The Rieger in the Press

IN THE PRESS

May - September 2017

May 8, 2017
Circulation: 140,000

Amy Beeman is The Rieger’s First Pastry Chef

Natalie Gallagher

If you’ve stopped into The Rieger for dinner in the past few weeks, you’ve likely noticed some interesting
featured dessert options – like, say, a buckwheat shortcake with poached rhubarb, orange-blossom pastry
cream and fleur spice. That’s thanks to a new addition: Amy Beeman.

For the first time since opening in 2010, The Rieger has a pastry chef. Beeman, a Kansas City native who
recently moved back to the area after five years living in Boston, joined the restaurant in late April. For chef-
owner Howard Hanna, this moment has been a long time coming.

“When we first opened, there were so many things that I dreamed about having,” Hanna says. “You get
used to getting by without something for so long that you don't always stop and revisit it, but adding that
position right now makes sense.”

Beeman will start by reinterpreting the desserts on the just-debuted spring menu, and then will write the
dessert menu for the next seasonal change. She won’t just be responsible for desserts, either – the
crackers, quick breads and doughs that feature on Hanna's dinner menu will invariably benefit from
Beeman’s experience. Eventually, Hanna adds, he sees Beeman lending her talents to the brunch and
pastry menu at Ça Va, too.

“This enables us to keep improving,” Hanna says. “Hiring a pastry chef is something we've always talked
about. Since dessert is the last impression of a meal, it has the potential to make an impact, and I think this
is a way to step up our game in pretty noticeable ways.”

Beeman boasts an impressive résumé. Her career started in 2009 as a baker at Dolce Bakery in Prairie
Village, Kansas; four years later, she moved to Boston with her husband and became executive pastry chef
at the South End Buttery. In 2015, Beeman was hired as the pastry chef de cuisine at the Middle Eastern
Sofra Bakery in Cambridge, Massachusetts, under renowned pastry chef and James Beard-award nominee
Maura Kilpatrick. At Sofra, Beeman learned how to craft pastries using flavor profiles not often found in
Western desserts.

May 15, 2017
Circulation: 170,000

10 Exciting New Developments in Kansas City Restaurants This Spring

Jen Chen

On KCUR’s Central Standard, our Food Critics
— Charles Ferruzza, Mary Bloch and Jenny
Vergara — have been keeping an eye on the
latest news from KC’s restaurant scene.

They shared some of the highlights from this past
spring with host Gina Kaufmann:

1. Café Sebastienne hires David Ford.He’s the
new executive chef, taking over Jennifer
Maloney’s spot. Maloney, who had been the
executive chef since the restaurant
opened, passed away at the end of 2016.

“They did a nationwide search … and I’m so
pleased they decided to choose someone local,” said Vergara. “David Ford is a great talent. He’s been
working with Patrick Ryan at Port Fonda for many years now, so it’ll be wonderful to see how he picks
up the reins and moves Café Sebastienne forward.”

2. The American hires Debbie Gold as executive chef. The iconic KC restaurant closed at the end of
last year, but it’s now a space for private parties and pop-up events.

“(The American) had a great tradition of producing James Beard Foundation Award-winning chefs, and
Debbie Gold was one of those chefs,” said Bloch. Gold will helm the kitchen, and the Food Critics
speculated that she might also help out when The American brings in other chefs for pop-up events.

“She has a reach that’s worldwide, nationwide,” said Vergara. “Her pull will be very interesting in terms
of who she’ll get to come in.”

3. The Rieger hires Amy Beeman as its first pastry chef. Beeman just moved back to KC from
Boston, where she was working at a Middle Eastern café, Sofra Bakery, under pastry chef (and James
Beard Award-nominee) Maura Kilpatrick.

“(Beeman) has a real interesting spice palate that she’s going to be bringing to the really hardy, lovely
food that Howard Hanna does,” said Vergara.

4. Cody Hogan is the new General Manager at Lidia’s Kansas City. He’s been with the restaurant
since it opened in the late 1990s, starting as a pastry chef and becoming its chef de cuisine. He also
traveled with Lidia Bastianich and helped prep her TV shows.

“I can’t think of a better person to bring both the back of the house and the front of the house together in
such a meaningful way,” said Vergara.

5. Corvino Supper Club & Tasting Room opens. Earlier this year, it made Eater’s list of "The 16 Most
Anticipated Restaurant Openings of 2017.” Michael Corvino, who used to be at The American, has
created two restaurants in one, said Bloch. There’s a big supper club with a long bar with live music
(low-key during dinner), plus a small tasting room. After 10 or so, Corvino offers a late-night menu,
featuring a “ginormous” cheeseburger — his homage to the Town Topic burger, said Bloch — and the
music gets less mellow and more late-night-y as well.

6. Attitude opens in Midtown. Breakfast and lunch only. You can get a traditional breakfast: eggs,
biscuits and gravy and the like. But in the afternoon, the menu features more Italian dishes.

According to Vergara, it also serves great desserts: a mile-high coconut cream pie, "gobs" (a Polish
version of whoopie pies), cookies and more.

7. TikiCat opens in Westport, in the basement of HopCat. The president and CEO of HopCat is a fan
of tiki, said Vergara, and when he bought the space for HopCat, he decided to test his own tiki bar in the
basement and brought in well-known tiki artists to decorate the space. The menu includes classic tiki
drinks and more, but no food. “It’s my new obsession,” said Vergara. “It’s really good and really fun.”

8. Boru Ramen opens in Waldo. “It’s not just a ramen shop,” said Bloch. The full-service restaurant
serves steamed buns, fried rice and more.

9. Andre’s Confiserie Suisse on Main Street is remodeling its tea room after 40 years. It’ll look
current, like the front of the store, and the Swiss chalet will stay, said Vergara.

10. Other restaurant openings: Jarocho South, Westport Ice Cream Bakery (in the old Murray’s
location), Freshwater KC.

May 18, 2017
Circulation: 13,000
Amy Beeman Makes Her Sweet Return to Kansas City and More Chef News in the Midwest
Matt Kirouac

In Kansas City, Amy Beeman returned home from Boston to assume the role of pastry chef at The Rieger.
In Detroit, the hotly anticipated Apparatus Room made its grand entry at the equally awaited Detroit
Foundation Hotel; Thomas Lents (Sixteen) serves as chef. Chubby Duck reopened in Harmonie Park. Red
Dunn Kitchen opens at the Trumbull & Porter Hotel June 1.
In the Twin Cities, Destiny Buron and Daniel Kidd are planning a bakery on the West Side. The original
Colossal Cafe space is morphing into a sandwich shop called The Original 42nd. Bradstreet Neighborhood
Crafthouse is moving from its current location to a hotel by the airport.

May 18, 2017
Circulation: 800,000

New pastry chef at The Rieger

Amy Beeman is the newest addition to The Rieger. She is the new pastry chef and shared a sweet recipe
with us.

Grits Tuile Cookie
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 Tablespoons grits (finely ground - or cornmeal will work)
• 3 large egg whites
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 4 oz (8T) butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Whisk the sugar and egg whites until combined. Add the melted butter while whisking. Lastly, add the
flour and grits and whisk until completely smooth. Refrigerate the batter for at least one hour before
using.
When ready to make the tuiles, line a baking sheet with a silpat, or parchment paper that has been
greased, and preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Use a tablespoon, and depending on what size and
shape you'd like your tuiles to be, spoon about 2 teaspoons of batter (filling the tablespoon 2/3 of the way)
onto your baking sheet. Using an offset spatula, or the back of a spoon, spread the batter thinly into a
rectangular shape. Bake for 6-8 minutes or until they are golden brown. Remove from the oven, and
working quickly, wrap the cookies around the handle of a wooden spoon or drape over the bottom of a
cupcake pan. They will crisp up very quickly, so if you are making many at a time, you can put the pan
back in the oven for a few seconds to heat them back up.

May 25, 2016
Circulation: 410,000

Chefs celebrate berry season with strawberry shortcake

Fern Glazer

A sure sign that summer is imminent is the
proliferation of strawberry shortcake on menus.
This year, chefs are celebrating the arrival of
berry season with familiar and innovative
versions of this classic dessert.

