Supper Club; Italian Style

Whoa whoa whoa!  Didn't I just do the July Supper Club post?!? 

You know it.  We crammed two supper club excursions into one month.  I'm kind of trying to cram an entire year of socializing (and blogging) into the month of July.  Because summer ends this week people!  And then it's back to crazy-Jamie with no life and nothing to blog about. 

Back to Supper Club.  For our second outing of the month we headed to Accurso's Italian Restaurant located at 50th & Main, right off the Plaza. 

We ♥ Supper Club!

We were joined by some Supper Club first-timers; Brooke & Brad.  It seems like our schedules never really match up and it's hard to schedule a dinner together... but I actually think that Brad was just scared to come to Supper Club because he thought I'd make him eat octopus.

Brad & Brooke... and no octopus.

Although there was a seafood pasta special that night which included octopus, I did not even encourage anyone to try it.  I'm not a pusher!  Well, except when it comes to alcohol I guess.  But if you come to Supper Club, you can order whatever you want!  I swear!

Even though there were lots of vegetarian options, I opted for my standard Italian restaurant choice: Eggplant Parmesan.

Eggplant Parm.

In case you've never heard, eggplant parm is like the least healthy thing you can order at an Italian restaurant because it's fried and smothered in cheese.  And it's delicious.  Accurso's eggplant parm was right up there with the best eggplant parm I've ever had.  It was lightly fried and crispy, not soggy.  The pasta was on the side, which I liked, because I wasn't interested in that. 

Drew ordered his standard of Chicken Parmesan.  And he said he liked it.  It's hard to get more description from him.

Yes, it is good.

Brad & Brooke both enjoyed their pasta as well, although Brad was a little bit dissappointed because he thought his was going to be spicy.  And it wasn't.  But there wasn't any octopus in their either.  So that was nice.

Brad stumped the bartender when he ordered a Moscow Mule.  But they figured it out and brought him an acceptable drink.  It was served in the wrong glass, but we aren't picky when it comes to booze.

Mule: Looks refreshing!

One of the best parts of Accurso's is that it is right next door to Glace, my most favorite ice cream spot in all of Kansas City.  We skipped dessert at Accurso's and opted for ice cream instead.  Delish!

I think we all agreed that the Accurso's experience was good.  The food was good, the atmosphere was good, the service was good.  They had a lovely patio with live music, but it was far too hot to think about that.  I don't know that it was the best restaurant ever, but I would definitely recommend it!  We had a lot of fun!

What's your favorite spot for Italian in KC?

You probably won't see anymore two-fers for Supper Club, but I'm determined to continue our year of trying new restaurants, even after the school-year consumes me.  We're already tossing around restaurant ideas for August, so give us a shout if you want to join us!  I promise I won't make you eat octopus!

Supper Club Goes Outside

July's been pretty hot, did ya' know?  Seems like that's all people have been talking about... but for real... it's hot out there.  The 100+ degree weather did not stop our supper club from taking to the streets this month.  We hit up the Crossroads for First Friday and some food truck fun.

Kansas City's food truck "culture" has been blowing up lately and part of that is thanks to The Truck Stop.  The Truck Stop is a parking lot located at 21st & Wyandott where the food trucks can convene when not out on the streets.  It's a great place to find lots of selection in roadie-eats. 

This way to good eats!

Britt & Scott joined us on our excursion out.  I've only been to First Fridays a handful of times, but it's always lots of fun.  There's tons to see and do.  And you really don't have to spend a ton.  Some stuff is even free.

How nice!

Food Truck Mecca.

When we arrived at the Truck Stop, we made our rounds to check out what was available.  They pretty much had it all; Mexican, BBQ, Sandwiches, Greek food, ice cream, hot dogs, and beer!  Some of the drivers even gave out samples.

BBQ Sampling.

Britt & I ended up at Crave KC which offered lots of gourmet sounding tacos. 

Mmmm... beer & tacos!

Showing off our goods.

The menu at Crave didn't feature anything vegetarian, but they were more than happy to sub out the pork in one of their specialty tacos for black beans.  Que Bueno!

Yummy Yummy Tacos.

Drew chose a Grilled Chicken Wrap from a truck called Deco Street Eats.

Nom Nom Nom.

Deco had lots of fun options, including mac & cheese.  I can't imagine they sold many mac & cheeses on that hot night, but maybe!

Street Eats.

After finishing our dinner, we joined a huge line for dessert; Sno-Balls!

Yummy!

We shared a Dreamsicle; orange slush topped with condensed milk.  Oh my goodness.  So yum!

Very good.

After that we walked around, checked out some art galleries, and did some people-watching.

Body Bags?

We found even more food trucks parked on a nearby street.  The Truck Stop was jam-packed with trucks, and I'm not sure how you get a spot.  But there is lots of over-flow with more varieties of trucks out there!

