A Glass of Wine a Day Keeps the Doctor Away

An apple a day? A glass of wine a day? Tomato, tomato.

Friday Fit Day is upon us once again and we are doing our due diligence to ensure we're being fit and healthy. According to fitness experts, what you eat & drink is just as important- if not more important- than working out. 
(Don't ask us where this came from. It's just a thing we know.)

That being said-we believe it's completely justified to get our nails done. So, after work we headed to Polished Nail Salon & Spa in Power & Light. Here we can relax while working on our mental health (important) and have a drink or two to work on our heart health (also important).


Polished is extremely chic and the atmosphere is very tranquil. To the left you have the nail table, the center a large waiting area where you can look through the numerous nail colors, and to the right the pedi station. 

So many colors to choose from! 

Fortunately we had reservations because the place was packed! For those of you who frequent nail salons, you may notice when the salon is busy they tend to rush through the job. Not here! Our technicians were very thorough and did a fab job. 

We did get a tad nervous/confused when the saran wrap came out...Our legs were mummified! It felt pretty amazing though. 



Did we mention we got wine while we got our nails done? That is the definition of "treat yo self". After a looooong week at work, we definitely needed to relax, and there is no better way to do that than to drink wine while we get pampered. 

TGIF

K & J

Real life facts about the benefits of wine consumption ---> The American Heart Association

See, we did not make this up to feel better about skipping the gym to get manis & pedis....

It's the Final Countdown

We are less than a week away from biggest sports day of the year and Kansas City is gearing up for the celebrations!

There are a lot of places in KC offering specials for Superbowl Sunday, whether you're planning to stay in and celebrate at your house or a friend's or if you're planning to go out.
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Below is a list of just a few places that are having Sunday Funday deals
for the Superbowl:

The Well- $2 off brunch if you wear Patriots or Seahawks gear, Superbowl watch party, beer specials, and giveaways

Tanners Customer Appreciation Football Tailgate [Lenexa location] - play bags, beer pong, and washers. Food and drink specials.

McFaddens- Pre-game special starts at 3:30p. Specials include $10 nacho bar and $15 Miller Lite and Coors Light buckets. NACHO BAR!

Rosedale BBQ  - offering specials on catering for your group if you want to stay in. (We don't blame ya. It's going to be a frigid 34 degrees and maybe snow. Bummer)

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"Where will Kesh & Jac be celebrating?" you ask. You can find us at Casa de Kesh (Kesha's house, for those of you who don't speak Spanish) and we're preparing the essentials.
 

The Essentials:

Rotel dip? Check.

Pulled pork? Check.

Bacon wrapped lil' smokies? Check.

Getting hungry yet?

Dirt cake? Check. [We're aware this is intended for children, but trust us, it's still good as an adult.]

Crab rangoon dip? Guac? Puppy chow? Beer?

Check. Check. Check. Check.

 

Food for thought (pun intended)- is the meaning of this sacred sunday in the sports world being overshadowed by our love of food and beer? Or is the real meaning of Superbowl Sunday actually food and beer?

Be sure to #keshandjac to share how you're celebrating and your party preparations!

Let's go Chiefs!

-K&J

p.s. we're aware this year's battle is between the Seahawks and Patriots, but this is still Chiefs Kingdom

And here's a little something to get you in the spirit. It's the final countdown

 

You're welcome.


p.s.s. Dirt cake recipe. Because sharing is caring.

1 bag Oreos- crushed

8 oz. cream cheese
1 c. powdered sugar
3 c. milk
2 small packages of instant vanilla pudding
12 oz. Cool Whip

Cream together the cream cheese and powdered sugar. In a separate bowl, mix the milk, pudding, and Cool Whip. Add the cream cheese mixture. Layer the Oreos and cream cheese mixture then chill.

 

My night at the Capital

Yet another successful Restaurant week meal! My friends and I went to The Capitol Grille and oh my lord was it ever tasty. 

Although you have limited menu choices with Restaurant week, you still have quite a few options at Capitol. To start, you can choose from a blue cheese and bacon wedge salad, caesar salad, or clam chowder. I choose the caesar salad. Then you select a main main course and a dessert. Your table also receives fresh bread served with a salted butter, a side of creamy mashed red potatoes, and lightly seasoned green beans.

