No puedo decir que esta primavera haya sido una de mis favoritas. El clima más fresco y la lluvia aparentemente interminable han frenado mi optimismo por los días más brillantes que se avecinan. Pero, una cosa que no ha disminuido es la difusión de menús temáticos de primavera recientemente lanzados en todo el metro. Los menús renovados con opciones más ligeras y vegetales están apareciendo como tantas colmenillas. Para darle una muestra de lo que está pasando en las cocinas de los restaurantes del área esta primavera, pasé por tres para probar la cocina y hablar con el chef.
Comencemos con Jeremiah Lyman en The Reserve at The Ambassador, un lugar que he adorado durante años. Pude probar tres nuevos elementos del menú de Lyman:Colorado Lamb Chops, el pescado de la semana, Barramudi en el caso de nuestra visita y una impresionante Insalata Caprese. “Elegí el cordero de Colorado porque es un producto regional local y tiene un sabor más suave y sutil. Lo marinamos con vino tinto, orégano y menta porque todos son elementos primaverales”, me dijo Lyman. Las chuletas se asan a la parrilla y se sirven sobre una salsa Tzatziki casera y junto con pan de pita con ajo horneado en casa. Lo comparé con un Gryo exclusivo y abierto, pero como quieras llamarlo, no te lo pierdas, ya que es una de las mejores y más creativas preparaciones de cordero que he probado en los últimos tiempos.
También sería negligente si no me tomara un segundo para adorar la Insalata Caprese en la que Lyman extrae a mano mozarella fresca y la combina con tomates cherry cultivados localmente con hidroponía y la combinación justa de hierbas para crear una explosión de sabor. .
Lyman ha estado en The Reserve durante seis años, ascendiendo de rango a Chef Ejecutivo. Ha observado y participado a medida que la cocina del hotel ha mejorado constantemente. Lyman se enorgullece y se complace en desarrollar y mantener una cocina básica donde puede poner su marca personal en el menú. “Cuando llegué aquí por primera vez, casi nada se hizo desde cero. Ahora todo está hecho desde cero. Compramos un producto crudo y lo convertimos en algo increíble”, compartió Lyman. “That’s my favorite thing about my job here, seeing the quality of the food reach this level and being a part of it all.”
Lyman is also a big part of a recent hotel expansion, which more than doubled the number of rooms, added a second kitchen, and is increasing diners and room service nightly. He loves it all and can’t wait for the next challenge. As a frequent diner, though not as frequent as I’d Iike, neither can I.
Ryan Spruhan has been around the Kansas City dining scene for a while now, cutting his teeth with James Beard award-winning chef Celena Tio first at The American, then at Tio’s independent restaurant, the late, great Julian in Brookside. After a stint as Executive Chef at the historic Elms Resort and Spa in Excelsior Springs, Spruhan is continuing his hotel career as Executive Chef of The Fontaine, which includes presiding over its fine dining restaurant, Parker.
Parker sits atop the hotel and affords diners and drinkers some wonderful views of Brush Creek and beyond. A “veteran” at The Fontaine for more than six months now, Spruhan has just inked his second menu, which consists of both Parker signature items and appetizers and entrees listed as “seasonal plates.” “I didn’t want to stray too far from Parker is and what we want it to be. So, we want to continue to identify that while at the same time capitalizing on the season and the ingredients it provides,” Spruhan said.
I focused on the seasonal plates during my recent visit, which proved a wise and delicious choice. The grilled asparagus with citrus, brown butter, and aged gouda was as good as it sounds. For entrees, I selected the Oscar Benedict, a beef ribeye served atop a spicy softshell crab and asparagus accompanied by tarragon butter and topped with a sunny-side farm fresh egg. The use of the softshell crab as the starch was a touch of genius as the dish was one of the better entrees I’ve had around town in a long time. “I have this dish at a number of restaurants I’ve worked in a number of iterations. I’ve done it with fillets, but I’m not generally fond of fillets, so this is my substitute. If you want a good steak and you like fillets, then you’re going to like this dish,” Spruhan stated.
My wife’s grilled Pacific halibut with buttered English peas, salted radishes baby root vegetables, and “captured broth,” was equally satisfying-moist, loaded with flavor, and a textual delight with the crunchy al dente veggies.
I’m not sure what Sruhan has up his sleeve next, but I can’t wait to see. Oh, and I’ll be back for the Parker signature dishes next time.
I’m always up for a meal at Brady’s Public House. Chef/Owner Shaun Brady is one of the most talented chefs in the metro. Brady’s is known for amazing Irish/American specials, which they serve year-round, so they don’t change the menu as often as some other restaurants, but Brady tells me he loves running specials. “I like the ability to add specials depending on what we have coming in the door. I can have two or three specials every day depending on what we can get our hands on,” Brady shared. “I’m the kind of guy who when someone calls and says they only have so much, I say that I want it all. I’ll take a picture of it and share it with my chef friends in town and say, ‘look what I got.’ There’s always a nice little back and forth among the chefs in Kansas City.”
That said, Brady has added three great new items to his menu:a mushroom flatbread, a blackened salmon salad, and a chicken salad, Brady’s current favorite. “We take the chicken, brine it, then slow roast and mix it with sun-dried tomatoes, green onions, roasted red peppers, and served it with an olive oil lemon-basil dressing,” Brady said. Sounds great, and making it even better is the fact you can have it as a salad or a sandwich served on a house-made cheddar-green onion biscuit.
Spring has definitely sprung in Kansas City!