OPEN 24•7
BREAKFAST ANYTIME
FAMILY OWNED AND OPERATED
LUNCH DINNER
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LOCALLY GROWN, DELICIOUSLY PREPARED!
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THAN JUST
gluten-free, vegetarian, and dairy-free options Specialty Baked Goods
DELICIOUS
BREAKFAST & LUNCH
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WWW.FIGTREECAFELS.COM
1821 WYANDOTTE (CROSSROADS)
VOTED BEST DESSERTS 817 NE Rice Road, Lee Summit | 816.347.0442
920 MAIN
(DOWNTOWN) NOW OPEN SUNDAYS 8 TO 3
1713 VILLAGE W. PARKWAY KANSAS CITY, KANSAS 913.299.8787 chiusanospizza.com
HAPPY HOUR 2 for 1 ALL drinks
beers & wine at the bar
Mon-Fri : 4-6
Locally owned & operated!
Photograph: Angela Bond
with friends
pitch.com > Restaurants > Restaurant Guide 22
the pitch
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A S H F O R D S TA M P E R
FROM 7-10PM
39th St. & SW Trafficway Kansas City, MO 816-531-SOSA (7672)
continued from page 21
The Majestic’s French Dip
Now’s a good moment to mention that there’s a world of difference between the Italian steak sandwich — the popular beef version — and the more region-specific iteration known as the Chicago-style Italian beef sandwich. The former, a fried-beefsteak sandwich, is easy to find locally. But the Chicago-style variation? Not so much. That’s a pity because it’s basically the SicilianAmerican version of a French dip — it calls for an inexpensive cut of beef, sliced nearly paper-thin and then left to soak in the roasting pan’s juices — and it makes the best cheap sandwich in the world when it’s done right. (A true Italian beef sandwich must be made with real Italian bread and topped with the distinctively vinegary, crunchy vegetable relish called giardiniera.) The only local restaurateur I know of making a serious Ch icago-st yle beef sa ndw ich is Mike Klaersch, who runs Lenexa’s Pizza Man pizzeria (10212 Pflumm, 913-492-2116). He slices his roast beef very thin, uses a tangy giardiniera and even imports his bread from the Gonnella bakery in the Windy City. Speaking of the French dip: It’s easier to fi nd one of those in Kansas City. The most succulent might be at the Majestic Restaurant (931 Broadway, 816-221-1888). Prime rib from the previous evening is allowed to soak up the pan’s juices overnight and then is thinly shaved before it’s piled on a hard roll from Roma Bakery. It’s served with a cup of hearty au jus (and horseradish sauce). A different kind of steak-based sandwich, the Philly cheesesteak — the signature hand-held dish from the City of Brotherly Love — is visible around here but mostly in not-very-authentic incarnations. It’s nearly impossible to find one made with Cheez Whiz, a key ingredient at Pat’s King of
Steaks in Philadelphia. But that’s easily forgotten when you’re eating chef Alex Pope’s version. Pope, who has installed a food truck called Pigwich outside his butcher shop, the Local Pig (2618 Guinotte Avenue, 816-200-1639), began serving his cheesesteak in late March. It’s smooth and rich, with grilled beef on a crusty baguette from North Kansas City’s Le Monde Bakery, swiped with a bit of Dijon mustard and topped with grilled onions, mushrooms and poblano peppers, and smoked provolone. “It’s a cheesy cheesesteak,” Pope says, “but in a good way.” A very good way. Only one kind of cheese is acceptable on the favored sandwich of Miami and Key West: the swiss that adorns an authentic Cubano. It’s a hot pressed sandwich that squeezes together slices of ham, roast pork and swiss with thinly sliced dill pickles and a swath of yellow mustard (the cheap kind). That’s what you get from Venezuelanborn Jose Garcia, of El Portón Café (4671 Indian Creek Parkway, Overland Park, 913-381-8060), who is a stickler for authenticity (even if the yeasty Cuban-style roll he uses comes from a corporate, commercial food-service company). His roasted pork is tender, the cheese is hot and bubbly, and the pickle slices aren’t too puckery. The rest of the Eastern Seaboard isn’t necessarily so wise about its sandwiches. Massachusetts, for example, has been toying with the idea of making the Fluffernutter — peanut butter and marshmallow creme on white bread — its official state sandwich. I don’t know where to fi nd one of those in the Kansas City area. And I’d just as soon you didn’t tell me.
E-mail charles.ferruzza@pitch.com