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I can be reached by e-mail at barnett@ku.edu |
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This
Tex-Mex restaurant has an especially
attractive restaurant at this location. You will not find the
interior-Mex dishes that are available at Ixtapa across the
street. But relative to Tex-Mex restaurants, El Mescal is a
winner. Since the salsa is too mild for my tastes here, I always
also ask for the sliced jalapenos, which they sell on the side, and are
well worth it. You might want to try the Cocktail el Mexcal. It is a shrimp cocktail, but much better than the usual. Also the full order is larger than you might anticipate, so you might find the half order to be sufficient. I especially like their camarones al mojo de ajo, which I prefer to their camarones a la diabla. Even better, I like the filete de pescado con camerones (tilapia and shrimp). The last time I was there, I had them substitute broccoli for the rice and beans that come with the camarones al mojo de ajo, and I was surprised by the excellent preparation of the broccoli. I don't know whether they always have broccoli, since it is not listed on the menu, but I hope so. Another time I had them substitute mushrooms. That also was excellent. In terms of appetizers, the guacamole Mexicano is excellent. I especially like the shrimp fajitas. If you tell them to skip something normally provided with those fajitas, such as the beans or rice, they'll give you more of the rest. You will not be "short changed." Also if you prefer corn tortijas to flour tortijas, they can provide them. Unfortunately they do not have black beans as a substitute for refried beans, so if you don't like refried beans, just tell them and they'll increase whatever else they'd usually include with your order. (In contrast, Ixtapa does have black beans.) They have a good choice of beers, but a very poor choice of wines: all Sutter Home. Sutter Home chardonnay is something best avoided. Although I usually much prefer chardonnay to white zinfandel, Sutter Home white zinfandel is better than its chardonnay. This restaurant serves the merlot cold, which normally would be the wrong way to serve merlot. But with Sutter Home merlot, I nevertheless would prefer it cold to room temperature, and I find the cold merlot to be perhaps their best choice in wine. They also have Yago Sangria, which is better than any of their Sutter Home wines. I especially like this restaurant's new location on Wakarusa, but the servers make so many mistakes that I almost always have to send back what they bring to my table. There are two exceptions: Francisco (Frank) and Jorge. They knows what they are doing. |
| Ixtapa 2016 W 23rd St. 785-838-4044 |
Ixtapa is the best
Mexican restaurant in In addition to the excellent shrimp soup, they have a few other very good interior-Mex shrimp dishes, including the shrimp a la diabla (in a spicy tomato sauce) and the al mojo de ajo (in a mild garlic sauce). To me, the latter is not as good as shrimp scampi in an Italian restaurant, since the Italian version uses olive oil, while the Ixtapa version uses butter and garlic. In fact the version across the street at El Mezcal is better. But the diabla preparation is a real Mexican treat, that this restaurant does very well. They also have a shrimp preparation called "a la Mexicana." It is the same sauce as used on enchiladas, and in fact is very good with shrimp, but needs more spice that you can request on the side. After adding some spice, I like the a la Mexicana best. Most of the dishes include refried beans and rice. If you would prefer to avoid those "Tex-Mex" standards, you can request black beans or guacamole instead of the refried beans and salad instead of the rice (but the rice here is excellent, if you like Spanish rice). Oddly they remove the tails from the shrimp in most dishes, but not in the shrimp soup (caldo de camarones), so if you would like the tails removed in the soup, you will need to request that. The authenticity of this fine Mexican restaurant is also reflected in other ways. Unfortunately for vegetarians, there is chicken stock in their rice, but it is very good rice. But they have vegetarian whole beans that can be substituted for the refried beans. They have very good corn tortillas. There is no need to ask for the preparation to be spicy, since the spice level of the preparations has not been Americanized. For those who know and appreciate interior Mexican restaurants, this one should not be missed. Their house wines are undistinguished, but oddly the best of them is the white wine, which is not on the menu. In fact they have two white wines: chablis and chardonnay, each of equally modest quality, but with the chardonnay being the better of the two. |
| Jade Mongolian
Barbeque 1511 W. 23rd St. Its Lawrence.com link 785-865-5233 |
Although not a
match for the outstanding Genghis Kahn Mongolian Barbeque in |
| [format(E1 booth)(B2 round)] Scarlet Orchid 2223 http://www.scarletorchid.com/ sales@ScarletOrchid.com 785-832-8886 |
This gem of a restaurant is among our favorites in An excellent and unusual dish, that I have never seen anywhere else, is tofu boulders. Even if you do not usually like tofu, you may be very pleasantly surprised by this one. I request that the tofu boulders be prepared spicy. The tofu bloulders no longer are on the menu, but they'll prepare them for you if you ask. Alternatively you can request basil tofu with fried tofu. I ask for extra basil and garlic, since their preparation is rather mild, but very good. I also especially like their teriyaki salmon. It is frozen and of unknown variety, but what this restaurant does with frozen salmon is simply impressive. The garlic and black pepper shrimp also is excellent. Since this restaurant’s salmon teriyaki, tofu boulders, and garlic and black pepper shrimp are outstanding, I often have a difficult time deciding among them. The seared tuna also is good, if medium rare, but I prefer the salmon. They recently added mahi mahi teriyaki, ginger steamed seabass, and halibut to their regular menu. Previously those were sometimes specials of the day. Both are welcome additions to the menu. The variety of seafood on this restaurant's menu is unmatched in Lawrence, with Marisco's being a distant second in variety. Scarlet Orchid currently has 10 seafood entrees on their menu. To find a better variety of seafood, you would have to drive to Bristol's in Johnson County. The seafood here is not up to the high standards that you would find at Pachamama's or Krause's, but you will get good value with interesting preparations at the Scarlet Orchid. Their most dependable seafood preparation is teriyaki. But recently, Marisco's, at no higher cost, has been a standout for its seafood, despite its lesser variety. They