Manhappiness, Kansas

The weekend after Thanksgiving, my friend Megan and I headed up to Manhattan for the big “Sunflower Showdown” game (I use the term “game” loosely…it was more like a blowout). KSU took on those silly Jayhawks, and I’ll be honest…I only watched maybe a quarter of the game overall. That’s right—we ventured all the way up there and basically just ate and drank our way around town. (So not complaining. That’s totally the way I prefer my Manhattan trips. Hashtag Fatkid.)

We didn't get tickets to the game, since we figured a game in late November would be freezing, and we could just soak up the Aggieville atmosphere while watching the game from the comfort of a Porter’s booth with beer flowing from the tap, brought to our table by some frat-tastic 22 year old bartender. But wouldn't you know it…it was 65 degrees and sunny that Saturday! We still managed to have a fantastic time…even if we did take a nap….during the second half of the game…and order Pizza Shuttle when we woke up. Because, let’s face it…college is not meant for 30 year olds. We learned that lesson the hard way this year.

So. We ate at SoLong. Twice. No shame there. In fact, as we rolled into Manhattan around 8pm on Friday, we didn’t even bother checking into the hotel. Nope; we drove straight to our fav college spot for bloody Marys and grilled cheeses. THE BEST! Dear SoLong, please come to Kansas City! I know you would do well. Maybe in Westport? Or Crossroads? I’d support ya at least once a week, for some raspberry-black bean dip. And/or queso. (Yes, we had both, as you can see by the pics. No judging!)

After our SoLong dinner, we stopped at Porter’s, where Megan worked for 4 years in college. It was pretty much the same…same smell, same cups, same dartboard. We hit O’Malley’s to see if our dollars were still on the wall—indeed, they were. Finally, we stopped in to see our pal Charlie at Taco Luche to end our night.

We hit up CocoBolos for lunch and bloodies on Saturday, before the gameday festivities started. (By gameday festivities, I mean Fireballs. I blame the Fireballs for the nap that ensued directly after the Fireballs.)

We met up with a few of Megan’s friends who were in town for the game, and got a very festive holiday pic by the Christmas tree at Aggie Station.

This guy was NOT one of Megan's friends-we just saw him walking past Tubbys and we HAD to get a pic. I mean, purple Sperrys? That's dedication. I loved it. (He was kind of put off that we asked for a pic, but I was like, dude, if you sport a purple sweater vest with purple slacks and purple shoes, people want your picture.)

Ever had a Nancy? No? Get yo’self to SoLong, ASAP. It’s delish.

Then…came SoLong a deux (mmm....the dip! The DIP!), and naptime for the old ladies. On our way out of town Sunday, we stopped for lunch at Taco Luche before saying so long to our alma mater. Kittycats got the Win,  I got my Manhattan fix for football season, and Megan got a solid 28 hours of sleep . EMAW fo’ life! (Insert KSU Wildcat radio rawr-rawr-rawrrrr here.)

Little Letters

Dear Crystal,

Thank you for making such a delicious dinner! You inspire me to cook more. Loved the food, the conversation, and love you. (Yes, she made all that from scratch! Fresh tomatoes from her garden, pesto, feta, parm and arugula, drizzled with a balsamic reduction, over pasta. And yes, I ate three bowls.)

 

Dear Fall,

Thank you for coming this week. I needed your brisk breeze, your rain followed by sunshine, and your cooler temps. Just in time for the Plaza Art Fair this weekend. Well done, Fall. Well done.

 

Hey Royals & Chiefs,

Keep it up. You're actually making KC look good.

 

Dear Nova,

Congratulations big girl! Steps!!!! You’re almost completely mobile. Drew and Heather, can’t wait to see how the new house looks when that happens. Ha!

 

Dear Kitty Cats,

I'm sorry I doubted you. I should have known Bill had it under control. Kick some Texas ass tomorrow!

 

To all my fam and friends,

Thank you, thank you for all of your support for the past few months. I know some of you probably think I was nuts to leave a perfectly good job that paid my bills, but I appreciate you keeping that to yourself and always encouraging me. Because...

 

Dear ScriptPro,

Hey new best friend. You are kind of awesome. Thanks for offering me a JOB!

 

(Duh, I promptly accepted. More to come next week… Happy weekend!!!)

Tour De Little Apple

Last weekend, my bestie Megan and I made a sacred trip, two hours west of Kansas City. For her thirtieth, I told her we were going on an epic roadtrip-adventure. Where did we journey to, you ask? Oh, just the happiest place on earth.

Manhattan, Kansas. (Duh!!)

