jayplay The University
Daily Kansan
Thursday May 2,2002 1B
TALK TO US: Contact Kimberly Thompson or Meghan Bainum at (785) 664-4810 or jayplay@kansan.com
TOO LAME FOR JAYPLAY: See what rejected entertainment pieces you haven't been missing. SEE PAGE 3B.
Grilled cheese taste test Searching through Lawrence for the perfect gooey delicacy
Massachusetts St..
By Maggie Koerth Kansan staff writer
Grilled cheese is the great equalizer. It brings together the meat-eater and the vegetarian, the rich and the poor, the sloppily drunk and the hopelessly sober.
But to many people, a grilled cheese sandwich is something meant to be cooked and eaten in the privacy of one's own home. Hiding delight in this toasty, gooey delicacy, these people ignore the grilled cheese sandwiches offered by restaurants throughout Lawrence.
This idea that grilled cheese sandwiches are shameful things to be eaten at home is so ingrained in people that when I presented the idea of taste-testing grilled cheeses, my testers were even baffled by the thought.
"What's the point of this? I can make a grilled cheese at home," Chris Baker, Kansas City, Mo., sophomore, said.
Although I tried to explain that each restaurant created its grilled cheese in a subtly different way. Baker merely laughed at me. Now we
a n d present- ing the results to you.
The restaurants
No matter.
The restaurants tested were: Java Break Panini, 17 E. Seventh St., Brown Bear Brewery, 729
Other criticism would come, but it did not stop me from testing the grilled cheeses of four Lawrence restaurants
AARON LERNER/KANSAN
Quinton's, 615 Massachusetts St., and Big K's K-Cafe, 3106 Iowa St.
Above: Christina Kuhn, Mulvane junior, bites into a Quinton's grilled cheese sandwich as Leah Shaffer, Kansan reporter and Hays junior, washes a bite of her grilled cheese down with a drink. Quinton's, 615 Massachusetts St., was one stop of four in the mission to find the perfect grilled cheese sandwich in Lawrence.
Above right: a K-Mart grilled cheese sandwich that comes with fries for $2.13.
The official taste-testers involved were the aforementioned Baker; Kansan reporter Leah Shaffer, Hays junior; Christina Kuhn, Mulvane junior; and me, a Salina junior.
Accompanied by our trusty Kansan photographer, we set out to find the perfect grilled cheese sandwich.
First stop, K-Cafe.
K-Cafe: Fear and Loathing
Our trip inside the glaring white walls of K-Mart began less than auspiciously.
To begin with, I was forced to tie to K-Cafe grill-guy Nathan Elston in order to actually obtain the sandwich. Apparently, K-Mart only sells grilled cheese as part of the kid's meal.
"Is this for someone 12 and under?" Elston asked me.
Back at our table, Shaffer and Kuhn both decided that the stark walls combined with bright red fake trees were more than a little frightening.
"Um, yes, of course. He's in the car." I replied.
"It's too calm here," Shaffer said. "I'm
scared."
Unfortunately, we were forced to wait in that environment for about 15 minutes, prompting Baker to ask the question we would ask often throughout the rest of our search: "Exactly how long does it take to make one grilled cheese sandwich?"
The sandwich itself left us equally underwhelmed. It was decidedly non-gooey and the cheese was a creepy neon orange color. The limp, flavorless fries that came with it were also substandard. "This reminds me of cafeteria food," Shaffer said.
Kuhn pointed out that considering the price of the sandwich, $2.13, we got what we paid for.
Elston must have been on to us because he failed to give us the toy that was supposed to come with our meal. We decided to leave before he became more suspicious.
General Consensus: Not worth the trip to K-Mart.
Java Break Panini: Posh Cheese
Java Break, that monument to hip Bohemia, is probably better known for its coffee than its food. But it does offer a grilled Panini sandwich made with three different kinds of cheese: Swiss mozarella and cheddar.
Java Break clerk Shawn Lanoreaux told me he sells more sandwiches made with chicken; however, he did tell me what made Java Break's grilled cheese special.
"It's made with love," he said
Baker and Shaffer said they were much less nervous in Java break than in K-Mart.
