After School Snack

Spending time with my son is always a real treat, especially now that he is a Freshman in high school and has a social life that usually does not include his mom. All while he was growing up, I made our dining experiences around the Wichita area as frequent as possible. I wanted him to grow up comfortable in those settings. He's been ordering his own food since he started reading and is quite particular about his food. Certainly, he doesn't get that from me, right? lol....

Anyway, after school the other day, we decided to grab a light snack at Panera. I opted for the cinnamon chip scone and a low-fat mango smoothie. They were delicious. The cinnamon chip scone reminds me of the little cinnamon rolls my mother used to make when I was a kid. My teenager decided on not one, but two brownies and a cinnamon roll for a "snack" later. He usually does not eat a lot of sugary foods, but that day, he went all out.

Times like these are the best. We sat, drank, ate, and talked about school and friends. Times like these will be more scarce as he gets older, so I am taking advantage of it now.







 

Birthday Favorites - Old and New

Yesterday was perfect! My boyfriend finally turned 30! Yay! We decided to head over to our all-time favorite breakfast place, the Copper Oven. Yumm! I love this place! The coffee here is fantastic and the service is wonderful. The management team are all familiar faces and every Saturday, there is a line going out of the door to get a seat. It has truly become a gem to the Wichita area.

I decided on the mushroom and fresh spinach omelet ($6.82). The omelet is made with three eggs, sliced button mushrooms, a handful of fresh spinach, and topped with cheddar cheese. The omelet comes with their signature salsa, ranch potatoes, and your choice of bread side. I opted for the biscuit
and a side of cream gravy ($1.00). The biscuit is flaky and beckons you to dip each bite into the seasoned gravy. Ah! So tasty!

After we waddled to our car, we decided to drive down to the Farmer's Market located at 21st and Ridge. Big mistake! We drove right past. There was a line to get into the parking lot! Looks like we will have to arrive much earlier in order to walk around and browse the local hearty fare.


For dinner we decided to try a new place. We chose the Cactus Cantina and Grill. It is located on 2802 S. Hydraulic in Wichita. It's right next door to the very good greasy spoon, Fat Ernie's, a place we are known to lurk in every so often.

The Cactus Cantina has really good food! The menu states, 'If you can't go to Mexico, we'll bring Mexico to you.'


The salsa and guacamole are made fresh. The chips come out to your table warm. I ordered something from the "Real South of the Border" portion of the menu. It was the Teocaltiche Plate ($9.95). It was basically chunks of pork meat simmered into a special blend of spices. It came with rice, beans and tortillas. Sooooo gooood! My boyfriend ordered the #4 combination (9.95), which consisted of a chile relleno, beef enchilada, beef taco, rice and beans. That chile relleno was excellent! I loved that small bite of chile relleno almost as much as I loved my whole meal. It was that tasty!







Everything was to our liking. The manager was our waiter and he took excellent care of us. This is definitely a place we will come back to. If not for the chile rellenos, then definitely for the guacamole!

Sizzling!

The only time I usually come to On the Border is when I am craving a Sizzling Fajita Salad. This comes to you and topped at your table-side with sizzling steak and grilled onions. Get it with the Chipotle-Honey Mustard Dressing and savor all the flavors of AmeriMexican!

We went here for lunch and were taken care of by Mikey. Cool name guy! He was a fantastic server. Of course, I ordered my iced tea w/no lemon($2.19). We started off with the usual chips and salsa, but added a side of guacamole ($4.59). I love their guacamole!

I decided on my favorite craving of Sizzling Fajita Salad w/Steak ($9.99). Yumm! Cool, crisp lettuce and tomatoes topped with hot sizzling steak strips and grilled onions. I drizzle that delicious honey mustard dressing on top and go. to. town.


It's almost too much for one person to really eat. I never get to finish it all and everyone knows salad does not taste good later on in the day.


It was another successful dining experience for us. It's all about the service. Even if the food is correct, it's all about how they take care of it and you.

Salty, Greasy Goodness

We all know.... salt and grease are not good for me - or YOU. But the other day, I had the urge to eat something salty and greasy for lunch. I knew I wanted a cheeseburger, but couldn't decide where to go. What would you have done? It's like when you get that urge, that ridiculous food craving, and you just have to have it. Almost like when a woman is pregnant. Sooooo, I picked up the boyfriend and drove to Smashburger. This place rocks the salty, greasy, goodness!

I ordered the 1/3 pound mushroom swiss burger ($5.99) with guacamole (99 cents) and grilled onions (99 cents) added on. I also ordered a side of the fried pickles ($1.99) and a water to drink. Many have said this place is overpriced, but I would have to disagree. If you were to order the same burger and side in an actual restaurant with wait staff, you would pay the same amount. I mean, Outback Steakhouse isn't exactly charging the "$3.99 are you out of your mind!" meal deal. The price is just right here.

We sat out on the patio, enduring the strong Kansas wind. Whew! My basket wanted to move across the table right into my lap! The place was packed and the food totally hit the spot. That cheeseburger is just what I needed. The meat was hot, juicy, and the creamy guacamole smeared on the burger with the grilled onions and mushrooms was perfect and harmonious. The fried pickles were a little too salty, but the cool ranch dressing helped take the edge off.

I got my fix for salty, greasy goodness at Smashburger. Yumm!

Dear Anthony,
I know you hate the restaurant chains, but don't you ever have a food craving for something like this?

Even Better Than Ever

I just can't get enough of the Outback Steakhouse on the West side of Wichita. I did give the East location a poor review on Zomato, but I stand by my words and decision.

I must tell you of the experience I had today at the West location. Folks, if you haven't been here lately, you MUST GO!

My son and I headed here for lunch, straight from the airport. We were famished! After watching Survivor this past week and seeing the villains enjoy a fabulous dinner from the Outback Steakhouse, I have been craving the thousand island dressing they make fresh.

They have transformed the inside and parts of the menu. The former somewhat "rugged" look has been replaced with lit wooden panels and soft hues of blues and greens to accent the room. This spectacular restaurant feels warmer, a more romantic feel than before. This remodel was definitely an upscale re-do with the same familiar and friendly staff.

After we were seated, our server offered us a sample of their new strawberry and peach fresca a la shot glass. It was cute and quite refreshing, but I ordered my usual iced tea w/o lemon ($2.29).

The bread was different, but had the same great flavor. Our salads ($2.50) came out on lovely new square plates. I would pay good money to get the recipe for that thousand island dressing recipe. It's made fresh daily and you can taste it!
















Outback is always known for their excellent steaks. Knowing that, I wanted to see if they could do seafood the same way. I chose the Norwegian Salmon. So glad I did! They actually know how to cook salmon to perfection. I paired the Norwegian Salmon ($13.95) with the grilled seasonal vegetables and a sweet baked potato.

Okay now, if you are Logan's or Texas Roadhouse, listen up!!!! Your baked sweet potatoes come in a far second place behind this Outback Steakhouse. Yumm! Perfect sweetness of brown sugar and melted butter plays tingly little notes on your tongue. Oh, joy!




The salmon was cooked to perfection on their wood fire grill, so flaky and flavorful. I love the fresh mix of vegetables on the side. It was the perfect combination.

Service was absolutely outstanding. Our server was Tyler W. He did a fantastic job. The store manager even visited our table twice to make sure everything was perfect. This restaurant is definitely customer first!

We love coming here and usually dine here a couple times a month. As I have said before, it's better out West!