Events

Lots of good stuff going on this weekend...

• Blue Bird Bistro is having a Farmer's Table on Saturday (the 19th) featuring organic fare from Jim & Mary Woods. $45 per person. Call 816*221*7559 for reservations from 6pm to 9pm.
• The Troostwood Youth Garden Market opens Saturday morning! This awesome market takes place from now until October on Saturday mornings from 8am to 2pm and is located at 52nd & Paseo. Their season kicks off tomorrow with a Green Neighborhood Festival from 10-4 that features information about rain barrels and compost bins, a giant yard sale, garden tours, a planting ceremony and more!
• The Kansas City Literary Festival takes place on the Country Club Plaza on Saturday from 10am to 6:30pm. It is hosting a number of notable author events and has a Culinary Stage with cooking demonstrations by JJ Mirable of Jasper's, Domhall Malloy of McCormick and Schmick's, and the Barbeque Queens, Judith Fertig & Karen Adler!
• Kansas City's first Kosher Foods Festival, KosherFest 2007, will take place at Congregation Olev Shalom (5311 W. 75th in Prairie Village) on Sunday May 20th. From 12 noon to 7pm, they will be serving up tasty kosher treats like bobka, blintzes, stuffed cabbage, noodle kugel, matzo ball soup, and potato latkes to eat on site or take home! There will be live music and more...admission is free.

F&C Wrap-Up

I was too busy eating to take many photos - they are all blurry or poorly composed - but we had some wonderful bites last night at Forks and Corks.

Highlights included:

* An incredibly long line for Andre's Chocolates, which included really delicious chocolate from Madagascar and, my favorite, their Bittersweet Almonds.

* Room 39's chilled asparagus soup (served with truffle oil)...I went back for more.

* Lots of really lovely salmon served by JJs (smoked on crostini), McCormick & Schmick's (smoked salmon dip), Room 39 (beet cured salmon on crostini with goat cheese), and The American (smoked salmon with asparagus and celery).

* "Crispy Chopstick Shrimp" served by Phillips Chophouse.

* My husband's favorite, the Capital Grille's lamb chops (porcini-rubbed, drizzled with balsamic).

* Boulevard Brewery's new Saison was on tap. They ran out. This bodes well.

* The grilled meats served by Em Chamas. The marinated chicken drumettes were out of this world.

Doing Good & Eating Well

I'm so very excited about Forks and Corks coming up on May 3rd. When we received our tickets last week I did a little happy dance in the privacy of my living room. (The dogs were confused, to say the least.)
If you've never attended, this should be your year. It's held this year, for the first time, at the Grand Ballroom in the Convention Center. Tickets are $75 each, but $40 of that is tax deductible, and the money is going toward an excellent cause. Harvesters is doing good work in your city, providing food assistance to nearly 60,000 of your fellow Kansas Citians every week.

Two Food Events (not BBQ Related)

We'll be spending our weekend in Weston, at the Apple Festival. We're getting a dogsitter and staying the night, even! This is all a part of our annual pilgrimage to Vaughn's Orchard where we can take a hay ride to pick our pumpkins directly off the vine, drink cider, and eat apple cider doughnuts. It just isn't autumn without a visit to Vaughn's. I will be posting photos next week.

Maybe for you, though, it just isn't fall without gorging yourself on chocolate?? If so, please enjoy the Kansas City Chocolate Festival. All proceeds benefit Friendship House and Catherine's Place.