Christmas Weekend!

What a great holiday weekend with Tom! Restaurants, movies and a distillery tour - all in 3 days. Here are the fun highlights! 

I have heard good things about the Tom's Town Distillery and tour so I made a reservation for us for late Friday afternoon.  Tom's Town is located on Main St. at 17th. It's best to make a reservation for the tour as it's not a huge place so the number of people they can accomodate is limited. It's been open just over a year and is the first legal distillery to open in Kansas CIty since prohibition. It's named after Tom Pendergast - a notorious figure here in KC who ran the city back in the 30's. According to what we learned on the tour - Kansas City pretty much ignored prohibition. Spirits, money and jazz flowed like water. It's why Kansas City is known as the "Paris of the Plains." When Tom Pendergast was asked why prohibition was ignored his response was "the people are thirsty."

I am pretty clueless about how liquor is made so I thought it was really interesting. Tom enjoyed it as well. The tour guide Matt was very knowledgeable, friendly and humorous. They make boubon, vodka and gin, and the vodka and gin have already won awards. The building is over 100 years old and has exposed brick walls and the original tin ceiling. There is a beautiful bar on the first floor that is open to the public, and they make interesting and fun cocktails which Tom and I tried while we were waiting for the tour to begin.

Dante's Inferno with bourbon for Tom and Stark's Cider Slice with award winning vodka for me! 

The tour finishes in the tasting room where they show a movie that talks about the history of Kansas City including prohibition and you get a generous tasting of the products. I'm much more of a wine fan but I did think they tasted better then usual. Tom really liked the bourbon so bought a bottle to take back to NYC!

The still on the top left has 3 different towers because bourbon, vodka and gin are all distilled using a different method.  

The bar has a nice warm friendly vibe so a great place to stop at if you're in the area and sample some local spirits. 

We saw two movies over the long weekend - "Jackie" and "Lion." We really liked both of them but very intense emotional stories. And both true stories. The acting was exceptional - Natalie Portman IS Jackie Kennedy. I had to keep reminding myself it wasn't a documentary. And Lion is a great story and Dev Patel is wonderful in it. You might remember him from "Slumdog Millionaire." There are still quite a few more movies on my list. Side note - I saw "Manchester By the Sea" a week ago and thought it was also exceptional - but again - sad. 

Now on to places and things we ate - always one of my favorite things to do. First up - Char Bar for lunch. I have heard good things about it - it's been open a few years in Westport in the old Beaumont Club location. Mainly an upscale barbecue place with a pretty cool bar and outside patio and yard for lawn games in the nice weather.

Tom had the Holy Trinity - ribs, brisket and burnt ends with a fabulous corn casserole. Also spicy corn muffins. And a Christmas tree hanging upside down from the ceiling - festive! 

I stopped at Sasha's Bakery downtown at 9th just a little west of Main to pick up a few delicious pastries - it never disappoints! Such a cute place to stop for breakfast or lunch. Everything is made from scratch and the smell alone makes me swoon!

Mini monkey bread, ham and cheese croissant, blueberry scone and cranberry orange scone.  

We had dinner one night at The Bristol downtown - not a new place but one of my favorites for always delicious seafood.  

Ahi Tuna with lobster mac and cheese and asparagus for Tom, Arctic Char with brussel sprouts and roasted potatoes for me! And don't get me started on the biscuits! 

We also ate dinner at The Oliver on the plaza but I've already written about it so don't want to be redundant. But a great atmosphere and really good and eclectic food. I've always had a great experience with the staff - very friendly and competent.  

Always great to spend time with my favorite guy! 

Looks what's on my wall now!! A good friend had this made for me and I love it!

True!!! Thanks Kristin! 

Next up - my New Year's post where I reveal my travel plans for 2017 - and my theme for the year! I hope your Christmas was full of peace and joy! 

Missie B's!

