Seattle Cider Basil Mint Hard Cider

I'm always excited when I stumble upon a new hard cider and was happy to come across this one. The name sounded great, Seattle Cider Basil Mint Hard Cider, especially since I love basil and mint together and thought the flavors would pair well with apple. Unfortunately, I didn't seem to taste either named ingredient and found the cider to be just a little bit on the funky side. The aroma was not enticing and the flavor was a bit flat. This was a miss for me and I would not purchase again. Seattle Cider makes others that are much better, so I will stick to those.

Genessee Royale Bistro

Yesterday, my sister Myla and I, decided to try out Genessee Royale in the West Bottoms.

It's a new restaurant from the Happy Gillis people and we loved it just as much!

The space is located in an old service station that has been redone into a very nice eatery. They have a nice size patio and large glass service doors that will open when the weather turns nice.

I ordered a corned beef sandwich with Brussels sprouts and Myla had the Monte Cristo served with strawberry jam. We each took a half and enjoyed both. There were some other really good options and I can't wait to try it out again. I believe that they are not open for dinner, but have heard they might start serving it in the future. We saw Stretch, the owner of another favorite, Grinders, eating there and he seemed to like it too!

Genessee Royale Bistro is located at 1531 Genessee 816-474-7070.

Volpi Chianti Red Wine Salami

Our friend Alicia sent us some wonderful salami that she purchased at Trader Joe's. They are both from Volpi Foods, one was a Chianti Red Wine Salami and the other was a Pinot Grigio White Wine Salami. Both of them are 8 ounces and are all natural with no nitrates. They are actually made in St. Louis, MO, which is another bonus.
You can check out Volpi foods at http://www.volpifoods.com/ and you can purchase the salamis at http://www.amazon.com/ or another great site, http://www.ditalia.com/.

Zuk's Pacific Tango Sauce

A few weeks back, Green Acre's Market celebrated their 1 year anniversary at Briarcliff Village. One of the vendors sampling their wares was the creator of Zuk's sauces, Wendy. We tried them all and bought the Pacific Tango sauce, although we liked all of the one's we sampled. It's a very thick, garlicky-ginger sauce that I thought would be great on grilled chicken. I basted my grilled chicken with the sauce at the end of it's cooking time and was pleased with the results. The sauce has a very nice flavor and if you like ginger and garlic, you'll love it. You can check out the website at http://www.zuksdelights.com/.

Trader Joe's Pumpkin Bread & Muffin Mix

Our best girlfriend, Alicia, sent us another Trader Joe's care package. This box contained baking their Matcha Green Tea and Chocolate Truffle as well as 2 new flavors, Cranberry Orange and Pumpkin. Dan made the Pumpkin Bread the other night and it awesome. As far as boxed mixes go, the people at Trader Joe's really know what they are doing. I can't wait to try the Cranberry Orange, maybe we'll hold off until Thanksgiving.Or maybe we can wait until Alicia comes at the end of the month. Anyway thanks Alicia, you're the best.

Ron Gutierrez- Vocalist at Cascone's

Saturday night, I took Dan to Cascone's for his birthday. Not only did we enjoy an excellent meal, but we were treated to the incredible voice of singer, Ron Gutierrez. Ron preformed in the main dining room with a guitarist and did an awesome job. His voice is silky smooth and he has a varied repertoire. Our waitress told us he sang Pink Floyd's "Another Brick on the Wall" at his previous engagement there, I should have requested it. He was very enjoyable and if you get a chance to hear him, you should take it. He has a website www.rongutierrez.com, so check it out.

The dinner was great too. Dan had the Italian Flag Combo, which consisted of Chicken Parmigiana, Lasagna and Fettuccine Alfredo($15.95). I had Johnny's Combo; Lasagna and Spaghetti with Italian Sausage, Meatball and Mushrooms ($16.95). I started with the Chicken Pasta soup because I don't care for their salad any longer and the soup was very good. The entire meal was excellent, as always. They are located at 3733 N. Oak Trafficway KCMO 816-454-7977. Great food and music, you can't get much better than that.

