It was a cold night and when we arrived, there was a sign saying that they had closed at 7PM because of the weather. It was only 6:30PM, so we went on in to see if they were open. They were, and we decided later that the sign was still up from the previous evening.

We started our meal with the $6 deviled bacon eggs appetizer. I really enjoyed the 6 half eggs, which were made with a strong Dijon mustard.

Our main dishes were the $21 pistachio encrusted ruby trout (served with Tuscan fries, artichoke hearts, pickled onion, caper and smoked trout salad, and whole grain mustard sauce) and $11 Grand Street 8 oz burger (topped with crispy fried onions and choice of cheese on a sesame seed bun, with French fires on the side). The trout was good, if not spectacular and the sandwich was a good gourmet burger. The fries were lightly coated with sea salt, but really nothing special.

It turned out the appetizers were half price and we started with $8 ($4 tonight) potato skins which were described as traditional skins topped with cheese, bacon bits and scallions, with the choice or ranch or sour cream. This old stand by turned out very good and brought a touch of nostalgia - the first potato skins I ever had were at the then Country Club Plaza Longbranch Saloon, nearly 30 years before.

Linda went with the $9 sweet chili glazed salmon sandwich topped with mango and green onion cream cheese and served with a spring mix garnish on a toasted sweet roll with potato chips. The garnish and bun were a little more plentiful than the salmon, but the combination went together well and it is something one of us might have again.

I decided to take advantage of the half price appetizers again and had one for my entree, the $9 cowboy burnt end chips. When I ordered them, the server said they were really special. The larger order of fresh hand cut potato chips was covered with smoked burnt ends topped with BBQ sauce, white American cheese melt, fresh jalapenos, black beans, diced tomatoes and sour cream. I liked this dish, but the BBQ sauce didn't fit well with the rest of the combination. I would have enjoyed it more without the sauce and even more with taco meat instead of the burnt ends. While I'm not sorry I had it, I would not go with it again.

My favorite photos were not of the lake, but of Cedar Creek Falls which feeds into the lake. 

We started the meal with a $13 small plate - cabernet bagna cauda (vegetables, warm garlic cabernet dip,
whipped ricotta cheese, toasted bread). It sounded great and looked very interesting, but it didn't have anchovies or the intense garlic flavor of the bagna cauda I have had before and we did not finish the dish between the three of us.

Our main dishes were $25 scampi penne, $25 roasted pork chop and $34 strip steak. The pork chop was enormous, but the steak was the best dish.

Over all, I am disappointed in the food at Grand Street Cafe. We were having a hard time selecting dishes, because each entree is locked into specific side dishes and/or starches that often didn't sound appealing.

Looking back at our receipt, I see we were also slightly overcharged for the strip steak.

In the intervening years, the restaurant has changed hands and my tastes may also have changed. In any case, I very much enjoyed the large $5.49 pork tenderloin sandwich. I ordered it with a $2.99 fries / onion ring basket. The fries were about average, but the rings were much better.

Go Chicken Go is only about a mile away, so I stopped there for lunch instead, having a $4.54 half order of their great fried chicken gizzards with the the hot "G" sauce. A couple of years ago, I learned that you can substitute a second G sauce for the fairly plane roll.

This dish was OK, but I like the previous pork tenderloin much more. Many people rave about the sausage gravy, but I was less impressed with it.

A new page was added to the website today - a review of the Legler Barn Museum in Lenexa, Kansas, which is operated by the Lenexa Historical Society.

Revisited and updated the Overland Park Restaurant Guide entry for Bangkok Pavilion in Overland Park. They have an excellent Thai lunch buffet for only $7.95 on weekdays. A slightly more elaborate and more expensive buffet is offered for lunch and supper on weekends.

Added a new page about the Frontier Army Museum at Fort Leavenworth and updated the page about Touring Fort Leavenworth.

Then for supper, we revisited another of the Overland Park Restaurants, Brobeck Barbeque, which I think is the best Kansas City BBQ restaurant which has not had national attention. I really enjoy the smoked ham salad appetizer which makes a nice meal with the crackers and house made BBQ potato chips for only $4.50.

Even more impressive, the prices are unchanged since the menu from August 2011!

Linda and I had dinner at Kanz's City Pizza & Burgerz in Olathe. This is the second location for the Kanz's City. The first one opened near Lenexa's Old Town about 2 years ago and this one opened last July.

The menu is pretty short: burgers, a few other sandwiches, salads and pizza. The beer list is longer, with 45 "Kans" of beers available.

Kanz's City Pizza & Burgerz

Lunch including entree, coffee or tea, vegetable, salad and dessert is $14.95 including sales tax.

It did feel a little like the servers and their carts descended on us when we sat down and they do have a bad habit of wanting you to decide if you want each dish before you know what other dishes are hidden in the other covered steam pans.

We finished the day at The Peanut on Santa Fe in Overland Park. This newest location of the local bar & grill chain had been overdue for its own listing in the dining guide and has one now. We sampled two of the classic Peanut dishes, the BLT and the Buffalo Chicken wings. Many people think the wings are the best in the city and despite my not caring much core the house made blue cheese dipping sauce, I agree the the meaty, spicy wings are among the best. 

I also had a grilled chili dog with house made chips. (didn't finish everything). The large 1/4 pound grilled dog was very good and the chips are better than the fries or onion rings.

I had the whiskey burger with fries. It was good, if not great. Be advised that the menu on their web site is out of date, with lower prices than they currently have and dishes which are no longer served.

When you are finished, just go to the register and the person there will write up your bill.

Friday's lunch speical is BBQ Ribs served with fries, bread, pickle, and regular drink for only $8.29. It is very popular and draws huge crowds on Friday. I had actually tried to dine there two weeks earlier, but found and increadably long line. The second week, I arrived at 11:25AM, only to find that the line was just as long.

Today it was sleeting and I arrived at 11:10AM. Bingo! There were only 6 people in line ahead of me. The fries were decent for cooked for frozen and the ribs were very good, as usual. This is a great buy for a large platter of food.