photo by: Chad Lawhorn/Journal-World

The mango loco dessert from Paleteria Chihuahua features fresh mango that can be topped with gummies, peanuts and a fruity hot sauce called Tajin.

Clearly, 2021 will be remembered as the year that the buffet made its triumphant return.

What other news event in the year could trump that development? While the pandemic continues, our fear that buffets might be a spreading device have abated. Personally, I always felt I was more at risk of hurting my back by carrying my buffet plate than catching COVID while in line. But, I also had no problem with the better-safe-than-sorry approach.

It did make my healthy eating practices more difficult, though. When I brought salads for lunch, it was difficult to fit the five-gallon jug of dressing in the tiny office refrigerator. The chain grocery stores, for the most part, haven’t re-opened their self-service salad bars, but other restaurants are back in the buffet business. And that’s big news in the restaurant industry.

It is not the only news, though. Our annual restaurant guide aims to help catch you up on other happenings in the Lawrence restaurant scene. This year’s edition includes multiple Q&As with people who run and operate restaurants in town. And, in a moment, I will take you through some of my fun and funky food finds while covering new restaurants as part of my Town Talk column. Of course, the guide has coupons and advertisements from many businesses touting their special offerings.

The timing of the guide synchs up with Lawrence Restaurant Week, which runs from Feb. 18 through Feb. 27. The event includes about 50 restaurants throughout the community. Many of the restaurants are featuring special menus during the week. It is a fun event thanks to everyone who helps organize it. Local restaurants are a special part of Lawrence’s vibe.

But enough with all that talk. Let’s take a look at some unique food finds from the past year, plus some other musings that struck me while covering Lawrence’s new crop of restaurants in 2021.

photo by: Courtesy: Globe Indian Food

Uttapam, a highly seasoned, pancake-like dish, is one of the offerings on the menu at downtown Lawrence’s Globe Indian Food restaurant.

• I might as well start with Globe Indian Cafe at 619 Massachusetts St. A buffet is a part of that business, but it also has a large menu of Indian food as well. In fact, as the name suggests, a large geographical offering of Indian food is kind of the restaurant’s calling card. As for something fun, surely you can find something on the part of the menu that was described to me as “South Indian Heaven.” That includes multiple dishes, including an uttapam, which is a pancake-like dish made of rice and lentil batter that is often topped with onions or mixed vegetables.

• If a huge bar with lots of TVs is your idea of heaven, then it became easier to find in downtown Lawrence in 2021. Logie’s on Mass opened, and it is a big bar at 728 Massachusetts St. Probably the most interesting aspect of Logie’s is that it is one of two downtown businesses that have received preliminary City Hall approval for a rooftop seating and dining area. Sunflower Outdoor & Bike, which opened its own cafe in 2020, is the other one. Rooftop dining would be a new addition to downtown. People have long asked why can’t Lawrence be more like Boulder. A lack of mountains might be one reason. A desire to have average home prices less than a million dollars might be another. But, perhaps our downtown can have some of the same rooftop dining vibe you get in that Colorado community. Be on the lookout for rooftop seating this spring and summer.

• Speaking of mountains, perhaps you have heard the Winter Olympics are underway. (The mountains in China are real. Only the snow is fake.) I prefer the Summer Olympics, myself. Regardless of whether you like the Summer Olympics, you might like eating barbecue from a pair of summer Olympians. That’s possible at Gold Medal BBQ at Ninth and New Hampshire in downtown Lawrence. Co-owner Kyle Clemons was an Olympic gold medal winner in the 2016 4X400M relay, while co-owner Christina Clemons was a 100M hurdler for Team USA in the Tokyo Olympics. The husband-and-wife duo continue to be involved in the world of track and field but also are players in the barbecue world now. The restaurant has the traditional offerings of pork, brisket, sausage and chicken. But Kyle really talked up a side dish when I interviewed him. It’s called The Sweetie. It is Christina’s sweet potato casserole that she was brave enough to debut at a Clemons Thanksgiving meal. It won raves from Kyle’s grandmother, which meant it had to find a place on the restaurant’s menu.

• There wasn’t anything in my grandmas’ houses that I didn’t like to eat, but I particularly enjoyed the all-you-can-eat cookie section of those establishments. Lawrence indeed got a new cookie shop in 2021. Insomnia Cookies became the first tenant for the multistory Proxi Lawrence apartment/retail building at 1401 W. 23rd St. Among its specialities is something called “Cookie Butter.” It is a smooth, chocolate-based spread that you can slather on a cookie, or use it as a “dip for cookies, apples, pretzels, and more,” according to the store’s website. Is it another word for frosting? I don’t know, but again, I applaud the brave recognition that frosting can be used as a dip. (Really courageous would have been to include in the list of dip-able items finger No. 1, finger No. 2, finger No. 3 …)

photo by: Courtesy: Krustaceans Seafood

A red velvet waffle platter from Krustaceans Seafood in downtown Lawrence is pictured.

