Okay, I freaking love this city. I thought it would be an industrial, dusty old Midwestern city. It's NOT! It is street after street of independent restaurants, coffee roasteries, breweries and shops. There's the Country Club Plaza, the art museums, the hipsters in Westport, Foo's frozen custard, The Roasterie, Café Aixois French restaurant, 5B&Co Candle Shop, Minsky's Pizza, Jack Stack BBQ with its burnt ends and cheesy corn bake, Pryde's of Old Westport, and one million more places to shop and eat! I love it!!
Spring Break 2016 - I love it that it's finally spring! It has been a relatively mild winter in Western Kansas but I couldn't wait to get to Kansas City to shop and eat and look at all the spring decorations. The Country Club Plaza was decorated with giant bunnies who had their own names. I took a picture of the Amy one for my friend Amy Aston who loves to travel and shop as much as I do. While I was in KC, my sweet husband went hiking in Texas. I spent three days hiking around the beautiful stores and coffee shops at the Plaza and Leawood. I bought more Lori Mitchell figurines at my favorite candle store 5B&Co in Brookside. I tried Cupcake a la Mode at the Plaza and when I tasted the astounding Golddigger cupcake (chocolate with a caramel center, chocolate and pecan icing) I caught my breath and held it for 3 beats. I finally toured the Roasterie factory and learned so much about my favorite coffee in the world. I also finally tried Minsky's Pizza and I see why it is the local favorite. The sauce and cheese taste just like Chicago pizza. I went to Pryde's kitchen store twice and slowly looked at the chock full shelves in every room of the creaky old building. I tried Andy's Frozen Custard and slowly savored a crème caramel and pecan cement. I love small places with a walkup window like Andy's. It makes me nostalgic for the small town baseball concession stands of my childhood.
This trip was certainly about food but it wasn't exactly about trying NEW food. It was about diving into my old favorites and eating them with my hands in front of the Food Network and Cooking Channel. I got takeout from Cheesecake Factory (loaded tater tots and Asian lettuce wraps), PF Chang's (lemon chicken and garlic spinach), Chuy's (chicken flautas and creamy ranchero sauce) and groceries from Trader Joe's and The Market at Brookside. It was a picnic of my favorite things at every meal. I wanted to eat and catch up on TV and hang out with my dog in the hotel room when I wasn't exploring. It was a marvelous break from the routine of work.
This trip was certainly about food but it wasn't exactly about trying NEW food. It was about diving into my old favorites and eating them with my hands in front of the Food Network and Cooking Channel. I got takeout from Cheesecake Factory (loaded tater tots and Asian lettuce wraps), PF Chang's (lemon chicken and garlic spinach), Chuy's (chicken flautas and creamy ranchero sauce) and groceries from Trader Joe's and The Market at Brookside. It was a picnic of my favorite things at every meal. I wanted to eat and catch up on TV and hang out with my dog in the hotel room when I wasn't exploring. It was a marvelous break from the routine of work.
Below are pictures of two summer 2015 trips to Kansas City and a Christmas break 2015 weekend trip where I finally got to shop in Pryde's and take Paul on a romantic dinner to Café Aixois.
The Nelson Atkins Art Museum is a must-see in Kansas City! (below)
June 20-26, 2015 - Kansas City, Here I Come! My traveling buddy Stephanie Wilson agreed to meet me in Kansas City for a week of shopping and eating. Then I asked my hubby if he wanted to get there early and spend the weekend together exploring the city. I'm a lucky lady. I had three days with my hubby in Kansas City and then when he returned to Dodge City I still had five more days of the city doing girly stuff with Stephanie. Here's how the long, fun week went down: As soon as Paul and I got to Kansas City we went to a sushi restaurant called Nara that he had found online. The sushi was delicious and so were the cocktails. Paul is obsessed with bloody marys and this one was spicy, smoky and delicious. I had a very strong and yummy rum cocktail. Paul tried the alligator sushi and some vegetable rolls. I had some spicy salmon, vegetable and fried shrimp rolls. The sauce on the fried shrimp roll made it taste like an extra delicious Big Mac.
