Starved for some greasy spoon comfort food to subside the extreme white russian hangover I experienced from the night before, I turned my attention to Mama’s 39th Street Diner as I know they have some of the best biscuits & gravy in town.  The restaurant was dim for 11:00am, or was is that my eyes were squinting to keep the light from making me sick?  Regardless, I glanced at the menu trying to find my B&G when my eyes caught the Country Fried Chicken smothered in sausage gravy (BOOM!) with scrambled eggs, breakfast potatoes & toast.  I knew at that point that this dish had what I needed to help my find my kilter and possible spin me into a food coma soon after.  Either way, I was in.

 The portions at Mama’s are huge no matter what you order, and this was no exception.  A full chicken breast fillet, hand breaded and fried followed by a hearty smothering of gravy over it.  Honestly, I didn’t think I could eat even a third of it, especially in my condition, yet I cleaned the plate leaving only the toast.  It was perfectly cooked, great amount of flavor and very filling.  They are open 24 hrs over the weekends, so its a perfect ending to those of you who like to tie one on and then consume 1800 extra calories at the end of the evening!  Mama knows best, which is why the Country Fried Chicken is a big seller!

*Also try the Mama’s Famous “Legal” Hash for you corned beef lovers.

Mama’s 39th Street Diner

3906 Waddell  Kansas City MO 64111

816-753-7251

On a beach cruiser bar hopping while riding down Huntington Beach on a Wednesday afternoon. Life only gets better through a lottery win or, a AVN award for most tasteful one on three scene. At least that’s what I thought until my beach cruiser wing man suggested that we stop in at beach front establishment known as Mutt Lynch’s. The menu was standard pub fare but, what caught my eye was the Mutt Sub with garlic fries. Without consultation from the locals I ordered and was delighted to receive nods of approval from my socal friends. I was floored when the sandwich arrived. Let me be frank, this was one of the top three sandwiches I have ever had in my life. The garlic fries were without doubt the best fries I have ever had. Mutt Lynch’s was so good that you could be staring out at septic tank instead of the pacific and you still would be smitten.

Probably not…not much needs to be said about brunch enchiladas…but I’ll say a few things anyhow.

Beer Kitchen in Westport is by far one of my favorite places to eat in Kansas City. Their entire menu is incredible (whether your a meat eater or veg head), but their brunch is far superior to most other KC establishments. I credit a huge portion of that to their brunch enchiladas (a mix of chorizo sausage, scrambled eggs, potatoes, green chilies, chipotle cheddar, sour cream and crispy jalapeno straws)

If you haven’t had these yet, do yourself a favor and go IMMEDIATELY! If you’re extra hungry, add a side of their B&G (sausage OR mushroom gravy) or some truffle-parmesan fries.

You can thank me later.

http://beerkitchenkc.com

Whenever I try an eating establishment for the 1st time, I usually have a staple “go to” dish to decide if it is good or not.  For example, when in a Mexican restaurant, I always go with a chicken chimichanga with rice & beans.  That, along with the chips & salsa, help me keep the playing field level.  I use this same theory whenever I visit a new Thai restaurant with the spring rolls.  Truth be told, I order spring rolls as an appetizer every time I eat at a Thai restaurant as it is a personal fav.   All theory & routines aside, I must say that I can hardly remember my first trip to Mai Thai as I have eaten there several times to try out the various dishes of goodness, but the spring rolls always start it off as they are possibly the best I have ever had.

  Located at 12250 W. 135th (135th & Quivira), this plate is simple but has great presentation to go along with the flavor of the rolls.  The recipe is a simple combonation of green leaf lettuce, bean thread noodles, bean sprouts, herbs and tofu wrapped in rice paper.  It is served with an amazing chili sauce and a crushed roasted peanut.  I have had several of the entrees there (expect a review of the Thai Herbs Beef soon) but I keep coming in for the spring rolls.  The service is great, the place is clean and the food is on point.

Mai Thai

12250 W. 135th

Overland Park, KS 66221

913-681-9995

www.maithaiusa.com

    The Woodsweather Cafe has become one of my favorite best kept secrets in Kansas City.  It provides a lot of comfort foods, reasonably priced and comes big on portions and flavor.  Located in the West Bottoms at 1414 W. 9th street, they have been slangin’ out hot plates to the industrial business employees located all around them as well as families and people who know what good food is all about.

