Archives: January 2011
Party Arty 2011 at the Nelson-Atkins
Pitch intern Sami Dowd photographed the museum’s annual booze-fueled fundraiser, sponsored by The Pitch.
Smoking ban has minimal effect on bar revenues after two years
More than two years after Kansas City banished smokers from restaurants and bars, establishment owners can’t complain about lost revenue. Well, they can, but they’ll be whining about a made-up problem. The Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City says a study it funded and conducted by University of Illinois-Chicago economics professors John Tauras and Frank J. Chaloupka shows that…
Linda Rinehart, world’s worst mother runner-up, pleads guilty in incest case
Speaking of terrible mothers, Linda Rinehart is hard to top. Rinehart was reportedly jealous of the relationship between her husband, Danial Rinehart, and her daughter but didn’t tell authorities that her daughter was being molested because, as she told the police, she’s too ugly to find another man, and she wanted a son. This ugly woman pleaded guilty to charges…
The story behind the Plaza’s new Mexican restaurant
The former Mi Cocina space on the Country Club Plaza has been leased to a partnership group that includes Victor Esquada and Ivan Marquez (proprietors of the Northland’s Ixtapa and Olathe’s Frida’s Contemporary Mexican restaurants) and 38-year-old Chris Ridler, owner of the combination restaurant and watering hole Sol Cantina, located in midtown’s “Martini Corner” district. The Kansas City Star has…
Lazy slows down (and smokes out) the Union
We here at the Wayward Blog dig free things. And we really like it when those free things are shows. The Record Machine, Kansas City’s record label, has started hosting free shows at Westport’s newest bar, the Union. Friday night, garage-wave rockers Lazy set up shop in the Union’s basement, filling the entire bar with smoke and rock and roll….
Barbara Porter, world’s worst mother, admits trying to cover up husband’s sexual abuse of her daughter
%{}% Barbara Porter is a shitty mother, and I use the term “mother” loosely. Porter’s husband, Patrick Neal Porter, had been posing her daughter in sexually explicit photos. Authorities found them on his computer in June 2010. You’d think mom would be outraged. Not Barbara Porter. When the the state of Kansas placed the 16-year-old girl in protective custody with…
The Upper Crust Bakery’s frosted banana is one weird cookie
If you venture into the basement level of Pryde’s Old Westport, you can’t escape the wonderful smells wafting from The Upper Crust Bakery. The air is thick with the homey aroma of baking, which trails fingers under your nostril pulling you toward the tiny shop in the back of the store. “How do you avoid crossing the line and being…
Sonic Spectrum nails KC’s tribute to the king of glam, David Bowie
Sonic Spectrum Presents: A Tribute to David Bowie Sunday, January 23, 2011 The RecordBar Better than: Anything (or anyone) else I’ve ever done on a Sunday night. Kansas City’s first family of musicians paid one hell of a tribute to the king of glam rock last night, and 250 of their biggest local fans made it one of the best…
Carrabba’s Italian Grill puts redneck spin on famous Sicilian dish
I’m not sure when the redneck appetizer known as “poppers” — a kind of lowbrow, finger-food version of the Mexican chile relleno — was invented, but over the last decade, the breaded and deep-fried jalapeno peppers, typically stuffed with cream cheese or cheddar, have expanded from the saloon menu to casual restaurant chains and elsewhere. Even the upscale hot-food counter…
Ephrem Merrit-Esquivel, KCMO homicide No. 5: Man found dead in alley
UPDATE: Oscar Cerna told police that he was tired of getting robbed. So when he heard his dog barking and saw a man in his back yard Sunday morning, he grabbed his rifle and fired two shots. Ephrem Merrit-Esquivel’s body was found next to a go-cart, which was halfway out of a chain-link fence around the property. Cerna is now…
Luis Vazquez, airman found dead in state park, died from two gunshot wounds
The answers to the mystery surrounding the death of Airman 1st Class Luis Vazquez are beginning to come out. An autopsy revealed that the 18-year-old died from gunshot wounds to his chest and head, the Associated Press reported. Vazquez’s body was found on January 14 in Knob Noster State Park, which isn’t far from Missouri’s Whiteman Air Force Base, where…
Hot Club of Cowtown is hitting Europe with Roxy Music
Elana James is taking her KC roots all over the map. The native Kansan’s band, Hot Club of Cowtown, is hitting Europe with Roxy Music this winter. We caught up with James about touring with big names (like Bob Dylan), and when her band is headed back toward the cowtown from whence it came. How did this opportunity come about?…
Giant snow dinosaur rests outside house behind the Loretto
Check out Danny J. Gibson’s latest snow creation. Every year, Gibson, also known around KC as DJG, creates awesome snow beasts in his yard at the intersection of West 40th and Holly (right behind the Loretto on 39th Street). He was cool enough to send along photos of his latest, which took three hours to sculpt. “This past Saturday afternoon…
Andre Steele, KCMO homicide No. 6: Man fatally wounded at 69th and Prospect
UPDATE: Latasha Hutchinson has been charged with first-degree involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action in the death of Andre Steele. Witnesses told police that Hutchinson, Steele and others were partying when someone handed her a gun. She pointed it at Steele, believing it wasn’t loaded, and shot him in the chest. Read the update after the jump … Kansas City’s…
Guess where I’m eating delicious pho?
