After a short break for wisdom-tooth removal, here’s the next chapter in the anniversary trip saga.
I had a place picked out for Saturday breakfast weeks early, but when I went to their website on Friday night, I realized that their brunch didn’t start till 11:00. I was certain we’d want to be up by 8:00, eating by 9:00, and at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art by 10:00 when they opened.
Lucky for us, we excel at sleeping in, and we were the first patrons at Eden Alley Vegetarian Cafe when they opened at 11:00 sharp.
We found Eden Alley less than half a block away from Blanc, where we’d eaten delicious burgers the night before. We descended into the basement restaurant and were seated immediately. Our waitress brought some bread and butter, which gave her and the restaurant major points in my book.
Sometimes, I like to share food a little too much. I can never make up my mind and generally want a little bit of everything on the menu. Dexter, on the other hand, makes his choice and wants to eat all of his food. I told Dexter that it would be easier if he just thought of my always wanting a bite of everything as an endearing quality. I’m still working on that.
This particular morning, Dexter chose some delicious carrot-cinnamon waffles topped with granola and nuts. I really wanted a waffle, but I also knew I’d get hungry very quickly if I didn’t eat something with more heft.
I ordered the “ooey, gooey breakfast mash.” It was breakfast potatoes (read “mashed potatoes”), cheese, eggs, spinach, onions, and basil marinara. Lucky for me, basil is a magic word when it comes to Dexter wanting to eat something. When I read the description of my choice off the menu, he was mesmerized and happily split both dishes with me.
Because it was so hot out, we decided to drive to the museum; we didn’t want to wear ourselves out before the museum fun began. We scored a free parking spot on the street outside the sculpture garden and began the walk up to the museum.
Almost immediately after we entered the sculpture garden, Dexter had an unfortunate run-in with some giant-sized badminton equipment.
Fortunately, he recovered, and we took our picture on a pretty little path in the sculpture garden.
I paid homage to Monet’s Waterlilies.
(And, if you look closely, you can see the cute purple headband Dexter bought me at Anthropologie after breakfast.)
This guy is a statue. However, in real life, he looks so alive that I was afraid to approach him. He’s wearing the Nelson-Atkins security guard garb from the 1970s when the piece was made.
Dexter enjoyed seeing a few pieces by Donald Judd, one of the two most prominent artists in the minimalist movement.
We drove back to the hotel, which is when we found the cookies on our bed (mentioned in my Day 1 post when I was gushing over the hotel). I was thrilled because I was starving. We eventually made the torturous decision about where to eat for our last dinner in Kansas City. We wanted to visit a cool part of town that Rona told me about called Westport, but we were really tired and wanted to walk somewhere close. We decided on a restaurant new to the plaza, Noodles & Company. It’s a lot like Z’Mariks Noodle Cafe, except better. Dexter ate Japanese Pan Noodles and Thai Curry Soup. I had Tuscan Whole Wheat Linguine and a DELICIOUS salad of cucumbers, red onions, and tomatoes. I almost like raw tomatoes when they come with cucumbers and a delicious dressing. Another bonus to this restaurant was that every song that played on their “store soundtrack” was on Dexter’s iPod. In the picture above, he’s listening to the music, trying to identify the song over the noise of the restaurant.
Before we went back to The Raphael, we stopped at The Better Cheddar. It’s a little wine, cheese, and general gourmet shop that Dexter especially liked. They had Yorkshire Tea, Hob Nobs, and Devon custard, which gives it lots of points in my family. We bought some Brie, crackers, and a cute little spreading knife. Later, we consumed a week’s worth of calories in cheese and crackers while watching Clueless on a huge TV. (I felt bad we were watching Clueless, so half-an-hour in, I offered to change the channel. Dexter declined. Just for the record. It’s also based on Jane Austen’s Emma, which redeems it a little in my book.)
The worst part of the day was going to sleep. I knew that once I did, Sunday would come, and then I would have to go home.
Mrs. Dexter 