The Only Thing Better Than One Em Chamas

…is two Em Chamas.

(Quick edit: I just found out Em Chamas is doing a special expanded Valentine’s Day with shrimp, lamb, scallops, and free dessert.  Just sayin’.)

Okay, I know I’m not exactly breaking any huge news, but there are two Em Chamas in what the weather people would call the “Kansas City viewing area.”  For the past several years, the Northland has been absolutely filled with the smell of roasting meats because of this hopping churrascaria (Brazilian BBQ.  For more on Brazilian BBQs, you can read how to make your own at home in my articles on SheKnows.com)  Then, all of the sudden one popped up in St. Joe.

(Okay, I should be fair.  The brains behind Em Chamas wouldn’t just open a restaurant over night.  They’re too smart for that.  But even if they did, I’d probably go.  Anyway, I digress.)

Me and Em Chamas Go Way Back

I have been going to Em Chamas for several years, going back to even before my son was born.  I had first been introduced to the idea of wildly dressed servers bringing meat on sticks to my table until I was too full to walk since before the turn of the millenium.  My first experience with this type of meal was actually in Mandalay Bay at a restaurant called the um… well, it’s not important.  Anyway, I fell in love and dreamed of the day when Kansas City would get its own churrascaria.

Speed forward four years (or thereabouts) and enter Em Chamas.  Today, the place is a family favorite, especially for BWD, Jr. who at times has turned his toys into meat on a stick and walked around the house telling us to find our tongs.  (His personal favorite dish, like mine, is the “ribs of the cow” (boneless beef ribs))  Of course, all the meat I can eat isn’t exactly cheap so we don’t get to go often, but we tend to enjoy it when we can.

Em Chamas Part Deux

So like I said, a second location opened up in St. Joseph, which is about an hour north (45 minutes tops if I am driving) from Kansas City.  Quite frankly, I never thought I would get up there for dinner since that’s a long way to drive for meat when there is another location much, much closer.

Enter a blogger’s night where I was invited to drive up there and give the place a try.  I will admit I wasn’t expecting much when I loaded BWD, Jr. into the car and started the hour-long trek during the midst of tornado watches and some impressive lightning.  Why?  Perhaps it was a bit of snobbery towards St. Joe, but most of it, I figure comes down to the reason why I hated going to the Lenexa Hereford House for the first year it was open: seasoning.  It takes a while for the juices from the meat to really seep in and season a restaurant’s cook surfaces.  (Don’t believe me, retire your current grill and buy a new one.  Tell me the food doesn’t taste different.)

But anyway, on I drove to the new location and to a meal that rivals, if not beat, the Kansas City location.  First, the space in St. Joe was really nice.  It had a rough, modern, you-can-still-see-the-vents quality that I really liked and seemed to fit the elegantly casual Em Chamas.  The cold bar (which has 30+ items in Kansas City) was a bit smaller in St. Joe, but the hot bar was actually bigger.  And the chicken stroganoff was better.

But decor and salad bar aside (because really, who is going to eat salad at an all-you-can-eat-meat joint?), the reason I go to Em Chamas is for what comes served to me on a stick.  Everything that night was perfect (except the fact they had no pork…) The ribs of the cow were great, the picanha (house special sirloin), the ham…all of it was great.  Even better, though, the Em Chamas in St. Joe served filet.  You had to asked for it special (and ask I did like 3 times.)

That filet was perfect.  It was Ruth Chris perfect (and it even had butter on it to boot.)  I even tried cutting it with a fork and did so effortlessly.  It was perfectly seasoned with a great crust.  It was wonderful.  Although, if I did have an issue with the filet it was that I asked for med-rare and get medium to medium-well.  Still, I didn’t mind.

Em Chamas: In Conclusion

So, as I drove the 45 minutes home, I got to thinking about the meal I had.  It was wonderful.

BUT…

It’s hard to justify driving to St. Joe for Em Chamas when there is one much closer by.  My hats off to the people in St. Joe.  I love the space and I had a great meal, but Kansas City Em Chamas, you’re still my home.

With that said, when in St. Joe, from now on, there’s only one place I want to eat.  And I know we’ve been talking about heading up there.  Something about a museum and a famous thief or something.