More trucks... in case you're still hungry.

The Pitch asked us for a pic and had us fill out photo release forms saying we might end up in the magazine!  After he took our picture though, I saw him photographing a gal in jean-shorts, a bikini top, and a blue mohawk.  I bet she beats us out... she seems more their style.  But at least I was able to have him snap a pic with my camera before he found people more interesting.

The crew!

It was early in the night, so the dance party hadn't really started, but there were a few guys break-dancing in the street.  We hung out and watched.

Dancer and mohawk girl.

More street-dancing.

The street wasn't technically closed, so occasionally someone would try to drive through.  Everyone was really polite and moved.  And one of the dancers would even break-dance the car through the crowd.  Just like your own personal escort.

Break-dancing escort.

Okay, before I end this post, I must show my age and talk about all the hipsters.  I get it, you're young, you're weird (do your parents know where you are?!?), but what is up with all the tights and shorts???  I mean, it's over 100 degrees out and every other girl I saw was wearing colorful tights.  Save those suckers for Fall!  It's one thing to suffer for fashion's sake, but that is just dangerous.  And I am old.

Anyways...

If you are looking for something fun to do this Friday, head downtown for First Fridays!  And GO to the Truck Stop!!!  You will find lots of delicious selections all in one spot.  The food is so good, you'll forget that you're sweating straight through your tights! 

The Balls & Chains go to the Lake.

I'm using the term "lake" very loosely here.

Kickball is over for awhile, which means so are our regularly scheduled drinking hang-out sessions with the crew.  We must have missed each other bunches because we decided to plan a trip to Centralia Lake AKA the land of the Bachmans.  It's north-eastern Kansas, almost to the Nebraska border.  Population 512.  No, really.

We made our plans, packed our suits, booze, and boat snacks and were all excited for a weekend on the water.  Imagine our disappointment when we got the call that there was a green algae alert and we weren't allowed to get on the lake.  We were all pretty bummed*.

But we decided to head out anyway.  We were promised a pool, fishing, and lots of fun, despite the lack of a lake.  With this crew, you can't really not have fun.

On Saturday, we immediately headed to the pool.  No use wasting precious UV rays.

Headed to the pool.

Let's just say we were not disappointed.  The pool was worth the drive.  It was maybe the most fab pool ever.

Fab Pool.  For real.

The fellas immediately took to the volleyball net and began what seemed like an endless game.  Seriously, they played all day long. 

Volleyball.  Whoop.

Not that we noticed.  The gals kept ourselves entertained with pool toys, summer shandy, and wedding talk.  Alexis {in the middle} is getting married!!!

The Chains.

After what seemed like (and was) hours of volleyball, a winner was declared.  We're so proud.

Volleyball Champs.

The real highlight of my day (which I didn't get a picture of) was the spiked watermelon.  Tracy brought watermelon soaked in Parrot Bay.  It was amazing.  Forget vodka!  Coconut rum is where it's at!

The Balls & Chains.

Rando pic of us & Bachman.

We weren't the only ones at the pool all day.  Miss Tess joined us, but she had her very own pool. 

Stop it.  How precious is she in her doggie pool???

Obviously I was sad and wished my puppies were at the pool with us.  Something about seeing other people's dogs act socially appropriate makes me wish our dogs could participate in social activities.  But alas, they can't.  They are far too naughty.

Before heading out, the volleyball champs insisted on another picture.  Shoot, we didn't even take this many pics when we won the entire kickball championship. 

Alright, we get it.  You won.

And obvs I had to get a pic of Izzo in his new game-day shirt.  Oh my, who's excited for football?!?

Honey Badger don't care.

Then we headed back to the Bachman's to shower up and prep for dinner.  Some of us kept drinking...

Jake is a booze hound.

After cleaning up we spent some time fishing at the pond.  Well, I didn't fish.  But I watched supportively and admired Mr. Bachman's garden.  I had serious garden envy.

Mr. & Mrs. Bachman made us an incredible dinner topped off with home-made ice cream.  I was in heaven... in Centralia, Kansas.  Who would have thought?

Dinner was followed by more drinks and good times around the fire-pit.  I love hanging out with Drew's college friends!  They end up telling hilarious stories... most of which I've heard before, but they still make me laugh.  I think that several cans of worms were opened around that fire-pit.  I haven't laughed so hard in a long time. 

Chris & Alexis... They're getting married!!!

Mandy & Izzo.  The fire must have been bright... he needed shades.

Tracy & Jamie; responsible for over-consumption of watermelon.

What a fun weekend!  I really can't get enough of these folks... and I can't wait for kickball to start (soon!) so that we have an excuse to hang out every week!

Thanks to the Bachmans for showing us a fabulous time!!!

*Psssht.  Not me.  This germ-a-phobe doesn't need an official alert to know that lakes are nasty, filthy, and full of yuck.