Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Not so hot

The summer has been hot in Kansas City and basically everywhere else. Today is not though. I enjoyed my coffee this morning while sitting on my front stoop watching people in my neighborhood leave for work. The air was a brisk sixty-eight degrees and made me absolute happiness. Of course I love a good sweat but I almost forgot that autumn is just around the corner in all this heat. I wouldn't complain if it stayed around this temperature for the next six months. I love sweater-weather.

Here is one of the songs I am working on today in my practice:
"Oh! quand je dors" Music by Franz Liszt, text by Victor Hugo. Soprano, Barbara Bonney and piano, Malcom Martineau. Enjoy!

Friday, August 5, 2011

Kansas City Eating

Wading back into the blog today with a quick comment on my breakfast. I went to ingredient for breakfast in Leawood, KS. It's a regional franchise and it didn't make me want to kill myself. Here is my breakfast breakdown:
  • Coffee is self serve and decent but not amazing (on the thin side). It will deliver your caffeine fix but not inspire any artistic revolution in your soul. So I guess it's just a matter of what you want your coffee to do for you.
  • Tomato basil egg sandwich (with two eggs, Gouda, toms/bas, on an English muffin) was like a fancy Egg McMuffin and I mean that in the best possible sense. I have however been regularly dining on tomatoes and basil (among other herbs and vegetables) fresh from my friend's gardens recently (as it is the season for such delights) so my palette has been spoiled. It was served with remarkable salty-herby home fries which the table agreed were exceptional.
  • Doughnut holes came out much later (as in significantly after the sandwich and taters were introduced and well acquainted with my belly) but were hot and fresh from the fryer. You can choose a variety of toppings for the "doughnut holes" (quotations necessary because the holes were the size of a nine-year-old's fist) and our were topped with whipped cream and strawberries (both of which were definitely trying their best). The serving size was ridiculously large and would definitely be best split as a dessert among at least four people. I don't care so much for a giant bowl of fried cake for breakfast myself, although many people do. Anyone out there that wants to eat more than one Belgian waffle for breakfast could probably handle the whole doughnut hole serving on their own.
  • FINAL VERDICT: Satisfying but not memorable. In fact every part of the experience left me with the desire to go somewhere else that does that one particular thing better. I missed table service desperately (especially at breakfast). At ingredient you order at the counter and they bring your food to you but drinks/forks/napkins are all self-serve. The doughnut holes would be better off advertising themselves as beignets but one bite in made me want to get up and drive to Jazz's who make beignets that make you want to get a job with benefits so you can spend all your time and money there eating them. For serious go to Jazz's (I've only ever been to the own in KC MO, fyi) and at least just get beignets and then you can die happily. The sandwich mostly seemed like something I could've made at home with minimal effort. Best thing about breakfast at Ingredient was the home fries and I wouldn't go just for them.
I promise I am not a cynical asshole. I just f-ing love breakfast.