Hilton’s Trofi Restaurant deserves a One Star rating

by Allen Williams


This past Friday March 30, a small group of about 20 people including myself gathered to celebrate the days of unleavened bread at a special dinner at the Doubletree Hotel Trofi restaurant in Overland Park.  A number of local eateries offer private dining for a fee or on a food and beverage basis.

                                                     **Doubletree  Hotel **
                                                                  (by Hilton)

                                                            Trofi Restaurant

                                                        10100 College Boulevard,

                                                 Overland Park, Kansas, 66210-1462, USA

We had negotiated with a young lady there named Adrianne, the hotel’s evening restaurant manager, for a suitable private dining area some months prior to this event.   I and another individual met with this person and looked over the private and semi private areas available. 

At the time of our viewing these facilities we were more than 6 months out from our March 30th dinner event.  We looked at several locations inside Trofi ; one was a semi-private area located on a small mezzanine just above the main dining area and a larger enclosed room away from the dining area that would accommodate up to forty people.  After some deliberation, we decided on the larger room expecting that we might add individuals to our 20 person minimum. 

We had guaranteed the Hotel a minimum of 20 individuals for the event and asked to be notified of any pending price adjustments in advance.  During the meeting we were informed by several restaurant staff  that Trofi was looking to renovate their restaurant sometime in 2018 and might be adjusting Menu prices.

It took Adrianne nearly 3 months to get us a copy of the menu for our event with prices.  As our event drew closer, I stopped by the Hotel to enquire as to whether Trofi’s renovation might occur at or near our dinner event.  When I arrived, I found that Adrianne was in a meeting so I asked the Hotel’s front desk if someone else could be available to update me on the Trofi renovation.  Gary Rodgers, the Director of Catering and Convention Services for Doubletree met with me and I was told at that time that the restaurant was in the process of hiring a new manager, a Mr. Kevin Gunn and we should consult with him.

However when I called the hotel several days later, I was told that there wasn’t any Mr. Gunn.  But finally I got hold of Adrianne and after several email requests; she finally sent a firm price Menu.

Everything now seemed in order and we were nearing the event when a series of illness cancellations caused us to drop below the guaranteed 20 person agreement.   I expected that we might wind up somewhere between 17 to 19 individuals.  Adrianne indicated that number would suffice,

So now fast forward several weeks to the night of the event, we arrive at Trofi shortly before 7:00 pm to discover there is no Adrianne and the Hotel switched our private room to the semi-private mezzanine which was essentially open to the main dining area.  Our server and what appeared to be the night manager, a late 40’s or early 50’s man, began to herd us toward the large table along the length of the mezzanine.  At this point, about 17 people were present.

I questioned the night Manager’s assertion that we had negotiated originally for the mezzanine which wasn’t true.  During this discussion interval three more people arrived bringing us up to our 20 person minimum.

I told the manager that there appeared to be adequate private space available as the restaurant was nearly empty.  He replied that there was a private room adjacent to where we were but that it could only hold 16 people because of Overland Park’s fire code  However,  Doubletree’s own website indicates capacity is just 14 people.  I recalled that the room we viewed earlier in our negotiations was one of three banquet rooms located down the connection corridor to the hotel rather than in the restaurant proper.   It then occurred to me that this room was misrepresented by Trofi at the time having been quoted at $600 for our event which later gradually morphed into a 20 person minimum; the hidden assumption being a $30.00 food and beverage purchase for each individual which isn’t realistic if there are children involved.  It’s just the old bait and switch marketing scam.

So realizing that we had been duped, we sat down to make the best of the evening but that notion could not be further from the truth.  We could not play our pre-recorded opening message because there was background noise from our server as well as a few people seated outside near the mezzanine.  It was intended that we would play our message first and then the server would be admitted to take orders but the server was already engaged in bringing tea, water and whatever else as we haggled with the manager.

This is supposedly a 4-star restaurant (3.8) according to Open Table.com but considering the events of the evening, by whose standards?  I’m finding it hard to believe, it’s the patron’s evaluation.  It’s interesting to note that Trofi’s own Doubletree website fails to tout the nearly four star rating from Open Table, as the difference in quality cuisine and service from Hilton’s Johnny’s Italian Steakhouse in Olathe was far sup

At 7:30 pm our server began to take our orders, running back and forth with drinks, etc but it was nearly 9:00pm before all orders for our group arrived.  I received mine at 8:50 pm but the lady across the table to my right still didn’t have hers. Given the lengthy serving times involved, one wonders if this was the chef’s first commercial experience.   

Now patrons that had received their meals between 8:15 pm and just past 8:30 pm were already eating as there was no point in having them wait for everyone to be served at that point.  During my wait I had been talking to the gentleman directly across the table from me as he ate his order of Burnt End Mac and Cheese.   Suddenly, I saw him stop and quickly bring his hand to his mouth.  Inserting two fingers he pulled out a small sharp curved object about ¾ of an inch long.   The object had pricked his gum and he had his wife look to see if any blood was drawn.

