Fervere - Kansas City, MO

In the West Side Neighborhood of Kansas City, MO, there is a place called Fervere, at which they sell cheese slippers most Saturday nights at 6:30 pm sharp.  If you are wondering what cheese slippers are, they are a type of circular flatbread that has the crust raised just a little bit more with luscious toppings giving it an extra kick. The ones they have the most often are the campo lindo egg and the heirloom tomato cheese slippers. The egg cheese slipper is topped with a most luscious cheese with some pepping egg to go with it. Also, the tomato cheese slipper is topped with some more cheese and some nice wet tomatoes.  Just one more thing, you might want to get there 5 minutes early (also there is a great snow cone place nearby to go to called Little Freshie while you're waiting).
I will give them five stars.

Czar Bar - Kansas City, MO

***Mom's note:  Unfortunately, the Czar Bar is no longer hosting Kelli Daniels as its guest chef from Good You.  We have not tried their current menu offerings so cannot speak to those.

One afternoon, my family decided to meet my Dad at the Czar bar for lunch.  I got what they called Kansas City's Best Burger.  Taste: It was the juiciest burger I'd ever had.  The bun had sesame seeds and maybe garlic.  Also, they had some delicious blueberry ketchup to go with their fries.  Oh, and did I ever tell you that they had Aioli on the beef? They also kept joking that the burger was so good because it was made from first-born unicorn.  ( I don't know where they got that from though.)  They were also thinking of having an open mic night where kids could play music on the stage.  I think that would be great.  I will give them five stars.  Czar Bar

Jun's Restaurant - Prairie Village, KS

Last week, since it was boy's night, me and my brothers decided to go out for sushi. My Dad took us to Jun's sushi.  We also sat in the traditional Japanese seating on pillows.  One of my favorite choices of sushi is the spider roll.  It's main ingredient is a lightly breaded soft shell crab.  It is also very crunchy and if you're a spicy kind of guy it goes well with wasabi.  They also had cold soba noodles with tempura vegetables, and the tempura vegetables also contrasted with the soba noodles.  We also had cucumber sashimi.  It tasted good and I think it would work quite well as an on-the-go sushi. The sticky rice held together well and was a great vehicle to deliver the sweet succulent tast of the sushi treats.  My brothers also liked their sweet yellow egg sushi.  At the endo of your meal they will also give you a specially sculpted orange with a chocolate that has mint in it on the side.  If you sit in the traditional seating, it isn't as loud as most restaurants on Friday nights.  I think I will give it five stars. 

Eggs Benedict at home

Last Saturday, me and my Dad decided to make eggs benedict for breakfast. First, we made the hollandaise sauce out of egg yolks and lemon juice.  We mixed them into a thick sauce over a double boiler, which is a boiling pot of water with a mixing bowl on top. We stirred it until we got a thick sauce.  Next, we added a hot drizzle of butter, salt and smoked Spanish paprika.  Next, we got out the Joy of Cooking book, and we looked up how to poach an egg.  First, it said to drop an egg into a pot of simmering water, and then we cooked it until the egg white set.  Finally, we transferred it to another pot of water that was 150 degrees F.  It cooked in there for 15 min. and then the egg was ready.  After this, first we toasted our English muffin.  Next, we put on spinach and heirloom tomatoes.  Then, we put on our poached egg and the hollandaise sauce.  Finally we sprinkled it with more smoked Spanish paprika. It tasted very delicate, and had a hint of spice because of the Spanish paprika.  It even tasted considerably thick.  Also, the English muffin was very chewy because of the yolk that broke on top of it.  It was very good.  I will give the recipe five stars.  I also give five stars to being able to make breakfast with my Dad.

