Tagged: springfield, missouri

December 14th, 2008

Snow Days

An ice storm is moving through the Ozarks tonight, and I’m tempted to stay up and watch it come in. Chris noted that watching an ice storm roll in is not nearly as fun as watching tornadoes roll in. I agree. At least with tornadoes, the weathermen have something to tell us on a minute-by-minute basis.

Anyway, if the roads are really bad tomorrow, I might not have to go in to work, which will throw a wrench in tomorrow’s planned post. (It’s gonna be a fun one!) In a fleeting moment of wisdom tonight, I picked up a stack of paperwork I’ll need to go through tomorrow and brought it home just in case I get to work on the couch while watching Ellen. <fingers crossed />

Freezing rain and sleet are on their way. An Arctic front has moved in. I have mixed feelings about going to work tomorrow:

  • It’s gonna be slick, which means people are going to be stupid on the roads. I’m confident that I will get around pretty well, but I’d rather not get out if I don’t have to. And then there’s the adventure of trying to get my rear-wheel-drive Blazer up a slick, icy driveway after I go out. (I have sandbags in the back, but I don’t want to test them out. And I’d like to keep what’s left of my mailbox, which I pretty much destroyed last winter with the Blazer, intact.)
  • It’s gonna be cold. For days. And I’m afraid if I let myself stay in on Monday, I’ll want to stay in on Tuesday and Wednesday, too. Of course, the building at work will be cold, too, and there are no cats there to keep me warm. Or blankets. But there is leftover pizza from tonight’s Explore LifePoint…
  • Vacation is so close. In 10 days, I’ll be on vacation. I’m not going anywhere, but I have 12 days off for Christmas and New Year’s. I have quite a bit to finish between now and then, and while I can more or less work on those from home, I don’t want to get in the vacation mindset until it’s official.
  • What about Chris? Chris’s workplace has no policy on snow/ice days, so more than likely, he’ll have to make the trek into Springfield tomorrow. And snow days are no fun when you have no one to hang out with. :(

Thankfully, we have plenty of food and wood in case we get iced in, so I’m not concerned about that. And ultimately, the choice isn’t up to me. I’ll get up as usual tomorrow, and if the boss calls and tells me not to come in, I’m prepared to work at home–in my jammies.

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February 16th, 2008

Kai Disappoints On Valentine’s Day

I first reviewed Kai, Springfield’s downtown Asian fusion restaurant, in September, and Chris and I ate there again with friends in December to celebrate graduation. For Valentine’s Day, Chris surprised again with a date there. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t review a restaurant twice, but last night’s experience warrants one.

Bar none, Kai has the best sushi in Springfield, and the rest of its food is high on my list of favorites; furthermore, the atmosphere is unmatched. But all of that was ruined last night for three reasons:

  1. The worst table in the restaurant. If you want a table at Kai on any given weekend, you must have a reservation or resort to eating in the bar, so Chris had the foresight to make dinner reservations for Valentine’s Day in mid-January. To me, it makes sense that those who make the first reservations would get the better tables, but when we arrived just before 7 PM, we were seated at the worst table in the place: in the doorway from the main dining room to the banquet room where customers, hosts, servers, and managers all came and went. If Chris sat normally at the table, it was impossible for anyone to get from one space to another, so he had to scoot his chair in and away from the center of the table to let people pass through semi-unobtrusively. Clearly, Kai was trying to get as many people crammed into the restaurant as possible and didn’t consider how uncomfortable it would be for the customer who was sitting in that seat. The entire evening I prayed that no one would spill water or sushi down my husband’s back.
  2. A one-hour wait for our entree. We arrived right around 7 PM and were seated promptly. Kai had a set menu for the evening: appetizers of cucumber and clear noodle salads, a sushi sampler, and a meat sampler; an entree (we selected sea bass with wasabi risotto); and a dessert of cheesecake and banana/chocolate egg rolls. As soon as we ordered, the first appetizer stage (the salads) came right out, and the second and third stages promptly came out once we were finished with the prior stage. Because of this promptness, we expected our entree to come quickly, too; however, it didn’t come until 8 PM. We didn’t check to see what time we wrapped up our appetizers, but we’re sure we waited 30-40 minutes for our entrees. By the time they came, we were digesting our appetizers and were ready for dessert!
  3. No compensation or apology from the management. Now I’ve worked in food service, and though the restaurant wasn’t as upscale as Kai, I learned that servers should alert the manager of any problems with a table. I give our server credit for apologizing for our entree delay, but he should have notified his manager of our wait time, and the manager should have come to our table and apologized. Our server should have also noticed that I left more than half of my entree uneaten. I have a horrible head cold and the flavors didn’t mesh well with all the phlegm in my system (which is not the restaurant’s fault), but when a customer hardly touches her food, that should raise a red flag to the server, and the server should notify the manager, so the manager can make sure everything was OK. The managers/owners walked past our table several times during our meal but didn’t take any notice of the unhappiness on our faces.

