Neighborhood Cafe, Lee's Summit, MO

Every town deserves a “home-cooking” kind of restaurant. For Lee’s Summit, Missouri, it’s the Neighborhood Café at 104 SE 3^rd Street, right smack dab in the middle of town.

If you want comfort food or a meal like “Grandma used to make,” you’re in the right place. As soon as you sit down, you’re greeted by a friendly welcome and a hot home-made cinnamon roll. Forget about the diet for a minute and treat yourself. It is melt-in-your-mouth fresh. Apparently the rolls are a long-time tradition and the restaurant’s new owners chose to stick with it.

I didn’t look for healthy food so I can’t speak to that. My husband ordered chicken-fried steak and I ordered chicken-fried chicken. Both were served with real mashed potatoes, gravy and a vegetable. The second time we visited we had the Wednesday special, fried chicken. The food was great but I’m glad they didn’t provide a calorie count.

The restaurant offers a selection of home-made pies but after a meal, there’s just no room left. We’re saving that for another time.

When you visit, be sure to check out the walls in the second room. One is home to photos of Lee’s Summit veterans. Two others are covered with newspaper headlines from historical events.


 

Prison Brews Microbrewery in Jefferson City, Missouri

Pizza Ovens

If you visit the Missouri State Penitentiary in Jefferson City, take the time to visit Prison Brews Microbrewery and Restaurant just a couple of blocks away at 305 Ash. (Phone: 573-635-0678)

Its uniqueness hits you when you walk in the door. The prison bars speak of fun and relaxation in this setting - totally opposite of the prison tour experience. Menu items are named appropriately for the prison setting: like the Prison Reuben, the Prison Break Burger and Jail-House Fries.

The bar behind bars

Prison Brews boasts seven beers ranging from Go-to-Jail Ale to Rapsheet Raspberry and Big House IPA. With six people in our group, we ordered two beer samplers. I liked the Rapsheet Raspberry, Everett liked the Go-to-Jail Ale and the Jailhouse Java Stout, Sarah preferred the I Ain't Your Honey Wheat.

We all sampled some appetizers: the Jail-House Fries, Spinach Artichoke Dip and Beer-Battered Onion Rings. For dinner, several of us ordered salads. Everett ordered a Cranberry-Walnut Salad that he really enjoyed. Since pizza is their specialty, I ordered a Pepperoni Pizza and was pleased with my choice.

At Sarah's suggestion, we shared a dessert - aptly named the Shawshank Redemption Pie - with lots of cocoa fudge, whipped cream and chocolate sauce. Needless to say, we all forgot our diets for a little while!

Restrooms

We ranked every food item very good. While the owners may have fun with menu item names, they're serious about quality food and excellent service. Prison Brews is a great way to spend a relaxing meal-time adventure.

Oh, yes. I forgot to mention that the restrooms carry a unique name. Almost makes one nervous to use the facilities!

Johnny Rockets in Downtown Denver

Spencer's (our server) catsup artwork

If you're planning to visit Denver, plan to spend some time at the mile-long 16th Street Mall. Denver has created an enjoyable outdoor shopping experience with lots of restaurants, coffee shops, retail stores and offices. When we searched for a place for lunch, we walked by Johnny Rockets and Chris noticed a $5 menu. The price sounded great and we liked the '50s decor.

Everett ordered a patty melt, Chris a grilled chicken sandwich and I had the original hamburger. All came with all-you-can-eat fries. None of us wanted more than our first serving because of the generous amount. We all appreciated the skins-on flavorful real-potato taste.  We enjoyed our sandwiches and declared our meals excellent choices for $5 each.

Spencer, our waiter, served us with flair as shown in the accompanying photo - his catsup creation for our fries. He got our vote for artist-of-the-mall!

We later googled Johnny Rockets and found that it's a 200-unit international chain that started in L.A. in 1986. Today they serve 13 million hamburgers per year.

Los Compadres - Clinton, Missouri

If you're heading to Truman Lake, or anywhere between Kansas City and Springfield, MO, you'll most likely drive through Clinton on Hwy 13. It's a favorite stop for food, snacks and gas. Nestled around the Hwy 13/Hwy 7 intersection, you'll find a Walmart, all kinds of fast food, restaurants, retail stores and a couple of hotels.

