Crêperie

Chez Elle

Kansas City, Missouri

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It's been a while since I've been to Chez Elle for their wonderful crepes, mostly because I was working out in Corporateville all the way out in Lenexa. Last week, resident artist Trey Bryan invited us for some breakfast (which turned into lunch) and an interview. We had the loveliest afternoon sitting on the patio, enjoying the perfect weather and making new friends.

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Savory Crêpes, $4.95 - $9.75

{1} Legume Crêpe filled with caramelized onion, spinach, tomato, mushcrooms and topped with crème fraîche. {2} A breakfast crêpe. {3} Acropolis Crêpe filled with roasted chicken, tomatoes, kalamata olives, baby spinacy, feta and topped with a cucumber tzatzki sauce.

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Sweet Crêpes, $4.95-$7.95

Tina tried to say no thanks, but I said bring it on. I love dessert! We shared a dessert sampler made up of the Tropicale (coconut cream custard and tropical fruits), the Citron (lemon curd with strawberries and whipped cream) and the Au Chocolat (chocolate crêpe batter filled with chocolate mousse topped with raspberry sauce and chocolate sauce).

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Full disclosure: Ellen was so kind and generous, not only did she buy our lunch, she also treated us to dessert. Thank you very, very much! We had the best day with you guys.

steve z.

Steve Z. | Owner/Baker

Bloom Baking Co.

Years of Industry Service: 18-20

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For the last year and half, Steve and fiancée Janet have been working 17-hour days, baking and operating the wildly popular Bloom, the little bread shop they started because there was a need for a by-scratch bakery in Kansas City. Of course, they have more than just bread, beautiful cakes and pastries entice you from the glass cases too. Steve says, "Everyone assumes that everything in a bakery is sweet. We wanted people to have a choice when they walk into the bakery." Steve sits outside his shop every day of the week (except Monday and Tuesday) handing out samples and educating customers about his goods because "no one knows what the product tastes like unless you taste it." On Mondays they are closed and on Tuesdays, it's just him and Janet in the bakery.

When asked about what he did in his free time, Steve said, "Have you ever worked in a bakery? It's all we ever do is work." That said, Steve and Janet both love to cook. Before he started his own business, he was the general manager of Brancato's Catering. He's also worked at the Intercontinental Hotel and in banquets in New York City for Donald Trump. Born and raised in Kansas City, Steve has lived and traveled all over the country for work. Now, he works in the City Market where "there's still a lot of history and you get to know people. That's what makes it nice."

  Make KC Better » Everyone should get back to their roots. 

 Wave at people you see. 

Link Love for the Weekend

Design by Fresh Fish Creative

Hope you don't mind me sharing some Korean Drama madness over here.

Cross-promoting insanity.

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The internet can be a shit storm of negativity. How one tweeter got kicked out of a restaurant for her rude tweets and left in tears. This is why we try to always play nice and be supportive of the service industry on The Employee Lounge. via Sam Sifton on twitter.

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Artist Peregrine Honig is up to some awesome-ness. Loving her bird cage transportation machines.

Read about it here and see her process here (see projects/the gilded cage/sweet chariot).

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We heart Mash Handmade. More to come about them soon,

but for now, check out their site and blog.

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And then....

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There is no better place than a home filled with books.

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I don't know if I can eat these cookies. They're too cute and wonderful.

via Oh Joy!

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Life is short. This story broke my heart and really made me think

about how I carelessly I sometimes treat the ones I love the most.

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Roast Chicken, with two of my favorite ingredients, lemon and basil.

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Creative sushi. Great ad work.

GKCBC Program

Don't forget about The Greater Kansas City Bartending Competition this Sunday, August 21st at The Uptown Theater. The Employee Lounge will be there, hanging out at the photo booth with stand-in photographer Elizabeth Cook (thanks Beth!). I designed this year's program and this is just a little peak at what you have in store for you. Lots and lots of fun stuff going on, including a name change for next year's competition. Thank you to the talented bartenders who continue making cocktail culture vibrant in Kansas City (and beyond), to the sponsors who have been involved this year and a big pat on the back to Ryan Maybee, Beau Williams and Brandon Cummins for all the hard work they do to put this event together. See you out there, hopefully with a delicious drink in your hand!

Friday Fun Day

by Tina Magee-Jenks
Taken with a Polaroid SX70, edited in Photoshop

by Linh Trieu
Made with takeout chopsticks, bakers twine, scrap fabric and hot glue,
All materials found around the house. Mobile is now hanging in my apple tree.

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Mobile

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It's Friday Fun Day again. How does another week fly by so fast?! At the end of each week, we'll be posting art that goes with a chosen theme. You're all invited to play along. This is your chance to make something, to be creative and to play. So make it, then photograph or scan it in and send us a jpeg of your art to employeelounge@gmail.com. You choose the medium, there's no deadline, we'll keep adding images as you send them in. And don't forget to tell us a little bit about your piece. If you're a blogger, send us your link. 

Next Week » FAMILY

Gimme Some Chocolate

Christopher Elbow Artisanal Chocolates

Kansas City, Missouri

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Just a peek inside one of the most beautiful chocolate shops you will ever set foot in. Modern and sleek with dark brown walls and shelving, gleaming white counters and bold pops of color from their chocolates and packaging. 

mati mat

Mati Mat | Server

Grinders

Years of Industry Service: 10

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Matt, Mati Mat as he likes to be known for Google search, is the only male server at  Grinders, the rest of the guys work the line, but Matt, he's up front with the ladies. Outside of his service industry job, Matt is very involved in the arts. "I run an art gallery, have a couple of CDS out, write poems, do photography," he says. "Everything I do has its own subculture." Matt first pursued music, but the only reason he got into music was to write. He plays with fellow musician Billy Beale, who taught him how to play the guitar, song writing and how to perform. His new favorite phrase, a Mati-Mat-ism, is: the better you look, the more you see.

