Before we had kids, my husband and I promised that when we became parents, we would get a babysitter on a semi-regular basis and continue to go on date nights, go to parties, or take a staycation. We have done a pretty good job of staying true to our word, but as working parents, our weeknights are full and with quite a few out of town trips this summer and fall, we haven’t had many weekend evenings free …
Enter the lunch date! This past May, my husband (Eric) took a new job which changed his office location from south Johnson County, KS to Downtown Kansas City, MO – right down the street from where I work in Crown Center. A couple of months after he started, he sent me an Outlook calendar invitation for a Friday in June entitled “Lunch date with the huzbin'” and a new tradition was born. We figured, why not take advantage of the fact that we are already paying for daycare and go on a date during the day? Lunch out is also usually less expensive than dinner out, and studies have shown that taking a lunch break can increase productivity. It’s a win-win-win. 🙂
Unless you have been living under a rock, you know that Kansas City is a foodie’s paradise. In fact, KC boasts one of the top 3 craft breweries in the U.S., is a top rated city for chocolate, pizza, AND ice cream, and is home to the best BBQ known to man (duh). There are also a host of local, unique, and diverse eateries throughout the metro with a pretty large concentration of them being located near to either my workplace or to Eric’s. With so many restaurants to choose from, we have more options for lunch dates than we have available Fridays to have lunch!
Our first lunch date location was Little Freshie, which is a “soda fountain & espresso bar” (and SO much more) located at 17th and Summit, tucked amongst the other unique shops and restaurants in the Westside neighborhood. I know the owner, Lindsay from her previous career as a graphic designer turned snow cone innovator, so I was really excited to try her new(ish) restaurant! We got there just after the initial lunch rush, so we were able to snag the bar stools at the counter in the front window to enjoy our meal. Eric had the roast beef sandwich and I had the prosciutto & manchego sandwich. We both had an all-natural house-made soda and shared a rich chocolate cookie. In addition to her outstanding menu, Lindsay sells a variety of local treats you can take home to enjoy or give as gifts such as jams, mustard, sauces, coffee beans, honey, and more!
Our second lunch date location was BRGR’s new location in Power & Light. We are long-time fans of the location in Prairie Village, and the P&L location did not disappoint! It was just getting busy when we arrived at 11:45 AM, and by the time we left at 12:30 PM, it was packed. The service was excellent and the food was outstanding. We both had burgers (my favorite is the Juicy Lucy) and shared truffle tots (best.invention.ever). The homemade sauces (ketchup, mustard, aioli, etc.) are to die for. We didn’t have room for dessert, but maybe next time. We enjoyed the well-designed interior, especially the bar area, which would be a great place to meet friends on our next night out. 🙂
There are so many places we want to try as we continue our tradition of Friday lunches: Taco Republic, Genessee Royale Bistro, Chez Elle … the list goes on! Eric is in his busy season at work now, so we haven’t had our third lunch date yet … but it’s on the calendar for later this month! We haven’t decided where to go, so any recommendations for us near downtown or Crown Center? If you had an open lunch hour with your partner, where would you go?
