Day 4: Kansas City

Day 4: Kansas City

On day 1, THB asked for an extra towel, we like to have three large ones. By day 4, they are starting to pile up, housekeeping is bringing three of everything every day (or it is six every days?)

Breakfast was off campus: we took a walk in the brisk and very clear air about 1.5 miles to the Blue Bird Bistro for super large plates of food: THB had a very good omelet and DB a huge pile of scrambled eggs, potatoes,  biscuit with excellent home made berry jam, coffee, $30.

That's a gluten free English muffin on DB's plate

Upstairs is an NCECA show:

Today is the first full day of the NCECA conference, so most of the day was spent attending lectures (given for most part by people who had at one time been on the bus with us) or wandering through several very well displayed combo galleries. Highlights (and a purchase):

This looks just like a enamel piece THB did in middle school
  

And now the purchase:

The smallest piece we could find, including those soft kiln
bricks

We thought about this one

Lunch at Brgr with Prof K and the two students DB and THB sponsored to attend NCECA plus a curator/journalist from LA (and good friends of Prof K). THB has a ground chicken/sausage burger and deep fried deviled egg (not quite like a deep fried Snickers bar the Scots eat), total for 6 is $120.

THB, Susi, DB, Prof K, Brian

Another couple of lectures, and the tour regroups in the late afternoon for a visit to the Nelson-Adkins Museum, for a viewing of yet another small NCECA inspired ceramics show. High quality, and THB gets to see another work by Adam Shiverdecker: a plane hanging from the  ceiling made of scaffolding and random pieces of ceramic. A number of years ago THB and DB saw Adam's work in Seattle just after moving into the loft and THB lobbied hard for a 12 foot version of an airplane to hang from the ceiling.

Not related to Lauren Mabry, and his work is a lot more expensive than hers!

From a video of Joey Watson playing his "instrument"

As THB and DB are about to leave the Adkins, there's a Jesus sighting:

THB and DB are dining at Michael Smith tonight and the bus departure from the Adkins runs late (so most of the group can have a drink and some snacks from the upcoming NCECA event at the museum). We pop off the bus at around 31st and walk the rest of the way along Main to the restaurant, a pleasant gradual downhill.

Dinner is a revelation: excellent food, a great waitress (the only one in the quiet dining room), half price night for Italian wines, a nice chat with Michael, and only about 10 people dining at the upscale side of the restaurant. We're the last two eating (Michael joins one other couple and they are softly chatting away while we're finishing up).

The restaurant offers a four course, five course and six course tasting menu. We re-arrange a four course meal (supposedly smaller portions, we got plenty of food):

First Course: pan seared foie gras with huckleberry, pound cake, black walnuts, balsamic (vinegar?) and salmon tartare with pineapple cubes, potato chips and lime bonita crema. The struggle begins when it comes time to share halfway through the course as neither of us want to give up his/her plate

Second Course: Avocado & Pea Tendril salad with sundried tomato leather (that's what it says on the menu), camezola  green goddess (dressing?) and Watercress & Bibb salad with pickled chanterelles, marcona almonds, Asian pear and the same struggle over sharing. The salad dressings are so light that you could taste the underlying components (not often found, and very welcome!)

Third Course: Eight Hour Roast Pork with scallion risotto, Jaliscan pico, pan sauce and Seared Sea Scallops with cauliflower, pearl onions, celery and morel sauce. Another struggle.

By now, we're full. We decide to share a small cheese plate to help with the last Pinot Grigio. Our attentive waitress won't let us get away with that, so there are two scoops of irresistible sorbet with the three (we only wanted two) cheeses to taste. She also tells us about the farmers market on Saturdays, not far from our hotel, and the upcoming initiation of a light rail trolley system opening next month.

$200 including a generous tip, and two very happy to walk back to hotel diners.