I apologize, no photo of the green beans...my table had already dug into them before I could snap a photo

The main course options were salmon, chicken, or steak. Everyone at our table chose some type of steak [Side note: Capitol Grille is an upscale steakhouse, and everyone knows you should always go for what the restaurant is known for] I opted for the Filet Mignon and the others went for the 14 oz (ya, they are not  messing around) bone-in aged sirloin. Although it sounds like you'd be getting more bang for your buck with the huge sirloin, I was NOT disappointed with the Filet Mignon. I cut through the meat like butta. It had immense flavor and was cooked to perfection.

You also have options to upgrade and add shrimp or lobster tail. I was tempted. but I am also kinda a poor kid and just eating there- even during Restaurant Week- was pricy enough for me. 

Now for what is typically my favorite part of any meal. Dessert. You have the choice between a flourless chocolate espresso cake or creme brûlée. I went for the creme brûlée as the rest of my table choose the espresso cake. I figured I could sneak a bite of someone's to try both...which I did ;) The chocolate espresso cake looks very small when it comes out, but it is packed with flavor. Extremely rich and had the consistency of fudge. The creme brûlée was very well done. The golden sugar topping to creme ratio was perfect. I cracked into the sugar topping and into the smooth cream, took my first bite, and was in heaven. It is topped with berries which added a needed freshness to the sweetness of the brûlée.  It was amaze-balls.

Earlier, I was able to blame my friends for jumping into the sides before I could get a photo...but the dessert is all on me. 

I would definitely recommend visiting The Capitol Grille whether it is Restaurant week or not. This is somewhere I could find myself going back to and even paying full price for. I have always heard great things about the food and I can see why. 

I'm getting hungry writing this post

-J

*Remember to comment below and let us know about your restaurant week experiences. 

Vegetarians Need Not Read

Kansas City knows it's barbeque and Q39 is no exception. Q39 is a restaurant and bar that specializes in BBQ and wood-fired grilling located in the 39th Street West district.  {Q39= BBQ on 39th Street. See what they did there?} This was my first stop for KC Restaurant week and I was not disappointed.

 

Q39's atmosphere is modern and open. There's a wall dedicated to the awards and trophies they've won for the barbeque- in case you're not quite convinced of how great the food is. It's family-friendly (there were lots of kiddos), but there's also a bar if you're wanting to grab drinks and apps with friends. Luckily, we made dinner reservations. Otherwise, we would have been waiting awhile for a table on a Saturday night, but even with a packed house the servers were friendly and service was pretty fast.

 



Lucas- my date for the evening

 



Nervous about the mass amount of food we were about to consume.

 



Appetizers: Onion straws with a mystery dipping sauce. I only say "mystery" because I don't remember what it was, but it was good. Pretzels and apple slices with some sort of cheesy goodness dipping sauce. Luke's meal: "The Judge's Platter"- pulled pork, brisket, ribs, cole slaw, potato salad, and corn bread. My meal: Grilled salmon, mashed potatoes, and grilled veggies. To summarize: Enough food to feed a small village.

 

Everyone I know has given me a lot of shit for ordering salmon at a BBQ place, but it was really good! Way better than the expensive salmon at The Plaza III - which is good because The Plaza III is a little too fancy smancy and expensive for this guy.

 

Because I was that girl who ordered the healthier option then stole food from her man's plate, I also tried the barbeque. The brisket and pulled pork were tender and flavorful. Luke inhaled the ribs and cole slaw before I could steal a taste, but he said they were delicious good [but only because he's a guy and isn't good with adjectives. He only uses four words to describe bbq: good, bad, or Oklahoma Joe's]

 

Vampires beware: The mashed potatoes were amazing, but a l i t t l e on the garlic-y side.

 

In my opinion, it's the sauce that makes or breaks barbeque and whatever kind Q39 uses is now one of my favorites. I don't recall there being a large selection of bbq sauce, but one is all ya need.

 



As full as I was, I still dominated dessert. Two desserts actually. Luke was too full, so I took one for the team. I ordered the apple crumb situation with ice cream for myself. Luke ordered the cheesecake (which was also for me).

