Hickok’s Bar and Grill

No surprise that Forbes Cross and Michael Peterson* are a winning combination. If you mention their names in the same sentence, people assume that whatever they are working on will be successful.

So it is with their latest venture, Hickok’s Bar and Grill. It has taken over the space previously occupied by Dos Hombres in the River Market area. The interior reminded me of  restaurants I have frequented in Portland, Maine, with high ceilings, brick walls and exposed pipes. It consists of several rooms, with an attractive bar in front. Though the menu is heavy with Southwestern dishes, diners will also find burgers, ribs, salads, hangar steak, meatloaf , fish and  pork chops. And everything sounds appealing; it’s one of those places where it’s hard to decide what to order.

Each time I’ve been we’ve gravitated towards the Southwestern choices. The red chili chicken quesadilla was killer–a bit sweet, with pepper jack cheese, grilled onions, poblanos, and tons of flavor. The grilled shrimp tacos are another winner, served on  fabulous corn tortillas, dripping with a red chili mayo. The nachos were substantial to say the least, and though I couldn’t resist plowing through the layers, they could have benefited from more “stuff” besides chicken and cheese. And then there’s the tuna. Tuna “takos”, tuna nachos on rice chips, and grilled tuna with cabbage and a red chili vinaigrette. The vinaigrette shows up often, but that’s a good thing, as it was when it graced the blackened salmon sandwich at Trezo Mare, one of the many restaurants that Peterson helped launch.

Happy Hour offers some great drink and food specials, with more than enough options to make a whole meal.

Word has it that Hickok’s has some awesome handcut French fries, so that’s a reason right there to go back, but there are two pages worth of other reasons.

* UPDATE: Michael Peterson has left Hickok’s and is planning to open his own restaurant. Hopefully, they have a chef in place who can continue what he started.

El Camino Real

I’m late to the party. Numerous articles and blog posts have already extolled the virtues of El Camino Real, an authentic Mexican dive in Kansas City, KS. I can understand why Charles Ferruzza, my colleague on Walt Bodine’s “Food Critics” show, urged me to give it a try.

We enjoyed a broad sampling of the menu, ordering a tamale, tacos, enchiladas and a burrito. Chips are brought to the table along with a bowl of pico de gallo and a squirt bottle of  chipotle salsa. The tamale was filled with pork and came to the table piping hot. It was moist and tasty. The tacos are made with two stacked homemade corn tortillas and the filling of your choice, and  served with small bowls of onions and cilantro. The pork carnitas burrito came with rice and refried beans. The red sauce that covered it was weak and didn’t have much flavor, so I asked for a bowl of salsa verde to pour over it, which was a huge improvement and made the dish quite enjoyable. The enchiladas won the night. Stuffed with cheese and onions, they were topped with a wonderful mole sauce–sweeter than some,  not as chocolaty or rich as most.

I am a huge fan of New Mexican cuisine, and I tend to compare Mexican fare that I eat in Kansas City to what I devour in Santa Fe. It’s not a fair comparison, I know. If you are in the mood for a very simple, quick, and inexpensive Mexican meal, give El Camino Real a try. Is it the best Mexican food I’ve had in Kansas City?  Probably not, but it sure beats some of the well-frequented establishments on Southwest Blvd.

903 N. Seventh St.

Kansas City, KS