National Donut Day

Happy National Donut Day, all! Lamar's will be giving away one free glazed to each customer to celebrate. However, I will be celebrating the occasion at an awesome local donut shop downtown, Joe's Downtown Donuts.

Joe's is a fairly new addition to Downtown KC. They are located adjacent to Grand Slam Liquors and offer up an entire line of handmade donuts, from old family recipes. You name it, they have it (and probably a super-sized version of it).

At Joe's, you will not find crazy hipster-esque donuts made with beer and other things that nouveaux donuts are made with. You will however find amazingly fresh donuts, at honest working-man prices. Glazed, cake, German chocolate, old-fashion, long johns (filled w various fillings or unfilled), bear claws, cinnamon rolls the size of your face, twists the size of your forearm, are just a few of the items that you will find in the case below. With rotating options that vary with the midwestern weather and even chocolate glazed donuts (Yes, you heard that right, chocolate glazed. Not glazed that has been iced with chocolate, but chocolate glazed.) you will find something to please anyone in your office at Joe's (if you are the kind of person that is nice and takes donuts to coworkers, or favorite food bloggers).

If you cannot make it to Joe's on this lovely National Donut Day, here are some other places around town that offer freshly made donuts: Providence New American Kitchen (see the desert menu), Q39 (see dessert menu), Fluffy Fresh, and Donut King.

Side note: I have yet to have the Tank 7 donuts at Ale House, partially because I have a hard time believing that something like that could be better than the sum of it's parts (my requirement for things made with beer). Let me know if I am missing out though.

This donut is for you!

P.S. Tweet me your donut pictures today for a RT.

Beignet & Coffee

I recently had the pleasure of dining at Beignet, the brain-child of the good people that brought you Nica's 320 (now Nica's Lagniappe). Beignet takes its namesake (the beloved dessert from Nica's) and makes it the main dish!

These stuffed, powder covered, doughnut-like fritters are the perfect morning-time (or any other time of the day, for that matter) treat! My wife and I split the Pumpkin Pie and Bananas Foster Beignets.

The Pumpkin Pie, because it is fall, and well, since when is Pumpkin Pie not delicious? Never! Stuffing a Pumpkin Pie into a fritter doesn't make it any worse either. This beignet literally tasted like a slice of homemade pumpkin pie had been stuffed inside a beignet.

The Bananas Foster was an obvious second choice, being the chosen flavour of New Orleans (the American headquarters of Cajun food). It was everything that you would hope for from a banana foster dessert: not overwhelmingly banana flavoured, sweet (but not too rich), and creamy.

I could honestly deal with about half as much stuffing in each beignet, but that is because I appreciate the the base pastry quite a bit.

These stuffed treats, being as delicious as they may be, are still based on the ever delicious (and ever simple) plain beignet. At risk of over simplifying the beignet, for someone whom has never experienced one (because it is an experience), it is a rich man's version of the powdered donut (not so much in price, but in quality).

Having two locations (one in the River Market, one on 39th Street) makes a beignet that much more accessible. My preferred location is the one in the River Market. You can enjoy a Beignet break while shopping for produce & local honey (if you aren't against bee enslavement, which is what vegans actually believe). The interior is as eclectic as that of Nica's on the Boulevard. New Orleans inspired paintings, finger painted tables, and a doll head sighting round out the usual suspects.

Beignet can also offer you some pretty spectacular drip coffee to enjoy with your beignet.

Just mentioning the word "coffee" beings to mind a situation that I read about in the news about the "quaint" Prairie Village Starbucks moving across the street to expand and add a drive though window. I could not believe this! 1) This is the epitome of what we call a Jo-Co problem. There are kids dying of cancer and this is what people are getting upset about. 2) This is the coffee bully Starbucks that we are talking about here, not some "Ma & Pop shop", the words "quaint" and "Starbucks" should NEVER be used in the same sentance! This being said, I write this hoping to help this gentleman (and others like him) realize that Starbucks is in fact the Walmart of coffee shops and in no way "quaint". This is like being mad at McDonald's for not using organic beef.

