37 minute read
Ask the Expert
Q&A
Expert ASK THE
When considering any task, it’s important to do your homework. These professionals offer their expertise on an array of popular subjects in order to help you decide what’s right for you.
Dr. Cristyn Watkins
ABOUT
Dr. Cristyn Watkins is the visionary of aNu Aesthetics™ and Optimal Wellness. She has earned an outstanding reputation in the community for being an innovative physician since 2006. She is a double boardcertified family medicine and functional medicine physician, certified master injector, and national trainer in Regenerative Medicine.
Optimal Wellness
Q: What services do you offer?
A: aNu offers Advanced Aesthetics, Laser Treatments, Body Contouring, PRP and Ozone Therapy, IV Therapy, Medical Weight Loss, Bioidentical Hormones, Infrared Sauna, Sensory Deprivation Float Pod, LED Light and Functional/Wellness Medicine. They also offer ‘aNu MD’, Dr. Watkins’ personal line of Medical Grade Skincare and Supplements.
Q: What is Functional & Wellness Medicine?
A: Functional medicine looks at the entire body, the mental and physical condition of the patient, the nutrition and exercise levels, stress levels, and all potential imbalances that may exist in their bodily systems. Many factors can cause the imbalances in the body – inflammation, bacteria, viruses, toxins, emotions, digestion, anxiety, and poor diet. Every patient responds differently to various therapies and treatments, which is why a patient’s progress is closely monitored and adjusted to their therapies as needed, creating and tailoring a plan, personalized specifically for them.
Q: What are your most popular services?
A: • Neurotoxin (Botox etc.) • Cosmetic Fillers • IV Nutritional Therapy and Ozone • Turbo Shots (for energy detox, weight loss) • Laser and RF (Halo, BBL, Vivace, Morpheus) • Body Contouring (CoolSculpting, EVOLVE) • Bio-Identical Hormones • Medical Weight loss • Functional Medicine with Dr. Watkins
Q: How long have you been in Kansas City?
A: Dr. Watkins was born and raised in Kansas City and dreamed of having an innovative medical center from a very young age. After medical school and residency, she opened aNu in 2011 in KC North, then added River Market in 2020 and most recently in Leawood this year. Her passion is to help individuals feel their best inside and out and believes in providing you with excellent personalized care for ‘aNu You’!
Q: Why choose aNu?
A: A Medical Director is on-site, at each location, to oversee the day-to-day operations and procedures being provided. When choosing your provider, this should be a critical element in your decision-making process.
At aNu, Dr. Watkins personally trains, supervises and practices alongside her highly skilled medical staff, consisting of three board-certified physicians, four nurse practitioners, nurses (RN/BSN/LPN), licensed aestheticians, certified laser specialists and medical assistants. She is constantly learning how to expand the services at aNu and continues to explore all of the advancements in anti-aging therapies to make her patients feel young and vital!
Q: How can I become a patient?
A: Call any of the three locations for a complimentary one hour consultation or visit
www.anuaesthetics.com
aNu Aesthetics™ and Optimal Wellness
North Location 10090 NW Prairie View Road Kansas City, MO 64153 Phone: 816.670.4406 | River Market 547 Grand Blvd Kansas City, MO 64106 Phone: 816.339.5053 | Leawood 11401 Nall Ave, Suite 218 Leawood, KS 66211 Phone: 913.298.6230 | anuaesthetics.com
Georgia Cirese, RN, CANS, CLT
ABOUT
Georgous Aesthetic Bar opened in October, 2019 by Registered Nurse, Certified Aesthetics Nurse Specialist (CANS) and master injector, Georgia Cirese. Georgia has been in the aesthetics industry for more than 20 years and is recognized as a top aesthetics trainer, national speaker and key opinion leader. She has even been nicknamed to be one of the original or “OG Injectors” in the aesthetics field.
Botox & Fillers
Q: When should you consider Botox?
A: You can begin using Botox as a preventative treatment when expression lines and wrinkles become apparent at rest or without making expressions. The long-term goal is to soften and prevent deeper lines and wrinkles.
Q: What’s the difference between Botox and Fillers?
A: Botox is used in the facial muscles that we use to make facial expressions and can also be used therapeutically to treat migraines, TMJ and hyperhidrosis. Dermal fillers are used to replace volume and fill wrinkles in areas such as the cheeks, temples, smile lines, and lips as well as many other areas on the face and body.
Q: What qualifications and experience should an injector have?
A: When looking for an injector, you should ensure they are a licensed medical professional (RN, APRN, RNC, PA or MD), because regulations and laws vary state-to-state, with some states not requiring a licensed medical professional to perform treatments. Training is one of the most important qualifications, as well as years of experience injecting. You should also interview your injector, asking questions to qualify their level of experience. It’s not the price of the product you’re paying for, but the injector’s training and expertise!
Q: Is there an alternative to Botox?
