Hey everyone! I’m still having a great time here in Colorado, but for today’s What I Ate Wednesday, we’re going to focus on Kansas City! I ate at a lot of great restaurants while I was home and I wanted to share that with you all. I didn’t remember to take any pictures… but that won’t stop me!
If you’re new to WIAW, be sure to head over to Peas and Crayons to see what it’s all about!
When I first arrived in Kansas City, I had my “Girls Night Out” with my mom, her friends and their daughters. It’s a tradition of ours to get together every time I’m in town and I always look forward to it. This time we went to La Bodega, which is a Spanish tapas restaurant located on Southwest Boulevard.
Their menu includes both tapas and entrees, but we always order a bottle (or two…) of wine and then share a bunch of tapas. One thing that I love about their menu is that they mark which items are gluten free. Makes ordering much easier for me! We had a great time at La Bodega and I will always recommend it for a fun, social gathering.
On Wednesday, I headed to lunch with my little brother at The Mixx, which is one of my favorite lunch places in Kansas City.
They have salads, sandwiches, pasta and soup, although I always get a salad. They have several different salad options (about 10) or you can make your own salad. The amount of toppings offered, along with the quality of the food, is really outstanding. The Mixx is right off the Plaza on Main Street and a perfect place to meet someone for lunch.
For dinner that evening I picked up my friend, Helen (whom I’ve known since I was two!) and we headed to Spin. My favorite thing about Spin? They have GLUTEN FREE PIZZA! Always a win in my book.
Spin is a casual Italian restaurant where you order and pay up front and then sit down where you’re served your meal. They offer soup, salad, sandwiches and pizza. I always like to get the “Mini Mia!” which is where you get a personal sized pizza and your choice of a side salad. I ordered their Arugula Salad and the Pomodoro Pizza (on gluten free crust) and it was perfect! The tomato sauce on my pizza was so fresh and flavorful. Spin is great for any kind of group, from families to a date night or even business meeting, I definitely recommend checking it out if you get the chance.
Many of you may know that Kansas City is well known for it’s Barbeque. The key, however, to eating good BBQ in Kansas City is knowing where to go. Yes, there are big chains like KC Masterpiece or Gates, but if you want real barbeque, you have to go off the beaten path. My absolute favorite is Oklahoma Joe’s. You MUST go to Oklahoma Joe’s if you’re ever in Kansas City.
Another great barbeque place is Arthur Bryants, although, honestly, I had never been! Thursday night my friend Benny was kind enough to pick me up and we headed through… a “sketchy” part of town down to Arthur Bryants, right by 18th and Vine, which is a historic Jazz district. The restaurant was actually founded in the early 1920’s and quickly became popular.
Although I was horribly out of place, I really had a fun time at Arthur Bryants. The menu is short and simple but the food is amazing, they really know what they’re doing! I had the pulled pork sandwich (ditched the bread) and a side of coleslaw and I had to force myself to stop or I would have ate myself sick! Delicious!
Finally, on Friday night I headed out to Saigon 39 with Benny and his family. They were kind enough to invite me along and I had a great time enjoying some Vietnamese food with them.
Saigon 39 is located in the Westport area (kind of “midtown”) of Kansas City, which tends to be a younger area of the city. The restaurant had many different dishes, from rice dishes, stir fries, curries and egg rolls. We all shared some spring rolls (delicious!) and then I ordered their beef pho. I didn’t want to worry about any sauces having soy in them and I LOVE pho so it was perfect. I really enjoyed the dish and the restaurant. If you are looking for some Vietnamese in KC this is the place to go!
So there you have it! All the places I ate out in my few days at home in Kansas City!
Do you have favorite restaurants to visit when you go visit your family?
Are you a fan of barbeque? Or Vietnamese food?