Exalting the Aha at Blanc and Glace

In deliberately sharp contrast to my last post, I'm going to celebrate some recent good fortune relating to the blog. Let's try to gently move on from my general whininess and find some gratitude, shall we?

Two excellent happenings occurred that were grand moments for my humble little Confounded Cook blog. You might recall my recent post speaking of KC Fresh Connect and the first meal we created from the bounty we received from them. This past week, the latest edition of their newsletter went out and it had a feature on the blog! Every week, as I blog about what I'm cooking from the box of goodness we receive from them, the following newsletter will include that excerpt from The Confounded Cook! Quite exciting...Check out http://www.freshconnectkc.com/ to sign up for the newsletter!

I also got a jolt from an e-mail I received this week. The subject heading was The Confounded Cook and it asking if I would participate in a Mutual of Omaha traveling production called Aha Moments and talk of my passion for food. For the past year, M.O.O. (ha!) has taken their Airstream mobile film studio around the country and stopped in certain cities to film various residents talking about their aha moments....those indescribable moments when you suddenly become aware of a life-changing moment occurring in your life. I, of course, said uh..YEAH, you betcha and I was quickly set up for a time of 4:30 on Friday. The Mighty K-Man came home early from work to take me. Those of you who know me well will not be surprised to know that I had worn grooves in the floor from pacing at this point. We headed downtown and despite the a.c., the combination of humidity and nerves had me sweatin' like Whitney Houston (oh, hell to the no, Bobby B!). The studio was set up at the Power and Light District and soon we were ushered in to this tiny studio in the trailer. The camera isn't even seen, the talk was comfortably conversational and I managed not to trigger an assortment of facial tics nor utter anything utterly moronic...I think. It may somewhat resemble a train wreck when it's unveiled and that's ok. It's just a few minutes of film but it made for a memorable moment in time nonetheless. Visit www.ahamoment.com to see examples of many varied aha moments nationwide. Mine should be ready in three weeks and I will post it when ready.

We headed for Country Club Plaza to celebrate after the filming. The sculpture at right is one of many examples of art throughout the Plaza....this one is apropo for the blog as it's called "Out To Lunch". The most notable Plaza tower is at left....does anyone else think the cloud formation behind it is reminiscent of Ghostbusters? I've waxed rhapsodic about Blanc Burgers and Bottles before (see the label Food Havens) but had not yet visited the new Plaza location in the old Pizzeria Uno spot. It was even better. They have much more space now but have retained their quirky and sleek style. I ordered a Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar which came in a mighty 220 oz bottle with a brandy snifter and was a rich and nutty beauty. I can't wait to try more of their line, both for beer tasting and to enjoy the unique packaging. Our excellent server suggested it to me after telling me he is such a fan that he collects their beers. He did not steer me wrong. Check them out at http://www.rogue.com/about/about.php. We started out with the excellent Shatto Cheese Curds, deep-fried locally-made cheese with a side of tomatillo chutney that was so good I could have drank it out of the ramekin. Love the mini-fry basket they were served in as well. Dinner was Blanc's signature burgers, of course. This time, I got the spicy and delicious Au Poivre burger, a pepper-encrusted burger topped with a green peppercorn sauce, grilled onions and watercress. As always, the burger and onions were cooked perfectly and the toppings perfection. Keith got the Classic(pictured below right)...aged white cheddar, butter lettuce, house-made ketchup, mustard AND pickles and it also was delish. We split their savory sweet potato fries but we took half of the burgers home as we were saving room for dessert. Check out what remains one of my favorite eateries in town....http://www.blancburgers.com/plaza.html.


We traveled a few blocks away to the newest hotspot for ice cream in town. Glace is the brainchild of the masterful Christopher Elbow, who's artisanal chocolates are revered throughout the city. Mr. Elbow opened this as an artisanal ice cream shop. The decor is strikingly modern, not unlike his chocolate store but the highlight is most assuredly the ice cream. The ice cream has no artificial anything....it's made from all natural ingredients and features some of the most intensely satisfying flavors around. The staff were gracious enough to let us try several flavors and we were duly impressed with all of them. We each got a scoop of the Fresh Mint Chip(as our favorite flavor is Mint Chocolate Chip) and Keith also got a scoop of the complex and fascinating Persian Spice while I got a scoop of the Fleur De Sel which had an almost intoxicating caramel flavor(pictured at top of the page). We, clearly, are instant fans and cannot wait to return. Bravo, Mr. Elbow..visit their site at http://www.glaceicecream.com/

All in all, it was a grand night; another one of those evenings that reinforce my love for KC and my gratitude for good fortune. Next post, we'll start cooking up some more local goodness....