Guilty Pleasures: Michael Smith
By OWEN MORRIS
Michael Smith is the James Beard-award-winning chef of his eponymous restaurant at 19th and Main and the soon-to-be-open tapas bar next door ,Extra Virgin. Previously he worked as co-executive chef at 40 Sardines in Leawood and the American Restaurant in Crown Center. He trained in France and has worked at such national establishments as Charlie Trotters in Chicago.
I don't have anything crazy. I don't eat fast food. Just a lot of protein and pasta. When I was in college, I'd eat a pound of pasta a day. Just wolf it down. I also eat ramen noodles. That's a great lunch. I don't eat them by themselves. I have to add things to them.
Scallions, cilantro, maybe a splash of lime. Something to give the ramen more flavor.
I eat the shrimp ramen and the pork one. Shrimp is in the pink package. You know its shrimp because the color, like it contains real shrimp. Pork is in. . .brown, orange, one of those colors. I just mix up the packages. I don't give a shit. If I have to feed the kids, myself and Nancy I'll just mix them all together. Put them in a big bowl.
Really though, I just eat ramen once a month. Maybe twice. I eat everything all day long. I'm picking at this or taking a bite of that. In France, they don't let you eat anything. I thought I was going to starve. We'd sneak bites in the cooler. . .I got caught a few times and yelled at. But they yelled at you for anything. Point is I'm used to eating all day long.
With ramen it's a quick lunch or coming home from dinner when I want something. I'll make some ramen and get a tortilla and throw it straight on stove-top. No pan or nothing. Just get it heated on the stove-top and put in some cheese, some meat, whatever is leftover. Add some cilantro. I love Mexican spices. That's a good meal.
It's a comfort food. I had it last night. That's not true. I was feeling a little sick so Nancy made me Campbell's chicken noodle soup plus grilled cheese and I just rested and watched some football and ate grilled cheese. So good. She had a can of tomato soup too which I wanted because it's grilled cheese and tomato soup but she had called dibs on the tomato soup.
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