Another great and fun Arts Alive event! Arts Alive is a KC group of people that love art and entertainment - and will pretty much attend anything that sounds interesting - I fit right in!! There is one event a month and it's always some type of art with appetizers followed by an entertainment event. There are usually about 100 to 120 tickets available and it's first some first serve in terms of getting the tickets once the email is sent out announcing the event. The December event started with a private showing at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art of the new exhibit called "Bridge Builder" by Siah Armajani. The curator of the museum gave a little talk about the artist and how he gets his inspiration which I appreciate. He does paintings and also models - and all with bridges. I am planning on going back to see it again before it leaves. It seems there is never enough time to take it all in. There is an excellent restaurant at the Kemper called Cafe Sebastian and the appetizers were from there. 

All of his paintings were inspired by the time he spent in this area so we were trying to figure out his inspiration in each painting. 

Then for the entertainment portion we headed to Missie B's - a place I was not familiar with at all. Located on 39th St and Southwest Trafficway - it's the most popular drag bar in Kansas City and known for it's drag shows. The upstairs has a dance floor with the bar being on the main level along with the theater. The show we saw was entitled "A Very Bedrock Christmas! We'll Have a Gay Ole Time!!!" Because who doesn't think of the Flintstones when you think of Christmas?? The show was really funny and the cast was great! The theater was pretty small so our group filled the whole place and we were almost on top the stage. It felt like we were all in their living room so a relaxed atmosphere. They kept it in fairly good taste and the two guys playing Wilma and Betty were quite large so that made it even funnier. Betty dwarfed Barney who was actually played by a female. They do another show called "Golden Girls Gone Wild" that I can only imagine is hysterical. It was a Sunday night so guessing it might be quite a bit crazier on Friday or Saturday. 

I'm not going to make you hungry this week with pictures of food I have eaten - but lots of plans to eat out over the next week so it will be coming! It was a busy weekend but I spent most of it volunteering at the Kauffman Center. I ushered for The Nutcracker Friday night and loved is as much as the previous Friday night. Sunday I worked for the Christmas Festival. That's the KC Symphony and the KC Choir along with special guests (like Santa) doing fantastic holiday selections. If that doesn't put you in the holiday spirit I don't know what will! The weather turned really cold here and we got our first snow Saturday so it's definitely looking festive.

A picture from inside Kauffman Center with the snow! 

With the ice and snow on Saturday I took the opportunity to make Christmas cookies! Now if I can just refrain from eating too many so there are some for Tom when he arrives later this week. I'll try!! 

If you are reading this blog then you know I love to travel. You might also know that I am really organized - but I am always looking for additional ways to be even more organized - especially when it comes to travel. I try to pack light and get asked frequently for recommendations for luggage and travel accessories etc. So I thought I would mention a site I use that I have purchased numerous items from and been very happy with the products. And in particular I am going to post a suitcase I love. Luggage on wheels is great for many situations, but I have found there are times when they really slow you down. Case in point- going to NYC or another city where you are going to be taking public transportation. Ever tried taking a bag on wheels through a subway turnstile? Not good! 

This bag has a handle, a shoulder strap and turns into a backpack. Tons of compartments and very light weight. I can easily go for a week in it and love just throwing it on my back and going!  

The site is www.ebags.com. Never pay full price - they always have tons of sales. Sign up to be on the email list and they will email you every day with a discount code. Another item I love are packing cubes. They definitely keep your clothes from wrinkling as much and they don't slide all over. I have them in all different sizes and can keep categories together. If I'm staying in a small hotel room it makes it easy to just pull out what you need. 

Lots of great travel tips on the site also! Just my opinion - not getting paid to endorse them!! 

Wishing everyone a wonderful Christmas!!  

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year?

Well yes! It is a wonderful time for many people. But I like to think every day can be the most wonderful - because I believe happiness is a choice, and we are all responsible for our own happiness. It can also be a super stressful exhausting time - I talk to people every day that don't seem to be enjoying it. They are putting so much pressure on themselves to create the perfect holiday that they aren't enjoying it very much - and that kind of makes me sad. 

