Category Archives: Dining

A Crowd Pleaser in the community
A Warm, Historic Ambiance adds to the Gourmet Taste of Excelsior Springs

Story By: Pete Dulin
Photography By: Brad Austin

A row of local shops line each side of the main strip in old downtown Excelsior Springs. Guests tour the Hall of Waters and Cultural Museum. Afterward, they pop into stores selling antiques, curios, spa services, and arts and crafts. When hunger arises, a good bet is Ventana Gourmet Grill where tourists will find locals proud and pleased to patronize the bistro.

Before Ventana existed, downtown had Ray’s Lunch and Diner (opened in 1932) and some specialty shops. Fast food and chain restaurants encroached on the commercial outskirts of the growing city. Sisters Jill Rickart and Wendy Baldwin decided that their restaurant could fill a need for an “upscale casual dinning experience” sorely lacking in the community.

Circa 2002, Rickart’s kids had started school. She wanted work that would allow her to have some family time. She and Baldwin, who had years of restaurant experience, committed to opening their first establishment together. This past February marked the tenth anniversary of Ventana Gourmet Grill, quite an achievement for any restaurant to survive through the upheavals of the economy over the past decade.

Baldwin knew this vocation was the right choice. She says, “Part of my gift is that I love people. I love creating and serving others. It’s something I really enjoy.”

Ventana, which means window in Spanish, is housed in a building that dates back to the 1890s. The building has seen its share of change. Former residents range from the Boston Mercantile to dime stores to a Ben Franklin retail shop in the Seventies.

Ventana’s aesthetic warmth draws from classic details. Original tin on the ceiling, red brick walls, and polished but weathered dark wood floors evoke a timeless presence. Wooden cafe-style tables and chairs suggest an European bistro’s ambiance. The atmosphere is relaxed and friendly as sunshine paints a glowing mural of light in late afternoon.

Touches of yesteryear give Ventana a familiar coziness. A candy display holds bins of gargantuan jawbreakers, malt balls, Pixie Stix, Slow Poke, and other treats. In the corner, a Steinway piano with yellowed keys looks like it might hail from the era of Jesse James when a shifty-eyed musician banged away a tune in a saloon. Ventana does feature live piano music on Friday and Saturday nights, adding to the bistro flair. »»

People in the community come here to meet as much as to eat. Ladies lunch, business men and women entertain clients, couples celebrate with a romantic night out, and families mark special occasions such as wedding rehearsals and anniversaries with a trip to Ventana. The community’s pride and appreciation for having a nice place to gather is evident. “Customers get excited to come in, bring their friends, and introduce them to the staff,” says Rickart.

Ventana hires students from local and area schools for their serving staff. Cooks Josh Gall, Ambrose Alberts, and Jason Hallmark have worked in the kitchen for many years. Rickart adds, “We instruct our staff to learn customer names and their dining preferences so they can order ‘the usual.’ It makes customers feel important.”

Not surprisingly, the bistro’s regulars enthusiastically support this local business. “We have regulars come in on certain nights,” says Baldwin. “They call us if they can’t make it or go on vacation because they don’t want us to worry if we don’t see them. It’s amazing.”

This embrace of a local business goes beyond the adoration of hometown boosters. The food is a sure draw. Before Ventana opened, the city lacked a place to eat quality steak, pasta, and seafood. Not any longer. Ventana Gourmet Grill was also featured on KCPT’s food program Check, Please! Kansas City two years ago with favorable reviews.

The kitchen prepares its dishes from scratch including pasta and cheesecakes. The food is so popular that the sisters have not been able to change the menu in any substantial way.

“Everything is ordered so much,” says Baldwin. She cites a cheesy baked potato soup served on Fridays that has been on the menu since the second week of the restaurant’s
opening ten years ago. “People like to have their favorites.”

Baldwin favors the shrimp scampi and Burgundy steak on the menu. Rickart likes to eat the 16-ounce rib-eye and gourmet veggie sandwich. The restaurant serves food to suit vegetarian, low-carb, and gluten-free diets.