sometimes have tilapia, which they can serve teriyaki style, if you ask. It is outstanding, when they have it. Among the appetizers, I especially like the crunchy salmon roll. Despite being deep fried, they are excellent. Although probably a healthier choice, I like the agdashi tofu appetizer considerably less. The spring rolls are very good. They come with a peanut sauce. But I use hot sauce along with peanut sauce, which otherwise is a bit sweet for my tastes. The house side salad is excellent, as is the dressing that comes with it. The silver thread salad also is very good. The pan fried vegetables are fried in olive oil and very good. But I do not find them to be satisfying as an entree. Instead I often order them as a side with a different entree. Although not listed as a side order on the menu, they are available as a side, if you request . The quality of the scallops is typical for Midwestern shellfish---disappointing to anyone who has ever lived on any seacoast. Vegetarians should be aware that the tom yum soup has chicken stock, and this restaurant is not able to provide it without the chicken stock. But the silky tofu soup can be requested with shrimp stock instead of chicken stock, and is outstanding. Although not mentioned on the menu, that soup is not just a tofu soup. It also is a seafood soup. The style of the preparation of that soup is Korean, but I often ask them to add lemon grass to give it a Thai touch. The ravioli Asiana has meat in it. Also you may wish to know that the phad Thai has egg in it, but they can prepare it without egg, upon request. The phad Thai, with or without egg, is very good. They have two excellent hot sauces, one with an oil base and the other with a tomato base. I request both. They also have a third hot sauce that is sweeter. I skip that one entirely. All entrees come with jasmine rice in a considerably better preparation than the usual plain steamed rice that is routine in Chinese restaurants. The bread is unusual and very good. It seems almost to be a cake. The one problem that I have encountered here is food sometimes served warm but not hot. If you send it back, as I do, maybe they'll get the clue and fix that unfortunate problem. |
http://www.75thstreet.com/ |
This brewery and
restaurant from Among my favorites at this restaurant are their excellent salmon, halibut, and hummus. I especially like the sundried tomato pesto that comes with the hummus. They have a fresh fish of the day. I have usually found it to be excellent. It probably would not be a bad idea to ask when the fish came in before ordering. If it came in that day, then go for it! The fish that is always on the menu, including the halibut, is frozen when it arrives, but is surprisingly good for frozen fish. Since they bypass the local Lawrence middle men and get their fish directly from Kansas City, their fresh fish of the day and their frozen fish is very good. In addition, if you ask the chef to blacken it, you likely will be very happy with what he does with fish. I similarly have been surprised by their salads. Sometimes you would think they just got the vegetables out of a garden. I don't know how to figure that, or whether there are particular days when they have the best veggies, but sometimes the vegetables in their salads beat anything you could buy in any Lawrence market. The Mediterranean penne pasta is very reliable. Its sauce is made with olive oil, but they add cheese in the kitchen, rather than at the table. If you wish, you can ask them to omit the cheese. In fact we often bring our own grated cheese to restaurants to avoid having to put up with unpredictable quantities put on pasta in many restaurant kitchens, independently of our preferences. They provide spent grain bread with most entrees. It is whole grain bread used during the beer brewing process. It is better than one would expect. The deep fried Vegetarians are likely to be pleased by this restaurant's very good spicy bean burger, which can be ordered with steamed rice that contains no vegetable stock. They also have low carb pasta, which may be very healthy, but doesn't taste anywhere near as good as the regular pasta in this restaurant. If you want pasta, skip the low carb version. If you become a regular at this restaurant, you will wish to acquire their frequent diner card. This is one of the few restaurants in Lawrence that can blacken fish the New Orleans way, but the chef will only do it that way, if you ask the waitperson to tell the chef to "break out the iron skillet" (according to the manager, Matt). Otherwise they'll do it on a grill, as most restaurants in Lawrence will; and of course that is not the right way to do it. |
| Yokohama Sushi Japanese Restaurant 1730 W 23rd web site |
This
restaurant has had three owners. The first two used the name
Sushi Station. The third has changed the name to Yokohama Sushi
Restaurant. The first version was good, the second was bad, and
this third is very good. For example, the agedashi tofu appetizer at
the current Yokohama restaurant is not only far better than ever before
available in Lawrence, but really first rate by any
standards. If you like spring rolls, you definitely should try
their far better "crystal" rice paper wrap. It is not listed as
an appetizer, but rather as a specialty roll. Also if you order
the
house wine, which is a very
modestly priced wine (Foxhorn), you will be surprised by the upscale
stemware in
which they serve it. Although the Foxhorn is a good buy, you
might be willing to pay more for the Mondavi, which they also have by
the glass, but the Foxhorn is a much better buy. Also the
improvements in the dining room
decor are substantial. The menu is really first class, but many of the dishes on the menu are disappointing. The sushi is fine, but not up to the standards of Cafe Beautiful downtown, and the entrees, such as the salmon and New Zealand mackerel, are not as good as at Kokoro's. Even the miso soup is not up to the standards that one might expect from such an attractive restaurant. On the other hand, since the menu is large, you'll surely find some things that you will like, if you take the time to try many of the items. For example, the dunduri bowls are worth a try. There is an asterisk next to dishes that include raw fish. Sushi on the menu without an asterisk is baked. Never order anything containing raw shellfish in Lawrence. That includes oysters on the half shell, which are fine in Kansas City, but not in Lawrence. Be aware of the fact that this restaurant does not have a lot of tables at the 23rd St. location. If you don't arrive early on a weekend evening, you may have to wait to be seated. But the restaurant also now has a location on New Hampshire St. downtown. |
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I can be reached by e-mail at barnett@ku.edu |
