See up there? In the upper right-hand corner? Those are The Flying Stove's truffle fries, and they're fabulous.
I think I have a problem.
I can’t stop eating truffle fries. I had them THREE TIMES this weekend without even meaning to. This can’t be good.
For a while in Wichita, sweet potato fries were all the rage. Everyone was making them, from bars to fast-food restaurants. They’re still a thing, as evidenced by Sonic’s new sweet potato tots.
In Wichita, truffle fries are the new trend.
I had them Friday at lunch at AVI. I had them Friday night, where they were among the many fabulous things being served by The Flying Stove at Botanica’s Blooms, Brews & Bloody Marys. And I had them again Saturday night in the Hyatt’s bar. Mike’s Wine Dive has them, too, only theirs are SWEET POTATO TRUFFLE FRIES, a heart-stopping mash-up of French fry trends.
Truffle fries become truffle fries when they’re tossed in truffle oil, an incredibly aromatic ingredient that’s hard to mistake. The smell and taste both are earthy, almost mushroomy. Nothing is worse than a dish doused in too much truffle oil. Nothing is better than a dish doused in just the right amount of truffle oil.
Anybody know of any other local restaurants with truffle fries? It’s been more than 36 hours since I last had some, and I need a fix.
Three more chances to sample beer, wine and food for one price are approaching over the next couple of weeks.
On Thursday, Mike’s Wine Dive at 4714 E. Douglas is putting on a “Luck of the Irish” Bushmills Irish whiskey and beer tasting. It will start at 7 p.m. and will feature Irish hors d’oeuvres plus samples of several Bushmills whiskeys plus beers such as Smithwicks, Harp and Guinness. Admission is $30 a person, and reservations are required by calling 316-613-2772.
On Sunday, Bocconcini Italian Eatery at 4811 E. Central is offering a wine dinner that features five courses paired with five wines. The main entree course is a porcini rubbed filet with grilled asparagus and risotto, paired with an Allegrini Palazzo Delle Torre. It starts at 6 p.m. and is $65 a person. For reservations, call 316-613-2523.
Then, on March 27, Ya Ya’s at 8115 E. 21st St. is having a “Be Green” Anderson Valley beer dinner. The restaurant will offer five courses, each paired with an Anderson Valley beer. It’s $60 a person, and reservations can be made by calling 316-634-1000.
Two new watering holes are set to open in Wichita next week, and both will have versions of the Jucy Lucy on the menu.
The first is Pour Haus Restaurant & Tavern at 1021 W. Maple. It’ll open on Monday, featuring 31 beers on tap and 50 more by the bottle, plus wine and cocktails made with beer. The menu looks pretty interesting, and almost all of the dishes somehow include beer, wine or other alcohol as an ingredient. I’m enticed by the beer-battered fish and chips, the beer and cheese soup, the beer flavored cupcakes, and of course the “Lucy’s Other Brother,” a burger stuffed with cheese, bacon and jalapenos. Hours are 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily.
I stopped in Pour Haus last week, where I found manager Patrick Shibley (one of the original Gaslamp Grille & Lounge partners) busily working on the menu. I was impressed with the interior, which has been extensively remodeled since the last time a business operated there and is very clean and inviting. I’m sort of excited that I live nearby.
Joe’s Old Town Bar & Grill also is set to open next week at 222 N. Washington, though managers aren’t sure exactly what day. They’re waiting for inspections to be completed and could get the doors open as early as Monday or as late as March 17. 
Joe’s is owned by Charlie Badeen and David Allan, the men behind Dudley’s at 8550 W. 21st. St. Joe’s general manager and executive chef is Brad Beyer, who was in charge of Mike’s Wine Dive when it first opened.
The menu will feature several bar favorites, but Beyer said he’s going to add several unexpected dishes to the menu, including shrimp ceviche, a Philly cheese steak egg roll, a fried egg sandwich, and a Juicy Lucy. It’ll offer prime rib nightly after 4 p.m. and daily blue plate lunch specials for $6.99. Joe’s also will have a big patio facing Washington. Reach Joe’s at 316-303-9885.
This week’s question on the Dining with Denise newsletter is from a reader named Paula, who asks which local restaurants serve good sweet potato fries.
An increasingly trendy side item, sweet potato fries are available at many local restaurants, including early adopter The Anchor.
But which Wichita restaurant serves your favorite sweet potato fries? I’ve always liked The Anchor’s, and the ones served at Mike’s Wine Dive are deliciously drizzled with truffle oil.
What do you think? Answer in the comments section below.