Bon Me - Boston, MA

One afternoon, while we were on vacation in Boston, we decided to go to the aquarium.  On the way, we saw a Vietnamese food truck called Bon Me.  We decided to eat there, so we ordered two noodle salads.  My noodle salad had rice noodles, spicy peanut sauce, grilled tofu, and shiitake mushrooms. My Dad ordered a buckwheat soba noodle salad, with spicy peanut sauce, and spicy Korean chicken.  We also shared some ginger lemonade and basil limeade.  The ginger lemonade was very good, and very tangy with a hint of spice, which made it all the better.  The noodle salad was also very spicy and tangy too.  They also had some delicous deviled tea eggs, with spices on top.  These deviled eggs were very smoky and unique. They were the best deviled eggs I'd ever had.  I give them four and a half stars.

Mr. Bartley's Gourmet Burgers - Boston, MA

One afternoon while we were on vacation in Boston, my parents decided to take us to a burger place called Mr. Bartley's.  My mom and I decided to share the iPhone and the Tom Brady.  The iPhone was very meaty and very juicy too, while the Tom Brady had a small beef patty (although we substituted turkey) with lettuce and guacamole and other appetizing ingredients.  It was very loud because everyone was talking, but it was ok.

You know that old commercial, "This is your brain on drugs?" They had a poster above our table that had the names of a bunch of famous people and an egg in a pan for each one.  I think it will give that restaurant five stars.

La Famiglia Giorgio - Boston, MA

One day while my family was on vacation in Boston we decided to go to an Italian restaurant called La Famiglia Giorgio.  I decided to get the Lobster Ravioli, which was ravioli that had mushrooms and other ingredients, drizzled with a sauce like Lobster Bisque except it was very thick. The sauce was very savory and tangy. My parents got a pasta which had tomatoes, capers, anchovies, and olives (which was very moist too). It was also very soft and flexible. They also had great Tiramasu which was very sweet and thick and looked very good. I think I will give them five stars. 

Sweet Siam - Lenexa, KS

One afternoon my dad wanted to go to Sweet Siam Thai Bistro. Well, I guess I'll tell you what to do if you want it really, really spicy. At Sweet Siam, they have a joke about the name of their chef, Dang. If you want your entree really, really spicy, you're supposed to say, "I want it DANG HOT!". I tried the spicy eggplant dang hot (my dad ordered it), but it was too spicy for me.  For myself, I ordered the pineapple fried rice. If you don't know what that is, it is a mixture of brown rice, cashews, pineapple, and fried egg. I think the smell was very palatable with the hint of spices drifting through the air.  I would describe the texture as soft and warm with a little crumble.  I also tried the coconut curry soup which actually tasted cheesy with a lot of mushrooms.  The atmosphere was very welcoming because of the wonderful woodwork.  I think I will give it five stars.

Note:  Watch out Beantown, next week our young critic hits the Boston culinary scene!

Grinders West - Kansas City, MO

Me, eating margarita pizza.

One afternoon when my dad got home from work, he wanted to go to Grinders Pizza. My advice is to go to Grinder's West versus regular Grinders because I like their environment better. Well, I guess I'll tell you about their buffalo wings. If you're someone who likes spicy, but not too spicy, I would recommend the molten wings. Just whatever you do, do NOT get the Death wings! I don't think anyone would be able to stand those.  They also have delicious Margarita pizza. Smell: I could smell the sweet, pungent smell of the tomatoes and maybe a hint of burnt crust. Texture: I think the texture was very cheesy and soft. Hearing:  It was very quiet except for conversation. Sight: I thought they had very decorative tables and walls so look for that when you come in.  Out of all the things we had, the margarita pizza was my favorite.  I think I will give it four and a half stars.

My little brother eating a chicken wing.

Los Alamos - Kansas City, MO

Outside the restaurant with a couple of the Osama Bin Ladin pinatas.

We went to Los Alamos Market and Cocina for dinner one Friday after my dad got off work.  I tried the buffet, but I didn't like it very much. nbsp;The potatoes were too warm.  The pork had too much sauce.  The ancho pepper sauce was not balanced of citrus, herbs, or other spices.  The pork was also very bland.  The restaurant was very loud and had a lot of steam.  They also had pinatas and a store in the front.  It thought it was kind of weird that they had lots of Osama Bin Ladin and Saddam Hussein pinatas hanging all over the restaurant.  I give it 2 stars.

