Food Review: The Sandtrap Golf Bar and Restaurant

A poker night that fell through turned into a great night out with a long time friend, his 6 yr. old son, me and my soon to be 5 year old.  Our search for a good sports bar in Overland Park and Leawood, KS took us through old streets, areas of our youth that now have become huge shopping centers, big new business developments and the latest that Johnson County has to offer.  The drive also brought back glory days, stories, who's where and what ever the hell happened to..!?  

 

Our final destination: The Sandtrap Golf Bar and Restaurant.  A gem right outside Stateline Road in KC, MO close to Martin City.  When our waitress Ashley remembered to bring my friend a Busch Light, frozen glasses with our bottled beer and equally cold chocolate milk for the boys I knew we had chosen the right spot.    

 

A family owned sports bar and restaurant, the Sandtrap remembers who you are and always welcomes you like family.  I have eaten here several times with our families, and by far their homemade potato chips are a staple to try.  They are seasoned with their special salt spices, good thickness and delicious.  Their wings are ok, not a lot to them, Friday night steak special is very good and fries.  The cheeseburger has a unique char taste that I love, fresh condiments and pickles give it a sour and cool crunch that adds to the texture of the meal.  I could not stop eating! 

 

Closing down nostalgia evening.. just like my friend's game winning TD catch from me on an out and up pattern in the final two minutes against SM North our sophomore year, the Sandtrap will always come through in the clutch for the younger crowd, plus you and your family!

 

91.7% A

 

Thanks, Mark

Food Review: The Pit, Raymore, MO

This week I had a lunch meeting with a good customer of mine and friend at the Pit, in Raymore, MO.  It's a bit of a hole in the wall in an older part of Raymore, right outside of Belton, good spot for lunch.

 

Best things to try:

• Fried "Pit"ckles, very good fried pickles made with their homemade batter, dipped in ranch
• Kenny Want Wingy, there chicken wings were terrific!  They are grilled, with a smoky flavor, not bready and have a nice spicy kick at the end.  Buffalo sauce was better than their BBQ.  The spiciness made you start to simmer, but very manageable
• Homemade Cheescake (depending on what the mom of the owner is making), I had Lemon Cheesecake with a lemon glaze, with fresh cream on the side, outstanding!!  Very fresh, homemade!

I had the cheeseburger with their bizzaro fries which was good, not great (bizzaro fries consists of curly fries with chopped bacon, green onions and

sour cream).   

 

Reasons to check out this place when you are in Raymore, easily the Buffalo Wings and homemade desserts!

 

Say hi to Kevin the manager, he will take care of you.

80.0 B

Screen Review: Noah in IMAX

This movie is good, but difficult to decipher and understand completely.  It paints a very vivid image of the Earth in the beginning stages of when life was raw and natural wonders from above with God or as characters in the movie call it, "The Creator."  Well done special effects of the Earth in creation, animals of all kinds finding their way to the ark and a rough look at civilization in our ancient past.

 

You learn quite a bit of bible history with Adam and Eve, the Book of Genesis, and how angels took on new forms to help Noah and his family construct the ark out of wood all from a majestic forest that was created for his ultimate mission in life.  Russell Crowe is excellent as Noah and his wife played by Jennifer Connelly puts on a gripping performance as well.

 

This strong drama is best suited to see with your church friends or your family, not too bad -

 

82.4% B

 

Thanks, Mark

Peace of Mind Jog

Everybody has the time when they are most effective in the day to get your thoughts in order and start the day out right.  Mine happens to be in the early morning hours between 6-7 on a nice quiet and peaceful "peace of mind jog."

All you can hear is your shoes hitting the pavement, your controlled breathing and see your breath in the air.  The sky is a crisp magenta hue and the sun is just starting to come out over the horizon, with the reflection bouncing off the windows in your neighborhood.  I jog with my dog, Stella who is equally as gracious as she gets her exercise for the day too.

When I was much younger, and worked a job in hotel resort management, I was a sailing, water ski and windsurfing instructor, and every morning I would be up getting the boats ready, sails unrolled, skis and boards out while everybody else was still stirring up out of bed.. great feeling getting out onto the beach with no tracks in yet and just you and the outdoors with nature.  This is where I learned to appreciate early mornings and activities. 

Now, after my ritual jog, I will take my daughter with me in the jogging stroller through our path in the neighborhood, or walk her with me to the "yellow sign" (Yield Sign), and talk with her about why it's nice to jog or walk first thing in the morning.  With my son, he is getting to the point where he will be jogging with me, his stroller days are behind..

Stella, our dog is always ready too!

Thanks, Mark

Food Review: Brewbakers, Lenexa, KS

A perfect Saturday afternoon concluded at Brewbakers, in Lenexa, KS today.  I went with an old friend I've known since 4th grade and both share "the connection" or my first TD pass to an end/WR in 8th grade.. slant pattern, I knew where he was going to be, connection 23 yard TD.

Brewbakers: Excellent sports bar in the highest regard.  A first timers bonus was the third day of March Madness, electricity was everywhere...This sports lovers experience is in the growing Lenexa, KS area surrounded by fitness centers, fresh grocers, developing new business centers and new eatery's.