Every day I write in my paper planner "Do more of what makes you happy." Using a paper planner makes me happy! So that also means do LESS of what doesn't make you happy. I started enjoying the holidays so much more when I started doing less to make them perfect. A tree, decorating, cooking, baking, shopping, sending cards - the list can be endless!! I'm getting stressed just thinking about what I used to do!! The two things I enjoy the most are using my Christmas dishes and sending cards - so those are the two things I do. This has freed me up to do so many fun things - like volunteer as an usher at the beautiful Kauffman Center!

Kauffman all dressed up for the holidays!! 

I saw the Nutcracker Friday night free as a volunteer! Highly recommend!!  Also saw Handel's Messiah the previous Friday night free. Not as much a fan as I am of the Nutcracker but that's just me. Still glad I got to be there. The Hallelujah chorus was phenomenal.

One of my favorite things to do every year! New choreography, sets and costumes. 

Union Station to see the beautiful tree! Who needs one in their own home when I can walk two blocks and see this one! 

And visit the free model train display at Union Station with a mini replica of the building I live in!

Train displays of all sizes and many of the trains still running. 

I've been to the Plaza many times since Thanksgiving to meet friends for drinks and see the beautiful lights. Why have a Christmas party when it's more fun and easier to just meet for drinks. It takes the stress off me of cleaning, shopping, planning and preparing and still accomplishes the purpose of getting together with people I care about to wish them a wonderful Christmas! 

I had time to attend the Christmas party of my running group and share holiday fun with these great ladies. 

KC Express - runners that always have fun too!! 

Attended a holiday jazz performance at the Jazz and Negro Leagues Museum here in KC.  

The museum is right across the street from the famous Gem Theater where they still have world class jazz performed. 

Got to do the Santa Run this morning with my Elf friends. Can you even find Santa in this picture of beauties? 

Santa looks pretty happy! 

And I still have lots of fun holiday things I plan to do in the next two weeks. I limit my shopping to pretty much only things that can be eaten, drank or used up and thrown away. The less stuff I have the less time I need to spend taking care of it, and most of the people I buy for have plenty of stuff and don't need or want more. With the money I save I can donate more to causes and people that do need things - like food and opportunities to improve their personal situation so they can in turn take care of themselves and their families. So if you are feeling stressed and not enjoying the holidays as much as you would like to - look for ways to do less!!

Next on the list of things I have been wanting to blog about are two new restaurants I have tried lately. First up The Oliver. Located on the Plaza right across the street from the Capital Grille. Owned by the same group that owns Gram & Dun, Urban Table and BRGR. They describe it as a southern tavern. Since I can't recall every being at a southern tavern, I guess I have to believe them. It seemed to me in terms of decor to have more of an old Hollywood feel, not that I have ever experienced old Hollywood! Love the leather chairs and booths and old pictures on the wall. They also have a pretty extensive menu of interesting cocktails. I had dinner with my friend and colleague Kellie and we both gave it a thumbs up. 

Red Snapper Tacos for Kellie and a chopped salad with roasted chicken for me. Good wine list also. 

Next place was a very authentic French restaurant in Parkville, MO called Cafe des Amis. As I drove into Parkville to meet my friends I was reminded of what a cute and fun old fashioned town Parkville is. Why don't I come here more often I said to myself?  Some cute restaurants and adorable shops. Jane had been wanting to try this restaurant so we said why not! It is located in the oldest building in Parkville- dating from 1844. The restaurant is on the second floor above a hair salon, and is owned and run by a couple from France - so it's the real deal. I would definitely return again.

Jane and Theresa waiting for their wine.  

Cheese and fruit appetizer we shared, Salmon for Jane, Trout for me and Pork Shoulder for Theresa. Beautifully presented and fairly reasonably priced. All delicious! 

Also went out to PF Chang's for a fun night with old friends - because that's what I like to do! 

Jack, Penny, Mike, Jeanette and Jim - great friends and good food! 

