SunFlowers And Barbecue (Rye)

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  Travel Review : Kansas in June? Bring a portable fan, ice pack, and a personal umbrella holder because it’s HAWT AS **** (Or insert some other word that you wouldn’t want your child to use).  I drove to Kansas from St. Louis because I wanted to explore this state before I ventured back over to Missouri.  You want to know something that was interesting to me?  Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas City, Kansas are literally ten minutes away from each other.   NO… Seriously.. Ten minutes away.  I had to do a ton of research to find the right restaurant to go to but to find the right restaurant in Kansas and not Missouri.  The drive from St. Louis to Leawood, Kansas was only 3 hours so I was able to see some of the country scenery on the way there.  Dinner was at 5:30 p.m. so I killed some time by going to the Museum at Prairiefire (American Museum of Natural History Exhibitions) and catching a movie.  The museum definitely had a “natural history” feel to it.  The museum showcased “factual” events that happened over twenty thousand years ago.  Dinosaurs, Native Americans, and grassland was the topic of discussion in the museum.  I guess if you’re into history then this would be a pretty cool museum to go to, but….. I’m not so of course I got bored easily.  After going to the museum, coincidentally a movie theatre was literally steps away from the museum, and there was a movie I wanted to see called Central Intelligence? (Please… Wait for it to come out on dvd, no wait.. basic cable.  It wasn’t bad, but.. it wasn’t good, if that makes sense?)  Sometimes the hardest thing to do when I go to these states is actually finding something to do before I go to the restaurant.

• Restaurant Review : Food!  I decided to go to this restaurant called Rye.  What attracted me to this restaurant?  The selection of food, the interior design, and the reviews that were given.  The outside of the restaurant looked like one of those “salons” from the Western movies. I had to make sure I didn’t see tumbleweed cross the street to make sure I was in the right ear. *ques drums * The interior of the restaurant was very nice,  but like I stated it did have a western feel to it. Wooden tables, old winery bar, and wooden floors definitely helped form my opinion. They had a “chefs table ” that was close enough for you to see all the action that went on in the kitchen so I asked to be seated there.  My waiter JC, was definitely a helpful person as he suggested a drink but also told me why the drink would accompany the plates he recommended.  (As usual I let the waiter do their spill before interrupting them because Ive already done my research on the restaurant.) I started off with the blue crab hushpuppies for an appetizer, which was recommendee by JC. It was an awesome recommendation as I havent had hushpuppies in what felt like ages. The hushpuppies were stuffed with crab meat and accompanied with remoulade sauce. The hushpuppies were flaky on the inside and crispy on the outside. They didn’t hold back with the crab meat either, as you could taste it with every bite you took.  For dinner I decided to order two entrees. My first was the pulled pork shrimp and grits and the next was a woodfire lake superior walleye. Wait.. What is walleye? Nothing a quick google search couldn’t fix. Now, you would think walleye is a type of beef or pork of some sort but it’s actually fish! Its a fish that taste a little like chicken. Wait, what? Yes! Chicken. This dish had my head all confused when I was eating it, lol. It was served in a bowlvwith asparagus, onions, and potatoes with an asparagus broth. The dish wasn’t my favorite but I would recommend it for people to try atleast once. What didn’t I like about the dish? I think it was the fish that caught me off guard, I’m still thinking about it. My other course was pulled pork shrimp and grits which was amazing. The portion size was generous and the shrimp was definitely a good size. The grits were creamy, and the barbecue sauce from the pulled pork wasn’t over bearing. If you wish to play it safe for dinner I would suggest ordering that. Overall the restaurant was good and I would come back, but I wouldn’t be in a rush.

                            RATING- STUCK ON THE RUNWAY

• Where to Next?:  Let’s go back to St. Louis and eat some soul food for the day shall we? I want to eat breakfast this time so let’s wake up around 8 a.m, cool? Early bird gets the worm. See you soon!