Jin Shan: this is a great buffet- you will not be disappointed here for many reasons

Once of our favorite buffets for several reasons. Of course you can order off the menu but we prefer, always, to try the buffet which features well prepared and tasty Chinese, Japanese and Sushi and more. The price is right to dive into the buffet and start with the hot and sour (great tasting with sourness to it) or egg drop soup (not bad either with a little extra flavor). The buffet selection is enormous and my kids in particular, like going here when I come to Lawrence to meet them (they are living in New York City). . My kids love sushi and they introduced me to sushi. I know of no other place to get sushi reasonably priced, well made and fresh. (You can watch as they make it). Different kinds, set out but I particularly like the fried sushi which I think is the best as it very unusual and crunchy plus I life the flavor. But I like all of them. Little soy sauce and some green "wasabi" condiment and you are good to go Here is where I come if I am in Lawrence and want sushi. I mean for the price why would I go anyplace and then after your sushi "fix" there is so much more. else. They have unusual dishes like good roasted chicken or duck, nice and moist Asian salmon, several types of crab dishes and mussels. The crunchy and meaty chicken wings are great. The fried noodles and Chinese rice are good too. The tried and true broccoli and beef, is always good as well as many other Chinese dishes (chicken, beef, pork, seafood, vegetable). I really like the flavor and the "spin" that their chefs here put on even the common dishes. There are also frog legs, mussels, shrimp of different kinds (boiled, in shell, steamed, in combination dishes) and much more. You have to come here to believe the kinds it offers and all consistently excellent and piping hot. There is also ice cream dessert, puddings and more to finish off your meals. The staff is courteous and polite. It might be a little out of your way ( couple miles from the main drags in Lawrence but its on the way coming in or going out to Kansas City on Highway 10) but it is worth it at a very reasonable price for lunch or dinner. When I am stormchasing and come back through Lawrence from Topeka, I usually stop here too. So wether you are chasing, riding around Lawrence and have never tried this place, you are really missing out! For sushi, the Asian fare, the price, the tastes and different types of dishes from the unusual too, you can't beat it.

If you come to Cici's Pizza you really come for this not the pizza

Who doesn't like pizza? There are so many places to get pizza when you want a pie but where do you go? Once in awhile when we really get a craving try a chain pizza place which is usually not what we do. (the real reason coming up). If we want to try several types, at a cheap prize plus salad bar and drink for free we go to Cici's for the 2 special for $10. There is pastas for sauces ( tomato and alfredo type) too, passable but edible salad with croutons and salad dressings. The best pizza is the margherita and some other ones are okay. The buffalo chicken pizza is okay but it would be better with larger chicken pieces (which are are so miniscule you hardly taste the chicken. You get free pop. lemonade etc with refills . You can even ask the pizza makers to order up you own pizza if the types have not come out in a while. But the thing that we really come for and you should be too, is the "to die for " warm stick buns. They are rich, gooey and if you get them right when they come out of the oven, they are even better. The chocolate pizza and fruity one are not bad for dessert either but these buns are the best ( I mean some bakeries you have to pay $5 just for a good dessert bun). So I like I say want real good pizza try some other place. Want cheap passable pizza but gooey buns try cici's

So how was your Passover?

Passover is a holiday I don't mind at all including the Sedars and matzoh. I just try different recipes and try new meals.
Most people know that Charleton Heston (sorry Moses) led the Hebrews out of Egypt and were pursued by Yul Brenner (sorry King Pharoah) and were saved when the waters crashed in demolished the The Egyptians).

The Sedar plate has the bitter herb ( on the top right) that symbolize the life in Egypt when the Hebrews were slaves.

After the traditional prayers, reading of the Hagadah book and drinking of wine, we eat usually something green like parsley . We dig into the haroses, bitter horseradish ( I like the one use that looks red as it has Beet Juice in it). On matzoh, it is supposed to burn a little in the throat. Then trying some with charoses (nuts, fruit and more mixture) calms things down.

