The Hedgehogs Return To Kansas (RESTAURANT REVIEW - Baan Thai, Leavenworth, KS)

After an extra week in Austin to recover from gall bladder surgery, April was feeling good enough to make the trip back to Kansas so she could perform at the remaining weekends of the Kansas City Renaissance Festival. Before she left, Floyd decided to show her how much he was going to miss her -



...or perhaps he was just being silly. The world may never know.

The hedgehogs were excited to get back on a plane! This time, they were going from Austin to Colorado, then Colorado to Kansas.









Once they got to Colorado, the hedgehogs were both very excited to have their first ride on a moving sidewalk -



After all the fun of the sidewalk (Buttercup felt a bit ill, but Hedgie wanted to do it again!), April and the hedgehogs discovered that they were going to have their first ever ride on a propeller plane.



As neat as the plane looked on the outside, it didn't have very great views from the inside -





(Though, the hedgehogs commented that getting to see the landing gear (wheels) get drawn up into the wing upon lift-off and then come back out at decent was pretty darn cool.)

After getting back to Kansas, April's host, Duane, agreed to go with her and the hedgehogs to check out the Thai restaurant down the street.

Baan Thai
301 S. 4th St., Leavenworth, KS 66048 (also has a location in Manhattan, KS)
Facebook page

They started out with some Spring Rolls (Cabbage, carrots, celery, bean thread, with spring roll wrapper, deep-fried and served with sweet and sour sauce.)



Baan Thai didn't have April's go-to Thai dish (Musumun Tofo Curry) on the menu, so she decided to try Pad Preaw Waan (Sweet and Sour) - tofu stir-fried with pineapple, cucumber, onion, bell pepper, and tomatoes. It was delicious! The flavors went together well, the sauce was great, and the spice level was just right.




Hedgie figures that by being helpful, perhaps he'll get an extra taste.

On the way out, the hedgehogs stopped to make a new friend, who seemed a bit taken aback at their presence -

RESTAURANT REVIEWS - The Lunch Room (Ann Arbor, MI) & The Sinking Ship (Indianapolis, IN)

After a good night's sleep (though Buttercup says Hedgie snores), April and the hedgehogs woke up nice and early so that they could get to GenCon in time to pick up the badge and packet, set up in the exhibit hall, and check into the hotel.

On the way out of Michigan, they decided to stop at The Lunch Room for brunch.

The Lunch Room
Kerrytown Market & Shops, 407 N 5th Ave, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Facebook page & Twitter page



The pancakes were awfully tempting, so that's what April got. They were fluffy and delicious!



April also got a cold brew iced toddy coffee with the pancakes, as well as a molasses ginger cookie and a coconut lemon donut to go (yummy treats make long drives easier).




Cloudy with a chance of hedgehogs.

Four hours later, the travelers made it to Indianapolis, just in time for a late lunch!

The Sinking Ship
4923 N College Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46205
Facebook page & Twitter page

The Sinking Ship is a bar, so no one under 21 is allowed. April snuck Hedgie and Buttercup in inside her purse, and they hopped out just long enough to take photos, and then hopped back in.

There were so many awesome vegan things on the menu, but April jumped at the chance to finally try jackfruit BBQ.



It was amazing! The jackfruit had an amazing texture, and the sauce was delicious. For desert, April decided to test the true versatility of the jackfruit and have some cake.



It was also delicious! The cake itself wasn't overly sweet, nor was the icing, but when paired with the fruit, everything came together. The cake was fairly dense, and a bit hard to cut with just a fork (thank goodness for a knife!)

The staff at The Sinking Ship were extremely nice. April's waiter learned her name immediately, and called her by it the whole time she was there. He also engaged her in friendly conversation, and made sure she had everything she needed. The chef came out of the kitchen to ask how she liked the cake; it was a new-ish recipe for him.



