40 Sardines

This past Friday night (2/24/06), Kristen and I had an amazing five-course tasting at 40 Sardines. Every course Kristen had was different from mine. We ultimately got to sample about 50 different flavors. In addition to the food, they paired wine with each course. We must have spent a good two or three hours together. As for the food, I believe the menu will speak for itself. Here it is:

(Kristen:)
Potato Gnocchi w/ Sea Scallops, Sautéed Mushrooms & Herbs
Spinach Salad w/ Warm Italian Frico & Braised Mushrooms
Pan Seared Monkfish w/ Herbed Spaetzle, Carrots & Shallots
Grilled Deer Loin w/ Roasted Potatoes & Meat Juice Reduction
Warm Pineapple Tart w/ Toasted Coconut Ice Cream & Rum Sauce

(Mark:)
Prince Edward Island Mussels w/ Garlic, Herb Broth, & Almonds
Hearts of Palm Salad w/ Shrimp, & Spicy Avocado Dressing
Sautéed Mahi Mahi w/ Bacon Braised Broccolini & Shellfish Broth
Grilled Veal Chop w/ Parmesan Cheese Fritter & Marsala Sauce
Chocolate Cake w/ Saffron Crème Anglaise & Chocolate Quenelle

(Wine:)
Qupe Reserve ‘Block 11’ Chardonnay, ’03 (gnocchi)
L’Ecole #41 ‘Seven Hills” Semillon, ’04 (mussels)
Banrock Chardonnay, ’05 (spinach salad)
A to Z ‘Cascade Cuvee’ Pinot Gris, ’03 (hearts of palm salad)
Lange Pinot Blanc, ’04 (mahi)
Luis Felipe ‘Gran Reserva’ Merlot, ’03 (monkfish)
Lyeth Meritage, ’03 (deer & veal)
Taylor Fladgate 10 Year Tawny Porto – Portugal (choc. cake)
Nivole’ Moscato D’Asti – Italy (pineapple tart)

Eight Years and Counting

This week marks the 8th anniversary of our first date.



Mark dug up my phone number when we were working at Dean and Deluca at Town Center Plaza and eight years ago tomorrow, Fat Tuesday, Mark called to ask me out for THAT NIGHT. I had plans, so he said "what about tomorrow?" As fate would have it, I didn't have plans and he took me to the Cheesecake Factory on the Plaza.



And the rest..........is blissful history!!!
Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez!

The Common Few

A paraphrased conversation between Kristen and I:

Kristen: Did you know Gary Leitnaker was in a band and that they’re getting back together to do a show?

Mark: You mean like The Blues Brothers saying “we’re gettin’ the band back together.”

Kristen: No seriously. They supposed to be awesome and are going to be inducted into the Kansas Music Hall of Fame.

Mark: Hmmmm. I didn’t know that.

Kristen: We’re going to their show next week to see them play.

Mark: Awesome…where are they playing?

Kristen: Liberty Hall in Lawrence (or the Red Dog as Koffee says).

Mark: Sweet…I’m there.

Needless to say I was pretty impressed by The Common Few. They were together at one of the most amazing times in the history of modern music, and it was fun to see them together again and enjoying every minute of it. None of the other bands could fill the floor like they did, and that says a lot.

I was impressed that they actually played Chicago’s “25 or 6 to 4.” I was even more impressed that they nailed it. NAILED IT! And to think the guitarist is a minister. I hate to say it, but he had the devil in him that night because he was amazing. They all were. We had the greatest time.

[set list forthcoming]

George Harrison

I suppose he doesn’t really need much of an introduction, but I thought I’d commemorate one of the Beatles today, Mr. George Harrison. Today would have been his 63rd birthday.

Perhaps this weekend I’ll pull out his double CD called All Things Must Pass and remember one of the greats.

Note: This is my favorite photo of George. What you can’t see in the other half is Bob Dylan standing next to him in a concert for Bangladesh. If you click here, you can see the entire photo.

Sigur Ros Live Review

Last night Kristen and I had the pleasure of seeing the Icelandic band Sigur Ros at the Uptown Theatre. Here is our review:

Mark: We sure saw a hell of a show last night, didn't we? It was nice to finally get to see Sigur Ros live. I wasn't too sure what to expect until I saw that live video footage on their website. They certainly lived up to the hype and put on one of the most amazing live shows I've seen. I must admit, however, that it got kind of hard standing there for two hours while listening to music that lulls you into a complacent state of bliss.

Kristen: Totally agree with the sore feet statement and the $10 beers didn't help, but that show was really moving. The lead singer's voice was so haunting and beautiful. Truly hypnotic. Plus, the opening act, Amina, was fantastic. A 4-part female percussion band. Brilliant! Where do I sign up?

