Kansas City Taste Box
I’m nothing if not a lover of food. Kansas City has, in my opinion, some of the best dining in the Midwest that has absolutely nothing to do with barbecue. My friends know this about me and frequently suggest recipes or cool restaurants and experiences. So when my friend, Jessica (a kindred food spirit), suggested I review Kansas City Taste Box, a food experience that puts you in the critics chair, I was sold.
The concept is simple - once a month a Taste Box is curated with a theme from local eateries to showcase talent and allow patrons to sample from a variety of options in a head-to-head showdown. A date, pickup location and instructions are given when you place your order online. It is a smooth and easy process - you don’t even have to get out of your car! The pickup location varies month to month, but two metro locations are offered so you are never too far from a box of tasty delight. Past boxes have included donuts, Christmas cookies, brownies, and tarts, but January was “Taste of the Tropics” to combat the winter blahs. I was unfamiliar with three of the five venues featured in the box so this is great exposure for businesses in the Kansas City food industry.
Let me start my review by saying I botched the process by underestimating how much food would actually be included. I had assumed it would mostly be a one-bite wonder, but there were straight up FIVE desserts in this box! Total bargain for $28. Because of this I had not prepped my family or enlisted any friends to assist in this process. Could I, Danya, manage all these tropical sensations alone on a Saturday night?
Yes, yes I could.
I assembled my desserts in their labeled squares on the sheet of legal size paper included with my order and set my scoring sheet alongside. A score of one (lowest) to five (highest) is given in two categories, Presentation and Taste, resulting in a total score of up to 10 points. I liked the simplicity of the scoring system because it kept me from being overwhelmed by the process thereby not letting me adequately savor each bite. However, I would have appreciated space on the scoring sheet for Tasting Notes to remind myself why I rated a particular way.
A QR code is provided on your scoring sheets to set you up with an online system that allows tasters to cast their votes accordingly. Each voter has until 6 pm the following day to give their feedback. The winner is announced via social media a day or two later.
Unfazed by the task at hand, I began my quest to find the perfect tropical cure for the chilly January day. I will list in the order of tasting and give my rating.
#1: Pineapple Upside Down Cake from Johnny C’s Deli
Presentation: 2 Taste: 3 Total: 5
Tasting notes: The presentation was unoriginal. I would have found it more eye pleasing in the form of a mini Bundt cake rather than just the corner piece of a sheet cake. I could have overlooked the generic-ness of the presentation if it had been a knock-your-socks-off kind of cake. But it was just average. While the cake was fluffy and moist, the pineapple ring on top was a little cumbersome. I would have liked to see more originality in the dish to get a better sense of what Johnny C’s is all about.
#2: Passionfruit Brigadieros from Cafe Brazil
Presentation: 4 Taste: 4 Total: 8
Tasting Notes: I loved the unique presentation and well-portioned pieces. I am unfamiliar with Brazilian cuisine, so this was a welcome peek into what Cafe Brazil has to offer. The delicate, crispy chocolate shell was the perfect vessel for the passionfruit cream. While passionfruit can take on a bitter flavor, the chocolate balanced the palate and gave this bite a well-rounded profile. I loved the size - just enough to get a perfect taste but not so much that you can overdo it. And now I must visit Cafe Brazil to see what else I have been missing out on.
#3: Pineapple & Toasted Coconut Fritter from Mr. D’s Donut Shop
Presentation: 2 Taste: 2 Total: 4
Tasting Notes: When I saw that Mr. D’s was on the menu, I thought to myself, “Game over! Just give them the grand prize!” I have previously reviewed local donut shops and Mr. D’s was my number one pick. And this is a coveted position because I can pack down a donut! But I was underwhelmed by this fritter. I didn’t get any hint of pineapple in the dough, and while the toasted coconut added some welcome texture, it was just one-note. Even for a basic fritter I thought it was lacking. Fritters are best served straight out of the fryer, so this dish did not translate well into something that was not to be consumed for a few hours after the fact. But don’t let this dissuade you from patronizing Mr. D’s, though! They are top notch in the donut world.
#4: Key Lime Bar from Yum Bakery
Presentation: 4 Taste: 5 Total: 9
Tasting Notes: Perfection. It tasted like sitting in a tiki hut on Sanibel Island. This was the only dish that really lived up to the expectation of being transported to the tropics. The graham cracker crust was an ideal base for the mellow key lime cream, topped with (what tasted like) fresh whipped cream. “Balanced” and “perfectly portioned” best describe this dessert.
#5: Piña Colada Cupcake from SmallCakes Cupcakery
Presentation: 4 Taste: 3 Total: 7
Tasting Notes: I’m a sucker for a paper umbrella in anything. I keep some in my bar cart and put them in my drinks when I need to feel a little fancy, so seeing one on top of this cupcake got me all sorts of excited. But the cupcake mostly missed the mark for me. While the cake itself was excellent and fluffy, the frosting was ok and maybe a little too heavy for the subtlety I like in my piña colada flavoring. This dessert rightfully fell in the middle of the ranking.
The following Monday I anxiously stalked the KC Taste Box instagram account to see how my reviews matched up. My assessment must not have been too far off from the palate of my fellow food lovers, because the Passionfruit Brigadeiros from Cafe Brazil were awarded the number one spot! Unfortunately the published results stopped there. I would have preferred to see the rankings of each dessert to round out the process since taste can be so subjective, but alas, I will have to rely on my own wits.
Overall I have to declare the KC Taste Box a winner. But to make the most of the experience, grab your foodie friends, schedule a date with someone cute, or use this as snacks for a family game night and make an event out of sampling the morsels. Or don’t, and just hunch over the box in your kitchen with a fork. Because sometimes that feels right, too.
Kansas City Taste Box
Single Taste Box (the one I ordered): $28
Double Taste Box (perfect for a family or a group tasting): $48
