Chuck Eats KC - November 16, 2023

Boulevard Beer Shouts Out Kansas City’s Cinnamon Roll Scene?

I’m not a drinker and haven’t been one for years, which is why I rarely talk about drinking options at local restaurants. Still, when I used to drink, my preference was beer, especially good quality products from craft brewers and microbreweries. I was a fan of Kansas City’s Boulevard Brewing, although the company is far from its microbrewery roots. Their products have always had those small brewery vibes.

So it caught my eye this week that Boulevard is promoting a Cinnamon Bun Ale. It sounds so odd, that I even checked their website to make sure this wasn’t some kind of Photoshop joke. It’s legit. There are two main reasons why this caught my eye: the odd flavor profile and the possible connection with Kansas City’s cinnamon roll cuisine.

I’ve written a little bit about Kansas City’s unsung cinnamon roll cuisine last year in What is Kansas City’s Signature Food (After Barbecue). It was brought to my attention that not only were cinnamon rolls very popular with Kansas Citians, but the scene was getting some national recognition. One project I’ve been working on is a tier list investigation of our local cinnamon rolls.

But flavored beers? Cinnamon flavor? What I’ve learned with flavored beers, especially fruit flavored beers, is that they aren’t for everybody. But there are often enough fans out there to support these flavors and there are more beer drinkers who just love trying new things.

I fit into that latter category, especially as a person who grew up not liking the taste of beer or alcohol. That changed around 1990 when I went to grad school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Beer drinking culture is a big thing in Wisconsin and I got try better beers, including imports, especially German beers. It helped that the student union, which was next door to my graduate school, had beer on tap throughout the building. Loved to sit down with a wheat beer and fresh popcorn while I studied. Or, enjoying beer on the Terrace by Lake Mendota while listening to some band.

It was also around this time that the United States relaxed restrictions for home hobbyist brewing and microbreweries. My girlfriend of the time and I joined Beers Across America. It was kind of like a Book of the Month Club. For around $20/month, the club would ship you two six packs of beer from microbreweries around the United States. We got a newsletter and two packs from different breweries. So we got try cherry-flavored and fruity beers, regular styles of beers (ales, wheats, porters, IPAs), shandies, and special concepts like the Cave Creek Chili Beer (currently based in Arizona). We had lots of fun trying new flavors, discussing our finds with friends, and amassing a collection of bottles around our tiny kitchen.

I’m pretty sure we first tried Boulevard Pale Ale and Boulevard Wheat via this mail order Beer-of-the-Month club.

Oh, let me shout out, as a designer, the fun design of this line. Love the colors, silliness, and the cute cartoon.

My Go-To Thanksgiving Side

By this point in one’s adult life, especially if you live in the Midwest, you should have a reliable side dish that you can make and take to family functions and potlucks. This is especially important if you rarely host any food-centric events. If people request that you bring the dish and it’s relatively easy to prepare, you have a crowd pleaser. Bonus points for the side if people who dislike certain ingredients, like peas, request it yearly.

I think this recipe was originally given to me from my mother, who made a copy of a recipe she had copied. This feels like a recipe promoted by the salad dressing company.

Recipe: Crunchy Pea Salad

Prep Time: 15 minutes (plus chill time)

Serves 6-8

• 1 package (10 ounces) frozen petite peas or 2 cups fresh peas
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 cup chopped cauliflower
• 1 cup coarsely chopped cashews
• 3/4 cup diced green onions
• 3/4 cup Hidden Valley Original Ranch dressing
• 4 strip bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled (very optional)

Step 1: Rinse peas in hot water (or steam until tender, if fresh) and drain.

Step 2: In a large bowl, combine the peas, celery, cauliflower, cashews, green onions and dressing; chill covered for at least 1 hour. Sprinkle bacon over the top and serve immediately.

Notes:

I never add bacon and this is still popular. You can always put aside a vegetarian portion and add bacon to the rest.

Any ranch dressing will work. Low fat dressing is not recommended.

Hidden Valley Ranch actually works the best. I tried to veganize this recipe several times and used low-fat dressing once, but the results were horrible. You could probably find a combination of spices and a good vegan dressing to make this vegan, but don’t bother with a low-fat version.

Openings and Closings

• d’Bronx Authentic Deli & Pizzeria has closed their location in Mission (6846 Johnson Drive).
• Rajadhani Indian Cuisine is opening soon at 12030 Blue Valley Parkway in Overland Park. The restaurant will feature traditional Indian cooking from across the sub-continent.
• Billie’s Grocery is opening a second location in Leawood at 3614 West 95th St., which is in the north side of Ranchmart Shopping Center, behind Meat Mitch.
• Bo’s Kitchen is a new Chinese concept in the City Market. It is a fast casual restaurant brought to us by the family who has run the popular Bo Ling’s restaurants for decades. The menu features different bowl combinations. I’ve been a fan of Bo Ling’s for years, so I will be visiting soon!
• Aixois, a bistro in Brookside, is opening a second location in Park Place in Leawood.
• Yoli Tortilleria has been named as another food vendor at the CPLC Stadium.
• Flying Horse Taproom in Brookside has temporarily closed for a management shuffle and renovation.
• The Blue Palm is a tiki bar concept bar that is opening in the former Mocking Bird Lounge space at 204 Orchard St. in Kansas City, Kansas.
• The new Whole Foods grocery store at 119th St. and Metcalf in Overland Park, opened on November 15th. It replaces a store a few blocks away.
• Vine Street Brewing Co. has received a $25,000 grant from the Kansas City G.I.F.T program.
• B’s Bagels and Bialys has opened in downtown Belton, Missouri. (100 Main Street)

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