We had a ball. We did everything we wanted to do, and then some. Mostly, we ate and drank. Because that’s what you do in Manhattan. You eat at the best restaurants ever, you drink at the most fun bars ever, and you go to football games  for the best team ever (but we were a day late on that). 

Commencing with picture overload of the BEST TOWN EVER (you were warned):

So, all of this started about a month ago when Megs and I had an in-depth discussion about So Long Saloon and their food. We used to head to da ‘Ville after our Environmental Geography lab once a week and eat grilled cheeses and their queso dip. Or, she would pick me up from campus, convince me to skip my 2:00 Shakespeare class (it took practically nothing to convince me, by the way), and we’d have a few afternoon Bloodies. On a Wednesday. Because, you know, college.

Obviously, our first stop on our trip into town? So Long. Didn’t even stop at the hotel.

{Raspberry Chipotle Black Bean dip. Oh. My. Gosh.}

Next, we walked through Aggieville to check out our old haunts (Varneys, Rusty’s) and dipped into the new stores (Threads is so cool and I wish we had an Acme gifts in KC!). Then, we completed our tour of Manhattan by driving through campus (noting all the buildings we had classes in) and around town. We drove by our old houses and all of our favs (what’s up, DU??).

{My house on Laramie. It looked waaaay nicer than when we lived there.
Loved the purple door!}

{Chi Omega. Looks pretty much the same.}

Sunday night, we had dinner at a new Mexican spot, Taco Lucha. It’s owned by the same people as So Long and Rock-a-belly, so you know it was delish. Then, we had started our “Tour De Aggieville,” hitting all the old spots. (At least the ones that were open on a Sunday night.)

 

First up, Salty Rim. We made sure to tell the bartender that I had designed the original menus for the bar when it opened. He was not that impressed. In fact, I recall him mentioning that he "wasn't that old," so he didn't know what we were talking about. Cool.

 

Next, O’Malley’s. We couldn’t find our dollars on the wall (an O’Malley’s tradition), so we signed a couple of new ones and made sure to stick them somewhere where we would remember. (Right by the dartboard, if anyone is in town and wants to check.)

{Megan's says, "Morgan and Megan were IDed here!!!"
because we got excited when the bartender asked to see our IDs.
Yes, that is a sign you are old.}

 

Final stop (our fav), Porter’s. Megan worked there for several years in college, and oh man, it was  the same as we remembered.

 

We ran into several old faces (this is why I love Manhattan), and the bartender was pretty much amazing and played every song we requested (mostly rap, circa 2004-2006). Then this happened:

 

Annnnnnnd we decided to call it a night. (I’m confident that the 22 year old bartender will always remember the night when two “older” ladies came in, requested Nelly and R.Kelly, and then got up on the bar. Yikes.)

 

Monday, we attempted to recover with lunch and Bloody Marys at CocoBolo’s, another one of our old favs. We ran into our friend Bri, who was waitressing. To quote her, “it’s like it’s 2004 again!”

 

Then, on our way out of town, we headed out to check out the new stadium. Wowzers! “The Bill” is amazing. It made us love K-State football even more.

 

 

I particularly loved the bronzed statue of Coach Snyder himself, complete with pleated pants and that 1980’s windbreaker. Oh, Bill. We love you!

 

Until next time, Manhappiness. (I hope it’s very, very soon!)

Try The Turkey—It’s Amazing

This past Monday, I was lucky enough to have the day off from work. (Thank you, Dr. King!) I had been looking forward to my long weekend, planning on sleeping in, relaxing, getting together with friends…and on Saturday morning, I woke up at 4am to find myself with a case of the sickies. Yep, that nasty stomach-flu-virus-thing that everyone and their dog has had found its way into my system. Gross. And not fun. So, Saturday and Sunday were pretty much spent resting and recovering, but I managed to salvage some of my long weekend on Monday. I was feeling better and wanted to get out of the house!

 

I met my friend Crystal for lunch. We wanted to try something new (I’d say we’re both pretty adventurous regarding food), so I chose Bloomsbury Bistro in Prairie Village. Neither of us had been there, or even heard of it, but a review on Urban Spoon claimed it had the “best turkey sandwich” the reviewer had ever had. I have to admit, I thought to myself, “hmmm…turkey sandwiches aren’t that memorable or impressive, but if someone spent the time to write it, it’s worth a try.” So, off we went, in search of the Bistro.

 

It’s actually located in the Mission Road Antique Mall, which I never even knew existed. (It's at 83rd and Mission Road, across from Corinth Square, if you're interested.) We had some time before our table was ready, so Crystal and I browsed the wares. It was huge! Tons of fun things to look at.  My favorites were the collection of furs (of course, didn’t get a pic), and the room of stained glass. So pretty!