This city has plenty of great local coffee shops! I cannot even pretend to have been to half of them! On top of The Roasterie and Crossroads Coffee, that I have already written about, there are The Filling Station, City Market Coffee House, and Mildred's Coffeehosue (plus numerous others that I have yet to enjoy coffee in) that I also love. 

The Filling Station is a must-stop for any lover of good coffee or pastries. The Filling Station, like Beignet, also has 2 locations: one in Westport & one on Union Hill. The "Garage" location, on Union Hill, has a slightly larger menu that includes lunch items. This location is also done up with gears and license plates to resemble a garage (or a "Filling Station", if you will). The Westport location is in an old 1-hr Photo (or similar) hut and is decorated with nostalgic cameras and paraphernalia. Cameras that actually took pictures that looked like the filters that you use on Instagram today. The Westport location does have a drive-thru window, which despite what the a-hat Mr. Dehney (see above article link if you are skimming) would lead you to believe, does not ruin the quaintness of it at all!

The pastries are baked locally at SoHo Bakery and the beans are roasted by Broadway Roasting Company (who is said to have one of the best espressos around). This isn't pre-packaged stuff that is sent in from some factory in Seattle. Give Filling Station a try if you are looking for an awesome local coffee shop with uber talented baristas (every time you order a latte, it comes with a different design).

City Market Coffee House, located just steps from Beignet, in the River Market, is another great place to grab a cup of locally roasted coffee. The walls and customer side of the coffee bar are adorned with the burlap sacks that their coffee beans are shipped to them in. You will see bags from all four corners of the globe. I like to look around and see if I can find one from Puerto Rico.

They beans are roasted in house. If you are lucky, you might even walk in while the antique roaster is churning away in the corner, just to add to the appeal of the place. Every cup of single source or blended coffee that I have had in this place has been amazing!

Grab a cup, take a load off, and enjoy the atmosphere. Or grab a cup to-go, put some pep in your step, go pick out the freshest produce back beyond the doors to the Farmer's Market. You can even buy a bag of the artisan coffee beans  to take home with you. 

Finally, Mildred's Coffee House, which admittedly I have been to far fewer times (and know much less about) than the previous two coffee houses. However, that does not make it any less of a kickass place to get your caffeine fix before a night of art exhibits on First Fridays. Mildred's Crossroads location has the perfect location for First Fridays! The place always smells amazing and, although I have never been for anything other than a coffee, everyone always talks about how great the food is (especially for a coffee house). Needless to say, Mildred's too is a much better place to walk to get coffee than is a Starbucks, Chuck Dehner (again, see above).

My opinion on this whole Starbuck's "dilemma": get a local coffee shop to take the lease of the old Starbuck's location, or God forbid open one yourself, instead of using your energy to cry on the 6 o'clock news. Take all of Starbuck's clients and put them out of business. Then you will have something really quaint, instead of just the illusion of it. 

Be blessed, and until next time... Eat local!

I am Ironman!

For those of you that know me, it probably doesn't come as a surprise to you that my brother-in-law calls me "Captain Intensity". I am notorious for getting wild hairs to do something crazy, and then following through and actually doing them. That is kind of how it went when I put Barney Stinson's (from How I Met Your Mother) marathon training program to the test "You don't train for marathons, you just run them. Step 1: Start running. Step 2: There is no Step 2." - says NPH. I thought to myself, "That sounds reasonable." Boom, first marathon: 4:13, next to no training! Similarly, after my first sprint triathlon in 2011, I was hooked immediately and set my sights on Ironman 70.3 San Juan for 2013. This is now my victory post, proving that I can do whatever I set my mind to (and so can anyone else).

"Victory!" (in my Johnny Drama voice)

For those of you who are not familiar with Ironman 70.3, it is a triathlon (named for the number of miles that you swim, bike, and run) in which participants swim 1.2 miles (in open water), then bike 56 miles, and finally run 13.1 miles. I chose San Juan for my first IM70.3 because of its clear water and the bike/run routes along the coast. Plus, lets not pretend that I don't have an affinity for Hispanic cultures. The Ironman course was everything that I had it built it up to be in my mind, and more! When my legs or body would get tired, I would just look at the ocean and imagine that I was having a relaxing day on the beach. But that is enough about triathlons for now, here is a bit more of our Puerto Rican experience (and of course the food too).