Steaks are cut fresh from the local grocer are a popular entree as well as the Tuscan pasta, »»
a colorful dish loaded with sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, mushrooms, and spinach tossed with spinach fettuccine and feta cheese. The Sugar Burger is a six-ounce serving of ground Black Angus beef cooked to order, brushed with a smoky brown sugar glaze, and topped with sauteed onions, cheddar cheese, and bacon.

The menu offers an extensive array of appetizers, salads, and daily soups that could double as a weekly calendar for customers. Lobster bisque is the soup? It must be Thursday. The bounty of burgers, sandwiches, sides, and hearty entrees of pasta, steak, and seafood means never getting bored with the options. Homemade cheesecakes and bread pudding are worth loosening the belt and unsnapping the button on the waistband to indulge.

Ventana stocks a full bar, specialty beers, teas, and an array of wines from around the world to complement meals.

After a visit or two, don’t be surprised by the friendly smiles as the folks at Ventana Gourmet Grill make you feel at home. Whether it’s a short jaunt or a longer venture, it’s worth the drive to downtown Excelsior Springs to experience this crowd-pleasing local place of pride.

Mon.-Sat. Lunch & Dinner
11am-8:30pm
Historic Downtown
117 W. Broadway
Excelsior Springs, Mo 64024
816.630.8600
www.tasteofmissouri.com/ventana

Gallery:

Cafe Italia begins its second chapter with a fresh burst of energy and an established sense of tradition in its new home in downtown Parkville.

Originally, Cafe Italia began as an idea that sprang to life over dinner between friends and neighbors Paul Anselmo and Guy Tamburello nearly 20 years ago. They were both unemployed at the time. While they ate a meal of pasta that Tamburello had prepared at home, Anselmo asked if his friend could make food like this for 300 to 400 people. The proposition culminated in the well-known Northland ristorante, formerly located on North Oak near Metro North Mall, that operated for 17 years. They enjoyed a successful run by restaurant standards and wisely knew when to bow out.

“When business began to stagnate around the mall, we decided to close and wait for the economy to speed up,” says chef/co-owner Tamburello of the restaurant’s closing two years ago.

In fall 2011, Tamburello and Anselmo accepted an attractive deal on a space in Parkville that formerly housed a Japanese restaurant. They applied their experience and quickly developed the new restaurant into a dining destination. The duo have been business partners in operating other long-term ventures such as Marty’s Barbecue, owned by the Tamburello family.

The re-opening of Cafe Italia presents an opportunity to welcome new customers and renew connections with old friends. “Regular customers have come back,” says Tamburello. “We’ve maintained our quality and high level of service while offering upscale dining and reasonable prices.” »»
Anselmo, who works the front of the house, is quick with a smile and greeting. “I enjoy talking to customers and meeting new people,” he says of his social nature.

His parents emigrated to the United States from the city of Camporeale, Sicily. Anselmo was born eight days after their arrival. Today, if Italian-speaking customers call to order or ask questions by telephone, Anselmo converses with them in his native Sicilian dialect or Italian, much to their delight.

He visits each table to check on every guest. “I can tell by the look on their face if they are enjoying themselves. It is instant gratification. It’s not a job. It’s a lot of fun.”

Tamburello agrees that restaurant life is alluring professionally and socially. “I enjoy the social aspects,” he says. “It is intoxicating and captivating. I’ve made some of my best friends from people that were customers. I’ve gotten to know their families. When you’ve been out of the business, the social aspect draws you back. You want to keep in touch with people. You miss them like they are part of your family.”

The restaurant’s new setting blends comfort with understated elegance. A 500-gallon aquarium serves as a dramatic backdrop behind the lounge bar. The bar offers a wide range ($20-$300) of Italian and California wines hand-picked by the owners, champagne, and cocktails as well as domestic and Italian (Peroni, Moretti) beers on tap.

Familiar recorded hits by Dean Martin and other yesteryear artists invoke classic Italian-Americana. Picture windows in the main room reveal a view of a bright yellow train car, Parkville’s tree-covered hills and Park University in the distance.

The expansive dining room, which seats 120, is awash in rich colors of olive, green, and gold. Tables and booths spaced comfortably throughout the room enable attentive servers to glide easily with plates of food and glasses of wine. Combined, the lounge, banquet room, and patio can seat an additional 100 guests.

