Wednesday, December 2, 1998
The University Daily Kansan
Section A·Page 7
Entertainment
Go west for new kinds of grub
Topeka offers ethnic cuisine dining options
By Kerri Hagle Special to the Kansan
KU students who want a different restaurant scene other than those in Lawrence can head west to Topeka.
"Topeka has big chain restaurants like Chili's, Applebee's and Outback Steakhouse, but the smaller,
specialty restaurants are the ones that are fun to go to," said Sara Cropper, Topeka senior. "My favorite restaurant in Topeka is Casa."
Casa Authentic Mexican Food, at 3320 SW Topeka Blvd., serves Mexican and American food. The restaurant is open seven days a week and offers a large party room at no extra charge.
For 25 years, Casa has maintained a credible reputation in the Topeka area for fine dining.
"I don't really have a menu
Stephanie Penn and Paul Mohler, Overbrook residents, enjoy margaritas with their mexican food at Casa Authentic Mexican Food, 3320 SW Topeka Blvd., in downtown Topeka. Photo by Matt J. Daugherty/KANSAN
that stands out from other restaurants in Topeka," said James Hubbell, Casa manager. "We have pride in our top-quality customer service, and I believe that is how we built our reputation over the years."
Holly Zane, Topeka resident, chuckles at chef Won Jeong as he makes a "flaming volcano" out of vodkoff and onions at Shogun Japanese Restaurant, 5632 SW 29th St. in Topeka. Shogun's specially trained chefs perform a show while cooking customers' food at their table. Photo by Matt J. Daugherty/KANSAN
Casa attracts all ages for everything from the service to the food. For some, it is special for other reasons.
"Casa's is where my boyfriend of several years proposed," Cropper said. "It had become a special place for us to go out and eat, so it seemed appropriate and made our engagement even more memorable."
There are other options besides Mexican cuisine in Topeka. The city is home to two Japanese restaurants. Shogun Japanese Restaurant, 5632 SW 29th St., and Kobe Japanese Steak House, 5331 SW 22nd Place, serve a variety of steak and seafood that is prepared on a grill in front of customers.
"Shogun's is one of my favorite places to eat in Topeka," said Andrea SIGARS, Liberal senior. "I love to watch the chef flip the shrimp into their hats, and the service is always great."
Topeka also has several
Italian restaurants. The Olive Garden Italian Restaurant, 1925 S.W. Wanamaker Road, is a favorite destination for some.
place to eat with a big group of people," said Jennifer Mai, Hoisington senior. "They serve all the salad and bread sticks that you can eat."
"Olive Garden is a perfect
Kansas City music scene gets mixed reviews
By Leah Grandi Special to the Kansan
Music lovers thirsting for anything from jazz to rock can find it in clubs in Westport and downtown Kansas City, Mo. More than 45 nightspots feature live music; some every night of the week. The Hurricane, 4048 Broadway, in Westport, swings to the sound of The Dave Stephens' Swing Orchestra every Sunday night. The Blue Room, 1616 E., 18th St., in the 18th and Vine area, doubles as a museum during the day and a jazz bar at night.
The city may have an abundance of night spots, but according to James Clark, who works as a bouncer at The Hurricane, not everything is rosy.
"The scene is dying, everything is dying," he said. "A lot of places, like the Daily Grind, have closed down." Clark said he goes to small raves around town to satisfy his music craving.
"They're sometimes kind of cheesy,but fun enough," he said.
Desmond Ramos, a musician for Post-Noise Sensation, who also works as a sound technician at The Hurricane, said he did not think Kansas City's and the country's preoccupation with swing music was going to last much longer.
"Everything comes and goes in music. It takes a year for a fad to build up and a year to wind down and swing is on it's way down." he said. "When you start seeing swing dancing on jeans commercials, you know it's almost over."
Ramos said his best guess for the future of Kansas City's music scene lies in rock and roll of some variety. "Things tend to go in cycles of 10 years," he said. "I would say the next style music will be something heavy but with a twist."
Almost all night clubs in Kansas City are for those 21 and older, but some only card patrons buying drinks. For example, Clark said anyone can enter The Hurricane if they bring a parent with them.
Passage of casino issue to put boats in motion
Gambling limits board-time rule first on the table
By Jeanette St. Peter
Special to the Kansan
changes, as well as to boast individual casino flair.
The Kansas City boats-in-moats issue finally is out of the way. Now, Missouri casinos are back on track and ready to make a few
Their first idea is to eliminate the state's $500 betting limit and two-hour boarding time rule. Frequent gamblers said the limit hurt the casinos' entertainment value.
"I can't believe they even try to limit us," said Sean Saffold, a blackjack player.
John Compton, another black-jack player, said, although he wasn't a big gambler, the limit
"I don't even have $500 to blow every two hours; if I did, I wouldn't want any restrictions."
John Compton
Blackjack player
was constricting.
"I don't even have $500 to blow every two hours; if I did, I wouldn't want any restrictions," Compton said.
The state imposed the restriction to protect compulsive gam
blers. According to the Missouri Riverboat Gaming Association, the boarding rule is a customer satisfaction problem. The association said nine times out of 10, out-of-state customers don't understand the process and
leave.
To combat this,casinos are trying to highlight their atmosphere by using bright lights and providing food, cheap drinks,a place to stay and exchange money.
The major casinos in the Kansas City area are Harrah's, Argosy Casino, The Flamingo and Station Casino. Until recently, Sam's Town Casino also was in this group, but it was bought out by Harrah's, which has no immediate plans for the
property.
According to the Missouri General Assembly, committees that studied limiting a gambler's purchase of chips and slot machine tokens to $500 per two-hour gambling session concluded the limit was a burden and mostly ineffective in protecting compulsive gamblers from themselves.
The Gaming Association plans to confront the issues of lifting the gambling limit and boarding time rule next year.
There's still time to place a Kansan classified ad this semester.
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Friday, December 4th 2pm 2092 Dole Center
Only 20 minutes of your time! For information call 864-0718
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