'Cudas (top and center)

The race hotel for this event was the Caribe Hilton, it was an amazing hotel and resort. They have ocean and lagoon views, a great beach and pool, and one of the coolest things that a hotel could have. There is a pier at the hotel that jaunts out over a shallow water rock cave. During the day, you can go watch colourful tropical fish swim back and forth in the waves. At night, those beautiful tropical fish go into hiding as the barracudas that live in the cave come out to eat, you can see them in the water thanks to a spotlight that is attached to the pier. These barracudas were a lot fatter than the barracudas that we saw in Mexico, they must be eating really well! Don't let this scare you away from swimming at the hotel beach though, they are seldom seen during the day and you are not what they are looking for.

View from our room

Right to Left: Soursop, Mango, Acerola

There are conflicting stories out there as to the origin of the Pina Colada; one version of the story has the Pina Colada originating at the Hilton Caribe, another has it originating at Barrachina (in Old San Juan). Although we did not make it to Barrachina, we did try the Pina Colada at the Caribe Hilton. Two words: "Be careful!", these things are dangerously delicious! We had some other great drinks at the hotel too, however they were the healthy kind of drinks (juices). The Soursop and Acerola juices intrigued me, because I had never had them, but they had fresh pineapple, mango, and passion fruit juices as well. I was excited for the Acerola juice because it is basically an exotic cherry. It was delicious, but a tad tart for my taste. Conversely, I was a little worried that the Soursop would be sour (because of the name), but this funky looking little green fruit produces some of the best juice I have ever had in my life!

Medalla on the balcony

Other great Puerto Rican drinks that we enjoyed throughout the week were: coconut water, Medalla Light (Puerto Rican beer), and Yaucono (Puerto Rican coffee). Puerto Rican coffee is some of, if not the, best coffee in the world! It is so smooth! It is very sad, but millions of pounds of Puerto Rican coffee goes unpicked annually because the wages paid to coffee pickers are so low that its hard to find anyone to pick coffee for that wage, as workers can make much more money at jobs that are much less labor intensive. This has led to many Puerto Rican coffee producers importing beans from other countries to cut the Puerto Rican grown beans. Now before any coffee snobs interject; Yaucono is Puerto Rico's top selling coffee, but has probably also fallen victim to the above predicament. You can probably find much better and much more pure PR coffee, but Yaucono is still pretty awesome if you ask me.

Seafood mofongo (in garlic sauce)

Before my race I pretty much stuck to Subway (as to not test my IBS before such a big day), but afterward we adventured out and tried to get into as much local food as possible. We started off by getting into some mofongo! Mofongo is a PR staple that is made from mashed plantains and often served with a mild garlic sauce. The first mofongo that we had was a seafood mofongo and was a bit more fancy than the mofongo we had later in the week. The plantains weren't mashed as finely, the sauce was a bit more garlic-y, and it was served with just about every type of seafood that you could imagine.

Coconut Water

The day after the race we went hiking in El Yunque, a national rainforest. From the top of the mountains, you can see all the way to the ocean. We hiked. We spoke to Coqui (a tree frog and unofficial mascot of the island of PR). We saw waterfalls. We even did a little 'Squatchin' (which was my wife and I taking pictures of my larger, younger brother walking through the jungle). If you are ever in PR, this is a must-stop destination. We had planned to also visit the bio-luminescent bay that night, but rain made us cancel our trip.

Panoramic view from the top of Yokahu Tower, in El Yunque

Boardriders

After a long day of hiking, we had worked up quite the appetite. We stopped by a beach-front restaurant and bar in Luquillo that seemed to cater to American surfing tourists. Boardriders has a huge patio where you can enjoy a Medalla, watch the waves roll in, and even play a little bag toss. This place has great fish tacos and fish wraps, although those are not traditional PR cuisines, it does not make them any less awesome. Boardriders also makes an incredible pineapple and mango salsa. The salsa has medium heat and go perfectly with white fish.

Frituras

On our way back to San Juan, we also stopped by the kiosks in Luquillo. These kiosks are known for serving Puerto Rican treats known as frituras (fritters). Frituras come in every different shape, size, and flavour. There are sweet, savory, and everything in between. Each kiosk has their own recipe. You will find frituras made of beef, chicken, pork, seafood, etc. wrapped in some form of carbohydrate and deep fried. These carbohydrates can be: a flour tortilla (with the contents rolled inside cigar style), corn meal, or plantains. The most interesting fritura that I tried was made with ground beef, sandwiched between two pieces of fry bread, and then the void between the two pieces of fry bread was wrapped with a sweet plantain. Pour a little bit of hot sauce on that and you have a mighty fine fritura.

Coco y Parcha

Other street food items that we enjoyed in PR were pinchos and sebert. Pinchos are the PR version of a kabob. They are barbecued meat or seafood on a stick, topped with a piece of bread. Honestly, the pinchos that I had at the Condado Lagoon, by the Conrad Condado hotel, has to be the best meat on a stick that I have ever had. Once you have had your fill of pinchos, you wont have to look too far for an older gentleman pushing a sherbet cart around. There is nothing better on a hot day in PR than a combo of coco (coconut) and parcha (passion fruit) sherbet, although my wife prefers coco y pina (pineapple).

We also indulged in another local favorite, Puerto Rican rum. We visited Casa Bacardi (the Bacardi distillary), Casa Don Q, and Fernando Fernandez at Ron de Barrilito.

Bacardi Windmills

When Facundo Bacardi moved to Cuba from Spain and opened up a specialty store, he refused to sell Caribbean rum (at the time called Kill Devil, or Pirate's Moonshine) because of it's harshness. Facundo decided that rum had a good base, in  sugar cane (or molasses), and that he could distill a rum that was smooth enough to drink. His little experiment became the best selling rum in the world. In true empire fashion, Casa Bacardi was gigantic, sophisticated, and corporate. Puerto Ricans appreciate what Bacardi brings to the island in revenue and jobs, but they prefer a rum that originated on the island. Don't get me wrong, they make a mighty fine product (it's not #1 in the world for nothing), the tour is just a tad corporate for my taste.

Don Q is the best selling rum in PR, and has local origins. Casa Don Q can be found in Old San Juan, directly across the street from where the ships port, and is not a distillery, but more of a shrine to Don Q (with a bar) than it is a museum or a history lesson. CDQ does have good information about the distilling process, and some awesome specialty drinks that cool you down on a hot day, but at the end of the day they are catering to the touristas that walk across the street from the ships (and I do understand that is what pays the bills, I just prefer not to be grouped in with tourists, I am an independent traveler, not a tourist).

Ron de Barrilito offices
(inside a decommissioned wind mill)

My taste in rum led me to Ron de Barrilito. Fernando Fernandez runs the company that his great-grandfather started after immigrating from Spain. Ron de Barrilito started, similarly to Bacardi, to elevate the level of Caribbean rum being produced. However, Ron de Barrilito was modeled after the Cognacs of France and intended to be the best rum that you have ever tasted, rather than to build an empire. Little has changed about Ron de Barrilito since 1827 (when it was founded), they even change the barrels as infrequently as possible, I would not be shocked if there were multiple barrels in the aging room over 100 years old (stupidly, I did not ask). One of the secrets to RdB is that it is aged at proof, rather than being aged at over-proof and then cut down to proof (like most other rums, *cough* Bacardi *cough*). Everything around here is done the old fashion way; the machines on the bottling line were only configured to attach one label, so when the government started requiring back labels on liquor, RdB began gluing them on by hand (rather than buy new machines). The only tough thing about RdB is that it is ridiculously hard to find! You will need to do a thorough internet search, stop and ask for directions, and you still may not find it unless you have someone who has been there before with you. Sure, I could tell you exactly how to get there, but then you would miss the adventure. The only thing that can make the 3-packs of "3-star" that you can buy for $45 (SMOKING DEAL!) is when it comes with a little adventure.

Red Snapper

Last but not least, we stopped by a little restaurant in Old San Juan that was recommended to me by a Puerto Rican co-worker, called El Jibarito. The inside of the restaurant is modeled just like the outsides of the buildings around Old San Juan. The food in this place was so amazing that we broke our rule about not dining the same place twice while traveling. Between all of the members of our party, and two meals, we tried just about everything on the menu. The first day, my favorite dish was the "Island Steak" that is a cheap cut of round steak that has been marinated and grilled the Puerto Rican way. It was especially delicious when I slopped a little bit of the house made garlic sauce on it. I felt pretty confident that this would be the best dish to order on our second visit, until my wife orders the whole red snapper. Oh man did she out order me! The red snapper was probably the best that I have ever had! Luckily for me, my wife couldn't finish all of the fish, so I got to pick the bones clean. I even got the salty, gooey eye balls (Bourdain would have been proud). No matter what you get, I recommend the mixed mofongo (plantain and yuca) as your side, its pretty incredible. If you find yourself anywhere near Old San Juan, you will be doing yourself a dis-service if you do not stop into El Jibarito, ask for Angel and tell him that the Ironman and the Strongman sent you (then show him the picture of my brother and I below).

The Ironman and the Strongman

Make sure you tour El Morro, fly your kites on the fort's lawn, and do your walking tour of Old San Juan before checking in on the amazing gastronomy of Old San Juan. I say this because if you love to eat as much as I do, you may not be able to afterwards.

El Morro

As the saying goes, "to whom much is given, much is required". I have dropped all of this PR knowledge on you, although admittedly only scratching the surface myself. But before you go planning your trip, there is a few things you need to know. PR is America! You CAN drink the water there! (I clarify because these are common questions that I have gotten about PR). Although it is America, and they have 99% of the same conveniences that we have in the lower 48, they still have two official languages (English and Spanish). Remember, as with anywhere that you travel, you are the guest in someone else's territory. Be respectful of their culture. If you do not know elementary Spanish, carry a Spanish phrase book with you. You will be hard pressed to find someone in Old San Juan that does not speak English, but you will go to areas of the island that you will be hard pressed to find someone that does (then you will have to know how to order your 6-pack of Medalla en Espanol).

We loved PR and will definitely be back, possibly even for next year's IM70.3.

Roasterie

The Roasterie Kansas City blend has long been one of my favorite coffee blends. My wife and I consume so much of it that we buy the large bulk bags of it at Costco. When The Roasterie factory was renovated, in the second half of last year, to expand and add a cafe (called the Bean Hanger), we knew that this would be a frequent stop for our Saturday morning coffee needs.

The exterior is impressive; the most stunning aspect being, of course, the full size DC-3 mounted atop the factory. The interior is modern with a bit of a retro flair that we have come to expect from The Roasterie.  They have even just added an event space between the cafe and the factory, it looks amazing! I snapped a quick photo of the coffee bar, but it does not do the space justice, Roasterie has a 360 degree Google view on their website (if you want a better look at it): http://www.theroasterie.com/about/tours 

The Bean Hanger has memorabilia and coffee paraphernalia for sale along with countless blends of Roasterie coffee.

Factory tours are offered daily (Mon-Sat) at 10am, with a second tour at 11am on Saturdays. We have yet to take one, but are very anxious to do so.

During one of our recent trips to The Roasterie Cafe, we tried the drink of the month (for February): The Sweetheart Mocha. It was a regular Roasterie mocha, however instead of regular steamed milk, it had steamed Shatto strawberry milk. This was probably my wife's favorite latte of all times! The barista even put a little heart on the top for bonus points.

The Roasterie is offering an Irish Cream latte, in honor of St. Patrick's Day, as the March drink of the month. Or you can stop by and pick up some of The Roasterie Irish blend to take home and make your own Irish Coffees (recipe to the right, click to enlarge). Aye, cheers!

This is an awesome place on the Westside to go meet up with friends, take a first date, read a book, learn about coffee, or just grab a dang good cup of coffee!

Crossroads Coffee

This past Sunday, on our way to church, my wife wanted a cup of coffee. Realizing that we had yet to visit the nearby Crossroads Coffeehouse, I recommended that we go there. This turned out to be a fantastic decision!