“With desserts, people want something that’s a
little bit different,” said Anthony Alberin,
executive pastry chef at Coffeemania, a Euro-
Russian eatery in New York City. “For me,
traditional ideas are boring. I want to see
something more.”

Alberin’s “something more” is called Love Me, Love Me Not, an intricate take on classic strawberry
shortcake. The dessert, which is evocative of a flower, is made with wild strawberry mousse with a mixed
berry gel inside, on top of a shortcake base. It’s finished with a white chocolate and cocoa butter spray to
give the exterior a velvety look.

“When you look at the display, it definitely stands out,” said Alberin of his bestselling dessert. “It’s
strawberries — everybody loves strawberries.”

Also looking to make a strawberry standout is DaVee Harned, pastry chef at Pawpaw in Charleston, S.C.
Harned’s creation features a lemon poppy seed bundt cake for the shortcake and first-of-the-season
strawberries macerated with brown sugar, served with a side of basil ice cream.

“It's just super light and fresh,” Harned said. “It also just puts a different twist on something that is very
traditional. I wanted to have something that you can't get everywhere else."

At Halifax in Hoboken, N.J., pastry chef Stuart Marx adds height and an unexpected crunch to the
summer favorite. His strawberry shortcake is made with three layers of vanilla spongecake, each brushed
with a strawberry sauce that also contains lemon and sugar, then coated with graham cracker crumbs
and topped with fresh and pureed strawberries and pistachios. It’s served with vanilla whipped cream and
a scoop of roasted pistachio ice cream.
“My style is classic with a twist, so I knew I wanted to do a version of strawberry shortcake,” Marx said.
“Plus, strawberry and pistachios is one of my favorite combinations since childhood. The flavors go
perfectly together.”
And at the Tuck Room Tavern in Westwood, Calif., chef Sherry Yard serves a deconstructed strawberry
shortcake: She places Harry’s Gaviota strawberries, Scottish shortbread and Bellwether Farms whipped
cream in a decorative glass.
Chains are serving up strawberry shortcake, too. From June 19 to the end of August, Buffalo Wings &
Rings, the 55-unit, family-friendly sports bar chain, will serve a cookie shortcake base dusted in powdered
sugar and topped with vanilla ice cream, strawberries that will be locally sourced by each franchisee, and
whipped cream.

Shortcake is resonating so strongly that some pastry chefs, like Amy Beeman of The Rieger in Kansas
City, are finding creative ways to menu it even before strawberries comes into season near them.
“Shortcakes are kind of everywhere now,” Beeman said. “I love nostalgic desserts, things that remind you
of your childhood. Strawberry shortcake is that for me.”
Despite fresh strawberries not yet being available near Kansas City, Beeman is whipping up a spin on the
nostalgic dessert that has a similar taste and texture but takes advantage of another in-season favorite:
rhubarb.
Beeman’s rhubarb shortcake is made with buckwheat shortcakes that are split open and filled with
rhubarb puree. That’s topped with orange blossom pastry cream and finished with fleur spice (a mixture
of pink peppercorn, hibiscus, rose petals and mint), and served with a side of poached rhubarb. The
combination of the ingredients makes “everything pink and springy,” Beeman said.

May 25, 2017
Circulation: 75,000

Chefs celebrate berry season with strawberry shortcake

Fern Glazer

A sure sign that summer is imminent is the proliferation of strawberry shortcake on menus. This year,
chefs are celebrating the arrival of berry season with familiar and innovative versions of this classic
dessert.
“With desserts, people want something that’s a little bit different,” said Anthony Alberin, executive pastry
chef at Coffeemania, a Euro-Russian eatery in New York City. “For me, traditional ideas are boring. I want
to see something more.”
Alberin’s “something more” is called Love Me, Love Me Not, an intricate take on classic strawberry
shortcake. The dessert, which is evocative of a flower, is made with wild strawberry mousse with a mixed
berry gel inside, on top of a shortcake base. It’s finished with a white chocolate and cocoa butter spray to
give the exterior a velvety look.
“When you look at the display, it definitely stands out,” said Alberin of his bestselling dessert. “It’s
strawberries — everybody loves strawberries.”
Also looking to make a strawberry standout is DaVee Harned, pastry chef at Pawpaw in Charleston, S.C.
Harned’s creation features a lemon poppy seed bundt cake for the shortcake and first-of-the-season
strawberries macerated with brown sugar, served with a side of basil ice cream.
“It's just super light and fresh,” Harned said. “It also just puts a different twist on something that is very
traditional. I wanted to have something that you can't get everywhere else."

At Halifax in Hoboken, N.J., pastry chef Stuart Marx adds height and an unexpected crunch to the
summer favorite. His strawberry shortcake is made with three layers of vanilla spongecake, each brushed
with a strawberry sauce that also contains lemon and sugar, then coated with graham cracker crumbs
and topped with fresh and pureed strawberries and pistachios. It’s served with vanilla whipped cream and
a scoop of roasted pistachio ice cream.

“My style is classic with a twist, so I knew I wanted to do a version of strawberry shortcake,” Marx said.
“Plus, strawberry and pistachios is one of my favorite combinations since childhood. The flavors go
perfectly together.”

And at the Tuck Room Tavern in Westwood, Calif., chef Sherry Yard serves a deconstructed strawberry
shortcake: She places Harry’s Gaviota strawberries, Scottish shortbread and Bellwether Farms whipped
cream in a decorative glass.

Chains are serving up strawberry shortcake, too. From June 19 to the end of August, Buffalo Wings &
Rings, the 55-unit, family-friendly sports bar chain, will serve a cookie shortcake base dusted in powdered
sugar and topped with vanilla ice cream, strawberries that will be locally sourced by each franchisee, and
whipped cream.

Shortcake is resonating so strongly that some pastry chefs, like Amy Beeman of The Rieger in Kansas
City, are finding creative ways to menu it even before strawberries comes into season near them.
“Shortcakes are kind of everywhere now,” Beeman said. “I love nostalgic desserts, things that remind you
of your childhood. Strawberry shortcake is that for me.”

Despite fresh strawberries not yet being available near Kansas City, Beeman is whipping up a spin on the
nostalgic dessert that has a similar taste and texture but takes advantage of another in-season favorite:
rhubarb.

Beeman’s rhubarb shortcake is made with buckwheat shortcakes that are split open and filled with
rhubarb puree. That’s topped with orange blossom pastry cream and finished with fleur spice (a mixture
of pink peppercorn, hibiscus, rose petals and mint), and served with a side of poached rhubarb. The
combination of the ingredients makes “everything pink and springy,” Beeman said.

June 9, 2017
Circulation: 240,000
Tales of the Cocktail Announces the Top 10 Nominees for the 2017 Spirited Awards
Hannah Kobrin

New Orleans, LA – June 9, 2017 – After more than a month of evaluating 1,000+ incredibly qualified
nominations, the top ten for each Spirited Awards® category have been selected. The American and
International committees, consisting of the industry’s most respected professionals and led by Spirited
Awards® Chairperson Charlotte Voisey, assessed each nomination with care to ensure they met the
essential criteria before presenting the list of qualified entries to committee judges. The judges’
deliberation and eventual votes yielded this year’s top ten nominees.
“To receive a top ten nod for the Spirited Awards is a monumental accomplishment,” said Ann
Tuennerman, Founder of Tales of the Cocktail. “I want to thank our judges for taking on this very difficult
task of selecting just 10 finalists from so many qualified and deserving nominees.”
At 2:00 PM CST on Friday, June 16th, Tales of the Cocktail will host an exclusive Facebook Live event,
where the top 4 nominees in each category will be announced. Each of the finalists will be invited to
attend the live ceremony in New Orleans during Tales of the Cocktail® 2017, where the winners will
receive the iconic Riedel Crystal trophy.
“I am delighted to see this year’s Top 10 nominees for the Spirited Awards,” said Charlotte Voisey,
Chairperson of the Spirited Awards®. “Every year the nomination and judging process shows just how rich
and talented our industry is and continues to be. With literally thousands of nominations received, huge
congratulations go out to all of the bars, people, products, and publications represented in the Top 10
lists.”
The Spirited Awards® were founded in 2007 to recognize the efforts of the best and brightest
professionals within the cocktail and spirits industries. Twenty-four awards will be handed out to the
industry’s best bars, bartenders, writers, distillers and more. This year, the Spirited Awards® ceremony
will take place on Saturday, July 22 at the Sheraton Hotel as part of the 15th Annual Tales of the
Cocktail® celebration.

