For that reason we are going to seperate the Food + Drink categories of the website and give each of them the individual attention they deserve.  So stay tuned as we will hope to bring you even more focus on the drinky side of things from here on out!

Anyone who has ever dined at Seasons 52 knows that EVERY dish on their menu is 475 calories or less.  When I dined there again this week, our server Sam reiterated that by noting they have neither butter nor a single fried food on the menu.  Quite frankly this would have turned me away on principal alone a few years back.  Throughout culinary school it was repeated over and over again that “butter is flavor, butter equals flavor.”  While this is often true, Seasons 52 has found some impressive ways to make food flavorful and healthy at the same time.

This week I went in to check out their new spring 2013 menu.  As their name would suggest, this season has brought on new things at Seasons 52.  While they have a part of the menu that changes each week (hence the 52 portion of the name), they also make changes to the main menu each season (hello to the other part of the name of the place).  Spring means a departure from the heartiness of the winter menu and a transition to the lighter, fresher fares of spring.

At the strong encouragement of my sister, I have to note that before we ever sat down our hostess saw she was wearing black slacks and offered her a black napkin instead of the white one on the table.  Seems trivial to many, but if you had to spend the rest of the work day picking white lint off your pants you’d wish your restaurant was that observant and thoughtful.

Placing our order, I made sure to try a few items that are new to this seasons’ menu.  The first thing we got sample was the newly introduced Grilled Garlic Pesto Chicken Flatbread appetizer.  If you have not been to Seasons 52 and have not seen or tried their flatbreads, you really are missing out on something. Keeping in mind that no dish on the menu is greater than 475 calories, these flatbreads make you wonder why in the world you’ve ever tried one of those frozen low-cal versions in your grocery store freezers.  The Seasons 52 flatbread included roasted red peppers, balsamic onions, mozzarella, and arugula with a very nice pesto drizzle.  The best part about this dish was the proper use of pesto.  So many chefs and restaurants overdo the pesto and it overpowers whatever it’s on.  Not with this one.

After flatbread, we sampled the newly added Blackened Mahi Mahi soft tacos.  Besides the perfectly cooked fish, crisp flavors of the salsa verde, mole, and seasonings there are the taco shells.  Moist and tender, these shells are fluffy in a way and are a perfectly ideal wrap to the fresh ingredients within.  The soft tacos on the lunch menu also give you a chimichurri steak or vegetarian option.

As this was not my first time, I was not surprised by our next dish.  My sister however was blown away when the Oak-Grilled Filet showed up at the table.  Served over crimini mushrooms with asparagus and red-bliss potatoes, she had a hard time contemplating how this dish didn’t exceed 475 calories, let along 775 calories.  There tends to always be a dish that arrives at every table which blows the minds of diners.  How they can possibly fit that much food on the plate for less than 500 calories is a question I’ve heard (and asked) more than once.

Wrapping it up, there are many more items on the Spring 2013 menu that will require a return trip for me to try.  The weekly menu alone will always have something you feel like you must try, and that’s without even venturing onto the main menu.  Once again, the continued adventure into a quality yet healthy menu is what keeps me coming back to Seasons 52 time and time again.

-Jerry

Originally slated to open as Big Papi Taco spring 2013, the restaurant group found out that this name may infringe upon the nickname of baseball star David “Big Papi” Ortiz.  To avoid potential legal issues or trademark infringement, the new restaurant will be known as Taco Republic.

Here is the official press release on the matter:

Big Papi Makes Name Change Prior to Opening

Kansas City, KS (March 27, 2013) – Big Papi Taco, the upcoming fourth restaurant in the Bread & Butter Concepts restaurant group, will now be called Taco Republic. Due to trademark issues with the Big Papi name, owner Alan Gaylin has decided that the name change is a necessary step. “We were informed by US Patent & Trademark Office that ‘Big Papi Taco’ would  be disallowed because [baseball player] David Ortiz’ celebrity status is too recognizable. This is a very unique ruling as Ortiz does not own the trademark ‘Big Papi.’  They said it would be approved with permission personally from  Ortiz,” said Gaylin, “which would invite further possible complications.” Gaylin, his partners, and marketing team decided on Taco Republic for the name change. Taco Republic will be located at 500 County Line Road in Kansas City, Kansas, and will be opening in late Spring of 2013.

Cafe Provence in Prairie Village makes Zagat’s “top service” list

February 12

By JOYCE SMITH

The Kansas City Star

Zagat Survey has selected its 25 “top service restaurants” in the nation – just in time for one of the busiest dining out nights of the year.

Prairie Village’s Café Provence, in The Village shopping center at 3936 W. 69th Terrace, made the list, described as adorable, family-owned, and a hidden monument to flavor and hospitality with a crew that “makes you feel at home.”

“It’s what we have worked very hard at for the last 11 years,” said Patrick Quillec, chef and co-owner of Café Provence. “Every day someone from the family is here – me, my brother, my sister-in-law, my wife, my daughter, my son. We know our people, regulars who come in almost every day or weekly.”

In a recent Zagat survey, 64 percent of responders cited service as their No. 1 complaint when dining out (followed by noise at 19 percent, prices at six percent, food at six percent and parking at three percent). Additionally, about 32 percent of survey respondents said they would chop 10 percent off the tip if they received bad service.

“We all know that good service can make or break a dining experience, so we decided to highlight the restaurants that are getting it right,” said Tiffany Herklots, spokeswoman for Zagat.

Click Here for the Original Article

Kansas smoking ban hasn’t choked off bars, restaurants, study finds

Brianne Pfannenstiel

Reporter- Kansas City Business Journal

The Kansas Health Institute has released an analysis saying the statewide smoking ban has not had an overall negative effect on the restaurant and bar industry, as some initially feared.

The ban, implemented in July 2010 as a public health initiative, was intended to reduce the public’s exposure to secondhand smoke.

KHI has compared sales and liquor license data for the eight years before the ban’s implementation as well as for the two years following.

The analysis does note that individual businesses may have been positively or negatively affected by the ban, but that the industry as a whole did not suffer any negative consequences. Sales increased each year except for a slight drop in 2010 before the ban was implemented, and then they increased each year after the ban took effect.

“We undertook this analysis so that policymakers could consider the evidence on the law’s economic impact if and when they choose to discuss the future of the Kansas Indoor Clean Air Act,” Duane Goossen, KHI vice president for fiscal and health policy, said in a release.

Last year, the House heard testimony on a bill that would have rolled back some provisions of the ban, allowing business to permit smoking if no one younger than 21 was allowed on the premises as a worker or customer. The bill eventually died in committee, but Goossen said in an interview that it’s possible the bill would be reintroduced this year. The makeup of the Legislature has since changed, with dozens of new members, so he said he was unsure whether it could pass this time around.

Click here to see the original article on the KC Biz Journal website.