Well that's it for now! I'm heading out to another holiday show tonight that is described as a kitschy nightclub attracting a diverse crowd for adult-themed entertainment with drag queens. You might want to check back soon and read about that!!  

A friend posted this and I wanted to pass it on. Hope you're enjoying the holiday season!

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. 

Inside the NFL!!

Well just a glimpse really! But still fun! My nephew Cameron Brate is the starting tight end for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and they came to Kansas City to play the Chiefs last weekend. This presented a perfect opportunity for my brother Phil and his family to come to KC for the game - and experience a little bit of the hospitality we are famous for here. And also a great opportunity for Keeley to fly in for the weekend and join us - bonus! 

Everyone arrived late Saturday afternoon so we all gathered at my loft to have a barbecue feast. There are so many great barbecue places here, and people debate the merits of each heatedly, but my favorite is Jack Stack so that's what we had. All the traditional items - Burnt Ends, Brisket, Turkey, Best Baked Beans in the World, Cheesy Corn, Potato Salad, Pickles and Sauce. Washed down with some nice wine and local beers along with my homemade Chocolate Butterscotch Cake - Yumm!!! Cam was staying at a hotel literally one block from me but couldn't come down because of a team meeting - but we waved at him from my window! Best that he get a good nights sleep!

Sunday morning we headed out to Arrowhead in plenty of time to navigate the thousands of cars trying to park around the stadium. It was a spectacularly beautiful day - especially for late November. Sunny and just a little chilly. So much going on around the stadium - tailgating and various booths and sponsor tents.

Top left - Phil, Pat, Kyle and Carrie, Bottom left - Jim and I, Right - Keeley and I.

Phil picked up the tickets Cam had requested at Will Call and we were thrilled to see how great they were. The visiting team rarely gets good tickets according to Phil and Pat's prior experience, but again there's that KC hospitality and we thoroughly enjoyed sitting in Row 14 right in the visitor end zone! 

Clockwise from top left - our view! Phil and family, Arrowhead packed on a beautiful day, and my dear friends Marsha and Randy that joined us in their Chiefs gear - but were definitely cheering for Cam.

The Bucs won!!! Huge win for them and they played great! Cam had a couple of great catches that we could clearly see from our vantage point. Keeley and I were even wearing our newly purchased Bucs shirts so I'm pretty sure we were the lucky charm! 

Proof of the winning score, and my new friend sitting right in front of us that really takes being a fan to a new level! 

After the game we got to visit with Cam a bit in the friends and family area which our wrist bands got us into - thanks again Cam!  We are all so proud of what he has accomplished through hard work and dedication. Cam graduated from Harvard with a degree in Economics and was an Academic All-American. He was undrafted out of college but got to try out for a couple of teams and here he is starting for Tampa Bay! He remains humble and appreciative - great job Phil, Pat, Carrie and Kyle!

His fan club! 

It was really fun to have some family here for the weekend. We enjoyed some great salad and pizza at a local place in the River Market called IL Lazzarone after the game before taking them to the airport. If you live in KC and haven't been there then go!! They have authentic Neapolitan style pizza and actually import all the engredients from Italy! And they have a special authentic oven that cooks pizza in 90 seconds! Plus it's delicious!! 

Keeley was flying back to Seattle on Monday so she and I had time Monday morning to try a new bakery/coffee place just 2 blocks from me in the Crossroads that I have been hearing about. It's called Brioche and yes - they have excellent Brioche Bread!! In fact the cinnamon rolls are made from brioche dough! It's on the northeast corner of Main and 20th, and also serves Shortwave Coffee, a small batch roaster in Columbia, MO. 

Brioche cinnamon roll for me, Almond Croissant for Keeley - both excellent! 

The owners are very nice so it's worth a stop next time you're looking for some great breakfast pastries and coffee. They are open 7 to 3 Monday through Saturday. I love local places!!! 

Next up - Thanksgiving weekend!  

Do More of What Makes you Happy!!!