 

{Loved the colors!}

 

 

{This placed was filled to the brim with STUFF. You can kind of see the fur stoles on the left.}
 

{Speaking of stuff, here's the "guy's decor" corner...
turtle shells, antlers and dried out alligator heads, oh my!}

 

{Pretty vintage chair and cabinet combo}

 

{Love-love-loving so much about this set-up}

 

{This was a box of old letters, framed. We think they were written in Italian.}

 

{Loved the white-washed wardrobe and the glitzy chandelier} 

After perusing for a while, we sat down and checked out the menu. We both decided to try the “best turkey sandwich”, and pair it with a bowl of soup. It may not look like it, but I would have to agree with whoever said it first—the sandwich was amazing! Carved turkey, sliced pear, creamy brie and tangy honey mustard dressing on a crusty, whole wheat slice. Crystal and I both agreed we’d come back, just for the turkey. The soup was good, too—homemade noodles, chicken and veggies. And for dessert (why not? It was a holiday!), we shared key lime pie. I know, I know—in January? In Kansas? It was delish. Not too sweet, very citrusy and tangy. It was a lovely lunch date.

{I know it doesn't look like much. But it really was the best turkey sandwich EVER.}

{Key lime-deliciousness}

After lunch, I ventured out to Nebraska Furniture Mart with a few key pieces in mind, and emerged victorious. I’ll share my new living room-redo next time!

It's Friday, Friday...

...Gotta get down on Friday. Anyone? No? I know. That song is awful. But, it IS Friday! Best day of the week. In the spirit of keeping both my “changes” for 2013, I thought I would write about what is making me happy today. (If you know me, or have been reading along, I think you know how much I like to make lists.) Okay, here we go.

It’s not only Friday, but I have a three day weekend! Hip, hip, hooray for getting Monday off. Pretty pumped to have a four day week next week.

I hit ALL green lights today on the way to work. Small victories, people. And today was a great day for the traffic stars to align, because I was running kind of late. So all those green lights made me feel a little less stressed.

 

I had dinner last night with my two best friends from high school. It was so much fun to see them and catch up with each other. We met at BRGR in Prairie Village and had a three and a half hour dinner—there was a LOT to talk about. Erica is eight months pregnant and due March 1 (!). Brooke is engaged and living in a new city. And me? Well, I’m blogging again, I guess. Ha! As we sat there, over fried pickles and juicy burgers and more fried things  and a few glasses of wine (just Brooke and me, of course), I realized how lucky I am to have such good girlfriends I can come back to after any amount of time has passed and we can talk and laugh like we’re still in high school. We talked about the past, laughed about how old we now are (quote of the night: “we’ve crossed over, guys”) and caught up on the real, “messy” things in life. It was such a lovely night.



{Check out that spread. Best taste of the night? Truffled tater tots. Oh man.}
 

 

{I went with the Jucy Lucy. It was gooooood.}

And, the last thing that makes me happy today? I got to stop at the bookstore last night and picked out a few new reads. So excited for a long weekend, no big plans and some “chill-out” time. Have a great weekend!

Lovely Lunch Date

{My mom and I loved this painting of two kitties. It was positioned over a neighboring booth.}

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This afternoon, I had the pleasure of joining my mom for a much overdue lunch date. We chose to visit one of our favs, Cafe Provence, in Prairie Village. And it sure didn't disappoint! We started with a variety of salty olives (pits included—the read deal!), and my mom had a delicious peach carrot soup and the goat cheese salad. I chose the chicken crepe, complete with mushrooms, fresh green beans and a yummy beurre sauce. (And I remembered to take pics this time, before I cleaned my plate!) It was a wonderful afternoon with delightful food and of course, marvelous company. Je vous remercie beaucoup pour le dejeuner, manan!

{Starters}



{My mom's fresh salad. Yes, that is a ball of rich goat cheese, and yes, it was so gooooood!}

{My chicken crepe. I may have been a few bites in before I remembered to take a pic. I couldn't resist!}

I Scream, You Scream...

{Thank you, Baskin Robbins}

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Happy first official day of summer! What better way to celebrate then with a scoop of bubblegum (my all time fav!) on top of strawberry lemonade sherbert? Yum!

Giving Thanks



{Turkey Day decor...those little pilgrims have been around longer than me!}



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This past week, my mom’s side of the family gathered at my parents’ home to celebrate Thanksgiving. Our family has much to be thankful for, and this particular holiday is very important to me. My mom has hosted for as long as I can remember, and I love getting the chance to catch up with aunts, uncles, cousins and my Grandma. While our dinner isn’t overly-formal or fancy, the food is always delectable (twice baked sweet potatoes and the traditional sugary sweet potato casserole? Yes, please!) and the company makes it a very special day. I hope they know how thankful I am for all of them, each and every day!  

