The beer cocktail is an underappreciated and underutilized drink. That’s likely because in the wrong hands, a mixer and beer is a deadly combination. But since we’re a long way from the suicide method (a little of cabinet ‘A’ and a dash of cabinet ‘B’) of preparing mixed drinks, you can end up with a refined cocktail that will be…
It’s fairly certain that even if I thought this was the worst band of all time, I’d still be posting this, simply because the band is called Mr. Gnome. The duo’s press kit offers up all sorts of off-kilter pairings to suggest their sound: Chan “Cat Power” Marshall fronting Queens of the Stone Age or Karen O leading Death From…
…atop the throne of midwestern reggae coverage! On a recent sweep of the office for forgotten, stashed-away bottles of crème de menthe or anything drinkable, a coworker came across this nearly 18-year-old plaque, awarding “Pitch KCMO” the honor of Best Media Coverage of Reggae Music in the 1991 Mid-America Reggae Music Awards. An Internet search turns up neither hide nor…
Downtown Kansas City, Missouri, is having a good week. Yesterday, the Downtown Council heralded the demolition of Shoppers Parkade, a seedy parking garage at 11th and Grand. Today, Mayor Mark Funkhouser, City Manager Wayne Cauthen and others swung celebratory sledgehammers (they were painted gold) at a wall of the old Greyhound bus depot at 12th and Holmes. The wall to…
The restaurant business isn’t sexy or easy. To paraphase Rounders: You don’t gamble, you grind it out. And in the effort to make payroll, keep the utilities running and still have enough to pay their vendors, restaurants sometimes cut corners. Slashfood looks at the 10 Dirty Little Restaurant Secrets — or how what you’re getting might not be exactly what…
Rarely does such a wonderful event come into our inbox that we must write about it right away. But this one blends a few things that have aged well: Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” because it’s an awesome piece of music, and zombies, because they are difficult to kill. So set your calendar for October 24. About 200 local dancers and zombie-files…
They’re in your fridge right now, just begging to be added to a burger or turned into a grilled cheese. They look the same as they did when you were a kid, although ideally you’ve been through a few (hundred) packages in the interim. I’m talking about Kraft Singles. And I’m not the only one who understands their joys. Just…
The Kansas International Film Festival wraps up tonight at the Glenwood Theatre (9575 Metcalf Ave., Overland Park). One of the final films closing the fest is Left Field, a goofy and touching documentary about kickball — the playground game that in recent years has been co-opted by twenty- to thirty-something jocks, hipsters and geeks. A couple of guys with local…
When I got married one of the gifts that I treasured most was a small wooden filing box. Inside was a series of note cards with printed recipes — favorites of the women who had attended one of my wife’s showers. These recipes represented their go-to dishes, the ones they would want to be known for serving. And now that…
Wow. Merle Haggard. Now, he’s come through Kansas City in recent memory, but he played the Midland, which is a fairly high-end joint. Let’s be fair: country as Kansas City is, it’s got nothing on Topeka. My wife and I saw George Jones at the Topeka Performing Arts Center back in February, and the people watching is worth half the…
Last night, Kansas City Mayor Mark Funkhouser hosted a celebration of a few things all from the same era: the Dairy Queen on Independence Avenue, which has been there forever; John and Esther McMurry, who run the place together; and the beehive hairdo, which the Mrs. sports something fierce. Just look at that thing. You could hide a full rack…
It’s been a great summer for the Shatto Milk Company. Fresh off its win at the Missouri State Fair, the dairy’s chocolate milk was named third best at the World Dairy Expo. “My wife thought we should have come in first,” jokes Leroy Shatto. “I never dreamed this could happen when we sent samples up there . We were competing…
Poco’s is now in the buffet business A lot of people were very happy when we announced, last month, that Lorenza “Poco” Guiterrez had plans to re-open her popular namesake restaurant at 3063 Southwest Boulevard. Poco’s had been an interesting concept from the very beginning: Guiterrez had taken over the old Waid’s restaurant, which had been serving breakfasts —…
%{}% Kansas’ football and basketball players got a talkin’ to yesterday after three altercations in the span of two days and years of ego tripping over each program’s success and arguing over who’s more popular with the ladies. Hey, one of my all-time favorite coaches, former Iowa State men’s basketball coach Larry Eustachy, reportedly testified about the quality of women…
BY IAN HRABE Before walking into the Jackpot last night, I passed a guy with a big beard, a skullcap, a flannel shirt open over a dirty white t-shirt and a broken arm, and I tensed up because I thought the guy was gonna ask me for a dollar or a cigarette harass me when I refused. When the Fresh…
%{}% A photo essay of what it’s like to go apple picking in Williamsburg, Kansas (and catch a car show in nearby Ottawa). The challenge with S’mores pie is not to eat the whole thing, once you’ve finished making it. For those who suggested cupcakes were over as a trend, a story of the latest growth market for the baked…
Every year, there comes a crop of folks newly eligible for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame. Idolator puts KISS’ odds at 25-1, but Genesis has even odds. This is based on Hall of Fame voting tendencies and on the likelihood of anyone making it in, as opposed to those who are actually deserving. As we all know, the…
Want to find out about shows you will never hear advertised anywhere? Check out the websites for any college near you, and find out where the campus activities groups post their events. You’ll discover shows you never knew existed. Case in point: if you go to KU’s Student Union Activities site, you’ll see that coming to the Lied Center on…
I was waiting for a friend outside the gated-off streets of Westport on a Saturday night this past summer when I saw two girls walk up to a Westport security guard and hand over their I.D.s. “Sorry, you gotta be American to get in here!” jeered one guard, handing the IDs back. The girls turned and left wordlessly. I caught…
Pearline Burton received a standing ovation in St. Louis during the August 29 celebration of her son’s one-year anniversary of freedom. She was praised for her strength and her faith during the years that Burton spent locked up in the Jefferson City Correctional Center, convicted of a murder he didn’t commit. I visited with Pearline a few hours before the…
