December 09, 2005

A trip report, in lists

Three things that I like about Midwest Air:

  1. Extremely comfortable, leather Recaro seats with adjustable footrests. The aircraft was a Boeing 717 with only 4 seats across, so you're either next to the window or on the aisle— no getting scrunched in the middle.
  2. The crossword puzzle in their in-flight magazine was from Games Magazine.
  3. No packets of peanuts. Instead, they give each passenger two still-warm chocolate chip cookies.

Three things that I love about staying in a hotel:

  1. Fluffy white towels.
  2. Someone else makes the bed.
  3. Trying out the tiny little bottles of shampoo and conditioner. This hotel stocked a Bath & Body Works orange-ginger concoction that made my hair smell like Lemon Pledge. I actually kind of like the smell of Lemon Pledge, so this wasn't necessarily a bad thing, just odd. (Note: unlike many other trips, I didn't bring the half-used bottle home to use up.)

Three things that didn't particularly impress me about this hotel:

  1. Toothpaste splotch from previous guest still in sink. Ick.
  2. No Comedy Central (and, therefore, no Daily Show).
  3. Guest, one floor below, playing what sounded for all the world like in-room paddle-ball at 10:30 p.m. WTF?

Three excellent restaurants, and what I had for dinner at each one:

  1. Plaza III Steakhouse (Kansas City, MO): Grilled Atlantic salmon, Lyonnaise potatoes, fresh asparagus (steamed), and sauteed mushrooms in seasoned butter. Wine: a very nice Australian red. I didn't order it, so I don't remember what it was. Dessert: crème anglais with fresh berries.
  2. The Melting Pot (Kansas City, MO): Cheddar cheese fondue (served with raw veggies, Granny Smith apples, and pumpernickel and white bread cubes), mushroom salad (with Parmesan Italian dressing), Mojo Fondue (a vegetable broth seasoned with garlic, orange juice, and lime juice) - Seaside option (lobster, shrimp, scallops, ahi tuna, salmon, portobello mushroom). The Mojo/ Seaside fondue is served with veggies (red bliss potatoes, yellow squash, broccoli, mushrooms) and a plethora of sauces: "angry cocktail sauce" (lots of horseradish), curry yogurt sauce (fantastic with the lobster and shrimp), teriyaki (didn't try it), barbecue sauce (it is Kansas City, after all), herbed butter, a sour cream/ chive-y concoction (good with the potatoes and mushroom caps), and a port/ gorgonzola dressing. Beer: Boulevard Wheat. Dessert: chocolate fondue (of course!) with a splash of Chambord… served with pineapple, strawberries, bananas, brownie chunks, marshmallows, pound cake, and (saints preserve us!) cheesecake. Mooo.
  3. Bristol Bar & Grill (Leawood, KS): Excellent hot biscuits. Beer: Guinness. Sampled appetizers including bruschetta, lump crab cakes (heavy on the crab), calamari fried with jalapeños and carrots, remoulade sauce. Grilled tuna (seared on the outside, cool on the inside— perfect), served with roasted Yukon Gold potatoes and steamed asparagus. Dessert: chocolate birthday cake.

Three books that I read during my trip:

  1. Simon Clark's Vampyrrhic: I'm not a big Anne Rice fan, but this was gory, creepy, smutty vampire fun. A good airplane read.
  2. John Hodgman's The Areas of My Expertise: John Hodgman was recently on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart (clip available at areasofmyexpertise.com). He is a very funny man, and he has written a very funny book. I think his style of writing is contagious: this "writing in lists" thing is a lot of fun.
  3. Ruth Reichl's Comfort Me with Apples: More Adventures at the Table: I really want to like this book more than I do. I'm having difficulty identifying with (or sympathizing with) any of the characters so far. But it is an interesting story, and I loved reading about Alice Waters and Chez Panisse. Recipes are interwoven within the chapters, and I very much want to make Dottie's Spinach.

Three nice things about coming home:

  1. The view from the airplane as you fly into Logan, especially around sunset.
  2. Sleeping in your own bed. Cliché, but it's true.
  3. Staying home, drinking tea, and watching the snow fall, instead of being stuck in an airport in the midwest.

Posted by rv at December 9, 2005 01:16 PM to road trip
Comments

1) I like the whole "list" theme.
2) My friend's brother is a waiter at Plaza III. I wonder if he waited on you? I guess Stroud's isn't a business dinner-type place. :)
3) Geez, you read fast.

Posted by: Jay at December 10, 2005 02:37 PM
  1. If you do happen to read The Areas of My Expertise, you'll see where I got the list bug. It's very easy to come up with lists of 3 things; I found 4 to be more difficult than you might think.

  2. I don't remember our waiter's name at Plaza III. Todd was the waiter at the Bristol. At The Melting Pot, it was a fellow who was born in Kansas City, who moved to the UK at a very young age, and recently moved back to KC.

    3. Stroud's looks like it would be a fine place for lunch, but we were doing working (catered by the cafeteria) lunches. I had thought that the group might want to go out for barbecue at either Arthur Bryant's or Gates. There's also another one called Jack Stack, which I don't remember visiting when I lived out there. It's apparently been around since the late 50s, but I used to go to Gates.

  3. To be fair, I haven't yet finished Comfort Me with Apples. But if I have 4 hours of travel time, that's usually most of a book. And I usually read at the hotel instead of watching crappy TV.

Posted by: rv at December 10, 2005 03:20 PM