Mark: I was really surprised with Amina, too. I think Icelandic women have the most awesome sounding voices/accents. And what about their instruments? A bowed saw? That was really one of the most interesting parts of the entire night. I've actually listened to their EP twice now that I bought last night. It's really good blippy electronics with beautiful instrumentation of violin, cello, and harpsichord. So what was your favorite moment during Sigur Ros?

Kristen: I can't really pinpoint my favorite part. I liked hearing the songs from their album Ágætis Byrjun - especially "Olsen Olsen." I could have heard that song all night. Beautiful. And I especially LOVED when the audience kept humming the music after it ended. That was amazing. It felt like a religious experience. I was so drawn into the music. It was mesmerizing. What did you like?

Mark: Well, initially I was going to say "Olsen Olsen," too. That's my favorite song they do and also one of the most infectious. The last song they did, "Popplagid," was absolutely amazing, though. That was one of the most intense songs I've ever seen live. And overall I really dug the way they used that thin curtain on the first and last songs to create a video/shadow-type effect. I wasn't even familiar with the last song and when I looked it up, it's only on some compilation. I can't thank you enough for the tickets. It was a great time. Wilco and The Strokes....here we come!!!

Kristen: It was awesome! So intense - like the fire at the circus. I had a great time, despite it being a school night.

THE SETLIST

Feb. 22 • Uptown Theatre, Kansas City (MO)

1. Takk...
2. Glosoli
3. Ny Batteri
4. Saeglopur
5. Njosnavelin
6. E-Bow
7. Gong
8. Andvari
9. Hoppipola/Meo Blodnasir
10. Olsen Olsen
11. Hafssol
(Encore):
12. Svo Hljott
13. Heysatan
14. Popplagid

Dog Park

Well, I got off work early yesterday, picked up Blue Boy, and ventured into the Dog Park for the first time. It's only a mile from our house. I promised Blue last week that he could go on Saturday. Unfortunately, Saturday it was 14 degrees and we had fears of canine hypothermia. But last night was gorgeous. Relatively mild temperatures, amber sunset.... Lots of people at the park.

Blue started barking the minute we got into the parking lot. He wanted everyone to know he was tough. We entered the park and, after some preliminary "getting-to-know-you" growls, he made friends quickly. He ran circles around the other dogs there, of course.

Met 2 friends - Romeo and Magic - and played for about 30 minutes. Then, he chased a brittany that he SWORE was Bubba up into another corner of the park. Our Blue Boy was worn out when we left, but was whining in the car on the way home because he didn't want to leave. The park was great and the people there were super friendly and helpful. I think the Starrs have a new favorite past-time. It's called "wear out the Golden."

V-Day Belated

Short and simple post today:

Sunday, before Kristen and I went to the gym, I made Salmon with Braised Red Cabbage, Horseradish Potatoes, and Basil Oil. This would have been part of our Valentine’s Day dinner had we not gone out. Sure was damn good!!!

Go Wildcats!!!

It's a very exciting week in the Starr Household, people! After being on the honor roll at Johnson County Community College for 3 semesters, Mark is all set to begin his Bachelor's of Business Administration program at Baker University next Monday night. His first class will be Intro to Management Concepts and he is very excited and ready to start the countdown to graduation.

He has met with his advisor several times in the past two weeks and was even able to obtain 10 credits from his training in the Marine Corps. Ooo-rah!!! Mark will be selecting his study group the first night. Hopefully, they have all of their marbles and have not ever been convicted of any felonies.

That's my Baby!!! Mortar Board, here we come!!!

Good Luck Mark and Go Wildcats!!!

Daytona 500

Here are a couple pictures of my trip to Daytona this week. This one shows our police escorts to the Speedway...

This photo shows our view from the Sprint Nextel suite.

The Daytona Speedway was incredible, despite not seeing any races due to the rain. We took a tour of the pits and garages inside the track and even ran into a couple drivers including Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Petty. For the driver introductions, we were able to get on the grass inside the track to watch them emerge from giant Gatorade water coolers on each side of the stage and then drive around the track on convertible Corvettes. Poor Jeff Gordon was mostly booed and battered with chants of "you suck." The audience must have seen his past performance on Saturday Night Live.

Go Carl Edwards, #99 from Columbia, MO and Michael Waltrip #55 in the NAPA Autoparts car!!!

I may have just become a NASCAR fan this week.

You can take the girl out of Topeka, but you can't take Topeka out of the girl.

"Cheney's Got A Gun"