Breakfast at Keller Feed & Wine Co.
Posted on August 5, 2015 by Ching under Life.
The morning after our moonlight horseback riding adventure, Brian and I decided to drive to Cottonwood Falls for breakfast.
This restaurant is in the former Emma Chase Café location. I’m not sure what it looked like before but, right now, it looks pretty cool with the kitschy touches.
The maple bacon donuts looked enticing but we managed to resist them.
Partially due to the fact that we were already full from the big meat breakfast and banana-Nutella French toast sandwich.
Brian said the breakfast plate with ham, sausage, bacon, fried egg (it wasn’t fried hard enough for him), and country potatoes was just okay. We both thoroughly enjoyed the French toast, though. It was delicious!
We walked around a bit after breakfast.
We found several neat stores selling neat stuff like this awesome fountain.
We also walked by Grand Central. I had the opportunity to try their food several years ago when we met some coworkers there for lunch.
Cottonwood Falls is a neat little town. It’s definitely worth checking out. While you’re there, I recommend eating at Keller Feed & Wine. Get the French toast. It is amazing!
Comment on This
Standing Tallgrass Short Film
Posted on August 5, 2015 by Ching under Things to Do, Travel, Videos.
Here’s the film that inspired our visit to Flying W Ranch.
Standing Tallgrass | Imagine Kansas Short Film Series 01 from Westar Energy on Vimeo.
http://ImagineKansas.com From early on, Jim Hoy was involved with the Symphony in the Flint Hills that helps bring attention to preserving the tallgrass prairie near Clements, Kansas. He and countless other Kansans are working to protect this picturesque part of our landscape so that the next generation will be able to enjoy its beauty. Westar Energy shares Jim’s passion to push Kansas forward and is working right alongside him and our fellow Kansans to make it happen.
This film is part of the #ImagineKansas Short Film Series presented by Westar Energy. Watch all the films at http://ImagineKansas.com.
Filmmaker: The Hadley Group, Stilwell – http://RussHadleyFilms.com
Original music: Sam Billen, Lawrence – http://PrimaryColorMusic.com
Narrator: Jason Aldrich, Bonner Springs
Still photography: Mark Feiden, Mission
Still photography: Harland J. Schuster, Morrill
Still photography: Austin Colbert, Hays
You can learn more about the ranch in the next video.
1 Comment
Best. Weekend. Ever.
Posted on August 2, 2015 by Ching under Relationship, Things to Do.
As you all know, Brian and I will be celebrating our 13th wedding anniversary in a few days. We started our celebration early because we wanted to do a moonlight horseback ride and we couldn’t dictate the moon’s schedule so we had to be flexible. LOL.
This moonlight horseback ride adventure was even made more special by the blue moon. Blue moons occur when you have two full moons in the same month. It’s not really blue. I’m not sure why they call it that. It was pretty cool, though.
Brian and I both took Friday off because we didn’t know how long it would take to get to the ranch and, having never stayed there, we wanted to scope out our accommodations.
We were supposed to stay in this solitary cottage called Calaboose but the previous guests busted the blinds so Gwen moved us to the Tallgrass Suite, which is on the West side of the cabin. It actually worked out better because we got to look at both rooms and, for the same price, the Tallgrass Suite is way better.
This is the inside of the Calaboose. It’s a tiny cabin consisting of just a sleeping area and a bathroom. It’s cute and cozy and would have worked out just fine but the Tallgrass Suite is definitely an upgrade.
The Tallgrass Suite is attached to the Prairie Room. While we initially wanted to be by ourselves, the spaciousness of the alternative room more than made up for the location. In the photo above, the Tallgrass Suite is on the left and the Prairie Room is on the right.
Our room had a full-sized kitchen, complete with range, dishwasher, microwave, coffee maker, and full-sized fridge. We got dishes, pots and pans, utensils, dish towels, and even wine glasses. We had a sitting area and everything. If we were staying longer, there was a washer and dryer and detergent. We also had a small back deck with a gas grill.