Some people don't like gefilte fish but I really like it as a side, snack or with meal especially with the horseradish. There are sweet kinds and less sweet.
Then we have chicken soup with the venerable matzoh balls. We break ours up and add some matzoh.
The rest of the meal consists of vegetables (like asparagus), sweet salmon (reddish), roasted vegetables ( eggplant, peppers and more), brisket, jello mold, fried potatoes. But my favorite is the sweet sour meat cabbage rolls. I finally made them myself this year and they came out pretty well but I am still experimenting.



































Since I began dating my wife, we always went to the first sedar to her friend's house in Overland Park. We still do and it always super . However this time I could not taste a lot because I had a cold but I still ate.

What's a Barramundi anyway? Isn't a truffle a fungi?

My wife and her pals went to Room 39 (Westport in Kansas City, MO) for one of their monthly outings. She usually brings back a sample for me to try and the menu (I collect them) so I can look it over. The menu changes daily (at the whim of the chef which is not all that bad!). This day there were 3 soups/ salads, 5 appetizers, and 7 (beef [kobe and ribeye], pork, fish, steak, seafood, risotto) entrees. My wife got the Barramundi. Isn't that the name for one of those furry fox like Rainforest animals that has a long tail? No. The Barramundi is a Australian fish which is considered one of the finest eating fish. It has a sweet mild flavor, delicate texture and is versatile for cooking. It is also healthly too because of its Omega 3 Fatty acid content. Barramundi was a pan seared entree with roasted potatoes (good) eggplant and oyster mushrooms (could not tell which was which) with a sherry - beet sauce (which my wife raved about). It was a thick chunk of fish the sample that I got, flavorful and yes sweet. Sorry but it reminded me of English "Fish and Chips " without the batter on the fish. She thought it tasted like trout but I did not think so.
Her friends had scallop etc which they liked. My wife said the desserts they tried were huge. She brought me home a truffle. My wife liked it . She said the chef kept bringing thing out for them to try like the truffle. I thought wow one of those mushroom things (the fungi mushroom that pigs dig up in France and are used in fancy recipes). No same name but they are chocolate. The one I ate was a dark one like the one in middle of the photo. I had heard about the name before. Round and very smooth chocolate flavor. I chewed it slowly like you are supposed to do. Very rich. Entrees ranged from $20 to $27 .


Barramundi
http://www.australis.us/
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barramundi
http://www.theworldwidegourmet.com/?action=ingredient_show&id=545&lg=en
here are two recipes if you ever found it or something like it
Pan-Seared Barramundi with "Caruru"
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_24260,00.html
Thai marinated BBQ recipe
http://www.lifestylechannel.com.au/factsheets/recipe.asp?id=1420
truffle
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truffle
http://www.mykoweb.com/cookbook/truffles.html
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_29057,00.html

Cafe on the Route a dive in Kansas:NOT!

I hate boring food.
When I go out to eat I want to "remember the experience and not that I just ate something I do all the time."
While watching the Food Networks Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, I noticed that this cafe was in Kansas. Historical Landmark and more.
The chef likes to try new things and keeps his customers happy with food the locals like. Sounds like they have quite a following, had great prices and a great menu. Not just the "same old stuff either ." It is nice to see some "MOM and POP" places doing some innovative food that makes the regular stuff more special. I hope to visit and eat there in the future.
I need to try this place when I am close by while I am stormchasing and near the KS/OK border. The place Baxter Springs is on the STAR.
If you try it let me know.

Cafe on the Route
1101 Military Ave.
Baxter Springs`, KS 66713
Tel: (620) 856-5646
from me Olathe, KS
Total Est. Time: 2 hours, 34 minutes Total Est. Distance: 139.31 miles
Website: www.cafeontheroute.com
A WIDE VARIETY OF CUISINE, INCLUDING THE 14OZ COWBOY STEAK SERVED WITH TOBACCO ONIONS, AZTEC CHICKEN, FLAPJACK RIBEYE, TURKEY MARCEL, AND THE WALNUT AND ALMOND BREADED CATFISH, ARE A FEW OF OUR PATRONS FAVORITES
http://cafeontheroute.com/_wsn/page2.html