A: Yes, there are four different types of neuromodulators for cosmetic purposes. Botox was developed first (2002), followed by Dysport (2009), then Xeomin (2011) and most recently Jeuveau (2019). Other treatments such as resurfacing lasers, microneedling, and chemical peels are great supplemental treatments, however; they don’t offer the same efficacy for dynamic lines and wrinkles as neuromodulators and dermal fillers.
Q: What other prejuvenation and rejuvenation aesthetic treatments do you provide?
A: Other treatments that are safe and effective include laser light based treatments (fraxel resurfacing, photo rejuvenation, laser hair reduction, etc.), microneedling, Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP), chemical peels, bio-stimulating injections, facials and medical grade skincare.
Georgous Aesthetic Bar
4505 Madison Ave. Kansas City, MO 64111 | 816.946.8484 | georgouskc.com
Tim Herre, DDS
ABOUT
Dr. Tim Herre is a graduate of Saint Thomas Aquinas and UMKC dental school. He is a third generation dentist in Johnson County and is passionate about Kansas City. He practices holistic and biological dentistry with an emphasis on treating TMJ disorders, childhood growth and development and airway/ sleep concerns for all ages. His wellness philosophy aims at treating the root cause of disease, which enables you be the best version of yourself.
Holistic Dentistry
Q: Is there a solution to my chronic TMJ pain? I can’t deal with this!
A: Jaw pain, worn teeth, receding gums, headaches, earaches and clenching or grinding your teeth are all common TMJ symptoms. These are all signs that the chewing system is breaking down and not functioning properly. By focusing on the root cause of the symptoms, the chewing system is able to be conservatively rejuvenated back to a state of optimal health and well-being. This type of dentistry isn’t focused on managing the disease with a typical night guard but asking why and what is causing the breakdown and providing a permanent fix. The good news is there is hope for those suffering from long-term chronic pain.
Q: I don’t sleep well: I snore, I never feel rested when I wake up, and I’m tired of wearing a CPAP. What is going on?
A: Up to seventy million Americans are affected by chronic sleep disorders. It’s well known that sleep apnea can cause systemic disease such as high blood pressure, fatigue, weight gain and diabetes. Now we know that grinding one’s teeth and snoring can be directly linked to the size of one’s face, jaw and airway. When our jaws don’t grow properly, our airway from inside the nose to behind the tongue become a choke point to our breathing. As a result, we aren’t able to breathe properly, we get inadequate restorative sleep, and our health suffers. This can make us more irritable, anxious and stressed, wreaking havoc on our personal and professional lives. The good news is we have the ability to permanently change the size and volume of ones airway for 24/7 improved breathing with the use of a biological dental appliance. No more managing with just a nighttime appliance or CPAP. My goal is to help you BREATHE, SLEEP, THRIVE!
Q: Should I be concerned if my child snores, mouth breathes, grinds their teeth, has ADHD or wets the bed?
A: YES! The above symptoms, plus crowded teeth, enlarged tonsils, tongue tie and inability to nurse, are all signs there is a problem. In our modern society, there is an epidemic among children due to poor growth and development of their jaws and face. If not addressed early in life, the airway becomes constricted and may predispose your child to needing teeth removed for orthodontic purposes, sleep apnea, TMJ and other health issues. We screen and evaluate all childrens’ growth, airway and tonsils with a 3D scan of their jaws. The ideal age for this is three to six years old to harness the child’s true growth potential. My goal is to catch any potential airway issue at an early stage so your child can grow and develop to their full potential.
Herre Holistic Dental KC
11201 Nall Ave., Suite 120, Leawood, KS | 913.491.4466 | holisticdentalkc.com
Maniza Ehtesham, MD, FACP
ABOUT
Dr. Maniza Ehtesham is a boardcertified sleep physician and the medical director at Excellhealth Sleep Center. She is an associate professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and enjoys teaching medical students and residents. She has also served as an associate residency program director at UMKC. She is currently a staff physician at Advent Health Shawnee Mission and Excellhealth Sleep Center.
Some questions answered in regards to Sleep Disorders:
Q: How many hours should an average adult sleep?
A: Preferably seven to eight hours but a minimum of six hours.
Q: How important is sleep for your immunity?
A: Sleep improves your immunity. In addition to eating immune boosting foods and adding exercise daily – getting your 7-8 hours of sleep is very important for your immune system to function optimally.
Q: What are the consequences of poor sleep?
A: Inadequate sleep can lead to many short-term and long-term consequences. Some short-term effects include fatigue, attention deficit, focus problems, decreased productivity in your day, anxiety, increased appetite, etc. Some long-term effects include Depression, Bipolar disorder, Hypertension, Obesity etc.
Q: What do I do if I can’t shut off my mind and fall asleep?
