You might think, considering the fact that I live in Thailand, that the last thing I would crave on my trip home to Kansas would be Asian food. You would be wrong.
As soon as I saw the glorious blue letters, I knew that I could not resist going to Blue Koi at least once on my trip. Blue Koi is one of those rare places that manages to deliver food that is simultaneously comforting and exciting. I hesitated to break out of my typical order which always involves some type of noodles, but my new Thai-style appreciation for spice drew me to a dish called Fire Bird. Tofu, scallion, celery, and bamboo in this rich, savory, spicy sauce….I was glad I branched out.
My grandma and sister-in-law had the Chinese Pot Roast and Shanghai Wonton Soup, respectively. Both were fantastic, and full of flavor. It was cool, clear, and gloriously spring-like outside. One of the few days on my visit to Kansas when it was nice enough to sit outside.
I do a terrible job in Bangkok of pausing to have a slow lunch and relax. It felt totally luxurious, and all the more wonderful to be able to do it with family, catching up on local news and the activities of cousins, aunts and uncles.
After lunch I stopped at a grocery store to pick up 20 different kinds of seeds that I am hoping to turn into world’s most incredible Bangkok vegetable garden (in approximately 20 square feet of partially-shaded air shaft….possibly overly ambitious). Because there was only one checkout station open, the 10 or so people in line proceeded to engage in a light-hearted discussion of who had the fewest items or was in the greatest rush to get out and rearranged themselves in order accordingly. Only in Kansas.
Blue Koi
www.bluekoi.net
10581 Mission Road
Leawood, KS 66206
Oh how I miss Blue Koi! On my last trip home I had a lengthy discussion with a nice man on the airplane where we reminisced about our favorite Blue Koi dishes!
Elizabeth – You would think in New York (or Bangkok) there might be a reasonable substitute, but I’m glad I’m not the only one to be convinced that nothing’s quite the same as Blue Koi.
I’m so glad you’re back. I missed my daily fix of Jessica and her blog. Glad you had a fabulous time.
And I missed the blogging – glad to be back at it!