This place exhibits excellent customer service, cold beer consistently out of the tap, chicken wings that were not breaded but fried with a honey glaze and good portions, the side order of large waffle fries are just that, fried to perfection.., your experience really catapults by the sports explosion on all the HD flat screens, It's like your looking into mirror basketball glory everywhere!!

Closing down our experience, the restrooms were clean, professional/sleek and not big.  I requested to meet the restaurant manger, her name was Toni.  I congratulated her and assured her that her place would get an A in my review.  *The best icing on this sports lovers paradise cake.. they use a thin replica, tissue paper KC Star Newspaper Headline "Royals Win the 1985 World Series!" in the bottom basket of their fantastic chicken wings.  A tremendous touch, my hats off.  
92.3% A

Thanks, Mark

Memories of March Madness

This time of the year is electric with college basketball, every sports fan loves this holiday that keeps on giving, filled with drama, underdog stories and the last minute buzzer beater shots.  For me the best memories of this annual tradition goes back to when I was in grade school and my dad and I would always go to the Big 8 Tournament in Kansas City, MO at Kemper Arena.  We would go with another dad and his son, and we would always get a Big 8 Tournament plastic cup.  This is where I embraced Kansas State Wildcat Basketball.  My dad went to school there, so that's how my family was raised.  In my opinion, the best conference basketball tournament in the country is in Kansas City.  Now the new Big 12 is in the Sprint Center in downtown KC at the Power and Light District. 

We always had the same 4 seats for the Semi Final Games in the nose bleed section about 20 rows down from the top at an angle to the court, but with binoculars it was still great.  One year in the official NCAA Sweet 16 Tournament Kemper Arena hosted Memphis vs. Cincinnati.  I remember Memphis star was Penny Hardaway, our seats were behind the basket on court level, no idea how he scored those tickets.

Opening Weekend of March Madness in Las Vegas - It has to be on your list of things to do once in your life.  Incredible.  I've been on two occasions with a group of friends and it's awesome, I highly recommend you do!

Have a great tournament, hopefully my son's picks shape out ok...because I deferred to his random choices this year!

Thanks, Mark

Crossfit

Crossfit, when you hear this word, you think of people swearing by it, "You have to do it, you would love it!"  Finally, I listened to my friends locally and around the country and started this unique workout routine 3 weeks ago, and now I too am saying, "Awesome!  You would love it!"

For those who have not done it, think of it in these terms:

• Group motivation
• One hour set class sessions (5:00AM, 6:00AM, 9:00AM, 12:00PM, 3:30PM, 4:30PM, 6:30PM)
• You can go at your own pace or always challenge yourself
• You will have expert coaching on the main Olympic lifting styles (back squat, front squat, over head squat, power clean, clean and jerk, push press)
• Nothing like a 24 Hr. Fitness, Snap Fitness, P90X, Insanity programs
• A creative new workout every time
• "WOD" or Work Out of the Day = a 10 minute segment at the end of each workout session where you do anything from pushups, pull ups, box jumps, jump rope, over head pushups, running, wall balls, kettle ball swings, smash balls, and big tire pushes just to name the exercise I have done with tons more, the music is loud as can be, everybody is motivated and you go all out

So girls and guys, check out your local "box" gym and give the "Onramp Program" a try.  It is well worth the money, and you will see what everybody is talking about!

Thanks, Mark

Screen Review: 300 Rise of an Empire

Prepare to wipe the blood off of your face as it splatters and gushes out with flying limbs everywhere as you ride along with Themosticles and his entire Greek navy in their historical sea battles vs. the mighty Persian fleet!

With "300" and the Battle of Thermopole as a recurring point of emphasis this entry puts you in another part of the war while this battle rages on..you are in the Aegean Sea utilizing ancient naval tactics.

The acting is good, not great but it doesn't matter because the high seas and very effective visual effects take center stage plus with an impactful soundtrack your point of view is always ready to go to war.  This will please the masses, good movie and accurate depiction of real world history makes this an even better bloody experience.
Grade: 82.3% B

Introduction & Perspective

Hi there, my name is Mark.. 37 years old, married to my wife Angie for 7 years, son Harrison 4.5 years old, and daughter Gabrielle "Gabby" 2.5 years.  I have lived a full and adventurous life to date, with the glass always being half full.  My perspective on life is that you go through different phases and have to accept change, because like we would all love to be 24 forever, those years accelerate past you and the next thing you know you're taking your kids to little league sports practice's and can remember down to exact details when your parents took you, so it's crazy to think you are now in that role!

Moving on... why did I create this blog?

The driving factor is a good, solid Movie Review for the "cool professional" out there.  I got tired of getting these ridiculous mundane recaps from critics, so I experimented last summer by texting some of my core friends my personal flavor of summer movie reviews and they raved on it's appeal and content.

I will also include book reviews, sporting events experiences, travel, food, exercise, and life as a suburbanite!

Please enjoy and thank you for reading, Mark