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{The "Adult" table...the kids are positioned out in the kitchen}



{Turkey napkins are a must}




{Digging into the spread}




{With my cousin, Caitlin}



All A-twitter for the blue bird bistro

{The blue bird bistro}

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As my days of leisure started to wind down (sigh), I decided to pack in as many lunch dates as I possibly could. (My typical lunchtime routine during school finds me hurriedly microwaving something and scarfing it down in my free 25 minutes, before the wild animals return from the lunchroom.) About a month ago, I had the privilege of meeting my dad downtown in a Westside neighborhood at the blue bird bistro (yes, that’s right—no capitals. Believe me, my editing instincts are fighting my fingers on this). I had read several articles on this little eatery and was quite impressed that it prepares only organic dishes with locally grown produce. When my dad suggested the blue bird for lunch, I was absolutely on board.

The place was darling both inside and out, with its bright blue and yellow door frame as you walk in, bronze-topped tables inside and local art on the walls. The atmosphere reflected the eclectic clientele who inhabit the downtown area, and the menu was definitely yummy. I instantly wished I hadn’t eaten breakfast earlier, because breakfast-for-lunch (or dinner) just may be one of the best things ever. However, I decided to forgo the Eggs Benedict (four different varieties to choose from!) and omelets, and instead opted for a classic midday dish: a salad. Now, the blue bird Salad was far from your run-of-the-mill greens. Fresh spinach, tangy Gorgonzola, roasted Missouri pecans and a sweet blueberry vinaigrette all added up to a whole plate of delicious. I added the fresh roasted salmon on top for a little protein. We prefaced our main meal with homemade hummus (so much better than any tub from the grocery store) and homemade pita bread, and washed it all down with refreshing mint iced tea. Our lunch was lovely, and I really enjoyed having the time to catch up with my old man.

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{The bright doorframe}

{Back entrance--love the bluebird cutout}

Un Avant-goût de la France

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This summer, since I am lucky enough to have a substantial amount of free time, I decided to provide patronage to restaurants I had never been to. I moved to Fairway not quite a year ago, and I love love love the Brookside, Crestwood and Prairie Village areas I am just adjacent to. My mom and I have tried to adhere to a standing Friday lunchdate in the summer months, but it seems we’ve only been able to venture out several times. However, one of my favorites lately has been Café Provence in The Village Shops and restaurants. I have been meaning to attend this fabulous little eatery for a while, and so when she suggested it, I was delighted to visit. And I was not disappointed.  Not only is the quaint café darling with white tableclothes and art you can purchase right off the walls, but the food was simply scrumptious. While most of the menu sounded incredibly appetizing, I settled on the Saumon Provencale. While I am definitely no connoisseur of the French cuisine by any means, I did travel to Paris last summer and hoped this salmon dish would take me back to the sidewalk cafés along the Champs de Elysee. And how it did! The salmon was the perfect lunch-size portion (although I probably could have eaten another piece) and seared perfectly, the asparagus was crunchy and a beautiful green, and the absolutely most fabulous part was the corn risotto underneath it all. I wanted to lick my plate clean.

After such an indulgent lunch, where else could we head but to Dolce across the street for desert? And since I couldn’t decide which sweet treat I wanted, I wrapped up three to go (a mini key-lime custard, a cream cheese brownie, and an apricot almond scone for breakfast the next day). I dug into the key-lime custard after lunch, and then several hours later decided that the brownie would make an appropriate dinner. The scone did surprisingly make it to breakfast the next morning. Dolce is quickly becoming my new favorite sweet spot for all things superbly saccharine. Si délicieux!

Extra Yummy

Last week, I had the opportunity to dine at the oh-so-delish Extra Virgin, Michael Smith's small plate restaurant located right next to his namesake eatery downtown in the Crossroads District. And I pretty much need to go back and try everything we didn't order, because everything was delectable! Between my friend and I, we split the Oyster Mushrooms, the Sautéed Tiger Shrimp (served skewered over pine needles), the Chickpea Fries (to die for! Fried hummus? Genius!), the Wood Fired Ribeye with red onions and pistachios, and two servings of the summery Striped Sea Bass Ceviche. Yes, that's right; we had to order a second helping of the tender fish, fresh melons and green onions with fried plantains because one simply wasn't enough. The waiter thought we were crazy (and probably a little fat...his direct quote was "Oh, you must be hungry!"), but we couldn't help ourselves. This is how summer eating was meant to be—light, fresh, and a little taste of everything.

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{Cool atmosphere and tasty tapas}

{View of the patio}