A: Our mind and body need some time to wind down before they can shut themselves down to hibernate for several hours. Typically, a relaxing routine before bedtime helps you unwind and sleep well. You can choose a few activities that you do every day as a habit, this will help improve your sleep onset. For example, light stretching, meditation, warm bath or shower, soft music or white noise, etc. Things to avoid include electronics, like TV, phones, laptops or any sources of bright light close to bed time. Eat at least 3 hours before bedtime and avoid heavy exercise close to bedtime. Avoid excess fluid intake close to bedtime. Try to keep the room temperature cool, about 65° F is ideal for sleep onset, and have loose fitting and comfortable clothing.
Q: I do shift work, and find it difficult to sleep, what do I do?
A: Avoid bright lights at the end of your shift as well as caffeine in the later part of the shift. Eat your meal while at your shift if possible and avoid heavy meals close to bedtime, a light snack is ok when you arrive home. Avoid distractions and head home as soon as your shift is completed. Use dark glasses on your way home to avoid light stimulus. Go to your room as soon as you arrive home and start your wind down routine as noted above. Try to use blackout curtains in your room. Keep phones and other devices on silent and try to get at least 6-8 hrs. If needed, use a sleep aid temporarily to set your sleep cycle after discussion with your physician.
Q: How do I know if my poor sleep is due to a sleep disorder?
A: Common symptoms of sleep disorders include snoring, gasping/ choking in sleep, excessive sleepiness/naps in day, attention/ concentration/focus/memory problems during daytime, weight gain, trouble with sleep onset or maintaining sleep, frequent awakenings, frequent urination at night, headaches, restless legs, nightmares, acting out dreams, hallucinations etc.
Q: How do I test for a sleep disorder?
A: Typically, you may be referred to a sleep physician for a consultation and based on your symptoms and comorbidities, he/she may order either behavioral therapies like cognitive therapy or order a home sleep test or in lab sleep test and thereafter based on results discuss treatment options with you. Some labs may be ordered as well which may be key for optimal sleep.
Q: What are the risks of leaving a sleep disorder untreated?
A: Sleep disorders have been linked to many chronic diseases. Persons with sleep apnea have been found to be at increased risk for cardiovascular diseases like hypertension, stroke, coronary heart disease, irregular heartbeat and strokes. Laboratory research and epidemiological studies have found that short sleep duration results in metabolic changes that may be linked to obesity and diabetes. Studies have also indicated that depression may decrease once sleep disorders have been effectively treated and sufficient sleep cycles are restored. The interrelatedness of sleep and depression suggests that irregular sleep is a driver for this disease.
Excellhealth Sleep Center
Katie Dunn Fitzgerald
ABOUT US
Mariner Wealth Advisors, a privately held national advisory firm founded in 2006, offers clients wealth management services designed to help them navigate their financial future. Our teams, including tax, estate planning and trust services, investment management and insurance, are under one roof, which provides clients with a coordinated, personalized experience. Our advisors are focused on partnering with clients for whatever life brings their way and are committed to always putting their interests first.
As a senior wealth consultant, Katie Dunn Fitzgerald helps business owners and senior-level executives formulate and implement financial plans, while actively volunteering in the Kansas City community.
Katie’s current community involvement includes serving the following organizations: the University of Kansas Health System, Greater Kansas City Community Foundation, the Foundation board for Johnson County Community College, the United Way of Greater Kansas City Tocqueville Society, BOTAR, multiple women’s causes and her children’s grade school.
Wealth Advice
Q: What is the most pressing topic you see clients needing to address right now?
A: With the ongoing personal and economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, clients who own small businesses are having to navigate a crisis that’s truly unprecedented. At Mariner Wealth Advisors, we’ve been really focusing on educating those clients about what their options may be in pursuing financing for their business as a result of the recent legislation passed and how those decisions will impact their personal financial plan. While we don’t know how this whole thing will end up, our objective is to make clients as educated and updated on the legislation to help them make informed decisions for both the short- and long-term.
Q: Should I apply for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) or the Emergency Injury Disaster Loan?
A: In short, if you own a small business, even as a sole proprietor or as an independent contractor, I recommend that you seriously consider applying for these loans. The recent CARES Act authorized the Small Business Administration to provide Paycheck Protection Program loans to small businesses to cover payroll and other basic expenses. The added benefit of these loans is they can potentially be forgiven if certain rules are adhered to. The other option we’re recommending small business owners explore are Emergency Injury Disaster Loans. These already existed prior to the CARES Act but were expanded significantly to provide additional assistance. If you own a business, I highly recommend visiting MarinerWealthAdvisors. com for a more in-depth discussion of both of these loan options.
