Quickly packing and getting in the car, we drove northeast through the Smoky Hills Wind Farm which is spread across Ellsworth and Lincoln Counties.

Arriving in Lincoln, Kansas, we drove to the newest incarnation of the Soaring Heart Gallery, which is a home that is being turned into the studio and gallery of grassroots artists J. R. Dickerman. I enjoyed Jim's enthusiasm as he showed off many of his bone and feather creation. Jim is also responsible for the "Open Range Zoo" along Highway 18 in Lincoln County.

Jim then introduced us to a new Lincoln artist, Michael Steven who has built a studio behind the house next door. Michael is creating wonderful functional art from laminated wood. He is still building up inventory and the studio isn't ready for visitors, but we loved his work and I think I will need to buy one for L someday.

Jim and Michael clearly have a lot of respect for each other and there is a feedback of creative energy between the two of them.

As we were preparing to leave, Jim Dickerman stopped us and presented me with a handsome feather art owl head. It is made from 6 types of wildfowl feathers including duck and ruffed grouse. I was touched and pleased. I need to find the right way to frame it for display.

After a brief drive up and down Lincoln's Main Street, we had lunch at the Hungry Hunter. The restaurant has doubled in size and added a new menu since my last visit. The second dinning room includes a salad bar in two old bathtubs. 

I had fried chicken gizzards and L had pork chops. They were both fine, but not the special treat that I thought the food at the Hungry Hunter has been during past visits. Sadly, we were still too full from breakfast to sample  the usually great homemade pies.

While I was paying the check, L noticed a photograph of a waterfall on the wall. We learned that it is located on the Saline River just south of Lincoln and stopped by the falls for some photos before driving on to Lucas - the Grassroots Art Capitol of Kansas.

The Garden of Eden was closed the morning that I first visited Lucas, Kansas, a bit over four years ago. At that time, I was able to take enough photos from the sidewalk to make a page devoted to S. P. Dinsmoor grassroots art environment. Today I was back to see and photograph the interior.

I was truly delighted to learn that our tour guide was the talented and charming, Erika Nelson. I had never met Erica before, only seen her on television and exchanged emails. Erika is the creator of the The World's Largest Collection of the World's Smallest Versions of the World's Largest Things Traveling Roadside Attraction and Museum, which (when not traveling) is parked up the alley from the Garden of Eden. Erica was also the creative force behind the World's Largest Souvenir Travel Plate, which is located at the edge of Lucas on Highway 18.

But, getting back to S. P. Dinsmoor, he was a Civil War veteran who eventually moved to Lucas where he taught school and raised a family. When he retired, he started turning his home into a tourist attraction, starting by making a large "log" cabin, with logs carved from Kansas Post Rock. He went on to fill the yard with aerial concrete sculptures depicting bible stories and making political comments about what forces were bad for America. Dinsmoor can even be seen during the tour, his body is in a glass fronted coffin in a pagoda on the edge of the Garden of Eden.

After Dinsmoor's first wife died, he married his 20 year old housekeeper in 1924. They had two children and his youngest child, John W. Dinsmoor (born when SP was 84), is reportedly the youngest living child of a Civil War veteran.

My favorite part of the interior of Dinsmoor's log cabin is his wood work. He used every scrap of lumber creating beautiful furniture, banisters, moldings, and baseboards.

After a short drive through downtown Lucas and a couple of exterior photos at the Flying Pig Gallery, I decided we were running behind schedule and started back home.

The final stop of the trip was supper at the Brookville Hotel, just off I-70 in Abilene. The Brookville Hotel is no longer a hotel or in Brookville, but they serve great family style fried chicken dinners. The food comes quickly (fried chicken is the only food they serve) and the service has always been excellent.

But this was my first meal at the Brookville Hotel since being diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, and I never before realized just how high in carbs everything in the meal except the chicken is. Even things that might not have been too bad in theory, like the pickles and creamed corn, have a lot of sugar. They taste great, but I don't believe I will be returning to the Brookville Hotel as often in the future.

L with Michael Steven
 

Feather art by Jim Dickerman 

Hungry Hunter

Saline River waterfall
 

Erika Nelson holding a postcard of the World's Largest Souvenir Travel Plate 

Garden of Eden aerial sculptures
 
 

Brookville Hotel

L selected the Saturday special - bierock with soup or salad. I had cabbage & cheese soup and "build your own salad" where you select one of 3 meats, plus 6 toppings from a selection of 13. All of the food was good, but the best was the raspberry swirl cheesecake which was only $2.75. The best park was the friendly, warm atmosphere.

