Category Archives: Missouri

February 12, 2012 · 5:16 pm

a few St. Louis ideas

A few St. Louis ideas, by request:

– The last two times I went, we spent most of our time around Wash U. and went to a Cardinals game.

– I went to the old garden district one very hot sweltering day for lunch.

– then there’s the arch of course. and a new-ish downtown sculpture garden near by.

–  The beer garden (Busch beer) we went to was at Grant’s Farm but doesn’t appear to be open until april: http://www.grantsfarm.com/TheBauernhof.htm

– fun fact re The Hill neighborhood (italian) in St. Louis (which I haven’t been to):
“It’s so crowded nobody goes there anymore.” This was said by Yogi Berra about Ruggeri’s (a Hill neighborhood restaurant) where he and Joe Garagiola had worked as waiters, which had become so popular that his old friends couldn’t get in anymore.

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October 26, 2011 · 7:11 pm

Kansas City Ballet and new Kauffman Center – more reason to go to KC

So I was about ready to jump in the car and drive to Kansas City after reading a NYTimes review of the Kansas City Ballet’s new ballet “Tom Sawyer” performed in the new Muriel Kauffman Theater  (inside the new Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts) but thought it wise to check first to see if it’s still happening.

And alas, the last performance was Oct. 23 (so why did the story run on Oct. 25….grrrr).  (“Tom” is reportedly KC Ballet’s first new production and likely “the first all-new, entirely American three-act ballet,” according to the NYTimes which gave the production, the dancers and the new performance space thumbs up.)

Anyway, the ballet company and the Kauffman Center- which we have watched being built during our frequent trips through downtown KC  – are now on my list for early May when there’s a performance of work by four famous NYC Ballet choreographers. (Apparently KC Ballet and NYC Ballet have a longstanding relationship. Who knew?) During its Masters of American Dance production May 4-13, the KC Ballet will perform work by four famous choreographers: George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Peter Martins & Todd Bolender (Bolender, was a former Balanchine dancer and artistic director of the KC Ballet.)

 

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August 9, 2011 · 12:22 am

Tried a new restaurant in Kansas City – Po’s Dumpling Bar.

We didn’t have time in Wichita last weekend to eat at our favorite Vietnamese restaurant Saigon Market so we tried Po’s Dumpling Bar on lively 39th Street  in Kansas City – not bad. The dumplings were unusually oblong-shaped and fresh tasting. The spicy (but not too) Kung Pao chicken and two vegetarian noodle dishes (one with thick and wide homemade noodles that reminded me of the egg noodles found in Midwestern’ chicken-and-noodles) also were also fresh tasting, with good quality meat and crisp vegetables.

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April 13, 2011 · 2:10 pm

Midwestern hotels to check out

Also from a recent issue of Midwest Living:

– Chicago – Elysian, Ritz-Carlton, Hotel Palomar (rat pack-esque doormen!)

– Columbus, Indiana, Inn at Irwin Gardens

– Novi, MI, Baronette Renaissance

– Shell Knob, Missouri, (wherever that is), Stonewater Cove

– Dubuque, Hotel Julien

– Kohler, Wisc., The American Club

– Custer, S.D., Custer State Park Reunion Cabin

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April 12, 2011 · 4:22 pm

restaurants to check out all over the Midwest

Found a copy of the  Jan/Feb 2011 issue of Midwest Living on the library’s sale rack – so scooped it up since there’s always good recommendations on things to do in this neck of the woods. Here’s some restaurant recommendations:

– In Indianapolis, Recess (soup!)

– In Chicago, Gilt Bar and Restaurant on Magnificent Mile.

–  Woodbury, Minnesota (where we have friends!), Apertif (rotisserie chicken) and in neighboring St. Paul, Heartland (clever meat and potatoes) and Clearwater, Minn., Nelson Bros. Restaurant (yes, at a restaurant on I-94; fritter french toast w/wild rice sausage)

– Omaha, Hiro 88 (sushi and more in the Old Market district)

– Madison, Wisc. L’Etoile (longstanding haute green cuisine in new location)

– Kansas City, Glace Artisan Ice Cream (peanut butter ice cream with swirl of strawberry jam…) and Succotash

–  Traverse City, MI, Soul Hole (southern food in Old Town)

– Iowa City, Blue Bird Diner (Sunday brunch)

 

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March 1, 2011 · 11:56 pm

Bike adventures near Iowa

It’s March first and even though it’s foolish to believe this suddenly warm Spring-like weather will last, it has got me daydreaming about spring – and even summer. With that in mind, here’s a few bike rides I hope to do when the weather warms – and maybe you will too:

– In Wisconsin: The Great River State Trail, the La Cross River State Trail,  the “400” State Trail and the most famous of them all, the Elroy-Sparta Trail (which reportedly includes long railroad tunnels that require travelers to use flashlights.)

– In Missouri: The 225-mile Katy Trail (good for inn-to-inn biking, which reminds me of my trips as a kid with my family with Vermont Bicycle Touring). It goes past bluffs and tourist-friendly towns (according to the DM Register) along the Missouri River between Clinton and St. Charles (near St. Louis.)

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January 30, 2011 · 6:29 pm

Romantic getaways in Iowa-area

The DMRegister today has some ideas for romantic get-aways in Iowa and beyond. Some I know about (Honey Creek Resort in Moravia, Ia. and Suites of 800 Locust in DM). Here are some I didn’t know much about for future reference.

Greenfield, Ia: The Brass lantern at Windcrest Farm. //mysite.verizon.net/res18ndl/ which has the added bonus of a heated indoor poor. (Things to do nearby: Henry A. Wallace Country LIfe Center and Prairie Preserve in Orient; ken Sidey  nature area, south of Greenfield; John Wayne Museum in Winterset – and the Bridges (of Madison County) of course.

Red Wing, Minn: The Golden Lantern Inn (things to do: get your fill of famous Red Wing Pottery at the museum and mall of th same name.

Kansas City, Mo.: Hotel Phillips

Galena, Ill: The Inn at Irish Hollow

 

 

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December 28, 2010 · 2:50 am

From Wright,Ks. back to Des Moines

No weather problems this time – and smooth sailing the entire nine hours, for which we were grateful, especially given what friends and family are dealing with on the East Coast. We stopped in the slowly reviving town of Greensburg – which was devastated by a tornado several years ago – at a hip looking coffee shop, then onto Wichita where we opted for our favorite Vietnamese restaurant, Saigon, which was packed and has the world’s fastest service, and pleasant service, and mighty good Bun (all around us people seemed to be ordering what N and I ordered #45  Bun – noodles, shredded lettuce – with char-broiled pork and a fried spring roll. We stopped at N&J, our favorite middle eastern place, to pick up some humus and homemade chips and one, just one, piece of baklava, to bring home. In Kansas City, we dropped by Gates to pick up ribs to take home for dinner. Yes, it’s all about the food. Good to be back here, although it’s at least 20 degrees colder and a lot snowier than Kansas.

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July 26, 2010 · 12:20 am

salina, Ks.

Oh that I could share some of the secret charms of Salina, Ks. with you but alas we saw nothing of it but the inside of the Ramada hotel. Such is the reality of my husband’s family reunion. I did hear tell that Salina is the terra-cotta capital of Kansas – no small feat considering how much terra-cotta clads the buildings of Wichita – but I didn’t get to see it – or visit some of our favorite restaurants such as the Cozy Inn and Jim’s Chicken. We did stop today on the way home at Freddy’s – the frozen custard/steakburger chain we first discovered in Oklahoma which seems to be expanding across Kansas. (We last spotted it in Hutchinson, now it’s in Topeka and Junction City.) Very rich custard – maybe too rich. My stomach hasn’t been right since – and eating Gates BBQ, which we picked up in Kansas City, probably won’t help. But fortune favors the brave….

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July 7, 2010 · 10:33 pm

Going to Kansas City?

Here’s what I recommended to friends looking for places to stay and eat and things to do during a trip this week to Kansas City:

– A good recent NYT travel article (http://travel.nytimes.com/2010/05/16/travel/16hours.html) on the city – recommends staying at The Raphael which is what I was going to suggest (although I’ve never stayed there but heard good things about it.)  My husband, a former Kansas City resident, also  recommends this:
www.bestwesternmissouri.com/hotels/best-western-seville-plaza-hotel/

I don’t know most of the restaurants mentioned in the NYT story (except the BBQ places  Gates and Bryants, which are favorites). We also like the BlueBird Cafe (although it’s out of the way and hard to find) and Lidia’s – http://www.lidias-kc.com/, a good contemporary Italian place.

The new wing of the Nelson Atkins well worth a visit – including walking outside on its green roof/sculpture garden. We also like the Kemper Museum – although we haven’t been to its restaurant, which is mentioned in NYT story.


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