on vegetarian and vegan food made with Greek, Italian and Mediterranean flavors. Larcher is offering daily specials and a menu full of smoothies, sandwiches, pizzas and pasta dishes. (You can see the menu here.
The Garden Grill Cafe is inside the Occidental Plaza.
Larcher, a native of Martinique, plans Tuesday-night cooking classes and Monday-night lectures by health professionals. He’ll open for Sunday brunch starting on Nov. 4.
Until then, his hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays through Fridays with dinner hours from 5 to 8 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
For more information, call 316-978-9213.
Wichita has no shortage of fried delicacies, even when it’s not Wichita River Festival time. Fried mozzarella sticks. Fried pickles. Fried okra. Fried jalapeno bites. Onion rings. French fries. The list goes on and on.
My favorite fried foods in Wichita include The Flying Stove’s amazing truffle fries, the fried ravioli at Le Monde and the panko-crusted fried shrimp from Kanai.
What’s your favorite fried food locally? And who serves it?
Answer in the comments section below.
Contestant Matt Howard at Saturday's Wagonmasters Downtown Chili Cookoff
The results of Saturday’s Wichita Wagonmasters Downtown Chili Cookoff are in, and the big winner was a newcomer from Colorado.
Craig Stanton of Aurora, Colo., took the top prize in both the red and green chili categories at the festival. His win was particularly interesting, said festival organizer Ann Keefer, because he came to compete alone and hired someone in town to help him man his booth.
The salsa category was won by a team called Flatland Dreamers, lead by head cook Bill Spellman. And the new “Anything Goes” category, which has much more loosey goosey rules, was won by first-time contestants Chili Divas, lead by Wichita’s Patricia Shepherd.
A team called Bandito Chili, lead by David Ellis of Wichita, won in the “no beans” category. And Kidzcope, lead by Jerry Jones of Wichita, won the new “Chili for Charity” category.
You can see the full list of winners here.