NOTO Burrito Keeps Me Comin' Back

View Larger Map This map shows where Serendipity is located because NOTO Burrito is so new they aren't on the map yet. Serendipity is right next door.

NOTO Burrito is so good I have gone back three times since it opened last month. That's gotta say something about the place.

First off, I tried the Planting Peace and Love burrito - in honor of the Equality House here in Topeka. It comes with two choice of meats (they don't judge), pico, three blend cheese, guac, jalepeno cheese sauce and a rainbow of their salsas. I only got chicken because I didn't want tofu, turkey or ground beef - those are the other choices they offer up. On top of this masterpiece they put this lovely pineapple barbecue slaw that made the entire burrito. There are two different types of slaw including the one I just mentioned and the mango habanero slaw, which is much spicier than the pineapple barbecue.

 The slaw was my favorite part - crunchy, soft, sweet and tangy. I loved it. The only part I wish could have been improved was the use of fresh pineapple would have been appreciated because it's so in season right now - currently they use canned. Canned is consistent, but just not as flavorful, in my opinion.

The first time I went they placed the slaw on the top of the burrito and it was served in a basket. The second time I went they made some adjustments and started putting the slaw inside the burrito and in a to-go box with chips. The salsa was out so you could get yourself some. The third time I returned they kept the to-go boxes but started portioning out the salsas so everyone got one 2 oz. portion of each kind - rojo red, sweet and spicy and strawberry jalepeno. They also had returned to putting the slaw on top of the burrito. The significance of this is that the owners care - they want your experience to be pleasant. They have been asking customers for their opinions and input and they have listened - that is how I know they will be successful in the future, they care.

The second time I went I ordered the Thai Me Up - I love the names. They make me laugh. Inside this concoction comes rice, beans, cheese, fried noodles, zesty Hawaiian salsa (I think that's the pineapple slaw) and your choice of tortilla wrap - they have spinach, roasted red bell pepper and regular flour. I enjoyed the mesh of Mexican and Thai food that took part in this burrito. They only thing I felt was lacking was the use of the fried noodles. I couldn't really tell they were in there and they didn't add to the burrito. I actually forgot they were in there until the end when I looked at the ingredient list again and was like "oh yeah...". Probably won't order that one again, but it was still pretty tasty.

The third burrito I feasted upon was the Roman's Wankie - I feel weird even saying the name. This one had rice, beans, avocado, pico, sour cream, chicken, cheese and romesco sauce on top with choice of slaw. This one was a good mix of Italian flavor and burrito with the addition of the romesco sauce. That slaw just makes everything taste so amazing. Next time I wonder if they would think I was weird if that's all I ordered.

What I like about the NOTO Burrito is that it's local, fresh and delicious. The owners care, they want to please you and the atmosphere is that of NOTO - relaxed, inviting and artsy.  The walls are filled with local art and they even have letters arranged that say 'support local'. I think it's the perfect addition to the North Topeka Arts District and I hope they continue to do well.

Every time I have gone it has been busy and I have had to wait a few minutes in line, but it's always been worth the wait. I went during the First Friday ArtWalk in July and waited almost half and hour in line but others were doing the same so I must not be the only one who feels that way!

Westlake Ace Hardware Father's Day Drawing Winner

This is Kathy Frye. She won the Father's Day drawing sponsored by Westlake Ace Harware. She won a quesadilla grill basket, a BBQ rub and a $25 gift card to spend at Westlake Ace Hardware. Thanks to everyone for participating! If you didn't win this time, keep coming back for more chances to win soon.

Father's Day Giveaway Winner

Kathy Piper- Frye is this week's winner for the $25 gift card and accessories from Westlake Ace Hardware. If you are disappointed you didn't win, cheer up! There will be more chances to win more accessories from Westlake Ace Hardware this summer. Just stay tuned to hear more! Thanks to everyone for participating

Spring 2013 Pics of Food

Oriental Express - A Taste Of Asia

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For some reason I didn't even realize there was a Chinese restaurant at 29th and Wanamaker. Now that I have discovered it, thanks to my brother-in-law's girlfriend Chelsye, I plan to return often.

They consider themselves an Asian restaurant so they feature various dishes including noodle soups, stir fries and sushi. I tried some sushi and cashew chicken.

