Travel Eats! Manhattan, Kan.
I have realized that I need to go on weekend trips more often. The BF and I joined our friends, Betsy and Tony Herrman, for a weekend trip to Manhattan, Kan. Getting away for just a couple of days was so much fun and just what I needed after a couple stressful weeks at work. Sometimes I forget that getting away doesn’t mean planning a big trip.
We went to the Little Apple to run the 34th annual Aggieville St. Patrick’s Day Celebration 10K and to explore the city, which is Tony’s hometown and home to his alma mater Kansas State University.
As with all of my trips, food played an important role in this little weekend getaway. I ate some delicious food in the Little Apple!!
Saturday, March 17 - We got up at 5:30 a.m. to drive to Manhattan to run the 10K, which began at 10:45 a.m. The early drive was worth it. Lots of people dressed up for the race. I saw lots of green tutus and green outfits and someone even painted their body with green body paint! After the race, we checked into our hotel to shower. Then we were off to find food.
We had lunch at the Little Apple Brewing, Co. at 1110 Westloop in Manhattan. This place is, apparently, known for its beef. I wouldn’t know because I don’t eat beef. They did, however, have a nice selection for the non-beef eater. We shared a hummus plate with crudites and pita bread. The hummus was delicious. We were all starving from runnning and devoured this plate in minutes.
I ordered the Portabella Mushroom Sandwich, which was a marinated grilled mushroom topped with fresh mozzarella and bruschetta tomato pesto on herb foccacia. This sandwich was amazing! I plan to make this sandwich at home. I also ordered Truffle Fries as my side dish. These were the best fries I have ever had in my entire life. They are made with truffle oil, which added tons of flavor and made them very unique. The fries were served curry ketchup and garlic aioli, which were both delish! I also had the Wildcat Wheat Ale, which I enjoyed.
Betsy, Tony and the BF each had a burger that was topped with fried onions.
http://www.littleapplebrewery.com/index.html
We spent the afternoon drinking beer at Auntie Mae’s and the Last Chance. Auntie Mae’s was Tony’s fave bar when he was in college. I loved the family photos on the wall in the small, intimate bar.
We made our way to CoCo Bolos Wood Fired Grill & Cantina at 1227 Bluemont Ave. in Manhattan for dinner. The atmosphere of this restaurant was vibrant and fun. We ordered two carafes of sangria - one red and one white. The red was absolutely delish. I didn’t love the white, but I also don’t love white wine.
I ordered fish tacos, which were wonderful. I loved the mango salsa. The tacos were served with Carribean black beans, which were delish! According to the website, the restaurant serves dishes from south Texas and New Mexico, but explores Creole, Asian, Japanese and East Indian flavors. They serve standard Mexican dishes, but they also serve pizzas, pastas and sandwiches with Cuban, Thai or Caribbean flavors. I have no idea what the others in my group ordered. I was pretty into my fish tacos then I got the hiccups in the middle of my meal and was consumed with getting rid of them for the remainder of our time here.
http://cocobolos.com/?reloaded=true
Sunday, March 18 - Before leaving town, we stopped by Varsity Donuts at 704 N. Manhattan Ave. This quaint little shop has gourmet doughnuts such as the maple bacon bar, the pistachio doughnut and the lemon drop.
I had the pistachio doughnut, which was yummy. I loved the saltiness of the pistachios mixed with the sweet of the doughnut. The BF had a chocolate bar, which was a yummy classic doughnut with chocolate frosting. We didn’t partake in the other activities available at this place, but they do have ping pong tables, board games and vintage bicycles available to rent.
