ajones' Blog

I tend to get myself worked up about food, certain restaurants especially. I wanted to try out Bluestem for a few different reasons. First, that the owners, a husband and wife duo, both worked a Tru in Chicago. Also because KC really doesn’t have any “fancy” restaurants. Fancy, as in, places that serve an amuse bouche or offer a tasting menu or something like that. So, Nate and I decided to save our pennies and go for our anniversary dinner. The space is really nice and simple. Unpretentious and cozy. We started out with a pinot sparkling wine. The sommelier was pretty helpful suggesting that. The amuse was a fresh cranberry, cinnamon apple juice. Refreshing, but nothing exciting. We decide to have the 7-course menu, which was the most courses for a weekend and each try something different b/c you choose each dish from about 3. Nate’s first was wagyu beef taretare, an eggshell with a sweet mayonnaise substance and some greens. The beef was phenomenal. Melt in your mouth stuff. I had a hot soup of butternut squash and nutmeg that was poured over homemade croutons. I found this to be unexciting. Similar to a soup that I buy at the health food store next door to my office. Second course was a touchon de foie gras with a persimmon sauce and a brioche crisp. This was heaven. Silky and rich and perfect. Nate had a yellowtail sashimi with thin radish slices that was also amazing. Fresh with a not-too-overpowering flavor. I have a hard time remembering the sauces and accompaniments. Some of this is thanks to my forgetfulness but also in part to the servers not explaining the dishes. I don’t like to feel patronized but love to hear exactly what and maybe even why something is in a dish. The service was a bit hurried and when we asked questions about anything, it was met with a quick response. Third course was escargot for Nate that was a bit bland a swordfish and tomato dish that was almost like ceviche for me. Very good. Fourth course was pasta. Nate had this egg-like noodles with a tomato based sauce and oxtail. I wish the pasta would have been homemade but the oxtail made up for it. Heavenly meat. My pasta was a fettuccini with a creamy lemon sauce. Not amazing but the lemon flavor was a nice touch that made it feel less heavy. Fifth course I had ahi tuna cooked rare with potatoes, leeks and caramelized onions. The flavors were nice, veggies cooked to perfection, the tuna was good but something felt off here. Nate had the scallops with smoked bacon. This was such a great dish. Simple and reliable with the meat of the dish being perfect. Sixth course I had the Campo Lindo Hen served with turnips and grits. The flavors in this one made up for the last. Perfect harmony. The hen was crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. I love turnips and these were perfect and the grits were made with a white sharp cheese and although I was getting stuffed, I cleaned the plate on this one. Nate had the wagyu beef flatiron served rare. I liked my bite but Nate was not extremely impressed. What we were both impressed with was the cheek served underneath. New meaning to sweet cheeks. I want these more often. Oh, in the meantime we ordered a bottle of Ostatu Blanco and chatted up with Jeremy, the “Wine Guy” which he preferred to be called to a sommelier. We requested a longer break between dessert. I wish we would have done this earlier because the courses came out a bit too fast. Nate ordered an espresso chocolate crème de pot or something similar. It was very good. I had a cranberry and pineapple upside-down cake served with poached pears. Very fruity. I liked the pears the best. The cake was okay. They also gave us a champagne float, I think that’s what they called it, and “for our anniversary” I think I may have put this on the open table reservation. Sparkling wine with vanilla ice cream. We finished it all off with a raspberry truffle.