The sushi was fresh and tasty. I ordered a rainbow roll because it's my favorite, Drew ordered an orgasm roll and Chelsye ordered a sunrise roll. The rainbow roll was your typical rainbow roll that you can get at any good sushi restaurant. The sunrise roll was my least favorite but only because I am not a fan of smoked eel - so if you like smoked eel, you will definitely love this one. The other ingredients include avocado, cucumber, crab meat and cream cheese.

I enjoyed the orgasm roll. I thought Drew was joking when he said the name of it, but that's really what it's called. It's a good name. It was memorable because there is shrimp tempura, kani, avocado and salmon in the middle, wrapped in Nori and rice, then baked with spicy mayo and seasoning on the top. When baked the mayo sets up so it's not saucy anymore and the crunchy topping bakes into it. I tried to find out what the "special seasoning" was but they couldn't answer me - they might not have even known what it was. Whatever it was, it was delicious and I want more. (Kani is crab and nori is the seaweed wrap used in most sushi.)

The cashew chicken I ordered came with jasmine rice. Some places don't automatically serve it with rice so I appreciate that it's included so I don't have to spend more money. The sauce was thicker than I am accustomed to, but it wasn't bad, just different. The vegetables were zucchini, celery and carrots and the meat was dark chicken meat. I picked the celery out because I think it tastes like dirt and is only good for adding flavor, not actually eating it. That's just a personal preference - next time I will ask for them to leave it out completely.

I plan to return and try a few other dishes and sushi rolls because I enjoyed my first visit. The servers were nice and helpful and the restaurant was clean and taken care of.

For their sushi menu and regular menu and other general information about the restaurant, check out their website at http://www.orientalexpresstopeka.com/.

Westlake Ace Hardware Father's Day Giveaway

All right, here we go... I am doing a Father's Day Giveaway!All you gotta do is subscribe to my blog, comment on a post that you like and share this status! It's easy and you will get entered into a drawing to win a $25 gift card to Westlake Ace Hardware and a cool grilling accessory from there. It's simple :)
I will do the drawing the Wednesday before Father's Day, 6/12, so you can give your dad these items as a gift, if you want. Of course you could just keep them for yourself! 

Here are Westlake Ace Harware locations:

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A Taste Of Leavenworth: Suprisingly Good Thai Restaurant

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On Memorial Day my husband and I traveled to Leavenworth, Kans. for his work and planned to have lunch there. We found a Thai restaurant and decided to check it out, it's called Baan Thai.

Walking in I liked it right away. The decorations were nice and not over done like some Thai places, and they weren't burning incense. Some places like to burn some strong incense and I think it should smell like the food at a restaurant, not incense. They also used white China with blue design and I thought that was cool.

I ordered the appetizer sampler that came with soft egg rolls and fried egg rolls, crab rangoon and chicken satay with a variety of sauces. My favorite sauce had little slices of cucumber and red onion and the sauce was sweet and rice vinegar-like, which complimented the cucumbers well. I liked to put them on the slightly curried chicken satay and eat them together. The crab rangoons were pretty tasty and different than what you would get at a Chinese restaurant - the filling was a little thinner and it had different spices than what I am used to.

The soft egg rolls are amazingly tasty and served cold. They aren't fried, but are made with a special rice wrap that is soft and almost sponge-like. Inside are ingredients like lettuce, cilantro, carrots, shrimp and rice noodles. I liked dipping these in the sweet and sour sauce.

For my entree I ordered the cashew chicken, which is served with jasmine rice. This is my favorite dish and Baan Thai truly impressed me with this dish. There were carrots, dry chilies (which are spicy as hell, by the way), cashews and onions and a lovely sauce that I liked to soak in my jasmine rice.  The vegetables were cooked thoroughly but not mushy and the sauce was sweet but not too with the spiciness of the dry chilies. I wouldn't recommend eating the dry chilies unless you want your mouth to be on fire for awhile.

Although it's taken me 29 years to go to Leavenworth, now I have a reason to return. Baan Thai gets my approval and I plan to return in the near future.  If you ever find yourself in that town, stop by and try some cashew chicken or pad thai - I didn't try the pad thai, but I bet it's good.