Friday, May 7, 1999
The University Daily Kansan
Section A·Page 9
Entertainment
Area dinner theaters offer entertainment
By Corie Waters
Special to the Kansan
Students who are bored with the same old bars, movies and restaurants can take a road trip to a Kansas City dinner theater for something different.
Students can choose from several area theaters for a night of dinner and drama. Area audience-interactive theaters include the Martin City Melodrama & Vaudeville Co., 13440 Holmes, and Mardi Gras Murders, 418 NW Englewood Rd. The New Theatre Restaurant, 9229 Foster, allows the audience to sit back, watch and dine.
Those who think dinner theaters are just for older people can think again.
"Although we don't focus on a younger crowd, it isn't unusual to see college-age students here on dates and special occasions," said Terry Faulkner, director of communications for the New Theatre Restaurant.
Faulkner said a typical night starts at 6 p.m. and ends at 10 p.m. and costs between $20 and $36 per person. Included in the package is a gourmet American cuisine buffet and about a 2 1/2 hour
show that usually features a guest star.
"It's fun to see Barney Fife from The Andy Griffith Show and Mrs. Garrett from The Facts of Life, but some of the scripts are inappropriate for a younger generation," said Doug Neill, Shawnee senior.
A less formal and less expensive alternative is the Martin City Melodrama & Vaudeville Co.
Some groups have discovered that dinner theaters can be good clean fun for a change of pace.
Tickets include a buffet catered by RC's Restaurant and Lounge and two shows. They cost between $4.99 and $19.99 depending on the night.
"Last semester, a friend and I went to a dinner theater in Chicago for another friend's sorority function," said Deneale Arand, Tulsa junior. "We liked how the sorority and fraternity members could interact with the actors and each other, so we decided to call around to find a place for Mom's Day."
Arand decided on Mardi Gras Murders, where tickets were $38.50 per person and included dinner, the play and coffee.
Edited by Karen Lucas
By Scott Hollis Special to the Konsor
Ritisha Amin walked down the dimly lighted aisle, guiding her friends to a small table halfway from the stage.
Ten minutes later, the lights went down and a spotlight shone bright on the master of ceremonies as he sauntered on stage. The crowd cheered in anticipation.
Immediately, the comedian started up a conversation with a couple sitting close to the front of the stage. He asked the guy for a cigarette and made a funny remark to the man's girlfriend.
For some University of Kansas students, going to comedy clubs is a way to get away from Lawrence nightlife. Stanford's Comedy House, 543 Westport Rd. in Kansas City, Mo., is host to live comedians seven nights a week.
Amin, Olathe junior,
laughed, knowing that could
have been her. A seasoned
patron of the club, she now
knows better than to sit in
the front row.
Amin and her friends said
going out in Kansas City almost always means going to the comedy club. They go to other bars in Westport, but regularly visit Stanford's Craig Glazer, co-owner of Stanford's, said he sees a lot of people with KU shirts and hats come in.
"KU comes here because we preview a lot of people in the entertainment business," he said.
Stanford's is the No. 1 comedy club in the Midwest and No. 3 in the United States according to Variety and Rolling Stone magazines. Bigname comedy acts such as Pauley Shore, Tommy Chong and Jimmy Walker performed at Stanford's recently, Glazer said. Other notable comedians who performed in the past include Jerry Seinfeld, Louie Anderson, Sinbad, Ellen Degeneres and Kansas City native Eddie Griffin.
"It it's easier to say who hasn't been here than to say who has," he said.
Westerman said she had seen "Good Times" J.J. Walker at Stanford's recently.
Stanford's also develops local comedians which Glazer describes as a "farm team." Sinbad and Eddie Griffin both started their Hollywood careers at Stanford's.
"He's developed a belly, he looked old and didn't have any hair," she said. "But he said 'dy-no-mite' for old-times sake."
"What's neat for KU students is you can really discover a future movie star," Glazer said. "When Jerry Seinfeld played here, it was one of the first places he did a week long performance at. He didn't draw that many people, honestly."
Kansas City's other comedy house is ComedySportz. It offers competitive, improvisational humor. There are two teams, named the Sharks and the Jets, who compete for points by playing a series of improvisational games.
The audience gives the comedians suggestions to base their skits on. The format is similar to a live sporting event, but it is made up of comedians.
- Edited by Matt Merkel-Hess
Restaurants serve budget gourmet
By Kami Bremver
Alice Ankrom and her boyfriend, James Grandin, whom she calls the "coupon king," collected nearly 200 coupon books so they could get bargain meals. Their favorite is the two-for-one pizza and salad buffet coupon for Mr. Gatti's, 3514 Clinton Pkwy.
Special to the Kansan
Ankrom, Quincy, III., senior, and Grandin, Olathe junior, are among the increasing number of KU students who go out of their way to find cheap eats in Lawrence — some to save a buck, others to avoid taking a student loan.
"You can eat affordably all around town," said Gunner Fox, Kansas City, Mo., senior. For breakfast, Fox recommends the "Traditional Day Starrier" at First Watch, 2540 Iowa St., which he describes as a dependable breakfast of eggs, potatoes, and toast.