Get a hold of Em Chamas:

Tulleries Plaza

6101 NW 63rd Terrace

Kansas City Mo

5pm to 10pm

Downtown St. Joseph

123 S. 6th Street

St Joseph Mo

Check out the Sunday Brunch, too!

Enjoy!

How to Boil Pasta

By popular request, here is my treatise, my manifesto as it were, on the art of pasta boiling.  By the way, this post assumes dried pasta.

Boiling (and making) fresh pasta is a wholly separate critter.

Read the rest of this entry »

Kansas City Restaurant Week…

is finally here!  And I know what I said yesterday: that I was going to use Kansas City Restaurant Week to try places I’d never been before.  But…I just couldn’t resist.  I had to go back to 75th Street Brewery for another helping of their amazing duck confit salad.

Which I devoured.  It was so good.  The duck confit was tender and just a little bit salty, the mustard vinaigrette was sharp, the goat cheese mild, and the golden raisins were sweet.  It was as perfect as any salad has any right to be.  So amazing.  I can’t imaginer a finer salad anywhere.  (Note: the picture to the left is the entree scallops I had…not the salad.  I ate that much too quickly.)

Anyway, tomorrow is another Restaurant Week er…day and I think I am headed to La Bodega.  Aww yeah.

And the Obligatory Jasper’s Reference

Hey, I just wanted to remind everyone that Jasper Restaurant’s is doing his own hawt prix fixe special right now.  For $25, you pick an appetizer (I had the polenta, but I could have done the lobster cappuchino), an entree (I had pasta because Jasper’s pasta is awesome, and you get a tartuffo for dessert.  All for $25.  You can’t beat that with a stick.

Although, when I ordered said meal, it’s not like I got the tartuffo.  No, when it comes to ice cream rolled in cookie crumbs, that goes Mrs. WellDone.  I had to content myself with cannolis.

I was okay with that.

Anyway, Kansas Citians, you need to go and eat something.  Try some place new or go back to some place you’ve never tried before.  We have a bunch of great restaurants…what are you waiting for?

Enjoy!

…Well, that’s not exactly true.  In 3 hours, it will be Friday, but technically most of the restaurants featured in this year’s Kansas City Restaurant Week won’t open for business until 11 or so.  So, technically, I guess I have to wait a bit no longer.

Which is good, because I can’t wait much longer for another edition of

Kansas City Restaurant Week

Okay, real, quick review from last year.  What is Kansas City Restaurant Week?  Well for the next 9 days, restaurants in the greater Kansas City area (including places like Weston and Liberty) will offer special $15 lunches and $30 dinners.  And when I mean special, I’m talking about chef’s special, pull out all the stops, food so good you’ll slap your momma specials.  I still remember the duck confit salad I got at 75th Street Brewery last year.  So good.  Oh, and even better, all proceeds go to help Harvester’s.  Eat well, help the community.  What more can you ask?

Anyway, I just wanted everyone to know that Restaurant Week starts tomorrow and that you only have 18 meals over the next 9 days (well, 27 if you do brunch, lunch, and dinner) so you need to get planning.  Now!

As for me?  Well, I figure I’ll be taking my wife back to Webster House.  If not, I’ll be sleeping on the couch until next year.  But really, my strategy will be to use Restaurant Week to try a couple of places that have been on my list that I have never been to: JJ’s, Trezo Mare, The Majestic, Starker’s and Raglan Road.  Then, given half a chance, I’ll hit The Farmhouse to see my friend Chef Michael and The American, to see my friend Chef Debbie Gold.

And when it’s all said and done, 10 days from tomorrow when Restaurant Week is all over… it’ll be gym month.  I can only imagine the rich, decadent delights I’m about to need to burn off.

Enjoy!

Farm To Market Bread Company Panettone

Chef Jasper Mirabile is pretty good at giving challenges.

Fortunately, I’ve managed to avoid the worst of his culinary conundrums for some time (which is no doubt his way of admitting that Velvetta fudge was just as awful as it sounds.)  Still, if I had any shock when Chef Jasper Facebooked me with his latest task, it was that he had given me as long of a respite as he had.  Well, that and he Facebooked me.  Normally he’s a Twitter kind of guy.

