The jambalaya did little for me. The wings were spicy and I enjoyed them a lot, though I would like a little more the 6 wing thirds for $8.

Wanting to try something new, I selected The Overlander (Prime rib, ham, melted cheddar and jack cheeses,
grilled onions, mayo, local BBQ sauce on an onion roll) which comes with the choice of waffle fries or pub chips for $11. It is a good sandwich, but not as wonderful as it sounds. I believe I would enjoy it much more with horseradish sauce instead of BBQ sauce. The waffle fries were slightly above average.

In the evening we drove to Kansas City, Kansas to have supper at Poi-o a wood fired chicken and Mexican BBQ restaurant which opened a few months ago. I tried Poi-o last month, but hadn't had large enough sampling to decide what I thought of it. We had wood fired chicken, braised black beans, lemon pepper potatoes and kimchi fried rice. The fried rice had interested me the most, but I wasn't particularly a fan.

to photograph the Day of the Dead / Día de Muertos Parade. It was the crowning part of a celebration sponsored by the Central Avenue Betterment Association. Last year they had stationary displays which you drove past, but this year there was a large full blown parade. When the parade had passed us, we walked along the route to see some of the venders and Día de Muertos displays.

Día de Muertos Parade

I ordered pork ribs, cheesy corn and French fries at the counter and took them to a picnic table outside. I saw little change from recent visits. The corn was peppery, the fries are thinner than I would choose and the ribs had good flavor and texture.

We ordered a fried devil egg appetizer (6 seasoned & breaded half eggs served with secret deviled egg mix and topped with smoked paprika), half slab of pork ribs and The Modern Burger (a 7 ounce patty with caramelized onion jam and smoked Gouda).

The $7.50 deviled eggs were my favorite part of the meal. The ribs and burger were both rather dry. The $11.50 burger came with a generous serving of fairly good French fries. There was a little BBQ sauce on the ribs, but no additional sauce was on the table or offered.

Ribs, deviled eggs & Modern Burger

As I drove by Pearson display on Johnson Drive in Merriam, I saw that someone was in the yard setting up. After parking on a nearby side street, I walked back and introduced myself to the man, who turned out to be Steve Pearson.

Although his house has been on our tour since 2008, this was the first time we have met. Steve started making large displays in 1989 and has won the Merriam Festival of Lights Contest at least 3 times. He generously took a break to show various features of the display and the clever way he has arranged the electrical service and timer.

Lunch today was at Gus’s World Famous Hot & Spicy Fried Chicken. The second Kansas location recently opened in Overland Park. The tables in the dining area were nicely spaced.

The hot chicken thighs ($3 each) were fine, but not enough of a fast food treat for the price. The fried green tomatoes ($6.75) did little for me. Perhaps if they had a more interesting dip than ranch dressing.

Steve Pearson

I wish they didn't have so many tables squeezed into the space.

I drove to Topeka, Kansas to check on the Christmas displays which were on the 2020 Topeka Christmas Light Tour. Although I will be check on new displays a little later in the season, I wanted to check on last year's displays to confirm if they are back and equally impressive this year. I started in the afternoon and several of the displays were going up as I went by.

Vincent Cook's Christmas Display has been one of my favorite displays in the past three years. The display is back for  2021, but construction on Southwest 12th street, on the south side of the house has resulted in a bit small display. The front yard always has a sports theme and this year the deer and showmen are playing volleyball.

After finishing in Topeka, I drove back, stopping in Lawrence to have supper at Terrebonne Po' Boys. It is a small restaurant and due to Covid they are presently carry out only. but they have a few tables in the adjacent alley and it was warm enough for me to eat outside tonight.

I got a $7.50 Reuben sandwich and $4 poutine fries. I asked for water and there was no charge for a bottled water. I would have liked to have more dressing on the sandwich, which was a little dry. The poutine had a generous serving and was actually quite good. I enjoyed it and there was more than I cared to eat.

I had already confirmed many of the Christmas displays in Lawrence, but email, but drove by the rest before leaving town.

Vincent Cook's Christmas Display
 

Reuben and poutine

They have made the place nicer inside, but it is still crowded. Printed menus are not available. You must have a smart phone with QR code reader to access the menu, but the server loaned me her phone to see the menu. I am not a fan of this.

I had the $15 shrimp fries and $18 mussels in House Sauce. Both dishes seemed expensive for this style of restaurant and I felt there should have been a larger serving of the small shrimp in the fries dish. I enjoyed the food, but it didn't stand out enough to make me return in the near future.

Shrimp fries & mussels