Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, KS

I'm not sure there's much I can say about this metro-KC museum that hasn't already been noted, but I would say that if you find yourself with even 1-2 hours to spare in KC, this would be a good place to go. It has a very enojayble, vibrant mix of museum pieces to see and tons of interesting architectural nooks in the place. It is easily one of the better ancient and modern art museums I've been to... AND it's indoors and outdoors, which is pretty unique in my book.

Here's a selection of shots from the 2 hour visit we took...

Outdoors, heading in:

Watch for shuttlecocks everywhere - no joke

Huge grounds to hang out on, wee more art, and just enjoy all that is KC

Indoors, Main building with historic, older, and even ancient pieces:

Amen.

Care for a spot of tea?

Indoors, Brock wing with more contemporary art - can you spot the Kandinsky?

Back outdoors to enjoy the grounds a bit more (with 60deg temops that day in Jan). We loved the Glass Labyrinth on the grounds... though didn't like seeing a toddler run his head into one of the walls (ouchie, he cried... and then got right back up):

And finally, this "tree" that we couldn't figure out if they'd covered an actual tree or made an entirely fake one out of this silvery, shiny material. Whatever the case, it was a cool tree to see:

Spoon & Stable, Post2, Minneapolis, MN

This post will have many more words that Post1, so get ready to do some reading. Post1 was like a visual teaser for the restaurant, and this will take a bit of a deeper dive into the place, letting folks in on some of the info I found out as an anal-retentive foodie. 

First off, I wanted to say "thanks" to Dan, our waiter that night. He was a good sport, knowledgeable, and indulged all of my questions. Though I think he thought I was bonkers at the beginning, I hope he could see by the end of the night that I was simply trying to get all the info I could gather, to make an interesting place read like an interesting place on my blog.

Now, you need to know why Spoon & Stable is named that - the first part, "spoon", comes from the fact that the head chef/owner used to steal spoons from every high-end restaurant he's eaten at. So much so, he has a large collection of spoons and now displays many of them in the restaurant (see below). 

That's a lot of spoons. My grandma would have been proud

The spoon term also reminds me of a chef constantly tasting their creations, with spoons of course. Not forks or knives, but always spoons. Watch any chef on PBS, Food Network, or even the movie Burnt and you'll see all manner of spoons being used to taste and plate amazing dishes the world over. They just take one taste, toss the spoon in the dish pile, and adjust the sauce or dish accordingly. 

So, that's the "spoon" part, but why "stable"? Well, it's simple really - the location and physical space that the restaurant occupies was once a stable for the downtown area of Minneapolis. Knowing all that, the name seems to make perfect sense, and also lets your imagination run wild as you dine. Finally, it really makes their initial name for the new restaurant, Merchant, seem quite out of place. Glad they didn't go with that, as I suspect they are too.

We even got a little bit more info, the wine "cellar" they use used to be the main entrance for the stable. It's quite a striking look in the space and seems to get lots of eyes on it each night, see for yourself...

And finally, as our dinner group went through the meal, with all this info, good humor, and stiff drinks around, we found ourselves teasing most of the staff about stealing spoons of our own. Surely, they would think it's hilarious and allow the stealing of their own spoons, knowing what the owner has done during his "spoon career". Well, they weren't exactly excited to loose their own spoons to sticky-fingered patrons, but they've created a charity revolving around a collectible spoon. All proceeds from the sale of the spoon below fund the charity. 

It has their logo on it and also becomes a nice talking point for any patron once their meal is done. Not only that, but one of the guests in attendance with me that night, after being rather vocal about the spoon "souvenir", got his own, free charity spoon to take home. I'm sure he won't soon forget the wonderful atmosphere, great service, warm comfortable dining room, delicious & memorable foods, great drinks, and superb time we all had at Spoon & Stable. I know I won't.

I'd recommend this place to all. It seems particularly well-suited to foodies, small groups, dinner parties, and even serves brunch on the weekends. They make their breads in-house (looked like a boulangerie to me), seemed to whip their own butter, make all their desserts and pastries in-house, and purchase from local vendors when possible. Their staff, if you couldn't tell already, seemed particularity attentive and knowledgeable.

Spoon & Stable, Post1, Minneapolis, MN

Photos only to start...

Bar:

Dining room: 

Wine stable:

Menu:

Choices: 

Rum-based Old Fashioned:

Appetizer:

(just salted butter for the house made breads)

Pasta:

Porkchop:

Chocolate Panna Cotta:

... More words about the restaurant and a small story in Post2. 

Allen Fieldhouse, Lawrence, KS

It pays to know someone with a key to the building, especially in order to check out this most famous of famous basketball courts without crowds or court obstructions. 

 

And as luck would have it, in the middle of our "self-guided" tour, the lights on the court turned on...

 

Thanks very much to the Baby Jay that made this happen. 

Lidia's, Kansas City, KS

If you're like me and grew up watching PBS, featuring a Saturday line-up of chefs that help you become a foodie, then I think you might know this woman - Lidia Bastianich. 

Though she has a number of locations in the US (like NYC), we had the opportunity to visit her restaurant in Kansas City on a Sunday evening, before flight home. While this looks like a snoozer from the outset, it couldn't be further from the truth.

We had an awesome meal, held firmly in place by the pasta, as it should be. The salad to start was delicious, but the desert left something to be desired, unfortunately. I would absolutely go back anytime I have the chance or opportunity. The service was very good, the drinks were bold and well-portioned, and the restaurant is a nice place to share a meal with someone special, or host a small gathering. 

In case you were curious, our menu wound up like this: Ceasar salad split for two, Lemon Chicken, Pasta Trio (mosticholli with Tuna, pappardelle with short ribs, and a two-cheese ravioli with pear), and a molten chocolate cake with two small scoops of gelato. 

As a final note, I cannot stress how much this pasta was amazing. The ravioli was delightful with an almost too much flavor and sweetness of pear, but also pairing excellently with the cheese inside. And the pappardelle with short ribs was also done so well I can't pick which one was best. I felt like a two-time winner for getting to try them both.