*MWA does not provide all services listed in this piece. Some services are provided by affiliates and are subject to additional fees. Additional fees may also apply for tax planning and preparation services. This article is limited to the dissemination of general information pertaining to Mariner Wealth Advisors’ investment advisory services and general economic market conditions. The views expressed are for commentary purposes only and do not take into account any individual personal, financial, or tax considerations. As such, the information contained herein is not intended to be personal legal, investment or tax advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any security or engage in a particular investment strategy. Nothing herein should be relied upon as such, and there is no guarantee that any claims made will come to pass. Any opinions and forecasts contained herein are based on information and sources of information deemed to be reliable, but Mariner Wealth Advisors does not warrant the accuracy of the information that this opinion and forecast is based upon. You should note that the materials are provided “as is” without any express or implied warranties. Opinions expressed are subject to change without notice and are not intended as investment advice or to predict future performance. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Consult your financial professional before making any investment decision. Mariner Wealth Advisors (“MWA”), is an SEC registered investment adviser with its principal place of business in the
State of Kansas. Registration of an investment adviser does not imply a certain level of skill or training. MWA is in compliance with the current notice filing requirements imposed upon registered investment advisers by those states in which MWA maintains clients. MWA may only transact business in those states in which it is notice filed or qualifies for an exemption or exclusion from notice filing requirements. Any subsequent, direct communication by MWA with a prospective client shall be conducted by a representative that is either registered or qualifies for an exemption or exclusion from registration in the state where the prospective client resides. For additional information about MWA, including fees and services, please contact MWA or refer to the Investment Adviser Public Disclosure website (www.adviserinfo.sec.gov). Please read the disclosure statement carefully before you invest or send money.
Mariner Wealth Advisors
5700 W 112th St., Suite 200, Overland Park, KS 913.647.9700 | marinerwealthadvisors.com
C. Lan Fotopoulos, MD
ABOUT
C. Lan Fotopoulos, M.D., is an interventional physiatrist specializing in minimally invasive and interventional procedures in the treatment of spinal disorders, including epidural injections, vertebroplasty, kyphoplasty, radiofrequency ablation, spinal cord stimulation and sacroplasty. From skillful diagnosis to advanced treatment options and attentive follow-up care, you’ll find a comprehensive range of orthopedic services at Kansas City Orthopedic Alliance.
Physiatry
Q: What is the Intracept Procedure?
A: When patients don’t respond well to nonsurgical treatment methods for lower back pain, they often think spinal fusion surgery is their only remaining option. But for some, there is another type of treatment that could relieve their back pain: the Intracept Procedure. It’s an outpatient, minimally invasive procedure that targets the basivertebral nerve, which is located in the bones of the spine (vertebrae).
Q: How does Intracept help relieve chronic low back pain?
A: The pain-sensing basivertebral nerve is responsible for applying innervation to the bony end plates of the vertebral body. When the Intracept probe burns that nerve, it blocks the pain signals before they have a chance to branch to those end plates.
Q: Who would benefit from the Intracept Procedure?
A: Intracept is indicated for patients with chronic low back pain who don’t have a spinal instability or scoliosis, but they do have changes present on an MRI, called modic changes. These patients generally have experienced chronic low back pain for more than six months and have not responded to nonsurgical treatments. Intracept addresses modic changes that stem from degeneration rather than a tear or rupture. An MRI and physical examination will be performed to determine patients who qualify.
Q: What are the key benefits of the Intracept Procedure?
A: Intracept is a minimally invasive, outpatient procedure, so the recovery period is rapid—often not more than a couple of days. It is implant-free and preserves the structure of the spine. There are no restrictions placed on patients afterward, and in many instances the pain relief is almost immediate.
Kansas City Orthopedic Alliance
Overland Park: 10777 Nall Ave Ste 300, Overland Park, KS | Kansas City, Missouri: Saint Luke’s Medical Plaza #1, 4320 Wornall Rd., Ste. 610, KCMO | Leawood: 3651 College Blvd. Leawood, KS | Belton: Belton Regional Campus, 17067 S Outer Rd Ste 301, Belton, MO | 913.319.7600 | kcorthoalliance.com
Senior Care Authority
ABOUT US
We help guide seniors and their families to excellent outcomes. Don previously worked 10+ years as a food and beverage director in a senior community and developed a heart for working with this age group. His father suffered from Alzheimer’s, and Don had to juggle his father’s needs with his full time career, so he knows the struggle what families face. Elaine is a pharmacist and has a decade of experience in long term care.
Senior Care
Q: Why did you choose Senior Care Authority as your next career path?
A: The challenges Don faced with caring for a sick and aging parent made him wish for someone to help guide him through the complexities of the senior care world. Our goal is to know the systems inside and out, which can help families make informed decisions. Don is a Certified Senior Advisor and keeps current with continuing education to help people navigate the often confusing options out there.
Q: Explain your services?
A: We meet the person wherever they are in their journey and help devise the best next steps. We offer placement assistance for independent living, assisted living, and memory care at no charge to our clients. We also specialize in elder care consulting where we can help with situations such as skilled nursing placement, family mediation, community education, and a plethora of other topics that affect our region’s seniors.