The bedroom had a closet and huge attached bathroom with a separate tub and shower. It was really a lot nicer than I expected. I mean, I packed a hair dryer because I wasn’t sure there would be one there but our bathroom had one. Had I known our accommodations would be so comfortable, I would have reserved two nights instead of only one. LOL.
Here’s the outside of our cabin.
Other accommodations on the property include the bunkhouse, pictured above, and the lodge, below. The lodge is super nice. The pictures that follow really don’t do it justice.
This is the living room area of the East side of the lodge.
The large dining room is big enough for 40 people.
This is the living room area of the West side of the lodge.
Another view of the living area.
Full kitchen.
The West side of the lodge has two private bedrooms on the ground level and additional sleeping areas upstairs. Overall I think it can comfortably house ten people. It’s perfect for families or small groups.
I love the rustic look of the outside.
Our experience started with dinner at the lodge.
Our dinner consisted of salisbury steak, roasted potatoes, corn, and tomato cucumber salad prepared by chef/rancher Josh Hoy, followed by homemade raspberry and blueberry pies (which I didn’t get any pictures of).
After dinner we sat and listened to Josh’s father Jim tell stories. He’s like the Bob Ross of prairie stories. I could listen to him for days.
Jim Hoy is a celebrity in these parts so I had to get a photo with him. 😉
Actually, Josh is a bit of a celebrity too. He was on Master Chef and showed Chef Gordon Ramsey how to cook like a cowboy a few years ago.
We stayed on schedule and saddled up around eight o’clock.
They put Brian on Rufus, the clumsiest horse of the group. I think they did it on purpose because Brian was the most experienced rider of all the guests. Brian said he was a good horse, even though he found all of the pot holes in the trail.
I ended up getting Phatty. Josh did tell me ahead of time that they might call me by my horse’s name, as they’re prone to doing because they sometimes can’t remember all the guests names, and not to be offended. I guess one time they put a portly man on Phatty and forgot to tell him in advance so he was getting really upset each time he got called Phatty. After they explained to him that the horse’s name is Phatty, he felt a lot better.
In this photo you’ll see their niece Piper, Jim Hoy’s wife Cathy, Brian, and Jim.
Brian, Jim, and Cathy waiting for the rest of us to get on our horses.
Piper may only be thirteen but she looks like a pro. She was going to help them with shipping cattle the next morning.
We took off in time to watch the sunset.
We took some photos while we were waiting.
Here’s a picture of our wonderful hosts, Gwen and Josh Hoy.
There are few things as breathtaking as the sun setting in the Flint Hills.
The first time I ever saw a Flint Hills sunset was during the Symphony in the Flint Hills several years ago. It’s kind of a spiritual experience.
Photos don’t quite do it justice and beautiful doesn’t begin to describe it.
When the sun finally set, it was time to look for the moon.
We stopped at a few spots to admire the beauty of the Flint Hills and learn some stuff but the moon was definitely the star of the show.
She was full, bright, and majestic that night.
I’d been horseback riding before but this most recent horseback riding experience is one that I will remember forever. It was truly something special and I’m glad that I got to share the experience with Brian.
The next day we met John Plots from Boston as we were leaving. He and his wife and two kids were supposed to be on the moonlight horseback ride with us but they arrived at the ranch late. We also met Bones, ranch hand and blogger.
Others who went on the moonlight horseback ride with us besides, Piper, Jim and Cathy Hoy, and our hosts Josh and Gwen Hoy, include Sheila Townsend who actually works for the same company as me. She’s in the real estate department and works out of our Topeka office. We also met Steve, Alice, and their son Charlie. We had a great group. I also liked that it was small because I’m not an experienced rider and I appreciated that there were enough people to keep an eye on all of us.
The next morning, Brian and I wandered around Cottonwood Falls before heading home. We ate at the Keller Feed & Wine Company (formerly Emma Chase Café). I will write more about our Cottonwood Falls adventures next time.
For now, I hope you enjoyed my account of our horseback riding adventures at Flying W Ranch. Perhaps you can join us next time.
