Brews, Baseball and BBQ in KC

Around this time last year, we ventured up Interstate 35 to the Twin Cities for a Twins game and other fun. This year, we decided to head down south ... to Kansas City! I had only briefly visited the outskirts of KC for a concert many years ago so I was excited to finally experience more of this city. On the agenda was a Royals baseball game, the Boulevard Brewery, the Power & Light District and some good food – specifically – some good barbeque. We were able to cross each of these items off our list. And, had a great time with one another while doing so. Below are some photos of our experiences.

We arrived at the Boulevard Brewery in time for the 3:00 tour on Friday. Unfortunately, the tours are first-come, first-served and were filled by noon. But that was okay because our favorite part of a tour, in all actuality, is drinking the beer in the comfort of a brewery's tasting room. Our second favorite part is probably browsing the merchandise store and picking up some great can't-get-anywhere-else items. Ryan ended up with an 80-Acre t-shirt and tin sign (Fitting with the tractor and all, right?!). They didn't have anything in my size that I liked, so I ended up with a cool letterpress postcard promoting the Double Wide IPA. Letterpress and IPA? What a marvelous combination (and totally fitting for me, too!).

Here's my hoppy beer flight. What a great start to our weekend! While sipping on our brews, we chatted with a couple local guys who were more than willing to give us the scoop on what to do in the city.

Before our trip started, we wanted to do a little research on what places offered the best barbeque. You know, since Kansas City, is well, I guess, sorta known for its BBQ. We asked Jess to ask her friend Alan, a born-and-raised Kansas City boy, for his input. He was happy to help, offering up five or so places. We did a little additional research and landed on Oklahoma Joe's as our place. Ribs are our thing, and from what we read, theirs are to die for. Heck, it even ended up on Anthony Bourdain's list of 13 Places to Eat Before You Die.

We ended up going to the very first location of Oklahoma Joe's (they have three) since it was the closest. The location is actually within a gas station. Yes, a gas station. When we arrived, there were people standing in line, outside the doors of the place. And, it was like 5:30. Rather than get frustrated, we took this as a good sign. After waiting in line to place our order for about 30 minutes, we received our food lickety split (yes, our finger-lickin' good food). A full slab of ribs for Ryan, a half for me. Fries, Texas toast, coleslaw and iced tea to go along with. And ... it was ... ahhmazing! We both agreed that the ribs were so tender and the rub and sauce flavors were savory, but sweet, and oh, so satisfying. This experience might very well ruin all other rib places for us. At least it was totally worth it!

Barbeque sauce and a beard are a messy combination. Ryan was, surprisingly, able to keep his face pretty clean while enjoying these babies. It only took about half a dozen paper towels, however. But who's counting?!

On Saturday, we might have gone to one of the hottest baseball games in baseball history. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating some. But, we were HOT. And, up until this series, the Royals were HOT as well. Everything seemed to change once we rolled into town. They lost all three games. Our game was a slow-paced, low-hitting game. Beside one home run, the Royals couldn't produce an offense. They ended up losing 1-2. We sat in the outfield, which was a first for both Ryan and I. We were in the first row so we got to put our feet up and enjoy the game. And the sun. We both ended up a little sunburnt and a lotsweaty. Look at our shirts in the picture below. And, that was before the game had even started. Ew... I know!

We stayed in the Power & Light District, which was a first, again, for the two of us. We had heard such good things from friends (specifically our fellow Cyclones down for the Big 12 tournament action this spring) that we knew we had to check it out. At every turn, there was a great bar/restaurant. It was so nice to have so much in such a small area. We enjoyed some tasty drinks outside while the Neon Trees gave a free concert, sipped on some Maker's (Ryan anyway) at the Maker's Mark Bourbon House & Lounge as a solo acoustic act performed, and indulged in some yummy sushi rolls at Drunken Fish. Even though we aren't the late-night goers as we once were, we thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere of P&L.

Thanks for the great weekend, Kansas City. Until we meet again!