Matt is a Virgo.
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In the top image, Matt was photographed with a customers visiting from Iowa. Grinders was featured on Food Network's Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. Every time the show runs, they get a whole new group of customers from all over the country, and even Canada, stopping in for a look-see.

  Make KC Better » Focus on the small things, like clean up Brush Creek. 

up, up and away

 

FOR THE LOVE OF KANSAS CITY

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Where are we?

Where in Kansas City can you take a ride over the tree tops?

Leave your answer in the comments section below or

send us a message via facebook or twitter @ELoungeKC.

photo by Linh Trieu

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sebastian

Sebastian | Server

Julian

Years of Industry Service: 15

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Sebastian, a first time father, re-evaluated his life and his career after having his little girl almost three years ago. He had been in the corporate restaurant world for most of that time. His first job was at Pizza Hut and then at TGIFridays, off an on for 10 years, where he was started as a server and ended as a general manager. "I like managing," Sebastian said. "But being a GM is different. There's more planning and being in the office. You're literally in there for 8 hours at a time.

But being in the office all day wasn't exactly his idea of a dream job. So back to school he went, graduating early, and surprise, he got back into the restaurant business. "It's kind of like the Goodfellas thing," he said. "You think you're out, but it pulls you back in." This time around, however, he's working for Top Chef Master Celina Tio at the independently-owned Julian, where Sebastian says, "This is so much fun. It kind of reignited that flame for me. When food is done right, when people are passionate about it, it's really neat to see." He's now studying for his first-level sommelier certification and learning more about the wine side of the business.

Sebastian's wife is a business analyst and works one day from home, but for the most part, Sebastian plays the caretaker role. Before his daughter was born, he played a lot of first-person shooter games like Fallout or Call of Duty. "I'd have a glass of Scotch and play for a couple hours* each night," he said. But now, he's more likely to be watching Spongebob and reading to to his daughter, who is really into books. "Your perspective changes when you have kids. She is an absolute blast."

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*With a husband who used to also drink Scotch and play Halo,

I bet it was for more than a couple of hours. :)

  Make KC Better » Encourage small business growth. 

Polls are Open

The Employee Lounge is proud to sponsor the People's Choice Award for The Greater Kansas City Bartender Competition this year. Bartenders, send your fans, your friends and your mom the link to this page and then have them vote for you on the poll to your right. Poll closes at 9:30 p.m. on Sunday, August 21st and the winner will be announced on the Main Stage at the competition. We've put faces to those names to make it easier for you. Check out our previous post to see links to where they're from and who they work for. Hope to see everyone there! Tickets can be purchased for $15 here and a portion of the proceeds with be benefitting their local charity partner, KCPT.

eating in the burbs!

Urban Table

Prairie Village, Kansas // Corinth Square

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This corner restaurant in Corinth is nice and sleek. You order food at the counter, but the whole drink side and who your server is/could be was more confusing. So I ordered Local Bucha not realizing there was a bar, thus my self-concocted afternoon cocktail, and the fact that I spent more on drinks than food.

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Local Bucha, $6(?) + Vodka on the Rocks, $8

Strawberry Lavender Kombucha spiked with vodka, of course. My own mixture.

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Watermelon Gazpacho Soup with a BLTA, $8

avocado, bacon, romaine, tomato, truffled mayo, nine-grain bread

andrew

Andrew F. | Manager

BRGR Kitchen + Bar

Years of Industry Service: 14

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Andrew moved to Kansas City seven years ago from Springfield, Missouri and like several other employees we've had on the blog, he also started his service industry career at 75th Street Brewery in Waldo, saying, "We had a blast back then." He was going to school for communications and marketing and worked at The Pitch for a couple of years. "For someone who's not from Kansas City," he said the job, "helped me connect the dots. I miss all the free concert tickets." Wolfmother at the Beaumont Club and Band of Horses at the Uptown Theater are a few of the best shows he saw. Now, he's back in the service industry, working 70-hour weeks, nights and weekends. "I'm the new guy. I have to close the most."

Andrew says this is the most "relentless" job he's ever work. The restaurant is consistently busy and their customers are consistent about dining early too. When he's not working, Andrew, who is newly single, plays tennis and works on his golf game. He's also a big fan of going to the lake and drinking good wine and beer on patios. "I'm a pretty straight-forward guy."

  Make KC Better » Open talking points between the two states (KS+MO) 

 so we can be on an even playing field. Expand downtown airport. 

Congrats David!

 

July Employee of the Month

David H. // The Majestic Restaurant

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Thanks to the very digitally-connected employees this month, we had nearly 2,000 page views during Employee of the Month week. Isn't that crazy?! This month's poll started out fairly even, but soon David and Beau zoomed past the competition. They were going back and forth for the lead with some good-natured ribbing on facebook about cheating and whatnot, but David prevailed. He did say he had some tricks up his sleeve. Soooo, what are your secrets?

David, you're going to have to drag yourself away from writing and the computer and take your girlfriend out to some nice dinners. Thanks to Matt, Celina, Andrew and John, David will be receiving four $25 gift certificates, one from each of the following restaurants:

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715 // Thanks Matt & Michael!

Starker's // Thanks John!

BRGR // Thanks Andrew

Julian // Thanks Celina!