Archive for the year 2013
Cory’s Birthday Dinner at Hangar One
Posted on March 20, 2013 by Ching under Food and Drink.
Brian and I got to celebrate with Cory and his family on Saturday night at Hangar One. It was Brian’s first time there and only my second. I had gone to lunch there with my boss and coworkers a few years ago. We had to wait a while for our food, but understandably so since we had a pretty large group. As for the food, it was just okay. If the food would have lived up to the awesome flight-themed decor, the restaurant would have received higher marks.
At least we had great company. We had a great time celebrating Cory’s birthday. Brian and I sat across the table from Christy and her kids. The boys were hilarious on Saturday night. Ella was pretty quiet and well-behaved.
Marshall and his zingers were quite amusing. We were talking about the cockpit on the wall next to our table and how it’s supposed to be Amelia Earhart‘s plane. Marshall informed us that it was a replica and not the actual plane itself. It couldn’t possibly be the real plane because they never found it. He said that if they would have found her plane then they would have found her body. Therefore, he concluded that the plane cockpit at the restaurant was only a replica.
Evan was pretty funny that night also. When our server brought out a slice of cake for the birthday celebrant and some extra forks Evan was like, “Alright! Let’s get this party started!” His enthusiasm for dessert was cute. LOL.
This is a picture of Ella with Cory’s dad and his wife.
Brian and I weren’t very hungry so we just split some chicken fingers and steak bites. The chicken fingers and fries didn’t have much flavor. The steak bites, on the other hand, had too much flavor. It was covered with sauce that was very overpowering. Had I known this ahead of time, I would have asked for the sauce on the side.
The steak bites tasted about as good as they looked. LOL.
This is Jay’s burger. I kind of wish I would have gotten one of these instead. It looked much more appetizing than the dishes we ordered.
This is a picture of the dessert tray that got Evan really pumped. LOL.
Overall Brian wasn’t a fan of the restaurant. The place is kind of neat. I liked the cozy ambience and the decorations. I also loved that the restaurant pays homage to Wichita’s past. However, the food was a kind of a let down. Still, we were both really grateful for the opportunity to celebrate Cory’s birthday. Happy belated birthday, Cory!
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Taking Advantage of the Beautiful Day
Posted on March 17, 2013 by Ching under Date Ideas, Food and Drink, Things to Do.
We had wonderful 80 degree weather here in Wichita last Friday so Brian and I decided to dine al fresco. We would normally eat out on the deck but, since our house faces the East, the front patio is actually nicer in the afternoons. Also, we moved our patio furniture down to the walkout pit a few months ago when we had people over for the Pacquiao fight and never moved it back up so we haven’t really been able to sit out on our deck since then.
Brian fixed us a couple of salads and poured us some wine. The weather was absolutely perfect. We had a nice dinner out on the front patio.
The salads we made were quite yummy. The only thing that could have made it better was adding some hard-boiled eggs. The salads were a last minute decision though so we didn’t have any hard-boiled eggs ready.
Even so Brian and I had a wonderful dinner. The best part is that we finally found white wine that we both like so we no longer have to open two separate bottles of wine each time. I can’t wait until we have another wonderful day like Friday so we can enjoy another meal outside. Dining al fresco is definitely a great date idea and should be on everyone’s to-do list.
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Paisano’s Ristorante in Lawrence
Posted on March 16, 2013 by Ching under Food and Drink.
We had a work dinner at the Paisano’s in Lawrence last week. I’ve had dinner at their Topeka location before, but it was my first time at the Lawrence location. The interior of the Lawrence restaurant looks just like the one in Topeka. Actually, everything seemed pretty consistent between the two restaurants.
Here are some of the food pictures…
Since I’d had a pretty heavy dinner the previous night, I opted to order out of the “slim” menu. I got the chicken and shrimp mixed grill (pictured below), supposedly just a little over 300 calories. It proved to be a great choice.
The entrée that I selected was perfect for me. I normally don’t eat veggies but, for the most part, this dish only had veggies that I liked to eat — broccoli, artichokes, and the like. The best part is that it’s on the lighter side. I will definitely order it again next time I find myself at Paisano’s.
