Kansas City Eats!

Kansas City 

Let's start by saying...this is a  real city. Equipped with all things city:

#1) Traffic; the type where your exit can be less that a half mile in front of you but at 5:00 PM you'll wait no less than a half hour to reach it, the type of traffic where no one uses their signal...and even grandmothers cut in front of you with no regard for insurance rates.

#2)Major league ball teams: Kansas City Chiefs, Kansas City Royals. These fans are religious! I don't care where you're coming from or where you're going you WILL see the colors Royal Blue and Chiefs Red.

#3) Restaurants: This is what i really enjoyed! (Pretty girls gotta eat!) I searched for a restaurant that would take the cake..boy did i find it! 

ISLAMORADA (PURPLE ISLAND)A great dining experience it was, from the staff to the service and the food. The manager Jason gave us some background on this little known chain. Its humble  beginnings were in the Florida Keys. There they started only selling 1 item on their menu: A fried Mahi - Mahi sandwich. You can only imagine how great this sandwich is for it to have expanded to several different locations in the US. 

The Fireplace

One of the most appealing features  to the restaurant is the location. This particular location is inside the Bass Pro Shop in Independence KS. From the moment you walk inside until you leave out, even while your dining, the motif commands your attention. This restaurant is adorned with constant reminders of natures beauty,  a 10,000 + gallon fish tank sits behind the bar and has a 360° view of the fish that live inside.  A true sight to see indeed. Upon every wall and even hanging from the ceiling: Real boats, fish, real pictures of families and hunters enjoying nature. Reminiscent of personified lighthouses for sailors the lamps even have character. An 18 foot fireplace helped to cozy the corner that we dined in. It was literally impossible to take a picture of every beautiful thing I saw. Had I attempted this, it would have taken all night. As will talking about the motif.

The View Outside the Patio Dining Area
Lakeside

Ok so realize I'm not a photo journalist! But the idea is to give you an idea...the big picture??? You've gotta get there!!!

So let's move on to the staff: I waited tables for years. This, despite popular belief, is not a job everyone can do well at. Product knowledge, personality and professionalism is key...you do all this while still being a people person. The entire staff  from the manager Jason (who was approachable and professional) to our humble Chefs Ryan & Dylan, and to our server Chrissy (who took great care of us) had every component to make a great dining experience.  Even when our order came back wrong; (Jason don't kill me!) the entire team did not hesitate to make it right in a timely and streamlined manner. (Breathe Jason) Truthfully, it was handled so quickly and professionally it took nothing away from the meal, but it added to the experience. We got to see how they work under pressure. They broke not one stride! I've seen teams fall apart at the minor hiccups. Not this staff! KUDOS to you guys!

Store Manager
Jason

Chrissy
Our Server

Chefs!
Dylan & Ryan

The Food

Bread and Calamari

The best for last. This is what it's all about what the palate says to the brain right? I believe my palates exact words were "Yummy Hmm". To wet the whistle every meal begins with a loaf of bread. .slice of heaven excuse the pun. Seriously good! Think of a soft roll, now combine that with a little sugar on top. ..served with real whipped butter, all i can say is "Oh my!" For an appetizer I ordered the popular Calamari. Seasoned and fried to perfection this appetizer didn't disappoint. Some calamari can leave you desiring more crunch, more flavor, less chew.. these hit the mark. For the main course we had the Grilled Mahi-Mahi (that's served on a bed of seasoned rice served with steamed to order broccoli) & the Cajun Shrimp Pasta(this is Grilled Shrimp over Linguine and Cajun Alfredo  with diced tomatoes and green onions)  To be honest I still cannot decide whether I loved the Mahi which was over this amazing glaze, or the Shrimp Pasta whose sauce was one of the best I've had. I washed  all this down with a tasty Sangria Red wine: full, sweet and served with pineapple, and orange. My mouth is watering now just recounting my meal. Here's what a great meal looks like:

Cajun Shrimp Pasta

Grilled Mahi-Mahi

Sangria

Mouth watering yet????

All-in-all it was a great experience that ignited my sensory system to the max. The location and motif, the fireplace, the lake side patio, the 10,000+ tank, for the eyes. For my sense of smell and taste the delicious dinner: Calamari, Grilled Mahi-Mahi, Cajun Shrimp Pasta. My first time dining at the hidden gem: IslaMorada; a seafood restaurant in the most unexpected place: The Midwest. This was an experience never to be forgotten. So go ahead Kansas City fans wear your Blue and Red... I'll be wearing Purple for a while! Go ISLAMORADA! No, if you happen to find yourself in the Independence area of Kansas City or near any of the other locations... seriously people GO!

http://restaurants.basspro.com/FishCompany/

When's the last time you had a really good time?

