The Hedgehogs See The Carter/Lea Duo!

The hedgehogs would like to appologize for the lateness of today's post. Besides technology generally being very unhelpful, they had a very full day.

First, they went with April to her Tulstin Troubadours band business meeting, where Mark's girlfriend Demaris' dog, Isabella, showed off All The Cute -



Then, they all went to the coin-op laundromat to do some clothes. Hedgie and Buttercup broke out into song.


"Tell you how. How you make. Make me feel. What's the phrase? Like a fool. Kinda sick. Special needs. Anyways."

Then, the group all traveled to Prospero's Books so April could pick up the debit card that she'd left there a couple of days before (Hedgie tried to tell her she'd forgotten it, but did she listen? By the way, you'll hear more about Prospero's Books and Cafe Caliban on Monday!) On the way out, they saw a monkey in the window, and Buttercup swears she heard it talking.



The group's ultimate destination was their stagemate, Marianne Carter's, show with her musical partner, Darrell Lea. Since the show was going to be at Cutter's Smokehouse in Eudora, KS, April decided to walk just down the street from Prospero's to grab dinner from Mud Pie Vegan Bakery. An Eggy Breakfast Burrito (made by FuD) and a chocolate coffee muffin really hit the spot.



Once they all got to the show, April asked about possible vegan options on the menu. Just in case. For science. Apparently, all the appetizers (like the corn nuggets, stuffed mushrooms, and onion rings) have dairy in the batter, the veggie burger is made with egg whites, and the waffle fries are seasoned with something that probably isn't vegan. That being said, the rest of the varieties of fries, including the sweet potato fries that April ended up getting, are vegan.

The show was awesome! The group is used to hearing Marianne (Matty Stryker, at the Kansas City Renaissance Festival) play hammered dulcimer and cittern, so hearing her play guitar and upright bass was a real treat (and a bit of a surprise!)







On the way out, Hedgie and Buttercup made a new friend, and stopped to chat for a bit -

RESTAURANT REVIEW - FuD, Kansas City, MO (and the Hedgehogs see Marian Call!)

Last night, April and the hedgehogs were very excited to go see Marian Call in Kansas City! This gave them a perfect excuse to finally try out FuD for dinner beforehand.

FuD
813 W 17 St, Kansas City, MO 64108
Facebook page
(Cash or check only.)



FuD is located in a very pretty building that's probably just over 100 years old. Among the regular chairs and tables, they also have two window seats with cushions at the front of the restaurant. The hedgehogs were very impressed.








It says "National Unicorn Appreciation Year".

April noticed that FuD had several taco options -



Much as she would have liked to temporarily join in the Taco Cleanse again, April was overwhelmingly drawn to the Jackfruit Reuben (panini-style Jack Fruit spiced & stacked with Garlic Sweed Cheese, Thrillanaise, & Sauerkraut on Rye.) She hadn't had an actual reuben in over 10 years (before she was vegetarian), and thought that the idea of one with jackfruit was a fabulous idea.





The sandwich was heavenly! The jackfruit, sauce, and sauerkraut provided a very convincing reuben flavor, and the grilled rye bread was a perfect compliment.

April's Kansas omnivore host, Duane, got the Smokeywich (pan-grilled Local Organic Tofu decked out with Dillanaise, Sweet Pickle Thrillanaise and spicy Chilinaise, Purple Onion, Lettuce & Tomato on Sourdough Bread.) He said that the sourdough bread was surprisingly mild, and that the main flavor was from the Dill-, Thrill-, Chilinaise, and veggies, instead of the tofu. He liked the sandwich, but thought that the tofu could have been more interesting. A bite of the reuben, however, had him exclaiming "Ooh, that's good."



To go with the sandwiches, April and Duane got an order of eggplant fries, which they both loved. They were the perfect combination of sweet, salty, and spicy.



After all of that, the hedgehogs insisted that they get dessert. Duane decided on vegan ice cream on a brownie topped with vegan caramel sauce.



April splurged a bit and got vegan ice cream on a brownie in a dark chocolate bowl, topped with chocolate sauce.



A note on the bowl - it was made with probably at least 80-85% dark chocolate, and was a tad bitter. April prefers her chocolate no darker than about 55%, so half of the bowl went home with her to be melted into her Chocolate Oatmeal the next morning.

After dinner, April, Duane, and the hedgehogs drove to Barnes & Noble, where they got to see Marian Call (and Scott Barkan) play a wonderfully geeky concert. The hedgehogs think Marian is very nifty.





Marian is doing several upcoming concerts in Kansas/Missouri/Oklahoma/Texas/East Coast/Europe, and she's just a regular ol' traveling musician with no manager or anything (like me!), so if you can go see on of her shows, check it out! She's awesome! (Seriously, how many other musicians do you know who play the typewriter?)

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.





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 -



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



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. Anyone who wanted to could add to the impressive array of card structures.

Amazing cosplay -



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





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.



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.)



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.



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 - kale, beet, celery, apple & ginger juice.


I Am Awake - gluten-free buckwheat-banana pancakes drizzled with maple syrup. (Delicious!)


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. We'll have one of everything, please.


I Am Bliss - chocolate hazelnut pie. (Very rich, very tasty.)