Kansas Crimson

For this place I’m thinking some veggie bean dish plus tk’s mac and cheese as sides that are hearty enough to pass as a meal. Plus other sides to go with the sides. Maybe keep some tofu or impossible burgers or something in the back just in case, but not necessarily on the menu.

But I would go less-is-more big time with a menu.

Crazy good (probably pan) fried chicken, then a baked or grilled or smoked chicken.

6 or so good sides - green beans, corn, couple kinds of taters, heartier baked beans or something, slaw, maybe one or two other things but not too much.

Good biscuits or dinner rolls. Cornbread but cook it in a skillet like my hillbilly grandma did, so that it might be either a side or a bread option, I dunno.

Just a couple dessert options. Peach cobbler or skillet brownie. It could even be rotating menu items.

Always the potential for like a prime rib special, or Friday fish fries for DC.

Lunch menu includes fried chicken sammich, grilled chicken sammich, maybe some cold cut, and a daily special. Or just not even do lunch, and have it be one of those dinner specific places.

Happy hour could just be one thing: wings basket, or some other killer small plate or app that’s unique enough an tasty enough to make y’all wanna post about it on the gram. I hesitate on wings though cuz everybody does them. Oh! Plus cheap beers. And game day specials cuz this is also a KU watch bar.

And do it all with margins in mind, as well as operational efficiency. While too many restaurant concepts focus on fancy ingredients or complicated dishes or some other ideal, I’m shamelessly aiming to mark up canned beans, lol.

In a bar setting like that you can keep someone like me happy if you offer them up a "grown-up" grilled cheese with a few pickle spears and a basket of good fries - please keep a separate fryer for frying animal parts. Grown-up grilled cheese in my book starts with a nice hearty bread (think rye, pumpernickel, sourdough), couple of layers of pepper jack and in between the cheese some sliced tomatoes, thinly sliced red onions and sauerkraut. Maybe some grilled jalapenos for the chileheads. Again, nothing fancy! Often I go to pub-type settings and the kitchen is more than happy to accommodate me if I told them the above, especially if they have little/no veggie options

i’d do a breakfast/brunch spot before a dinner only one

Used to be the veggie opt was pasta or a collection of sides. Fortunately, most places put some thought into vegetarian/vegan options. It can be as creative as meat-based dishes. I'm all for it and will occasionally order a veggie option if it sounds good.

Not sure if anyone remembers the old Cornucopia on Mass. I worked there for a few years back in the day. Half of the menu was vegetarian. A really good spinach/mushroom/olive lasagna, grilled veggie crepes, stir fry veggies, 40' salad bar. Way ahead of their time while being a throwback at the same time.

Anyone want to say that their Mom, Grandmother, or Wife makes the best fried chicken?

jhawks99 wrote: ↑Thu Nov 14, 2019 7:50 pm Used to be the veggie opt was pasta or a collection of sides. Fortunately, most places put some thought into vegetarian/vegan options. It can be as creative as meat-based dishes. I'm all for it and will occasionally order a veggie option if it sounds good.

Not sure if anyone remembers the old Cornucopia on Mass. I worked there for a few years back in the day. Half of the menu was vegetarian. A really good spinach/mushroom/olive lasagna, grilled veggie crepes, stir fry veggies, 40' salad bar. Way ahead of their time while being a throwback at the same time.

99 wrote:Not sure if anyone remembers the old Cornucopia on Mass...

Did you ever think you'd post that to a KU message board?

InfiniteJ wrote: ↑Thu Nov 14, 2019 8:31 pm Anyone want to say that their Mom, Grandmother, or Wife makes the best fried chicken?

I will!

It was right on up there with her skillet cornbread








...actually that shit kinda sucked, especially cuz all the old grownup hillbillies in my fam would eat it by the slice served in a big glass of buttermilk. Childhood ousdahl thought it sounded soo good, but turns out buttermilk was kinda gross. Might have to try it again now that I’m older.

And for real, hillbilly grandma’s chicken was killer!

Feral wrote: ↑Thu Nov 14, 2019 8:36 pm

jhawks99 wrote: ↑Thu Nov 14, 2019 7:50 pm Used to be the veggie opt was pasta or a collection of sides. Fortunately, most places put some thought into vegetarian/vegan options. It can be as creative as meat-based dishes. I'm all for it and will occasionally order a veggie option if it sounds good.

Not sure if anyone remembers the old Cornucopia on Mass. I worked there for a few years back in the day. Half of the menu was vegetarian. A really good spinach/mushroom/olive lasagna, grilled veggie crepes, stir fry veggies, 40' salad bar. Way ahead of their time while being a throwback at the same time.

