Me and my salmon.
I’m back from my vacation and totally refreshed. Well, partially.
I had a good week off, and the highlight, of course, was food. The second half was spent in the Kansas City area, where my sister, Annie, lives. She “hired” me (read: volunteered me) to cater an open house at her schmancy new optometry office.
Let’s start with the restaurant headlines. The most memorable place we dined was a restaurant called Piropos Grille, a quaint South American place built at the top of a hill in Parkville, Mo . The food was great — I had lobster ravioli, my dad had some killer pork chops, and my sister tried the grouper. But the atmosphere was what made it. Highly recommend.
Annie and I at the fabulous Piropos Grille in Parkville, Mo.
My sister and I also had an afternoon lunch (and a couple of vacation lunchtime martinis) at the beloved Cheesecake Factory. I thought of you, Wichita, while I dined there. Though I’m still not as excited about it as I feel I should be. Annie and I split a crab cake sandwich (eh) and an order of spring rolls (ho-hum.) We also made another visit to Succotash, one of my favorite breakfast places in Kansas City.
Annie enjoying our one-martini lunch at The Cheesecake Factory.
The highlight of my vacation, though, probably was my catering job, which went off without a hitch. (Except for a few too-crunchy crostini.) I served smoked salmon, chicken and black bean empanadas, roasted garlic crostini, baked brie and more.
Now that I’m well-fed and refreshed, I’m ready to refocus myself on the fine cuisine of Wichita. Starting…now.
I’ve finally written my 
