Matt "utterly superflous" E.'s Profile

This place is rad. Like seriously, seriously rad.

I haven't been to Longboards in at least five years, as I'm so rarely in this part of the metro. After running some errands in the area this afternoon, I decided now would be a perfect opportunity to try it out again. As I'm currently going vegetarian, I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to get the full experience. It turns out my fears were (for the most part) unfounded.

Their menu is big, and complex, with lots of different options. This place has regular wraps, plus burrito type things and salads. The vegetarian options aren't clearly marked, so you have to look, but once you get your head around the menu, you'll see there are a LOT of them. Think about it this way: they offer tofu! How many burrito huts or sandwich shops offer tofu as an alternate protein? I've never seen that at Chiptole or Subway. They also had a great looking wrap that was mostly hummus and vegetables. I went ahead and ordered some sort of pork wrap and subbed out the tofu. With carrots and pineapple (as well as a few other goodies that I can't recall), and then grilled in a press that gave the tortilla a crisp quality, this wrap was a textural feast! I LOVED IT! I can't wait to go back and try other options.

Side dishes are great as well: of course they have chips, but they also have hummus, pasta salad and a killer garlic potato salad, which is what I chose. It may be some of my favorite potato salad I've had.

Another aspect I really want to discuss is just the general vibe of this place. With a friendly and laid back staff, Sublime-ish music, and surfboards everywhere, this place feels like it should be in Southern California, or at the very least on Mass Street in Lawrence. Wherever it feels like it should be, a crappy strip mall in the Northlands is not it. Oddly enough, there was a lot of MMA paraphernalia, but I guess the kinda jives with the atmosphere of the place. A lot of the guests definitely had a MMA vibe themselves. I wonder how a sandwich shop can attract such a specific demo. Seating is very tight, so don't bother bringing a group of friends.

When I was paying up, I asked the lady at the counter if this was the only location. She said yes, but in April a 2nd location was opening. My heart rose! Then she said it would be in Liberty. My heart sank. I would LOVE to have a place like this closer to the urban core.

Snow and Company is a new(ish) bar in the Crossroads area, and a pretty cool one at that. It's pretty slow now, but I think that's to be expected from a frozen cocktail joint in the middle of January. That being said, now would be the perfect time to try one or four of their cocktails before you're having to fight the summertime crowds!

Speaking of cocktails, hot damn these frozen concoctions are delicious! Though they've never came out and said it, I do get the sense that the Sexual Chocolate is their signature drink. It's made w/ Christopher Elbow chocolate, and it is delicious. It has a hint of heat, which makes me think it's a boozy version of their Venezuelan Spice, which is my favorite of all the CE chocolates. I have also had a really great drink called the Miss Scarlet, which was made of bourbon and peach schnapps as well as a few other secret ingredients. It was delicious! I have read other reviews that compare these cocktails to the daiquiri bars in New Orleans, and I think that's WAY off. This is Manifesto thrown into a blender.

The food menu...well, I didn't look over it too carefully as right now I'm doing the whole vegetarian thing. But from what I saw on that side, it was limited. Basically my choices were a grilled cheese sandwich, one salad, or a portabella mushroom sandwich. I went with the grilled cheese. It comes with something the waitress called spicy chips. To me they were crackers. She recommended I get a side of hummus to dip the chips in. It was tasty. The grilled cheese was a panini style and had a perfect amount of char to the bread. But still, the meal just felt really small and as a result, overpriced. I've worked in restaurant for years, and I can get a good idea of food cost by looking at a plate, and I'd say I was overcharged.

The decor is different. It's wide open and bright. That's not a bad thing, it just doesn't much seem like a "bar" to me. I need to go in here at night and see if the darkness outside and dimmer lights change that. I wish it was separated into smaller little nooks and crannies, more intimate areas for groups, I guess. Still, when it's busy I doubt that's hardly noticeable. I go to plenty of bars that are open floor-plans. They have huge garage doors opening out onto Wyandotte street, which I bet makes this place CRAZY inviting on First Fridays. I'll try and stop in on the next one to see for myself.

I'm not sure if I'd go back for it as a restaurant, but for drinks...ABSOLUTELY! I feel like it may be a 3 star place, which is still pretty great. But for offering a totally unique product in Kansas City, they earn a bonus star!

In modern restaurants, the word "tavern" is one that can be taken one of two directions: either as a no-frills, straightforward drinking establishment or a new-American restaurant with deceptively simple food and a warm environment. Lakeside tavern takes some cues from both, but I wish they'd lay off the former to focus more on the latter.

Let's get the bad news out of the way first: I find the dining room to be a bit cold. It's a bit too open for my taste, as I definitely prefer the nook-and-crannies. Additionally there wasn't a ton of design to the place, which surprised me due to its Mission Hills address. Additionally, I thought the staff looked too casual, some of them verging on sloppy. I absolutely did not like how they had brands of booze all over their shirts like they were the culinary equivalent of NASCAR drivers.  Regardless, they were taking great care of people, so maybe I should just lighten up.