November 2014

My best friend, at the time, and I took a trip to my home town, Newark, New Jersey. My father was turning 50 and having a dinner party! It was a blast. Surrounded by family and loved ones, I got to show B. Scott (bestie) a ball in the big city. It wasn't conventional so to speak.  He had never seen the east coast so, of course, he wanted and truthfully I baited him with, Time Square, Greenwich Village, NY City night clubs and Atlantic city. But once we arrived, it was almost impossible. I was only there for 2 nights & 3 days I had to go visit family. That  would take most of the time. Truth be told I needed "tour guides" for the rest of the things I wanted to show my buddy and I thought to myself "How can we fit this all in?"

Well we didn't. The first night B.Scott got to see a little bit of Jersey the local life, but entertaining none the less. While waiting on a food order to feed over 50 people for the night, I saw something I hadn't had in years, and bestie had never had in his life, an Italian Cheeseburger (Google it.) I ordered one for us to split (I still had to fit in my dress the next night!) When the order came up I tossed to B.Scott a greasy brown bag and said "try this, but save me half" he says "you just gonna hand me a greasy brown bag and tell me to eat it?" My response was with confidence "You'll love it."
 Just outside there were city people living city life, the local club had people outside being loud and confrontational, the culture there is very different from where we live. The look on my buddy's face: priceless.  When we got back to my father's house, my father and step-mother, Jacquie, were having a house party. Nobody knows how to party quite like my Dad. I think it's where I got the itch from. Upstairs family and friends are feeding their faces, laughing and talking. Downstairs there was the music, playing cards (spades), the drinks, and more laughter. In the garage more people, more laughter, more drinks, and trash-talking. Where I'm from trash-talking is an art. There's a line you walk and it's a thin one. On one side it's funny, the other it's offensive. It's not for the faint of heart. My Big Brother Malik, and Uncles, (Amir & Phatcat, in particular) and Cousins wasted no time hard pressure testing my dinner date. He passed! The trash-talk flew back and fourth like a Venus & Serena match and in between every volley, outburst of laughter and jeering. That party lasted all night. That's not a figure of speech that's literally to state: people were still there after breakfast who hadn't slept a wink. I'm not one of those people. I went to bed and slept great surrounded by so much love, that sounded like a fraternity party.

The next morning, day 2, I had to make my rounds before the dinner. I visited my aunts and my Grandfather, whom I hadn't seen in years. But time flies when you're having fun... and don't really know your way around. So before we knew it, it was time to get ready for the dinner.

This was no ordinary dinner. It was a $100 a plate event, invitation only, equipped with open bar, gourmet menus, a fabulous DJ, and stunning venue. Ohh let's not forget the photographer who took some amazing memories that some like to call pictures. (One I'm not very proud of). We danced until they shut us down. Once that was over I got separated from my bestie. He was hi-jacked by my brother and his friends who no doubt took him on a  fantastic journey. I didn't see them for a few hours.

Back at Dads more laughter, cards, drinks (as if they hadn't enough) music and memory making. This one was an all-nighter as well. But again not for me. I was awakened by my Father, the next morning, who asked me to take him to the store to buy breakfast for the family, to him friends are family too, so I did. Dad and I walked the store, chatting about the party and picking up a country breakfast for the city folks: bacon, sausage, grits, eggs, biscuits... the works. We arrived back to Dads to find people still awake, to find people just waking up, and dad finally laying down. My Cousin Andre (Drake), his brother Heavy, and Jacquie cooked breakfast. My bestie and my Big Brother were still in recovery from the night before. But after breakfast it was time to go home. Sad indeed, 2 whole days was too short.

On the flight back home I felt a little guilty I hadn't taken him to Times Square, Greenwich Village, Atlantic City... none of the places I baited him with, but he seemed content. I asked him "How was the Italian Cheeseburger?" his response was one word "Fire".

That was the last time I had a really good time. But the point is it didn't take spending lots of money shopping, site-seeing, gambling. Although there's nothing wrong with those things, it took family, love, laughter and that's all it ever takes. So take time to make memories with your loved ones go have a really good time people.

Hey its almost November again! I'm overdue a good time. Well Kansas City here I come!