Cafe Trio

I have held off on posting about my last dining experience at Cafe Trio because it was not that great of an experience. Dan and I have eaten there on numerous occasions and had great food and service , but this was obviously an off night.
We went with a group of friends, Tracy, Stacy, Cheryl and our friend Dan, to celebrate Tracy's birthday. It didn't hurt that Cafe Trio sent me a free meal coupon for my birthday and August 18th was the last day I could use it.
We started off with a couple of bottles of wine, one Pinot Grigio and one Merlot, which were both reasonably priced at $24 and both good.Tracy and I started with Ricky Martin martinis to celebrate our birthdays. They were nice and fruity and priced at $8.00. We ordered the Baked Brie ($10) which was a little over baked and runny and the Spinach and Artichoke Dip ($8) which was good.
For our dinners, my Dan and Cheryl ordered the Pesto Penne ($18), which was a large bowl of penne pasta with grilled chicken, artichokes, asparagus tips, cherry tomatoes, feta and pine nuts in a creamy pesto sauce. They both enjoyed their meals and had quite a bit leftover to take home.
Tracy ordered the Pistachio Encrusted Tilapia ($24), a talapia filet topped with ground pistachios and served with a raspberry chipotle chutney. She liked this dish and the bite I had was very good. Stacy had the Pan Seared Halibut ($28) a nice piece of halibut served with sauteed spinach, caramelized onions, feta grits and a roasted tomato coulis. She loved her fish and highly recommended it.
Dan had the Rack of Lamb ($27), it was roasted lamb encrusted in spices and stone ground mustard. This was very underwhelming and overcooked in the center. I had the 16 oz. KC Strip Steak Gorgonzola ($28) a strip steak topped with Gorgonzola cheese and a mushroom and artichoke sauce. I ordered mine medium rare and it came out rare. The sauce on top also overwhelmed the steak and was just an ugly dish.
As the busboy cleared away the plates, he dropped a big glob of butter down Cheryl's back. Without any apology he just started wiping it off and walked away. The waitress, Pam, also seemed to be a little flighty and not quite altogether. I will eat here again, because I have ordered things that I like and the atmosphere is nice. The place is always packed on the weekends and they have some great live music.They are located at 3535 Broadway KCMO 816-756-3227 www.cafetriokc. com. Make reservations to ensure a table, especially on the weekends.

Stroud's Restaurant & Bar

Last night, after some serious Target shopping, we decided to head up to Stroud's and check out the wait. We lucked out, it was only 30 minutes, so we put our name in and sat outside and waited. For those of you who have never been, Stroud's serves up some of the best pan-fried chicken you could ever eat (out side of my Mom's that is). You have choices on what types of dinners you want, from the regular dinner to all white, or all breast. They serve incredible pork chops, chicken fried chicken, hamburger steak and my favorite, the Chicken Fried Chicken. It's a boneless, skinless breaded breast that is pounded and fried. I get mine with the gravy on the side, so that the leftovers can be heated without gravy on top. Dan usually orders the regular dinner that comes with 1 wing, 1 leg, 1 thigh and 1 breast. There are also fish and steak choices that I hear are really good.

Speaking of gravy they serve up a nice thick, peppery chicken gravy that is great on their homemade mashed potatoes or thinly sliced cottage fries, my favorite. They also serve up green beans just like mom made, overcooked with bacon and onions and ever so tasty. The sides come family style and they bring more if you run out.You also get a basket of warm and delicious cinnamon rolls. You can start with a salad or a nice bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup, always a winner in the colder months. They are located north of the river at 5410 NE Oakridge Rd. Kansas City MO 64119 816-454-9600. www.stroudsrestaurant.com. Just leave your calorie counters at home and enjoy some of the best home style cooking in the area.

Young Frankenstein The Musical

The reason that Dan and I went to Seattle was to see the new Mel Brooks musical Young Frankenstein. It really was worth the trip and turned us on to a whole new city that we fell in love with. Here are a few of my impressions of the show.

It played at the Paramount in Seattle, which is a lovely old theater that seemed to be a part of the set. The sets themselves were great and the show had some nice special effects. There is a great musical number, "Roll in The Hay" with Roger Bart, Sutton Foster and Igor that was pretty unique. There are also 2 great show stoppers, "Transylvania Mania" and "Puttin' on the Ritz", both of which are big song and dance numbers. Andrea Martin made me giggle with her song "He Vas My Boyfriend" and Megan Mullally gives new meaning to "Deep Love".

The show itself was way too long, coming in at just under 3 hours. They will have to do some cutting, which will be hard, because the show truly follows the movie. Mel Brooks not only wrote the book, he also wrote the lyrics and the music. Since he is the producer it will be hard for him to cut his baby. There are a 3 or 4 songs that could be shortened, if not cut altogether.

