RA Sushi Leawood

Tuna California Roll

So, Spring has sprung and summer is on it's way.  This gets me excited because this is the time of year when some restaurants begin to bring out their summer menus or make some seasonal items available.  One of those restaurants happens to be RA Sushi.  I had the pleasure of tasting some of the items off of their seasonal menu with my homie, Lashonda of FashionPlateKC, and really enjoyed everything on the menu.

Langostino Strawberry Salad

Red Seabream Nigiri

Red Seabream Carpaccio

I have to say, that I'd never had the fish, Seabream, before.  It was delicious.  It's a nice, mild and meaty, white fish. I also tried a couple of the cocktails, and I have to say, the Peach Basil Sour was my fave!!

If you're ever in the Town Center area here in KC, be sure to stop by RA Sushi and give the seasonal menu a try!  Great food and always a cool atmosphere.

::Eat:: Renee Kelly's Harvest

photo via Facebook

It's hump day, ya'll!! This is just a quick post about one of my favorite things (as you know)--food! This past weekend, the hubs and I tried a new restaurant that was recommended to us by friends. It's called Renee Kelly's Harvest.  The owner is chef Renee Kelly, and this is a "farm to table" that supports local Kansas and Kansas City area farmers.  So, in other words, the freshest food ever.

This restaurant is thee cutest. Cute may not be the right word, but hey, this is me talking.  The building looks like a gothic-y cottage style house.  A slight castle vibe.  Upon entering, however, it has the feeling of a lodge because of all the wood.  It's very nice.  It has two dining levels, as well as a wine cellar in the basement.

Duck tacos.

But why am I talking about the decor??  This place is all about the food!  The hubs and I started out with the duck tacos which were amaze!  I was really starving when we arrived, so these hit the spot like nothing else could.  For dinner I had a pork chop dish that was served with a savory bread pudding and thee tiniest Brussels sprouts I'd ever seen. They called them baby Brussels sprouts.  And I ate those babies too!  My husband had the duck breast with polenta and the seasonal veg.

Pork chop with savory bread pudding and baby Brussels sprouts.

Pressed duck breast with polenta and seasonal veg.

The food was amazing!  

Instead of dessert, we opted to have a an extra glass (or two) of wine and took a quick little tour of the building. We hung out in the wine cellar for a bit, and then took a peek at the patio and garden outside.

Really bad camera-phone pic. Thx to me having the junkiest iPhone ever.

I have to say, this was one of my favorite meals that I've had in Kansas City so far.  I guess I'm just a sucker for fine-ish dining.  That presentation, tho. 

If you're ever in the KC area, I highly recommend!

Renee Kelly's Harvest
12401 Johnson Drive
Shawnee, Kansas 66216 

Chai Shai...Again

Didn't I tell you guys that I would be going back to this spot because the food was so good?!  Well, I went back sooner than I even thought.

This past weekend, me and the hubs had some kid-free time and decided to go grab a bite and then go drink some craft beer (a hobby of ours).  I decided it was time for him to give Chai Shai a try, too!  First thing he said was "Indian & Pakistani restaurant? That's interesting, seeing that  they are enemies in real life."  I just love that handsome nerd.

This time around, I'd gotten a lamb dish and he'd gotten the chicken dish that I tried last time.  All I can say is my meal was nothing short of amazing.  Oh, and we started off with the vegetable samosas.  I actually like the veggie better than the chicken samosas.  So good!

I would go into detail over the food and what I thought of it, etc., but I'm not going to pretend to be a real food critic.  I'm just here to share awesome stuff with you all and hopefully encourage you to partake in said awesome stuff. 

 

So again I say, YES--this place is awesome.  You really should eat here some time.

After that, we had beers at 75th Street Brewery in Waldo--another KC gem.  It was a great night.

Happy hump-day!

Chai Shai
651 E. 59th Street
Kansas City, MO 64110
(816) 260-5203

Weekend Mentions

I had a really interesting weekend--interesting in a good way.  We've all heard the Drake saying "No new friends.", but that, I tell ya is baloney!!

I've come across many people who I've developed online friendships with, back when I first moved to Atlanta and again, now that I'm in the Kansas City area.

Me, LaShonda of FashionPlateKC, Amber of Brown Bombshell Beauty, and Cyndi of Mrs. Wright Writes.

So this past weekend, I got the chance to meet-up with a few other KC bloggers.  I'd been chummy with the LaShonda of Fashion Plate KC blog for a little while, and she set up a lunch for a group of us to connect.  We had a great time!  I needed that "girl time" talking to other women and just "chopping it up".  I haven't had that in a while.  The other two ladies are Amber of Brown Bombshell Beauty and Cyndi of Mrs. Wright Writes.  Make sure to check out these blogs and show love.  You won't be disappointed!

We had a late lunch at Chai Sai, and Indian & Pakistani restaurant that's located in a cool little neighborhood called Brookside.  The food was great.  If you're in KC, I suggest you go. I may do a more detailed review another time, because I'm definitely going back.

Achari Chicken

Now, on Sunday, me and my family had lunch with my girl, Deia of Love In Tangles blog.  She's been on a huge blog hiatus (and really needs to come back. hint hint, D).  We've been online friends for a while now and I'm happy to have had a chance to meet her and her family.

