Aixois: 251 E. 55th Street

This is a pretty high profile joint, located in the Crestwood shops at 55th and Brookside Blvd. I think that most people who live in KC proper know about Aixois, or have been there a time or two because its reputation is pretty airtight. Well, it's a well-deserved reputation because even though the clientele and the atmosphere don't do much for me, I keep going back.

The menu is a nice assortment of classically french entrees, salads, soups, sandwiches and desserts with several contemporary American flavors for good measure. You can get a traditional french meal of mussels and pomme frittes (that's french fries for you simple folk) which is just about the prefect lunch, assuming you have nowhere to be. It's nice to linger a while with some company and one more glass of wine than is advisable. I'm also a huge fan of the trout, well-priced at $12 and the steak dishes are always first rate. Because of its Frenchtacular nature, there is always something interesting like frog legs or veal liver for the more adventurous diners. Basically everything I've had there has been well-prepared, simple in flavor and nicely presented. They have specials every day to complement the regular menu, so there is a lot of choice.

For lunch there are plenty of less expensive options--a few sandwiches, a couple good salads as well as a soup of the day. The cheese plate pretty much rules. It is not as skimpy as those at other restaurants and never fails to make me slap my palm on the table with delight. Salad and a cheese plate = tasty lunch.

The service borders on over-attentive. The waitstaff really milks the whole fake-friendliness schtick, and the rich brookside geezers eat it up with a spoon. Not my scene but they butt out when they need to. The wine list is extensive and the servers know their stuff. By the glass is not cheap (most glasses are $9 or so) but generally they have a house bottle for $20.

Aixois has 2 dining rooms, one in the front and one in the back. The one in the front has a more intimate feel while the main room is a little noisier. It seems like they seat the old people in the front and the families with kids in the main room. Seriously, Aixois is chock full of old people. But strangely it is also kid-friendly and I always see families in there. Normally I far prefer old people over children, but the front dining room is a little stuffy for my taste. Best of all, there is a sizable outdoor patio that offers a view of sweaty yuppies and old folks puffing along the trolley track trail.

So if you want to reward yourself for a job well-done or whatever and are ready to spend some cash, Aixois is not to be missed. I can attest to the fact that the more you go, the more you like it. And the dude who owns it is actually French which has to count for something.

Farm to Market Cafe: 7921 Santa Fe (OPKS)

Believe me, I really want to dislike this place. I really do. No it's not the best sandwich you will ever eat, but it's a really solid lunch spot with super friendly staff and a casual coffee shop atmosphere. In the summer they have a great little patio and proximity to the park. The lunch menu is small but covers all your bases: deli sandwiches, a selection of salads, a couple of homemade soups, desserts, a full run of espresso drinks and so forth.

Sometimes you just want a sandwich. No bullshit like paninis or subs or foccacia bread. And never, ever "wraps." Talk about the worst trend in the world. I don't think KC has received the message that wraps went out in 1999. Anyway I want some good meat, some good bread, some good cheese, lettuce, tomato and the condiment of your choice. Somehow Subway can't manage to create bread without it being full of air or overly seasoned or just plain wrong. And I'm sure they put artificial aromas in the stuff to fill the failing mall food court with the fictitious odor of baking bread a la Cinnabon or whatever that place is that sells cinnamon rolls the size of basketballs. And people wonder why we're fat. Well personally my weight is the result of absolutely zero excercise, but I've made peace with that.

Anyway Farm to Market is known for their bread which appears in grocery stores all over the metro. While not the best bread around, it is generally the best bread you can get at the local store rather than visiting a bakery itself. They offer the option to grill any sandwich which is great, but generally I pass because the bread is good in its original state.

The staff is quite friendly and helpful, almost to a creepy degree. They have this smiley, almost cultish kind of service ethic. Generally I respect gruffness and efficiency more, but far be it from me to complain. All was explained when I noticed some books for sale in the front window, written by a co-owner of the business. Basically these books look like religious psycho-babble about how running a business brings you closer to God. The author is trying to establish herself as some kind of expert in "faith formation" whatever that is. It seems like a term developed to keep well-educated people interested in church.