The Spirited Awards® are made possible by the generous support of our sponsors: 1724 Tonic Water,
Bacardi USA, BarSmarts, Beam Suntory, Bound at The Cromwell, Chivas, Elijah Craig Small Batch
Bourbon, GH Mumm, Gin Mare, House of Angostura, Lillet, Luxardo, Montecristo Cigar Bar at Caesars
Palace, Nikka Whiskey, Pierre Ferrand Cognac, Rutte Gin, Suze Bitters & Liqueurs and William Grant &
Sons.

BEST AMERICAN BRAND AMBASSADOR
• Andie Ferman (St. George Spirits)
• Anne Louise Marquis (Campari USA)
• Jessamine McLellan (Pernod Ricard)
• Johnnie the Scot (Beam Suntory)
• Lynn House (Heaven Hill)
• Misty Kalkofen (Del Maguey)
• Robin Nance (Beam Suntory)

• Ryan Maybee (J. Rieger & Co.)
• Tim Cooper (The 86 co.)
• Trevor Schneider (Reyka)

BEST AMERICAN RESTAURANT BAR
• 27 Restaurant & Bar (Miami, FL)
• Beaker & Gray (Miami, FL)
• Cane & Table (New Orleans, LA)
• Dante NYC (New York, NY)
• Gramercy Tavern (New York, NY)
• Otium (Los Angeles, CA)
• Redbird (Los Angeles, CA)
• Spoon and Stable (Minneapolis, MN)
• The Baldwin Bar (Woburn, MA)

• The Rieger (Kansas City, MO)

BEST NEW SPIRIT OR COCKTAIL INGREDIENT*
• Altos Anejo (Mexico)
• Ancho Reyes Verde (Mexico)
• Braemble Gin Liqueur (Scotland, UK)
• Del Maguey Single Village Mezcal PUEBLA, San Pablo Ameyaltepec Wild Papalote (Mexico)
• ITALICUS - Rosolio di Bergamotto (Italy)
• J. Rieger & Co. Caffe Amaro (United States)
• Luxardo Bitter Bianco (Italy)
• Plantation O.F.T.D. (Cognac, France)

• Rieger's Monogram Whiskey, 2017 Olorso Bota (United States)
• Shrubb J.M. (Martinique)
• The Bitter Truth Olive Bitters (Germany)

June 13, 2017
Circulation: 260,000

A Luxury Experience for Less: Kansas City, Missouri

Anne Roderique-Jones

Kansas City might just be one of America’s best hidden gems. Located smack in the middle of the U.S.,
it’s often an overlooked fly-over city. But it shouldn’t be. Thanks to the world-class museums, a
burgeoning food scene, and high-end shopping, it’s one of the best locations to visit for a luxury trip for
less. Here, our guide to a splurgy (but not outrageously expensive!) weekend in KC.

What to Do

Kansas City is home to the world-class Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, which can easily fill a full day and
happens to be free. Opened in 1933, the museum — situated on 20 stunning acres — is home to more
than 30,000 works of art, and includes robust ceramics and Asian art collections. It’s not far from the city’s
Country Club Plaza; modeled after the fountain-filled plazas of Seville, Spain, the area has more than 150
shops and restaurants, and is ideal for an evening stroll.

The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum ($10 admission) works to preserve the rich history of African-
American baseball, and is another must-see in this sports-obsessed city. Come evening, continue the
theme with a game at Kauffman Stadium, home of the Kansas City Royals. We found seats for as little as
$9 each — not bad for a major league park.

Where to Eat

Arguably the hottest restaurant in Kansas City right now is The Rieger. Situated downtown, it’s housed in
the former Rieger Hotel, which was built in 1915 and retains many of its original architectural details. Chef
Howard Hanna, along with Ryan Maybee, a life-long bartender and restaurateur owner, opened The
Rieger to offer heartland hospitality with classic dishes and hand-crafted cocktails. The menu changes
with the seasons and highlights local ingredients. There’s a happy hour menu with cocktails like the

Horsefeather, made with the house J. Rieger & Co. Whiskey, bitters, and ginger beer for $5, and a
French 75 for $6. Plus, there are plenty of snacks like a fried hominy ($5), warm pretzels ($7), and bison
tongue pastrami ($9). But dinner is the shining star here. Start with a bowl of the Rieger pork soup:
prepared like a classic French onion soup, this signature dish is made with pork confit, Gruyère, and
chicharron for crunch. Starters include smoked trout toast, bison tartare, and nettle risotto. For mains, try
the rabbit pie or KC strip steak. The best part? You’re essentially getting a fine dining experience, with
top-notch food, for around $100 — an incredible value. Post-dinner, head downstairs to the speakeasy-
style cocktail bar, Manifesto, which was opened by Maybee in 2009.

What to Drink

Take in happy hour, or what high-end KC restaurants call “social hour” at Stock Hill in the Country Club
Plaza. We like this spot for its stunning decor — marble and gold fixtures, rows of green velvet sofas, and
beautifully etched glassware. From 4 p.m. to 6 p.m daily, you can sip on a dirty martini (with black truffle
and a blue cheese-stuffed olive) or the Kansas City Steakhouse Punch for $8. Get two orders of the tuna
tartare tater tots ($8 per order) because they’re both delicious and affordable. Gram & Dun, also on the
Plaza, features a social hour menu with $6 cocktails, $3 craft beer, and $5 wine and bubbles. The beef fat
fries ($4) and French onion dumplings at $6, are stand-out menu items. If the weather permits, there’s a
lovely patio with plenty of seating.

Where to Stay

For an upscale experience without the crazy price tag, book a guest room at The Fontaine. Located on
the Country Club Plaza, the modern and chic rooms run about $190 per night, and there’s an included
European breakfast.

June 15, 2017
Circulation: 12,200,000

Area distillery, sommelier earn top 10 honors in global contest

Leslie Collins
A local distillery and sommelier earned top honors in the Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards, a global
contest that netted more than 1,000 nominations this year.
Tales of the Cocktail announced its Top 10 nominees, and Kansas City-based J. Rieger & Co. and The
Rieger landed in multiple categories:

• Best American Restaurant Bar – The Rieger
• Best American Brand Ambassador – Ryan Maybee, co-founder of J. Rieger & Co.
• Best New Spirit or Cocktail Ingredient – J. Rieger & Co.'s Caffé Amaro and Monogram Whiskey
Kansas City's Doug Frost, co-founder of POPFest KC, also received recognition as one of the top 10 best
bar mentors. Frost is a master of wine and master sommelier.
Tales of the Cocktail will whittle each category to the top four nominees Friday, and the winners will be
announced during an awards ceremony in New Orleans July 22.

July 7, 2017
Circulation: 410,000

Chefs add fragrance and flavor with fresh herbs

Fern Glazer

Fresh herbs — often unsung hero ingredients — have the power to elevate a dish from fundamental to
fabulous. Lately, chefs with a passion for these fragrant ingredients are increasingly using them on menus.
According to recent data from Datassential MenuTrends, the percentage of restaurant menus featuring the
term “fresh herbs” has increased 3 percent over the past year, while a number of specific fresh herbs have
experienced strong growth over a one-year and four-year trend, including fresh mint, cilantro and
parsley. Additionally, fresh basil, mint, rosemary and thyme are all experiencing notable growth on
beverage menus.

“Fresh herbs are a very important element in our food,” said Chad Newton, culinary director of Asian Box,
a fast-casual, build-your-own Asian street food concept with five restaurants in California.

At Asian Box, guests build their own meal by first choosing a base (rice, rice noodles, or Asian salad), a
protein (six-spice chicken, lemon grass pork, coconut tofu) and vegetables and then topping it all with
ingredients such as fresh herbs, jalapeño, crispy shallots and a house-made sauce. The herbs are a blend
of fresh Thai basil, mint and cilantro sourced from local farmers.

“It is very authentic and traditional,” Newton said. “These herbs add a bright freshness that balances out
the sweet, spicy, tangy and salty flavors of our food.”

