Filled with Gratitude
Thanksgiving is one of if not my favorite holiday. I have so much to be thankful for and this holiday was full of fun and food! Tom came in from NYC and he is always willing to do and go where ever I suggest. So seeing movies and eating out were where we spent the bulk of our time. There are so many new restaurants opening in different neighborhoods all over the Kansas City area it's fun to try them out.
With all the eating I anticipated I thought it best to start Thanksgiving Day with a fun 5K with friends before heading to the airport to pick up Tom. My favorite is always the Pilgrim Run in the beautiful old Hyde Park neighborhood so that's where I started my day. Next year I am definitely going to look for fun gear pre-race! I loved the Pilgrim family and those turkey hats just cracked me up!
My fun running friends that joined me there, and Laura and Linda took 1st and 2nd in their age group - winners!!! I earned all the dessert pictured here - carrot cake, creme brûlée, chocolate truffle cake, bread pudding with vanilla sauce and pumpkin pie! All that just for me but Tom ate the same and maybe a little more!
Tom and I had a wonderful Thanksgiving feast at the Bristol Restaurant in the Power & Light area. Since I don't really like cooking it made more sense to go out - the Bristol has all the traditional fare plus lots of extra's like shrimp cocktail, oysters, smoked salmon and tuna. Not to mention a fabulous dessert bar and an extensive wine list. It was packed so fortunately I had made a reservation. We still had to wait 30 minutes but it was worth the wait. But by then we were starving so I forgot to take pictures until we got to dessert!
After dinner we headed right next door to the Alamo Drafthouse to see the new Harry Potter movie "Fantastic Beasts." We both enjoyed the movie but it probably makes more sense if you are familiar with the series. Really great special effects. Then we took the streetcar back to my place which Tom was pretty impressed with. It was the first he had seen it since he hasn't been back since it opened. And it's free!
Get ready to see food pictures because now I'm going to post the other 4 restaurants we ate at over the next 3 days - and I was grateful for the delicious food at each of them!
Brunch at Baked in Westport. One of my most favorite brunch places because the biscuits are the best in the entire world - I'm totally sure of it. Tom tried mine and he agreed. The front section is a french bakery - everything made in house - all fantastic. Totally worth checking out!
Chicken fried steak, eggs and potatoes for Tom, scrambled eggs, ham, fruit and a biscuit for me.
Another day we went for brunch to Barrel 31. I had not ever been there but have heard good things so wanted to give it a try. It is located at the corner of 31st and Gilham which is called Martini Corner. It was very good and not crowded at all. They are open for brunch from 10-3 Saturday and Sunday. They also do lunch and dinner - it's known for whisky so many of the sauces have whisky in them. I love that area of town and that all the bars and restaurants are in cool old buildings.
Brioche french toast for Tom, scrambled egg sliders for me. I don't even like bacon but loved the bacon and aioli sauce on the eggs! Would definitely go back!!
Now on to dinner. Saturday night we went to Rye. My mouth is already watering. It is one of my most favorite restaurants here in KC, and I wanted to take Tom there for a special night. It did not disappoint. Reservations are mandatory especially on a weekend. It's in Mission Farms at 104th and Mission Road. I love the casual but cool atmosphere and friendly vibe, and everything I have ever had there has been perfect.
Tom really liked the rye whisky they featured as well.
Tom has eaten at some of the great restaurants in NY and said the steak he had here was the best he had ever eaten - high praise! Actually they are most famous for their fried chicken - which I have never had. I guess I should go back and try it!
Beet and goat cheese salad we shared, my salmon over fennel, Tom's steak with mashed potatoes and dutch apple pie we shared.
Sunday night for our last meal we went to an old favorite - Westside Local. Located in the really cute Westside neighborhood at 18th and Summit. I have been there quite a few times but the food is really good and a little unique. All farm to table and a pretty decent wine list. Both of my kids really like it.
Quinoa bowl for me - I almost always get it! Has sweet potato, brussel sprouts, goat cheese, walnuts and lots of other delicious things. Macaroni with chicken for Tom.
We also saw two other movies - "Rules Don't Apply" the movie about Howard Hughes played by Warren Beatty. An excellent cast with Annette Bening and Matthew Broderick, but neither of us liked it that much. It wasn't terrible but was a little hard to follow. I don't know that much about Howard Hughes so maybe that's why but it kind of seemed like we were seeing the middle of a movie - no beginning and no end. But the last movie we saw "Loving" was wonderful! We both loved it! It was based on a true story from the 50's about the marriage of an inter-racial couple that turned into a supreme court case called Loving versus Virginia and overturned the law making it legal for people to marry outside of their race. Tom said in law school they actually studied the case. It was really excellent so I highly recommend it.
It was a really fun weekend and so great to have Tom here to share it with me. I was reading an article about gratitude not just making you a happier person - it also improves your physical health. And that is something else to be grateful for!!! Make it a great week - because it's a choice.