Now to talk about the good, which there was a lot of. The service here was quite excellent. I was approached by three or four different employees, and all were friendly and helpful. Most notably, the poor girl who brought out my food and was present when I realized that I didn't know what the heck I had ordered. I had to fight her to let me keep the plate of food, so intent she was on getting me what I wanted. She finally relented, and I enjoyed my sandwich just fine, thank you.

Speaking of the food, it's all quite simple, with only a handful of options beyond their list of sandwiches and appetizers. That being said, the sandwiches all looked quite tasty. Being that i'm going vegetarian, i tried to ignore the tempting recipes they had thrown together. I instead looked at my rather limited options and opted for what i thought was a veggie burger, but was in fact simply a vegetable sandwich on wheat. Served with a choice of side (i got some yummy mashed potatoes), this sandwich had a great flavor but I found it to be a bit unsatisfying. Not the taste, mind you.That was great, with a nice mix of textures as well. I'm refering to the volume. I just suspect that all of the other offerings were much larger. Just because I'm not dining on flesh doesn't mean I don't want to gorge myself! However, I did skip breakfast, so take my portion size complaints with a grain of salt.

Now, I wasn't overly impressed with the dining room, but the patio....oh the patio! I want to throw a party here! Lots of tables and seating areas, some big fire pits, and a nice view of a "lake" (though c'mon really...that's just a big hole that was dug to separate the shops from a subdivision). I can imagine that if I lived nearby, this would be a great place to kick back and sip on a cocktail in the warmer months.

I like Lakeside Tavern, but again it's one of those "if it wasn't 100 blocks away" type situations. If in the area, I'll definitely check it out again. Especially if there is room on the patio.

Presumably because a combination of their name being so similar to Red Lobster and their strip mall location, I had blown off Red Snapper for years. However, as time went on and it still remained, I figured maybe there was something worth exploring. Today I finally took the plunge. Verdict? While it certainly didn't blow my mind, it was sufficiently tasty. I'd go back.

They had a pretty decent array of lunch menus, like 8 or so. All were a "pick your own protein" type thing, and since I'm going vegetarian right now, I went with Mandarin Tofu. Now, when I heard "mandarin" I assumed it had something to do with the oranges, and I was wrong. It was some sort of dark brown sauce, sauteed with bean sprouts and broccoli. On the side was fried rice and a salmon rangoon (which killed me to set aside).

They have a lot of things marked as spicy, but they weren't. Here is how I figure these things out: I look around the dining room, and the more senior citizens I see, the less I believe them when they say something is spicy. My method worked here just fine, and there was minimal heat to my meal. It makes me question how bland the regular options might be.

Service was solid. When I ordered the tofu option for lunch, the server made sure to inform me that there was meat in the hot and sour soup and that I should consider switching to the egg drop soup. I very nice touch. Our waters stayed full. I had to ask for chopsticks, which to me is exhibit B in my argument that this place might be for older people. See, in my brain, old people like forks. Maybe I'm wrong.

Long story short: Lots of options for vegetarians, and they watch you to make sure you don't accidentally eat meat. Decent food, but not the most adventurous. Good service. If I was in the area I'd hit it up, but it wouldn't be a special trip.

Typically when I want pizza, I want the doughy, greasy corporate chain kind. Like Pizza Hut. Gonna judge me? What's it to you, huh?

Sometimes, however, I'm in the mood for something a bit more highbrow. And that's when I head to Pizza Bella. This place is REALLY nice.

Before you even get to the pizza, we need to talk about the Brussels sprouts. They're glorious. It's important to note that if you want to go truly vegetarian, you need to let them know and have them use a different vinaigrette, as the standard is made with pancetta, but they can mix it up for you and it's just as tasty. Perfectly cooked and served with almonds and cranberries, these are simply a must-have starter for every visit to Pizza Bella. Also notable in the starters is the olive oil trio, served with some dang tasty bread and marinated olives.

OK, now we get to the pizzas. These hand tossed,  wood fired pies are awesome. They have the perfect amount of char on the crusts and a nice crunch to them. They have a lot of really unique options, and at a quick count 7 vegetarian pies on their regular rotation. The biancoverde is a glorious combo of cheeses with arugula, and I was even OK with their eggplant pizza, even though it came with black olives and i hate black olives. Still, I typically just get a margarita pizza, it's a standard favorite. If I'm feeling saucy, I add goat cheese.

Speaking of feeling saucy, it's not hard to do here with their above average beer list and some really solid wine choices.

Service has always been proficient, though not memorable. That's ok, i'm not looking for dinner and show, just some awesome adult pizzas.

Hmmmm, I have to wonder if my feelings on this place would be different if the name "Nordstrom" wasn't attached.

I haven't been to a ton of Nordstroms in my day, mostly because I'm not a big mall guy, and I don't live anywhere close to one. That being said, in my limited experience I've always found them to be great stores. I love the quality of merchandise, the clean and well organized floor, and the excellent customer service. While I knew that Nordstrom Rack is a discount, outlet-esque type place, I still expected them to hold true to the Nordstrom brand standards. I was wrong.

