Celebrate Spring this weekend at Somerset Ridge. Their wine cellar is fully stocked (Chardonnay is back!) and they have great live music in the vineyard Saturday and Sunday.
Spanish/Flamenco guitarist Jarrod Stephensonreturns this Saturday to entertain you on the veranda. The talented Jayson Kayne, a newcomer at the winery, will be singing and playing for us on Sunday.
Its a great time to stroll through the vineyard to see the young green shoots emerging from the vines. Tasting Room is open Wed.-Sat. 11 to 5 & Sunday 12 to 5.
April 29 — Wine & Tapas event this Friday at Hereford House in Independence! For $30 per person, you’ll enjoy a Night of Local Fare, including tastings from both Somerset Ridge and Amigoni Urban Winery. The chefs at Hereford House have designed a special menu of Spanish, Asian and American tapas for you to enjoy. This will be a great evening to kick off the warm weather season. 7-10pm.
May 5 — From 5-9pm celebrate Cinco de Mayo at ARTichokes in Mission Farms! Come by for a glass of wine and the opportunity to see the works of 27 of Kansas City’s most talented artists before stepping down the sidewalk to enjoy one of Mission Farms many local restaurants. ARTichokes is located in Mission Farms at 10557 Mission Road.
May 7-8Miami County Farm Tour Weekend — Come enjoy a day in the country and taste the freshness! A free, self-guided tour, you can visit as many tour stops as you like while traveling in the comfort of your own car. You and your family will love the emus, alpacas, free range chickens, goats, blackberries, pecans, Herefords and of course, wine! Check the Miami County Farm Tour site for complete tour info! Great live music will be on the veranda both afternoons!
May 14-15 Weekend — You won’t want to miss Saturday, May 14 because Laura Lisbeth will be singing and playing! But it’s actually a very tough call because Jordan and Michael will be playing their dueling guitars on Sunday. Hmmm…what is a wine drinker to do with so many choices?!
June 11 Art in the Vines! — More info soon but this is their annual event designed for maximum fun and enjoyment. 25 of the region’s top painters will display their works among the vines. You’ll be able to enjoy a bottle of wine, take a walk through the vineyard, all while enjoying the beautiful art from the Kansas City area’s most talented artists.
Join the award-winning restaurants at Mission Farms the 2nd Tuesday of every month for the traditional Progressive Dinner. This is your chance to try them all!
1)Make a reservation by calling ARTichokes at (913)322-9481 by Thursday, May 5 at 4pm.
2)Cost is $45 per person + gratuity and tax, paid in advance.Menu is fixed (includes 4 courses, plus coffee and tea).
3)Arrive at Blanc Burgers at 6pm and progress from there.
Menu
Blanc Burgers – Grilled Chili Garlic Shrimp with a
Mango preserved arugula salad tossed in herbs, lime and ginger
Blue Koi – pot roast soup with crispy shrimp rolls
Avenues Bistro – Chicken Roulade stuffed with Prosciutto,Fontina cheese and Fresh sage, served over Garlic Spinach, with Marsala Reduction.Dessert by Natasha’s Mulberry and Mott. Wild strawberry bavarian with stewed rhubarb, Basil ice cream, almond meringue crisp, candied basil and blackberry coulis.
This past weekend I attended the opening day of the Brookside Farmers Market. This market features some great vendors with great local products. Some of the vendors included Wells Family Farms, Nutressent, Bread of Life Bakery and offered locally raised meat and eggs, homemade soaps, homemade breads, all the greens you can imagine and much more including Green Dirt Farms fresh sheep’s milk cheese, which looks to be a favorite of the day.Slow Food Kansas City hosted a tent that shared information on their organization and also had a cooking demonstration from Chef Jasper Mirabile of Jasper’s Restaurant. Chef Jasper grilled a rack of lamb from Homespun Hills farm from Baldwin City, KS. I have a couple of lamb chops in my freezer I have been trying to find a recipe for and this is it! In addition to the lamb, Chef Jasper also made a pasta dish using fresh spring garlic from Blue Door Farms. This pasta dish could not have been any simpler and I cannot wait to make these dishes at home. The lamb recipe is from Jasper’s Kitchen Cookbook.
Nana Jo’s Grilled Lamb Chops 3 (1 pound) racks of lamb 4 to 5 mint sprigs 1/2 cup olive oil 1/2 cup mint jelly 2 to 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced Pinch of red pepper flakes 5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar brown sugar to taste
Trim any excess fat from racks of lamb and cut away any excess tissue from the long, thin bones. Cut each rack of lamb along each bone into individual chops. Each 1-pound rack should yield about 8 chops.
In medium mixing bowl, thoroughly mix the olive oil, mint jelly, garlic, red pepper flakes, vinegar, and brown sugar to taste. Reserve some of the mint sauce in a separate bowl for dipping the cooked chops.
Heat the grill. Place the chops on the grill and cook to your desired doneness, periodically brushing the chops with the mint mixture. Serve the chops hot off the grill with reserved mint sauce. For the pasta, cook according to package direction and set aside. Heat some olive oil in a pan, slice fresh spring garlic and saute. Toss pasta in olive oil until heated and serve. If you have a great food find in KC you think I am missing, email me.
The 10th Annual Village Crawfish Festival takes place on May 7 and it’s a party to celebrate the coming warm weather. Hosted by the Secret Order of the Crawdaddies, a group from Prairie Village, the Festival features 700 lbs. of crawfish, a pig roast, red beans and rice, beer and wine, and dancing to party music of local favorite Ernest James Zydeco.
Village Crawfish Festival benefits two important charities: Head Start of Shawnee Mission and Kansas City Young Audiences. Last year, more than 600 people attended the Festival, which raised $18,500 for Head Start. This year, the SOC added Young Audiences to ease the sting of Kansas’ budget cuts for the arts.
If you read my post a few months ago on Manifesto, you can now see those drinks come to life. Enjoy this video as I chat with Owner Ryan Maybee and indulge in some serious cocktails.
I want to thank Darron Story from Straight Out of KC and his camera man Carlos Lopez for helping me put it together.
Straight Out of KC is going feature philanthropic information as well as Kansas City’s best restaurants, diners and entertainment!
I had a fun day hanging out with Ryan and getting the scoop on all the great cocktails. I have included some behind the scenes pictures from the day.
If you have not had the chance to check out Manifesto or The Rieger Hotel Grill and Exchange, you are really missing out, the cocktails are amazing and the food is incredible. Make plans to visit soon.