The bakery has a relatively small selection, including cinnamon rolls and nine types of cookies, which are available fresh or as frozen cookie dough packaged in a three pound tub. Some people feel the cinnamon rolls are "to die for." The Amish sugar and peanut butter cookies tie for my favorites.

Back on I-70, we continued west, turning off to drive south to Kanopolis, where we toured the Fort Harker Museum Complex, operated by the Ellsworth County Historical Society. Three buildings have been preserved from the fort which operated from 1866 to 1873. Only the restored Guard House is open to the public and it houses a small museum. 

The 1905 Kanopolis Union Pacific Depot has been moved adjacent to the Guard House and has a few items on exhibit, including several wagons and interesting photos from the salt mines. Only one of the three salt mines remains in operation in Kanopolis today.

Five miles west, in Ellsworth, we toured a second set Ellsworth County Historical Society museums - the Hodgden House Museum Complex where a variety of area buildings have been moved. Admission to both complexes is $3 for adults. This location has more buildings and our tour included a school, church, wooden Union Pacific caboose, Union Pacific depot and other buildings.

Before leaving town, we took advantage of the nice weather to play tennis at the free courts at Krizek Park on North Douglas Avenue. We may stop by Krizek Park another day to play the Frisbee golf course.

It was now after 4 PM and we drove west to Wilson, listening to the University of Kansas/Oklahoma State basketball game. At Wilson, we checked into the Simple Haven Bed & Breakfast. Hosts Susan and Joe Curtiss we are also KU fans and watched the end of the disappointing game with us in the B&B's' TV room.

The 1886 post rock building has 5 bed rooms, but we were the only guests, and (since Joe & Susan live in an adjacent building, we had the entire house to ourselves. That is just as well, since we were in the Master suite which is just off the living room and next to the entrance where other guests might have disturbed us.

The Curtisses worked very hard to insure our comfort. Susan had located the tennis courts for us, calling neighboring communities when we asked if there we courts available in the area. They have had Simple Haven for about 2 1/2 years.

Supper was at the Bunker Hill Cafe in the nearby community of Bunker Hill. The rustic steakhouse is open just 4 evenings a week and we had a reservation since it often fills up. It was the first time that L had been to this, one of my favorite restaurants. We sampled 4 meats: filet mignon, stuffed shrimp, fried catfish and elk ribeye. The garlic coated ribeye is the only one of these meats which I had tried before and is still my favorite.

I had forgotten that the Bunker Hill Cafe does not accept credit cards, but fortunately had enough cash to pay for our meal.

Back at Simple Haven, we returned to the TV room to use the DVD player and watched the Ryan & Tatum O'Neal movie, Paper Moon. Several of the scenes in Paper Moon were filmed just a few blocks away in Wilson. Most of the movie was filmed in this area, including scenes in Russell and Hays, Kansas.

Fort Harker Guard House
 
 

Hodgden House Museum Complex

Krizek Park tennis court
 

Simple Haven Bed & Breakfast
 

Bunker Hill Cafe

Several friends joined me for a revisit of Mediterranean Market in Overland Park. The hummus was the best new item sampled - both the regular and the roasted red pepper version. Added a new review of Mediterranean Market to the Overland Park Restaurant Guide. 

Mediterranean Market

I began the evening with a nearly 20 mile drive to Mr. Epps Barbeque on Kaw Drive in Kansas City, Kansas. I had tried to dine there a couple of weeks ago, but even though I had called to confirm the hours earlier that day, Epps had been closed.

So I had called again before this trip and arrived at Epps over an hour before it was scheduled to close. But as I pulled up, the lights were going out. When I got to the door, the man told me they were "out of sauce" and locked the door in front of me. 

I won't be trying Mr. Epps again.

So I decided to drive west on Kaw Drive (Kansas Highway 32) and see what I could find. A few miles west in Edwardsville, I ran across Roscoe's Barbeque. The small restaurant is in a sheet metal building sharing the parking lot and sign with a gas station.

Going inside, I learned that they have only been open 4 months.