The cast was very good, I especially enjoyed Andrea Martin's Frau Blucher and Megan Mullally's Elizabeth. Megan's voice was incredible and she was very funny. Roger Bart is good as Dr. Frankenstein, it will be interesting to see if his voice holds up after all the screaming he does. Christopher Fitzgerald is very funny as Igor and gets some of the best lines. Shuler Hensley Monster is good, it's too bad they don't use his beautiful singing voice more. Sutton Foster is one of my favorite Broadway stars and she is underused and misused in this show, she pulls her part off, but really does not have much to work with.

I want to see the show after it opens in New York, just to see if they cut it and how. It starts previews there on October 11 at the Hilton Theatre. If you like the movie, you won't be disappointed with the musical. The Seattle crowd loved the show and seemed very enthusiastic, it will be interesting to see how it plays in New York.

Of coarse Dan and I were a couple of Stagedoor Johnnies and hung around the back door lurking for autographs. We got autographs from Megan, Andrea and Roger and they were all very pleasant and willing to give some face time to their fans after a long night on the stage.

Sotto Voce

Yesterday I received a box in the mail of olive oils and vinegar from my Seattle trip. I love getting food related things in the mail, hell, I like getting food related things anywhere. But coming home and finding a package on the front porch is so fun. I admit it, I'm a food geek.

I love all things to do with food or the cooking of it. I love going into Sur La Table and Williams-Sonoma, or getting new cooking magazines and cookbooks. When you go to new cities you find all these wonderful little shops that just call out for you to see all the wonderful things they have. It's really all about the possibilities and the joy of the creation.

Anyway, I received this package from Sotto Voce in Seattle. They have all these wonderful infused oils and vinegars and they sample them in their store at Pike's Place Market. The bottles are corked and each one comes with its on plastic pour spout. They also ship, so I did not have to worry about packing those bottles in my suitcase.

It was hard to choose which flavors I wanted from all the choices they offer. I ended up with an Olio Basilico, which is their garlic olive oil infused with basil and white and black peppercorns. I also chose the Olio Buon Gustaio, another garlic olive oil infused with habaneras, horseradish and red chili peppers, WOW! The vinegar i ordered was the Aceto Balsimico, a nice spicy balsamic vinegar with garlic cloves, crushed red peppers and whole chilis. I can't wait to start cooking with these.

You can check out their website at www. sottovoce.com.

Bertolli Gnocchi in a Tomato Mozzarella Sauce

Sometimes you need something easy to fix for dinner, but if you are like me , you want it to be good. Last might we tried Bertolli's Complete Pasta and Sauce Gnocchi in a Mozzarella Tomato Sauce and it was both easy and good. It's one of those frozen pasta dishes that comes in a bag and costs around $6.00. You put 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet with the contents of the bag and in 8 minutes you have this really good pasta dish. The potato gnocchi was light and fluffy and the sauce was incredible. It was a perfect light summer meal, with a salad and a nice glass of red wine.

Beer Can Grilled Chicken

I purchased this wonderful marinade, LuLu Meyer Lemon, Fennel & Sage Marinade, and used it on a beer can chicken. My mom bought me a really nice beer can chicken holder thingy from Williams-Sonoma, because I almost caught myself on fire once using a beer can. I took a 3 pound chicken, placed it in a large bowl and using half of the jars contents, rubbed the outside, inside the cavity and under the skin. I placed it in a large plastic bag and let it marinate for 3 hours. You can also leave it overnight if you wish. I placed the chicken over indirect heat, put the lid on the grill and cooked the chicken for 1 hour. You want the temp to be 165 degrees in the breast area or 180 in the thigh. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before carving. The flavor was great without being overpowered by any of the ingredients. I sliced some baby yellow potatoes in half, tossed them with black truffle olive oil, salt, pepper and fresh chopped rosemary and added them to the grill, just in case you were wondering if the bird layed eggs.

Miller Chill Chelada Style Light Beer Revisited

Okay, I have to say good try Miller, but no Chelada. I will be forced to make mine the old fashioned way, these just don't measure up and I hate when that happens. I will be forced to drink this, though not a chelada, a chelada wanna be, and dream of warm breezes on a sunny beach.

Applegate Farms Italian Sausage

I found this Applegate Farms Certified Organic Sweet Italian Sausage at Green Acres Market and thought I would try it on the grill. The label says that it is fully cooked, skinless and made from chicken and turkey. One sausage has 130 calories and 7 grams of fat. It seemed like a good alternative to regular sausage. The problem was that it contains 500mg of sodium per sausage. It was way too salty! The sausage was really not even edible, you could not taste anything else for the salt. In the future I will stay away from this and be more aware of the sodium content in products like this.

