Denise Neil has lined eating places and leisure since 1997. Her Dining with Denise Facebook web page is the go-to place for diners to get details about native eating places. She’s a daily decide at native meals competitions and speaks to teams throughout Wichita about eating.
FioRito Ristorante, Magnolia Cafe each open in Wichita
It’s opening day for 2 anticipated and domestically owned Wichita eating places, and I can vouch for each of them.
Over the weekend, I used to be in a position to attend the mushy openings of each FioRito Ristorante — the Italian-inspired eatery by brothers Jordan and Jason Rickard at 3134 E. Douglas — and of chef Jeremy Wade’s new Southern breakfast and lunch restaurant Magnolia Cafe at 2424 N. Woodlawn
Both had been nice, and each carry one thing new to Wichita. Even higher: between them, they’ve Wichita lined for each meal.
Here’s a take a look at every one:
Magnolia Cafe
Hours: 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays by way of Thursdays, 6 a.m. to three p.m. Fridays, 8 a.m. to three p.m. Saturdays and Sundays
Wade, who additionally owns the Italian restaurant Napoli at 7718 E. thirty seventh St. North, determined to department out with this new upscale brunch restaurant, which has taken over the previous Fred & Barney’s/Sweet Basil spot close to twenty first and Woodlawn.
The menu options Southern-inspired breakfast and lunch dishes, lots of which aren’t broadly accessible elsewhere in Wichita — issues like shrimp and grits, and eggs “Pontchartrain,” which characteristic fried oysters on toasted English muffins topped with poached eggs and tasso hollandaise. The menu additionally consists of lunch choices like a fried oyster po’ boy and a Nashville sizzling rooster sandwich.
I visited for brunch on Sunday and was exceptionally excited to order the shrimp and grits — one among my favourite dishes however not simple to seek out domestically. Wade’s model was completely different from many I’ve tried, although that’s not a nasty factor. The tacky grits had been lined in a decadent and creamy smoked tomato sauce, and several other plump tail-on shrimp rested on high. The andouille sausage added an ideal salty chew to the dish, and I used to be stunned to seek out solar dried tomatoes nestled all through. The portion was so large, I needed to take half of it house.
Business author Carrie Rengers accompanied me, and she or he had the pork stomach hash, which was attractively served in a small cast-iron skillet. The colourful dish featured a combination of candy potatoes and crispy pork stomach topped with two fried eggs then dressed with a relish known as chow chow. She preferred it, although she was enviously eyeing my mountain of shrimp and grits.
We began with horseradish deviled eggs and in addition requested an order of the home made biscuits, which had pillow-y facilities that had been complimented by the strawberry/rhubarb preserves served with them. One order contained 4 biscuits.
The costs had been affordable, and the eating room was vibrant and modern and fortunately not stuffed with Southern kitsch. Service was good and the meals got here out rapidly, which isn’t at all times the case throughout mushy openings.
Magnolia Cafe additionally has a patio, a full bar and espresso drinks. I ordered a beautiful little latte that was served with two sugar cubes on the facet. Here’s the complete menu:
FioRito Ristorante
Hours: 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesdays by way of Thursdays, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays
The Rickard brothers, each Wichita natives, have lengthy dreamed about opening a restaurant collectively, and after reducing their tooth in eating places in Denver and Wichita, they’ve lastly been in a position to do it. Their new restaurant is now open within the spot on the northwest nook of Douglas and Hillside previously occupied by Two Brothers BBQ and Burger Grill.
Their menu is “Italian-ish,” the brothers have stated, which means that the dishes are all impressed by the flavors of Italy. But the Rickards, who aren’t Italian however are each inventive cooks, say that quite than making an attempt to make genuine Italian dishes, they’re striving to make meals that tastes good utilizing Italian substances.
I used to be at their mushy opening on Friday and might attest that they achieved their purpose of creating meals that tastes good. And they’ve managed to create a enjoyable new setting in Wichita.
My mates and I began our meal with the FioRito bread service, which options house-made sourdough bread served with spreads. We bought all 5 spreads — together with pimento cheese, a cannellini bean hummus, and stracciatella, which is the creamy mushy middle of burrata cheese. The bread had a crunchy crust and a mushy, chewy middle, and it was enjoyable to strive all of the spreads. My favourite was the stracciatella. My recommendation: Set your carb fears apart and go for the bread service.
We tried two starters: the falafel, which had been crispy on the skin however fluffy and lightweight within the middle, a feat achieved by incorporating egg whites into the dough, and the roasted cauliflower, which my mates beloved, although I used to be enviously eyeing the massive bowls of pork meatballs being served at close by tables. Next time.
We additionally tried 4 of the 5 pastas, my favourite of which was the stuffed pepperoni ravioli. Stuffed pasta, the Rickard brothers say, is one among their specialties, and now I see why. The home made pillows had been bursting with meaty taste and doused with simply the correct amount of a wealthy crimson sauce.
I additionally couldn’t cease consuming the rigatoni, which had simply the precise al dente chew and was inventively topped with pork ragu, sliced jalapeno and crunchy pumpkin seeds, which added a pleasant texture.
A spotlight of the expertise had been the cocktails created and served by the restaurant’s gifted bar supervisor, Tori Vess. One of her innovations — a vibrant inexperienced cocktail known as Oh the Places You’ll Go, is a cucumber-y concoction domed by an edible cocktail bubble that bursts when lime juice is added on the desk. When it pops, smoke pours out and everybody cheers.
The eating room is a bit tight, however the place had an upbeat hum, and the service was nice. I’ll sit up for making an attempt the massive Douglas-facing patio later this summer season.
FioRito has separate dinner and lunch menus, and the restaurant accepts reservations on its web site, www.fioritoristorante.com
Here’s the menu:
