Wicked Brew Tour Challenges
Posted on July 16, 2021 by Ching under Food and Drink, Things to Do.
Brian and I are normally done with the #WickedBrew tour by now but we started a lot later this year. We typically complete the drink tour which usually starts after Memorial Day during the month of June. Part of it is I can walk to to several coffee places that participate in the tour from my office downtown. However, this hasn’t been possible since I’ve been working from home.
Also, the tour didn’t happen last year because of the pandemic so I didn’t realize it was happening this year until much later. Anyway, we didn’t get started until after we returned from Colorado a couple of weeks ago.
I tried to get Brian to complete the tour with me over 4th of July weekend (we would have 3 days to get 10 stamps) but he was worried that his liver wouldn’t be able to handle it. Besides that, most of the places were closed on the 4th of July. We did manage to get four stamps on Saturday, July 3, though.
We started our tour by having lunch at the East Central location of Wichita Brewing Company. As East-siders, that location is most convenient for us.
We got our cards and first stamps and we were on our way.
Our next stop was Il Primo, a cute coffee shop across the street on the other side of Woodlawn. The coffee shop has been around for 20 years and yet, amazingly, Brian had never been there.
Look at this handsome guy!
I took a few pictures of the inside.
Also, I solved the “Riddle in the Dark Roast” and got a couple of extra punches on my Il Primo card. Go me!
They had one of the shirts on display at the counter.
We kind of did a beer-coffee-beer-coffee pattern, so our next stop was the PourHouse ICT, Walnut River Brewing’s taproom at Union Station.
Cheers! BTW, did you notice that Brian had on his 2018 Wicked Brew shirt?
My old fashioned wasn’t very good but our server was nice and still gave me a stamp for it. Not a lot of places can make cocktails as good as the Belmont.
We had lunch at WBC and some light food the PourHouse so then it was time for dessert, which was perfect because our next stop was Cocoa Dolce. Brian had never been to their downtown location.
The Cocoa Dolce Sweet Lounge is super cute inside!
I had a tipsy gelato which typically vanilla ice cream with salted caramel whisky poured over it but they actually let you pick your own spirit. I opted for Bailey’s to be poured over mine.
It kind of looks like a bowl of mashed potatoes and gravy but I promise it’s gelato and it was amazing!
I highly recommend grabbing a friend and enjoying some coffee or one of the many flavors of hot chocolate they offer. And of course, trying some of their decadent and delicious artisan chocolates and gelato.
Brian got his usual black coffee and a couple of Wichita flag truffles and then we also got an Oreo cheesecake to share.
The Wichita flag truffles were almost too pretty to eat. Almost.
When this location first opened we got a bunch of free cheesecake from my coworker Amir’s friend who was the manager. That was my first experience with these amazing cheesecakes. Brian had never had it so I wanted him to get a taste. So even though we weren’t really hungry and didn’t need extra food, we got a cheesecake. We ended up taking most of it home.
They have the cutest cheesecake to go boxes!
We managed to get four stamps that day and that was Brian’s limit. The next day was 4th of July so then all the places were closed. It took several days before we could get our next stamp.
Stamp #5 was at Leslie Coffee Co.
I went to play pickleball with some friends after my Aqua Zumba class last Saturday. Then a bunch of us decided to have lunch at Merle’s after. Leslie Coffee, which is within walking distance of Seneca Park, is just down the street from Merle’s so it worked out perfect.
On Monday, I tried to talk Brian into getting a few more stamps so we planned to have dinner at River City Brewery after my Monday night Aqua Zumba class. Unfortunately, they were closed. So then we drove down the street to Norton’s. They were open but there was no food because there were only open because of the art show. Norton’s is normally also closed on Mondays.
So then were were like, “What about Hopping Gnome?” Piatto’s is next door and they have great pizza. They were also closed.
At this point we were just hungry and we didn’t even care about getting our cards stamped anymore. We ended up eating at Dempsey’s Burger Pub. Neither of us had been there in a while and they have great food also.
We were so hungry that we ordered way too much food. Brian got the beer cheese dip with pretzels and fries.
He also got a burger for himself because that’s what you get at Dempsey’s.
We shared a big basket of truffle fries, which were completely unnecessary after the regular fries which we didn’t know came with the beer cheese dip.
I got a couple of sliders, which were the perfect size. I told Brian that we should just get sliders and truffle fries next time to minimize all the wasted food but it’s kind of hard not to order one of the gourmet burgers when you’re at Dempsey’s because that’s kind of their thing.
Dempsey’s kind of reminds me of the Burger Stand (in Topeka and Lawrence) except I like the food at the Burger Stand better. I think it’s the closest thing to the Burger Stand that we have here. Dempsey’s burgers are pretty good — they are just not as good.
Anyway, the experience made me miss the Burger Stand. Brian has never been there so I’m hoping we can go one day. They have pickleball tournaments in Topeka sometimes. In fact, the Sunflower State Games is this weekend. I didn’t sign up for it though. Maybe I can sign up next year and then Brian and I can hit the Burger Stand while we are there.
Anyway, we still have a long way to go on this Wicked Brew tour. I’m hoping to get the rest of our stamps over the next few days because there are only a limited number of shirts and we don’t want to miss out.
Until next time, GNG.
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Logan’s 21st Birthday
Posted on July 14, 2021 by Ching under Events, Family, Food and Drink.
Brian and I went to mom and dad’s on Sunday for a “family get together” to celebrate our nephew’s 21st birthday. First of all, it’s crazy that he is 21. That means Brian and I have been together for over 21 years. These are the kinds of situations that make one feel super old.
