RESTAURANT REVIEW, Part Deux - Blue Koi, Kansas City, MO

April visited Blue Koi in 2011, but the hedgehogs insisted on going to see it themselves. April met a few omnivorous friends there for a nice lunch.

Blue Koi
1803 W. 39th Street, Kansas City, MO 64111
(also at 10581 Mission Road, Leawood, KS 66206)







The last time April went to Blue Koi, she made a meal out of the Crispy Tofu With Spicy Awesome Sauce and the Veggie Dumplings. This time, she was excited to try the Eggplant Pockets, but the server told her that they were out of those. Vowing to come back before the end of the Kansas City Renaissance Festival to try them, April and her dining companions decided to split the Crispy Veggies (tempura coated fried mixed vegetables with a cool basil sauce and a semi-spicy sriracha sauce), the Spicy Chili Tofu Wontons, and the Crispy Tofu with Spicy Awesome Sauce.







The Crispy Tofu with Spicy Awesome Sauce was just as awesome as April remembered; the tofu is nicely fried and the sauce is just the right combination of sweet and spicy. The Crispy Veggies were also good - April got lots of the delicious cauliflower, since her companions weren't big fans of that particular veggie. The sriracha sauce wasn't overly spicy, but has a bit of a kick of one gets enough of it at one time. The Spicy Chili Tofu Wontons, however, are April's new favorite! Incredibly flavorful, with just the right amount of spice.

April and the hedgehogs were impressed to discover that Blue Koi actually offers more vegan options than they had originally thought. Besides the appetizers listed above, there's also Lettuce Wraps that can be made with tofu. For main dishes, the Firebird Duck and the Black Bean Chicken can be made with tofu instead, and in addition to the Vegetable Noodle Soup shown on the online menu, there's a Vegan Delights soup that April very nearly got, Tofu with Chinese Curry Sauce, Braised Tofu with Shiitake Mushroom (can be noodle soup or just over noodles or rice), and Ants On A Tree, which can be made with tofu, and which is what April decided to get. (The hedgehogs wanted to see if it really had ants. It didn't.)


Hedgie offers April her collapsible chopsticks.

The bean noodles were very tasty, and the fried tofu stood out well among the rest of the veggies. There was a ton of it, as well, and the hedgehogs helped April pack half of it into her reusable to-go box to have for dinner.

For a beverage/dessert, April had the Sweet Red Bean Bubble Tea with pearls. The server told her that they use soy milk, so it was vegan. Yay!

RESTAURANT REVIEW - Evergreen Chinese Restaurant, Bonner Springs, KS

After a long day of performing at the Kansas City Renaissance Festival, April and a lot of her fellow performers like to unwind at Evergreen Chinese Restaurant. It's not too far away from the faire site, and they don't mind seating parties that trickle in two or three at a time. Plus, they have yummy food.

Evergreen Chinese Restaurant (and a second website)
13034 Kansas Ave, Bonner Springs, KS 66012

April and her friend Sally Tenpenny (who also plays beautiful music) love to split the Bean Curd Family Style. There's plenty of food for two people - "lightly deep fried bean curd sauteed with mixed vegetables in brown sauce", served with a large amount of fluffy white rice - and they usually get a couple of veggie spring rolls as well.





The waitstaff at Evergreen are very nice (and very patient!), and consistently provide good service and delicious food.

The Hedgehogs Take Pittsburgh (RESTAURANT REVIEWS - New Dumpling House, Té Café, and Tana Ethiopian)

After two weeks of roughing it at Pennsic, Hedgie and Buttercup convinced April to do a bit of sight-seeing in the big city of Pittsburgh. April was thrilled with the architecture, and spent a couple of hours just wandering around neighborhoods taking pictures of the houses.

While out walking, Hedgie spotted a dumpling house and wanted to investigate.

New Dumpling House
2138 Murray Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15217
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Buttercup giggled at a sign outside -



Once inside, April discovered that one gets free tea, wontons, and pickled cucumber -



Hedgie insisted on dumplings (though it didn't take much at all to convince April). They were almost as big as the hedgehogs, and the most amazing dumplings April has ever eaten.



The Vegetarian Yellow Bird was the most exciting-looking thing on the menu, so that's what April got next -


Apparently, they sometimes make this with chicken stock, so be sure to specify that you don't want it.

After all that food, Buttercup suggested a nice pot of tea. April had seen a tea shop just up the street, so they all decided to go.

Té Café
2000 Murray Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15217
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Walking into the shop, they were greeted by the sight of vegan banana walnut bread. This was a very good omen!



Hedgie suggested that April get something with mint or possibly ginger to aid in digestion. The guy behind the counter offered up a peppermint rose green tea with fresh ginger added. It was only $4.45 for a whole pot, and the free hot water refills made a second pot possible!



In fact, it was while drinking the second pot of tea that Hedgie talked April into getting the banana walnut bread (again, not terribly difficult), which was a lovely compliment to the tea.



The next day, everyone decided to check out the Ethiopian restaurant around the corner from the Awesomely Big Church.

Tana Ethiopian
5929 Baum Blvd., Pittsburgh, PA 15206
Facebook page

Outside the restaurant, the hedgehogs made a new friend.


Buttercup wants to buy him some pants.

The food at Tana was good, but the portion sizes were much smaller than Aster's, which made April a bit sad.



After dinner (and a bit more sight-seeing!), it was time for bed. The hedgehogs needed their beauty sleep before the drive to Canada!