SantaCon, Game of Thrones-Inspired Whisky & Other Weekend Possibilities
Oysters are just the tip of the ocean at the seafood brunch buffet at Jarocho South. (Contributed | Jarocho South)
Published December 13th, 2018 at 8:00 AM
Hold onto your sleighs. Pull on your red hat, and leave some cookies and milk on the front doorstep. SantaCon KC 2018, the bar crawl ($40) that encourages folks to don their best Kris Kringle get-up, begins at Kelly’s Westport Inn at 4 p.m. After checking in, party buses equipped with Jell-O shots will be standing by to whisk you across three drinking destinations — Westport, Martini Corner and Waldo. SantaCon continues until 1:30 a.m. Try to stay on the nice list.
Truly great indoorsmen know they can tame the outdoors from a bar stool. The Campground (1531 Genessee St.), a cocktail bar with woodsy aesthetic, is open in the former Genessee Royale space. The menu is from chef Craig Howard of Howard’s Grocery & Cafe. Co-owner Christopher Ciesiel, who launched The Campground as a pop-up shed bar in his backyard with wife, Cristin, created an array of cocktails that mark his own take on the classics.
The Campground is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday and Thursday, 11 a.m. to midnight Friday, 10 a.m. to midnight Saturday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.
Free State Brewing Co. brewed a batch of Resilience IPA, the beer based on a recipe provided by Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., to benefit those impacted by wildfires in California. Free State (636 Massachusetts St., Lawrence, Kansas) will tap the beer this Friday. If you need a little warming up, the brewpub is also serving mulled wine and The Autumn Pear made with bourbon, pear nectar, a ginger-honey syrup, lemon and crystalized ginger.
Scotch is coming. Julep (4141 Pennsylvania Ave.) is hosting a tasting ($40) of the Game of Thrones Scotch Whiskey lineup from Diageo (the company behind Smirnoff and Johnnie Walker) from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday. And be advised Ron Swanson fans, the Lannister House Lagavulin 9 year old is one of the eight featured whiskies on the menu.
Sometimes you’ve got to cover the whole barnyard for a proper breakfast. Caleb’s Breakfast & Lunch (515 E. Red Bridge Road) is a new spot in the Red Bridge Shopping Center that will answer the call. It’s down home cooking: chicken fried chicken and eggs, biscuits and gravy, and egg sandwiches on biscuits or croissants. Caleb’s is open from 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Breakfast is served all day.
Craving seafood? Jarocho South (13145 State Line Road) puts out the whole cast of “Under The Sea” for its Sunday brunch buffet ($29) at 11 a.m. Chow down on oysters, ceviche and red snapper. Keep your glass full with bottomless margaritas, sangria or mimosas.
Have you procrastinated on holiday shopping? This is the moment you’ve been ignoring…er…waiting for. Handmade Holidays, a pop-up curated by Dragonfly Gourmet Goods (makers of pickles and jams) with locally made foodstuffs, is open at Park Place (11543 Ash St., Leawood, Kansas) from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. Fill your pantry and fridge with sauerkraut, elderberry juice, honey, barbecue sauce and the lattice-weaved, bacon-wrapped sausages known as the Bacon Explosion.
The Independence Uptown Market (211 Truman Road, Independence, Missouri) is hosting an Uptown Holiday Market Sip & Shop from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Browse locally made clothing, art and jewelry while munching on cannoli and sipping mulled wine.
The maker movement has transformed our local food landscape. Catch a preview of the eighth episode of “Tastemakers,” a new show from Feast TV creator and host Cat Neville, at Vox Vineyards (19310 NW Farley Hampton Road) from 4 to 6 p.m. Sunday. Vox, alongside Green Dirt Farms, will be featured on the show that airs on Kansas City PBS. Tickets to the preview party are $36 and include a viewing, cheese-and-wine samples and a question-and-answer session with Vox’s founder, Jerry Eisterhold, and Green Dirt Farm owner, Sarah Hoffman.