Well Fed On the Town

Foodies love iconic dishes. Philly Cheesesteak, Chicago Deep Dish Pizza, St. Louis Style Ribs, etc. Many a foodie discussion revolves around where to find the best examples of these iconic foods. So with that in mind, I tackled Kansas City this weekend in search of KC’s best KC Strip Steak. At the risk of launching a food(ie) fight, I’m going to boldly say I have found it, at Le Fou Frog.

The Crazy Frog, as it might be known in English, is located just north of downtown in a building that, from the outside, mostly recalls to mind images of a ~1976 Coin-Op Laundromat. In other words, it’s not much to look at from the outside. Inside the tables are tightly packed in a manner that might generously be described as cozy, or otherwise described as downright cramped. However, there is definitely enough elbow room to enjoy the feast you are about to receive. So amuse yourself with the ubiquitious French kitsch covering the walls and settle in for a dining adventure.

The menu changes often at Le Fou Frog. They offer an online sample, some of which will be found on the menu when you dine there, possibly with some variation. The appetizer and salad menu is static enough that they actually print that one out. However the dinner menu changes often enough that when you are seated they hand you a small, neatly hand-written chalk board tablet. That’s your menu. Each table gets one.

If you arrive later in the evening, you can expect that a few things will have been erased from the menu, or your server might update you on a few items they are out of already. The emphasis on fresh ingredients is such that they try hard to keep on hand only what they will need.

For those in an adventurous mood, ready to tackle something they don’t often get a chance to taste in the U.S., some of the game items on the menu might include: Ostrich, Kangaroo, Elk or the like. When I return, and oh yes, I will be returning, I might go a bit farther afield of normal in my ordering. But this night, I had my eyes on a KC Strip.

Overall though, my lovely dinner companion and I were looking for a complete food adventure, the whole package. We started the evening with a half dozen helix snails, prepared Provencal style in the shell. While we were sorely tempted by the Prince Edward Island Mussels, we wanted a smaller appetizer to get us started.

The Escargot were expertly prepared, and the remnants of each shell, cleaned out with a tiny fork, pooled on the plate in a circle of melted butter and herbs, ready to be attacked by the crusty french bread close at hand.

Soup came next. I went traditional with a French Onion Soup, veal stock and port wine enriched sweet onion broth, covered in melted gruyere cheese, divine. Meanwhile, looking for something cool and refreshing, my dinner companion went with one of the Soup du Jour selections, a chilled, pureed soup of cucumber and avocado, infused with a jalapeno vinegar and a touch of cream. Both soups were outstanding.

The wine list was almost exclusively French, and the Premier Cru Burgundy we chose to accompany our entrees struck a perfect balance between the two dishes, steak and lamb.

Hers, the lamb, was a slow cooked shank resting on a bed of couscous, beside a very well prepared vegetable medley. The lamb shank was moist, tender and full of flavor. It had been prepared Provencal style with thyme, rosemary, parsely, sage, etc. This was the first time she had ordered lamb in a restaurant, having previously only ever had it at home, and she was not disappointed in the least.

Meanwhile, again, I was looking for that elusive, perfect, KC Strip Steak. The strip was prepared au Poivre style, crusted in peppercorns on one side, drizzled with a thickened pan sauce made from the drippings. The strip was thick, juicy, as tender as one might hope for from that cut of meat. I could not have envisioned it being better prepared or seasoned. It also rested atop a veritable mountain of frites. Together the very large strip and the frites occupied about 60% of the large platter they were served on. The remained 40% was a mixed mesculin greens salad, lightly dressed in a balsamic vinaigrette.

As much as I want to impress upon anyone that the steak was outstanding, I will be the first to admit, the real star on my plate were the frites. Such a simple item, so perfectly prepared. Even those frites which had been resting beneath the steak and, at the end of my meal were soaked in the steak juices, still had that crisp, crunchy exterior with a silky interior. The frites were lovingly cut such that each one was thick enough to have that silky interior, without being so thick that you run into that bland, unseasoned center of the frite. If, like myself, you love great steak fries, you need to find your way to Le Fou Frog.

Wrapping up our meal, we finished with two desserts. Both of us were mostly full and needed something rich, but light. So we split an order of chocolate mousse, which was predictably outstanding, and Banana Charlotte, which was special on the menu that evening. The bananas had been roasted with brown sugar and cinnamon, then whipped into a mouse. A “cup” was made out of lady fingers standing on end in a circle and the cup was filled with the banana mousse creation.

If you live near Kansas City, travel there on business or just need a roadtrip to the midwest, take the trouble to make your way to Le Fou Frog…and enjoy.

Le Fou Frog
400 E 5th St
Kansas City, MO 64106
(816) 474-6060