At 610 Magnolia in Louisville, Ky., chef Kevin Ashworth incorporates herbs harvested from the restaurant’s
greenhouse and garden into dishes on his main menu. Among the dishes are watermelon carpaccio with
kohlrabi, fish sauce, purslane, Thai basil and benne seed, and border spring lamb with gochujang romesco,
summer squash, marjoram and opal basil.

At Milkwood, 610 Magnolia’s sister restaurant, beverage director Stacie Stewart uses house-grown herbs
in cocktails like the beet-infused Copper and Kings Unaged Apple Brandy "Gold Rush," made with thyme-
and marjoram-steeped honey and lemon, shaken and served over rocks with micro basil garnish.

The comfort food and barbecue menu at Queens Bully, a gastro pub opening in mid-July in Forest Hills,
N.Y., features locally sourced ingredients and fresh herbs such as dill and mint that have been grown in the
restaurant’s basement-level hydroponic garden.

“We are starting off with growing strictly herbs that will be used for garnishing our drinks and, of course,
used in our food. We hope to grow an array of vegetables on our rooftop by next spring,” said Rohan
Aggarwal, owner of Queens Bully. “We are very excited to serve the freshest of ingredients to our guests.”
Queens Bully appetizers, entrees and cocktails featuring the hydroponic harvest include deviled eggs with
dill and pimento aïoli; the Astoria lamb burger with herbed lamb, feta spread, lettuce and mint aïoli on a
brioche bun, and the Flushing Slush, a blended rum cocktail with Kronan Swedish Punsch, raspberry
gomme (a thickened syrup), lime, pineapple, sage, Angostura bitters, Bittermen’s Tiki Bitters and nutmeg.
Also growing and using fresh herbs is chef Luca Corazzina at 312 Chicago. Corazzina uses the sage, mint,
chives, rosemary, oregano and basil, as well as tomatoes and vegetables he grows on the restaurant’s
rooftop garden to make pesto and cream sauces for pastas, herb butter, rosemary potatoes, roasted tomato
relish and marinades, and to add flavor to potato cakes and crostini.

Other chefs are going beyond familiar herbs, sourcing underutilized (and largely unfamiliar) varieties such
as chickweed, bedstraw and nettles.

“I’ve always cooked with a ton of fresh herbs,” said chef Howard Hanna of The Rieger in Kansas City,
Mo. “We use a lot of basil, parsley and mint, [but recently] I got interested in things that are wild and native.”

Among the wild herbs showing up on his spring menu were chickweed, a purée of which he used to make
a creamy polenta verde, as well as nettles, which he used to make risotto. New wild herb-infused dishes
on his summer menu will include nettle-wrapped merguez sausage and pasta made by rolling nettle leaves
into the dough.

Similarly, executive chef Michael Rafidi sources foraged wild herbs for his contemporary Spanish and
Moroccan menu at Arroz by Mike Isabella in Washington, D.C., including bronze fennel, nasturtium leaves,
amaranth and chickweed. Rafidi uses them to garnish dishes such as big-eye tuna crudo with berbere salt,
compressed melon, smoked serrano broth and wild herbs (bronzed fennel and amaranth).
The power of fresh herbs is driving systemwide change at The Melting Pot. The 122-unit fondue chain is
currently testing replacing dried herbs with fresh ones (parsley and chives) for use in its signature Green
Goddess sauce.
“As part of its Exceptional Food Initiative launched last year, The Melting Pot is continuing to find ways to
bring the best products to its guests,” said chef Jason Miller, manager of culinary development for the chain.
“The current recipe for the signature Green Goddess sauce uses high-quality dried herbs, but with any
recipe fresh is always better.”

The

July 1, 2017
Circulation: 243,500,000

Dark side of the sun: The U.S. gets a rare total-eclipse crossing

Kate Silver

Michelle Nichols speaks with such passion and poetry about the moon passing in front of the sun that she
can inspire someone with even the smallest sliver of astronomical knowledge (such as this travel writer)
to begin planning a trip to see the total solar eclipse on Aug. 21.
“It looks like a hole in the sky. In the middle of the day, the sky goes dark and you can see stars and
planets,” says Nichols, who is director of public observing at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago. “I’ve seen
one total solar eclipse, which was mind-blowing.”
The August eclipse is especially exciting for people in the United States because this country will be the
only place where something called the “path of totality” can be seen. That’s where the moon will
completely cover the sun, casting the land in darkness. That path is within a day’s driving distance for
millions of people.
The path of totality will pass over 14 states, starting in the morning on the coast of Oregon, near Newport,
at 10:15 a.m. Pacific daylight time, with the shadow leaving American soil via McClellanville, South
Carolina, at 2:49 p.m., Eastern daylight time. In between, it will cross cities in Oregon, Idaho, a sliver of
Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, a sliver of Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia,
North Carolina and South Carolina. Darkness will last anywhere from a few seconds to two minutes 41
seconds, depending on the location.
While eclipses are fairly common – they happen about once a year, sometimes more – they’re often in
remote areas or over water. This will be the first total solar eclipse that has been visible in the continental
United States since 1979, and it’s the first to cross the country coast to coast in 99 years. Throughout the
country, universities, parks, farms, museums, hotels and other venues are hosting festivals and viewing
parties to celebrate the phenomenon.
Nichols will be traveling with a team from the Adler Planetarium about 330 miles south of Chicago to
Carbondale, Illinois, which is located in the path of totality. She ticks off the things she’s excited to see,
such as getting a glimpse of the wispy outer atmosphere of the sun, called the corona.

“This is the jewel of a total solar eclipse and the only time on Earth that the corona can be seen with the
naked eye,” Nichols says. (Outside of the path of totality, a partial eclipse will be visible, and it will be too
bright to see the corona; it will appear more like an ordinary day. You can watch the total solar eclipse on
NASA’s website.)

And then there are the animals. It will be the first total solar eclipse Nichols has seen from the land – she
watched the eclipse of Aug. 11, 1999, from a ship in the Black Sea – and she says that she’s curious
what will happen.

“Animals think it’s time to go to bed. So cows might start walking toward the barn because they think it’s
nighttime. And birds might go to roost because they think it’s nighttime. And crickets might start chirping
because they think it’s nighttime,” she says.

It’s a reminder of the interconnectedness of the universe.

“Something in space is literally directly affecting stuff here on Earth. That’s the most amazing part to me,”
Nichols says.

Wherever you are, Nichols cautions, never look directly at the sun unless you are within the path of
totality and it is completely covered by the moon. She recommends purchasing a pair of eclipse glasses
made by one of four companies: Lunt Solar Systems, Rainbow Symphony, American Paper Optics, and
Thousand Oaks Optical.

Some people have been planning for this eclipse since 1979, Nichols says. City officials in the path of
totality anticipate heavy traffic and many hotels across the country have been long sold out. (Camping
may not be a bad idea.) Still, she encourages people to find a way to see the sky show.

If you can’t make it, cheer up: There’s another total solar eclipse coming on April 8, 2024, which will travel
the country from southwest to the northeast.

– Camping spots are still available (five days, $150-$3,500) in Madras, Oregon, for
Solarfest(oregonsolarfest.com), a music and camping celebration that’s operating in partnership with
NASA for premier eclipse viewing.

– Open spaces and parkland in Wyoming are expected to draw hundreds of thousands of visitors. In
Casper, where elevation is 5,000 feet, viewing parties will go on across town, from the fairgrounds and
area churches to a distillery – Backwater Distilling, which is planning distillery tours, live music, food and
cocktails (eclipsecasper.com/festival). In Jackson Hole, the nonprofit organization Wyoming Stargazing is
hosting two pre-eclipse mountain parties that include a chairlift ride, presentations from astronomy
experts, mingling with retired astronaut Scott Altman, refreshments and stargazing through telescopes
(tickets $375,wyomingstargazing.org/2017-solar-eclipse/).

– On the day of the eclipse, Spring Creek Ranch is hosting a party in partnership with Wyoming
Stargazing, which will include brunch, cocktails, eclipse glasses, and talks and interpretations by experts
($175 per person, springcreekranch.com/activities/solar-eclipse/; condos are still available at the property
starting at $1,600 a night).