If you haven't done so already, check out the strip center behind the McDonald's and Wendy's. Nearly five years ago, a new Mexican restaurant opened. Los Compadres has become a favorite of locals and travelers.

Everett, Chris and I were traveling from Branson to Kansas City. As we headed for lunch at Wendy's we noticed the Los Compadres sign. When we first walked in the door, we noticed both the cleanliness and the comfortable feel.

The chips and salsa pleased all of us. Chris asked for hot salsa. He and Everett found it interesting. Chopped jalapenos and crushed red peppers gave it the right amount of heat and good taste. Our waiter, Derek, told us they offer salsa in mild, medium and hot. They automatically serve the medium but you can request either the mild or hot.

Derek introduced us to the menu. When I asked him for a suggestion, he told us his favorite lunch was the chicken Burrito Compadre. His enthusiasm convinced us all to try it. We normally try different menu items but what can I say - Derek was persuasive.

The extensive menu lists plenty of options for varying tastes - for both lunch and dinner time.

We all enjoyed our burritos although none of us finished our meal. It's a big burrito that comes stuffed with meat (chicken or beef), rice and beans, covered with cheese and fresh, crisp lettuce. I ordered mine without the rice. The marinated shredded chicken is cooked in-house and was flavorful.

The owner - and I'm sorry I don't remember his name - said he moved to the United States twelve years ago to work in his uncle's restaurant in Seattle before he opened Los Compadres. We were fascinated by his story that he came here to study architecture and ended up a restaurant owner. After we left, I realized I hadn't asked him why he chose Clinton.

With good food and excellent service, you can bet we'll stop there again. Next time, we'll make sure we order different selections to sample some of the diversity.

Tequila's - Branson West, MO

Tequila's is one of our favorite places in the Branson area. Located on Hwy 13 just south of the Hwy 76 and 13 intersection on the east side of the road, it's only a couple miles west of Silver Dollar City.

Our favorite menu item is the Burrito Grande with fajita chicken. The burrito is served with lettuce, tomato, sour cream, guacamole and jalapenos. It comes with a red sauce but we always ask to have it replaced with their cheese dip.

Chris ordered the Burritos Deluxe - two burritos, one chicken and one beef served with lettuce, tomato, guacamole and sour cream. Since he's not a big beef fan, he considered his meal good, but not outstanding. He did rate the chips and hot sauce to be excellent.

Tequila's offers a luncheon menu and an extensive list of side orders.

Service is consistently good. The restaurant is always clean. The restaurant has a bar in the lower level. They serve mixed drinks in the restaurant as well.

Avalutto's Italian Delight - Mission, KS

Avalutto's at 6522 Martway, Mission, KS.

Although Avalutto's has been at this location for more than twenty years, this was our first visit. It won't be our last.

Once I noticed the fresh greens, I started my meal with a dinner salad. It was a great choice and the house dressing was excellent. I ordered spaghetti with meat sauce, served with fresh bread. Chris ordered a slice of thick-crust pizza. If you like the works, order the Delight. Wonderful choice! He called it "one of the best pizzas I've ever tasted." He also ordered a Calzone with ham and cheese. Since it was the first time he's tried one, he couldn't make a comparison but he liked it.

The serving setup - customers order at the counter where they are given a number, the food is delivered to your table. Table service, drinks and condiments are self-serve. Prices are reasonable and the service was good.

Next time we plan to try a pizza.

Salty Iquana, Kansas City Metro Area

Another interesting Mexican restaurant! The original Salty Iguana at 83rd & Mission has been around for a number of years. The restaurant now has five locations in the metro area and in Lawrence, KS.

We first became fans of the Mission Rd location because of their black beans (before they were so popular) and, at the time, the blue corn chips. The black beans still enhance a number of their items but the blue corn chips are gone. Have to say their chips are excellent though.

We recently ate at the location close to the Hwy 69 & 135th Street exit. We found it to be a delightful combination of good food, service and cleanliness. Our waiter, Nate, was super attentive and to start the evening, he kept us supplied with chips, salsa and drinks.

I ordered the Jalapeno cheese dip for an appetizer. My son Chris and I split an order of chicken fajitas and my husband Everett ordered an avocado burrito. The fajitas were very good but I have to say I prefer their many choices of burritos. Everett loved his burrito with the combination of pork and avocado.

All in all, a fun evening and a good dining experience. Nate provided great service throughout our evening. It's a place we'll visit frequently this summer.