Q: What types of factors differentiate one senior community from another?
A: We research each community in depth to understand the level of care they can provide for our clients. Every place is different, so before we set up any tours with our clients, we ensure that the community can fit the individual’s unique needs. We accompany them on the tours and help them weigh their options to make an informed decision. Once they move in, we follow up to make sure it’s a good fit. All of this is at no charge to the private-pay independent, assisted living and memory care clients.
Certified Senior Advisor (CSA)TM
Senior Care Authority
22052 W 66th St., Suite 179, Shawnee, Kansas | 913.488.8609 | seniorcare-kansascity.com
EATING AND DRINKING WELL IN KANSAS CITY
THAI HARD The Wade Brothers had a vision for Tiki Taco on West 39th Street. Brothers Lyndon and Lindsey
Wade are local photographers and video artists known worldwide for commercial work on behalf of A-list clients like Nike and Google. They took over this vaguely tropical Mexican restaurant (1710 W. 39th St., KCMO) as a placemaking project that came with the solemn obligation to sate after-bar crowds with cheap tacos. To handle the culinary side, they tapped former Westport Cafe co-owner Richard Wiles, who supplemented classic ground beef in crunchy shells with fare like these Thai fried chicken tacos. The chicken is fried in a tempura batter seasoned with a spice blend that includes ancho chili, paprika and cumin and then gets a nice kick from a dousing of Thai chili sauce. It comes in a perfect Yoli tortilla for $4. It’s double the size of most street tacos and available from the to-go window out front so you can grab one on your way to the next spot.
—MARTIN CIZMAR
TRUE GRITS
At Lula Southern Cookhouse, they make “real Southern food—not Midwestern Southern food.”
BY NATALIE TORRES GALLAGHER PHOTOGRAPHY BY CALEB CONDIT & REBECCA NORDEN
SOUTHERN COOKING IS COMPLICATED for lots of reasons. No one can deny that, whatever you call it—soul, Southern, comfort—dishes like fried pig tails have roots in slavery. It’s too much to unpack here, but it’s well worth acknowledging before heaping praise on a new restaurant where so much of the menu comes from Southern foodways. At Lula Southern Cookhouse, pig tails are the second best-selling appetizer, right behind the blue crab pimento cheese fritter. Other comfort food staples—blackened catfish, gumbo gravy—are stacked on the menu at prices no one charges for comfort food (the baked mac and cheese is twenty-four dollars, though it is generously laden with ham). If you glanced only at the menu, it would be easy to write off Lula as another trendy restaurant capitalizing on the appeal of Southern cooking.
But Bradley Gilmore did not come haphazardly to this concept for Lula. Gilmore—who shares the chef-owner title with business partner Brandon West—was born and raised in Pittsboro, North Carolina. (Brittany Socha Gilmore, Gilmore’s wife, is a third owner.) The restaurant is named for Gilmore’s primary cooking inspiration: his granny, Lula Mae Bryant.
“My whole life in the South was around supper and breakfast and the things it took to make that happen,” he says. “I knew if I ever got the opportunity to do my own restaurant, it would be focused around Lula and the way she cooked: real Southern food—not Midwestern Southern food.”
At Lula, portions are handsome and flavors are rich because they have to be. But there’s more to it than that. Consider the classic Brunswick stew: There is nothing outwardly spectacular about this murky reddish-brown bowl, but each spoonful is a comforting delivery of tender lima beans and chunks of rabbit and pheasant in a thick, tangy, tomato-y broth. It’s delicious, and it doesn’t taste like anything else around these parts. (Gilmore omitted the traditional squirrel meat.)
Lula is located at the edge of the Crossroads in the space that belonged to sushi restaurant Nara for fourteen years. Gilmore and West opened in November on a month-to-month lease and did not enlist any heavy-duty renovations on the interior. Booths have been reupholstered with smart tan leather, accent walls have been painted robin’s egg blue, and clusters of warm Edison bulbs dangle from the rafters. A smiling portrait of Lula is posted behind the host stand, welcoming guests.
I’m guessing Lula did not sous vide her pig tails for twenty-four hours, nor is she likely to have coated them in rice flour and flashfried them, but I believe she would appreciate the effect (they eat like chicken wings). She would approve even more of the choucroute garnie, wherein the kitchen employs its own Creole seasoning blend, pork shoulder and pork fat to make a fabulous andouille sausage.
Test the Tabasco-glazed carrots on the plate at your own peril—the fiery batch I had was definitely not “Midwestern Southern.”
As for the other appetizers, you will be tempted to order triple dip, a routine cloud-pleasing trio of pimiento cheese, creamy ham salad and warm crawfish. I urge you to look just one line below it and opt instead for the vegan collard rolls, a surprising combination of jackfruit boudin sausage stuffed into steamed collard leaves and served over a sweet potato hash. That Gilmore manages to synchronize the flavors without muddling them makes you curious to know what else he could accomplish were he deprived of animal products.