"It's dark and mysterious," Shaffer said. "It feels like you're doing something more important than eating grilled cheese."
Most recent album by The Apes of God a new age cliché
RAWK SNOB
SEE GRILLED CHEESE ON PAGE 4B
To begin, Transpositional Landscapes is far from the average 12-song platter designed to appease the listener with whimsical, thoughtless track surfing.
It's purple. The cover features a snapshot of a cold ocean inlet surrounded by jagged rocks. It bears the title Transpositional Landscapes. No, it's not your high school science book. This latest offering from San Francisco experimental spoken word trio The Apes of God is best described as an epic, atmospheric exploration of well nothing. COMMENTARY
ration of, well, nothing in particular.
Andy Gassaway agassaway@kansan.com
Featuring a 24-
Featuring a 24- minute spoken word piece, Transpositional Landscapes is the kind of album that requires a substantial amount of your time.
SEE RAWK SNOB ON PAGE 5B
Mongolian barbecue arrives
Unlike most barbecues restaurant combines American, Chinese, Mongolian styles
By Mandalee Meisner Jayplay writer
There's a new kind of barbecue in town.
It's not your regular, sauce-slathered ribson-the-patio type of barbecue. Neither is it the low-fat shish kabob type of barbecue. In fact, it isn't really a barbecue at all.
But misnomer aside, Jade Mongolian Barbecue, 1511 W.23rd St., has brought to Lawrence a spreading food fad that combines traditional Mongolian cooking styles, Chinese ingredients and American appetites.
Mongolian barbecues are based on the premise that people enjoy choosing the different ingredients for their meal, but hate actually cooking the final product themselves. In fact, they'd much rather watch it get grilled to saucy perfection on a huge, communal disk with a
SEE BARBECUE ON PAGE 5B
SMRASHEPHERD/KANSAN
Quach Hiem, Lawrence resident, cooks a restaurant patron's lunch at Jade Mongolian Barbecue, 1511 W.23rd St.
LIVE MUSIC CALENDAR
TODAY
Grand Emporium, 3832 Main St. Kansas City, Mo., 21 and over.
Fabulous Thunderbirds, R. J.
Mischo
Jazzhaus, 926 1/2 Massachusetts St, 18 and over Sturgeon Mill
TOMORROW
Out of Bounds, 1129 Laramie Manhattan, 21 and over Phat Albert, Thulium
El Torreon, 31st and Gillham, Kansas City, Mo., all ages Casket Lottery, Salt the Earth, Memoir, Stewart
New Earth, 40th and Walnut Kansas City, Mo., all ages Fall's End Performance, The Autumn State
Granada, 1020 Massachusetts St., 18 and over Slackers, Flogging Molly
Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers
Grand Emporium, 3832 Main St., Kansas City, Mo., 21 and over
Jazzhaus, 926 1/2 Massachusetts St., 18 and over Kurt Malcolm & Positive Vibrations
SATURDAY
El Torreon, 31st and Gillham,
Kansas City, Mo., all-ages
MANOWAR
Hurricane, 4048 Broadway St., Kansas City, Mo., 21 and over Black 47
Bottleneck, 737 New Hampshire St., 18 and over Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
Grand Emporium, 3832 Main St., Kansas City, Mo., 21 and over Red Elvises
Harleywood's, 5908 Outlook Mission, Kansas City, 21 and over Rumblejetts
Jazzhaus, 926 1/2 Massachusetts St., 18 and over Majestics Rhythm Revue
Jilly's, 1744 Broadway, Kansas City, Mo., 21 and over Nairobi Trio (CD Release Party), Recliner Jilly's
SUNDAY
El Torreon, 31st and Gillham,
Kansas City, Mo., all ages
The Deal, Sister Mary Rotten
Croetch, A Global Threat, The
Butchers
Granada, 1020 Massachusetts St. 18 and over Bob Mould, Her Space Holiday
Eighth Street Tap Room, 801 New Hampshire St., 21 and over namelessnumberheadman. Ira
namelessnumberheadman, Ira
Fred P. Otts, 4770 J.C. Nichols Parkway, Kansas City, Mo., 21 and over Trusty Defiant, Overstep
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