Thursday, September 12, 2013

Gen Con 2013 & RESTAURANT REVIEW - Cafe Gratitude, Kansas City, MO



When last we left our intrepid explorers, they were looking for parking in downtown Indianapolis for Gen Con 2013.

Hedgehogs and the Tower - Indianapolis, IN

Tower & Clouds - Indianapolis, IN

An hour after reaching downtown, Hedgie finally spotted a garage that only charged $10 a night (there was no free parking anywhere). April parked and proceeded to make multiple trips from the garage to the convention center and then more trips to the hotel (because walking 8 miles in Toronto wasn't nearly enough), as the hedgehogs provided moral support.

April got her CDs set up on the table she was sharing with Marc Gunn -

My Table - Gen Con 2013

- and went to play music for all of the wonderful geeky attendees (including an adorable Robin).

Apryl Knight & Robin - Gen Con 2013

While at Gen Con, food consisted mainly of heat & eat Indian packet meals, cereal, and Cliff/Luna/Pro bars, so the hedgehogs regret to inform you that there are no exciting food pictures. To make up for it, here are some pictures from Gen Con itself -

Cardhalla - Gen Con 2013
Cardhalla. Anyone who wanted to could add to the impressive array of card structures.

Amazing cosplay -

Steampunk Ghostbusters Cosplay - Gen Con 2013 Totoro Girl Cosplay - Gen Con 2013 Mal Reynolds & YoSafBridg Cosplay - Gen Con 2013 Amy, River Song, & the 11th Doctor Cosplay - Gen Con 2013 Wolverine Menaces Frodo - Gen Con 2013 TARDIS Geisha & Crow T Robot - Gen Con 2013 The TARDIS, Amy Pond, Clara Oswin Osgood, the 12th Doctor, and Jack Harkness Cosplay - Gen Con 2013 4th Doctor Cosplay  - Gen Con 2013 Weeping Angel (Don't Blink) - Gen Con 2013 Marty McFly Cosplay - Gen Con 2013 Male TARDIS Cosplay - Gen Con 2013 Fancy Dress TARDIS Cosplay - Gen Con 2013 Two Doctors Cosplay - Gen Con 2013

After 4 days of exciting and exhausting fun, April and the hedgehogs packed up, said goodbye to Indiana, and drove to Kansas City, MO, where April would be staying during the Kansas City Renaissance Festival. April had a free week in between Gen Con and KCRF, and was planning on flying home to Austin for a quick visit, but had a chance to eat at Cafe Gratitude before the flight.

Cafe Gratitude
333 Southwest Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64108
Facebook page


Cafe Gratitude

Cafe Gratitude - Kansas City, MO

Everything at Cafe Gratitude is vegan, and lots of it is raw as well. The names of all the dishes are affirmations, and they even have a "community supported grain bowl" called "I Am Greatful", that helps to feed the hungry - "Shredded kale with quinoa, black beans & garlic-tahini sauce. Payment is by donation. Minimum donation is $2.00. Suggested value is $7. Feed yourself & someone in need $14. For grateful bowl policy details, see server."

On this particular visit, April had the "I Am Rich" juice (orange, carrot, lemon & beet) and the "I Am Fabulous" (a raw lasagne which isn't actually on the menu), which were delicious.

Raw Lasagne at Cafe Gratitude - Kansas City, MO

For dessert, she splurged a bit and got the "I Am Joy", a vegan truffle that does a great job impersonating an Almond Joy candy bar. (So very, very tasty.)

I Am Joy at Cafe Gratitude - Kansas City, MO

Since she went to Cafe Gratitude the day before her flight, April decided to also get something for the next morning's breakfast. The "I Am Peace" (live onion bagel with cashew crème cheese, nori “lox,” tomato, onion, capers & sprouts) sounded intriguing, so she got it to-go.

I Am Peace at Cafe Gratitude - Kansas City, MO

A note on the "I Am Peace" - it was delicious, but the "bagel" was really more of a raw flatbread.

Here's what April and her friend got the last time they visited Cafe Gratitude -

I Am Worthy - Cafe Gratitude, Kansas City, MO
I Am Worthy - kale, beet, celery, apple & ginger juice.

I Am Awake - Cafe Gratitude, Kansas City, MO
I Am Awake - gluten-free buckwheat-banana pancakes drizzled with maple syrup. (Delicious!)

I Am Creative - Cafe Gratitude, Kansas City, MO
I Am Creative - a unique creation of pizza flavors with tomato, basil, hemp seed pesto, nut parmesan & cashew ricotta cheese on our live onion sunflower crust. (This may be April's favorite thing.)

Dessert Tray - Cafe Gratitude, Kansas City, MO
Dessert Tray. We'll have one of everything, please.

I Am Bliss - Cafe Gratitude, Kansas City, MO
I Am Bliss - chocolate hazelnut pie. (Very rich, very tasty.)

4 comments:

  1. Oh wow! I loooove Café Gratitude! I've been to their SFO branch (which is sadly closed now) a few years ago and was blown away by the amazing atmosphere and food!

    Have both their cookbooks. :) Your photos brought back some beautiful memories. Thank you! :)

    Oh and that I Am Blissful hazelnut cheesecake is the BEST dessert I've ever had!!! :D

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    Replies
    1. Yeah. The first is "I am Grateful" and the second is "Sweet Gratitude". :)

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  2. Isn't Cafe Gratitude fantastic? I've never tried their breakfast, but it looks like I need to pop in for pancakes sometime. The I Am Blissful is *amazing!*

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