In the United States, an ethnic dish has officially gained popular acceptance when it’s no longer found only in the restaurants that traditionally serve a distinctive culture’s cuisine. For example: egg rolls and fried rice, once exclusive to Chinese restaurants, can sometimes be found at American-style buffets, like the Golden Corral. Ditto spaghetti and meatballs (a staple of American restaurants,…
Marty Hillard’s oh!mr. is jockin’ Lawrence’s fresh in the new year
Marty Hillard is a fixture of Lawrence and Kansas City’s music scene: first, as a member of the beloved Cowboy Indian Bear, and second as a promoter extraordinaire, through his promotion group oh!mr. The Pitch talked to Hillard about oh!mr.’s upcoming shows and his plans for the new year. The Pitch: Tell us about these two shows that oh!mr. is…
Missouri: No longer the target of an ancient, tribal curse?
The Missouri Department of Natural Resources was hoardin’ the bones of ancient ancestors. The Sac and Fox Nation wanted ’em back. A lawsuit filed by the tribe against the DNR was expected to start today in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, but we’re hearing reports from our sister paper in St. Louis that the parties have reached a settlement….
Slideshow: Versus 4 MC and Beat Battle at the RecordBar
Versus 4: A Hip-Hop Battle packed the RecordBar on Saturday night with nervous rappers, stinging insults and rowdy crowd members. There were several notable upsets in the early heats of the rap battle: newcomer (and self-described CoMo fratboy) XQZ pushed out scene veteran Approach in the first round, after a round of sweltering overtime. Les Izmore’s loud, raspy flow fell…
Open Thread: Where to eat during Restaurant Week?
The second annual Kansas City Restaurant Week runs until Sunday, and after the initial weekend of dining out, Fat City is starting to get some recommendations on who is kicking out some great food. I’ve heard glowing reports on the dessert course at Michael Smith, but bread pudding and pear galette should be winners. OP1906 Grill in the Sheraton Overland…
Tom Hoenig, Kansas City Fed boss, is the most authentic Midwesterner ever
Tom Hoenig, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, casts a spell over his local newspaper. The Kansas City Star printed a profile of Hoenig on the front page of Sunday’s paper. The piece, written by Mark Davis, reinforced the theme of pretty much every profile of Hoenig the Star has run: He is the most authentic…
You can now use your iPhone or Blackberry to pay at Starbucks
Before you yell at the guy in front of you at Starbucks who won’t stop texting, take a minute to make sure he’s not actually paying. Wired writes that the coffee chain has rolled out an application that allows iPhone, iPod Touch and Blackberry owners to purchase an order with their phones or touch-screen devices. The payment system is now…
Kansas State misspells Shane Southwell’s name on his jersey
Kansas State had an embarrassing weekend, and I’m not talking about the 64-56 loss at Texas A&M. The jersey for K-State guard Shane Southwell featured a glaring error that didn’t escape the attention of the announcers or bloggers (here and here). The name on the back of Southwell’s jersey read “SOUHTWELL.” Wildcat fans, you may be able to blame that…
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