But let’s not take the butter out of Lula. It plays a central role in the grits, a taste of which will make you endlessly grateful for those ample Southern portions. Growing up, Gilmore was used to plain grits that you dressed up on your plate, but guests at Lula will suffer no such labor. Here, grits are cooked down with heavy cream and whisked with white cheddar and lots of butter. They are dreamier than any truffle risotto, silkier than any fairytale porridge, soothing enough to drown out the sounds of your conscience telling you that it would be rude not to share.
Those grits show up in several places on the menu at Lula. You may enjoy them as the spotlight-stealing co-headliner in the requisite shrimp and grits, where charred shrimp and crispy fried pig ears are more like textural sprinkles. You will find a blue cheese version of them served with the grilled beef coulotte.
Catfish is another Southern staple, though it is usually offered fried. Not at Lula.
“I got tired of everyone thinking every Southern dish has to be fried,” Gilmore says. So he makes a blackening paste with oil and the Lula Creole seasoning and rubs it into a thick catfish filet. This is grilled and served atop tender collard greens that are cooked down with ham hocks and dirty rice and prepared in the Louisiana tradition with finely chopped chicken livers and oysters.
The menu does not want for seafood, so don’t feel bad about skipping the NOLA Pot Pie. A chaotic mix of oysters, crawfish, shrimp, andouille sausage and gumbo gravy are tossed into a shallow tin dish and covered with puff pastry. Cast iron or a dutch oven would help take this dish’s internal temperature past lukewarm.
The fried chicken is the undisputed star at Lula, and it almost didn’t make it on the menu. Competition is stiff, Gilmore says, and he didn’t want to mimic Midwestern comfort food spots like Rye or Brookside Poultry.
“When we had chicken in the South, it was a big production and Lula would always do plenty of sides,” Gilmore says. “We realized that we couldn’t be a Southern restaurant and not do fried chicken, so we wanted to replicate that experience here.”
A whole fried chicken and three sides goes for $75, a price that the Colonel would squawk at, but consider that the half-chicken (with two sides for $40) is easily a meal for three people. Also consider that it is the best fried chicken in Kansas City.
Here is what Gilmore says the kitchen does with their Campo Lindo chickens: They are broken down and brined in brown sugar, garlic and sage for twenty-four hours. They are dipped in buttermilk and dredged in a mix of flours, cornstarch and seasoning. They are fried in peanut oil until they resemble sun-kissed, scraggly desert ridges.
The fried chicken comes with biscuits made from a recipe that chef Jonathan Justus (Justus Drugstore, Black Dirt) helped the Lula team perfect. They weigh as much as a cotton ball and last about three bites, and their only fault is that they are perhaps too perfect. No matter: A sip of your pecan old fashioned—one of several excellent whiskey-heavy cocktails on the drink list—and your suspicions will dissolve.
Desserts are humble childhood relics, and at least the banana pudding (layered with peanut butter cookies and vanilla wafers) is blessedly petite. And though we had scarcely recovered from dinner, the simple apple crisp a la mode was somehow what everyone at the table needed: Warm, familiar— almost like something you’d get at granny’s house.
GROWING GARDEN
Grace Ames puts her farmkid roots to work at Colonial Gardens in Blue Springs.
BY MARTIN CIZMAR
WHEN YOU GROW UP ON A CATTLE FARM, there’s always something to do—haying, milking, putting up the neighbor’s hay when a storm comes rolling over the Ozark foothills.
For Grace Ames, that was life growing up on her father’s farm in Cassville, just north of the Arkansas border. Everybody in her family farmed and maintained multi-acre kitchen gardens besides. “I would go over to my uncle’s house and before we could do anything fun, it would be like, ‘OK, we’re picking corn for an hour first,’” she says.
That’s the right background for her current job at Colonial Gardens in Blue Springs, where she’s in charge of “farm, food and fun.” That means in the course of a week she could be waking up before dawn to attend the birth of a calf (Sterling Moo-homes) and then running a farm-totable dinner and planting blueberries.
“I’ve literally gone from covered in farm dirt to in a dress for an event in less than five minutes,” she says.
Colonial Gardens has a large natural foods market, where you can buy everything from heirloom tomatoes to Clear Creek fruit brandy. They also sell a wide variety of home goods ranging from hammock chairs to Smithey cast iron pans. You can buy planting potatoes, bird feeders, garden hoses and very fine St. Louis-made salamis.
“The unifying theme is that we really are trying to do things to make a healthier world,” she says. “But I’m not going to lie, occasionally I’ll find something and be like, ‘Oh, I didn’t know we had that.’”
