Hello again!  Today I decided to take us both out of comfort zones.  I figured that it was what our plan with our weekly lunches was really about.  Sometimes I just have to force us out there.  We are guilty of picking more “safe” choices and I decided to go outside the comfort zone with Mudbugs.

We walked in to the restaurant and its is set up in the style of a food truck, Mudbugs original set up.  You order and pay at the front counter and pick up your food at the back pickup window.  One look at the menu and Dad leaned over to me and said “I don’t have a warm fuzzy feeling about this”.  I just laughed at him and told him to try something new and pointed out some “safer” options.

I decided to go all in (well, almost…) and go for the Shrimp Po’boy.  I did opt out of the sauteed craw fish that comes on the sandwich…I just wasn’t feeling THAT adventurous!  Dad opted for the Classic Roast Beef Po’boy (also without the craw fish).  I got fries to go with mine and dad opted for the fried okra.

Our meal came out pretty fast and the person that took our order actually brought us our food to the table.

Much to both of our surprises, it was pretty good.  The shrimp on my sandwich were perfectly breaded and fried and they were generous with the amount of shrimp.  The toppings on my sandwich were well paired, although i’m not sure what the polenta added to my sandwich, but it wasn’t bad.

Dads sandwich was very good too.  The roast beef was nicely seasoned and was generous in the portions of it.  We combined the fries and okra and shared.  Both items were good.  The okra wasn’t slimy and was well breaded.

We heard that they would give samples of their other items such as the red beans and rice and gumbo.  When we were checked on we asked for a red beans and rice sample and they obliged.  It was good!  I don’t even like red beans!  Dad really enjoyed it and wished he had ordered some.

Later in the meal the Chef had a break in the action and made his rounds.  He was warm and friendly and got us some gumbo samples to try too.  It was good!  I don’t know that I would eat a whole bowl but it was nice to try it.

Over all we had a good meal and didn’t have to resort to emergency back up fast food (which I told dad we would if we had to).  We were both full and don’t regret a thing!  Wait…dad regrets not ordering the red beans and rice, but that just means he needs to go back!  I will definitely go again!  Maybe next time I will let them put the crawfish on the side to try it out.

Another week, another lunch!  Grandma was up for the week and Dad worked hard at getting her to plenty of new places to eat (She lives in a small town with limited options) and he succeeded!

For lunch this week Dad picked Milwaukee Delicatessen Company to try out.  I had actually discovered this place a couple of weeks ago, unbeknownst to Dad as Josh and I were driving around downtown on a Pokemon hunting adventure. (Don’t judge!)  I even snapped a picture of the front then so I wouldn’t forget it!

We arrived at our normal “early” lunch time to find that parking was sparse around there.  We ended up in the garage across the street that is $2 per 20 mins, which was fine.  It’s in a cool old building with a lot of what seems to be original decor.  I only got one pic of the decor, with a guy in the pic too.  Next time we go there I want to sit upstairs!

They had a menu of yummy looking sandwiches and salads but I spied someone at an adjacent table with pizza and I was sold.  Their slices were huge!  They had specialty slices to choose from or you could “build your own” slice.  I went with the build your own and chose my favorite: pepperoni, pineapple and cream cheese.  Yes, you read that right.  Cream.  Cheese.  If you ever have the option, you should try it.  You won’t regret it.  It’s hard to tell in the picture but they actually cut it into diamond pieces for easier eating.  It’s on a New York Style Crust.  YUM!!!!

Dad and Grandma had big dinner out plans that evening so they decided to split the Central Branch Ruben with German Potato Salad.  They both enjoyed the sandwich and it was a decent ruben.  The German Potato Salad was cold (we always think of it being hot).

It was a good meal overall and I will definitely go back sometime!  Maybe i’ll carry out a pizza from there.  You can get a 26″ pizza for very reasonable.

Until next time!

This past week we switched up our lunch day due to both of our schedules and went for a Monday lunch instead of our usual Thursday lunch.  Dad met me at work and we went to a local place to my work that I had never tried, Luna Azteca, at  I29 and 64th Street in the Burlington Creek shopping center.