 

Regretfully, we went to happy hour at Tomfoolerie's before dinner so we didn't have as big of an appetite as we would have liked. However, we did power through like champs and eat much more than our stomach's appreciated. Needless to say, we immediately drove home after we ate, watched a movie, and went to bed. It was 11:30p on a Saturday night.  It was more like 9:00p on a Saturday night and I'm embarrassed to say I actually think I got a headache from eating too much so laying down was the only thing I had the energy to do at that point.

 

I'm bummed KC Restaurant Week is over, but I'm glad I made sure to check this place out. I will be going back to Q39 sooner than later, but I will not eat right before going.

 

Until next year,

K 

Soooo much meat

Oh the glory of Restaurant Week- A time when simpletons like me can afford to actually eat on the plaza. My first stop for Restaurant week was this past Saturday. A small group of friends and I went to Fogo de Chao and ate our little hearts out. 

Fogo is a Brazilian Steakhouse right off 47th street in the heart of the Plaza shopping district.  

WARNING. You cannot just walk into Fogo de Chao. I don't mean you need a reservation (although you would be safer to make one). I mean you need to prepare mentally and physically before you enter this restaurant. I pretty much starved myself all day in preparation for the enormous amounts of meat I was going to consume. But it was DELICIOUS, so I suppose it was worth fasting for the 10 hours I was awake before our reservation. Skipping breakfast and lunch was extremely difficult for me..cause momma likes to eat. Even though I hadn't eaten all day and was famished by supper time- I still felt pretty ill after eating all that food. Which brings me to my second warning- don't make plans for after you eat there unless you don't mind walking around with a food baby and the meat sweats.

Now here is the big question- Would I eat there for regular price? I am not sure If I could get myself to pay $50 dollars for the regular meal. Don't get me wrong, the meats melted in my mouth and I didn't try anything that was less than phenomenal- but I could not eat enough to make me feel it was worth the cost.  Secondly, I am no vegetarian, but I do like a little variety in my meals. There is a great salad bar in the center of the restaurant with a plethora of sides including salmon, sliced meats and cheeses, and of course vegetables-both cooked and raw. Unfortunately, I did not have the time (or capacity in my belly) to spend at the salad bar or try all the sides brought to the table. The kind waiters just kept coming around with the mouth watering steak, chicken, and pork on their skewers-- how could I say "no" to more?! 

Each guest receives a card like this. Green means go (more meat) & red means no mo meat!

.... okay I guess I could have flipped my card to red, but I wanted to get my moneys worth! 

Fogo de Chao is a great restaurant. The food and service is impeccable. So shout out to my hungry carnivore friends. This place is for you! 

- J 

*Remember to #keshandjac and let us know where you go for restaurant week! 

A Little Sweat Ain't Never Hurt Nobody

Yoga Fix Studio is a great place to go if you're interested in sweating out last night's wine or detoxing from all the goodness you've been eating during KC Restaurant Week. We were initially intimidated by the idea of bending our bodies into pretzels in a 95 degree room-which is why we tried this out together. Safety in numbers.

 

 

 

Yoga memberships aren't cheap, but Yoga Fix Studio in Mission, KS offers some pretty good deals. There is a 30 Day Unlimited Yoga deal for $30 for new members that we both took advantage of previously.

 

 

This yoga studio also often offers "Friday Happy Hour" so the hot yoga session is only $5! [we suggest looking online or calling to check if they have the offer going that month] We like to go on Fridays because 1. it's $5 as we mentioned previously and 2. it's a good way to decompress and reflect on the week. We should warn you though- it gets EXTRA HOT on Friday nights because of the special. Don't let this scare you though because there is no judgment if you need to take a break to lay down on your mat. We've both experienced times when we've had to pass up a tree or eagle pose to avoid a dramatic scene of overexertion.

 

 

We definitely suggest trying this place out. The instructors are great and extremely helpful. There are always newbies in the classes so if it is your first time, you wont have to worry about being the only one. 

If you do decide to partake just remember to bring your towels, drink LOTS of water, and be ready to be a sweaty betty. 