Full and happy, April and the hedgehogs left The Sinking Ship to search for parking in downtown Indianapolis. *insert sound of ominous music here*

RESTAURANT REVIEWS - The Hogtown Vegan & Bunner's Bakeshop, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (and The Trip To Michigan)

After finishing the banner for her solo music act, April took the last day in Toronto to do some sight-seeing. After the fact, a quick study on Google Maps suggests that she probably walked about 8 miles altogether. (The hedgehogs were freeloaders and rode in her purse.)

After all that walking, some food was certainly in order. A web search had pulled up The Hogtown Vegan, which sounded very promising.

The Hogtown Vegan
834 Bloor St W, Toronto, ON M6G 1M3, Canada
Twitter Page



Hedgie and Buttercup present: Some Facts About The Hogtown Vegan -





One other fact of note - The Hogtown Vegan is a cash-only establishment.

There were so many awesome things on the menu, but the Stuffed French Toast (with peanut butter, banana, and vegan bacon) really spoke to Hedgie's inner Elvis. April paid a bit extra to get collard greens on the side - healthy's gotta come from somewhere! She's a musician, too; one can't tempt fate!





You'd think, after all that amazing richness, that no one could possibly eat a bunch of vegan baked goods.

You'd think wrong.

Bunner's Bakeshop
3054 Dundas St W, Toronto, Ontario M6P 1Z7, Canada
Facebook page

OK, technically, April and the hedgehogs stopped at Bunner's the next morning, on the way out of Toronto. Free parking didn't exist, so April broke the law a little bit and parked in a metered spot in front of the shop, ran in, ooh-ed and aah-ed over EVERYTHING, bought some deliciousness, and skedaddled as quickly as possible.











April ended up with a savory chili cheeze pocket -



a butter tart -



(Hedgie is mad at Buttercup for some reason. Perhaps she didn't want to share the butter tart.)



a s'mores cupcake -



and a sweet roll -



It took 4 hours to drive from Toronto to Canton, Michigan (where April would be staying that night). The first three items made the drive a lot more pleasant, and the sweet roll was a delicious end to the day later that evening.


April gets a bed, and the hedgehogs get a bed. Seems fair.

RESTAURANT REVIEW - Mamma's Pizza, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (and Hedgehogs On The Beach)

After visiting Niagra Falls (and narrowly avoiding an international incident involving Buttercup and a barrel), April and the Hedgehogs proceeded to April's cousin's house in Toronto. After successfuly navigating the World of Metric Measurements, they made it to their destination safely. April's cousin and her husband were eager to show the travelers around the gorgeous neighborhood where they live part-time (the rest of the time, they're Austinites as well!)

A stroll down Queen's Street had April ooh-ing and aah-ing over the architecture, neat shops, and plentiful vegan food options. (April wanted to try this place while she was there, but didn't get the chance.) A dinner decision was made when the group was greeted with this tempting sign -



Mamma's Pizza
2118 Queen Street East (Beaches) Toronto, Ontario, Canada (Many other locations)
Facebook page



The group decided to get a large pizza, half of which would be Vegan Olive Press (Olive Oil, Roasted Potatoes, Roasted Red Peppers, Eggplant, Broccoli, Garlic and Oregano). Mamma's also offers two other fancy vegan pizzas that feature Daiya cheese.

While waiting for the pizza to be ready, Hedgie and Buttercup indulged in some window shopping -



When the pizza was ready, the group strolled back to April's cousin's house. It's so nice to be able to walk everywhere! The pizza was really delicious (though April is a sucker for potatos on pizza, so it was an easy sell), and a good value for the money.



After dinner, everyone decided to go for a walk on the nearby beach.





For the rest of the week, April meant to get more sight-seeing, but ended up spending most of the time indoors hand-embroidering and hand-sewing the banner for her solo music act, which had to be completed before she got to GenCon.



Luckily, the banner was finished in time, and the last day in Toronto was dedicated to sight-seeing and eating.