family celebration

Another overdue post from the UP trip of earlier this month, this one to show off the family a little and spread some good cheer. You see, Conrad's birthday fell a few days after our trip up there, and so we had a get together with pizza, salad, and Conrad's cake.

Yes, Conrad's cake. I love this: Conrad, like me, had a special birthday cake while growing up. In my case, it was a chocolate-flavoured mayonnaise cake with green, mint-flavoured frosting. For Conrad, his Mom makes a white layer cake generous frosted with a chocolate fudge frosting.
And, because Hallowe'en is near, some seasonal candies for decoration.

Really, how can you not love it? And love it we did. We shared dinner in Conrad's Mom's kitchen. Karen was there (Terry was laid up with a dreadful cold). Justin and Tonna, too. Dan, Conrad's other nephew, was at a wedding that evening with his girlfriend, so no cake for him. Happily, he recently had a birthday and got his own special cake from Conrad's Mom.

After such a lovely evening, then, you'd think I'd let the birthday boy have a good night of rest. Sure. Mostly. Until around 7ish when I stuck the phone camera in his face and caught a little smile crossing his face. Poor guy, stuck with a morning person like me. Ah well. More cake makes everything better!

back to KC, figuratively speaking

I love relaxed evenings wherein we sit outside on the balcony, lingering over wine. Eventually we come inside, but instead of doing anything more strenuous than a few dishes, I geek out online. I never should have got on Facebook. Darn the peer pressure.

As promised, a last batch of Kansas City photos. In fact, we took many more shots, but I think I need to move on now that several weeks have passed. I really did like the place, and I'd be glad to go back, but I find myself looking ahead to various July and August trips instead.

So then...

Some eye-catching signs from the Powell Gardens, arguably more interesting than the plants themselves.




One of our favourite of the sculptures featured in the Gardens - a family of quail. What is the collective noun for quail? A covey? Like a pride of lions or a bun of librarians?

Back in the city we went to a hilltop downtown to look out over Kansas City, KS.


Then, driving around on a sunny afternoon, we came upon the clever parkade for the public library.


The next day we headed up the monument overlooking the city. Remarkable views, and a great day to enjoy them.




Kansas City, in a sort-of nutshell. It's 9:30ish, and I fear I'll be in bed later than intended....

two KC dinners (and a post-dinner stroll)

Me again, still catching up on bygone times. So then, back to the KC weekend (and yes, even more to be posted - hey, we take a heck of a lot of photos!)...

Kansas City gave us the opportunity to have a couple of nice meals together with Conrad's family. His mother was down from the UP for the weekend before her birthday while Conrad's nephew, Justin, and his wife, Tonna, are KC residents. Happily, that meant that we had local knowledge of where to dine. On the Friday night, their suggestion was quite fine.

Blue Bird Bistro is a funky place that was not nearly so busy on a Friday night as it deserves to be. It was one of those places where I read the menu and I am boggled because there are so many enticing options. In the end, the plating was not refined, but we left very happy. We almost decided to go back the next evening!

But on to dinner there, and fine group it was to dine with.

House cured salmon. Flavoured with lime, jalapenos, and cilantro served over organic mixed greens and sprinkled with chipotle-orange vinaigrette. Conrad and I shared it.

Conrad's dinner: American wild-caught scallops, pan-seared and served with seasoned rice and raosted asparagus, drizzled with cumin brown butter. It didn't look refined, but the cumin brown butter was delightfully fragrant, providing some evocative flavour to the meal.

My dinner: Grass fed bison tenderloin prepared in a Boulevard Wheat (beer) reduction, greens and roasted potatoes.

We declined to have dessert (though there were some attractive choices). Ah well. Our wine was a bottle of Seghesio Zinfandel. A fine dinner, and again, we were dismayed that the palce was not packed when we left. If you got to KC, drop by this place - it's worth it.


The next night - a finer restaurant and a little bit less casual a look. You know, I'm really loving wearing the ties these days.

Saturday dinner was at Starker's Restaurant down in Country Club Plaza. How interesting that KC has a shopping precinct like that - so far from downtown but so much like a downtown, not a mall. The restaurant itself is a little finer, known for its wine. The light fixture gives that away.

So we all made ourselves pretty...



Again, a lot of interesting menu options. We all started, though, with a non-menu item: an amuse-bouche of asparagus soup. Tasty!

We didn't photograph everyone's meals as we wanted them to enjoy their meals while warm. Rest assured, they all enjoyed what they had. As for us, well, first up for me was foie gras. This came just a day or two after Chicago repealed its (frankly silly) ban on selling it within the city. Justin had never tried it before, and he was surprised, when I offered him a bite, to find that he liked it.

Conrad had a crab duo for an appetizer. Alas, the photos were not good. Ah well. Instead, here's his dinner: Free range veal rib chop with wilted local greens, grilled spring onions, English peas, and crawfish Bordelaise.

My dinner of Circle 7 Ranch sprng lamb "en crepinette" with potato puree, fava beans, local mushrooms, and picholine olive puree. It doesn't look pretty, I concede, but gosh darn was it substantial and good.

Conrad, by the way, famously (in our house) hates peas (also sweet peppers, and he's not wild on liver). He was a good boy that night.

After dinner we walked around the Plaza neighbourhood. Brush Creek runs through the area, and walking along it in the twilight was a good way to regain space for a stop in a gelato shop for dessert.

Missouri wine

Apparently Missouri was once one of the nation's leaders in wine production. Before Prohibition, it ranked second in output. Given the state of American wine way back when, we shan't comment on quality.

Nowadays the state is hardly one most people think of when they think domestic (US) wine. Maybe that's fair - it doesn't have the quantity of the California, Washington, or Oregon, nor does it have the cachet. If the one (and only one, I admit) winery we visited is any indication, they don't have Old World grapes to any great degree either.

Still, let's be fair. And let's have fun. We realize we may not like ALL of the wines we taste, but that's no reason not to give them a go. So it was that on Saturday we stopped in at Stonehaus Farms Winery on our back into the city.

I won't dwell on the bad. Or rather, let me say that I won't dwell on the ones that I didn't care for. Interestingly, all of us had similar reactions. The Traminette was one of our least favourites, as was the aged Cynthiana. On the other hand, the newer pressing of Cynthiana was quite decent, and the port made from that grape would be lovely with some cheese. Conrad, Justin, Tonna, and I tasted them all, while Conrad's Mom tasted some and poked around the shop.

Ultimately we brought home two. Come for dinner at our place, and you might just find an interesting discovery from our trip poured into your glass.