Normally out of principle I shirk businesses that espouse overly religious and/or right wing ideals, such as Hobby Lobby, Coors brewing or Chick Fil-A, Forgive my rant here, but we need to realize that decisions we make -- like eating lunch -- have implications beyond our taste buds. If I go into a restaurant and see a photo of the owner with his arm around Ronald Reagan, I'm gonna think twice about going back. You do what you want. Farm to Market is an exception for the time being. As far as I can tell, my occasional sandwich isn't supporting an agenda of gay-bashing, religious intolerance or woman-hating. Plus it's a local business with limited ability to support offending organizations with oversized political contributions.

So I'll continue to revisit F to M cafe, mostly because I had a cup of sweet potato bisque that was really damn good and I want more. Prices are relatively good--soup and half sandwich for 7.95. With a drink you'll easily spend 10 bucks which is sort of my unofficial cutoff for a reasonable lunch these days.

It's downtown Overland Park location is pretty charming. I really like downtown OP as a physical environs and was surprised to see as many empty storefronts as there are. I suppose most of the money and development has moved to the southern end of the county, leaving some of these first suburbs to struggle a little more. A taste of their own historical medicine I suppose. The business that are on that stretch of Santa Fe seem to be doing well, however, and the street is far from deserted in the midday. Mostly retirees and joco homemakers, from the looks of it, but I have seen the occasional lunch break dude eating at F to M. Anyhow, even a heathen like me gives this place a thumbs-up. Until I can find a good reason to actually hate it. Happy eating!

Kansas City Public Library Cafe: 10th & Baltimore

This is a little joint in the new KC Public Library main branch. Apparently this place is actually named the "Nine Muses Cafe" according to the little menu by the cash register. However I doubt that telling a friend to "meet me at the Nine Muses" would result in anything other than complete bewilderment.

Speaking of bewilderment, that's the reaction you get at this place when you ask for a cappuccino. I get the sense that your average library customer doesn't sip Italian coffee drinks while poring over the latest Mary Higgins Clark gem. They do offer decent if slightly overpriced regular coffee that, in spite of their best efforts, comes in unpredictable levels of strength and hotness.

As for the case at hand, namely lunch, this place makes cheap sandwiches, and weird little individual pizzas in a little oven. They also feature a daily special which ranges from the predictable (Turkey Club) to the eyebrow-raising ("oven-fried cod"). Service runs at its own pace here, and employees do not hold your hand through the ordering process. "Nope, we don't have that right now" is an all-too frequent response when ordering something for lunch, particularly soup. God know why, but people love soup. I wonder if these people know that the soup just gets squeezed out of a plastic bag every morning. Anyhow, they aren't gonna apologize for being out of something. That's just the way it is people.

This place is pretty hoppin' at the noon hour. I don't know if it's library folks or employees from around the area, but prepare to wait a while to place your order. I'm not sure it's worth it, if you are in a hurry, but if it gets your ass in the library, I'm all for it. Sometimes they jam the music in here too. It's kind of funny to be sitting at a table and have trouble hearing your lunchmate because some bland pseudo-African smooth jazz is blaring overhead. I think these employees are just a little bored.

Soho Cafe: 314 W. 8th

This is nice little spot on the first floor of the Soho loft building on 8th street. It can get lost in the shuffle due to its lack of prominent signage, construction and other nearby restaurants. But this is a nice cafe that features a pretty hearty lunch menu. You can get a decent sandwich here, as well as a french dip, pulled pork on a bun, or chicken caesar salad.

There is always the same dude behind the counter, and he is prompt, friendly and efficient. I've never had to wait long for my food after ordering, which is a big bonus compared to these other yahoos in the neighborhood.

But yes, I have complaints. I really like the option of getting mixed greens with my lunch instead of chips or potato salad or whatever. You gotta eat something green sometime for Christ's sake. Takes some of the heat off the french dip in terms of providing nutrients and so forth. But the salad dressing at the Soho is the worst raspberry vinaigrette--a big pet peeve of mine. Why do people like this crap? It's like, so 1990's pseudo-fancy american restaurant revival stuff. I mean, no one thinks a wrap is fancy any more--Oh wait, the Soho has a bunch of wraps on the menu--why this veritable dessert topping of a salad dressing? I suppose assberry vinaigrette has crossed into the undiscerning realm of popular taste. Americans elected our current fearless leader twice, so I guess you can't expect much in terms of gastronomic sophistication.

But the Soho has the worst raspberry dressing I have ever had. It makes my teeth hurt.

I should also mention that the prices are not so great compared to the quality of the food. While decent enough, the food doesn't really warrant the 10 bucks it costs you. But I do pay a visit once in a while because you can hang out and read the paper or whatever without feeling hurried.