99 wrote:Not sure if anyone remembers the old Cornucopia on Mass...

Did you ever think you'd post that to a KU message board?

Not back then, there was no internet.

Suggested discussions for the advancement of the thread:

- pan fried vs deep
- what good veggie entree would also fit in at a soul food joint
- what one app would be so good to have it as thee app at my restaurant

- For chicken, pan is better, deep fried is waaayyy easier
- red beans and rice; gumbo z'herbes
- spinach/artichoke. seriously though do a black eyed pea Texas caviar thing (can be veggie), broiled oysters with bacon and parm, I've served a ratatouille thingie on grilled sourdough as a kind of bruschetta app that has gone over well.

ousdahl wrote: ↑Thu Nov 14, 2019 9:01 pm Suggested discussions for the advancement of the thread:

- pan fried vs deep
- what good veggie entree would also fit in at a soul food joint
- what one app would be so good to have it as thee app at my restaurant

fried okra

zsn wrote: ↑Thu Nov 14, 2019 7:06 pm In a bar setting like that you can keep someone like me happy if you offer them up a "grown-up" grilled cheese with a few pickle spears and a basket of good fries - please keep a separate fryer for frying animal parts. Grown-up grilled cheese in my book starts with a nice hearty bread (think rye, pumpernickel, sourdough), couple of layers of pepper jack and in between the cheese some sliced tomatoes, thinly sliced red onions and sauerkraut. Maybe some grilled jalapenos for the chileheads. Again, nothing fancy! Often I go to pub-type settings and the kitchen is more than happy to accommodate me if I told them the above, especially if they have little/no veggie options

Interesting. You're ok eating cheese.

Barto's Idle Hour in Frontenac, KS is awesome. German style potato salad and cole slaw and the chicken is probably some of the best. Chicken Annies/Mary's is good also if you are down in SE Kansas. In KC, I still prefer Go Chicken Go. Always get a side of livers. Stroud's IMHO is good, but overpriced and their chicken is kind of bland.

I'm not vegan but it just so happens that a lot of what I eat ends up being vegan (eg. sushi rolls, chinese stirfry, most Indian and Middle Eastern/Mediterranean food - most because some inevitably has butter products). I love a good cheese course after a meal!

I have been at Cornucopia several times in the mid-80s. I really like their creative food. Some of the best vegetarian food I have had was when it was least expected. In the mid-90s I was working for a company whose headquarters was just outside of Helsinki, Finland. We had a joint research meeting between the US and Finland-based research centers lasting a whole week and we were at this resort on the Baltic. The "regular" meals were usually reindeer meat and herring based of which people were generally getting tired. There were about 3-4 vegetarians and we had some of the best, creative and tasty meals which were never repetitive to the point that many people were inquiring if they could get the vegetarian option!! I have found this to be generally true in most places where the chefs are more than happy to show their creativity (even in France!!) and fix some fantastic meals

As for vegetarian soul food....the staples can easily be adapted: no bacon in skillet cornbread, greens and beans without hamhocks, sweetpotatoes, fried okra - basically a plate of staples will work quite well. 99's suggestions are great!

TraditionKU wrote: ↑Fri Nov 15, 2019 7:43 am

ousdahl wrote: ↑Thu Nov 14, 2019 9:01 pm Suggested discussions for the advancement of the thread:

- pan fried vs deep
- what good veggie entree would also fit in at a soul food joint
- what one app would be so good to have it as thee app at my restaurant

fried okra

Collared greens with hamhock

This is a thread I can get behind. I love fried chicken so thank you to all who participated by offering suggestions.

I'm all for a fried chicken, soul food style restaurant in the mtns. All you get is bar food, pizza or high end steakhouses.

Sides: red beans and rice, baked mac and cheese, green beans, biscuits or cornbread and skillet gravy.

Now I am really hungry.

P.s. I also enjoy the Popeyes chicken sandwich. The second spicy one I ate had a bit to much breading to chicken ratio.

re: bar food in the mountains, yup. We like to giggle about when some new restaurant boasts a menu of "unique flavors and artisan ingredients" or some shit, but it's really just more burgers and wings. ohh you can get a burger with pepperjack too?! how artisan!

and man, I'm really curious about this Popeyes sammich now. How's it compare to, say, a Wendy's spicy chicken?

Wendy's is a Toyota Camry and Popeye's is a Luxury Sedan.

Anybody ever try Git Yo Chicken in KC?...I think it's on Prospect Ave. I need to try it sometimes.

The debate is Popeyes and Chick Fil A but what about Shake Shack? I have heard good things about their chicken samwich.