The heritage of Tamburello and Anselmo is evident on the menu. Family-style recipes from Anselmo’s mother Nina, now 82, complement Tamburello’s gourmet cooking. The Sicilian cuisine incorporates some northern influences such as the use of cream sauce reflective of Piedmont and Tuscan cooking. Dishes with red sauce and sausage nod to Sicilian roots.

Meals begin with complimentary service of olive oil drizzled into a light golden pool on a small plate, followed by a dusting of fresh-grated Parmesan cheese and black pepper ground by the server. A petite loaf of sliced Italian bread covered with sesame seeds makes a handy mop to soak up the offering.

Cooks make the bread and pasta from scratch in an open kitchen. Guests can observe the preparation from a flour-laced table to oven or watch as strands of spaghetti stream forth from the red Pasquini La Fiorenza pasta machine. Tamburello says, “Everything is made from scratch and cooked to order including pasta, ravioli, bread, and gelato.”

Once appetizers, salads and first courses have been selected, decisions await on tempting entrees. Cioppino is a festival of seafood in a tomato-and-vermouth-based broth. Generous portions of shrimp, scallops, crab claws, clams, and mussels lounge in the slightly sweet soup with a hint of fennel. Veal piccata, made with lightly breaded thin cutlets, soothes the soul with its delicate brown sauce accented with lemon and capers.

Spaghetti with red sauce and meatballs is a no-nonsense solution for hungry diners of all ages. A towering 14-ounce beef tenderloin, cooked to order, and lobster tail unite in a triumphant declaration of the best gifts from land and sea. Caprese salad illustrates the tricolor Italian flag with sliced fresh buffalo mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil.

A cup of Italian steak soup combines tender morsels of steak, mushrooms, and light savory broth, whetting the appetite for heartier fare. On cue, a plate of ravioli con funghi includes a fleet of homemade ravioli stuffed with chicken, prosciutto, and mushrooms anchored in a bay of velvety peppercorn cream sauce.

Anselmo’s favorite dish on the menu is chicken Marsala with a sweet sauce. An alternate savory sauce is also available. The two sauces illustrate the kitchen’s flexibility in cooking dishes to suit a diner’s tastes. For example, the steak entree also comes with a choice of sweet or savory Chianti and peppercorn sauce. Other accommodations include gluten-free pasta and dishes for vegans and vegetarians. »»
Desserts include cannoli shells overflowing with chocolate almond filling, fluffy servings of tiramisu, or gelato made on the premises.

Both owners have children that work at Cafe Italia either in the kitchen or front of the house serving customers. One of Anselmo’s two daughters works as a server. Pete, one of Guy’s two sons, patiently catches fresh strands of spaghetti and arranges them on a tray. He works during the holidays while on break from criminology studies at Barry University in Miami Shores, Fla. Tall with broad shoulders and fair-colored hair like his father, Pete also grew up in the family business and plans to attend law school.

“One of my earliest memories is celebrating my birthday in the basement of the original restaurant,” says Pete. “I love serving and cooking.”

When not working, members from both families have joined each other on vacations in Mexico, Paris, and Africa. Anselmo holds out his smart phone and scrolls through photographs as evidence of the closeness. Moments later, he greets incoming guests in the lounge and answers questions from servers.

Cafe Italia is in full swing again. Family vacations for Anselmo and Tamburello may have to take a back seat to business as friends, neighbors, and diners rediscover this Northland dining institution.

Jem Restaurant and Lounge, open since October 2010, is a welcome newcomer to the historic Square in downtown Liberty. Nearby, the grand courthouse, 1870-1880 era buildings, and Jesse James Bank Museum blend seamlessly into the modern affairs of law and commerce. In this setting, co-owners Mark Miller and Joel Davis and general manager Cindia Roland have introduced an upscale dining experience with the comfort of a home away from home.
The Jem takes its name from the initials of Miller’s daughter Jacelyn Elizabeth Miller. Since inception, the restaurant was envisioned as a gathering place for downtown workers and people from across the community. Miller used to patronize the previous building tenant, a tapas bar, but thought that its focus didn’t fully serve a need in the local dining scene.

