Vacation Report: Kansas City, Renaissance Faire & Jack Stack BBQ

Kansas City: Arrival

Kansas City: Grünauer

Kansas City: Renaissance Faire & Jack Stack BBQ

The Renaissance Faire

Confession time – until this weekend, I had actually never been to a Ren Faire. Upon learning that it would be available, it was decided that we would be attending (after some needed recovery from the travel, of course) and rectifying this! This particular faire actually lasts for multiple weeks, with different events each week.

It's TIME!
It’s TIME!
St. George vs. the Dragon!
St. George vs. the Dragon!
Carrie the princess!
Carrie the princess!
Carrie and I with my new mug
Carrie and I with my new mug

We took our time exploring the wares and outfits, admiring the craftsmanship of many of the items for sale. One of the merchants, Dwarf Mountain Knives had made some beautiful knives, and both my girlfriend and I saw one that we felt was perfect. It was very reasonably priced for a hand-worked blade, and felt well balanced (and solid!) in my hand.

My new knife
My new knife

20160904-RenCards

We also came across a craftsman (Clay Images) who made quite a few incense burners and water fountains in the shape of adorable dragons. Unfortunately, I neglected to capture pictures of these creations, but I foresee one entering our house in the future…

Feeling a little peckish, I opted for traditional Faire fare: a turkey leg. Served hot, it really hit the spot!

De-freaking-licious!
De-freaking-licious!

Prior to leaving, we made our way to the puzzle-ring stand, and noted that they also sold pendants. I fell in love with one with Odin’s runes on both sides and purchased that as well.

Odin's Pendant
Odin’s Pendant
The back of Odin's Pendant
The back of Odin’s Pendant
Information on Odin's Pendant
Information on Odin’s Pendant
More on Odin's Pendant
More on Odin’s Pendant

Dinner at Jack Stack

20160904-BBQMenu

For those not familiar with Kansas City BBQ (admittedly, I was not familiar with it by name, but was in the underlying methodology), it involves a slow cooking process where the sauce is involved at multiple steps. This is different from Carolina or Texas BBQ, where sauces are added at different stages, or rubs prior to cooking, and so on. Jack Stack BBQ is one of the highest rated BBQ establishments of this style in the area, so we knew we had to pay them a visit.

We started the evening with fried mushrooms, onion rings, and burnt-ends (of ham and sausage, in this case) before ordering our entrees.

The tower of onions
The tower of onions
More mushrooms!
More mushrooms!

I opted for a sirloin with Parmesan broccoli with hickory smoked pit beans (with brisket!), with others ordering various combinations (lamb ribs and beef burnt ends… brisket and baby-back ribs… and more!), and salmon. The pit beans were a favorite all around – I can see why they are as popular as they are with regulars!

Sirloin with Pit Beans
Sirloin with Pit Beans
10oz of Salmon? Nom!
10oz of Salmon? Nom!
Closeup of the potato
Closeup of the potato
Brisket and Pit Beans!
Brisket and Pit Beans!
Burnt Ends and Pit Beans
Burnt Ends and Pit Beans
Beef Burnt Ends, Lamb Ribs, and Potato
Beef Burnt Ends, Lamb Ribs, and Potato
Veggie Skewer
Veggie Skewer

Vacation Report: Kansas City, Grünauer

Kansas City: Arrival

Kansas City: Grünauer

Kansas City: Renaissance Faire & Jack Stack BBQ

20160903-GrunauerEntrance
The exterior
I love exposed beams!
I love exposed beams!

For our second day, we opted for a fairly low-key start as we had been traveling well into the night (not arriving in Kansas City until midnight), and we wanted to be well-rested for our Rennaisance Faire adventure plans the following day. Our hosts mentioned many restaurants but two really stood out, so we knew we had to make time for them. Grünauer and Jack Stack BBQ. For our first night, we opted for Austrian.

Grünauer was founded by an Austrian family, and is still run by the same family. The food is carefully prepared and presented, taking additional care to remain true to tradition. The menu offered a wide variety of options, so we made sure to try a few different things. We started the evening with drinks (a Racing Bird, similar to a spicy margarita), and ordered appetizers: a plate of Austrian meats and fried mushrooms served with tartar sauce.

The Racing Bird
The Racing Bird
Jausenbrettl: Hungarian salami, liverwurst, black forest ham, bierwurst, and mortadella
Jausenbrettl: Hungarian salami, liverwurst, black forest ham, bierwurst, and mortadella
Toast for the meat
Toast for the meat
Gebackene Champignons
Gebackene Champignons

I was very pleasantly surprised by the drink, as I am usually not a fan of tequila, but the citrus flavors combined with the spicy salt (pepper and paprika were involved, I think) blew me away. The liverwurst was surprisingly delicate, while making sure you recognized its presence, and the real surprise was how well fried mushrooms went with tartar sauce. Two things I would -never- think of combining!

For entrees, we again wanted to try quite a few different options. I went with a traditional Austrian farmer’s meal (Bauernschmaus), while others had a Waygu-style beef Goulash, sirloin, Paprikahuhn, and crepes.

Bauernschmaus: Austrian Farmer's Dinner
Bauernschmaus: Austrian Farmer’s Dinner
Schwammerl
Schwammerl
Hungarian Beef Goulash
Hungarian Beef Goulash
Zwiebel Rostbraten: Center Cut Strip Loin
Zwiebel Rostbraten: Center Cut Strip Loin
Paprikahuhn: Chicken Breast with Paprika with Spätzle
Paprikahuhn: Chicken Breast with Paprika with Spätzle

Though the farmer’s plate was described as having bacon, it was truly more in the vein of pork belly. Delicious! The sauerkraut had an excellent flavor and the acidity left meat (served on top of it) tender. My girlfriend and our friends all enjoyed our respective dishes. If you are visiting, you really should make it a point to stop by!

We wrapped up our dinner with a nice cup of coffee, with some of us ordering Melange (a spiced cappuccino) instead. Delightful!

Simple Black Coffee...
Simple Black Coffee…
Or Melange!
Or Melange!

Vacation Report: Kansas City, Arrival

Kansas City: Arrival

Kansas City: Grünauer

Kansas City: Renaissance Faire & Jack Stack BBQ

KCI Approach with 8 second exposure
KCI Approach with 8 second exposure

Arriving at MCI (or KCI, depending on how you remember the airport – watch out because many signs are KCI, though the IATA recognizes it as MCI), is both like and unlike arriving at other airports. For those that remember flying prior to 9/11, you will recall that your friends and family could escort you all the way to your gate. MCI is designed in a very similar fashion, where security is actually for individual sets of gates for each terminal.

Security at KCI
Security at KCI

This is very different from other airports where the folks seeing you off, or collecting you, won’t be able to see you until you leave the secured area. In fact, there are transparent regions where you can see one another as soon as you get off the plane. Extremely convenient!

Map from FlyKCI.com
Map from FlyKCI.com

Furthermore, the parking is arranged in smaller sections, for each terminal, in addition to longer term parking which can be found in the middle. Each “C” has gates along the outer edge with security for each set of five or so gates. This makes for extremely smooth arrivals and departures. Transfers can be tricky, though, if the gate you are going to is in a different security cluster. The real food options (and gift options) are located outside the secure zone, so this should also be kept in mind depending on what your plans include.