Shamrock Shake Located, Disappointment Ensues

On our epic roadtrip from Kansas City to Boston and back, Papa and I managed to locate the Shamrock Shake twice.  The first time was at 2 am in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, but the machine was closed for cleaning and we did not get our mint-fix on. 

No, the Shamrock Shake was conquered at a road-side rest-stop somewhere between New Haven and NYC. Maybe it was the fact that the ladies operating the machine didn't know how to properly mix the green dream minty mix with the vanilla base, or maybe it was the fact that it was 10 am, but it was not my day to have a Shamrock Shake -- big disappointment people. 

They are not as good as I remember them being. 

To put it in Papa's wise words:  "It tastes like we're brushing our teeth."

Keep dreaming kids, that childhood Shamrock Shake is somewhere out there, waiting to be appreciated.

Fill in the Blanks: "March makes me think of Shamrock Shakes."

This month for Fill in the Blanks, our sentence, "____ makes me think of _____," is being filled with the words, "March" and "Shamrock Shakes," to make "March makes me think of Shamrock Shakes."  

For most of my childhood, I looked forward to March as not only the beginning of spring, Kansas thunderstorms, and college basketball finals, but as the month when McDonald's brought back its Shamrock Shake.  

For those unfamiliar, the Shamrock Shake is a McDonald's beverage created in honor of St. Patrick's Day, a mint-flavored milkshake that is tinted light green.  Although quite popular in the 1990s, the drink started becoming less and less available in recent years.  There's even a website now, http://www.shamrockshake.com/, that unites Shamrock Shake lovers and helps them to find the drink at McDonald's' nationwide.

My mission for this month is to locate the Shamrock Shake in Kansas City and celebrate it for its creativity and beauty (that minty, sea foam green color of the shake is really gorgeous).

 I'll be sure to keep you updated on my quest, and feel free to join me in the search.

With The Local: Jerry's Woodsweather Cafe

Here's a word of advice -- don't eat all of a half-pound hamburger if you're not ready to commit. And by commit, I mean, being willing to accept all of the consequences of eating that burger, along with a plateful of fries, and a pitcher of Coke.

I was doing fine until I got done, until the ride home when I felt a headache coming on and the need to sleep all afternoon.  Apparently the food coma after a visit to Jerry's Woodsweather Cafe is worse than after even the biggest of Thanksgiving blowouts.  Let me be clear -- I had the worst food coma of my life.  It lasted about 12 hours.  Who knew that headaches could be caused by overeating, really, who knew...

Jerry's Woodsweather Cafe was my first stop on my endless road trip through Kansas City's back-corner restaurants and dives. My tour guide, or "The Locals" as I call him, is none other than Jon Hudson, accompanied by his wife, Sofia Hudson, two of the greatest people on the planet. They are really the eyes and mouths of this operation, as I rely on them to take me to the real meals of this town that I grew up in.  My experience at Jerry's was exactly what I was looking for.   

Jerry's Woodsweather Cafe sits in the northernmost part of Kansas City, at 1414 W 9th Street, just west of the River Market and the Power and Light District, and just east of the Kansas/Missouri state border.  Walking in, I felt an instant sense of comfort for some reason. Jerry's reminds me a beloved caffe that I worked at in Boston.  Maybe it's because it seems like a place that is full of regulars, mostly working men stopping in for a break or a meal.

Jerry's, open for breakfast and lunch, serves up generous plates, like my burger above.  Although their menu covers most basic diner classics, and daily specials (like frog legs and catfish on the Friday we were there), Jon suggested to try the burgers.  It was my cheeseburger the size of my face that landed me in my food coma.  Although I enjoyed my burger, it was really the fries that sealed the deal -- make sure to try them if you go.

I can't wait to go back to Jerry's.  It's an excellent place for people-watching, and it's nice to eat in a restaurant that you know isn't being franchised across the nation.  

The Creation Room: Guinness Ice Cream

This month, I decided to make something to honor the culinary brightness of Ireland, using two of my favorite things -- ice cream and Guinness.  

I first fell in love with Guinness in Dublin, on a weekend trip with my friends from London.  After a visit to the Guinness Storehouse, I grew to respect the beer for its unique qualities and thick, smooth taste.  After getting to know the beer better, I began to notice qualities of chocolate, coffee, and caramel layered in there.

It was in Boston this fall that I first tasted Guinness ice cream, called "black stout" at JP Licks, covered in caramel sauce, and realized how interesting the idea for it was.

And so, I attempted to make my own.  After getting inspiration from several sites (from Emeril's recipe on the Food Network, the Boston Globe, and an ice cream shop in Ireland called Murphy's), the ice cream I made in a home mixer came out awful. I had added a bit too much Guinness, rendering the ice cream itself bitter and inedible.  

Although the Guinness ice cream was a bit of a failure, I did learn how hard it is to make a good ice cream, and I can't wait to try again.