Anyway…

His challenge: create a new recipe with Farm to Market Bread Company‘s Panettone.  Now, I will be the first to admit that I have never had Panettone before about six days ago.  I’ve always wanted to try it, but I just never did.  So it was with more than a little anticipation that I tore into the package and had my first bite.

One bite was enough.  I am now a huge fan of Panettone.  It kind of reminds me of brioche, only sweeter and just a bit more airy, but the flavor is basically the same.  (Although the sweetness could come from the cranberries which fill the loaf I was given.  I’m not sure since I don’t have any other Panettone with which to compare it.  Though, I guess I can say with complete honesty that if I could only have one Panettone my entire life, it would be Farm to Market Panettone… Anyway…)

So given Farm to Market cranberry Panettone, making a recipe with it should pretty easy.  The first thing, of course, that popped in my mind was Panettone bread pudding which I was all set to run with until Chef Jasper brings out two examples of his recipe for Panettone bread pudding (See below.)  And recipes for Panettone French toast and Michael Chiarello‘s Panettone bread salad.

So, I had to roll up my sleeves and get creative.

Read the rest of this entry »

Hey everyone, I got a text from Chef Holli’s people.  Apparently while I was sleeping, it was revealed that Chef Holli won’t be given the position of head chef at the Savoy in London and that there was never was such a position.

She was nice enough to give me 30 minutes and give her side of the story.

How are you doing?

I’m doing great. I’ve been working really hard to develop a whole new set of recipes for the B Ocean Fort Lauderdale. I’m also taking some time off the for the holidays, baking and making some cool cranberry cocktails.

Sounds good. So, you’ve been getting a lot of time in the press in the last few days about not getting the head chef job at the Savoy. Were you notified you wouldn’t be going?

I now know that I am not going to London at all. I’m disappointed, but even worse, my son was really disappointed. He was looking through books picking out castles.

Still, everything is coming out now. I’m putting all of the pieces together to try and figure out what happened. For instance, the head chef position seems to never have been open. I recently found out though reading articles quoting Chef Ramsay’s people that Chef Andy Cook, the current head chef, was hired before the finale was ever aired, so it seems that the position was never available.

It’s really disappointing.

Interestingly I read an article where Chef Ramsay is quoted as saying that the producers of the show were responsible for misrepresenting the prize to the public. I am really just trying to figure out what happened.

Were you in London?

Yes, I was in London, but I was there on other business. I tried to contact Chef Ramsay so that I could get a tour, but I was unable to speak with him or see the Savoy.

Do you think you’ll talk to Gordon Ramsay?

Well, I talked to Chef Ramsay two years ago and then I taped George Lopez with him. That’s it. Oh, wait, I did see him for the taping of the 100th Episode.

Is that normal?

Honestly, from what I hear, that is normal. Nobody talks to him, especially now that he has so much going on back in the UK.

Do you think you’ll hear from Gordon Ramsay?

I don’t. Even if I had gone to the Savoy, I don’t think I would have seen him except for opening night and I if there was a big press event. It is my understanding that Chef Ramsay is not present all that often at his restaurants, because he has so many shows and commitments outside the kitchen. At least that’s what I think.

If he did call, would you work for him?

At this point, no. I’m excited about doing my own thing now. I’ve started by designing a signature menu for B Ocean Fort Lauderdale. I plan to be working with B Hotels and Resorts over the next few years and they have given me the opportunity to do some really creative and interesting things with their menu. You’ll be seeing plenty of me in the future.

How do you feel about the media coverage?

One thing that was strange was that in the London Mirror, they said I was furious. I am not a furious person. I always look on the bright side. Now, I can do my own thing and branch away from the classics.

Did you say “Hell’s Kitchen cheated you?”

I never said that. Still, all of these people are picking up on it and are upset about it. Honestly I am just excited to be in a place where I can be creative with my food.

I’m kind of bothered. I wanted my opening night table. [laughs] Okay, on a positive note, what are you doing for the holidays?

I’m hosting Thanksgiving for the first time. I am going to do a turkey with all these crazy sauces.