The servings weren't huge, but the prices were quite reasonable and the food is a good value. I chose a two (sliced) meat dinner with two sides for $10.50. I chose pork and burns and selected cole slaw and cheesy corn for my sides after confirming that those were some of the sides actually prepared from scratch. I added two pork ribs for only $1.50.

The ribs were small, but I could hardly complain at the price. They were tender but didn't have very much flavor from the cooking. The pork had even less flavor and was barely luke warm. The "burnt ends" weren't what I think of as burnt ends, but were simply thick cut beef brisket. But it was good brisket.

The slaw had little sauce and got all of its flavor from celery seed - not the kind of cole slaw I really care for. The corn in the cheesy corn was firm, but the more generous sauce didn't have that appealing a flavor. There was a powdery character to the sauce.

But there is a learning curve and Roscoe's is new. If they are still open in a year or so, I want to try them again. Roscoe's Barbeque is open 11AM - 8PM Monday through Saturday.

Kansas Restaurant News: The new Hayward's Pit Bar-B-Que (how many ways are there to spell BBQ?) has opened at 9148 Santa Fe in Overland Park in the location recently abandoned by Adam's Rib. This second location will not have table service, but will over the same menu as the other location near College Boulevard. The Kansas City Star reports that a third Hayward's location is coming to Olathe.

The Corona Garden Mexican Restaurant in Olathe, Kansas has closed after many years of business. Signs have gone up for a new Pancho's Mexican Food - "Open 24 Hours - coming soon. No word yet on if this is restaurant is connected to the Pancho's Mexican Food in Overland Park and Lawrence.

Roscoe's Barbeque

Roscoe's Barbeque

I placed my order with a slightly surly lady at the small counter. But any concerns I may have had with the friendliness of LC's were allayed during the nice conversation that I had with the owner, L.C. Richardson, while waiting for my food.

The food wasn't cheap. A mixed plate of 5 ribs and the choice of 2 sliced meats was $16.99. But it was really enough food for two people. It didn't not come with sides. I ordered an equally huge serving of fresh cut fries for $3.49. The fries were individually huge and varied greatly in size. The smaller ones were the most cooked and my favorites.

Added a new review of LC'S Bar-B-Q in Kansas City, Missouri.

L and I tried their $8.99 lunch buffet today. When we arrived a little before noon, we were the only customers in the restaurant. The dining room is roomy and attractive - looking Mediterranean rather than Indian. We were quickly shown a table and pointed to the large buffet. The server did not ask if we wanted anything besides water to drink.

There was a TV in the far corner playing music videos, but it was turned to low too hear. Instead we were subjected to the loud sound from another tv playing Deal or No Deal, which the server was watching from across the dinning room.

I tried every meat dish and most of the vegetables. They were a typical mix with goat curry, butter chicken, Tandoori chicken and the like. The most unusual dish (to me) was a pakora curry. Unfortunately the only dish I really liked was the plain nab bread. The other dishes seemed rather bland. 

The pakoras (with or without curry) were very doughy and tasted like doughnuts, rather than the crisp and tasty treat that I have come to expect.

When we left the restaurant at 12:25, only one other couple had come into the restaurant.

I was disappointed to learn today that the Midland Hotel & Restaurant (which was featured in the movie, Paper Moon) in Wilson, Kansas has permanently closed its doors.

Korma Sutra has a second location in the Westport area of Kansas City, Missouri.

Added a new extended review of Chosun Korean BBQ, and short reviews of Korma Sutra & Mediterranean Market to the Overland Park Restaurant Guide. There are now 36 listings in Overland Park, with detailed separate pages for half of them.

We placed our order at the counter where there was a selection of 9 dishes as entrees or sandwiches, and a couple of specials. Our chicken and lamb kabobs were both quite good - not spicy, just well cooked. I also liked the Turkish green beans and tabouli (cracked wheat, mint, garlic, lemon, tomatoes, green onions). The $2.50 serving of homemade baklava was large and sweet, with more honey than most.

I bought some items from the market to try at home. I wasn't that impressed with the mortadella (an Italian pork sausage with pistachios), but still have a couple of different caviar spreads to try. 

Biemer's did a better job than BB's. Between the two of us, we tried ribs, pork, sausage and brisket. I thought the pulled pork was the best. But since they are a "southern BBQ" I guess that makes sense.

There were 5 sauces, including one labeled "warning - very spicy - we are not kidding." While it was hot, it wasn't unusually hot. I was surprised that none of the sauces were mustard based. 

