4 jayplay.
thursday, September 4, 2003
FINE DINING
Lawrence provides three options
A Shalor's waiter brings a family their meal. Shalor's is located on the ground floor of the historic Eldridge Hotel
Jared Soares/Kansan
By Amanda Wolfe
awolf@kansan.com
Jayplay writer
Some nights you crave food that's a little more upscale than a hamburger and fries or pizza. Or maybe you're looking for a restaurant to celebrate a special occasion. Does your mouth salivate for fine Italian, seafood or chops? Try these three restaurants, sure to impress your date, and your taste buds.
Plump, luscious elk chops, roasted garlic potato encrusted salmon served on a puff pastry and sea bass with grilled vegetable napoleon all await you at Shalor's Restaurant, tucked inside The Eldridge Hotel, 701 Massachusetts St.
Seafood entrees and appetizers like red snapper, swordfish, halibut, salmon, crab cakes, coconut shrimp, scallops and Ahi Tuna grace the menu. If you're not feeling like fish, the filet mignon is a classic dish on Shalor's menu that hasn't changed throughout the years. It's served with garlic whipped potatoes and fresh vegetables. Genarro Moten, executive chef, prides himself on his presentation and quality of the menu items.
At Shalor's, not only are the entrees a sight to be hold; the atmosphere and environment are too. Dining there is like walking back through time. The lot where the building now stands was originally home to the Free State Hotel, built in 1855. Proslavery forces burned the hotel to the ground just a year after it opened. Colonel Shalor Eldridge rebuilt the hotel for $80,000 only to have it destroyed again in William Quantrill's raid on
Lawrence in 1863. Most of the town was charred and Quantrill's raiders killed 150 unarmed citizens.
The Colonel rebuilt the hotel again, and it underwent various changes throughout the 20th century. In the 1980s, Lawrence
developer and the hotel's general manager, Rob Phillips took on the renovation project aiming to restore The Eldridge back to its historic significance as a hotel and restaurant. Today the ambiance inside Shalor's is a combination of a sense of history
and tranquility while still providing an upscale dining experience.
Walking into Pachamama's, 2161 Quail Creek Drive, is like stepping into nature. Large stone columns greet you when you walk in and tall windows overlook the green Alvamar Golf and
Country Club, 1809 Crossgate Drive. The earthy decor combines different textures of wood, stone and light for a natural look. Seasonal outdoor seating is available and allows diners to be even closer to nature amongst the trees and foliage.