Ames interviewed at Colonial Gardens in February 2020, when the natural foods store in Springfield where she’d been working closed. She ended up passing on the job to stay in Springfield—she’d moved there at age eighteen for college and started her career at a fine dining club—and instead took a job running the deli department for a traditional grocery store chain. “It sucked the life out of me,” she says. “I came home crankier and crankier every day. I was working with frozen food and I was pulling in crap full of preservatives, which is just so far from who I am as a person.”
She eventually came back around to Colonial’s owner Tory Schwope, who also owns a massive multi-state tree farming operation, to say she was finally ready to make the move. “I didn’t tell anybody that I was going to do this,” she says. “I called him and said, ‘I know I’ve said no a couple of times, but is there any way you’d take me for this position?”
She’s since set about building the garden’s culinary and events program, which includes field trips, you-pick berries, yoga classes and dinners that use lots of ingredients grown on Colonial Gardens’ eighty-acre site. On a typical day, you can find her at the Gardens—on or off the clock.
“Truly, I love my job so much that I love starting my day here with coffee,” she says. “Even on my days off I will often come here.”
PERFECT DAY
Morning “Scout’s Coffee (1400 W. Main St., Blue Springs) is an adorable coffee shop in an old bungalow on Main Street, right around the corner from my house.”
Noon “I love Third Street Social in Lee’s Summit (123 S.E. Third St., Lee’s Summit). I like to make a meal of appetizers, so I’ll do the deviled eggs and fried Brussels sprouts.”
Night “If I’m staying local, I am just going to grab a beer and some snacks at East Forty Brewing. They actually work with local farmers, too—they use pumpkins that we grow for their pumpkin ale. We have sold them ginger before, tomatoes for their tomato soup.”
CLAWS UP
Cracking cans of a complex house hard seltzer at Nighthawk lounge
BY MARTIN CIZMAR
THERE’S NO TIME TO EXPLAIN the laborious process behind the house hard seltzer at Nighthawk lounge below the Hotel Kansas City (1228 Baltimore Ave., KCMO) on a Saturday night. “Dude, we were soaking the almonds in a grappa earlier this week,” says bartender Johnny Lancaster. “I’ll tell you about it if I can get a little break.”
The breaks never come, as a big and thirsty crowd watches honky tonk quintet Lorna Kay’s One Night Stand play a cover of “Islands in the Stream.”
Craft breweries have attempted hard seltzers since the White Claw era began, with mixed results. The Night Claw, as the lineup at Nighthawk is called, is a little closer to a canned cocktail, using vodka as the base liquor and pumping in some bubbles. Unlike most canned cocktails, there’s an emphasis on light and breezy flavors and drinkability.
The whole idea behind the Night Claw lineup, says Nighthawk general manager Zach Shore, was that “from the guest’s perspective” it’s as simple as the bartender cracking a cold one and handing it over—the customer doesn’t need to know anything about the liqueur infusion process.
“We wanted to take what we know about craft cocktails and implement into it a canned cocktail,” Shore says. “We can take all of those elements and do all of the work behind the scenes.”
Flavors like cucumber mint have enough going on for anyone who wants to think about how peeled cucumbers are infused with Fernet Menta herbal liqueur, but they remain plenty poundable for those who just want to watch the show.
NEWSFEED
WHAT’S NEW IN KANSAS CITY FOOD & DRINK
Hop Up
Back in 2015, Ryan Triggs and two business partners started growing hops in Kansas. The small green flowers, which look like pine cones, are the bittering agent in beer and contribute to the floral, citrusy and fruity flavors that make IPAs so popular. “Things are going really well, but we’re only growing three acres of hops down there, so it wasn’t really enough to be a full-time job,” Triggs says. Eventually, they decided they either needed to up their acreage or add another line of business by opening their own microbrew taproom—which they did with Tall Trellis Brew Co. (25600 W. Valley Parkway, Olathe). “We’re providing hops to about seventy different breweries right now, so the goal is to highlight a lot of beers from the breweries that have been supporting us,” Triggs says. (Those beers are marked on the sixteen-beer tap lineup with a little hop cone.) As the name implies, Tall Trellis will be brewing its own beer on a small one-barrel system pending the necessary inspections and approvals. Some drinkers may not be totally familiar with what a hop cone looks like—Tall Trellis will correct that as the summer goes on and the hops planted around their courtyard climb the surrounding trellises. “I’m excited to use that as an educational tool,” Triggs says. “I’m excited for people in Kansas City to get up close and personal and be around the plants and see what they look like and how they’re grown.”
‘Happy’ in Spain
One of Kansas City’s culinary power couples will decamp for Spain, reports Jenny Vergara of Feast. Abbey-Jo and Josh Eans own Happy Gillis and Columbus Park Ramen Shop but are moving to Valencia, on the country’s eastern shore, with their three children. The big move came from a mid-pandemic moment of clarity.
“We realized we were always working way more than we were at home with the kids and each other, and we also saw how easily everything we had been working so hard for could be taken away,” Josh Eans told Feast.