Anyway, Brian and I thought it would be just our immediate family — mom and dad, Jenni (Logan’s birth mom), Jenni’s husband Adam, Matt (Logan’s dad), Jennifer (Logan’s stepmom), Logan’s brothers Quentin and Eli, and maybe a couple of other people. Mom put us in charge of picking up birthday cake and I never thought to ask how many people would be attending because she just said “get together” at her house, which usually means just us. Heck, Brian and I didn’t even bother to dress up. We just came in our workout clothes.
The funny thing is, when Brian went to Costco to order the cake, he debated whether to get the smaller round cake or the bigger sheet cake. He called and asked me and, although I assumed it would be just us, I recommended that he get the bigger sheet cake (the same one that we bought for his and Karen’s birthday celebration at the Belmont) because it’s always better to have extra than to run out.
Once people started arriving at the party, he told me he was glad that we got the bigger sheet cake. He was worried that we got too much cake and, after the fact, we may not have gotten enough.
He was like, “I didn’t realize your mom invited the entire Filipino community.” I replied, “Neither did I.” He goes, “Now I see where you get it from.” Brian has always accused me of inviting too many people to our parties.
So anyway, here are some pics from the “get together” this Sunday.
Jenni and Brian patiently waiting for the buffet to open.
Mom and dad went all out for Logan’s 21st. They even decorated.
They were also absolutely serious about not allowing any food or drinks at this table… In case anyone had other ideas.
They seriously went all-out. Look at all this food!
We had some pancit, which is a staple at Filipino birthday parties because the noodles are meant to signify long life.
Menudo is always a crowd-pleaser.
Dinuguan is not really for everyone but I love it.
I made the mistake of referring to these as “shrimp” — no, no, they are prawns!
The rice pilaf was great but I think there should have been more lumpia, which are usually the first to run out at parties.
And then there’s beef — something less exotic for the gringos.
Besides the chocolate cake that we brought, there was fruit and flan and bico for dessert. Mom and dad truly went above and beyond for this party.
Brian and I came hungry and were not disappointed.
Here’s a picture of my plate with a little bit of everything.
I’m not so fond of feeling old but I was very grateful for the opportunity to enjoy delicious Filipino food which I really only get to enjoy once or twice a year. Thanks to Logan for having milestone birthday to celebrate. Until next time, GNG.
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Farewell Lunch for Selena
Posted on July 13, 2021 by Ching under Food and Drink.
A couple of weeks ago, Selena, Judy, Robin and I had lunch in honor of Selena’s retirement from Evergy. It was nice to be able to get together with all of them after over a year of working remotely. The four of us met at a Mexican restaurant in Lawrence called El Potro.
Here are some pictures of our delicious lunch.
I talked everyone into getting fried ice cream, which is one of my favorite things to get for dessert at Mexican restaurants.
Picture of Selena with Judy.
Picture of Selena with Robin.
It was a nice lunch and I’m glad we got to do it since I missed Selena and Jackie’s farewell party held the previous week while we were in Colorado.
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Phantom Canyon Brewing
Posted on July 12, 2021 by Ching under Food and Drink, Travel.
We tried to hit as many breweries as we could while we were in Colorado so on Sunday night we went to check out Phantom Canyon Brewing in downtown Colorado Springs. I didn’t get any outside pictures because it was rainy that day so all I have is this one pic of inside the restaurant.
I did get some pictures of our food, though.
Brian got the beer cheese soup because he likes to get it anywhere that it’s offered. Plus, he wanted to compare it to the a similar soup at Cerberus. I think the verdict is that the Cerberus version is better.
He also got pretzels and cheese which is what he likes to order when he’s not that hungry. I got the fish and chips.
I don’t remember what drink Brian got but I’m pretty sure it was a porter. He was in a bit of a porter kick while we were in Colorado.
We had some leftovers which I wanted to give to a homeless person. However, Colorado is one of those places where you can’t just give food to someone who looks homeless because they could be a hipster.
Anyway, we ended up driving back to Monument Valley Park and putting our leftovers on top of one of the trash cans. We had seen some homeless people digging through a specific one at the park so we put our bag of leftovers there, just on the outside lip of the trash can so they wouldn’t have to dig all the way down in it to find food.
This ended up being our final dinner in Colorado. We thought we were going to stay one more night and leave on Tuesday morning but my singles event ended up finishing early and the hotel allowed us to check out after 2 PM without penalty. Brian and I hurried to pack up and check out before they changed their mind because it saved us $200 to leave a day early.
Anyway, that’s pretty much it for this trip. I’m pretty sure we will be back soon. Colorado is a fun place to visit. Until then, GNG.
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Pretty Picklers Podcast
Posted on July 10, 2021 by Ching under Hobbies.
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A few months ago I had a phone chat with my friend Kerry Shannon, founder of the Pretty Picklers, which we recorded for her Pretty Picklers podcast. That episode finally aired. You can check it out here. I met Kerry when I played in the APP Delray Beach Open tournament earlier this year. I didn’t have a partner and so I reached out to her. She replied and we immediately clicked. We are alike in so many ways. I’m so glad we met. I really didn’t know much about the Pretty Picklers before I met Kerry. I think it’s so awesome that she started this group. Not only are they having fun playing pickleball but these ladies are also making a difference in the community. Kerry also continues to come up with new ideas and new partnerships and I absolutely love that she started a podcast this year. It’s so cool. She’s had some really amazing people as guests and I am completely honored to have been part of it. |
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