With convenient parking out front, and adjacent, the Crossroads Coffeehouse (XRC) has a wonderfully convenient location. When you walk into XRC, you are greeted by a warm, slate-laden coffee bar. The walls are adorned with fantastic artwork (that I would hang on the walls of my home), created by local artists, and listed for a reasonable sale price (the most important part for us unpretentious). There is even a Central Perk-esque stage in the front window, where (if you listen really hard) you can even hear Phoebe Buffay singing "Smelly Cat". Okay, okay, that last part is not true, but you get what I am saying.

Upon approaching the bar, you see the numerous pastries (and on this particular Sunday - and with all likelihood, every Sunday - bountiful Quiche), sitting there, calling your name. This particular Sunday, I was able to resist, knowing that I had an upcoming week of gluttony ahead of me. However, I know that I will fall  victim to the sweet goodness of a XRC breakfast soon enough. Today was all about the coffee. 

Mi esposa went with the cappuccino. I, however, went with something more interesting (the Purple Haze). I tell you what: you put some crazy delicious concoction on your menu and give it a name that infers that its ingredients are slightly taboo, you will find your way onto this blog! The Purple Haze is essentially a latte with caramel, chocolate, and hazelnut flavours. I imagine that the "Purple" comes from the colour that comes from mixing chocolate and caramel. The "Haze" obviously comes from the hazelnut. The result is the richest and most unique coffee drink I have ever had in my life! 

The only question that I have left about XRC is why it took me so long to try it. They serve Chicago's famous Intelligentsia coffee. The ambiance is the perfect middle-ground between the hipster-packed low-end coffeehouses (that I also love, once the hipsters have gone to bed) and the big name chains (who's names will not be mentioned here). I honestly cannot imagine a more perfect coffeehouse, unless they served local coffee, but we will let that slide for now.

Extra Virgin and Glace

Extra Virgin (or Michael Smith lite, as I like to call it) is the brain child of local chef Michael Smith. You may know Michael Smith from his restaurant namesake, that is located adjacent to EV, or as the savior of The American Restaurant. Or you may not know him at all, but if you did not know him before dining at EV, you will surely not forget him after you leave. He nailed the upmarket tapas restaurant concept and gave the space an industrial semblance, the place has a big city tapas spot feel with a gritty Kansas City twist.

The menu items range from traditional Spanish tapas to items that are so daring that the inspiration could be nothing short of an ingredient basket from Chopped. From the traditional sliced meat plates, sliced cheese plates, almonds and variations of Spanish chorizo to the more adventurous duck tongue tacos, crispy pig ear salad, and fried duck gizzards, there is something for every appetite.

We started off with a couple of house cocktails from the bar, the red sangria and the Bicycling Bohemian. Let me just say that EV doesn't just employ a couple bar tenders that will pour you a glass of wine or the occasional gin and tonic, EV employs some of the most creative mixologists in KC. They make their own bitters, infuse liquors, and age their own house cocktails in charred oak barrels in the basement (see the Aged Manhattan). Mallory chose the sangria and it was amazing, not too sweet (as is the problem with some sangrias), but was still light enough to enjoy on such a hot summer day. I went with the Bicycling Bohemian, mainly because Bohemia is the name given to the neighborhood of my favorite Broadway musical Rent, but secondly because I saw Absinthe on the drink's ingredient list. The drink was very strong (but delicious) and came with an infused cherry (seed-in, don't chip your tooth thinking that it is a maraschino) in the bottom of the flute. Despite what Manet, Van Gogh, Picasso, and Oscar Wilde would have you believe, I did not hallucinate at all after drinking the Absinthe containing cocktail, much to no one's surprise. Granted: do not know how much Absinthe was actually in the cocktail (probably not much), the recipe for Absinthe has changed over the years, and I am unaware if it was poured with the appropriate Absinthiana, but the fact remains still sane (or at least it appears to me that I am still sane, I could be typing gibberish and have no idea).

Round one of tapas: The tacos. For our first plate of tacos, we ordered the Tuna Ceviche Tacos. These tacos were served with cold contents and came in small fried taco shells. The flavours that came bursting through immediately were the tuna and the smashed avocado. They come in a rack of 4, so these are great for a group of 2 or 4 (or an odd group of 5 that has a member that does not enjoy tacos, or group of three that has one taco lover, but I digress...).