The foreign object was unknown to most of us around him but the fellow who had bitten into it thought it might be a piece from a grill brush.

Quick View

Just Grillin' Oversize

Unfortunately, some of the grill brushes depicted on the ‘Bed, Bath and Beyond' site could potentially be used in other tasks that would render them unsuitable for further grill use.  The discovery of this metal fragment in a patron’s food suggests that there isn’t much management scrutiny over the condition of food utensils employed at Doubletree.  It also gives one cause to wonder if there has ever been an FDA inspection at this facility.

When my dish arrived, it had a hastily prepared appearance.  As I began to eat, I found the rice pilaf quite dry which set me off on a 10 minute coughing fit.  By the time my cough subsided, it was past 9:00 pm and I elected to take the rest of my meal home in a takeout container.

Dining at the Doubletree restaurant was a miserable experience and I certainly wouldn’t recommend it to anyone much less the hotel guests.



KS law license revocation sued by former AG Kline

Former Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline has filed suit in federal court to have his law license reinstated, due to procedural errors on the part of the Kansas State Supreme Court in their Oct. 2013 ruling.

Kansans for Life Executive Director Mary Kay Culp said,

“Former AG Phill Kline was willing to carry the ball further than anyone against the Kansas late-term abortion cartel, and paid the price for it. He has every right to move to get his license back.”

According to today’s story by Topeka Capitol Journal reporter Justin Wingerter,

“the Kansas Supreme Court [found]’clear and convincing evidence’ that Kline had acted unprofessionally as he pursued criminal charges against abortion providers. The violations we have found are significant and numerous, and Kline’s inability or refusal to acknowledge or address their significance is particularly troubling in light of his service as the chief prosecuting attorney for this state and its most populous county,” the Kansas Supreme Court wrote in disbarring Kline.”

Kline’s disfavor with the Supreme Court began with his office’s attempted prosecution of child rape and illegal abortions in 2003.


The state’s attorney ethics division (subject only to the Supreme Court) had pursued charges against Kline’s conduct even after their own investigative staff recommended they not do so and even after a panel recommended only a suspension.


Before the final ruling was decided, Kline had formally challenged the bias of the Supreme Court in the revocation matter and –in a notably unprecedented move–five members recused themselves, leaving only two justices and replacements to decide the matter.  Kline’s suit claims that the state Constitution requires no less than four justices may legally issue such a ruling.
 

The perception of a wrongful direction of the court was voiced by 90 state representatives and senators in a March 2011 press conference calling for the government to prosecute child rape cover-ups at Planned Parenthood instead of “persecuting” former AG Phill Kline. Legislators asserted:

  •    During the 2001-2003 time frame, Kline discovered there were 249 recorded abortions performed on children 14 years of age or under, but only 2 child abuse reports made, one from Planned Parenthood and one from the now-closed clinic of George Tiller.
  •    An unholy alliance existed in this state for 8 years between the former Governor Sebelius’ administration, the abortion industry and the Courts.
  •    Kline has been cleared by the disciplinary administrator’s own investigators, and further, his conduct has been approved by multiple judges.

It is significant that even the Supreme Court’s then-Chief Justice Kay McFarland felt compelled to write this extraordinary comment in one of the several cases surrounding the attempted prosecutions of the abortion industry:

“It appears to me that the majority invokes our extraordinary inherent power to sanction simply to provide a platform from which it can denigrate Kline for actions that it cannot find to have been in violation of any law and to heap scorn upon him for his attitude and behavior that does not rise to the level of contempt. This is the very antithesis of ‘restraint and discretion’ and is not an appropriate exercise of our inherent power.”


Kansas Ethics Head Hazlett in Ethics Trouble Himself

by Mary Kay Culp, KFL Executive Director

Today's KFL blog (read it HERE) examines how the states' legal ethics head, Stan Hazlett, went after one attorney's license, allegedly breaking the rules and repeatedly lying! He now faces his own set of ethics charges. Interestingly, that attorney also had a connection to abortion. Because of his actions it was revealed in a story in the Topeka Capitol Journal that sexual abuse was going on at the women's correction center in Topeka, with abortion being used to hide it!

This strongly echoes the ongoing saga of former attorney General, Phill Kline who Hazlett is also going after. 

Three weeks ago, anti- Kline "tweets" were going on the internet against Phill Kline, at his ethics hearing in the Supreme Court. After complaining about the source of the derisive comments--an appellate court law clerk (who helps the justices write their rulings)--Kline's attorney issued a letter to Hazlett. The letter is HERE. Many substantive charges are made, and Hazlett is asked to release more materials.

Note: Donate to Kline's defense at https://www.lifeissues.org/amistad/donate/index.html

The question remains why Hazlett steadfastly dogged Kline after two investigative bodies and a Wichita judge supported his actions.

