La Posadita - San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

While we were in San Miguel, one of my favorite places to eat was La Posadita. We sat up on the roof top deck, where you get some of the most incredible views of the city. Dan and I went there in the late afternoon with Dan and Larry for drinks and appetizers. We ordered cheladas and some of the best guacamole I have ever eaten. As you can tell by the pictures they do a great job with their presentation. The second plate had cactus, cheese, grilled onions, avocados and tomatoes and was actually quite good. We also ordered a dish of jicama and cucumber sticks that were tossed in lemon juice and coated with salt and crushed red pepper. We also had queso and these little spinach filled burritos that were very good.

The great food and the spectacular views made this place a favorite. They are located at Cuna de Allende No 13, Centro San Miguel de Allende Tel. (415) 154-8862.

Tower Tavern- Kansas City, MO

Last night we met up with Andrew and Charlie at Tower Tavern located at 401 E. 31st, part of what is called Martini Corner. It was described to us as a sports bar with an emphasis on Italian food and that is pretty much what it is. Nothing fancy here, just good bar food that stands out from the crowd. The place has a "everybody knows your name" kind of vibe, which is always nice and the exposed brick walls and high ceilings add to the charm.
They have a nice selection of tap beer, including my favorite Guinness. They don't have Stella on tap, but they do have it in bottles, so that is what Dan ordered. We started out with Spinach Dip which was very good and served with nice warm pita bread.
Dan and I both ordered the Italian Meat Stromboli with fries and they were awesome. The dough was very good and they were filled with pepperoni, Italian sausage and cheese, with a side of marinara for dipping. Both Andrew and Charlie ordered the Tower Sliders, which are supposed to be incredible. They both love them and they did look good. Three mini burgers with all the frills and fries, what's not to love there.
I would definitely go back, the food and the service were both great and the atmosphere is nice.

Cream of Brie and Leek Soup

The guy who did all the remodel work on our master bath noticed all the cookbooks and cooking magazines laying around the house and asked me who the cook was. When I said it was me, he asked if I would like some old Bon Appetit and Gourmet magazines of his. I said that I would like them and he brought over quite a few. I have just started going through them and there are some really good recipes in them. This recipe came from the March 1988 Bon Appetit. I made some alterations to the original , but this is based on their recipe. This is a wonderful, creamy cheese soup and just a bit decadent with all that Brie.

Cream of Brie and Leek Soup

1/4 unsalted butter, divided
4 large leeks (white parts only), coarsely chopped
1 (14 oz) can fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups half and half
3/4 lb. Brie cheese, well chilled, cut into small cubes (with rind)
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Melt 2 tablesppons butter in a heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add leeks and cook until translucent, stirring frequently, about 4 minutes. Add broth and wine and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until leeks are tender, about 20 minutes. Puree with an immersion blender.
Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and stir 2 minutes. Add half and half 1/2 cup at a time; whisk until smooth. Add 1/2 of cheese and blend until smooth and melted. Repeat with remaining cheese. Strain soup through fine sieve, pressing with back of spoon. Add to leek mixture. Stir until warm, add salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

JP Wine Bar and Coffee House

Dan and I did a little shopping on Saturday, starting in the Northland and then heading to Westport, before ending up in the Crossroads. We decided to check out JP Wine Bar, our friends, Dan and Larry, had told us that they enjoyed going there. I sometimes feel intimidated when I walk into a wine bar, but this place is far from intimidating.

It's actually a pretty big place, with a large bar, lots of booths and numerous other seating places to sit and enjoy a glass of wine with friends. If you aren't into wine, they have full bar and also serve coffee drinks. We sat at a table close to the bar and were promptly greeted by a server who brought us ice water and menus. She explained the wine menu, which features many different wine flights as well as wines by the glass and bottles.

We both decided on the World Cup Whites ($12), which consisted of four white wines. The two that we really enjoyed were the 2006 Balbo Crios Torrontes from Argentina and the Chauteau de Valmer Vouvray from Loire Valley France. You get about a 2-ounce pour of each, which seemed to be the perfect amount.

We decided that we wanted to try one of the cheese flights, but did not really know what to order. The waitress suggested the French Cheese Flight ($16) so we ordered it. They tray featured Boucheron goat milk cheese, Ossau Iraty Brebis Pyrenees sheep milk cheese and Moriber cow milk cheese. They were all very good and I typically do not like goat milk cheese! The tray was dizzled with honey and had grapes, dried cranberries, candied pecans, capers, crackers, sliced pears and apples and those little french pickles.

This was the perfect way to spend a Saturday afternoon! The service was very good and all of the servers seemed to be very willing to help their customers, there did not seem to be a hint of pretentiousness in the place. JP Wine Bar is located at 1526 Walnut KCMO 64108 816-842-2660. They have Happy Hour from 4pm to 6pm Monday through Friday, featuring special bar food, $1 off wine flights, $2 off domestic bottles and $3 Boulevard beers.

PizzaBella, Again!!

On Tuesday night, Dan and I went to PizzaBella . He was a little jealous of the fact that I went with the girls while he was out of town and had heard nothing but rave reviews from everyone at work, so he wanted to try them out. Tuesday night was a lot different than Friday night, there was no wait and we were told to sit where ever we wanted, nice.



The waitress brought water and we ordered a couple of beers while we pondered the menu. I was bound and determined to try those Brussels sprouts and did not care about anything else on the menu. When our server returned with the beers I asked if they had the sprouts and she said they did!! I ordered the crispy Brussels Sprouts and they were incredible. I could order a couple of those for my meal and be totally satisfied. As it was, the dish was loaded with perfectly cooked sprouts covered in a very nice pancetta vinaigrette with cranberries, hazelnuts and shredded cheese. If you like sprouts, you will go crazy for these. Dan started with the mixed green salad and loved it.



This time, I tried the Potato pizza ($10) which was covered with sliced potatoes, Gorgonzola cheese and shredded radicchio dressed in balsamic vinegar, very nice. Dan had the Prosciutto pizza ($10) which was a nice red sauce topped with a generous amount of thinly sliced prosciutto, cheese and fresh arugula. He liked it his pizza, even though he wasn't sure if he like the arugula on it.



I like this place a lot and hope they succeed. The wood fire ovens intrigue me and I love watching those guys cook. They are located at 1810 Baltimore KCMO 816-421-7492.

Cranberry Tomato Salsa

This salsa is the perfect accompaniment with the Roast Turkey w/ Garlic-Ancho Chili Paste . I'm not a huge fan of cranberry sauce, I usually only put it on turkey sandwiches the next day, but this condiment is really good. It's a nice switch up on the Thanksgiving table and it looks beautiful in a nice glass bowl. This recipe comes from that same Bon Apitit from 1994 and makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Cranberry Tomato Salsa

2 cups cranberries
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, minced
2 green onions, chopped
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1 garlic clove, minced

Cook berries in pot of boiling water until skins just begin to burst, about 1 1/2 minutes. Drain well. transfer to bowl. Add the rest of ingredients and season with salt and pepper.
(Can be made 6 hours ahead. Cover, chill. Serve at room temperature.)

One Year and Still Going

Yesterday marked one year of blogging for me and it's been quite a year. Thanks for reading and I will see if I can make it another year!