Trader Joes Cake Mixes

I love coming home to packages on the front porch!Some people would say I have an obsession about having things delivered. Well, that is my life, I obsess about everything!! This Saturday we arrived home to a heavy box of goodies from our incredibly good and kind friend, Alicia. She lives in the Phoenix area and sent us a box full of Trader Joe's goodies. She sent us 2 boxes of the Matcha Green Tea cake mix, 1 Brownie Truffle mix, 1 Chocolate Orange mix, 1 Vanilla and 2 bags of peanut butter treats for Gabby. Gabby was also very appreciative and thinks that Alicia is the best kind of person to know.

I made the vanilla cake last night and it was divine!! It has real vanilla bean in it and the cake is so moist. These are perfect cakes for small households.

Thanks Alicia, We Love You!!!

Beef From Parker Farms Natural Meats

This weekend, we bought some natural grass fed beef from Green Acres Market. The beef came from Parker Farms out of Richmond, MO. I just went and looked them up on-line and was impressed with their mission statement and the way they do business. I grilled burgers with the beef and they turned out really well. The beef had an excellent flavor and I could not detect that "grass fed" taste you sometimes get with this type of product. I will definitely buy more and check out their other cuts of meat. In today's growing uncertainty of our food quality, I am relying more on this type of food. I truly believe that we have to be a little more vigilant on what we are putting into our bodies. You can check them out at this link.

http://www.mda.mo.gov/cgi-bin/agrimomembers.cgi?id=55

A Man & His Meatballs

Anyone who knows me knows I love to read as much as I like to cook. I have a large collection of cookbooks, some very old, that I love to read. Whenever I come across a book with recipes like Under the Tuscan Sky, I am in heaven. I was in the bookstore last week and saw this book A Man & His Meatballs and was pleased to see not only great looking recipes, but a memoir on how John LaFemina opened his Manhattan restaurant Apizz. Of coarse the book is much cheaper online, so I sent away for it. The memoir is 81 pages , so it is a quick read and I completed it the day it arrived. It's funny and informative. The recipes look great and I can't wait to try out some of the soup recipes. I will definitely check this place out next time I'm in New York. Gina, go and check this place out. It's on Eldridge Street on the Lower East Side. The web address for the restaurant is http://apizz.com/.

Rising Moon Organics Ravioli

We picked this ravioli up not too long ago at Green Acres Market. When we returned from our trip , I was looking for something easy to fix and saw this in the freezer. It is Rising Moon Organics Basil, Asiago & Pine Nut Pesto Ravioli. This ravioli cooked up perfectly when I followed the directions and the flavor was great. I tossed the cooked pasta in some olive oil that I heated and added a minced clove of garlic to. The stuffing was very nice without overpowering flavors and they puffed up perfectly. This is another one of those products that I plan on keeping in the freezer.

Trader Joe's Matcha Green Tea Cake Mix

When we were in Chicago last time, much to my delight, there was a Trader Joe's right by our hotel. Ever since our friend Alicia turned us on to them in Phoenix, I always look for them where ever we go. I could not walk in without picking something up , so I got this cake mix and some treats for Gabby. I made the Matcha Green Tea Cake, this past week and really enjoyed it. I was sceptical of it at first , but with some fat- free vanilla ice cream it was a great treat. You can either bake it as an 8 inch square cake or muffins. I prepared it as a cake and followed the instructions to a tee. The cake came out perfect and if you like green tea you will like this cake. It is not overly sweet and simple to make. It requires 2 eggs, 1/2 stick of melted butter and 2/3 cup of water. I would buy this again and try out some of the other flavors they offered. Gabby loved her Peanut Butter filled dog treats, too!

Poppers

These are one of those impulse items that I typically do not buy. They were on the end of the frozen food section on special and I thought "why not?". Actually, they were pretty tasty for a cheap frozen food item. They are made by Heinz and are simply called Poppers. This box was the Cream Cheese Jalapeno flavor, there may have been different types. You just place them in a 450 degree oven for 6 minutes, turn them over and wait another 5 minutes and they are ready. They come out very crispy with a creamy center. They are very mild, almost too mild, but you can dip them in a spicy salsa to make up for that. 3 pieces have 220 calories, so they are not great for a diet. But what the heck, diets are meant for breaking anyway, right?!?