Night & Day Events

Thursday, July 14, 2005
Happy Bastille Day, French friends! We will be celebrating our love of chocolat (the food, not the sappy-ass Juliette Binoche movie) with tonight’s Chocolate Extravaganza at Café Trio (3535 Broadway, 816-756-3227). The complimentary appetizer-and-dessert buffet features a chocolate fountain, which, in our opinion, the City of Fountains has been sorely lacking for some time. The bar gets into the act with $5 chocolate martinis, too, all to celebrate a new partnership between the restaurant and Christopher Elbow Chocolates, the hometown chocolatier we totally lurve. Patrons of Café Trio now receive Elbow’s confections with the check, which is pretty sweet.

Friday, July 15, 2005
We’re probably not going to make it to next weekend’s Lebowski Fest in Louisville, Kentucky, much to our boyfriend’s chagrin. OK, so we’re missing They Might Be Giants and the chance to hobnob with other Achievers (the preferred name for fans of The Big Lebowski). But there is hope. We can’t promise an appearance by Jeff Bridges, but the Summer Bowl for Kids’ Sake does take place in a bowling alley, the awesomely named Incred-A-Bowl (8500 West 151st Street in Overland Park). First off, we have to form a six-person bowling team (and come up with a suitable team name like, say, the Dudes). Then we’re registering with Maura (maura@itsabigdeal.org or 816-777-2873) to reserve a time. (At press time, 6:30 p.m, 8:15 p.m. and 10 p.m. were still available tonight, with other times available through July 22.) Then we’re going hunting for sponsors to pledge to support Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Kansas City. After that, all we have to do is show up and bowl for the cause. We’re pretty sure the Dude would abide.

Saturday, July 16, 2005
Looking for an excuse to get all prettied up? To wear a fancy dress, a hat and maybe some lovely gloves? You’re on your own for the first two, but the Robert J. Dole Institute at the University of Kansas (2350 Petefish Drive in Lawrence) has your back for the gloves. Today’s free white-gloves tour is not, as its name suggests, a Dole-imposed sartorial stance (though it does seem like his cup of tea). Instead, the objective of this behind-the-scenes tour through the former senator’s personal and political ephemera is to teach attendees the importance of using white cotton gloves when handling fragile archival materials. The natural oils on fingers can permanently alter photographs and documents — not so slick when the institute’s emphasis is on preservation. Reservations are required; call 785-864-1420.

Sunday, July 17, 2005
We feel so sorry for the lowly Manhattanites who actually have to make the dreaded trek to the Hamptons by car. All those SUVs crawling along on Montauk Highway for hours, just so their well-protected passengers can commune with nature. Lucky for us, catching a breath of fresh air isn’t so time-consuming — in fact, we never even have to leave the city. From noon to 5 p.m. today, the KC Center for Urban Agriculture hosts an Urban Farms Tour of six locations, including Troostwood Gardens (52nd Street and Paseo), Huns Farm (4730 Metropolitan Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas) and J.J. Farms (8531 East 81st Terrace in Raytown). Yeah, we know what you’re about to say, and we think calling Raytown urban is a bit of a stretch, too. Anyway, tourists can visit the Kansas City Community Farm, where a greenhouse, tunnels and a wildflower and medicinal garden occupy more than 2 acres above some caves in KCK; or Beverly Pender’s Urban Soul and Soil Garden, also in KCK. Pender started out as a home gardener and eventually took over surrounding lots; now she sells vegetables at a stand called the KCK Greenmark and delivers greens to senior citizens in her neighborhood. Call 913-231-4484 or see www.kccua.org for more information.

Monday, July 18, 2005
We remember when summer brought red plastic feeders outside our family’s kitchen windows, where, soon thereafter, a blur of manic wings would suck down sugar water as quickly as the tube could be refilled. Little did we know, hummingbirds don’t subsist entirely on pseudonectar — and at 6:30 tonight at the Blue Valley Branch of the Johnson County Public Library (9000 West 151st Street in Overland Park, 913-495-3850), we can find out just which plants and flowers attract them to actual gardens. We’re hoping for amethyst woodstars — with wing rates of up to 80 beats per second, they’re the prettiest and the fastest.

Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Pad Thai without chicken doesn’t sound especially appetizing to us, but Zoe LaGrece might change our mind from 6 to 8 tonight at the Westport Roanoke Community Center (3601 Roanoke). During her class, Vegetarian Thai Delight, she’ll teach us how to prepare tom yam yum (hot-and-sour sweet-potato soup) and yum sai grok hua plee (banana flower salad), along with a few other dishes. Cost is $24; call 816-235-1448 to register.

Wednesday, July 20, 2005
On a recent excursion to the post office, we had a delightful conversation with Gloria, who was helping us overnight a forgotten credit card to St. Louis. Somehow the talk turned to drinks (how does that always happen?), and Gloria told us that her new favorite place was the Mango Room (1111 Grand), where she finds the best lemon-drop martinis in town. She seems like a reliable source, so we’ve been looking for an excuse to check out the new downtown restaurant and bar — and now we’ve found one. ODV, an organization that claims to have dedicated itself to “demystifying the art of wine appreciation,” hosts its July happy hour there from 6 to 8 tonight. Admission is $20 and allows four samples of vino (two white, two red) plus a glass of your choice. But surely they wouldn’t mind if we had a little vodka on the side. Register at www.odvkc.com.