The next morning Paul and I went straight to Cheesecake Factory for Asian lettuce wraps, white chili and Paul's favorite milkshake the Flying Gorilla. We discovered some really cool record stores in Westport, River Market Antiques and then went to the Royals game. What a great stadium full of devoted fans! It rained a little so we didn't roast under the sun, thank goodness. After the game we ate at Freebird's Burrito, a chain Paul discovered hiking in Texas. I love the steak bowl and the fresh and delicious guacamole.
Monday morning Paul drove home to Dodge City. I ate lunch at Chuy's at the bar. Their chicken flautas and creamy ranch dip are so good together! When Stephanie arrived a few hours later we ate some salads and white chocolate macadamia cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory and then hit the shopping at the Country Club Plaza hard. For dinner we fell into the closest yummy restaurant, PF Chang's. Their lemon chicken with garlic spinach is one of my favorite meals ever! We walked into The Better Cheddar too and drooled over all the cheese, jellies, gourmet candy, crackers and dips. Tuesday was allotted mostly for IKEA and we ate in their cafeteria. There are few comfort food meals like meatballs, mashed potatoes and lingonberry jelly. While we were out in the suburbs of KC we shopped at the Town Center Plaza making a beeline for the Le Creuset store and ate in a California Pizza Kitchen to gorge on carbs after a long day of standing and walking. Wednesday we visited the art museum and enjoyed the folk art exhibit. We ate lunch at Chuy's and then for dinner tried our first Kansas City barbeque. We had Gates BBQ and the beef was so delicious. So were the beans. They were the best baked beans I've ever had. I will always pledge allegiance to Central BBQ in Memphis as the best bbq in the world, but I like the salty, smokiness of KC bbq. Gates was a truly delicious bbq joint. I bought a bottle of the extra hot bbq sauce for a souvenir. Afterwards Stephanie and I drove to the Roasterie café in the Brookside shopping area. I thought it would be fun to visit a coffee shop. I didn't think I would be discovering my new favorite coffee ever. I've always loved Starbuck's because it tastes like being awake. It punches you in the face like a Napa wine. The Roasterie coffee is like a smooth Argentine wine. Stephanie and I were both immediately hooked so we went to the grocery store behind the shop and bought every Roasterie blend they sold. Then we stumbled on Foo's Frozen Custard. Holy Cow! This was a day for new favorites. I had the Triple Threat with chocolate chips, peanut butter and chocolate syrup. This was a cold cement cup of goodness that tasted like a Cadbury peanut butter egg in ice cream form. It was my favorite dessert of the whole trip. Thursday morning we got up early and drove to Thou Mayest coffee shop. I had been told by Taylor Conant at work that it was a really hip place to sit and sip. It was. I loved taking instagram pics in there. For lunch we tried Jerusalem Café in Westport and it was so delicious! I hadn't had Middle Eastern food in such a long time and I loved it. The sampler appetizer platter was plenty filling and delicious but of course I had to have beef kefta and vegetable plate as well. For dessert we drove to Foo's again and tried three other delicious cement mixes. We took a trolley tour of the city that leaves from Union Station. This was a really fun tour full of the history of the great city. For dinner we tried Jack Stack bbq and it was so good!! We finally tried the city-wide touted "burnt tips" and they were delicious chunks of meat seared on both sides. I ate a huge portion of them along with the best bbq chicken I've ever tasted. The cheesy corn was as good as all the locals said it would be. For dinner we drove to Aixois, a French restaurant, for dessert. I tried my first ile flottante and I am in love with this dessert now. It's amazing I only gained three pounds on this trip. Friday morning was the end of our trip. We drove back to Aixois for breakfast. We had a delicious salmon and spinach omelette, quiche and fruit. It was the perfect goodbye to a perfectly wonderful city. I truly heart KC and can't wait to get back there. It's true what they say about the double city. Kansas City: a city too big for just one state!