 

In the words of Queen Bey, "A little sweat ain't never hurt nobody"

Today's musical motivation Get Me Bodied

p.s. If you work up an appetite during your 90 minute sweat session, there's a Town Topic a few doors down to satisfy a burger craving. We won't tell.

Namaste,

K & J

 

The doors open a little before class begins if you want to get a head start on stretching or to claim space for your yoga mat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Working for the weekend

The best part of living in Kansas City is that there is always something new to do.

 

From ongoing events like Boulevard Brewery Tours to ever-changing exhibits to concerts around the city- knowing there will be something exciting to experience over the weekend makes us dread working Thursday and Friday a little bit less.

 

We are currently midway through Kansas City Restaurant Week and there is still plenty of time to make dinner reservations or pop in for lunch at local spot to partake in the specials. We each ate our weight in food on Saturday night- K at Q39 and J at Fogo de Chao. Typically we don't order appetizers, entrees, and dessert in one sitting, but the Restaurant Week specials made us want to eat everything on the menus. 

 

In combination with Restaurant Week, here are some other festivities to get involved in this weekend.

 

Live music from 5-9p at The Cashew on 2000 Grand Boulevard. Bonus: Local artists perform! We all know some of the best talent comes from KC.

 

Chicago- The Musical [for those of you who are way classier than we could ever be] is available for your entertainment at the Kauffman Center for Performing Arts through Jan 25th.

 

If you can't wait until the weekend to get weird- The Dubliner offers Half Priced Whiskey and Wine on Wednesdays. Don't worry, we can't wait either! Wednesdays are for wine. And lots of it. Cheers!

So don't get the hump day blues! 

 Here is a more extensive list of what's happening in Kansas City that will blow your mind.

 

 We have no doubt that you've already determined what shenanigans you'll get into this weekend and that you have been reminded that there is a shimmering light and glowing bottle of wine at the end of this mundane tunnel we call the work week.

 

#keshandjac to keep us posted on what you explore around the city

 

-K&J

 

 

Friday Fit Day!

There is no polite way to say this- during the holidays , Kesh and Jac got fat. As you can see from all our posts we like to eat, so getting back in shape is no easy feat. (Just call us Dr. Seuss)  

Like millions of others living in America, we added “lose weight” to our New Years resolution, but we still couldn't stay away from the cookies. Or donuts. Or beer. Then Victoria's Secret kicked our asses in gear as we were both a little concerned with the state of our current swimsuit bodies when we received our Victoria's Secret Spring catalogue featuring this years swimwear.

How we feel when realizing summer is only156 days away. But who's counting?

With the help of Candice Swanepoel, we have figured out a way to help motivate ourselves AND give our readers some fun KC information.

Candice Swanepoel. In case you didn't know.



So, welcome to the first edition of Friday Fit Day.  We want to go around KC to find all new (and old) exciting places to work out. We will also let you know about any upcoming runs and fitness events.

We are members of a gym in Olathe and try and go everyday- but we're sometimes a leetle lazy during our work outs. To accomplish our goal of running two 5Ks and one 10k this year, we will sign up for different races around Kansas City and the metro! This really gives us both motivation because don't want to be the last to trot down the finish line.

Kesh, Jac, & our pal, Ashlee at our first Plaza 10k last September

Check out the KC Running Company calendar for upcoming races around Kansas City to get involved too.

Feel free to comment below and let us know about some of the ways you stay fit and healthy around KC!

-K&J

Here's a little musical motivation from B.Spears to get you to "Work B**ch"

Ça Va..Bien

Westport is probably one of my favorite areas to go out in Kansas City. It

is full of restaurants, bars, and even some cute shops. It seems there is

always something new popping up in the area, which is great since I love to

discover new places. This past weekend, a friend of mine invited me to one

of the newest additions to the Westport bar district, Ça Va. 

Ça Va is a champagne bar located right on the corner of Pennsylvania, so a pretty central location.

There is a vast variety of drinks available- including over 30 types of champagne and their own specialty cocktails.

