Miss the food from Applegate’s Landing? Innes Tea Room? Taste it all again, buffet style
Timirie Shibley loved reading my book “Classic Restaurants of Wichita,” published in early August and containing profiles of almost 100 gone-but-not-forgotten restaurants from the city’s past — and it wasn’t only because her late father-in-law was featured on its pages.
Of course, she said, she enjoyed reading about Kay Shibley’s Kamiel’s Restaurant & Club, which opened in 1971 near Kellogg and Rock Road. But she also was swept away in a wave of nostalgia revisiting her own favorite childhood restaurants, including Portobello Road, where she loved the grasshopper ice cream pie, and The Lazy R, where as a child she would color with founder George Stevens’ daughter, Brandi, while the adults talked.
Now, all these years later, Timirie and Patrick Shibley have a restaurant of their own: Doo-Dah Diner at 206 E. Kellogg. And during her recent trip down memory lane, she said, she was struck with inspiration.
Why not serve at the diner a one-time buffet featuring several of the once-favorite recipes served at once favorite Wichita restaurants? She floated the idea past Patrick — Kay Shibley’s son, who is Doo-Dah’s chef — and he liked the idea.
Soon, the idea will be a reality. At 6 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 16 — a time when the diner is usually closed for the day — it will reopen and serve a buffet that includes recipes from some of the now-closed restaurants featured in “Classic Restaurants of Wichita.”
Among the items that will be available on the buffet: Pasta Gilbertini from Applegate’s Landing; shish kabobs and ruz and yuknee from Kamiel’s; blackened chicken salad with Hazel dressing from Magnolia Cafe; Monte Cristos from Bombay Bicycle Club; garlic salad from Ken’s Klub and Don’s Steakhouse; and Rum Cream Pie from the Innes Tea Room.
Timirie also tracked down an old high school classmate whose parents owned the Mr. Dunderbak’s franchise that operated in Towne East Square from 1975 until 1987. Members of the family are planning to attend, and the buffet will also include some Dunderbak’s-inspired German fare.
The recipes come from a variety of sources: Of course, the Shibley family knows how to prepare some of the old Kamiel’s favorites. Kay Shibley’s old Kamiel’s menu even hangs on the wall at Doo-Dah Diner. And I helped the Shibley’s track down the recipes for Pasta Gilbertini, Hazel dressing, garlic salad and Rum Cream Pie from the Wichita Eagle archives. Those recipes were all tracked down or recreated over the years by past Wichita Eagle food editors like Kathleen Kelly and Joe Stumpe.
Timirie said as soon as she got her hands on the recipe for the tangy Hazel dressing, which she loved when it was served at Magnolia Cafe, a Cajun restaurant that operated at the corner of Central and Woodlawn in the 1980s, she had Patrick whip it up. They’ve already served it as a special at the diner, and it was as good as she remembered, she said.
Timirie said she’s hoping some other Wichita restaurant owners from the past will attend the buffet.
“I can’t wait to try all the food,” she said. “But I’m also excited to meet some of the families from these places.”
Those who want to attend have several options.
A $40 ticket offers access to the buffet plus an autographed copy of “Classic Restaurants of Wichita.” There’s also a ticket for the buffet only that costs $20. At some point during the evening, I’ll stand up and talk about how I researched the book and share some fun stories I picked up along the way, and I’ll see if any former restaurant owners in attendance want to say a few words, too.
Those who need extra copies of the book also can pick them up at the event.
There will be limited tickets sold, and they can be purchased by visiting doodahdiner.com and clicking on the tab that says “Order Carryout.”
This story was originally published September 2, 2021 at 2:43 PM.
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