Comment on This
The Hill Bar and Grill — New Favorite
Posted on August 1, 2015 by Ching under Food and Drink, Reviews.
We tried the Hill for the first time recently and now it’s our new favorite place to eat. Brian and I are addicted to the chicharrones.
As you can see, we can’t get enough of it.
Brian says their onion rings are really good too. We love that they provide a variety of dipping sauces. They’re all very good but we think that the one we like the most is called chipotle aioli. It goes great with the chicharon.
Some folks at work tried the Hill and said it was really good. My friend/coworker Tammie likes it because they have lots of options for vegetarians. They have several gluten free items on the menu as well.
Here are some pictures of food from the Hill.
My favorite thing to get is the carnitas tacos. Admittedly, I haven’t really tried much of anything else. Brian and I have been to the Hill twice now. The first time was when we had lunch with Jan, Connie, and Isaac. The second time was last Thursday when we wanted to grab a quick bite before going to Chamber Music at the Barn.
I tried to order something different on our last trip there but, after much deliberation, I still ordered the carnitas tacos. Sometimes you just have to stick with what you know.
Brian had the pulled pork sandwich the first time and chicken tacos the second time. The chicken tacos looked good but I don’t think that they were nearly as good as my carnitas tacos. Just sayin’.
We didn’t have time for the donuts on our first trip because it was during my lunch hour and I had to get back to work. The menu says to allow 10 minutes for the donuts so I recommend ordering it only if you have some time to spare.
Since we missed out the first time, we made sure to get it on our second trip. The donuts are really donut holes covered in cinnamon and sugar. They kind of remind me of the sopapillas we get at Felipe’s Jr for dessert, except they’re a lot smaller than the regular sopapillas and bigger than the bite-sized ones. They came with three different dipping sauces: raspberry, chocolate, and caramel.
I thought they were good but not as good as sopapillas. If I could have the mini sopapillas from Felipe’s with these dipping sauces that would be the perfect combination. Still, I really liked the Hill. The location is great for meeting up with our West side friends who don’t want to drive all the way out to the East side and there’s bound to be something on the menu that everyone will enjoy.
Brian and I both liked the Hill so much that we’re already looking forward to our next trip. I just hope that I can talk myself out of ordering the same thing again next time.
Comment on This
Dempsey’s Burger Pub
Posted on August 1, 2015 by Ching under Food and Drink, Reviews.
Brian and I finally had a chance to try Dempsey’s a couple of weeks ago. When you enter the restaurant, you’ll notice they have an upstairs and downstairs section. Brian and I opted to go to the basement because it seemed like there was more energy down there and we wanted to be where the action was.
Here’s a picture of the upstairs. If you want to talk, it might be best to stay upstairs. Not sure if it’s that way all the time but it was pretty loud downstairs when we went.
I had the buffalo wings because I’m not really a burger person. I know. Right. Why go to a burger pub? LOL. Brian and I just wanted to see what all the fuss was about mostly.
The truffle fries were decent. They’re not as good as the ones they serve at the Anchor or Flying Stove, though.
Brian had their egg burger. It’s one of those burgers that looks so ugly that you expect it to be really good. Much like the truffle fries, it was just okay.
Overall Dempsey’s was pretty underwhelming. I’m not sure if we ordered the wrong things (although, we’ve been to restaurants before where everything’s fantastic so it didn’t matter what you ordered) or if everyone has been talking it up so much that we had unrealistic expectations. Either that, or we waited too long to check them out and they’re now in their mediocre phase. You know how that goes. Sometimes restaurants are amazing in the first couple of months but then they just kind of flatten out after a while.
On the plus side, our server was super nice and friendly. That’s not much of a differentiator, though. Maybe we’re just lucky but we get great service at most places. You really have to have great food. When we left Brian was like, “I really don’t care if we go back.” That pretty much sums the whole experience up.
Dempsey’s was just okay so Ziggy’s still rules Clifton Square as far as we’re concerned.
Comment on This
