Affäre 1911 Main Street Kansas City, MO

The lemon mousse at Affäre

On February 23, 2012, over 110 Kansas City restaurants had a fundraiser for  JJ's Support Fund. All of these restaurants pledge 10% of sales. Affäre had a special meal where 10% went to JJ's so that is what we ordered. It was a 4 course meal and there were two choices for each course.  So Steven and I were able to try each choice. Sadly, Katie was not with us so she was unable to enjoy the meal. Yes, Steven and I actually had a date. It is hard to believe but it is true.

For those of you who have not been to Affäre,  the restaurant is in a large space in the crossroads district. It was still warm and inviting not stuffy. I like the exposed pipes in the ceiling and the art on the walls. Steven and I had a booth along the wall which gave me a great view of the restaurant. I enjoyed the people watching. The Chef, Martin Heuser, is a James Beard semifinalist for the Midwest. I had high expectations for my evening.

Cocktails

Yes, they had a gin cocktail at the top of their list- oh happy day. It was the Affäre and I had to order it. It was lovely. It looked like Windex but certainly did not taste or smell like it. It was subtle- especially for a gin drink. There were flower petals floating on top and you could taste a bit of floral essence. Steven had the Closing, a bourbon drink, and liked his as well. Of course, I thought my drink was the superior beverage.

The Affäre 

First Course

Yes, they had a salad with beets, and yes, I ordered it. It was lovely with a light fresh dressing. The beets were beautiful. I could have eaten a giant bowl for dinner and been completely happy.

The Beet Salad

Steven had the snail soup. It was divine. Very rich and creamy. Yummy! I don't think I have ever seen Steven eat soup so fast. I think he was concerned that I would steal it away from him and eat it. I must say the thought crossed my mind.

Steven's cream-based snail soup

Second Course

I had the mahi-mahi. The presentation was awesome. It came in glass dish with a lid and a ramekin of what looked like hollandaise sauce on the side. I was intrigued.

A wonderful presentation

The fish and potatoes were tender and perfectly cooked. The hollandaise sauce had a bit of mustard and was so good. I think I am going to have to try to copy the mustard hollandaise at home.  I finished off the fish and was busy trying to figure out how I could discretely drink the broth. Steven had quail and really enjoyed it. I had a small bite and it was good.  I thought the fish was better. A day later as I type this I still regret not drinking that broth.

The quail

Third Course

I had the ribeye with green beans and mashed potatoes. It was good not great. The two other courses were great. The ribeye was a bit dry. The citrusy sauce was lovely.

The ribeye

The highlight of this course was the German dark wheat beer (Erdinger Weissbier Dunkel)
that our server Mark recommended (thanks Mark). Steven had the duck and his duck was a bit dry too. It was also good not great.

The duck

Steven also loved his German wheat beer (Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier) it was truly wonderful and paired nicely with his duck. Our server was wonderful discussing beer pairings with our food. It is always nice to have a server who is knowledgeable about beer, not just wine. It was also wonderful to have two great beers with our dinner.

Our Beers

Fourth Course

Ok- I thought this was small plates. The plates really weren't that small. I am starting to get quite full. We still had apple strudel and lemon mousse. I have to admit, Steven's was better than mine. He must have realized this because it was gone in a flash. Amazing. The apple strudel was really good but that Meyer lemon mousse was fantastic.

Apple Strudel

My Regrets

There were several items on the menu that I really wanted but did not get. One of them was the mussels. The table next to us had mussels. I thought briefly about introducing myself and asking them if they were going to eat all of their mussels. But I did not. They looked like nice people, I'm sure that they would have given me a mussel. I would have given them one. I was already taking pictures with my iPhone in a dark restaurant; it wasn't that much more of stretch to join the table next to us. So our next visit we will be getting mussels and I will be taking pictures of them. My next regret was asking Mark, our server, what his favorite dish was. He told me the Ricotta-Erbsen ravioli with carrot puree and balsamico foam. I have very fond feelings for dumplings. I wanted a dumpling. But sigh, I will have to get these on our next visit as well. Finally, they had bison shortribs topped with seared foie gras, truffle scented celeriac puree. My mouth waters just thinking of the shortribs. So I am destined to return.  I will not have four courses next time maybe just two or three. Steven and I can split the mussels and I will have plenty of room for the ravioli and shortribs.