– In Weston, Missouri, a farm festival is the place to be. Green Dirt Farm and Chef Howard Hanna of the
Rieger restaurant in Kansas City will co-host an all-day, adults-only festival, cleverly named “Black Sheep
in the Shadow – a Total Eclipse of the Farm,” which will include food (roasted pig and lamb), live music
and “freakshow-style” performances. ($85, greendirtfarm.com/event/eclipse).

Rooms are still available at the Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center, where guests can also view
the sky from the event space on the 42nd floor (rates start at $221 per night,
sheratonkansascityhotel.com). Columbia, Missouri, will be celebrating the darkness with the “Show Me

Totality” party including food and music festivals, a run, golf tournament, bicycle ride, a concert and
viewing parties at multiple locations (comoeclipse.com).

– In Carbondale, Illinois, a festival art and craft fair, eclipse comic-con and more are in the works and a
team from Chicago’s Adler Planetarium will be onsite to answer questions and lead events. NASA will be
streaming a live feed and the public is invited to Saluki Stadium, where Matt Kaplan of Planetary Radio
will act as a guide for the main event (tickets are $25, carbondaleeclipse.com). If you can’t find a room at
a local hotel, Southern Illinois University is offering dorm suite rentals – four single beds for three nights –
for $800 (visit housing.siu.edu/eclipse).

– Nashville is the largest city that will see total darkness, and eclipse chasers can attend the Music City
Eclipse Science & Technology Fest at the Adventure Science Center, the Italian Lights Fest at
Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, and viewing parties around town – including one at the Nashville
Zoo at Grassmere (visitmusiccity.com/eclipse). Hotels, such as Union Station Hotel Nashville, are offering
themed packages, including a viewing party where Moon Pies and Astronaut Ice Cream will be served
($471.28 per night) or guests can upgrade to a suite and have access to a local astronomer and a
telescope ($821.17 per night).

– As its grand finale, the path of totality will cross South Carolina. In Columbia, the South Carolina State
Museum will host a weekend-long celebration with eclipse and astronomy activities, talks and expert
appearances (scmuseum.org/eclipse/), and nearly 100 events are planned in and around Charleston,
including a family-friendly viewing party at the Bend on the Ashley River featuring live music, STEM
activities (a robotics demonstration, paper airplane building), astronomers on site and a live feed of NASA
launching high-altitude balloons in Charleston (thebendcharleston.com). There are also events at
museums (“Eclipse on a Warship” at Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum) and yoga gatherings
(SunShadow Yoga at Mount Pleasant Pier), and hotels with remaining rooms are offering eclipse
packages – visit charlestoncvb.com/eclipse.

To learn more about the eclipse and events surrounding it, visit NASA’s eclipse page at
eclipse2017.nasa.gov.

July 1, 2017
Circulation: 6,950,000

Dark side of the sun: The U.S. gets a rare total-eclipse crossing

Kate Silver

Michelle Nichols speaks with such passion and poetry about the moon passing in front of the sun that she
can inspire someone with even the smallest sliver of astronomical knowledge (such as this travel writer)
to begin planning a trip to see the total solar eclipse on Aug. 21.
“It looks like a hole in the sky. In the middle of the day, the sky goes dark and you can see stars and
planets,” says Nichols, who is director of public observing at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago. “I’ve seen
one total solar eclipse, which was mind-blowing.”
The August eclipse is especially exciting for people in the United States because this country will be the
only place where something called the “path of totality” can be seen. That’s where the moon will
completely cover the sun, casting the land in darkness. That path is within a day’s driving distance for
millions of people.
The path of totality will pass over 14 states, starting in the morning on the coast of Oregon, near Newport,
at 10:15 a.m. Pacific daylight time, with the shadow leaving American soil via McClellanville, South
Carolina, at 2:49 p.m., Eastern daylight time. In between, it will cross cities in Oregon, Idaho, a sliver of
Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, a sliver of Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia,
North Carolina and South Carolina. Darkness will last anywhere from a few seconds to two minutes 41
seconds, depending on the location.
While eclipses are fairly common – they happen about once a year, sometimes more – they’re often in
remote areas or over water. This will be the first total solar eclipse that has been visible in the continental
United States since 1979, and it’s the first to cross the country coast to coast in 99 years. Throughout the
country, universities, parks, farms, museums, hotels and other venues are hosting festivals and viewing
parties to celebrate the phenomenon.

Nichols will be traveling with a team from the Adler Planetarium about 330 miles south of Chicago to
Carbondale, Illinois, which is located in the path of totality. She ticks off the things she’s excited to see,
such as getting a glimpse of the wispy outer atmosphere of the sun, called the corona.

“This is the jewel of a total solar eclipse and the only time on Earth that the corona can be seen with the
naked eye,” Nichols says. (Outside of the path of totality, a partial eclipse will be visible, and it will be too
bright to see the corona; it will appear more like an ordinary day. You can watch the total solar eclipse on
NASA’s website.)

And then there are the animals. It will be the first total solar eclipse Nichols has seen from the land – she
watched the eclipse of Aug. 11, 1999, from a ship in the Black Sea – and she says that she’s curious
what will happen.

“Animals think it’s time to go to bed. So cows might start walking toward the barn because they think it’s
nighttime. And birds might go to roost because they think it’s nighttime. And crickets might start chirping
because they think it’s nighttime,” she says.

It’s a reminder of the interconnectedness of the universe.

“Something in space is literally directly affecting stuff here on Earth. That’s the most amazing part to me,”
Nichols says.

Wherever you are, Nichols cautions, never look directly at the sun unless you are within the path of
totality and it is completely covered by the moon. She recommends purchasing a pair of eclipse glasses
made by one of four companies: Lunt Solar Systems, Rainbow Symphony, American Paper Optics, and
Thousand Oaks Optical.

Some people have been planning for this eclipse since 1979, Nichols says. City officials in the path of
totality anticipate heavy traffic and many hotels across the country have been long sold out. (Camping
may not be a bad idea.) Still, she encourages people to find a way to see the sky show.

If you can’t make it, cheer up: There’s another total solar eclipse coming on April 8, 2024, which will travel
the country from southwest to the northeast.

– Camping spots are still available (five days, $150-$3,500) in Madras, Oregon, for
Solarfest(oregonsolarfest.com), a music and camping celebration that’s operating in partnership with
NASA for premier eclipse viewing.

– Open spaces and parkland in Wyoming are expected to draw hundreds of thousands of visitors. In
Casper, where elevation is 5,000 feet, viewing parties will go on across town, from the fairgrounds and
area churches to a distillery – Backwater Distilling, which is planning distillery tours, live music, food and
cocktails (eclipsecasper.com/festival). In Jackson Hole, the nonprofit organization Wyoming Stargazing is
hosting two pre-eclipse mountain parties that include a chairlift ride, presentations from astronomy
experts, mingling with retired astronaut Scott Altman, refreshments and stargazing through telescopes
(tickets $375,wyomingstargazing.org/2017-solar-eclipse/).

– On the day of the eclipse, Spring Creek Ranch is hosting a party in partnership with Wyoming
Stargazing, which will include brunch, cocktails, eclipse glasses, and talks and interpretations by experts
($175 per person, springcreekranch.com/activities/solar-eclipse/; condos are still available at the property
starting at $1,600 a night).

– In Weston, Missouri, a farm festival is the place to be. Green Dirt Farm and Chef Howard Hanna of the
Rieger restaurant in Kansas City will co-host an all-day, adults-only festival, cleverly named “Black Sheep
in the Shadow – a Total Eclipse of the Farm,” which will include food (roasted pig and lamb), live music
and “freakshow-style” performances. ($85, greendirtfarm.com/event/eclipse).

Rooms are still available at the Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center, where guests can also view
the sky from the event space on the 42nd floor (rates start at $221 per night,
sheratonkansascityhotel.com). Columbia, Missouri, will be celebrating the darkness with the “Show Me
Totality” party including food and music festivals, a run, golf tournament, bicycle ride, a concert and
viewing parties at multiple locations (comoeclipse.com).