Saddam Hussein pinatas on the other side of the awning.

Chai Shai - Kansas City, MO

This Saturday my family decided to go to Chai Shai Indian/Pakistani restaurant. Entrees we got:  lamb korma (this had mangoes covered in spices on the side), mutter paneer, curried scrambled eggs with paratha bread, and beef and vegetable samosas.  Taste:  Well, Chai Shai is famous for their samosas which are a thin crust of bread stuffed with vegetables, chicken or beef. They had a very tangy flavor.  They also had a mango shake which is a creamy mango drink with mint and a variety of spices, and it was very appetizing.Smell: The samosas had a very warm smell of Indian sauce and spices. Texture: The texture was very chewy and soft. Hearing: It was very loud because of all of the conversation. Overall: I thought all of the dishes were very good.  I really liked this restaurant and give it five stars.

Frida's - Overland Park, KS

On Father's Day, my dad wanted to go to a new Mexican restaurant.  We found Frida's in Overland Park.  I got the Huitlacoche Quesadillas.  Description:  corn mushrooms with goat cheese sauteed in white wine and garlic.  Sight:  I thought at first it looked like a sort of black mixture inside a tortilla, but still it was delicious.  Hearing:  I thought it was very loud because there was a ton of conversation.  Smell:  The smell was very appeasing with a hint of oregano.  Touch (texture):  I thought the texture was wet, but delicious.  Taste:  The taste was a delicious flavor of corn mushrooms and olive oil. I think I give it five stars.

Open Fire Wood Burning Pizza

Today my dad took off work to join us for lunch at a new pizza place - Open Fire Wood Burning Pizza in Westport.  They had the best deal!  You could get one small pizza (with as many toppings as you wanted), salad, and a drink for $7.59.  Wow!  My pizza smelled a lot like a Mexican mix of grilled mushrooms and cheese.  It was very quiet for the most part, but I think it gets louder in the evenings when they have live bands.  Also, they had some great art.  Plus, they even had a side room with free shuffleboard and air hockey.  Overall, I would give it five stars because it had just the right amount of savory.

Green Eggs Cafe in Philadelphia

One day while we were on vacation in Philadelphia, we decided to go to Green Eggs for breakfast.  First, I wanted to get the "Kitchen Sink".  Then I changed my mind to the Creme Brulee French Toast.  The ingredients were vanilla bean custard, fresh berry compote, drizzled with vanilla anglaise and 100% maple syrup, topped with Chantilly creme and fresh berries.  The smell was very appeasing - sweet and hot at the same time.  The texture was very sweet and soft which made a very amazing texture.  The strawberries and cream made it very sweet while the vanilla made it even better.  The restaurant was quiet except for conversation.  I would give it four and a half stars because it was a bit too sweet for me.

Snak Shack on Santa Fe

We decided to go to the Snak Shack for lunch.  That's when I saw it:  The Garden Grilled Cheese.  The taste was very cheesy with a lot of spices.  The texture was soft and very gooey.   Here's what I heard:  milk shakes and orders being made one by one through the afternoon.  The smell was very appeasing with a hint of cheese.  When I looked at the menu I saw that the ingredients were cheese, jalapenos, and a collection of herbs.  I also had a milk shake that I liked a lot because it was not too sweet and not too tart while it also helped cool down the spice of the sandwich.  I gave the Snak Shack 4.5 stars.

Pizzeria Stella - Philadelphia, PA

A week ago, my family and I went on a vacation to Philadelphia. One of my favorite restaurants there was Pizzeria Stella. My favorite thing we ordered was the Tartuto pizza. Well, let's start with the taste. The egg and fontina work together to make a delicious, liquidy flavor while the black truffle peps it up a little bit. It smells a lot like a mixture of egg and flour. It looked a lot like it was prepared so that the truffle and fontina were mixed in while the egg was cracked after it was cooked. What I heard was this: lots of conversation and pots and pans. The texture was cheesy with a lot of flour. The photo is my dad with a slice of the Tartuga pizza. Overall, I give Pizzeria Stella five stars.