I love Winefest. I love it so much. Look how much fun I had there last year with my friends Kim and Jill. We ate at least a pound of sushi-style ahi tuna, learned that we love SeaGlass Sauvignon Blanc, hobnobbed with Guy Bower and Brett Harris, and went out to Chester’s for Tumbleweeds when it was all over. Ahhhh. Good times.
This year, I can’t go because I’m otherwise engaged, and I’m very unhappy about missing it. This is one fun event.
You can read my story about the Grand Tasting online tomorrow and in the Go! section on Friday, but in the meantime, I have a list of all the restaurants that will be at Saturday night’s Grand Tasting and what delicious bites they’ll be serving. Organizers secured 14 restaurants this year, including a few new ones — Newport Grill and Gaslamp Grille among them.
Tell me how it is if you go. Sniff. Sniff sniff.
Read More »
By Denise Neil
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Tags: Abuelo's, Carrabba's, Chester's Chophouse, Gaslamp Grille & Lounge, Granite City, Hangar One Steakhouse, Mike's Wine Dive, Redrock Canyon Grill, Sweet Basil, Taste & See Everyday Gourmet, The Seafood Shop, Wild Thyme Cafe & Bakery, Yoder Meats
Filed under Fundraisers, Restaurant fundraiser
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The bar at the Dive.
I stopped into Mike’s Wine Dive at 4714 E. Douglas for lunch on Thursday, and manager Brad Beyer handed me a long, long, long list of all sorts of new menu items, specials, events and additions planned for the restaurant. Among them:
Krupp Brothers wine dinner: The venue will host a wine dinner starting at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday. It’s a four-course meal paired with wines from the Krupp Brothers winery of Napa Valley. The menu will include items such as rack of lamb with gorgonzola potatoes au gratin, and venison meatballs with pasta ribbons. The dinner is $80 a person. Call 316-613-2772 to make a reservation.
Blue-plate specials: Starting in mid-April, Mike’s will begin offering daily blue-plate specials at lunchtime that all cost $7 plus tax. They’ll have chicken fried steak on Mondays, chicken noodles over mashed potatoes on Wednesdays, Burgandy beef tips on Thursdays and fish tacos on Fridays. Tuesdays will offer a “chef’s choice” special.
Fish tacos: Speaking of fish tacos, Mike’s has recently begun serving them on Fridays, and Beyer says they’re going over so well, they’re considering adding them to the menu permanently.
Wine cellar: Mike’s has turned a room in the restaurant’s basement into an attractive and classy wine cellar that people can use for small, private events. It’ll be available starting in mid-April.
Delano bread: The restaurant recently began buying its burger buns and sandwich bread from Delano Bakery.
Odds and ends: Every Monday, Mikes offers 20 different bottles of wine for $20 apeice, and it serves $5 martinis and $2.50 wells on Thursdays. Karoke starts at 10 p.m on Thursdays.
Mike’s Wine Dive is the place to be on Thursday nights for people who like martinis and microphones.
Last night, Mike’s started a new $5 martini menu that’s available on Thursday nights and features 20 different concoctions, most named for people on staff. (The Blondie, for example, features Stoli Vanilla, Tuaca, Triple Sec, Amaretto d’ Saronno and pineapple juice. Chef and general manager Brad Beyers is the namesake of the Beyers Bakon Bloody Mary, made with KaKon Vodka, Zing Zang and A-1.)
Also, Mike’s is hosting karaoke starting at 10 p.m. on Thursday nights. Mike’s is at 4714 E. Douglas. For more information, call 316-613-2772
Wichita has plenty of wine dinners on the horizon. But for those who prefer their wine and food pairings a bit more hardcore, a couple of restaurants are planning HARD LIQUOR DINNERS!
The first is a single malt Scotch dinner planned for Monday night at Mike’s Wine Dive, 4714 E. Douglas. Chef Brad Beyer will prepare a five course meal, each course paired with a different Scotch. It’s at 6:30 p.m. Monday and costs $50 a person. Call 316-613-2772 for reservations.
The second dinner is a Jim Beam’s small batch bourbon dinner at Yia Yia’s Eurobistro, 8115 E 21st St. N. It’ll also feature five courses paired with Jim Beam bourbon. It’s at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 24 and costs $75 a person. Call 316-634-1000 for a reservation.
Mac and cheese is the ultimate comfort food, and many places around town — from Panera to Mike’s Wine Dive to Noodles & Company — offer it on their menus.
Who, in your opinion, serves the best mac and cheese in Wichita? What makes it so good?
Answer in the comments section below.