  Woodsweather has a great menu for lunch and dinner, but I must say that their breakfast is easily my favorite.  The Big Belgian Waffle has risen up to be a favorite amongst many of the regulars as well as people that GGTM.com has recommended to try out.  Its ingredients are simple, but the result is literally the best damn waffle I have ever had.  The chef (known as Uncle John) won’t give up the recipe, but the man has obviously has made a few waffles in his day and the batter and cooking technique down to a science.  The waffle is served with powdered sugar and a ball of real butter (oh yeah) to compliment the 2 eggs and country sausage to complete the dish.  I think I have tried everything on Woodsweather’s breakfast menu and I keep coming back to the Big Waffle, so it must have magical powers…one of which is curing a hangover from a long night on the town!

  The West Bottoms is going through a slow revitalization process as new roads are being paved and new loft apartments & office spaces are being created.  I feel that every updated part of town needs a staple eating place to anchor the neighborhood.  The type of old school diner where the food is good, comes out quick, and is served by a polite but no nonsense staff.  My hope is that this best kept secret sticks to the formula that has made them great once the word gets out about them!

Woodsweather Cafe

1414 W. 9th St

Kansas City, MO 64101

(816) 472-6333

www.facebook.com/woodsweathercafe

I caught a rock show in Park Slope Brooklyn last Saturday.  I saw many old friends from the rock scene in this old, hillside neighborhood just west of Prospect Park.  The night began with shots of whiskey.  In the middle there were 12 IPAs.  At the end, someone gave me something that made me dance erratically.  I left the bar at 4am and from what I here, some of my friends left at dawn.

Anyway, I woke up in someone’s bed on Sunday morning and decided it was time to walk back to the Van.  I strolled south down sunny 7th Avenue and realized that one of my friends had walked off with my keys the night before.  After a stupifying 20 minutes of logistical contemplation (a team of monkeys could have figured it out quicker) I was able to get him to bring my keys back down to me from Manhattan.  But it was going to take him an hour to get there and I needed food with substance.  I needed something that could replenish the hole in my soul left from the previous evening’s firebombing.

Cafe Steinhof, a little cafe that describes itself as a place to acquire “Austrian Comfort Food” acquired me in its tractor beam.  Or maybe it was the French pop music blazing from the speakers. . .or even more so perhaps it was the beautiful brown haired girl that was sitting just inside the breezy little corner oasis.  So I went in and immediately ordered the meatloaf sandwich and some brand of German beer I didn’t recognize.

Staring at all sorts of authentic, European art and memorabilia on the wall, I slammed the beer, had a coffee and did a magic trick for some guy at the bar with no sense of humor at all.  The staff was rad, however, and the French bartender gave me another beer on the house as long as I promised to slam it like the first one.  I did.  And with that, I was ready for serious meatloaf.

Now it’s important to understand that meatloaf is the greatest comfort food ever conceived.  It’s vital to use as much ketchup as possible and perhaps some hot sauce or mustard.  You have to pile it on and turn the whole plate into a Short Bus.   When you eat the meatloaf sandwich, do not use a napkin until you are completely finished with the sandwich.  This is important because it leaves half of the food on your face and makes you look and feel like a viking.

Steinhof’s meatloaf sandwich seemed particularly good because I believe they knew that I needed to have it.  Made with all the traditional ingredients, there was no surprise. . .just absolute satisfaction.  It was served with a simple house salad that I’m pretty sure is good for me.  The surroundings were authentic and from what I could tell, their beer selection was impecable.

The girl in the corner thought I was an animal and used her middle finger to tell me how she felt.  Success.  Eric Afterburner

Go here.

422 7th Avenue

Park Slope, Brooklyn NY

The reason the picture is blurry is because I was having a no pants moment with my date from Austria. She was hot, but the Pork Chop from Brooklyn’s uber hip Roberta’s was pitching my tent.

Roberta’s is known for wood-fired pizza, but this restaurant is making waves for being one of the most organic, green oriented restaurants in my ghetto neighborhood Bushwick.  It’s also one of the hottest restaurants in NYC.  For those outside of the metropolis and not familiar, Bushwick, once home to massive riots in the 1970s that left the whole goddamn place on fire, it is a small neighborhood in north Brooklyn. And this place grows all its own veggies, has its own bakery and a beer garden complete with organic gardens, an old train car container within which operates an internet radio station focusing on organic gardening and generally all things green.

