High on the list of unmitigated delights, right next to a surprising meal and a good lay (or vice versa), ranks something a little less tangible: having one’s hunches proved thoroughly, recklessly wrong. For a long time, I had a bit of a chip on my shoulder about The Russell. Sure, locals have raved about the lunch-only eatery since it opened…
When Calvin Davis pulled up to Freshwater on the morning of June 17, 2017, it looked like a bomb had gone off. His restaurant was bleeding out onto Southwest Trafficway like an open wound.“It was awful — the worst thing I could imagine,” Davis says. Overnight, a sedan had hit a tow truck, then plowed directly into Freshwater. A teenage…
KKFI 90.1 FM has been blasting community programming out onto the local airwaves for three decades now, a milestone the radio station celebrates with this party at the Folly Theater. On tap for the evening: a cocktail hour with past and present DJs, a presentation on KKFI’s founding and history, and performances from a diverse and dizzying lineup of Kansas…
When I mentioned to a coworker that I was going to see the new documentary Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, which profiles the life’s work of public television legend Mr. Rogers, he laughed and asked, “Are they going to talk about his previous life as a badass Navy SEAL?” He was referring to one of many wild rumors about the…
The word “bitter” means something different across the pond than it does here. Whereas in America we think of a grapefruit, or kale, or Marc Maron, in Britain it’s basically just shorthand for a pale ale. Thus, the British-born style of beer known as the ESB — which stands for “extra-special bitter” — is not necessarily bitter in the American sense. But…
The agency formerly known as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has only filed two enforcement actions in the past six months. Its acting director, Mick Mulvaney, opposes the regulation of payday lenders and has threatened to eliminate a public list of consumer complaints about banks, credit unions, and other financial institutions. As a Congressman, Mulvaney supported legislation to close the…
For the first time in 20 years, the Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools went outside of the district to hire a superintendent on Tuesday night.The response from an audience that had waited more than three hours for the school board’s vote was hardly affirming.“Boo!” someone shouted.“No!” yelled someone else.“Crap,” another person said in disgust.The crowd of about 50 district staffers…
This is almost cruel, I thought yesterday morning, reading through the press release announcing Jason Kander’s candidacy for the 2019 Kansas City mayoral race. I couldn’t help but put myself in the shoes of the other eight people who, until a week ago, thought they might be the next mayor. Imagine: you’ve spent the last several years strategizing, kissing the asses of…
Monday, June 25Lidia Bastianich will be on hand tonight at Lidia’s Kansas City (101 West 22nd Street) for a specialty four-course dinner in honor of the release of her new memoir, My American Dream: A Life of Love, Family and Food. The meal will feature dishes noted in the book, including grilled octopus with warm potato salad, a Montasio cheese…
Employees and patrons of Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools are awaiting the coming week with trepidation.Many expect the board of education to vote Tuesday night on a superintendent to replace Cynthia Lane, who is retiring on June 30. And they fear the board will pass up Lane’s heir apparent — a trusted and admired deputy superintendent — for an outsider…
Dear Dan: I am a 24-year-old straight guy who recently broke up with my girlfriend of more than four years. One of the reasons we broke up was a general lack of sexually compatibility. She had a particular aversion to oral sex — both giving and receiving. I didn’t get a blowjob the whole time we were together. Which brings…
A crowd of about 150 gathered on Wednesday at Unity Southeast Church on East Meyer Boulevard to protest the Trump Administration policy of separating families at the southwest border. The church’s pastor, as well as members of the community (including children), spoke, sang, and advocated for family unification. (Despite Trump’s Executive Order today, thousands of children will remain separated from…
Since 1993, it has been illegal to discriminate against LGBTQ and HIV-positive Kansas Citians when it comes to housing, employment, or public accommodations.It’s a simple idea, but making that ordinance a reality was another matter. “We shook our hands and said, ‘We’ll get this done in six months,’” recalls David A. Weeda, the cofounder and former executive of KC’s Human Rights…
The government of the United States is currently separating migrant children from their families at the southwest border with no guarantee of reunification. This policy includes separating babies and toddlers from their parents and placing them in “tender age” shelters. It is a completely fucked-up situation. You should be protesting it. And here are some ways to do that. One protest is scheduled for…
Unfailingly tasteful Chicago lifers The Sea and Cake are back with Any Day, the band’s first full-length in six years. It’s perhaps a bit more energetic than recent Sea and Cake records, but the sound remains more or less the same: breezy jazz tones, mellow synths, Sam Prekop’s breathy vocals. Yo — if it ain’t broke, it don’t need to…
Steven Raichlen is, perhaps, the world’s leading authority on how to cook outdoors. With the publication of The Barbecue Bible in 1998, Raichlen established himself as both an enthusiast and a scholar of “bringing out the primal flavor of food,” as he put it in the introduction to that seminal cookbook. Since then, Raichlen’s helmed three different PBS series on barbecue…
Last Friday, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources granted Valley Oaks Steak Company a permit that will allow the Lone Jack company to grow its 900-cow feedlot into a 7,000-cow CAFO, or concentrated animal feeding operation. The Valley Oaks cows won’t be a grazing-in-the-field type, as we reported in April. They’ll instead be crammed inside open-air barns, producing — according…
A week after catching Cats at Musical Theater Heritage, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s songs are still pouncing about in my head, as is the T.S. Eliot poetry-turned-lyrics that inspired the composer. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats reflects a cat lover, surely, but also a man of wit and insight and empathy. Energetically directed by Tim Scott, the MTH production…
Monday, June 18Chefs Amante Domingo (the Russell), Cody Mossman (Brookridge Golf and Fitness), Emily Meyer (Charlie Hooper’s), Mario Burgess (7th Street Casino) and Mitchell Allen (Grand Street Cafe) are all facing off at tonight’s Here’s the Beef! Culinary Fight Club,at District Pour House (7122 Wornall Road). The event is a Top Chef-style cook-off with beef as the main ingredient. Each…
Thanks to everyone for voting on your favorites for the Best of Kansas City 2018! This year over 33,400 Pitch readers places over 336,000 votes in over 370 categories. Yeah, it was big. So cheers to you Kansas City, you’re worth celebrating. Winners and Finalists: Promote your business with our free social media kit! /**/
Michelle Zauner’s dreamy, shoegaze-inflected indie rock act Japanese Breakfast is finding a wider audience, thanks in part to touring slots opening for Alex G and Tegan and Sara. On Sunday, her band headlines RecordBar. Opening duties fall to Half Waif, the mournful and dramatic synth-pop project of Nandi Rose Plunkett.♦Japanese BreakfastSunday, June 17RecordBarrecordbar.com Categories: Music
Dear Dan: Without snooping, I came across texts between my wife “Mary” and a guy “Jeremy” of a very sexual nature. While I would be okay if she were doing this and I knew about it, this has been going on since before we met. (We’ve been together 10 years.) She says she has never met him in person (despite…
Big (and rather sudden) KC theater news: Eric Rosen, who has led the Kansas City Repertory Theatre as artistic director since 2008, is departing the organization. According to a press release, he’s moving to New York to “pursue other projects.” “With the birth of our son, my husband and I decided to move closer to East Coast family and continue our…
NOW HIRING Package handler. Starting Pay $10.70-$11.70/hr to start. Immediate Openings. Overnight Shift:Tue-Sat. Midnight-3am and Sunrise Shift 3:30am-7am. Qualifications: 18 years or older. Must be able to load, unload and sort packages, as well as perform other related duties. All interested candidates must attend a sort observation at our facility prior to applying for the position. To schedule a sort…
