1 dollar does make me holla!

I took advantage of a great deal for restaurant gift certificates. I paid $1 for $25 GCs which is 90% off discount off the usual $10 for $25 GCs.

It's to celebrate 9-9-09 for 99 hours (not sure why other than it's a cool numbered date)

All you do is go to restaurant.com and use the code "NINETY" to get the discount when you checkout. Once you buy them, you don't have to wait for anything in the mail. You can just print out your certificates. Most, if not all, GCs expire after 1 year after date of issue.

However, most GCs have fine print and qualifications such as minimum purchase amounts or excluding alcohol and dining must be on certain days. Make sure you read that before purchasing...but at $1, you can't really go wrong. For GCs with big minimum purchase, I figure I just get a couple friends together and we can all save. It's a great way to try out new restaurants too.

I ended up paying $5.00 for five $25 giftcards to the following restaurants in the KC area:

• Jazz, A Louisiana Kitchen
• Tatsu's French Restaurant
• Ari's Greek Restaurant
• Pierpont's Union Station
• Teocali

source: http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?t=1547585

Soul Food Done Right!

It had been a while since I feasted at a buffet, but Peachtree hit the spot. I'm usually always looking to try something new, but sometimes the basic, home cooking comfort food is really what the taste buds need. I went to the place at about 2 on a Sunday afternoon and it was packed. Sundays usually has a big church crowd, but even late afternoon, there is a huge line to get a seat. But they've been in business so long that they knew exactly how to handle rush effectively with a relatively short wait.

Peachtree is all about soul food. They have two locations in Kansas City. I went to the original buffet location which gives you the bigger bang for your buck with a day to day varying buffet menu. They also have a fancier location with free live entertainment at the 18th & Vine Jazz District that might be moving to the new Power and Light District.

Southern Fried Chicken, beef brisket, neckbones, candied yams, collard greeens, cornbread, peach cobbler, salad bar are just some of the items that were on their Sunday buffet menu. Peachtree's fried chicken is fresh, hot, full of flavor. But the great thing about the chicken is that their batter is light, crisp and not too greasy. Neckbones were so good with the meat just falling off the bone...I had to get seconds. Their beef brisket was somewhat plain but still flavorful. Even the dinner yeast rolls were delicious.

Their array of desserts was just great. Candied yam, peach cobbler were my favorites, but you really can't go wrong the others. I'm definitely hitting up the place to try their baked catfish, smother porkchops and other daily feature items.

map: 6800 Eastwood Trafficway, Kansas City, MO 64129 (buffet location)
phone: (816) 923-0099

That's a Wrap!

Yum. Longboards is a refreshing little place to grab a wrap. I've often called it the Hawaiian-Asian version of Chipotle.

Longboards is very popular for their Hot Panini Style wraps that are grilled nicely. My favorite is Cabo Beef which has seasoned beef, rice, blend of cheese and sauce that has a perfect asian-hawaiian-spice kick. They also have cool style wraps, bowls, fresh pasta and potato salads along with a daily special that ranges from sushi salads to some of the best soups I've ever had. If you want to test your spiciness tolerance, check out their their alarms sauces (ranging to 1 to 5 alarm) that go with some of their spicy wraps.

The place is like a little surf shack off the beach. It's owned and run by a Hawaiian family too. The decor features many types of surfboards, tikis, bamboo, hawaiian flowers and photos that bring a Hawaiian flair.

The place isn't really well advertised and it's easy to pass by since it's in a strip mall. But that might explain why the prices are very affordable. Most wraps cost about $5. It's one of the places on my list to take friends that visit Kansas City.

map: 6269 N Oak Trfy Kansas City, MO 64118
phone: (816) 454-0008

Wine and Dine

Classy, sophisticated, refined. JP Wine Bar and Coffee offers a great social atmosphere for a date and a group of friends looking to explore wine and cheeses. They offer a great selection, flights of cheeses and wine. Perfect for adventurous people. Inside you will find a dim light setting with nice simple decor and some modern flare including a big LCD screen showcasing part of their menu. The wait staff and servers were very friendly, helpful, quick and attentive.

I recommend going with a group of friends where you can split a couple bottles of wine. We got bottles in the $30 range. That's about the most expensive wine I've ever had but it was worth it. One of the wines we got was Pinot Grigio. It's a white wine that was very crisp and very smooth. I don't think I want to go back to cheap wine :-)

map: 1526 Walnt St, Kansas City, MO 64108
phone: (816) 842-2660

BBQ meets Blues

Great BBQ, crowd and music really made B.B.'s Lawnside BBQ restaurant an enjoyable, yet unique atmosphere.  I was skeptical at first given the area we were driving through.  Once you get there, you find a down to earth family owned place. The owners Lindsay & Jo Shannon were extremely friendly and seemed to be very caring and interactive with their customers.

As with any new place, I went for their signature dish or combo.  I got their B.B. King Combo which included ribs, italian sausage, choice of beef, ham, turkey or pulled pork (i got the pork) with battered potato wedges and pit beans. The ribs were ok...little on the dry side but had a great smoke flavor.  I was a fan of their pulled pork and beans.  Their beens had burnt end pieces that put it over the top with a lot of flavor. Their BBQ sauces is pretty good.  I went with the non-spicy version just because it was a little sweeter.

This place is really known for bringing some great live blues music.  By chance we got to see Trampled Under Foot who are on the rise after winning the 2007 Kansas City Blues Challenge nominated for Pitch Magazine's 2007 Music Awards "Best in Kansas City" blues category. They are also Memphis bound for the International Blues Challenge.  

I bought both their CDs, met the band and wished them luck but I doubt they'll need it.