Sounds good. I’ll just fly out and meet you! Thanks a lot, Chef.

Eat, Pray, Love

Eat, Pray, Love… Anywhere (and Everywhere)

Eat, Pray, Love is the about-to-be-released film where Julia Roberts portrays Liz Gilbert, a woman who has recently suffered a long, arduous divorce.  In an effort to overcome her past and chart a new direction in her life, she travels around the world, trying new things, throwing out conventional wisdom, and generally living a fantasy life of freedom, fun, and food.

The movie centers around her (mis)adventures as she sheds her old self, gains new perspective, and eats a lot of carbs.  (Delicious, delicious carbs.)  Still, like the book of the same name, Eat, Pray, Love offers a tantalizingly provocative alternative to the humdrum of existence that so many of us feel as we live our lives chasing the American dream.

Now, let’s face it, by any other name Eat, Pray, Love is a chick flick.  Because of the culinary nature of its title, it is probably one I would have gotten around to seeing.  (I mean, I am the guy who cried during No Reservations, but that was different… I had something in my eye… really.)  Besides, I have willingly seen enough Katherine Heigl moves that I should have no issue watching Julia Roberts on a screen since she is both beautiful and talented (zing!).  Still, Eat, Pray, Love got bumped up on the priority list because I am going to be a compensated panelist on Monday (read about the Eat, Pray, Love Twitter party on TravelingMom.com, you may recognize the photo since I swiped it from there…)  However, because I am a panelist for the movie, it also means I had to watch it with a critical eye, from which I drew a very strong conclusion: the message behind Eat, Pray, Love is both very positive, but potentially destructive.

Let’s Start with the Good in Eat, Pray, Love

Ultimately, most people are going to come to a point where they look at their lives and feel like they are, at best, stuck in a rut and, at worst, in a bad place.  Sometimes these feelings can be chalked up to a stressful week, the holidays, the natural ebb and flow that is part of any relationship, a major life event, etc., but the feelings pass.  Other times, these feelings stem from a real need for the person to change.

The positive message behind Eat, Pray, Love is that you can change.  The movie brings with it a sense of empowerment that comes from knowing that you can break free of your rut.

That’s good.  The worst feeling in the world is hopelessness.

The Less Than Good Part In Eat, Pray, Love

I, personally, have two reservations about Ms. Gilbert’s method for breaking out of her rut.  The first is a pair of people sleeping two rooms over.  The second is a whole lot of things which aren’t currently sleeping in my bank account.

Sadly, a total fugue is not a possibility for me either fiscally or relationshipwise.  If I disappeared for a year, I would come back to a foreclosed home and my own painful divorce.  I find neither of these outcomes particularly desirable, even though Mrs. WellDone has a cold right now and is a bit on the extremely cranky side.

Eat, Pray, Love The Gudiebook, Not the Map

However, let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater.  The true message behind Eat, Pray, Love isn’t to fly to India, it’s to find yourself.  That is something that can happen anywhere and everywhere.

Although, one place where Ms. Gilbert got it right was that sometimes you have to get away.  You can’t break out of your rut without change.

How do you break away?  Ms. Gilbert got that right, too.  A good way is travel.

Take a Trip Somewhere Fun, Not the Poor House

Now, travel normally brings to mind Paris, Rome, London… places far away and prohibitively expensive.  Shelve that notion right now.  Travel doesn’t have to be jet setting to San Tropez, it can be a drive to some place new.  It can be catching a Southwest fare to some place they fly for $99 each way (seriously, get their little ding! app…) or it can be trying out one of the deals on TravelingMoms.com.  Besides, the closer you stay to home, the less chance you will run into body scans, screaming babys, passports, or custom clerks, all of which are fantastic ways to keep you firmly anchored in your stress and unable to find the you that you want.

So try this, talk it over with the people in your life and let them know that travel and breaking away from the old is important to you.  Then plan a series of several day trips (3 is good, more is better) and schedule them as near to each other as you can.  Mix those adventures by checking off a few things on your list of local places you’ve always wanted to see or do.

