UPDATED 6-10-13: WE HAVE A WINNER!
After some deliberation we were won over at the promise of trying some Greek food. Thank you Karen for your recommendation! Look for a upcoming blog about our experience.
Thanks to everyone who entered our little contest and thanks to Westlake Ace for the gift card
It’s time for our first reader’s choice review contest. Not that we have run out of places to blog about, but I thought it would be fun to get some input from our loyal readers. We will be accepting suggestions for our next restaurant to review from now till Saturday. The winner will be picked subjectively based on how persuasive the argument is for their restaurant choice. The winner gets a $25 gift card courtesy of Westlake Ace Hardware.
Please post your entries in the comment section of this post.
I also wanted to let everyone know that the first ever Wichita Restaurant week is June 21st-30th. This is a very exciting event with some of the proceeds going the Boys and Girls Club.
For more information check out their site: http://wichitarestaurantweek.com/
Chain Free Eating In Wichita 
I had to wrack my brain to think of a place I might have tried that you haven’t already reviewed and only came up with one but it was a good one, at least the one time we meant. It’s a place called Kababs at 746 N. Tyler. We went on a Sunday right after they opened and they only offered the buffet that day, but it was so good. Loved everything but can’t tell you what I ate b/c I have no idea! I do remember the dessert–it was neat, like a creamy fine cornmeal type stuff that you ladeled a sweet cream sauce over that had vermicelli in it and it had a slight flavor of cardamom. They have gotten some bad reviews on Urban Spoon recently and I don’t know if they’ve gone downhill since then (it’s been about a year since our visit though we keep meaning to return) or the reviewers are just going in too late and eating old buffet food but we need you to set the record straight. Plus I’m finally pregnant after 13 years of trying so you should pick this place even if my argument for it isn’t that great. 😉
Oh this is an Indian food joint, should have mentioned that. The foods were labeled on the buffet but I just took whatever looked good, so that’s why I’m not sure what I ate. lol!
Great pic, Veronica. We also enjoyed eating there, but it has been awhile.
Congratulations on your pregnancy! Your description of the dessert has me intrigued…
Thank you! I know the dessert sounds weird but I really enjoyed it.
Though the Tea Room in the Spice Merchant offers only hot tea (by the pot or cup) that comes with complementary cookies (5-6 YUMMY homemade varieties to chose from), I think this venue is a hidden gem. The management is attentive but not intrusive. The decor is a bit “oriental” and fragrant with a little incense and the smell of roasting coffee. Lots of tables and chairs are available with seating for 2 up to 10. I have recently started meeting in the Tea Room with my crochet group to stitch and chat. It is also an ideal spot for children’s event as the management allows “brown-bag” food to be brought in. If you’re looking for somewhere to hunker down over a laptop, take a lunch break from the office or meet a friend this is a wonderful alternative to a bookstore cafe or a park bench.
Kosta the Greek is a newish place that just opened that brings in some needed fast-serve Greek food to the area. I ate there with my family recently and loved it. They have a feta burger on a pretzel bun, and Greek fries that are topped with feta cheese and a drizzle of homemade Greek dressing which were totally addictive. The staff is all family, and they are friendly and warm. The menu is limited, but what they do they do well and fast. The place is cozy (not small!), which I like. Bonus, the owners are from the Thessaloniki, the city in Greece my mother was from!
oooooh, that sounds gooooood.
Congratulations Karen you are the big winner! please send an email to ptwarren84@gmail.com to claim your prize
Wonderful! Hope you enjoy it, and I look forward to the review!
Wonderful! Hope you like it, and I look forward to the review!
Shang Hai Restaurant
3815 E Harry St, Wichita, KS 67218
(316) 681-8020
Lunch buffet is a hidden gem among the fast food joints on Harry.
Solid food, clean establishment, inexpensive, good service, and child friendly!
Soup, salad bar, main courses, and dessert. All for around seven bucks.
11 AM to 1 PM are the finest two hours to pig out.
El Jarrito Mexican Restaurant (Another Foodie Find)
1728 N Main St
North Newton, KS 67114
When one craves a “Mexican street Taco” its worth making a short, (30 minute) road trip to: El Jarrito a Mom and daughter operation located on the north end of a strip center on the east side of the main drag. One can barely squeeze into the cozy place which transports the customer to the warm heart of Mexico. Perhaps the “acid test” of Mexican culinary art is the preparation of a plain cheese enchilada. Hot, gooey cheese and the red sauce must surround the (flour) tortilla and with (optional) chopped onions meld into a stringy spicy bite of heaven.
We enjoyed the chips; however, one should resist”tanking up” on them. Martha ordered the 3 flour enchilada plate and I ordered the combo which contained a (burrito, taco and an enchilada.) The refried beans were cooked in real lard and the flavor was terrific. I
could barely eat the carne asada (beef) burrito after i crunched down the crispy beef taco. Unlike, most “street tacos” they were LARGE and stuffed with meat. (I took the burrito home.)
El Jarrito is for those who appreciate “home style” Mexican food. Don’t be surprised if you are the only “Anglo” in the place — they don’t discriminate. Folks from Hesston and students from Bethel College have discovered this small Mexican “jewel.” Remember to bring a BIG appetite or a couple of teenagers. A tall skinny kid wearing a KU. sweatshirt managed to eat the Combo and drink two large cokes. (He’d spent time in Mexico on a church building project) Its tiny so one can talk to their neighbors. He said the only thing missing was a television playing a Mexican soap opera. (There was a pink T.V. in the corner — thankfully it was not on!)
Thanks for the tip on El Jarrito. It sounds like we will need to make the drive up there!
We’re looking forward to your review of: Kosta, The Greek. We plan on serving a “take-out” party for a couple of Greek friends and value your opinion.
By the way, try out The Job Box in El Dorado if you’re out “cruisin.” They serve a HUGE pork tender in a diner and you can order fried pickles with it. Ditto: Ad Astra in Strong City, (Fri-Sat) has great food and is worthy of a “road trip.”