– In Carbondale, Illinois, a festival art and craft fair, eclipse comic-con and more are in the works and a
team from Chicago’s Adler Planetarium will be onsite to answer questions and lead events. NASA will be
streaming a live feed and the public is invited to Saluki Stadium, where Matt Kaplan of Planetary Radio
will act as a guide for the main event (tickets are $25, carbondaleeclipse.com). If you can’t find a room at
a local hotel, Southern Illinois University is offering dorm suite rentals – four single beds for three nights –
for $800 (visit housing.siu.edu/eclipse).

– Nashville is the largest city that will see total darkness, and eclipse chasers can attend the Music City
Eclipse Science & Technology Fest at the Adventure Science Center, the Italian Lights Fest at
Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, and viewing parties around town – including one at the Nashville
Zoo at Grassmere (visitmusiccity.com/eclipse). Hotels, such as Union Station Hotel Nashville, are offering
themed packages, including a viewing party where Moon Pies and Astronaut Ice Cream will be served
($471.28 per night) or guests can upgrade to a suite and have access to a local astronomer and a
telescope ($821.17 per night).

– As its grand finale, the path of totality will cross South Carolina. In Columbia, the South Carolina State
Museum will host a weekend-long celebration with eclipse and astronomy activities, talks and expert
appearances (scmuseum.org/eclipse/), and nearly 100 events are planned in and around Charleston,
including a family-friendly viewing party at the Bend on the Ashley River featuring live music, STEM
activities (a robotics demonstration, paper airplane building), astronomers on site and a live feed of NASA
launching high-altitude balloons in Charleston (thebendcharleston.com). There are also events at
museums (“Eclipse on a Warship” at Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum) and yoga gatherings
(SunShadow Yoga at Mount Pleasant Pier), and hotels with remaining rooms are offering eclipse
packages – visit charlestoncvb.com/eclipse.

To learn more about the eclipse and events surrounding it, visit NASA’s eclipse page at
eclipse2017.nasa.gov.













July 16, 2017
Circulation: 1,350,000

From Ilinois to South Carolina, where to see the total-eclipse crossing

Kate Silver– The Washington Post

Michelle Nichols speaks with such passion and poetry about the moon passing in front of the sun that she
can inspire someone with even the smallest sliver of astronomical knowledge (such as this travel writer)
to begin planning a trip to see the total solar eclipse on Aug. 21.
"It looks like a hole in the sky. In the middle of the day, the sky goes dark and you can see stars and
planets," says Nichols, who is director of public observing at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago. "I've seen
one total solar eclipse, which was mind-blowing."
The August eclipse is especially exciting for people in the United States because this country will be the
only place where something called the "path of totality" can be seen. That's where the moon will
completely cover the sun, casting the land in darkness. That path is within a day's driving distance for
millions of people.
The path of totality will pass over 14 states, starting in the morning on the coast of Oregon, near Newport,
at 10:15 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time, with the shadow leaving American soil via McClellanville, South
Carolina, at 2:49 p.m., Eastern Daylight Time. In between, it will cross cities in Oregon, Idaho, a sliver of
Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, a sliver of Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia,
North Carolina and South Carolina. Darkness will last anywhere from a few seconds to two minutes 41
seconds, depending on the location.
While eclipses are fairly common -- they happen about once a year, sometimes more -- they're often in
remote areas or over water. This will be the first total solar eclipse that has been visible in the continental
United States since 1979, and it's the first to cross the country coast to coast in 99 years. Throughout the
country, universities, parks, farms, museums, hotels and other venues are hosting festivals and viewing
parties to celebrate the phenomenon.
Nichols will be traveling with a team from the Adler Planetarium about 330 miles south of Chicago to
Carbondale, Illinois, which is located in the path of totality. She ticks off the things she's excited to see,
such as getting a glimpse of the wispy outer atmosphere of the sun, called the corona.

"This is the jewel of a total solar eclipse and the only time on Earth that the corona can be seen with the
naked eye," Nichols says. (Outside of the path of totality, a partial eclipse will be visible, and it will be too
bright to see the corona; it will appear more like an ordinary day. You can watch the total solar eclipse on
NASA's website.)

And then there are the animals. It will be the first total solar eclipse Nichols has seen from the land -- she
watched the eclipse of Aug. 11, 1999, from a ship in the Black Sea -- and she says that she's curious
what will happen.

"Animals think it's time to go to bed. So cows might start walking toward the barn because they think it's
nighttime. And birds might go to roost because they think it's nighttime. And crickets might start chirping
because they think it's nighttime," she says.

It's a reminder of the interconnectedness of the universe.

"Something in space is literally directly affecting stuff here on Earth. That's the most amazing part to me,"
Nichols says.

Wherever you are, Nichols cautions, never look directly at the sun unless you are within the path of
totality and it is completely covered by the moon. She recommends purchasing a pair of eclipse glasses
made by one of four companies: Lunt Solar Systems, Rainbow Symphony, American Paper Optics and
Thousand Oaks Optical.

Some people have been planning for this eclipse since 1979, Nichols says. City officials in the path of
totality anticipate heavy traffic and many hotels across the country have been long sold out. (Camping
may not be a bad idea.) Still, she encourages people to find a way to see the sky show.

If you can't make it, cheer up: There's another total solar eclipse coming on April 8, 2024, which will travel
the country from southwest to the northeast.

Ready to chase the eclipse? Here are highlights of what's happening around the country within the path
of totality:

• Camping spots are still available (five days, $150-$3,500) in Madras, Oregon, for Solarfest
(oregonsolarfest.com/), a music and camping celebration that's operating in partnership with NASA for
premier eclipse viewing.

• Open spaces and parkland in Wyoming are expected to draw hundreds of thousands of visitors. In
Casper, where elevation is 5,000 feet, viewing parties will go on across town, from the fairgrounds and
area churches to a distillery -- Backwater Distilling, which is planning distillery tours, live music, food and
cocktails (eclipsecasper.com/festival). In Jackson Hole, the nonprofit organization Wyoming Stargazing is
hosting two pre-eclipse mountain parties that include a chairlift ride, presentations from astronomy
experts, mingling with retired astronaut Scott Altman, refreshments and stargazing through telescopes
(tickets cost $375, wyomingstargazing.org/2017-solar-eclipse/).

• On the day of the eclipse, Spring Creek Ranch is hosting a party in partnership with Wyoming
Stargazing, which will include brunch, cocktails, eclipse glasses, and talks and interpretations by experts
($175 per person, springcreekranch.com/activities/solar-eclipse/; condos are still available at the property
starting at $1,600 a night).

• In Weston, Missouri, a farm festival is the place to be. Green Dirt Farm and chef Howard Hanna of the
Rieger restaurant in Kansas City will co-host an all-day, adults-only festival, cleverly named "Black Sheep
in the Shadow -- a Total Eclipse of the Farm," which will include food (roasted pig and lamb), live music
and "freakshow-style" performances. ($85, greendirtfarm.com/event/eclipse/).

Rooms are still available at the Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center, where guests can also view
the sky from the event space on the 42nd floor (rates start at $221 per night,
sheratonkansascityhotel.com/). Columbia, Missouri, will be celebrating the darkness with the "Show Me
Totality" party including food and music festivals, a run, a golf tournament, a bicycle ride, a concert and
viewing parties at multiple locations (comoeclipse.com/).

• In Carbondale, Illinois, a festival art and craft fair, eclipse comic-con and more are in the works. And a
team from Chicago's Adler Planetarium will be on-site to answer questions and lead events. NASA will be
streaming a live feed and the public is invited to Saluki Stadium, where Matt Kaplan of Planetary Radio
will act as a guide for the main event (tickets cost $25, carbondaleeclipse.com/).

• Nashville is the largest city that will see total darkness, and eclipse chasers can attend the Music City
Eclipse Science & Technology Fest at the Adventure Science Center, the Italian Lights Fest at
Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, and viewing parties around town -- including one at the Nashville
Zoo at Grassmere (visitmusiccity.com/eclipse). Hotels, such as Union Station Hotel Nashville, are offering
themed packages, including a viewing party where Moon Pies and Astronaut Ice Cream will be served
($471.28 per night) or guests can upgrade to a suite and have access to a local astronomer and a
telescope ($821.17 per night). See unionstationhotelnashville.com/nashville-hotel-specials/great-
american-eclipse-package/.

