A&E
Ditch the Fast Food, Try Gus’s and bustle that goes into making the food. The major
A new sit-down Kansas restaurant is offering difference, though, is that while customers have the option a tasty and spicy alternative to fast food of take-out or dine-in, if they elect to dine in, they must fried chicken joints. wait to order until once they have been seated. Gus’s serves
A hidden gem just on the other side of Ward Parkway in Kansas City, Kansas, Gus’s Fried Chicken, has proved its title of “World Famous Hot & Spicy Fried Chicken” in its soft opening Feb. 14. From West 47th Avenue, the restaurant looks deceivingly small, but after pulling into the parking lot, it is clear that it opens up into an upper and lower level. As customers walk through the doors, they are greeted by a sparkling crystal chandelier and unfinished floors - seemingly a contrasting image, but this is what gives Gus’s its unique character. Music sounds throughout the restaurant, creating the aura of unity and community. The restaurant takes on a vintage feel with its decorative posters and light-up signs; eating here feels like sitting inside an old-fashioned, Southern-style country diner. Green and red checkered tablecloths drape over the tables, coupled with classic wooden chairs. A baby blue retro fridge adds a dash of color behind the counter. The restaurant has a Chipotle/Five Guys vibe, as the kitchen is open behind the counter, so customers can see the hustle
UNIQUE //
fried, but not fast food, and the typical wait for to-go orders is 10-15 minutes. Coming from someone who does not particularly fancy fried chicken, Gus’s Tennessee-style chicken is delicious - crisp and crunchy on the outside and soft and juicy on the inside. The touch of cayenne pepper adds just the right amount of hot spice. While waiting for the main meal, the fried pickles with ranch are also a must-try - a delicious crunchy crust around a tart, sour pickle. For all the pickle-lovers out there, if you haven’t tried fried pickles, you are missing out. The restaurant can accommodate everything from lunch to a late night snack as it is open 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday. The prices aren’t too bad either - ranging from $2.45 for a single chicken leg to $49.95 for a 20 piece bucket of chicken with bread, Gus’s has something for everyone. As the restaurant just had its soft opening, meaning employees are still learning the tricks of the trade, there are understandably some kinks that still need to be worked out. For instance, the wait time on takeout may be a little rocky, as my brother’s order got accidentally skipped. For the most part though, the fried chicken joint is off to a great start.
Memoir Reveals Mysteries of the Brain Susannah Cahalan faces her lost identity as she recounts her battle with NMDA-receptor autoimmune encephalitis. BY SOPHIE NEDELCO CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
At 24 years old, Susannah Cahalan is everything. Witty, inquisitive and a go-getter, she is a rising reporter at the New York Post, just moved into a studio apartment in the heart of the city and is in the midst of a serious relationship with her boyfriend, Stephen. Her family and co-workers dote on her vibrant smile, sociable disposition and contagious sense of humor. But in less than a month, Cahalan would wake up strapped to a hospital bed, unable to remember how she got there or who she was. Her
Fried Pickles
served with ranch dipping sauce $5.50
Baked Beans small $1.95 medium $3.45 large $4.45 extra large $8.75
Mac n’ Cheese small $2.45 medium $3.95 large $4.94 extra large $9.75
Spectacular Sides
BY ALEX D’ALESIO WEB MANAGING EDITOR
Seasoned Fries medium $3.95 large $4.95
Fried Green Tomatoes $5.50
Fried Okra $5.50
Phenomenal //
personality and former life seeming to have been erased, Cahalan would be nothing. In her memoir, “Brain on Fire,” Cahalan provides a chilling view into the foreign world of mental illness as she retraces her decline to madness and the terrifying realization that her mind was quickly disconnecting from her body. Based on the first article she wrote after returning to her job at the New York Post, “A Month of Madness,” the memoir is a must-read for anyone interested in the complexity of the mind and the ambiguity surrounding the functioning brain. Because the account is told from the point of view of the afflicted brain itself, Cahalan provides a rare perspective on the intricate interconnectedness between immunology, neurology and psychology. How her illness began is still a mystery, but her original symptoms that started off as a paranoid obsession with nonexistent bedbugs soon spiraled into seizures, prompting desperate diagnoses until finally arriving at her answer. C a h a l a n’s effortless stream
of consciousness shifts from her current sanity to her former insanity, embed insightful commentary to accompany her journey. Her intense, and sometimes humorous, self-exploration as she attempts to clarify the hazy line between the two states is narrated in an engaging journalistic style: concise yet descriptive paragraphs, short yet compelling chapters and a beginning and end that are tied together in more ways than one, bringing Cahalan’s recovery nearly full-circle. However, what is most impressive (as well as indicative of her journalistic mindset) is the sheer amount of research used to construct the memoir. Considering only bits and pieces of her experience remained in her memory, Cahalan used every single source possible in order to deduce what happened to her and attempt to recapture the identity she had lost. Countless interviews with her co-workers, family, friends, healthcare professionals as well as the analyzation of EEG monitoring videos taken of her while inpatient, her parents’ diaries and any drawings or diary entries made by her during that time all merge to form her unique and reliable viewpoint. Although the book costs $16 at Barnes and Noble, the perspective gained from a woman courageous enough to face her identity-less self, revealing the extent still waiting to be discovered about the brain, is a priceless source for those interested in neurological mysteries.
LE JOURNAL February 2016
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