The Most Important Thing is the Change in You

Sure, it won’t be the totally immersive trip into sheer freedom Liz Gilbert got, but it’s pretty close.  And if you can, keep a journal or make some notes along the way.  I bet just getting away will be the remedy to either break you out of the funk or give you the perspective to figure out what to do next.

Also, no matter what you decide to do, push the envelope.  Try new things: new foods, new drinks, bungie jumping, making out in the backseat of a car, etc.  Ultimately, it is doing something fresh and new that changes you, not where you do it.

Lastly, eat lots of carbs.  I know Julia is eating ice cream on the cover of the movie, but I gotta tell you there’s something about pasta that’s good for the soul.  Meatballs, too.

Really lastly, come to the Twitter party on Nov. 22, 9-10 pm ET (8-9 pm CT; 7-8 pm MT; 6-7 pm PT).  Look for the hashtags #TMOM #EPLDVD or use TweetGrid: http://bit.ly/aZEx2N

Also, another little nugget I threw together.  Now, don’t freak, the title says vegan, but I promise you there’s nothing weird about the recipe.  They’re just as delicious as the non-vegan versions, but these are a lot healthier.

Check out Vegan Thanksigiving Sides on FabulousFoods.com!

** 1 WEEK **

This is your one week warning until Turkey Day!

In case you are wondering, I have done several articles for various magazines on the subject of America’s favorite time to pig out.  Here are a few:

Perfect Thanksgiving Turkey on BigBlendMagazine
5 Things to Do with Sweet Potatoes on FabulousFoods.com
5 Things to Do with Cranberries on FabulousFoods.com

And for dessert:

Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake on FabulousFoods.com

To set the scene, as I write this post, I am currently Jasper’s full.

What is Jasper’s full?  Good question.

As I have been blogging, I have come to realize there are four levels of fullness.

Level of fullness 1: Full.  You know, when you can’t eat another bite.  That kind of full.
Level of fullness 2: Uncomfortably full.  Yes, you couldn’t eat another bite because you are full…but yet somehow you did.  Now, you’ve now eaten so much you are physically uncomfortable and popping buttons.
Level of fullness 3: Jasper’s full.  This is how full I get every time I go to Jasper’s.  It’s basically Uncomfortably full + 2 canoli.  At this stage of full, the pain is so intense that my body is releasing endorphins and it’s like I have a runner’s high, only it’s been brought on by the ton of food I’ve consumed.  At this level of full, I can do little else besides groan and find that one way of holding my body that doesn’t bring on blinding agony.  (I highly recommend head back, back arched and hands supporting addition weight in the midsection.  Write this down, you’ll thank me.)
Level of fullness 4: Beyond Jasper’s full.  This is a theoretical level of full that may only be reached the moment before the stomach explodes like in Monty Python’s Meaning of Life.  It is the point where I would have to admit the sheer agony of life has overwhelmed the intense joy of eating Jasper’s Italian food.  I’ve not been to level of full yet as there is nothing which can make me regret stuffing myself full of Jasper’s that I know of.

So yes, right now I am Jasper’s full.  And yes, I did go to Jasper’s for dinner.  But tonight, Jasper’s had help in stuffing me because I went straight from the Hen House Holiday Celebration to Jasper’s.  Which, as I have come to realize was a mistake.

Why?

Because I was full from sampling.  There was so much to try at the Hen House Holiday Celebration, not to mention the wines and cheeses I was discussing during my pairing chat.  Sadly, I didn’t get to try everything at the celebration since I was getting prepped for my showcase, but the highlights of Day 1 had to be

1.  The Butoni 4 Cheese Pasta…Chef Jasper used it in a demo and I couldn’t stop eating the left overs

2.  Palermo’s Biscuits and Gravy Pizza…Hard on the arteries, amazing in the mouth.

3.  Roth Kase’s Smoked Bleu Cheese… so earthy, but with amazing smoky hints.  So good.

I also met two amazing individuals, one from Boulevard Beer and the other from Banfi wines.  Both gentlemen have wine or beer for sampling at the Holiday Celebration and both were experts during the showcase.  The two of them knew so much about Boulevard beer and Concha Y Toro wines that I really salute them.  And I hope everyone gets a chance to try their stuff at the celebration.