Paisano’s is pretty good. I had no idea about the Lawrence location. I’ll have to remember it next time I’m in town. The only down side is that it’s not on Mass Street. I guess that could also be a plus in that it’s easier to find parking. Anyway, Paisano’s is going on the list of restaurants to take Brian next time we venture out to Lawrence for one of our candle shopping excursions.
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Dinner with Darcy
Posted on March 16, 2013 by Ching under Food and Drink.
Darcy had never been to 715 before so I was excited for her to try it. Brian took me there for our Valentines dinner a couple of years ago and I loved it. I’d been dying to go back, but it’s not very often that I find myself in Lawrence. Since Darcy asked for restaurant suggestions for dinner, I figured this was my chance. LOL.
We started with the prosciutto crostini. They were super delicious. I’m still recovering from being sick so I couldn’t really taste anything and my taste buds hadn’t completely recovered, but the prosciutto they used had such strong delicious flavor that I could taste and smell the goodness. Brian would have loved this appetizer because he love, love, loves prosciutto.
It was red sauce night so Darcy had the lasagna.
I got a dish that reminds me of spaghetti parmigiana except, instead of serving it with breaded chicken, at 715 they serve it with breaded pork.
I originally didn’t want dessert, but I’m glad Darcy ordered the fritelles. They were so good. They’re these homemade donuts served with a sweet, creamy sauce. The donuts were warm and fresh and the sauce was cold and delicious. The warm and cold combined perfectly to form a slice of heaven in your mouth.
I can’t wait to return and bring Brian so he can try some of the new things on the menu. I just know that he will love it. I have to say that 715 has officially become my all time favorite restaurant in Lawrence. It may not happen for another few months, but I’ll for sure be back.
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Breakfast by Brian
Posted on March 12, 2013 by Ching under Food and Drink.
I was feeling cruddy on Saturday but went to teach my Zumba class anyway. Why? Because that’s what Vikings do. LOL. Sick or not, you meet your commitments. Besides, it would have been too late to find a sub. Even though I only have a handful of regulars (literally, it’s rare that we hit double-digit attendance), I couldn’t let them down. Plus, Jenni stayed with us so she went to Zumba with me.
I was richly rewarded when I arrived home. Brian made a huge feast for breakfast in honor of our friend Anthony’s visit.
We had ham steaks, hash browns, and fried eggs made-to-order.
We also had mimosas, which is pretty standard at our house on weekends. Except, we went through two bottles of champagne on Saturday morning because Jenni pretty much drank a whole bottle by herself.
After that she took a nap. Brian and Anthony started working on his SQL stuff while I did dishes. We originally wanted to go to Exploration Place in the afternoon, but the weather was yucky and I started feeling even worse than I did that morning so we all just stuck around the house until dinner.
Dinner was interesting. Jenni brought Justin over so we finally got to meet him. We had an early dinner and played board games for a while after. I was going to go see Fallen Amish at Snug Harbor, but I was sick and wasn’t in any condition to be out so an evening of board games it was. Justin seems like a nice guy. Any guy who likes playing Apples to Apples is fine by me. He won Brian over when we agreed to play Black Ops. Brian was so thrilled to finally have someone to play with. He’s like the sad only child with lots of toys and no friends. He was so happy to have a Playstation playmate who is over the age of 14. LOL.
I played cricket (darts) with Anthony for one round before finally pooping out. It was pretty early, though. I think I crashed around ten o’clock. Brian stayed up and played video games. I’m not sure what time they went to bed.
I woke up the next morning with a fever so I was even less fun than the previous day. Still managed to be pleasant though. Brian talked me out of going to Amie’s Sunday Zumba class. I’m glad I listened. I think she would have killed me.
Instead we stayed home and made brunch. We had rice, bacon, scrambled eggs, toast (for the guys), and white rice (mostly for me and Jenni). No mimosas this time since we were out of champagne, though I felt like drinking myself into oblivion because I was so miserable and had no codeine. Brian went to the store and got me some chewable Vitamin C tablets, though. I took a couple of those and then drank several glasses of OJ. Not quite as good without the champagne, but I needed the Vitamin C.
I wish that I wasn’t so miserably sick over the weekend so I could have been more fun to be around. I tried to constantly disinfect with hand sanitizer as frequently as I could so I hope I didn’t make Anthony sick. Speaking of, I should probably check on him…
P.S. Thanks for coming to visit us over the weekend. Sorry I was sick the entire time.
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