You get chips and salsa when you sit down.  The chips were good and the salsa, while it had cilantro in it, it wasn’t overwhelming and was actually pretty good to this cilantro hating girl.  We also started off with Azteca (cheese) dip because its Mexican food and why not?  We only got a half order of cheese dip and it was still a generous portion.

For our meals, Dad chose the Pollo Asado with cheese on top and I went for the Royal Burrito with chicken, beef, lettuce, cheese and sour cream in it (you could customize it).

As far as meals go, it was a good meal but pretty common as far as Mexican restaurants go.  Dad had never had a poblano chile and wasn’t fond of it but live and learn!  My plate was very visually boring but the burrito was chocked full of yummy stuff and very good.  I couldn’t even finish it all!

I would go back and may even try some carry out some time for something different to have at lunchtime at work.  I hear they have a good Taco Tuesday special.  May have to check that out sometime too.

Scores?

Dad: 3, Me: 3.5

Early in May Kansas City christened its new streetcar line.  We have been super excited to see this come to life and it finally did!  We started our adventure by getting on at City Market and riding it all the way around the line.  We did learn that you need to press the button for a stop, especially if no one is waiting at the stop.  The streetcar keeps going otherwise!

With the streetcar line in mind Dad picked his restaurant for the week, The Homesteader Cafe.

The Homesteader Cafe sits a block off the streetcar line so it was an easy walk to get there from the stop.  It’s a quaint place with friendly service.

They have an interesting menu of food made from local farmers.  There were lots of yummy sounding items to choose from.

Our first choice was the Baked Brie appetizer.  It was a sizable portion of brie cheese wrapped in a phyllo type dough with red wine jelly on top.  It was also served with a side of toasts.  I had tried brie before but it was dad’s first time.  We both really enjoyed it and ate the whole thing!

 

The “specials” sign was intriguing to both of us and dad decided to try one of the soups, the Beer Cheese.

Dad also ordered his entree off the specials sign, the “Chef’s Chicken” which was a grilled chicken dish with beet gnocchi in a champagne cream sauce.  I ordered the Mac and Cheese BLT that I had eyed on the menu.

Our food came quickly and we dug right in.  Both dishes had great flavors and were interesting mixes of food.  Dad’s beet gnocchi was a little too…beet-y tasting but what can you do? I ended up taking home part of my mac and cheese and it was good the next day too.

The service was excellent and our server was very knowledgeable, friendly and efficient.

Scores?

Dad: 4, Me: 3.5

This past week I wanted to keep it simple and go somewhere close.  My BFF had sent me a picture from her lunch at NKC Dog from the week before and I decided I need to try it too.

 

NKC Dog is a tiny little place in North Kansas City at the end of Armour road in the old Bill Allen dealership building.  There are a few tables inside, picnic tables outside and the grilling station in the breezeway between the door and the parking lot.  You order at the counter then they get to work on your hotdog and will bring it to you when its ready.  They have coolers with cans and plastic bottles of drinks and a rack of chips that are self serve, should you chose to purchase them.

Dad ordered a classic Chicago Dog with chips and a drink.  He seemed to enjoy it, but pulled off the peppers.

I opted for the (I forget the name of it) dog with candied bacon and grilled onions.  Mine was good.  The bacon added a cool twist but the onions could have been a little more cooked.

Also, the chips I got were very yummy.  I highly recommend them.  I need to figure out where to buy these just to have.

Over all it was a decent meal, although mostly just a glorified hot dog.  Honestly its what I was expecting when I went into it.  I would go back if I wanted another “fancy” hot dog.

Scores for NKC Dog?  Me: 3, Dad: 2.5

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A couple of weeks ago when we were down in NKC we had spotted a (new to us) bakery, Aunt Mary’s.  We decided that after NKC Dog we needed to check it out since it was just down the street.

It is a small place with cakes in the window, some tables for dining and a case of cookies.  We were a little disappointed at the lack of selection of baked items that weren’t cookies.  There were none that we saw.  They did have a deli menu but we were there for the sweets!  In the end we both decided on cookies.  White chocolate macadamia nut for me and iced sugar cookie for Dad.  The cookies were a decent size and tasted good.

Scores for Aunt Mary’s?  Me: 3, Dad: 3