• As its grand finale, the path of totality will cross South Carolina. In Columbia, the South Carolina State
Museum will host a weekend-long celebration with eclipse and astronomy activities, talks and expert
appearances (scmuseum.org/eclipse/), and nearly 100 events are planned in and around Charleston,
including a family-friendly viewing party at the Bend on the Ashley River featuring live music, STEM
activities (a robotics demonstration, paper airplane building), astronomers on site and a live feed of NASA
launching high-altitude balloons in Charleston (thebendcharleston.com/). There are also events at
museums ("Eclipse on a Warship" at Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum) and yoga gatherings
(SunShadow Yoga at Mount Pleasant Pier), and hotels with remaining rooms are offering eclipse
packages -- visit charlestoncvb.com/eclipse/.

To learn more about the eclipse and events surrounding it, visit NASA's eclipse page at
eclipse2017.nasa.gov/.







July 21, 2017
Circulation: 360,000

Culinary Travel: What to Eat, Do and Eat Again in Kansas City

Alyssa Holder

Travelling Midwest and curious to know what is there to eat, and eat again? In the city of fountains, also
home to the best BBQ joints in the nation, Kansas City has many options for fine to cheap dining and other
activities to keep you occupied and satisfied.

On a recent trip to New York, Midwesterners from KC’s popular kitchens, music and other creative studios
congregated to bring their tastes and entertainment for ” Kansas in the City.” Here they had the opportunity
to share what prospective travelers could eat, do and eat again in the city of fountains.

Drinks

The Reiger; hand-crafted cocktails are available in addition to the hotels’ tradition of hospitality and classic
American dishes at its restaurant. Together with Chef Howard Hanna, Ryan Maybee ( expert in wines and
spirits) is behind the well mixed cocktails. Either try a classic and stronger blend like the Pendergast; Old
Grandad Bonded Bourbon, Dolin Rouge, Benedictine, Angostura bitters. Or a seasonal and lighter cocktail
like the Beetle-Juice. The Rieger – Chef and partner of the hotel and restaurant Howard Hanna.









July 24, 2017
Circulation: 140,000

The Rieger throws a rooftop party, the Antler Room and Bluestem team up (as do
Hank Charcuterie and Mass Street Fish House), and more: your food and drink
events July 24-30

April Fleming

The Rieger (1924 Main), meanwhile, puts on a rooftop cocktail party tonight from 6:30 to 8:30, celebrating
a handful of its farmers. For $35, you get passed appetizers and two cocktails. It's the first of a series of
farmer-centric events, this time spotlighting Deb and Jim Crum of Crum's Heirlooms , Neil Rudisill and
Lisa Hummel of Woodland City KC, Mario and Teresa Fantasma of Paradise Locker Meats, and Winifred
Wright with Vox Vineyards. Tickets here.

August 11, 2017
Circulation: 170,000

Food Critics: The Best Happy Hours in Kansas City in 2017
Jen Chen

What sets a truly great happy hour apart?

Well, delicious food and drinks, for one. There’s also the vibe of the place.

“The social aspect of this cannot be discounted, even in the discounted world of happy hour,” Jenny
Vergara told host Gina Kaufmann on KCUR’s Central Standard.

Plus, she added, it’s just good way to get to familiarize yourself with a new cuisine or try a restaurant that
might normally be out of your price range.

Vergara, along with fellow Food Critics Mary Bloch and Charles Ferruzza, searched out the best happy
hours in and around Kansas City.

Here are their recommendations:

Mary Bloch, Around the Block:

• Jax Fish House & Oyster Bar. Discounted cocktails, including summer treats like strawberry
lemonade (with strawberry-infused vodka) and cucumber lemon press (with cucumber-infused
vodka). Great small plates from the kitchen: ceviche tostadas, chicken and crawfish gumbo,
mussels, and, of course, oysters for $1.50 a piece. Sit at the bar and watch them shuck dozens at
a time. It’s a lively spot; my favorite place to be.

• Eddie V’s. Yes, it’s a chain, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth a look. It’s one of the few happy
hours in town that is offered seven days a week. There are a lot of drink specials, but the real
appeal here is the food: blackened fish tacos, lollipop lamb chops, filet sandwiches and lobster
wontons. Or spend a little more and sample a crab cake or tuna tartare. They also have oysters in
various forms — raw, fried or Rockefeller.

• Bluestem. Drink specials include 9-ounce pours for the 6-ounce price, $3 beer, $5 cocktails,
discounted bottles of wine. Snacks: marinated olives, corn muffins with goat cheese and red
pepper jelly, warm bacon popcorn, cheese plate.

• Extra Virgin. Maybe the most comprehensive happy hour in town. Many items on the regular
menu are 50 percent off during that time: papas bravas, cured meats, the ricotta grilled bread,
crab and chorizo, chicken thighs and figs, mussels, steamed buns, even hangar steak with salsa
verde.

• The Rieger. Discounted cocktails, wine and beer, as well as food offerings like soups, salads,
snacks, and small plates like crudo, carpaccio and meatballs.

• Ça Va. Great snacks and bubbles. Food specials include the addictive duck-fat kettle corn,
beignets, featured cheeses, $6 glasses of wine and whiskey and discounted bottles of a wide
array of sparkling wines.

• Summit Grill. Drink specials, pot roast sliders, ahi tuna with Asian slaw, baby burgers, steak street
tacos, wings with blue cheese sauce, truffle fries.

• Osteria Il Centro. Half-price appetizers: bruschetta, hummus, calamari, antipasti, goat cheese and
garlic spread, plus $7 glasses of wine.

Jenny Vergara, Feast Magazine:

• Voltaire. There is not one person who wouldn’t enjoy a little happy hour libation at the gorgeous
bar tucked away inside Voltaire. The place is dark, and definitely romantic, so bring someone you
want to get to know a little better. With a solid crew behind the bar, do not hesitate to order a $4
glass of house wine or local beer or one of the excellent cocktail specials priced around $6-$7.
The food menu changes each week, with a variety of globally-inspired small plates. Happy hour is
4-6 p.m., Wednesday to Saturday.

• The Antler Room. Chef Nick and Leslie Goellner opened their hotspot in the Longfellow
neighborhood near Hospital Hill. Saddle up to their bar for drink discounts, and look for the couple
to introduce food to the happy hour menu soon. In the meantime, order anything from their full-
price dinner menu to enjoy with your discounted drinks at the bar. There are two beers, three
wines and two seasonal cocktails to choose from (around $6-7). Happy hour is 5-7 p.m., Sunday,
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

• Julep Cocktail Club. It is hard not to love a happy hour menu that celebrates whiskey in all of its
forms. Additional drink specials include $6 Manhattans, Old Fashioneds, Sazeracs and whiskey
sours. Also: $6 glasses of wine, plus $2 off any Boulevard beers. There is always a tasty
selection of small plates from Chef Charles Barr, who delivers some delicious, creative and
seasonal food. Happy hour is 3-6 p.m., Monday to Friday.

• Boulevard Tours & Rec Center. Since completing construction on its new beer hall, Boulevard
Brewing Company has been hosting all kinds of paired food and drink events that start around
happy hour. Though they do not offer a firm happy hour schedule, they do host a variety of
weekly events that will make it feel like happy hour almost every day. You’ll find reasonably-
priced tasting flights of unique Boulevard beers, and you can enjoy snacks like their crave-able
pretzel dogs and Creole-style chicken sausage with beer cheese dip, followed by an order of
Cajun peanuts.

• Repeal 18th. This is a sexy new spot in Northlandia. The name that refers to the repeal of
prohibition, with talented bar manager Darrell Loo behind the stick, shaking up classic cocktails
for happy hour. Moscow mules are only $6. Additionally, you’ll find $5 house red and white wines,
$3 draft beer and $2 PBR and Hamm’s. Go right to the small plates part of the menu for a heck-
of-a-deal monkfish corn dogs, steakburger sliders, scallop ceviche, chicken wings, fish tacos and
roasted Brussels sprouts. Happy hours are 3-6 p.m., Monday to Friday.

