Mexican Train Dominoes
Posted on June 3, 2021 by Ching under Games.
Brian and I discovered a new game while we were in St. Louis thanks to our friends Tiffany and Donnie. It’s called Mexican Train Dominoes.
We spent several hours at night playing. It was so fun. I am completely hooked and bought my own set immediately upon returning home.
All the dots are a bit overwhelming but you get the hang of it once you get used to the colors and dot configurations. The game is really fun. We will have to play it next time we have family over.
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St. Louis BBQ
Posted on June 2, 2021 by Ching under Food and Drink, Travel.
While in St. Louis this past weekend, we had the opportunity to try a couple of BBQ joints. The first place we tried was Pappy’s Smokehouse.
Pappy’s supposedly has the best ribs in America, according to the Food Network. We decided to all go there on Thursday after the tournament got rained out. All the matches that didn’t complete were pushed to the next day. As for us, we decided to use the time to grab some St. Louis BBQ.
Pappy’s had a specific seating process whereby you can’t get seated until after you’ve placed your order and you can’t order until all of your party is present. As some of the people in our group were getting hangry, we decided to send four people in at a time since their tables were mostly four-tops.
We sent Ramon, Dave, Karen, and Erica ahead of us while we waited for Tiffany and Donnie and the others. The others turned out to be just Ben because Kyle changed his mind and decided not to meet us at Pappy’s.
I think Ben stepped away for a work phone call when this picture was taken.
Here are some pictures of our food. Everything was delicious.
Since they are known for their ribs, I decided to order a half rack and try it. The ribs were excellent and very flavorful, even without additional BBQ sauce.
Salt + Smoke in Delmar is the other BBQ restaurant we tried. Theirs is also really good BBQ. The Salt + Smoke atmosphere is more upscale and they have individually wrapped BBQ sauces as a safety precaution.
Only four of us – Karen, Chris, Brian and me – went this time.
Here are some pictures of our food.
I decided to order ribs again because I wanted to compare them. The dry rub at Salt + Smoke is excellent and the ribs were absolutely perfect; however, I found that I liked Pappy’s ribs better because Salt + Smoke’s ribs had a spicy kick which I think most people like but I didn’t much care for.
The fries at Salt + Smoke were definitely way better than Pappy’s and the freshly baked popover bread was a really nice touch. I also enjoyed my mac and cheese a lot. Overall, as far as food goes, I think Salt + Smoke is better, but I liked Pappy’s ribs much more.
I’m sure the others would have liked to continue the St. Louis BBQ tour and try a few more places but I was quite happy with having tried two of them. We didn’t have much time for outings or other touristy things since I was focused on the pickleball tournament so I guess we will just have to go back and do those things next time. Until then, GNG.
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Wade Waffle Co.
Posted on June 1, 2021 by Ching under Food and Drink.
Brian and tried our first new food truck in a long while a couple of weeks ago. It’s called Wade Waffle Co. and they offer both savory and sweet waffles. The two waffles I tried were delicious and I am completely hooked.
The first one I tried was their Toscana waffle. It’s a waffle containing Italian dry salami, oregano and parmesan cheese served with sun-dried tomato aioli.
The second waffle I tried was the strawberry tuxedo, which consists of strawberries, chocolate sauce, white chocolate shavings, and whipped cream. Both waffles were so delicious. I cannot wait to try their other flavors.
Follow them on Facebook here to see where they will be next. Until next time. GNG.
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Explore Wichita
Posted on May 25, 2021 by Ching under Things to Do.
As everyone knows, I love to explore and experience new things and sometimes it involves activities that none of my friends really have interest in. In the past I’ve joined groups like the Adventurous Babes Society just to find others to do things with. I joined the Explore Wichita meetup group a long time ago but had never really attended any outings until recently.
A few weeks ago we all went to Enigma for salsa night. There was supposed to be a salsa lesson but the instructors couldn’t make it that night but we still made the best of it. My friend Greg was there and got us started with the social dancing.
Trivia night at Chicken N Pickle was the second outing I attended. I’d always wanted to try trivia night at Chicken N Pickle but couldn’t get a group together. I’m so glad that Explore Wichita decided to do it because then I could just join their group. It was a really good turnout and our team took second that night.
If you are looking to do things and don’t have people to do things with, I highly recommend joining the Explore Wichita group. It’s an excellent networking group for Wichita professionals who just want to have fun. The group gives you an opportunity to meet and socialize with a diverse group of people, discover some unique places, and experience activities around town that you’ve never done. The group does tend to eat out a lot but they also do a lot of different things. JJ does an excellent job of organizing activities and leading the group. Also, everyone is super nice and welcoming to new people. Whether you are new to Wichita or you’ve been around a while, I highly recommend joining this group.
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Karen’s First Time at the Belmont
Posted on May 21, 2021 by Ching under Food and Drink.
I’ve been telling my friends about the Belmont and their very photogenic, deliciously refreshing cocktails. Karen finally got to try it this past weekend. We met up for open play at Nahola after I taught my Aqua Zumba class. Went to Seneca Park after open play just to see what was up and to get our root beer float fix at TJ’s but TJ’s was closed. Ended up getting our root beer floats at NuWay around the corner. It was just as good.
We ended up killing time until the Belmont opened because I really wanted Karen to check it out. We got there a little before 4 PM but the door was unlocked so I went right in. There was another lady who was waiting in her car in the parking lot when we pulled up so I went back out and told her that they will let us sit and wait inside, which made her think I worked there. LOL. I was just trying to be helpful.
Here are some pictures of our food. We always start with the cheese course when we are there. It’s so perfect. I like everything that they include so nothing ever goes to waste. We usually have to ask for more crostinis so we can use up every bit of cheese and meat that’s provided.
Karen got the bacon-wrapped stuffed potatoes and the smoked salmon.
Brian got the ham and cheese on a pretzel bun, which we shared because it’s plenty for two people to enjoy. As sandwiches go, it was excellent.
Here are a couple of pictures of the pretty drinks.
This is the Dr. No (left) and the Violets Femmes (right). The Dr. No has scotch. I thought it was quite strong but Brian really liked it. He liked it so much that he finished the drink for me. Karen had the Violets Femmes. I’d had it before and it’s one of my favorites there.
The drink on the left is the Flamingo No. 492 and on the right is Calumet. The Flamingo drink is like a fancy margarita. It was quite refreshing and I enjoyed it a lot. Karen had the Calumet which is probably my most favorite drink that they make at the Belmont.
Here’s an up close pic of the Flamingo No. 492 drink. I love how they decorate all the drinks and make them look so pretty. They’re perfect for pictures.
Here’s an up close pic of the Violets Femmes. It was taken on a previous visit. Wanted to re-post this picture because I didn’t get a chance to take a pic of Karen’s drink before she took a sip off it.
I wish I could have taken a photo of me, Brian, and Karen but I didn’t because I looked like crap. I did Aqua Zumba and pickleball and went straight to the restaurant from all these activities with no shower in between. I didn’t even get a Shower Pill in. So no picture this time. I do want to go back for some fun pics, though. The interior decor and ambiance at the Belmont is so unique. It reminds me of a completely different era. I told Karen I want to go back dressed up in 60’s attire and get some Mad Men style pics. So stay tuned for those. Until then, GNG.
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