Is it because of the fact that Hazlett works for the Kansas Supreme Court, whose member, Justice Carol Beier, has a recognized dislike of Mr. Kline? That assertion is not wholly ours. A December 2008 Supreme Court ruling regarding Kline found he did nothing wrong and yet Beier, who wrote the opinion, devoted 18 pages to denigrate him. The entire ruling written by Beier was so out of the ordinary, that the chief justice at the time, Kay McFarland said this, as part of her separate comments:

" …It appears to me that the majority invokes our extraordinary inherent power to sanction simply to provide a platform from which it can denigrate Kline for actions that it cannot find to have been in violation of any law and to heap scorn upon him for his attitude and behavior that does not rise to the level of contempt. This is the very antithesis of "restraint and discretion" and is not an appropriate exercise of our inherent power.”

Adding:

“I believe it is inappropriate to set forth, as if to threaten [Kline] with, the various penalties that could be imposed if some past or future hypothetical misconduct should "come to light" at a later date….This vague statement seems to anticipate and encompass the discovery of additional past or future misconduct.”

It is difficult not to wonder if there was some tipoff to Beier or her staff (especially as more "bad tweets"have been uncovered) about a CD with work product from then-former KS AG Kline's staff that supposedly appeared "mysteriously" on the desks of abortion attorneys just weeks earlier and that it supposedly contained damning information.  It didn't although they have tried during Kline's ethics allegations journey to make something of it. The origin of the CD, and its transfer to abortion attorneys has never been determined, but certainly needs to be. 

There are other issues related to Kansas corruption that we are working on because they too demand further exploration and action, and we will be reporting on them soon--especially the destruction of evidence related to the Planned Parenthood charges that have all now been dropped by Johnson County DA Steve Howe. 

Again, read the KFL blog article (here) about another Kansas attorney who Hazlett pursued who is fighting back allegedly with facts that proved Hazlett is not above lying, and note the similarities to how Hazlett has treated and continues to treat Phill Kline! Also, again, please read the great letter Kline's attorney Condit has written to Hazlett HERE.  




The Kansas Supreme Court Mockery of Justice Continues

by Allen Williams


Kansas has a governing problem.  The rule of law has transcended into the 'rule of money' and is a strong testimony to the deep seated corruption nurtured in this state by planned parenthood.  The planned parenthood litany of corruption can be found here.  They helped elect some of the most corrupt successors to public office from Paul Morrison to Kathleen Sebelius.  The 14 member committee for picking judges made up of 7 lawyers and 7 members appointed by the governor ensures the 'status quo' is maintained in the judiciary.


The Kansas Supreme court ranks right up there with the truly nefarious gulags of the past.  Kangaroo court doesn't begin to do justice to this pack of jackals.  In fact, you were likely to get a fairer trial in Nazi germany or under Stalin than from these misfits.  It was justice Lawton Nuss who dictated to the worthless Kansas Legislature precisely how much money should be voted for education in deference to the teacher's union in the Montoy decision.  It was justice Carol Beir's antagonism towards anything threatening abortion that led to Kline's ethics trial despite having been exonerated twice before by the ethics committee.  It was the Kansas Supreme Court who gagged sitting judge Richard Anderson and prevented him from testifying that planned parenthood abortion records had been forged.  It was the Kansas Supreme Court who allowed then attorney general Paul Morrison to join planned parenthood's suit against Kline to get the evidence back.  However, Morrison got caught with his 'trousers around his ankles' and had to resign in a sex scandal, so it fell to Steve Six, appointed by governor Kathleen Sebelius, to destroy the fraudulent records resulting in 23 felonies dismissed by the district court.

Attorney General Phill Kline was punished by the state supreme court for daring to do the job he was elected to do.  The Secret Proceedings of The Supreme Court provides background on the court's constitutional abuses.  Here are key allegations excerpted from hKline's motion for recusal:


*Ordered that discovery be obtained from Mr. Kline and his staff in a manner that served well the shared goals of Morrison and Planned
Parenthood, but was detrimental to Mr. Kline’s investigation into the crimes of Planned Parenthood, including Planned Parenthood’s failure to report child sexual molestation;

* Entertained an unprecedented and merit less mandamus action filed by attorneys for the target of a criminal investigation (Planned Parenthood) seeking to have the evidence of serious crimes taken from the prosecuting attorney (Mr. Kline) and given back to the criminal target;

* Ordered that the entire CHPP v. Kline case be conducted under seal, including a secret trial hidden from public scrutiny in which the criminal target was able to utilize extraordinary discovery rights outside the parameters of the pending criminal case;

* Continued the tactic of publicly threatening Mr. Kline with ethical charges or contempt citations in a most injudicious way;


Endless opinions, half truths and scathing editorials from the Wichita Eagle to Sun Publications to the Kansas City Star reviled Phill Kline continuously during his tenure as both state attorney general and then as Johnson County prosecutor (replacing Paul Morrison).  It was no concern to the rat pack of journalism that Kline had evidence of coerced sex among underage girls.  The bastions of liberalism were under assault and must be protected no matter what the cost or who suffers.  Justice isn't blind..it's dead in Kansas.

Kansas truly reflects the culture of special interest corruption money that now rules the nation.