let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

I have to admit that I was a total KC naysayer when Noelle first told me she was moving here. When I heard "Missouri" I thought of dairy farms and horses which are fine and dandy but also BORING. KC may be a lot of things, but boring is not one of them. It's actually a tourist destination, which surprised me, and while shopping I met tons of people from all over Europe. Also, the Country Club Plaza has horse-drawn carriage rides a la Carrie and her Russian lover in Sex and the City. They take it one step further, though, with a special Cinderella carriage covered in pink lights!! I wanted to ride one SO bad, but that will have to wait for a future KC trip.



The picture, courtesy of www.prideofkc.com, doesn't do any justice to the magic that is the Cinderella carriage ride. When it's dark outside and snow is falling and the pink lights are twinkling...I can just HEAR the wedding bells of a romantic proposal! In the summer time, the plaza also does gondola rides on the currently frozen river nearby.

The plaza is dotted with a wide range of dining choices, from MacDonald's (ew) to The Cheesecake Factory (eh) to Houston's (yay!). I went to Houston's yesterday for a late lunch and it was totally fab! My twin sister is the manager there so my meal was on the house (oh hay!) and it was one of the yummiest free meals I've ever had.

I love Houston's because it's a chain that doesn't feel like a chain. This is nice because it has the consistency of a chain (you'll get the same meal in SF as you will in Kansas city), but the feel of an upper-end independent restaurant with their top-shelf ingredients and great service. The whole experience was perfect, delicious food, beautiful atmosphere, and my waitress was attentive but not overbearing. I ate solo and didn't feel uncomfortable at all during my meal. The greeter smartly sat me facing the kitchen, which was a lot of fun because it kept me entertained while I ate. I also loved that they bring you your own personal glass jug of water, so you never have to worry about running out because you can refill on your own.

I had the vegetarian burger with a side of acorn squash and they were both perfect. The veggie burger is a mixture of brown rice, black beans, and some kind of delicious red-hued sauce that actually made the "burger" taste (and look!) like lean, fresh meat. The acorn squash was so tender and sweet, and the crunch of the nuts played well off of the softness of the vegetable. I easily could have shared this meal with a friend, but since I was by myself I left off the top bun and only finished half of my veggies. Below is a picture from ahamburgertoday.com of a Houston's burger with fries, YUMMY!!



Oh, p.s., I found out yesterday that Sean Penn and his wife are getting a divorce which means I have a chance! I figure he'll be going through his mid-life crisis soon and will need some 20-something arm candy. Plus, it's totally in right now in Hollywood to date "normal" people.



We look so good together!!