Category Archives: American

Next Door Pizza and Pub

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Do you ever just crave a big ole’ bite of deep dish pizza?  Next Door to the rescue!  You’ll find this quite neighborhood pub to be just the ticket and maybe you can catch a football game while you chow down.

A Slice is Nice

Taste: 7

Presentation: 6

Originality: 5

Service: 6

Appearance: 5

Value: 8

Restrooms: 7

More Cheese, Please

Taste: Personally, I am not a big fan of deep dish, but Kyle says this place does it just right.  The flavors are always good and if I’m not feeling up for pizza, I can always dig into the nice salad bar and have some yummy appetizers.  May I recommend the legendary puerta fries?

Presentation: The food is well-presented and always looks appetizing.

Originality: Just another local pizza place, here.  But they are clearly a favorite among the college folks and there are pictures all over the walls of different schools declaring their love for Next Door.  It is special to go to a place where it is so clearly loved by so many.

Service: Even though I have had my share of awkward servers at Next Door, they are consistently helpful and polite.  We always bring the kids and they are very kind to them as well.

Appearance: Very tasteful, clean, homey atmosphere.  They have a side room for parties that also has some arcade games and even a train set for the little ones.

Value: It is a tad high, but all of the food comes in large portions so it is very “shareable.”  An average 14″ deep dish pizza is around $20, a dozen wings is $8 and endless salad bar is $6 but if you only want to go once it is an easy $3.

Restrooms: Clean and they must be nice because my toddler goes an average of five times per visit.

Next Door Pizza and Pub on Urbanspoon

Grinders

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Located in the artistic Crossroads Arts District of Kansas City, we had heard about the amazing local eats and drinks at Grinders for quite some time.  When Kyle saw that they used authentic rolls for their philly cheese steaks, we finally decided to give them a try.

Artsy 

Taste: 8

Presentation: 5

Originality: 6

Service: 7

Appearance: 5

Value: 9

Restrooms: 9

But Not Fartsy 

Taste: The kids split two slices of pizza and I tried a bite.  The sauce was delish and the boys gobbled down their supper.  Kyle declared his cheese steak the most authentic one he has had (something about the roll?) and so he was a happy dude.  My calzone was tasty, not too humungous and very fresh.

Presentation: We ate outside and they served us on paper plates and the food is just kinda piled on there.  No big deal because it all tasted awesome.

Originality: They do add their own special twist to a lot of their specials, but it is still just your standard pizza and burger joint.

Service: Although it was a little confusing to tell who worked there and who was just friendly, our server was very nice and helpful.  Initially, they accidentally sent out the wrong calzone and she handled the whole thing really well and was genuinely apologetic.

Appearance: It definitely has that “local favorite” feel and even though we stuck out like sore thumbs (white suburban, middle class, with 3 small kids, not artsy looking at all), we felt very comfortable and just like we were out eating on somebody’s patio.  It was a beautiful day so when the kids were finished eating, they played in the big grassy area while Kyle and I chatted.

Value: The food here is cheap cheap cheap.  Pizza by the slice is $3, Kyle’s sandwich was $5 and my calzone was the priciest at $8.  Burgers and subs are about $9 and an 18″ pizza is about $14.  Make sure to check out their daily specials for even cheaper eats!

Restrooms: According to the boys, the restrooms were “actually really nice.”

Grinders on Urbanspoon

EBT restaurant

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Our five year wedding anniversary was this weekend and when Kyle asked me where I wanted to go, I answered without hesitation.  I have been eyeing up EBT restaurant for quite some time and we were excited to finally indulge in this fine cuisine.

Fine Dining

Taste: 9

Presentation: 8

Originality: 5

Service: 7

Appearance: 6

Value: 7

Restrooms: 3

Even Finer Taste

Taste: For our entrees I got their peppercorn beef tenderloin medallions, cooked (don’t judge me) medium well.  Kyle always gives me a hard time for “burning my steak” but I just don’t like the taste of it done any other way.  And for being cooked medium well, the steak was still very juicy and flavorful and even quite tender.  I had been craving a good steak for quite some time and was thrilled with how delicious this was.  Kyle got the pan-roasted duck breast and loved how all the flavors mixed together and he essentially licked his plate clean.

Presentation: Being a fine dining establishment, EBT did not disappoint.  They gave us fresh silverware with each course and everything was portioned well; it was plenty of food but we didn’t feel like we were gorging ourselves.

Originality: They claim to have classic and contemporary cuisine but I didn’t really find the selection that mind-blowing.  It was lovely food, done extremely well, just not that original.

Service: This was certainly one of the high points.  A couple of their dishes are served table-side and the wait staff was very engaging, good natured and professional.  I felt helped but not smothered.  The only thing that was a tad annoying was the fact that our waiter smelled like he had just smoked through a pack of cigarettes before coming over to greet us.

Appearance: EBT was originally opened to honor an old downtown Kansas City department store dating back to the 1800′s called “Emery, Bird, and Thayer.”  When the store was being demolished in 1971, the founders of EBT restaurant were able to salvage a good amount including stained glass, masonry, iron archways and two brass elevator cages that diners can reserve for their dining experience.  All of the old architecture gives it a very classic and unique feel.  While we were dining, there was also a lovely music duet playing in the background.  All in all, it was a classy experience that Kyle and I won’t soon forget.

Value: Prices are exactly what you would expect for fine dining.  Starters are around or just under $10 and entrees hover around $30 each.

Restrooms: Unfortunately, Kyle checked out their bathrooms and said that he has seen better bathrooms at Price Chopper.

EBT on Urbanspoon