We were there to meet a decently large group of people and ended up sitting at the bar as there wasn't enough space in the back. It is a narrow entrance and only a few tables scattered on the side by the bar top and a larger table in the back. Although it would have been nice to sit with the rest of our group, it gave us the chance to chat with the friendly and knowledgeable staff. Our bartender had great drink suggestions and everyone we spoke to was extremely personable. It was fun seeing the bartenders whip up different drink concoctions- these aren't your typical Saturday bar drinks! But when you have a bartender who has won Kansas City Bartending competitions- you expect the drinks to be good-- and they were amazing. 

The tables were lit by candlelight and the overhead lighting is very dim which made for a very intimate setting. I would suggest Ça Va for a drink date or if you are looking for an after supper cocktail.

http://www.cavakc.com/

Cheers - J 

What's happening, Kansas City?

If you're a self-proclaimed foodie like we are, you'll be just excited as us for our first edition of "What's Happening Wednesday"*

 

"What's going on in Cowtown this week?" you ask.

 

Drum roll please....

 

It's

Kansas City Restaurant Week!

 

 

 

 

By some strange chance you need an extra push to adventure into Kansas City for lunch or dinner, our favorite places- both new and old- are providing a week full of specials to entice us away from our kitchen stove and through their doors.

 

This is a good week to either try out a new restaurant or have an excuse to go to an old favorite. We've both already made reservations to a couple of places for dinner. With $15 for lunch and $33 for dinner January 16-January 25th, we're taking advantage of restaurants that are otherwise more expensive. The restaurants honoring the specials for the week are spread across the greater Kansas City area so you don't have to worry about battling traffic to get to the Plaza or downtown. There are also options in Lee's Summit, Lenexa, Prairie Village, etc.

 

Happy dining,

K & J

 

 

Click the link above for additional information and menu selections.

 

*Wednesdays will now be dedicated to filling you in on what's going on in Kansas City for the upcoming week. (In case the title isn't self-explanatory)

Is Gambling a Problem?

My husband is lucky to have me because I'm usually down to go to a good sports bar over a fancy restaurant. Particularly when sports are on- obviously. Basketball and football are my preferred sporting events for our viewing entertainment- we're Chiefs football fans and Lebron fans in our household. So gimme a KC Chiefs game or the Cavaliers and I'm good to go. Yes I said it. We are Lebron fans. Say what you will. Haters gonna hate.

If only we could bring the Kings back to Kansas City, or any other team for that matter, then we'd have a KC team to cheer for.



Love this Charlie Hustle shirt from The Bunker. www.bunkeronline.com

  

One of the reasons why I appreciate a bar of this type is because I thrive on competition and gambling* and this makes for the perfect atmosphere for said activities. I'm always ready for a friendly bet against my husband or really anyone who's up for losing. 

*This started at an oddly early age thanks to my dad betting a dollar against me for football games. Luckily, I'm not an addict. Not technically. I don't think... I'll let you decide. 

Luke's "Midwest" shirt is part of the Raygun swag I got for him (and a little for myself, too) for Christmas. Shirt found here http://raygunsite.com/collections/guys/products/midwest-map-1

 

During the World Series last fall, we were hoping to watch a Royals v Giants game at Westport Ale House, but the line to get in was around the building. Needless to say, we went elsewhere to watch the game and eat to avoid one of my hangry episodes, but we became aware that this was the place to be.

A few months later, some friends of ours were in town so we stopped by for a few drinks in the afternoon. They have a great selection and the atmosphere is very chill. Unfortunately we didn't stay long because we had a wedding to get to that evening.

More recently, were able to get a table for lunch during a college basketball game. I don't remember who was playing- Kentucky v Louisville? -  but I do recall winning a bet against Luke that day. Winning is all that matters. Am I right?

F I N A L L Y we were able to try the food!



I almost missed my chance to try these smoked corn dogs. Someone couldn't control himself while I was taking photos.

 

I ordered a southwestern wrap with fries and Luke ordered the Alamo burger with fries. The wrap was pretty good, but I could have just eaten a giant tub of the fries! Per Luke, the Alamo made the list of his top three burgers he's had in KC so far. {Yes- we make lists of foods we like! Don't judge.} Not sure what it was about the burger that was so amazing as he did not disclose this information. You'll have to check out Westport Ale House for yourself to find out.

http://westportalehouse.com/

Later,

K