Including the tip, we paid well over $100 for last night’s dinner, but based solely on last night’s experience, I wouldn’t return to the restaurant because the bad experience outweighed the great food and atmosphere. I won’t say that we’ll never return because we really do love the restaurant, and we have been treated well on prior visits (during our visit in December, my pal Lyndsey and I were comped our desserts simply because we had just graduated with our Master’s degrees), but we’ll reconsider spending our money there for a special event or on a busy night again.

Please note: I hate writing bad reviews, but if you search for any variation of “kai springfield sushi” in Google, my original review appears on the first page of results. That post is also one of the most popular pages on my blog, so though we didn’t (and maybe should have) complained to the manager last night, maybe this will compensate.

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October 13th, 2007

Running in Nixa—Further Confirmation That I’m Not Meant for Suburbia

I ran in Nixa this morning. Usually I run in Springfield, but I hate driving 20 miles on my day off just to run, and I had plans to hang out with my mother-in-law Martha, so I opted to run my scheduled 5 miles/60 minutes around my neighborhood. I won’t go so far to say that running in Nixa was a mistake, but my experience reminded me once again why 1) I run on the trails in Springfield and 2) I hate living in Nixa.

The first problem with running in Nixa is the subdivisions. Nixa has grown exponentially in the last 15 years, and unfortunately the city planners didn’t have the foresight to better plan these subdivisions. Now I’m not opposed to subdivisions; I understand that they’re prerequisite of sorts for suburbia, but they all dead end! How am I supposed to run on secondary streets if they don’t go anywhere?

Since I can’t run on secondary streets, I’m stuck running on the main roads where the lack of sidewalks and speedy drivers are a problem (more in a moment). My main beef with the roads, though, is that they’re not level, which raises the risk of shin splints—hmm, something I’m fighting. In order to get more than 3 miles out of my neighborhood, I have to venture onto some more “country” asphalt roads, and though they’re within Nixa city limits, they’re not maintained very well nor do they have street lights, which prevents me from running in the early morning or after dark.

Since I’m running within the city limits on the main roads it would be nice to have sidewalks (or even extra-wide shoulders), but there are no sidewalks on the main roads—hmm, they’re in the dead-end subdivisions. And if there are sidewalks, they’re just around the schools, which is good for the kids, I suppose.

And while I’m running on the main, unlevel, sidewalkless roads, I have to be on extra alert for speedy drivers. The roads are hilly and busy, and every time I hear an automobile coming, I pray, “Please see me. Please see me.” Usually they do, but on the occasion one doesn’t, I practically have to dive into the ditch to prevent being hit (and sometimes after these incidents I wish I had a rock to throw at the stupid drivers’ windshields).

As I fear for my life as I run, I wish Nixa had trails, but Nixa doesn’t. Even Ozark, Nixa’s rival suburb, is developing trails near its new community center and downtown district; Nixa, as far as I can tell from my reading of local publications, has no plans to build trails, so if I want to run on trails, I have to go to Springfield (or Ozark soon), which is 20 miles out of my way four days a week. (And of course, there’s zero mass transit in place between Nixa, Springfield, and Ozark, so I’m stuck driving my gas-guzzling SUV to and fro).

OK, I’m off my soapbox. I guess running 10 miles away in Springfield is better than not enjoying any of my runs at home.

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Posted in fitness/health | 1 Comment »

September 29th, 2007

Ocean Zen Brings Asian Fusion to Springfield

I don’t intend all my restaurant reviews to be of the Asian-fusion variety, but Chris and I had an anonymous gift card (evidence suggests it was from Chris’s bosses) to Ocean Zen, a 2006 Best of 417 winner. We also wanted to celebrate the completion of my thesis’s first working draft, so I made reservations for the hubby and I on Friday night.

We were greeted on the other side of the enormous wooden doors by friendly hosts. Our table wasn’t quite ready, so we waited in the foyer. This gave us time to take in the decor of the dining room. Another review I read referred to the interior design as having an “under the sea” theme—and not of the Little Mermaid persuasion. I really didn’t catch that theme until I read that review; the use of wood, metal, fire, and water made me think of zen-like feng shui.

But enough about the decor. I mean, as cool as it was, that’s not why we were there. The hosts seated us within ten minutes of arriving, and we had a seat right next to the kitchen in a half booth-half bar top table. Now, if we had planned a romantic dinner, this was not the ideal table; however, I happen to like being in the action, and we could see the kitchen, the bar, and the dining room from our vantage point.

Our server greeted us right away, but we had to remind him a second time to bring Chris’s iced tea. Our Blue Crab and Cream Cheese Stuffed Crispy Wontons were promptly brought to our table. These rich pockets of heaven are arguably the best in town and could easily be mistaken for a dessert rather than an appetizer.

