Kansas City Girls' Weekend

My mother-in-law came to visit this weekend, and, despite having known my husband for (almost) half my life...this day and a half was the most time I'd ever spent with her! Guess I just like spending time with her son too much!

Jordan's midterm is tomorrow, so he basically spent the weekend studying (with the exception of a couple meals), which meant lots of time for girl activities!

Friday evening, we went to Gram and Dun for Lisa's birthday dinner. This GastoPub (neither-a-restaurant-or-bar, they told us) is holy-smokes amazing. First, we shared the French Onion Dumplings (Gruyère cheese, sweet onion broth & brioche croutons $9) - six to a plate, wonderful little bites of deliciousness. For an entree, I had the Loaded Baked Potato Gnocchi (house-smoked bacon, cheddar curds, sour cream, chive $17) and it was comfort-food-to-die-for. So delicious. Lisa enjoyed the Blackened Shrimp & Grits (served with jalapeño avocado gravy $19 - super spicy) and halfway through the meal, Jordan traded meals with her and she had the rest of his Cioppino (mussels, shrimp, scallops, tomato, white wine, roasted garlic, served with grilled bread $23). As you can see from the prices, this isn't your everyday restaurant choice. It's fantastic for a special evening or with out-of-town guests. I'm putting this on my visit-again list.

Saturday morning we definitely had to visit City Market. It was a bit of a drizzly morning, so the crowds weren't bad at all. For $7, I snagged a 5lb bag of potatoes, 1 pineapple, 1 green pepper, 1 red pepper, 1 yellow pepper, 1 cup chili powder, 1 cup cayenne powder (the spice scoops are huge, people!), 1lb blueberries. A great deal. Lisa got quite a few things, too, and couldn't get over the ultra-affordable prices. I hadn't been in a few months, and remembered why: when I go, I want to buy everything. I really do. It's pseudo-chef's dream (and probably real chefs, too). I also had to hold back from buying the adorable, pre-planted flower arrangements. I thought it would look perfect on the deck. And herbs. And succulents. And more flowers. And then I had to leave to protect my bank account.

After a quick sandwich lunch at the apartment, we headed out to Belvoir Winery. Set in the Odd Fellows Historic District, it was like driving up to an old plantation ... it made me think of Gone With the Wind, but I'm sure the imagery isn't right at all. The grounds were beautiful, and with the little gazebo set up with white chairs all around, I could just imagine spring and summer weddings happening outside. Lisa and I have similar tastes in wine: we love anything sweet. We enjoyed our wine tasting, and Lisa bought the two dessert wines ($13/bottle): 

• Lucky Pierre - Sweet red dessert wine.  Concord is the base grape used for the blend, also a blend of raspberries and cranberries.
• Sorelle Dolci - Sweet white dessert wine.  Symphony and Cayuga grapes are used for this delicious blend.

We finished out our day at The Elms Spa. Every spa service comes with free access to the Grotto (normally $55/person!), which is a steal when you get a $30 basic manicure (like me!) or a $40 basic pedicure (like Lisa!). We arrived 2.5hrs early for our appointments to enjoy the Grotto. Upon arrival, you're given a plush robe and directed to the women's locker room area. After donning your swimsuit, you're led to the Grotto. The room was smaller than I imaged it would be, and I was worried we'd be bored with 2.5hrs to "kill" - I was mistaken though. It was wonderful to lounge, sit in the hot tub, cool down in the Cold Plunge Shower, then make our way to the Steam Shower to use our sea salt exfoliation. Then it was back to the Cold Plunge Shower (they told us to be sure to keep ourselves cooled down between use of the heated stations) and then into the Steam Sauna or the Dry Sauna. While lounging, there was also a large bowl of damp, peppermint-scented washcloths covered with ice.  Just drape over your face, lounge, and drift off for a nap. This is a perfect girls' escape (or a romantic date!), and I'm thinking it would be fun to get a small group together and go for the afternoon. 

Saturday night, we tried a Marty's bbq - a new bbq place within 5mins of our apartment. Jordan was hoping to find a gem in the city, but the food was nothing special (in fact, the meat was pretty tough and everything else was just ordinary). We wouldn't recommend it. (And the website made the advertiser in me cringe.)

It was a lovely, relaxing weekend. (Lisa and I even squeezed in time for some successful shoe shopping!) 

What are your Girls' Night/Weekend recommendations?