Our second plate of tacos, we ordered the duck tongue tacos. Right in my wheelhouse, I know, anything with some meat that isn't your standard chicken, steak, or pork in a taco has my name written all over it. These were delicious, the highlights were the: spicy duck tongue, spicy red onions, and queso fresco. These (like the tuna tacos) are served in fried taco shells. IMHO they would be better if they came in soft corn tortillas, but are still incredible as is.

Round two of tapas: The Protein. First we ordered the Smoked Paprika Shrimp and Peaches. Let it be known that I don't really care for shrimp. I always draw scoffs when I reveal this to people, but to me, shrimp just taste like nothing (really expensive nothing). This dish proves that shrimp can have flavour, people just choose not to put the flavour in the shrimp. The smokiness of the shrimp mixed with the big bold flavour of the grilled Missouri peaches, was nearly the perfect combination! This dish was Mallory's favorite.

Our second plate of protein, we ordered the fried duck gizzards with "crossroads hot sauce". The duck gizzards are again, right up my adventurous alley. The gizzards and sauce were both delicious. If you have never had gizzards before, it is the bit of meat that is roughly located on the bird where the neck meets the breastbone. Gizzards are popular street food fair in much of the world. When fried, a gizzard is slightly chewy on the outside and very meaty and tender on the inside (the meat is much like chicken meat).

While all of the dessert that we saw floating by to other tables looked incredible, and the churros were calling my name, I had already promised to take Mallory to Glace after dinner.

Glace is this awesome little artisan ice cream joint. This was our first time, so we tried a good number of samples, only to find out how unbelievably awesome all of the flavours are (which only made the decision that much more difficult). Far and away, the Roasterie Organic Coffee was both of our favorite flavour. After Mallory stole my combination of Roasterie Organic Coffee and Christopher Elbow Dark Chocolate (two KC legends), I was forced to rethink my selection (since we have this unwritten rule that we always have to order different options, so we can try more items). I ended up going with the ROC and Bananas Foster, per the recommendation of the girl behind the counter, boy was it incredible. Mallory even liked the Bananas Foster a lot, and she usually doesn't like banana flavours outside of real bananas. Would recommend this place to anyone that is looking for a great scoop (or two) of artisan ice cream. I honestly think that it is impossible to try a bad flavour here! Perhaps next time I will give Farmer Bob's Sweet Corn a shot.

Classic Rock Coffee Bar

Normally, I am not a coffeehouse guy. I don't often drink foo-foo coffee. I like my coffee like I like my women, strong and black (just kidding, I don't care if they are strong). I think that for the most part foo-foo coffee drinks are well overpriced. I have a hard time paying what coffeehouses charges for their "coffee" (and also strongly dislike the behemoth corporate "man" that is Starbucks). However, yesterday was the perfect storm of warm weather, a flashy sign and a catchy sounding coffee drink. 

I have been rooting for something to succeed in the space that used to house The River Market Brewery since it closed down. I have wanted to try the Opera House Coffee and Food Emporium since it opened in that space. Yesterday the flashy sign for the Classic Rock Coffee Bar, that is inside the Emporium, caught my eye. I was impressed (as a protein powder fiend) that they offered not only smoothies, but coffee drinks, with protein powder in them. I also thought to myself that an iced coffee sounded kind of good. 

Scrolling through the iced coffee list, I saw a coffee drink named the "Dirty White Boy", I thought "That is me!". It was a spin on a white chocolate mocha. The coffee drink was delicious. It was rich, not bitter at all (like that large coffee chain's iced coffee), and refreshing. The barista's were very busy behind the counter, but did not rush me. 

The Classic Rock Coffee House does the classic rock vibe perfectly. Guitars and flames on the menu, hints of classic rock flare around the bar, and the cherry on top (guitar stirrers, shown pictured). I will definitely be going back and taking my wife for her favorite type of coffee (foo-foo), next time we are at the City Market and I have $4 in my pocket.