Food Adventure: Gram & Dun

Most people know I’m crazy about food. I’m getting really into the making and technique of it, so when I have the chance to go to a new restaurant, I always find lots of inspiration and try to figure out how to do it at home. (My FAVORITE food blogger, Ali, is fantastic at taking restaurant recipes home at Gimme Some Oven.)


I’ve cooked for the last 3 nights and was ready for some inspiration at another of the newest KC restaurants to open – Gram & Dun. This beautiful renovation is in the former Baja 600 on the Plaza. I’ve quickly become a HUGE fan of Bread & Butter’s restaurants and their unique twist on seasonal ingredients. I love Urban Table & BRGR, and with each new spot, they keep elevating American farm to table food in new and exciting ways.

The renovation is GORGEOUS, and all the beautiful KC people (and some tourists, I imagine) were out in force on a Tuesday to check it out. The restaurant was almost full.  Our waitress kept a nice, relaxed pace, and one of the things that surprised me most was that you’re only started with a drink menu. Although it took about 20 minutes to sift through that (with her expert opinion, I ordered an Old Fashioned to warm me from the inside) and get our drinks, before we saw a dinner menu, it was nice to not dive into business straight away.

A note about drinks: I’m not really into cocktail creating, but after sampling new creations on area menus, I’m wondering about delving into it. Their Old Fashioned was so inspired! The (literal) cherry on top were housemade maraschino cherries that were large, sour and sweet candied things that were a lovely addition to the syrupy bourbon and bitters. I’m hooked.

We decided to pace through each course and split everything, which is usually our approach.

Our menu:
French Onion Dumplings (gruyere, sweet onion broth, brioche crouton)
Seared Ahi Tuna Salad (watercress, bean sprouts, wontons, peanuts, seasame, chili ginger vinaigrette)
Duck Pappardelle Pasta (duck confit, red wine, roasted fennel, orange & watercress)


Drinks:
Hubs: Goose Island Matilda
Moi: Old Fashioned (sugar cane, orange slice, bitters, Maker’s Mark, luxardo maraschino cherries)
*Descriptions from their menu

The first course was BY FAR my favorite. 6 toothpicked bites came out on a rectangular platter - carmelized onions are wrapped up like a coin purse in a wonton wrapper with broiled cheese oozing down the sides, swimming in the soupy, savory broth. I damn near licked the plate and will try to make these perfect little pillows for my next party.

Our server suggested we didn’t have them split up the salad course, since it was a “presentation,” and she was not kidding. They stacked the layers of wonton, tuna and veggie elements in 4 colorful layers - sort of like a pile of edible sheets of paper. Raw, red tuna is so beautiful, and it really starred here against the green and yellow shades of veg and the orange/red drizzle of dressing. The dressing was a little on the spicy side, but a sip of hub’s beer cut through it perfectly. (The bourbon and spice had my mouth dancing a little bit.)

By the time we got to the pasta, I was winding down, but the slow cooked, tender duck was a beautiful pair with the (what I assume were) housemade ribbons of papardelle in the red wine gravy sauce. (I love this style of pasta since it holds chunkier meats and sauces well.) I’m not sure that I’d go back to this entrée again, since I didn’t really catch the brightness of the orange and fennel, but it is an excellent savory choice for winter. Next time, I’ll be nose deep in their short ribs.

Lately I’ve been craving desserts at dinner, but we skipped it last night since it was late and our tummies were full. Hubs read the menu, but I wouldn’t even peek at it. On our next trip, I’ve got to see if their Gram & Dun bar is anything like a Snickers (one of my favorite things).

All in all – we had excellent service, and a great experience. The beautiful new interior and inventive food makes G&D a perfect place to go for a night with friends or family. You should definitely check it out. It’s a little loud for an intimate date, but I saw plenty of people on one, and overheard a sweet conversation at the table next to us. It reminded me of our first dates, and the many new restaurants we explored as we got to know each other better.  Good times.

The more things change...

Hey guys…remember me? It’s been awhile since I’ve written here, and I’m not sure anyone outside of the people I’ll let know will even remember who I am.

Life has changed a BUNCH.

What fun to go back and see where the story left off – almost exactly 3 years to the day. In the interim I:

-Got married to Mr. Man a year ago

-Moved back to the KS side of our city

-Decided that the church nonsense below wasn’t worth it, and God walked us around in a circle until we ended up back at the same place again with a different viewpoint

-Got our car stolen…and returned 8 days later (There’ll be a post about this. Promise.)

-Have dealt with serious family illnesses and a death, and am seeing what is emerging from the chaos

-Saw an upheaval in my friendships and have an almost new community

-Learned to cherish and respect my immediate family more as we went through the wedding process

-Have begun the process of starting our family and am sifting through what it means when it isn’t coming together quickly

-Have come to love (and laugh at) how we repeat the same patterns in our lives. Mine is usually larger and more full of upheaval than most everyone I know.

-Spent more hours than I thought possible in my kitchen. And I’m pretty damn good in there.

-Oh yeah, and I turned 30.

So this is a totally new decade. And I’m ready to talk about it. And dream. And see what the hell comes of it all.

I’ve missed this, and you guys. 