Bourbon and Baker

I got the chance to sample some dishes at Manhattan's new restaurant, Bourbon and Baker. Brought to you by Harry's, Bourbon and Baker is as upscale as Harry's but with a more casual dining approach. The menu is predominately small plates, think tapas. These small plates are divided into two sections: "Southern and Midwestern Influences" and "Culinary Experiences." In the first category, you'll find small but decadent versions of dishes such as Chicken and Waffles and Shrimp & Grits. In the latter category, you find dishes that would more commonly be found on a tapas menu, such as Stuffed Piquillo Peppers along with more innovative dishes such as Truffle Popcorn (popcorn flavored with foie gras butter, truffle salt and Manchego) and the dessert worthy "Waffle Date" (an orange zest waffle with prosciutto, mascarpone, medjool date-pistachio relish and maple syrup.) The third section of the menu features family style entrees. These say that they are meant to be shared by four diners. Ranging in price from $70 to $95, they include choices such as a Fried Chicken dinner, a Seafood Boil and a Bone-In Rib-eye. As I was dining alone, I didn't get to sample any of these, nor did I catch a glimpse of the dishes from afar. At first glance, the prices may seem steep, but if they actually serve 4, these prices are comparable or less than they would be at Harry's.

Given the name, it's appropriate that one third of the menu is devoted to bourbons. They also have a reasonable selection of wines by the glass and by the bottle. They have some original cocktails as well as one on tap, their whiskey punch that includes pineapple juice, orange juice, lime. grenadine and is topped with nutmeg.

The best way to enjoy the menu would be with a group of friends. As with tapas, the small plates tend to be very rich and are best shared. Prices for the small plates vary between $3 and $8.5. I ordered four small plates and it was more than enough.  You could certainly have an affordable night out by sharing the small plates with friends and drinking on tap (wine, beer or punch.)  The restaurant has a boisterous, noisy atmosphere.  Not ideal for a date but great for a night out with friends.

The menu.

View of the dining room from the back.

The bar.

The bar facing towards the back.

The Siracha, Bacon and Crab Deviled Eggs ($3) a very rich and smokey version of the dish.  

The Waffle Date:  although it has savory ingredients (i.e. prosciutto) it is a delicious, sweet dish.  Definitely could substitute for dessert.

Oops!  I forgot to photograph the Shrimp & Grits until I had already taken a few bites!  Very good, very rich and spicy.  Would be best shared with at least one other person.

 The pastry kitchen in the back of the restaurant.  The pastry chef, Kirsten Spear, has a designed a simple menu, only three items:  a slice of cake, cookies and milk or butterscotch pudding.  I opted for the cake, to go.

The cake of the night:  a yellow cake with lemon curd.  It was moist and delicious. 

Bourbon & Baker

312 Poyntz

Manhattan, KS 66502

https://www.facebook.com/bbmanhattan

Executive Chef:  Cadell Bynum

Pastry Chef:  Kirsten Spear

Now Open: Bi Bim Bap

Bi Bim Bap is now open!  Occupying the former Doughboy's Pizza location, Bi Bim Bap serves both Korean and Japanese food. They have a sushi bar staffed by two sushi chefs.  The interior of the restaurant has undergone significant renovation with new paint, tile, and lighting.  

I was surprised to see how much of the menu is Japanese rather than Korean.  Out of fourteen pages, only two pages of the menu are dedicated to Korean dishes.  The rest is mostly sushi and bento box.  There are lunch specials, Tuesday-Friday, that make trying the Japanese food more affordable.  The full menu is pictured below

 The sushi bar.

 Special seating area.

 South part of the dining room.

We chose two Korean dishes: bibimbap and bulgogi as well as three Japanese items:  sushi, age tofu and yaki udon.  Bibimbap is normally served in a very hot pot that sizzles the ingredients.  This was not the case during our visit.  Perhaps they are skipping that step for safety's sake. Overall, the dish was pretty good.  I would have liked more vegetables.  It was topped the same meat as was served in the bulgogi dish.  I found the bulgogi to be disappointing.  I'm used to bulgogi being marinated in a more flavorful marinade and being grilled at the table.  This was served already cooked.  It was served on a cast iron pan (like fajitas are served on in Tex-Mex restaurants) but the plate wasn't particularly hot.

