Pangea: not just an ancient geographical term anymore

Last night, I tried one of KC's newest restaurants, Pangea Cafe. Pangea is the term for the supercontinent that existed before the continental divide eons ago. This latest Pangea is situated on 39th Street, in the new strip mall next to the Oriental Buffet (across from Missy B's), and it is a husband and wife owned and operated international cafe and market. There are several types of paninis (these come with a green salad or spanish potatoes), small plates including shrimp skewers, beef skewers, salads, and desserts. I enjoyed my Brie, Bacon, Apple and Watercress panini; it was just the right amount of crispness from the bread and apples and melted cheese and bacon. The best part was the side dish my panini came with, "spanish potatoes," which are these potatoes mandolined into thin slices that are seasoned with what I thought was a blend of spices, garlic, and parsley, then fried. These people obviously know that the way to my heart is through the garlic loving portion of my brain. They were not crispy like chips, a little more soggy, but they looked like chips. They were slightly oily, but they tasted so good, I really did not care. My dining companion really liked his grilled chicken panini with tomatoes also--he agreed about the spanish potatoes. I'm telling you, they taste like heaven. The market was tiny, with a few different kinds of international beers, crackers, breadsticks from Italy, snacks from Japan, assorted teas and coffees, and a small refrigeratated case of cheeses including goat, gruyere, parmesiano reggiano, and brie. When you walk into the restaurant, there is a large chalkboard menu above a glass case that displays different entrees and desserts...it reminds me of Cupini's, but more international, and slightly more expensive. Each order is pared with a "country" instead of a number placard, which fits with the whole united nations theme. The seating is pretty well spaced, and there is a small outside seating patio. The service was fairly friendly, and the service was pretty quick. Their desserts looks beautiful in the case, and I tried the banana nutella crepe (similar to one made on Kansas City Live), which was very crisp and sweet. I love nutella, so you really can't go wrong with that. There was a coconut mango sponge cake and flourless chocolate mousse cake that looked good too...I guess I will just have to try it the next time I am there...and there definitely will be a next time. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone who is up to try something new, or at least try new takes on old favorites.