By the way, it's not so much that she's super short (well, she is. Sorry D! haha), but that I'm an Amazon. 5 feet 9 inches ya'll, come see about me.  Most people don't expect that when they see me in person, and are quite surprised.

This was definitely an awesome weekend.  And with that said, I say yes to new friends!

River Market

Two weekends ago, my parents were in town.  So, the hubster and I decided to show them a bit of Kansas City.  One of the places that was a "no brainer" to take them was the River Market near downtown KC.

The River Market area is one of Kansas City's oldest neighborhoods and is home to...well, a market.  It is an indoor/outdoor shopping area home to unique boutiques, shops, marts, and restaurants.  There is also fresh produce for sale, as well.  It's called River Market because it's a stone's throw away from the Missouri River (that runs through Kansas City and is the dividing line between Kansas City, KANSAS, and Kansas City, MISSOURI).

 

My mom decided to grab a snack at "Taste of Brazil", which happens to be one of my favorite eateries in the market.  I, however, chose to scarf down a few beignets while sipping on sugar cane juice.

All in all, it was another beautiful day in KC.

Life Lately...

As usual, I've been slackin' on my blogging.  Fortunately, I'm never slackin' on my picture taking!  If you'd like to keep up with what I'm up to in a more "real time" basis, I suggest you follow my Instagram account!

As for now, I will leave you with some random snaps that I will from-here-on-out, call "Life Lately" posts.

The canal next to The Plaza.

Family dinner at Yard House at The Legends.

Thing 1.

Thing 2.

Beer and windblown hair.

Memorial Day weekend, we took a road trip to my hometown.  These are a couple flowers in my Grammy's garden.  I wish I'd inherited her green thumb, but I've only been able to keep cacti alive. Ah well. 

My little biggest man graduated from Pre-K.  Proud mommy over this way!

::KC Eats:: Blue Koi

So who here watches Diners, Drive-in's, and Dives on the Food Network?  It's one of my favorite foodie shows!  I actually take note of the names of restaurants in different cities that I hope to try at some point.  So, of course, when I happened to be watching an episode that featured a restaurant here in Kansas City, of course I had to make it over there.  The restaurant is called Blue Koi, and it offers Asian style dishes, but best known for their dumplings and noodle dishes.

There are a couple locations, but me and hubs had lunch at the Westport location.  Westport, by the way, is a bustling neighborhood filled with trendy restaurants, bars and shops.

Interior

Shrimp, pork & chicken pan fried dumplings

We started out with pan fried dumplings filled with a shrimp, pork & chicken mixture.  After dousing them with the a spicy dumpling sauce (our waiter brought over and suggested we try), these things tasted amazing.

A perfectly "dressed" dumpling on my plate. So delicious!

The "FireBird Chicken" dish with noodles.

Following in the spicy footsteps of our dumplings.  We both decided to try the "FireBird" dish.  You can have it made with chicken, duck or tofu.  Hubs chose chicken, and I chose duck. 

The "FireBird Duck" with noodles.

I loved this dish!  I'm a sucker for scallions and combined with the spiciness of the dish, it all came together really well.  This dish is usually served with rice, but noodles can be replaced for an extra fee.  I will say, the noodles seemed a tad overcooked, but keep in mind, I'm very particular about my noodles.  It didn't hurt the taste or flavor of the dish at all, however.

Exterior

All in all, we enjoyed our lunch at Blue Koi, and plan to go back to try some other things on the menu.  If you're ever in KC, give it a try!

Happy Friday!

KC Eats :: Bo Ling's

I'm going to start this post out by saying....Yay for date nights!!! 

We are now all settled into our home here in Kansas (City area).  I have to admit that aside from the wintery weather--I'm loving it.  Speaking of wintery weather, it actually felt almost like spring the past couple days which was perfect for a date night!  Since I am now in a new city and will be trying out new places to eat, shop, see, etc., I thought I'd make an effort to take you guys along for the ride.

Yummy Mai Tai

Because this particular date night we were crunched for time, hubs and I decided to head down to The Plaza and grab a bite and just hang out for a bit.  I've mentioned The Plaza in another post.  It's a HUGE shopping/dining district in Kansas City with Spanish architecture.  It's one of my favorite areas to hang out in KC so far.  Also, during the holiday season The Plaza is decorated extensively with Christmas lights all over the buildings.  It is quite a sight to see.  This was the last weekend of the lights, so that's another reason I thought it would be cool to go there.  

Me and my man had decided ahead of time to grab some sushi and so we ended up at Bo Ling's Chinese restaurant.  It's actually a chain, which made me a bit skeptical but it turned out to be just fine.  From the apps to the green tea--we were very happy with our meal.  I give the service an "A+" as well.  We will definitely be back.

Oh, and the entrance of Bo Ling's is VERY unassuming and upon entering, you would never think the place would be so grand inside, as well as look so nice a modern.  That little trick of sorts made me like it even more.

Seaweed and cucumber salad

Tempura fried calamari

Tempura fried calamari

A couple of sushi rolls.

My hot date

Organic jasmine green tea

Obligatory bathroom shot

Be sure to give Bo Ling's a try if you're ever in the area.  Apparently they have a few locations around town, but I can only vouch for the one in The Plaza.

Happy Monday!