It’s also important to add that once I drank 9 long island ice teas, ate 2 hydros and fell into the beer garden fire pit twice practically incinerating my right arm.  This is not recommended by the establishment.  (editor’s note:  ”i felt nothing”)

But this particular night, I sit and stare at the sexiest pork chop plate I’ve ever seen. The temperature was so perfect I wanted to walk to the kitchen and punch the chef in the balls. Nobody deserves pork this good. . .juicy, salted just perfectly and some sort of secret spice that tasted like a cross between awesome and the latest Charlie Sheen quote.

The place might be famous for mini-motorcycle death rallies on Halloween in the beer garden, but it soon will be on the map for some of the greatest culinary pros around.   That everyone around here looks straight out of the motorcross scene from Fear and Loathing should not deter you.  Greasers are assholes only sometimes.  Eric Afterburner

Because Blackberry’s make horrible cameras, get a much more colorful tour here.

• 261 Moore St Brooklyn,NY
• Morgan Ave stop on  train
• Mon-Fri 12p.m.-Midnight
• Sat-Sun 11a.m.-Midnight
• call for take out and delivery
• 718-417-1118

  This one may come as a bit of a surprise to some people, but I will call my shot and say that Maloney’s Sports Bar & Grill in Overland Park KS has the best Calzone in Kansas City.     Now calm down and allow me to elaborate…

  This review has been about 5 years in the making.   I have tried many a calzone in this city and had the same calzone several times over to be sure that my feelings are true.  The thing I found with Maloney’s (located at 7201 W. 79th Street in OP)  is that in addition to having a product that is good on portion size, reasonable on price, and big on flavor, the main reason why I feel they get the GGTM review is that they are always consistent in the product.  Everytime I order a calzone at Maloney’s (usually with italian sausage, pepperoni, & jalepeno’s for toppings) it is exactly what I expect it to be:  Perfectly baked crust, full of toppings & cheese, piping hot and served with pride.  Other restaurants that I would consider contenders for this have fell short in that department from one visit to the next.

  I know what you are thinking, “How could this be?” or “Have you not been to _____ and had their calzone?”  The answer is YES I have been there and I stand by my opinion.  Here’s the deal, when talking about calzones you are usually dealing with other sports bars, pizzerias or a few quick serve Italian restaurants.  I am not including the fine Italian dining establishments in this category because when I frequent those spots there are so many other dishes that take precedence (those reviews are coming soon).   Maloney’s is a good sports bar with a great patio and has better than average bar food, with one stand out dish…The Calzone!  I would also say they have one of the best overall staffs as I cannot recall ever having a bad experience in my 1000+ visits.  Even if you don’t agree with this review,  you should at least check out Maloney’s for a game or a few drinks on the patio.

Maloney’s Bar & Grill

7201 West 79th Street
Overland Park, KS 66204
(913) 385-9595

www.maloneyssportsbar.com

It takes a serious pair to compete with Blue Koi on their home turf…but Po and Rita Hwang are one such pair. The Hwangs have been cooking up noodles and dumplings for over 30 years, starting in Taiwan, passing through Memphis and New Orleans and ending up on 39th Street. I could be mistaken but in Taiwan Cha Su must mean pork donut…or maybe sweet roll? Yep, I said pork donut. Anyway, these delicious sticky little buns combine doughy sweetness with the savory delights of swine all for just $2.99. I’ll probably be sticking to Blue Koi for my dumpling fixes but the Cha Su buns are worth a trip to Po’s all by themselves. Who but Jules Winfield could pass up a swine filled donut?

Po’s Dumpling Bar

I cannot claim that I am uncovering some great culinary secret–Anthony Bourdain beat me to it. Usually when people ask me what the “must-see” places are in Denver the 16th Street Mall isn’t one of them. Biker Jim changed my mind. If you fight through the tourist stores and national chains you will find a cart (look for the long line) that delivers some of the greatest tube-shaped meats on earth. I had the jalapeno and cheddar elk sausage and topped with the chef’s suggestion of caramelized onions and melted cream cheese. OH MY. Skip the lunch special of drink and chips there isn’t a reason to ruin the flavor of his handmade sausages with partially hydrogenated oil residue and caramel colored water…if you are hungry just get two sausages.