They’ve sold their home and cars and saved enough money to make it for a year without jobs while renting an apartment in Valencia. They will continue to own Happy Gillis, which will be run by a longtime manager. The ramen shop has remained closed since the start of the pandemic. >>In addition to this scoop from Feast magazine, we have a scoop about Feast magazine. The venerable St. Louis-based food publication is retracting to its home turf and stopping its KC coverage beginning in June. It’s a sad loss for local food media.
The One
Kansas City has its first Indonesian restaurant with the opening of Spicy One (6551 W 119th St, Overland Park). The Southeast Asian nation is home to more than thirteen thousand different ethnic groups and has one of the most diverse cuisines in the world. Spicy One is especially proud of its Rendang Spicy Beef, which is slow-cooked in coconut milk with spices and chiles and its Martabak Telur, a stuffed pancake that’s a popular street food. Indonesia is the fourth-most populated country in the world but a blogger who did the math found fewer than a hundred Indonesian restaurants in the U.S., most in California. Spicy One received an official visit from the Indonesian consulate at the end of April.
Casual Relationships
Two notable local fast-casual restaurants are expanding with new concepts. We have a soft spot for Haha’s Pizza Hub on Main Street, which we’ve included in roundups of the best New York pizza not just because it’s good pizza but because it feels more like being in outer Brooklyn than anywhere else in KC. Brothers Fouad and Firas Haha were raised in Jordan and are tapping their background for a sister concept, Haha’s Kebabs and Shawarma. According to the Star, it will be around the corner at 204 W. 39th St, on the edge of Westport. Look for chicken and kofta kebabs, plus hummus and Greek salad.
>> Up in the Northland, a venerable burger spot is doing something similar, also reported by the Star. Tay’s Burger Shack opened in 2014 and has a loyal following that will tell you it’s the best burger in town. Now owner Kent Harrison is trying his hand at Philly-style steak sandos with Tay’s Cheesesteaks at 315 Armour Road. Harrison tells the Star that he’ll use grass-fed beef from a Kearney farm but bring in traditional Amoroso’s rolls from the land where it’s always sunny.
BEYOND BANANAS
Kansas City’s barbecue dessert game is pushing into new territory.
BY MARTIN CIZMAR
AT CHEF J BBQ in the West Bottoms, pitmaster-owner Justin Easterwood is “always looking for creative ways to use the flavor of fire.”
Easterwood likes a kiss of smoke in everything—including dessert. That led him away from the traditional banana pudding he had on the menu when we named him the second-best pit in the city last year and to a new smoked cheesecake.
“We end up cold-smoking the cream cheese up to four hours to get a real good smoke flavor,” Easterwood says.
That cream cheese is whipped with heavy cream, vanilla bean and sugar, then put into three-inch cake pans with Graham cracker crust and set. It’s topped with a sauce made from fresh strawberries that are macerated in their own sugars overnight and cooked down with chipotle peppers.
“People have responded very well,” Easterwood says. “It’s been our most popular dessert the last month and gets a lot of compliments.”
It’s part of a trend in KC where pitmasters are moving beyond the banana and into creative desserts that often use pieces and parts from the rest of the menu. At the Harp Barbecue pop-up, owner Tyler Harp makes chocolate chip cookies with the tallow that cooks off his brisket. At Plowboys in Blue Springs, Todd Michael Johns is making caramel corn with brisket tallow. A recent batch featured a salty version spiked with Jameson and a cinnamon version made with Fireball.
So far, the only barbecue operation with a pastry chef is Fox & Pearl, which does Sunday barbecue brunches branded as Night Goat Barbecue. Pastry chef Nadine Donovan, a recent Denver transplant with an impressive resume, has worked to use the byproducts of the snout-to-tail approach taken by chef Vaughn Good, who broke into the business as a butcher. The restaurant buys half-hogs to make into sausages, hams and smoked pork belly, which was the standout on our recent visit.
“When you butcher in-house, which we do, we have a lot of excess lard to use up—which is awesome for pastries,” Donovan says.
For the Night Goat menu, which has some overlap with the regular Fox & Pearl menu, she’s made a “real” banana pudding with banana bread chunks, salted caramel and vanilla bean whipped cream. She’s also done spiced oatmeal cream pies with marshmallow fluff and chili lime churros with dulce de leche.
This brings us to the Night Goat exclusive Pop-Tart, which is filled with date jam and topped with house-cured bacon bits and maple frosting.
“A fun thing to do with barbecue desserts is to sort of play into that sense of nostalgia—giving an adult a Pop-Tart,” Donovan says.
While the dish starts with pastry dough made from lard rendered in-house, it also doesn’t take itself too seriously.
“Mirroring eating with your hands and being a little bit messy is important to carry through into the desserts,” she says. “You don’t want to chow down on barbecue and then have a dessert that’s really fussy.”