As for the Japanese food, I felt it was better than the Korean dishes.  Age tofu is a favorite of mine and the restaurant's rendition of it was good.  The California Rolls (my 3-year old's request) were as you would expect (California Rolls being pretty standard fair that are easy to make well.)  Since we did not order any other sushi or sashimi, I can't really comment on the quality of the sushi chefs.  The yaki udon dish tasted really delicious at the first serving.  Taking a second serving, I felt it was saltier than I liked.

My caveat to my review is that this is their first week of being open.  It's often not a fair assessment to judge a restaurant so soon after opening.  Some of the issues (like the temperature of the food) will surely be resolved as they work out the kinks.  I plan to revisit the restaurant again in a month or two, to see how things have evolved.

 California Rolls

 Signature dish:  Bi bim bap

 Bulgogi.

 Age tofu.

Yaki Udon.

Bi Bim Bap is located at 702 N. 11th Street.  Open daily, for lunch and dinner, except Mondays.

Checking in on Bi Bim Bap

Taking the place of Doughboy's Pizza (R.I.P.) is a Korean restaurant called Bi Bim Bap.  The restaurant is named after a popular Korean dish made with rice and topped with egg, spicy sauce, vegetables and meat.  The restaurant is not yet open.  The "coming soon" sign has been replaced by a "now hiring" sign.  I poked my head in the door and asked when they were opening.  "Next week" was the reply.  Which, given the difficulties associated with opening restaurants, could mean anything from next week through Thanksgiving or later.  Let's hope it opens soon!

Grace's Asian Fusion Cafe

I stopped by Grace's Asian Fusion Cafe on Monday, only to find that they are closed that day.  Not to be deterred, I stopped back by today.  How could I not return--the window outside is covered with a long list of desserts that they sell.  For that reason alone, I had to come back!

The interior of the cafe is nicely decorated in a modern style.  There are hip, mid-century style white chairs that swivel (a favorite of my 3-year old son!)  There is a piano in one corner.  In the opposite corner is a drink station that features stacks of tea pot/tea cup combinations.  They serve several varieties of tea (mostly green and oolong.)  After you order, you are given your loose tea in a small plastic ramekin.  You fill your own little tea pot with the tea and hot water.

After ordering and sitting down, I began to think about the place.  I had considered it a new "restaurant" but, upon reflection, it's more of a tea house with food.  At this time, they only serve a few dishes of food:  cold soba noodles and Asian tacos (or a "lunch box" that combines the two.)  But, they have a wide variety of desserts that are made at the Formosa Bakery in Lawrence, KS.  The Formosa Bakery was described to me by an employee as a Korean bakery but, based on the name, I'm guessing it's Taiwanese.  Regardless, the desserts are delicious!  They have one little cake with a cream filling called "Snow White" which would be a good one to try.  I also tried a chocolate mousse cake, tiramisu and the "Angel Cheesecake" (which was a lovely, moist, tender pound cake like dessert.)  All of the desserts were really good.  Right now, during the cafe's soft opening, the desserts are a discounted, promotional price.  Go now and try one of each!

I ordered the lunch box, which is $7.75 or $9.75 if you add meat (pork or chicken) to the soba noodles.  The soba noodles come with either a peanut sauce of a ponzu sauce.  I chose the latter.  It was good.  The pork or chicken taco is served open faced on a soft, steamed bun.  It was served garnished with cilantro and a nice, spicy sauce on top (probably a combo of Sriracha and mayonnaise.)  The lunch box made a nice, small lunch.  Adequate for me, but I can imagine my husband coming away a bit hungry.  That's okay, though, because it leaves room for dessert!

