Readers’ date-night fave + Super Bowl-worthy pizza
Happy Friday, and welcome back to Let’s Dish — your one-stop shop for all things eats in Kansas City.
This week, we ate at spots suggested by some of KC’s finest: My colleague Kynala dines with Star readers at their favorite bistro overlooking the Plaza, and Toriano tries the Kansas City dish Andy Reid ate after bringing home another Super Bowl trophy.
Mussels at Cafe Trio
Cafe Trio is known for its eclectic American fare, romantic environment and its year-round patio looking out on the Country Club Plaza. The restaurant has many fan favorites, from the Mac Daddy macaroni and cheese to its juicy scallops.
However, if it were up to readers Bonnie Green and her husband, Bob Green, anyone who stops by Cafe Trio would try the mussels, which come soaked in a white wine garlic cream sauce with pancetta and roasted cherry tomatoes. That’s why the couple nominated the restaurant to be part of our Let’s Dish series.
“We’ve had the chance to try mussels at other places,” Bob told Star reporter Kynala Phillips when she met up with the couple for dinner. “They don’t even come close.”
A full order will get you about 24 mussels for $16.49. They’re delivered fresh from Prince Edward Island in Canada four to five times a week and are never frozen, according to Tai Nguyen, co-owner of Cafe Trio.
Here’s why the Greens love the dish so much.
Mushroom & sausage pizza at Pizza 51
After the Chiefs won Super Bowl LVII, coach Andy Reid visited Pizza 51 for the sausage and mushroom pizza and a garden salad. A meal so celebratory couldn’t go untasted, so Star opinion writer Toriano Porter headed over to the South Plaza spot to try it out for himself.
“I went to Pizza 51,” Reid told reporters after the Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 in Glendale, Arizona. “That’s what I did. I got a mushroom-and-sausage pizza, how about that? And a salad just to make my chubbiness feel good.”
One slice of Pizza 51’s pie is as big as your face and can be cut into seven or eight bite-size pieces, depending on who is doing the cutting. A slice will satisfy any pizza craving for days, Toriano says. But, in honor of Andy Reid, he ordered a whole 14-inch pie.
The smell of semi-charred pizza crust fills the restaurant at 5060 Oak St., near the University of Missouri-Kansas City campus. The pie’s slices are thin, and the sausage-mushroom combo tasty.
Read more about the meal fit for a Super Bowl champ here.
My standout dish of the week
I’ve always loved doughnuts. They’re the ideal sweet treat — a perfect snack to brighten any time of day.
I used to beg my mom to stop at the Krispy Kreme on Shawnee Mission Parkway whenever its red “Hot doughnuts now” sign was aglow in the window as we zoomed by. I even worked at a gourmet doughnut shop throughout college — Blackbird Doughnuts carries the best pastries in Boston, if you’re planning a trip to the East Coast anytime soon.
But this week, I was reminded of my favorite doughnut in KC: The blueberry cake doughnut at LaMar’s.
The KC shop, which opened its first location in 1960, is effortlessly quintessential. Its blueberry cake doughnut is uber-sweet and crumbly, and the exterior glaze crinkles in all the right places.
Your top eats
In last week’s newsletter, we finally dug into KC barbecue — and y’all had so much to say about the subject, I’d be remiss to not include another reader suggestion.
Like reader David Howell’s glowing recommendation of the combo sausage and chopped beef sandwich at Rosedale Bar-B-Q, which he says is the “best sausage sandwich [he’s] ever found.”
“The sausage is Kielbasa-style, but it has a little heat kick to it that makes it perfect with the unique sauce flavor at Rosedale,” Howell says. He’s eaten the sandwich for more than 30 years, and still maintains it’s the best in KC.
Do you agree? Disagree? Have another favorite local dish you think I should include in this newsletter? Email me, abooth@kcstar.com, or fill out this form to let us know.
À la carte
✴️ The new KCI terminal is officially open — and with it a slew of local eateries and bars that’ll initiate travelers to the KC food scene. From classic barbecue to locally roasted coffee, here’s where you can snack before your next flight.
✴️ A new Kansas City charcuterie board shop will serve up artisan cheeses and meats in aesthetically pleasing arrays for to-go and event catering. Plus, you could even learn to make your own.
✴️ This Missouri-based frozen custard staple is planning to open another KC location this fall. It’ll be the franchise’s 13th spot in the metro, after another opened in Johnson County this week.
Hungry for more?
We want your opinion: Do you have a favorite dish at a KC restaurant you think we should try? Let us know here, or email Sharon Hoffmann, our editor coordinating this series: shoffmann@kcstar.com.
Check out all the restaurants we’ve covered in this series here.
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Happy eating! We’ll see you next week.
