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

Food truck of the week: BJ’s Smokeshack

May 7, 20134:04 p.m.

A look at some of BJ’s sizzling, smoky goodness

It’s raining food trucks.

Today, I heard from another set of truckers preparing to hit the road. Jennifer and Brad Vieux hope to get their BJ’s Smokeshack on the streets by the end of the year. (They already have a Facebook pageup and running.)

Brad is a longtime barbecue hobbyist whose meats are so good, he often sells them to friends and acquaintances. He’s employed as a business development director for a local aviation company and will keep his job. Jennifer will staff the truck with help from her 15-year-old daughter and mother-in-law, who’s about to retire.

The truck will serve items such as pulled pork, brisket, ham, ribs, chicken, and specialty sandwiches plus homemade sides. They’re currently searching for the perfect truck and plan to park it at various places around town. They’ll also set up at area festivals.

The couple recently attended a meeting of the local food truck community, where they were welcomed and encouraged by the owners of The Flying Stove, Cake Face and others, Jennifer said.

“We’ve talked about this forever,” Jennifer said. “And we thought, ‘You know what? This is a perfect time because food trucks are getting so popular.”

I’ll let you know when BJ’s Smokeshack is ready to roll.

By Denise Neil | Tags: , , Filed under Barbecue, Food trucks | 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

MMM Sandwiches has its own spot

March 19, 201311:01 a.m.

Michael Awesome-Noyes

When a food truck grows up, it parks. Apparently.

Earlier this week, MMM Sandwiches owner Michael Awesome-Noyes opened a stationary cafe in the Thorn Building at 8300 Thorn Drive, near 37th and Rock. It’s called MMM Sandwiches Hole in the Wall Cafe, and the menu features a long list of sandwiches plus salads and some breakfast items. Recently, the Cake Face food truck owners announced that they’re also planning a stationary spot, and another local truck has hinted to me that it’s looking for a spot, too.

Awesome-Noyes, who no longer is a one-man act now that he’s brought on employee Dustin Cenneno, says he’s not planning to give up the truck entirely. He’ll likely hit the road more often for special events rather than just for weekday food service, he said. He’ll take the truck to the 1/2 Grass Festival at the Shamrock next weekend and also is in talks to partner with a downtown bar, where he’d park on Fridays.

The hours for the tiny new cafe, which is open to the public, are 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. For more information, call 316-806-4301.

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

Food trucks throwing a Cajun party

Feb. 14, 20135:04 p.m.

The Flying Stove’s new Cajun menu

Hold on to those Mardi Gras beads you collected on Tuesday.

The local food truck fleet is gathering in a couple of weeks to put on a belated Mardi Gras party. Spearheaded by the Flying Stove, which just today put out its tempting Cajun menu (mmmmm, Po’ Boy), the event will be from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 2, near the WaterWalk Pavilion. The truckers have obtained permission to close down part of Water Street to set up the event, and they’ll have a live jazz band performing.

So far, the usual suspects such as   B.S. Sandwich Press, MMM Sandwiches, Cakeface Bake Shop and Espresso To Go Go are on board and are planning Cajun items for their menus. The Flying Stove guys encourage any other food truckers who are interested in joining in to contact them via their Facebook page.

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

Dash and Dine was delicous — but hot

Oct. 22, 20124:57 p.m.

I wish I could the moves these pizza slices had. From left, Pizza Slice No. 1, Jill, me, Pizza Slice No. 2.

About 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, I seriously regretted pre-registering for the Dash and Dine 5K Run/Walk, a first -year event that started at 2 p.m. in Sedgwick County Park.

It was Oct. 21, but it was HOT (nearly 90 degrees), and it was 2 p.m. The race itself was sweaty and somewhat miserable.

But the after-race was a lot of fun. Several restaurants and food vendors were gathered out the park passing out delicious food. I sampled a healthy brownie from Green Acres, tried a hot dog from Relish It, gobbled down a no-bake cookie from Cake Face, and had my photo taken with dancing Papa Murphy’s slices. I also finally got to try one of Panera’s pumpkin bagels, which was totally worth the sweaty run.

It was a small race, but the crowd was fun. The race shirt was quite attractive, and my friend, Jill, won a medal for placing second in her age category.

I hope the run, which raised money for United Way of the Plains, returns next year. I’d definitely run it again, though I’d prefer some more October-like weather next time.

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

Cake Face: Highway terror and free lunch

Oct. 17, 20121:09 p.m.

The Cake Face food truck and its owners, Summer Schoenhals and her husband, Dave, had a pretty terrifying Monday.

It was before 7 a.m., and they were hauling the trailer on I-235, en route to the Royal Caribbean offices, where they planned to set up for the day.

They hit a bump, and somehow, the trailer detached from the pickup. It was a terrifying few seconds as the trailer drove itself down the highway, headed for the median. Dave thought quickly and pulled his truck in front of the trailer, slowing it down to a stop. Although his truck was only slightly dented, the trailer’s plumbing, flooring and hitch were pretty severely damaged.

The Schoenhals spent the past few days fixing things up, aided by Espresso To Go Go owners Warren and Ann Tandoc. They’ll be back on the street on Thursday, which brings me to my second bit of food truck news.

Cake Face and B.S. Sandwich Press are teaming up with Cox and Verizon for a publicity event that will provide free lunches to visitors.

The events, which are Thursday and Saturday at various Cox stores, are designed to promote a partnership between Cox and Verizon Wireless. Those who visit will get vouchers for free food truck food (available on a first-come, first-served basis) and also can register to win prizes, including an iPad.

Cake Face will be serving from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday at the Cox Solutions store at 1636 N. Rock Road in Derby.  Also on Thursday, B.S. Sandwich Press will serve from noon to 2 p.m. at the Cox Solutions Store at 21st and Maize. And from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Cake Face will be at the Cox Solutions Store at 21st and Rock.

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

Question of the week: Best breakfast splurge?

Sept. 12, 201210:48 a.m.

Huevos Rancheros remnants. They went fast.

Usually, I’m a yogurt or granola bar for breakfast kind of girl. I love lunch and dinner too much to waste all my calories in the morning.

But this week has been a strange one in that I indulged in two breakfast splurges. On Monday, I couldn’t resist the amazing bacon-topped cheese grits being offered at the Cake Face food truck. And today, my co-workers and I sampled a chorizo and egg burrito AND an order of huevos Rancheros with rice and beans as part of my review of Las Tias De Beto, which will be published later today.

When I do splurge on breakfast, I try to make sure it’s something that’s worth the calorie explosion. Cheese grits qualify, and I’ll almost always give in on eggs Benedict.

What breakfast item do you order when you are feeling decadent?

Answer in the comments section below.

By Denise Neil | Tags: , Filed under Breakfast, Question of the week | Comments

The best cheese grits… EVER

Sept. 11, 201210:24 a.m.

Yesterday morning, I searched out Espresso to Go Go, as I do every time they’re in the vicinity of downtown, and owners Warren and Ann Tandoc gave me a valuable tip.

Go down to Cake Face, they said, pointing at the newish food truck parked next door to them. Get some cheese grits.

I got them, all right, and they were SO GOOD. Cheese grits are among my favorite things to eat, ever, and these were topped with a pile of crispy, crunchy bacon perfection. Cake Face also was serving biscuits and gravy, baked French Toast and bierocks filled with bacon and eggs. I highly suggest you stop by for breakfast next time you see them.

Looks like they’ll be at Spirit Aerosystems, 3917 East MacArthur, today and will be at the Red Barn Outdoor Market in Benton on Saturday.

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