If You Can't Stand the Heat, Get Out of the Kitchen!

 Italy.  Awe, Italy.  I've wanted to go there for years.  I dream about it, think about it, pray about it, and visualize what it will look and feel like once I step off that plane and onto Italian soil.  Until then...I will go to Buca di Beppo.  

Buca di Beppo translates into "Joe's Basement".  If you've ever eaten at one before you will realize the basement feel as soon as you enter into a Buca.  It kind of feels like a cave with low ceilings, no windows, with wall to wall pictures and frames that line the walls.  It can be a bit claustrophobic, but the food MORE than makes up for it.  

We have never eaten at the kitchen table before.  I've always wanted to because I thought it looked fun.  It was fun, but it was also loud, crowded, and HOT.  Did I mention hot?  Yep, you are literally inside the kitchen and while it is cool to see the action first hand, I found myself willingly walking the maze of the restaurant to take kids to the bathroom simply to feel the sweet breeze of the air conditioner.  

The rest of our weekend was filled with the normal things most people do when they visit KC.  We went to the Legends and shopped and ate and ate and ate.  We visited Nebraska Furniture Mart.  Envision if Mathis Brothers, Best Buy, Hahn, Garden Ridge, Amini's, and Lowe's had a baby. That would be Nebraska Furniture Mart.  A store on steroids and not able to be fully shopped unless you had an entire day to spend inside.

Of course we did the Plaza as well.  The Plaza is so beautiful with all the horse drawn carriages, hanging HUGE flower baskets, many many fountains, and coffee shops on every corner.  The Plaza is hands down my favorite KC tradition that we make time for each visit.  

I hope everyone had a happy and healthy holiday weekend!