The proposal for this meal came to Matt from some regulars at our restaurant. They wanted to rent a limo and drink some champagne on the way to Lawrence, Kans. (about a 45 minute drive). However one of them is a neurosurgeon and a few days before the dinner his coworker had to leave town and he was not able to find someone to cover his shift – I imagine getting a neurosurgery shift covered is a bit more difficult than getting my Monday lunch serving shift covered. So, Matt, his older brother Charles, Charles’ girlfriend Silver and I drove in a boring ol’ trailblazer, no bubbles, and made a much more modest arrival in the residential Lawrence neighborhood. We met Willie there, one of Matt’s dance professors from KU and we were lead into the living room where pictures of the Krause daughters were framed on the walls, and a few magazine subscriptions were stacked on the coffee table. We sipped on the house cocktail – a cucumber infused gin gimlet and imaged the daughters being annoyed with their new rowdy house guests from their bedrooms above. We were then served a spoonful of mission fig, Turkish fig, Berkshire farms bacon and goat cheese. Then, Chef came out and casually said dinner was ready (I almost expected to hear my mom yell for someone to come set the table). And then, like a gaggle of well dressed foster children, we went into the dining room and our Krause “parents” served up an incredible dinner.
The cast for the evening:
Willie: a 62-year-old dance professor at KU, recently had two hip replacements. Refuses to eat organ meats, rodents (rabbit) or squab because he ate too much of that growing up poor 50 years ago. Makes most of his own clothes (except for his red shirt this evening) and is dressed to the nines in a vest, cuff links and a paisley print tie. Loves making puns and has a wonderfully distinctive raspy voice. Tonight he will eat an innocent little veal and even admit that he liked it.
Charles: (Chuck) Matt’s older brother, just graduated from dental school and is one of the smartest guys I’ve ever met. He spends a ridiculous amount of time studying and working and I think he enjoyed this night of relaxation. He got really into telling jokes with Willie (especially after a few glasses of wine) – example: Q: “what is green and has wheels?” “I don’t know, what?” A: “grass, I was just messing with you about the wheels.” Or – “Ask me if I’m a truck.” “Are you a truck?” “No.”
Silver: Chuck’s girlfriend, also works in the dental field. She is involved in an intense game of Mafia Wars on her iPhone and despite her petite stature and good manners, her favorite move is to rob the other mobsters and steal all their money. This was her debut foie gras eating experience and although she approached the plate a little timidly I think she enjoyed it.
Matt and myself, who are very used to each others company at the dining table and I had not really noticed how our stomachs are conditioned to eat 9 courses with no trouble at all. Looking back, this is definitely an acquired skill, because I once was the one defeated by the final bite of a chocolate soufflé. Having just come off a gastro-intense week in New York, I as interested to see what Krause had to contribute. The food was superb – great ingredients, combinations and presentation. They offer wine pairings with each course for $55 a head, however they have no printed wine list (our server told us he was “the embodiment of this list” so if we wanted anything just ask) But this did not leave many options other than to do the pairing. The pairings were fair, all good wines, but I wouldn’t say anything particularly set the food off in a magical way. My only hope for the restaurant is they improve their wine program because the food was far far beyond what I was expecting.
1. Tomato and Tomatillo Soup, Sweet Corn Sorbet, Dried Chili – the sorbet had a wonderfully authentic sweet corn flavor and the hot soup was a great contrast, with a tiny bit of well rounded heat.
2. Homemade Dungeness Crab Ravioli, Lobster Carrot Broth, Flash Fried Basil and Fennel Tip, Basil Oil – the sauce was the highlight of the dish (and it was incredible) the ravioli was not particularly crabby but the pasta was very delicate.
Paired with: 2006 Shinas Estate Viognier “The Innocent”
3. Brandade (Puree of salt cod and potato) Wrapped in Iberian Ham, Soft Poached Farm Egg, Dried Tomato, Piquillo Pepper Sauce, Pea Tendrils, Baby Arugula – Possibly my favorite dish of the meal, the Brandade was good whipped texture, nice and salty. The dried tomato had concentrated all of its flavor power down into the one slice and was all the goodness of a tomato without the oozy seeds or watery juices to get in the way. I always am happy to eat a poached egg.