• Your fingers should be sufficiently loose and limber if you are heading to Krustaceans Seafood at 10th and New Hampshire streets. Crab legs and lobster are big parts of the menu at Krustaceans, and you’ve got to use your hands for those, right? (I normally wrestle an alligator before having a lobster dinner, just to get warmed up.) But in the category of fun food finds, I have to mention the restaurant’s red velvet waffles. They are basically waffles made out of red velvet cake batter, and they come with a white cream frosting. PHOTO

• When I’m out fishing, I don’t often encounter an alligator. Of course, I don’t often encounter fish, either. But a new coffee shop opened in downtown Lawrence where I can talk about my lack of big fish stories. Great Blue Heron opened at 823 Massachusetts St. It is part coffee shop but part outdoor supply store for people who love canoeing, paddling, fly fishing and other such activities. Of course, this is supposed to be about food. The menu includes all the traditional coffee drinks, and there is nothing particularly funky about their food offerings. But if you are fan of LuLu’s Bakery in Eudora, it is worth noting that the shop sells its creations at Blue Heron. It will save you a canoe trip down the Kaw.

• I don’t know if the nest ever was for a heron, but regardless, it is empty now. I’m talking about Empty Nester’s Winery in downtown Lecompton. Yes, this place too is more about the drink than the food. But sometimes the best way to get your fruit intake is to drink it. The winery specializes in fruit wines, including peach, cherry, blackberry, blueberry, raspberry and more.

• There is a popular saying in my house that the only thing better than a bottle of wine is two bottles of wine. With that said, I’d better mention another wine offering. Crescent Moon Winery opened in downtown Lawrence at 732 Massachusetts St. Wine is on the rise. While not yet open, I’ve also reported on plans for Wine Dive + Kitchen — a Wichita-based wine bar with a serious food menu — to come to downtown Lawrence at 739 Massachusetts St.

• If you prefer your fruit in something other than a bottle, there’s a place near south Iowa Street you may want to explore. It may not be obvious at first, because it appears to be more of a taco shop. Paleteria Chihuahua — located next to the gas station next to Best Buy at 31st and Iowa — is indeed a taco shop, serving street-style tacos, plus tamales, burritos, sandwiches and other Mexican staples. But it also is a Mexican dessert shop, with a menu that includes some big fruit dishes. One of the biggest is the mango loco. That involves huge slices of mango topped with gummies, peanuts, and Tajin, a brand of fruity hot sauce.

photo by: Courtesy: Rusty Taco

Rusty Taco’s signature dish, called The Rusty Taco, is pictured.

• Let’s keep the fruit train rolling. For that matter, let’s keep the taco train rolling. Rusty Taco is a big, new restaurant at 10th and Massachusetts streets. It has plenty of fruit in its large margarita and daiquiri menus. But fruit also plays a key role in its signature taco dish. The dish known as the Rusty Taco features achiote pork, but its standout ingredient is a pineapple salsa. The restaurant grills fresh pineapple, and combines it with grilled jalapeños, onions, cilantro and other spices.

• This is Lawrence, Kan.. You didn’t think I was out of taco restaurants to talk about, did you? Not even close, really. There’s Molcajete’s at 941 Massachusetts Street, which has the tagline of tacos and tequila. It is brand new and I’m in the process of writing a more complete story on it. (Or, at least, I’ll give it a shot, wink.) But one I’ve already checked out is La Pasadita Taqueria at 19th and Massachusetts streets. It is a traditional street-style taco stand run by a longtime Mexican-American family from Lawrence. You can get all the traditional tacos, burritos and other such dishes, but I have to mention a packaged dessert treat the shop sells. It is called a Gansito, and one of the employees there sold me on it by saying it is kind of like a Mexican Twinkie. She also recommended eating a frozen one.

• Fortunately, La Pasadita had a freezer full of Gansitos, but if it didn’t, I suppose I could have climbed to the top of some exotic mountain peak and waited for Mother Nature to freeze it for me. Climb Lawrence at 714 Vermont St. will teach all about climbing, with a variety of indoor climbing walls. In 2021, the climbing gym opened the Highlander Cafe. It has an all-vegetarian menu, with a heavy emphasis on healthy breakfast options. Loaded toast is a big deal there, including the popular avocado toast. But for something a little different, there is the “Straw-Nana,” which includes peanut butter, strawberries, bananas, honey, sunflower seeds and chocolate. It looked the least healthy to me, so of course, that is the one I’ll pass along.

• If climbing a barstool is more your style (and, yes, safety harnesses can be handy for that, too) you can do so at Murf’s Pub, 3115 W. Sixth St. It is in the house that use to house Conroy’s Pub. Murf’s has kept some things from Conroy’s and added some new features. It does have a full menu with everything from catfish specials to pork tenderloin sandwiches, plus lots of traditional bar fare. But quesadillas also are featured on the menu, including one speciality one called the Hillbilly. It includes crispy chicken, pimento cheese and coleslaw with hot honey.

• There are times that I don’t feel like climbing anywhere. Instead, I need a lift up. The folks at Uplift Coffee, 624 N. Second St., likely understand that. The shop is locally-owned, and it aims to have its own flavor. While it has all the standard coffee offerings, it tries to have some unique offerings on the food menu. Instead of big biscuit sandwiches or large breakfast burritos, the shop is selling something called “egg poppers,” which are bite-sized egg creations, including one that features egg, cheddar cheese, feta, spinach, and roasted tomatoes. Just for good measure, the restaurant also features something called a pancake, which — you guessed it — are bite-size pancakes.

Uplift was one of the first new restaurant I wrote about in 2021, so that seems like a good place to stop. Try to end on an uplifting note.

With that, best wishes for happy — if not always healthy — eating in 2022.