Paradise Cafe, 728 Massachusetts St., is a restaurant that comes to mind for most students only when Mom and Dad are coming to town to pick up the tab. Fox and his girlfriend, Sarah Beth McCardle, St. Louis senior, go there for cheap lunches and enjoy
Teller's, 746 Massachusetts St., has an unfair reputation for being fairly pricey, Fox said.
the gardenburger and the "No More Hard Times" red-beans-and-rice special served with corn bread.
"People don't realize you can go to Teller's and split a really good wood-fired pizza for $4," Fox said.
Many restaurants serve portions that are more than adequate for two. By splitting meals, you eliminate the problem of left-overs sitting in the fridge until they resemble a fourth grade science experiment.
Joni Koehler, McPheron freshman, and Shazia Ahmad, St. Louis freshman, went to Bambino's Italian Cafe, 1801 Massachusetts St., split a pasta and went home with left-overs—all for less than $3.50 a person.
“It’s not too fancy, but it’s a good meal that is cost effective,” Ahmad said.
Buffets are for the customer who is interested in quantity.
The Plum Tree, 2622 Iowa St., buffet is the favorite place of Jesse McGraw, Olathe junior.
"It's good because it is cheap, and the atmosphere eases the tension," McGraw said.
Cheap meals are good for the pocketbook but not always for the well-being. Ann Chapman, dietician at Watkins Health Center, recommends that students evaluate what they are eating to make sure they are getting a balanced diet. Chapman suggests that before eating, stop and assess the meal to see if all five food groups are represented.
Chapman said that there were no real immediate health risks to dining out repeatedly. But Chapman warns students that many restaurants serve high-fat foods. People who eat a high-fat diet often gain weight and can feel sluggish.
Restaurants do exist that will make you feel better physically as well as financially.
The Glass Onion, 624 W. 4th St. caters to customers who don't eat red meat and is a stopover for cost-conscious, healthy eaters.
Med students enjoy tastes of 39th St.
"We do everything we can to keep prices down to target the student pocket book," said Nick Beck, manager.
— Edited by Julie Sachs
By Jay Sheperd
Special to the Kansan
There's a little-known street in midtown Kansas City that boasts 17 of the most diverse restaurants in the city.
Thirty-Ninth Street runs east to west in front of the KU Medical Center. In the three blocks west of the campus, a hungry student could eat food ranging from Cajun to Vietnamese and from affordable deli meals to gourmet meals that cost $24 per entree.
Its proximity to the Med Center makes it an ideal lunch spot for Med Center students and faculty.
City." Brock said.
Susan Brock, administrative officer of the history and philosophy of medicine department, orders lunch delivered from the New York-style deli d'Bronx. 3904 Bell St., for student meetings in her department.
"I think it's the best pizza in Kansas
When d'Bronx opened 10 years ago, it was one of the first restaurants on the street.
"We were voted the sixth-best deli in the nation," said Janet Bloom, coowner of the d'Bronx. "We beat out all of the delis in New York."
The quality of food and atmosphere that made it high on the Zagat Survey keep d'Bronx's patrons coming back.
"When my mother comes into town every year or two from England, she loves to come here," said Tony Thornberry, Waldo resident and d'Bronx regular customer for eight years. "She thinks it's very American. She likes the mom-and-non style."
Med Center students who have spent time in Lawrence may get a familiar feeling when dining on 39th Street.
"It's like going to Mass. Street." said
Bryan Franklin, Shawnee junior. "It's that same kind of feeling. There's people on the streets, and the food is good."
"You can get variety and easily go to different restaurants," said Noidel Graham, Overland Park fourth-year medical student. "There's every type of food you want, and it's all very good."
The easiest way to get to the area is to follow the signs for the Med Center from Interstate 35. The signs lead south off I-35 onto the 7th Street Trafficway, which intersects with 39th Street.
— Edited by Kelli Raybern
Next door to the KU Medical Center on 39th Street are 17 of the most diverse restaurants in Kansas City. At d'Bronx just off 39th Street, diners can taste some of the most renowned pizza and sandwiches in town. Photos by Jay Shepard/KANSAN
from 6:00 - 8:00p.m.
(a 5:00 p.m. recognition will precede the banquet in the Malott Room)
Graduating minority students are free,
additional ticket(s) are $12.50 per person.
Please pick up tickets in the Office of Minority Affairs (OMA)
or for more information contact the OMA at 864-4351.
$1.00 OFF
Any Footlong Sub
Dine in - Carryout - Delivery
For Delivery:
North of 15th 841-3268
South of 15th 843-6000
Two locations: 12th and Indiana
Not valid with other offers
Two locations: 12th and Indiana, 23rd and Iowa Not valid with other offers Expires 5/30/99
12<sup>th</sup> and Indiana Above the Yellow Sub 841-2310 Not Valid with other offers Expires 5-30-99
$1.00 OFF
Any "Main Course" Entree
Dine in - Carryout - Delivery
Now Delivering the University Area Mon-Fri 5-8 PM, Sat & Sun 12-7 PM