When I earned that the fries and onion rings are not made at the restaurant, I opted for the fried pickles and coleslaw. The pickles were good dipped in ranch dressing (Biemer's also offers a spicy ranch).  But I particularly liked the coleslaw which had a sweet clear dressing. Linda was happy with the beans (which had a good smoked flavor) and the large heavily battered onion rings.

In the evening we made a repeat visit to Stix Restaurant at the Legends in Kansas City, Kansas. There was a very long wait for a table, several times as long as we were told when we arrived. They repeatedly told us we would be seated at the next hibachi table, but then seated other parties.

This visit wasn't nearly as good as our first, and I don't intend to return to Stix. There are too many other restaurants at the Legends with better customer service and food.

Stix Restaurant

Supper was at B.B.'s Lawnside BBQ in Kansas City, Missouri. Before I started concentrating on Kansas restaurants and attractions, I picked up food to go at B.B.'s fairly often. That was before KC, MO banned smoking and it was usually too smoky for me to enjoy eating there.

I arrived about 7PM, well before the music and $4 cover charge started for Friday night, but the dark bar was already crowded and busy. Wanting to try many of the items, I selected the B.B.'s Lawnside King Combo -
four pork ribs, Italian sausage and the choice of beef, ham, turkey or pulled pork. The special is served with two sides for $15.95. My two meats were beef & pork and my sides were battered fries and coleslaw.

It was an enormous amount of meat, with nearly a half pound of pulled pork and 7 ribs instead of the minimum 4. I ended up having leftover ribs for breakfast on Saturday. The pork and beef were my favorite items. The ribs were rather tough.

This would have easily have been enough meat for two people, but the sides weren't nearly as large. The battered potato wedges was my favorite of those, but I wish they had been cooked just a little longer. The slaw was very ordinary.

The BBQ sauce is made from scratch. There are two sweet, tomato based sauces. I didn't notice much difference between the regular sauce and the spicy.

B.B.'s Lawnside BBQ

Adrian's provides counter service of soups, salads and sandwiches. There are about 10 salads, 16 sandwiches, and 3 soups, plus chili during cold weather. My $6.49 chicken Caesar salad tasted better than it looked, but wasn't large enough to satisfy me on its own. I also had a large bowl of chili for $3.69. It was a little too watery and not very flavorful.

L was much happier with her $7.75 turkey club sandwich. Nothing comes with the sandwiches, but they include the choice of 5 different breads.

In the evening, I made a second visit to Chosun Korean Barbeque in Overland Park, Kansas. This time, I made a point of trying the "Korean BBQ" and sat at a table with a grill in its center. I explained that is was my first time doing individual Korean BBQ and the server made some effort to help me, but just didn't seem to be able to be as helpful as I would have liked.

Still, I was happy with his recommendation of yangnyum galbi (marinated beef short ribs). The meat was sliced thin off the ribs and cooked on the grill. When the meat was finished cooking, the server put the mushrooms and onion on the grill, but he immediately turned the grill off and I would have liked to have had them cook a bit more. The beef was tender and had a very good, sweet and spicy flavor from the marinade.

The $19.95 meal came with a wide variety of side dishes, which I wish had been brought before the meat - rice, kimchi, pickled radish, fish cake, seaweed salad, tofu and a dish which I think of as egg foo young soup. More of the side dishes would have been brought if I requested them.

Chosun Korean Barbeque

Taste does tasting size dishes and we split endive & arugula salads, clams casino, spinach & ricotta cannelloni, chicken sausage, and seared sea bass with garlic spinach. The very best item was a chocolate molten cake with raspberries and white chocolate sauce, which I could have only the smallest taste. The chocolate cake was similar to, but even better than the one I love at Cinzetti's Italian Market. 

Added a new review of Arthur Bryant's World Famous Barbeque in Kansas City, Kansas.

But I had a back up place, I have been wanting to try in KCK - El Camino Real, which has been getting a lot of positive buzz online. El Camino Real is located on 7th Street, downtown next to the Wyandotte Casino and the 1843 Huron Indian Cemetery.

El Camino Real is an interesting little neighborhood Mexican restaurant where the cooking is done in the front window. Communication was an issue. Our server's English was much better than my Spanish, but still not very good. I had 4 tacos - lengua (beef tongue), cabeza (beef head), rajas (poblano pepper with cheese & onion), and pescado (fish). They were only $1.50 each - $1.75 for the rajas. I enjoyed them all, but particularly liked the pescado and rajas tacos.