Paired with: a decent Albarino that I forgot the name of
4. Hudson Valley Foie Gras, Mango and Pineapple Sticky Rice, Candied Yuzu, Macadamia Nut, Mango Mint Coulis – The foie was great with a nice amount of salt on the outside however Matt and I both agreed that the accompaniments were a little bit too sweet/ didn’t do much for the foie. I normally love all things mango, and I think the couli and the rice would have been good on their own which I did by eating the elements seperately. From our first time foie eaters in the group there were mixed reviews, Silver had liver growing up and was expecting that tough chewy texture, Chuck was not quite sure weather to chew or let it dissolve but once he figured it out, I think he enjoyed.
Paired with: Dönnhhoff Riesling Spätlese
5. Seared Albacore Tuna, Tomato and Caper Vinagrette. Sea Beans, Beets, Cabbage – The sea beans were a new ingredient for me, they looked like seaweed but had the crunch and skin texture of a bean. Willie was not convinced they were beans, and Matt offered to float it around in his water glass so we could get the full effect of the sea bean swaying in its natural habitat. The rest of the salad portion was very nice especially the bite that had half of a tiny delicious heirloom tomato in it. The tuna was good, still nice and raw inside, and the capers added a good briny tang.
Paired with: 2004 Chehalem Pinot Noir
(this is when the natural light went away and the pictures turn red)
6. Canadian Veal Strip Loin, Baby Broccoli Raab, Lobster Mushroom, Baby Shiitake, Huckleberry Dots, Demi Glas Huckleberry Jus, Carmelized Fennel – tremendously tender meat, the lobster mushroom was earthier tasting than I expected (not like an Oyster Mushroom at all). I had never had a whole huckleberry before and they were great – sweet and sour at the same time, Chuck called them “blueberries on steroids.” The fennel was also delicious, whatever they did to carmelize it gave it a wonderful flavor, almost like there was some sort of vinegar there too.
Paired with: 2003 Andrew Will Klipsun Vineyard Cab Merlot blend
7. Coconut Panna Cotta, Pineapple Chili Syrup, Pineapple Granite, Cardamom Cookie – We had told them ahead of time that Willie is lactose intolerant, and we thought we had caught them here serving the panna cotta, but our server assured us it was coconut milk based, so Willie was in the clear. It was very tasty and I was so eager to eat it I did not take a photograph. Sorry!
Paired with: 2006 Leitz Riesling
8. Chocolate Soufflé, Chantilly Cream, Bittersweet Chocolate Sauce – Chef came out to pour the bittersweet chocolate table side, making a few precise stabs into the soufflé and then pouring the sauce over the top. We had not been paying attention to all the ingredients, so when we asked Chef what we were about to eat he jokingly shrugged and said “Beats me!”. It was decadent and delicious and perfectly warm inside (I have encountered some third-degree-burn-on-your-tongue hot soufflés)
Paired with: 2007 Dashe Late Harvest Zin
Honeydew Mint Sorbet with Lemonade – a refreshing shot to clean off the palate and leave a fresh taste for the drive home
I liked the Krause concept quite a bit. It was wonderful food in an amazingly unpretentious setting. Krause was shut down in the beginning for illegaly running a restaurant out of his house – Which I’m sure is much MORE legal than what happens in the homes of many of the college student homes nearby. But, he has since obtained all legal licenses and has a wonderfully rennovated space to serve dinner. The family still lives upstairs, and there is a modern metal and glass wing attached for the dining room. There were four tables in that room and we were told there is another dining room they serve out of sometimes as well. The ceiling had a metal screen that looked like chain mail draped over the lights, and I overheard the adjacent table saying it was the conveyer belt from an old bakery in Topeka. The overall mood in the dining room was very light, our table erupted in fits of laughter quite often over Willie’s clever puns. But we were not the only roudy table, next to us were some almost defeaning screams of laughter as well – I think a good sign that people are truly enjoying themselves. While the menu might be expensive for Lawrence standards, it is quite a bargain given the level of food – I reccommend that everyone go check this out!
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