• Mission Taco Joint. Everyone loves tacos, and when Mission Taco Joint opens next week in the
Crossroads, they will have you covered with a late night happy hour. Owners/brothers Jason and
Adam Tilford already have three locations in St. Louis, where they serve fresh, creative and
cheap $2 tacos and $2 shots from 10 p.m. to close. Bar manager and local KC cocktail queen
Jenn Tosatto will have their bar program running like a top. Late night happy hour is from 10 p.m.
to 1:30 a.m., Tuesday to Sunday.

• SoT. Fantastic bar. Craft cocktails, beer, wine and really good food.

Charles Ferruzza, The Independent and Shawnee Mission Post:

• Jax Fish House. Drink and food specials, including a $20 happy hour sampler (1/4 pound snow
crab, 1/4 pound peel-n-eat shrimp, three oysters). Also, caviar and Vietnamese crepes. All night
Mondays; 4-6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; 3-6 p.m. Sunday.

• Bristol Seafood Grill. At the Downtown location: $1 oysters, $3.50 lobster claws and $7
appetizers. 4-6 p.m. Sunday to Friday; 9-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

• The Rieger. 3-6 p.m., Monday to Friday.

• Lidia’s. Arancini, gnocchi, crab frico. 4-6 p.m., Monday to Friday.

Listener recommendations:

• Michael Forbes Grille and Lew’s Grill & Bar. I want to put a plug in for neighborhood bars. You
run into everyone you know or meet people you should know. Both places have drink specials

and half-price appetizers. I like the spicy shrimp at Michael Forbes. At Lew’s, I like the cat paws
(catfish filet, lightly breaded and fried).

• Boru Ramen Bar — samurai 75. Sparkling wine, gin, lemon. Very light and refreshing. They have
really great cocktails.

• Boru Ramen Bar — fries. It’s kind of a Korean poutine. Sweet potato fries with curry mayo,
kimchi, pork belly and a fried egg on top.

• Ra Sushi — crunchy calamari roll. Calamari, crab mix, cream cheese, and small fried bits of
tempura on the outside. Amazing flavor combination. The sushi specials are worth it for happy
hour. Good mixed drinks as well.

• Harry’s Country Club. The best happy hour menu in KC. Beer, wine, cocktails, food, plus the
coveted Saturday daytime happy hour. The total package!

• Cleaver & Cork — cheese curds and pickles.

• The Drum Room — $4 burger and drink specials. The best under-the-radar happy hour bargain.

August 23, 2017
Circulation: 150,000

Insider Guide: Pairing Wines with Tough Vegetables

Liza Zimmerman
Some of life’s most delicious vegetables are challenging to pair with wine. This is in great part because of
their intense flavors and sometimes bitter qualities. Great spring and summer produce—such as asparagus
and artichokes—have long been among the hardest to match up with the right wine.

I often adhere to the grassy-on-grassy pairing idea. So, bring on the New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, some
of them smell like the field they were grown in and pair nicely with similar earthy vegetables. Otherwise it
might be a pairing of opposites: i.e. those big, broad Chardonnays with lots of oak that might balance out
the bitterness found in some vegetables.
ADVICE FROM AN EXPERT
“Vegetables can easily be thought of as one of the toughest pairings because it’s not very often that they
are the star component of a dish,” says Kelsey Alt, the wine director at The Rieger in Kansas City. “There
are a variety of wines that can be suitable for vegetable pairings, from whites to reds and even most dry
rosés.”

“The trick,” she adds, “is knowing how to play those wine styles off the flavor components of each vegetable.
For instance, many dry [or sec] styles of Chenin Blanc play really well with mushrooms. The weight of the
wine, along with the high acid and strong mineral components, can usually hold up to something as earthy
and meaty as a mushroom.”

Also the type of vegetable you want to eat should be paired with a wine of similar weight and style. “The
biggest overall characteristic of great wines to pair with vegetables is typically a lighter-body style, whether
red or white. The biggest exception I have found, however, is Roussanne and Marsanne,” she shares.

KEEPING IT LOCAL

We have long had a saying that what grows together goes together in the wine world. It is hardly a new
take on pairings, but it still works well. “Most wine and food that grow in the same region will traditionally
work well together in a wine pairing. For example, Ratatouille is a traditional Provençal vegetable dish that
goes perfectly with [local] Cinsault,” she notes. While, “Greek Salads with their use of tomato and fresh
herbs tend to go very well with the native Assyrtiko grape: a bone-dry white wine with pronounced acidity
[great for tomatoes!] and a flinty minerality,” says vegetable expert, Alt.

I couldn’t agree more. One of my favorite pairings is Sangiovese, either Italian or domestic, with tomato-
based dishes. That should come as no surprise since Italy is home to abundant plots of Sangiovese as well
as lots of delicious tomatoes.

“Another big component to look for is how the vegetables are prepared. Any type of cooking technique is
bound to change the flavor profile of the vegetable and this will affect what wines you choose to pair,” says
Alt, and she’s so right.

She goes go on to note that, “Roasted nightshades, such as tomatoes, peppers and eggplants tend to go
very well with Mencìa, the red grape found in the Bierzo region of Spain. This wine has a light body similar
to that of Gamay, but with a spicy back palate that achieves harmony with those roasted styles.” Not
surprisingly the Spanish eat a lot of nightshades so there’s no surprise to that pairing.

For the really tough cookies—like artichokes and asparagus—Austria’s Grüner Veltliner is Alt’s new go-to
wine. “It has a pronounced backbone of acidity that can stand up to such strongly flavored vegetable fare,
as well as what most describe as a ‘white pepper’ note that accompanies those meaty vegetal flavors. I
also think traditional, well structured styles of Pinot Blanc, like those coming out of Alsace, can stand up to
the plate.”

I just can’t wait to cook up some of those greens I just got at the farmer’s market!

September 19, 2017
Circulation: 20,500,000

9 Surprisingly Great U.S Food Cities You Have to Visit

Certain cities, you visit for the food. Others, you visit despite the food. The old guard of Important Food
Destinations, you know: the San Franciscos, the Chicagos, the New Orleanses. So who are the up-and-
comers -- the places whose culinary reps should be rising fastest? We put the question to dozens of veteran
travelers and found some surprising answers. Some of these spots are out-of-the-way mid-sized towns;
others are big cities where some combination of abundant talent, great farms and fishing, and respect for
traditional food have made them bona-fide dining destinations.

We guarantee you’ve passed through at least one of these towns without thinking twice about the food.
Next time you visit, though, take a moment to stop and smell the s’mores burger.

Kansas City, Missouri
You know it for its barbecue. There’s a lot more here... but do start with that barbecue.
KCMO’s legacy of slow-cooked meat slathered with thick, heavy molasses sauce has long set it apart from
other BBQ giants further south. It also has the distinction of being the birthplace of burnt ends. The fatty,
tender end pieces of the brisket were originally throwaway scraps, until legendary pitmasters at Arthur
Bryant’s began selling these meat candy cubes in the 1970s.

You’ll have no problem gorging yourself on the blue ribbon-brisket at Q39 or the hallowed burnt-end
sandwich at SLAP’s (an acronym for “squeal like a pig”). But Kansas City is highly skilled at exceeding,
nay, slaying your expectations: The Midwestern hub once disparaged as “Cowtown” is actually a fun-as-

hell place to spend a weekend, or even quite contentedly live full-time -- and a diverse, wildly affordable
food scene is just another point in its favor.

If you really want to be impressed, the standard-bearer for KC fine dining is Bluestem, with a reputation for
daring seasonal compositions that helped earn chef-owner Colby Garrelts a James Beard Award. You’ll
also want to book a table at the upscale Rieger (order anything with bison), or the newly opened Antler
Room, where artful, delicate plates like foie gras torchon atop beet carpaccio have landed it on national
best new restaurant lists. Meanwhile, every chef in town will tell you that the “line cook’s lunch” at Happy
Gillis -- house-made pork terrine and chicken liver mousse piled high on a ciabatta bun -- is one of the best
eats in town. Looking for something to line the stomach after hours? Get the croque madame at Ça Va, a
Parisian-inspired Champagne bar, pretty much the furthest thing from BBQ there is.

If you have just one meal: Order “The End is Near” at SLAP’s: a sliced burnt-end sandwich that will make
you a true believer. -- Natalie Gallagher