L had a large serving of Carne Asada (beef steak served with lettuce, rice and charros beans) for $8.99. She doesn't always care as much for some of the less traditional restaurants I take her to, but she enjoyed the steak a lot.

We were also served chips and salsa - it was a bit unusual. We were given salsa, limes, onion, cilantro and diced tomato & peppers, plus an empty bowl to combine them in. The salsa was hotter than most, but good.

After lunch, we stopped at the nearby Krizman's House of Sausage where I bought smoked Polish sausage, Italian sausage and bratwurst. Krizman's supplies Oklahoma Joe's and some other famous KC BBQ restaurants with the sausage which they then smoke.

  El Camino Real

The beef sandwich gets a lot of flavor from the giardiniera (pickled sport peppers, jalapeno, celery, carrots, and olives in oil).

The thin crust pizza came with a lot of thin sliced meats. It was good despite one edge of the crust being burnt. The crust is only about the thickness of a cracker.

Updated the review of the Keeper of the Plains in Wichita, Kansas.

Service was good and Hayward's kitchen was very fast. After I placed my order, my food arrived within 3 or 4 minutes. My meal was the Junior Combination Platter (the choice of three meats plus one side) for $14.99. A regular combination platter is $18.99 and has slightly larger servings. But I had plenty of food. 

I chose spare ribs, sausage and beef with onion rings. They were served with a slice of plain toast. the rings were large and good, but really had too much batter. I ended up breaking off about half of the coatings. The ribs were my favorite meat, closely followed by the beef. 

For supper, L and I drove to the Legends in Kansas City, Kansas to have another meal at Arthur Bryant's BBQ. We had two Combo Sandwiches (2 meats) - chicken & beef, and sausage and ribs. The ribs were very good and the beef was even better. The chicken was badly dried out. But the $9.35 "sandwiches" had large servings of meat and we each had plenty of the meat that we liked best. The $1.60 side order of fresh cut fries was huge, enough for the both of us. They aren't the greatest fries, but there is something about them with a little of Arthur Bryant's original sauce.

Arthur Bryant's Pit Master showing off the unique brick oven

My trip report with many photos is available at www.mightymac.org/mackinawcitywinter2010.

Today's special was Crispy Ribs with coleslaw for $9.95. When done with the normal cooking, the slab is cut into individual ribs and but back in the smoker for another 20 minutes. Although this was a lot of food for $10, I was not impressed with the slaw or ribs. I will try something more conventional the next time that I go to Arthur Bryant's.

Added a review of Christy's Tasty Queen in Kansas City, Kansas.

The chili didn't do a lot for me until I added a lot of tobacco sauce and black pepper. I think there were too many beans and not enough meat. The single burger was also a bit short on meat. I was much happier with the double I had two weeks ago.

But the onion rings were still the star of the show. I would go to Winstead's just to get onion rings.

The lunch menu is sandwiches, soups and salads. Most lunches are $8.50-9.25.

L had the 75 Turkey Press (turkey, roasted red pepper, goat cheese & spinach tossed with a balsamic vinaigrette on sourdough bread) which was served with potato chips for $8.50. It was a delicious, large sandwich with a great flavor. The 75 Cafe chips were thick and tasted like a shoe string potatoes.

I had the Goat Cheese Salad (organic arugula with goat cheese, roasted red peppers, balsamic onions, and roasted portabella mushrooms, tossed in a balsamic vinaigrette and topped with goat cheese) which was also $8.50. I wish the salad had been a bit larger, but I can't fault the ingredients at all. There was even plenty of the flavorful goat cheese.

Added a new review of 75 Cafe.

My supper was at the Gates & Sons Bar-B-Q on State Line Road in Leawood, Kansas. Little has changed at Gates in the 10 months since my last meal there. The pricing is the same and the only thing different about the combination platter is that it no longer comes with bread. It is still a generous meal for $15.50, with beef, ham, ribs, pickles, and a huge serving of thick cut fries.

The fries were the weakest part of the meal, but they are still average. I am not normally a big fan of BBQ ham, but this ham was a little thicker sliced and tasted great. The regular sauce is pretty spicy, and served heavily covering the meat. I recommend that first time diners order the meat dry so they can select which sauce they prefer and how much to use.

"Hi, may I help you?"