The next morning Paul and I went straight to Cheesecake Factory for Asian lettuce wraps, white chili and Paul's favorite milkshake the Flying Gorilla. We discovered some really cool record stores in Westport, River Market Antiques and then went to the Royals game. What a great stadium full of devoted fans! It rained a little so we didn't roast under the sun, thank goodness. After the game we ate at Freebird's Burrito, a chain Paul discovered hiking in Texas. I love the steak bowl and the fresh and delicious guacamole.
Monday morning Paul drove home to Dodge City. I ate lunch at Chuy's at the bar. Their chicken flautas and creamy ranch dip are so good together! When Stephanie arrived a few hours later we ate some salads and white chocolate macadamia cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory and then hit the shopping at the Country Club Plaza hard. For dinner we fell into the closest yummy restaurant, PF Chang's. Their lemon chicken with garlic spinach is one of my favorite meals ever! We walked into The Better Cheddar too and drooled over all the cheese, jellies, gourmet candy, crackers and dips. Tuesday was allotted mostly for IKEA and we ate in their cafeteria. There are few comfort food meals like meatballs, mashed potatoes and lingonberry jelly. While we were out in the suburbs of KC we shopped at the Town Center Plaza making a beeline for the Le Creuset store and ate in a California Pizza Kitchen to gorge on carbs after a long day of standing and walking. Wednesday we visited the art museum and enjoyed the folk art exhibit. We ate lunch at Chuy's and then for dinner tried our first Kansas City barbeque. We had Gates BBQ and the beef was so delicious. So were the beans. They were the best baked beans I've ever had. I will always pledge allegiance to Central BBQ in Memphis as the best bbq in the world, but I like the salty, smokiness of KC bbq. Gates was a truly delicious bbq joint. I bought a bottle of the extra hot bbq sauce for a souvenir. Afterwards Stephanie and I drove to the Roasterie café in the Brookside shopping area. I thought it would be fun to visit a coffee shop. I didn't think I would be discovering my new favorite coffee ever. I've always loved Starbuck's because it tastes like being awake. It punches you in the face like a Napa wine. The Roasterie coffee is like a smooth Argentine wine. Stephanie and I were both immediately hooked so we went to the grocery store behind the shop and bought every Roasterie blend they sold. Then we stumbled on Foo's Frozen Custard. Holy Cow! This was a day for new favorites. I had the Triple Threat with chocolate chips, peanut butter and chocolate syrup. This was a cold cement cup of goodness that tasted like a Cadbury peanut butter egg in ice cream form. It was my favorite dessert of the whole trip. Thursday morning we got up early and drove to Thou Mayest coffee shop. I had been told by Taylor Conant at work that it was a really hip place to sit and sip. It was. I loved taking instagram pics in there. For lunch we tried Jerusalem Café in Westport and it was so delicious! I hadn't had Middle Eastern food in such a long time and I loved it. The sampler appetizer platter was plenty filling and delicious but of course I had to have beef kefta and vegetable plate as well. For dessert we drove to Foo's again and tried three other delicious cement mixes. We took a trolley tour of the city that leaves from Union Station. This was a really fun tour full of the history of the great city. For dinner we tried Jack Stack bbq and it was so good!! We finally tried the city-wide touted "burnt tips" and they were delicious chunks of meat seared on both sides. I ate a huge portion of them along with the best bbq chicken I've ever tasted. The cheesy corn was as good as all the locals said it would be. For dinner we drove to Aixois, a French restaurant, for dessert. I tried my first ile flottante and I am in love with this dessert now. It's amazing I only gained three pounds on this trip. Friday morning was the end of our trip. We drove back to Aixois for breakfast. We had a delicious salmon and spinach omelette, quiche and fruit. It was the perfect goodbye to a perfectly wonderful city. I truly heart KC and can't wait to get back there. It's true what they say about the double city. Kansas City: a city too big for just one state!