Grace's Asian Fusion Café is owned by Grace Hwang.  The employees told me that she works for K-State and that this is her first restaurant venture.  Google tells me that she's an adjunct professor in Leadership Studies at K-State and that her students think she's caring and approachable.  She seems friendly in her photo on LinkedIn.  In any case, she's developed a nice little café that is only bound to get better as they work the kinks out during their soft opening, currently in progress.

Grace's Asian Fusion Café is across the street from K-State, in the strip mall that has Mr. Goodcents and FedEx/Kinko's. 

Opens at 10am, but not on Mondays!  On Sundays, they have a special rice bowl that they serve.  I asked about it.  It sounded a bit like bibimbap but doesn't have egg on top.  Speaking of bibimbap, I'm eagerly awaiting the opening of the Korean restaurant in Aggieville (where Doughboys Pizza used to be) called, appropriately, Bi Bim Bap.  As soon as I try it, I'll post here. 

Remember that this is still the cafe's soft opening.  Be patient while they work out the kinks.  They are a cafe in progress.  Speaking of which, here is the website.

Grace's Asian Fusion Cafe
1319 Anderson Ave.
Manhattan, KS 66502
785.537.4444

Apple Bites: Back in Action

I set aside this blog for other things (mainly Baby #3 and everything that came with him.)  But, I was drawn back to it because there is so much going on in the Manhattan, KS food scene.  Don't laugh!  It's true.  Well, at least on a relative scale.  There are some great new additions coming to town.  I'll hit them all and give you the scoop!

Umi Review: Teppanyaki Side

I had heard that Umi would be open today.  On a whim, I took my two sons (ages 1 and 3 1/2) to have a teppanyaki style dinner.  The interior of the restaurant is quite striking.  There is a floral motif that runs throughout the restaurant, from a subtle pattern on the flooring to bold works of art on the walls.  The women's bathroom has a really pretty red and silver tile on the walls.  They definitely put a lot into the interior decorating!

As I noted, we chose the teppanyaki dinner (rather than dining from a menu that includes sushi, soba noodles, bento boxes, etc.)  That area of the restaurant is bright and has clean lines.  We were served a broth with mushroom and scallion as well as a salad with ginger dressing.  The hibachi chef did a nice, entertaining job with the meal.  Everything was as you would hope it would be for teppanyaki.  If you haven't had it before, it's a fun meal where the chef cooks at your table, do fancy tricks, and serve you fried rice, sauted vegetables, and the meat and/or seafood of your choice.  The staff was very sweet to me, trying to help entertain the boys.

Overall, I would say this is the best of the teppanyaki-style restaurants that I've visited in NE Kansas.  I will go back again to try the sushi and, my favorite dish, age tofu.  I'll remember to bring my camera with me when I go back.

Sourcing Local Meats

Every Saturday morning is the Downtown Farmer's Market at the corner of 5th and Humboldt.  You'll find vendors selling local meats, produce and baked goods.  For more information on the market: http://www.localharvest.org/downtown-farmers-market-of-manhattan-kansas-M2177

One of the vendors at the market is Darrell Parks, of Parks Pasture Pork.  You can get excellent quality, organic (though not packaged as such, since it is not butchered in an organic facility) pork from Darrell.  This pork is some of the best I've ever tasted, and is raised in a very sustainable way.  His farm is close to Manhattan, so you can go check out how the pigs are raised on pasture and buy from him and his wife, Donna, directly.

More information about Parks Pasture Pork:
http://www.kansasruralcenter.org/cwfp/parks.pdf
http://www.kansasrivervalley.com/producers/ps110.php

David Heidebrink has some very high quality (often grades out as prime) beef to offer.  Like Parks, they sell by the pound at the Downtown Farmer's Market (Saturday mornings) and by the side and half-side.  The beef is very well marbled and flavorful.  In addition, he and his wife sell eggs, vegetables (this time of year it would be asparagus, arugula, spinach, etc.), jams, nuts and other products.

Here is info on contacting David and his wife Jamie:
http://www.localharvest.org/the-heide-way-farm-M26127