Chris ordered the Mongolian Barbeque Glazed Grilled 12 oz. Ribeye with Szechwan-style Asparagus, Bacon Cheddar Smashed Potatoes, and Peppercorn cognac Cream Sauce. Chris says, “The ribeye was good but was a little disappointing. I expected it to be a little better, but part of that was my fault; I ordered it medium rare, but it was a little too rare for me. The glaze was fantastic and had a sweet, subtle kick to it. The steak was tender—not tough. It was a good piece of meat, but it wasn’t the most flavorful steak. The asparagus was quite possibly the best I’ve had—it wasn’t stringy or limp or soggy but was crisp, fresh, and flavorful. The smashed potatoes were also great. They had a good texture and were infused with real pieces of bacon that added a rich flavor, which complemented the steak. All together, it was a great dish.”

I ordered the Sesame Nori Crusted Seared Rare Ahi Tuna with Lobster Mousse Stuffed Shrimp, Wild Mushroom Risotto Cake, and Balsamic Lobster Glaze. The tuna was excellent at first bite—hot and seared on the outside and warm and rare on the inside with a subtle tuna flavor. The risotto cake was the best risotto I’ve ever tried; it’s flavor was rich with flavor yet light in texture. The shrimp was rich with the lobster mousse and was wonderful. Actually, the flavors of the risotto and the shrimp outshined the tuna. And perhaps I’m a slow eater, but by the time I reached the last of the tuna and risotto, they had lost their warmth and weren’t very yummy to eat anymore.

This was our second visit to Ocean Zen since its move to the Battlefield location, and so far the service and food has been consistent. Friday night, from our booth near the kitchen, we witnessed the teamwork of the staff, which was fun to watch. We’re excited to visit Ocean Zen again and see how its service and food continue to improve, and we can’t wait to pick out a favorite OZ dish.

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September 2nd, 2007

Kai Serves Up Sushi in Downtown Springfield

Last night, my hubby Chris surprised me with a date to Springfield’s newest Japanese restaurant, Kai. According to GO Magazine, Kai is owned by the same folks who own the popular sushi bar and grill Haruno in southeast Springfield, so I had high expectations for their cuisine. (If you’re not a sushi fan, don’t fret—Kai also has steak and seafood.)

Referencing Kenneth G. Henshall’s 1988 book A Guide to Remembering Japanese Characters, kai can mean “sea” or “shellfish,” appropriate definitions considering the restaurant’s fare. Of the twenty or so definitions of the word, another caught my eye; kai can also mean “to meet.” As the restaurant is set in downtown Springfield and has an inviting bar, this definition is also appropriate.

But enough about semantics, let’s talk about our experience. Chris and I were unable to make reservations because of our late-made plans, but the hostess was able to seat us immediately in the bar (the main dining room is upstairs). We were impressed by Kai’s modern Asian fusion atmosphere, which included chrome accents found in everything from our chopsticks and two-top bar table to the array of disco balls and wall hardware. Chris was enamored with the LED wall that seemed to dance with the rhythm of the trance music booming in the background (in general, Chris loves most interior and concert design that involves LED—especially the LED curtains flanking the stage on U2’s Vertigo tour).

Chris started with an iced tea; the GO Magazine reviewer said it was the best in town (quite an accolade considering that McAlister’s has held the long-standing honor for as long as I have lived here). After taking a sip of it myself, I agreed, as it reminded me of some tea I had at a Japanese restaurant in China a few years back. We didn’t sample the alcohol menu because we’re not big drinkers, but from my glance at the drink menu, there are as many drink options at Kai as there are sushi options. And if their bartenders are as good as their chefs, you won’t be disappointed in the alcohol department.

We started our meal with the Kai Gyoza appetizer. As we’re both fans of the Japanese dumpling, we were not disappointed in the subtle texture and flavor of Kai’s. They were served with a just-spicy-enough sauce that kicked their flavor up a notch without scaring off my hubby’s taste buds.

Our nigiri arrived next and was my favorite part of our meal (strangely, I like nigiri more than I like sushi rolls—most people seem to be the other way around). Nigiri is an oval-shaped sushi that includes a piece of raw fish over a bit a rice. We ordered two types: salmon and albacore tuna. When you place a sample of nigiri in your mouth, you’re awakened to the simple, yet unique, flavor of each fish. The rice cleanses your palette in preparation of your next bite. Whereas cooked fish often has more robust flavor from its juices, the nigiri requires its taster to look for and pay attention to its flavor.

Our “Memoirs of a Geisha” roll arrived last to our dinner table. The Geisha is an inside out roll where rice encases the roll rather than seaweed. Inside, the Geisha was laced with crab meat, cream cheese, and avocado; outside, the Geisha was garnished with a variety of roe (fish eggs). Though it’s a simple roll, the combination of flavors boded well with our palettes.

Our only “complaint” about Kai was our server. It’s not much of a complaint because he was fairly attentive, but he wasn’t super personable. We asked for recommendations from the sushi menu, and he offered a handful, but he didn’t seem too enthused about them.

For anyone who enjoys downtown Springfield, good sushi, or excellent interior design, we recommend Kai, but make reservations a head of time to get a seat in the dining room. Holistically, our entire experience was excellent, and we’re excited that downtown Springfield has a fun, new restaurant for us to frequent.

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