Courtney’s in Toronto

Today’s Flyover People column as seen in The Emporia Gazette:

COURTNEY’S IN TORONTO

The waiter at Courtney’s told us, “Some guy came in here and said, ‘When I heard you had to make reservations for a restaurant in Toronto, I laughed hysterically, but now that I’m here, I see why.’”

One wouldn’t expect to find upscale dining in a Kansas town of 269, but at Courtney’s Place, Dave and I enjoyed exceptional Italian meals and great service. The dining room has a piano and fireplace; tablecloths drape the tables, goblets hold fanned napkins.

Courtney Neill is the energy, the passion, and the chef behind Courtney’s Pasta House. Toronto is about 56 miles southeast of Emporia in Woodson County.

The suggestion to visit Courtney’s came from a reader, Dave Markowitz. He sent an e-mail saying he and his wife, Jane, had enjoyed a great meal there and thought we might like to try it. I made a reservation for that Saturday evening.

At 6:00 p.m., we were the first diners to arrive. Matthew, our server, described the entrees for the evening: two kinds of manicotti; chicken parmigiano; bow-tie pasta with sautéed green peppers, onions and Italian sausage; and pasta shells with chicken, onion and asparagus sauce. These entrees came with upscale restaurant prices, $15.99.

With the meal, we were served a fresh garden salad and unbelievably good warm-from-the-oven breadsticks with a dipping sauce. I loved the spinach and beef manicotti and Dave said he felt sorry for anyone who wasn’t having the pasta with Italian sausage.

Courtney Neill took a break from cooking to visit with us in the dining room. She’s a spirited redheaded in her 60s who came to Toronto on purpose but stayed by accident.

She had been making a life change, moving from Florida to Arizona, and made a swing through Toronto to see some relatives. Before Neill continued her journey to Arizona, she fell and shattered a knee. After that accident, she was treated so kindly by the locals that she decided to stay in Toronto.

Neill’s previous work experience was in managing restaurants and convenience stores, but somewhere along the line, she apparently learned how to cook, because the food was excellent. And Neill has an artist’s eye. The meal was plated well and she pays attention to details.

It all started when Neill had that shattered knee. “I was hobbling down the street in this 40-pound cast and I peeked in the window. This place was so ugly, but I thought it was so wonderful,” she said. “It was a wonderful gift from the universe.”

The two-story building that she peeked into cost her only $500. She made the top floor into a residence and in 2004 she opened a variety of businesses on the ground level – a gift store, tea room, ice cream shop, bakery and a pizza place.

While some of those businesses have faded away, she still bakes pizzas and now has the Pasta House.

She didn’t have room for a sit-down restaurant, so when she started serving pasta, her thought was that it would be just for community residents. Neill had envisioned a “bring your own bowl” place. People would bring in a bowl, she would fill it with pasta and they take it home, eat it there and do their own dishes.

But customers wanted a sit-down restaurant so when the building next door came up for sale, she purchased it and turned it into a dining room.

Oh, wait, I haven’t mentioned desserts ($5.95). There were about nine choices. The pumpkin cheesecake was tempting, but I chose the meringue basket, a circle of baked meringue filled with vanilla ice cream, covered with toasted almonds, drizzled with chocolate sauce and topped with a cherry. That was good, and Dave enjoyed his cherry cheesecake.

Now, we’d wreck our food budget if we went often, but it was absolutely a fun and delicious dining experience.

And diners aren’t the only ones having a good time there. Neill loves her work. She said, “Every day I’m grateful that I get to do what I like to do.”

Courtney’s Place(s), 120 W. Main St., Toronto. Wed.-Sat. 6 – 8 p.m., Sunday 6 – 7 p.m. Closed Mon. and Tues. Reservations are strongly recommended. 620-637-0175.

Check out Courtney’s online: courtneysplaces.com.

Copyright 2010 ~ Cheryl Unruh

Beef and spinach manicotti