When a business opportunity arose he partnered with Davis, a former pizza restaurant owner with culinary and operational savvy, to offer an alternative. Other downtown restaurants and bars catered to younger clientele. “We wanted a comfy but sophisticated atmosphere,” says Miller. “The Square needed a place more dedicated to a middle-age demographic.”

Today, The Jem attracts customers of all ages and walks of life including families and young married couples. “Our customers include lawyers, judges, and blue collar workers,” elaborates Roland, who brings years of restaurant management experience to the team. “Anyone is welcome from casual dress to dressed up. It’s the kind of place where regulars know each other.”

Housed in adjacent buildings at 6 & 8 East Franklin, the restaurant holds a spacious bar, dining tables, plush furniture, a fireplace, and an outdoor patio (smoking allowed) on one side. Guests can cross a threshold to another dining room. A back room seats nearly 60 »»
additional people and is often booked for parties, receptions, reunions, corporate events, and special occasions.

The Jem’s two sculpted concrete bars, brick walls, and wood floors add character to the interior space. Historic and contemporary class photos from Liberty High and William Jewell College reflect community ties. A framed white chef’s jacket hangs above a doorway as a tribute to Chef John Coleman, who helped launch The Jem and developed its diverse menu before he suffered a stroke and retired.

Current chef Ray Davis (Chappell’s, Piropos) strolls over with a dish of sliced herb flat bread with a colorful trio of basil pesto, Mediterranean hummus, and roasted red pepper. Among notable sandwiches on the menu, the Bistro Reuben departs from Thousand Island dressing and instead uses a house-made sauce.

Hand-tossed pizza is the pride and joy of Joel Davis. His sourdough crust, made fresh daily, summons Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and the potent power of garlic for full-blown flavor. Classic offerings include the Margherita and the Three Amigos meat fiesta of Canadian bacon, pepperoni, and Italian sausage. The Big Jem packs on caramelized onion, feta cheese, bacon, artichoke hearts, and roasted chicken with Alfredo sauce. Hey-Zeus is a Greek-inspired veggie detour; Farmer’s Florentine is an Italian escapade.

For hearty winter appetites, tuck into the 8-ounce filet mignon. Both the 10-ounce prime rib and creamy Mac Daddy will conquer hungry appetites. Mark Miller, who lived in Maryland for five years, never lost his longing for Old Bay seasoned spiced shrimp. He successfully lobbied for its spot on The Jem’s menu. Owners have that privilege.

Desserts are hardly an afterthought at The Jem. Italian lemon cake? Chocolate molten bundt cake? Pistachio gelato? Say no more. Just bring it.

The cocktail menu exhibits a few gems as well. The signature JEM Mudslide is a chocolate martini dusted with the Jem logo in shaved dark chocolate on top. High marks for presentation with a blue ribbon for deliciousness. The other dozen martinis range from a Cosmo to imaginative, high-octane pours. »»
The Jem also caters to area businesses such as Liberty Hospital. “Pharmaceutical reps call us regularly,” says Roland. “We also do company meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We’ve done mystery dinners and prepared food for the Liberty football team. We can tailor the menu. Just call us and we’ll accommodate the best we can.”

The commitment and pride of being local entrepreneurs is evident among the management team.

“People here have worked their rear-ends off to get people to come back as repeat customers,” emphasizes Davis. Certainly, customers from Liberty and beyond have responded enthusiastically to The Jem’s atmosphere, attentive service, menu, and weekend live blues and jazz acts.

The Jem’s location on the Square makes it a distinctive destination in Liberty. This Northland city has grown rapidly over the last decade, adding strip malls, suburban housing, and development along 291 and 152 Highways. For some people, convenience is not the primary factor when planning a night out for dinner and drinks. Character matters; a sense of community and belonging makes a small but significant difference.

Miller says the Square is off the beaten path. Even so, the location remains a strong draw for people that crave a fresh experience. “We have become integral to downtown businesses. We participate in civic events. We have been taken into the business community with open arms.”

“We’re friendly and local. We’re a familiar face when you walk in the front door,”
says Roland.

Barely a year old, The Jem has already begun to make its impact on the Square’s history and neighborhood with each dish and drink served to satisfied customers.