I knew something was up the minute I walked in the store and looked around. My expectations deflated as I surveyed the land. The store itself was merchandised slightly nicer than at a TJ Maxx, but not even up to the quality of a Kohls. It just felt junky, especially in the shoe department. There's not really any merchandising to speak of, as everything here is incredibly utilitarian. The checkout area is just depressing.

The high point of my experience was with the customer service. You can tell that these people have been trained by the Nordrstrom brand, and done so well. The man in the suits section was incredibly helpful, measuring me and all that jazz.

As for the merchandise, it's definitely a crap-shoot. My boyfriend is good at spotting the expensive brands, and I learned that they did have some excellent discounts. That being said, a lot of the clothes were still just not that attractive to me. I can walk through a regular Nordstrom and find a TON of stuff that I'd love to buy. Here, I was really having to pick through to find stuff that I'd be at all interested in wearing.

I managed to find a plain white shirt and a pair of shoes. I didn't love either, but needed them for a specific thing. The price was right and they met my needs. Still, it was a very underwhelming experience and I don't know that I need to be going back any time soon.

Let me tell you something. If you walk into this meat haven and want to get something without the animal flesh, just walk up to the counter and say "I'll take a #4 please!"

What is this #4 I speak of? It's the best damn caprese sandwich in town. First of all, this thing is FRICKIN HUGE! They have the best dang mozzarella cheese in the city, and when you mix it up with basil, fresh sliced tomatoes, and balsamic vinaigrette, and then throw it on some bread, you're going to have a damn tasty sandwich.

Who knew you could go to a meat store and get one of the best vegetarian sandwiches in the city?

City Market is by far one of my favorite things about living in Kansas City. So much that I managed to move literally across the street. This is really a multi-purpose space that incorporates museums, restaurants, a concert venue and some rather "interesting" boutiques. That being said, most people know it for its farmers markets.

While you are able to find produce around the edge in the permanent markets every day of the week year-round, by far the best time to visit is on Saturdays from April through October. The plaza is bursting at the seams with vendors from all across the region selling anything and everything ingestable. I am able to do virtually all of my weekly shopping at the market, assuming I get up early.

Some of my favorite things to pick up at the market include gorgeous heirloom tomatoes, Brussels sprouts still on the stalk, fresh baked breads from Bloom, organic free range eggs, local cheeses, and (when I'm being bad) cookies and pies. You can find fresh herbs at ridiculously low prices, and plenty of free range meats. Also available are a variety of jams, sauces, and dressings. Non-food items that are sold include various crafts, candles, plants, dog treats, and much more.

The people watching here is awesome. On a nice day this place is PACKED with shoppers from all over the metro and all walks of life. In addition you'll see plenty of street performers doing everything from playing music, magic tricks, puppet shows and that creepy thing where they pretend to be a robot or a statue. I used to walk around with my headphones while shopping at the market, but I have since stopped, as the sounds of City Market are to me just as fantastic as the sights, smells, and tastes.

Customer service is pretty solid here too. I regularly see City Market volunteers, and they will let you rent free of charge wagons to help bring your purchases to your car. I think that's an awesome perk and helps make this market accessible to all. Speaking of accessible to all, I have noticed that a large number of vendors are set up to accept WIC cards and other government-assistance programs. I think that's awesome, as I'd rather somebody buy fresh produce than cheesy poofs.

All-in-all, this is a gem for the city, and I'm glad that it is so supported by the community.

I have one rule! ONE RULE for bowling alleys: When you hit three strikes in a row, an animated turkey is to waddle across your screen. Mission Bowl does not follow this rule, and I think that is lame.

Other than that, it's an alright bowling alley. It's decidedly non-trendy, and doesn't really do much for my snobbish tendencies, but sometimes it is nice to get a whole pitcher of beer for (significantly) less than the price of one handcrafted cocktail I'd drink somewhere downtown.

They have decent shoes and high quality balls. The place is really clean and in good repair. I've been to some dumps before, so that's appreciated.

I checked out their snack bar. Lots of options, but most meat centric. Since I'm not eating meat, I was dreaming of mozzarella sticks. Alas, they don't exist here. Sad-face. I had nothing.

Still, coming to this bowling alley always makes me want to return. Lack of dancing turkey and all.

This is the tale of very highs and very lows, and how the combination puts The Mixx firmly in the middle.

These people make some killer salads, to be sure. There are oodles of build your own options, starting with your choice of seven different lettuce mixes. From there, The Mixx has so many options that frankly I can find it a bit overwhelming to order. That being said, once I finally decide on my salad fixins, I'm usually VERY happy. I highly recommend the pear ginger vinaigrette, it's fat free and delicious. This all makes a light and delightful vegetarian lunch, but for the carnivores out there, there are meaty salad options as well.

The sandwich options are also great, with premade selections and yet another build-your-own menu. Typically I go for the salmon BLT, but the Veggie Stack is dang tasty as well. They have tilapia tacos with black beans and jalapeno-lime sour cream. Mmm mmm!

So that's the good. The bad? They are wildly inconsistent with their hours, which keep whittling away. It's like soon The Mixx won't be open more than a random 30 minutes a day. They say it's because of slow business, but when you are closed during posted business hours, it trains people to not come. It's business 101, and these people need to go back to school.