In the mixx...

Not to be confused with the Usher movie flop of the same title. Let's see how many times I can put the word Mixx into this review. I have been waiting to write a review and mixx it up for awhile, even though no matter what I say, it won't affect its business. I mean, the place really couldn't be more successful. Everytime I come in, the tables are packed, the lines are out the door, and I mean, I want to copy their business plan because they've done right. Now, the one main problem I have with the Mixx, and what I think deters a lot of the Kansas City denizens who want to eat good food are the prices. I don't mean to sound like a Northern Californian (because I am not, and thank goodness), but the place is hella expensive.

The Mixx is an organic restaurant just south of the plaza, in the same development as the new Plaza Branch of the library. It serves, salads, soups, sandwiches and pastas for lunch and dinner, and a limited menu of breakfast items. You can mixx and match items into your salad or choose prefabricated ones. You're not likely to walk out of there with a bill of less than $10, and by competitive standards, that's fairly pricey. However, the Mixx does have some things that competitors like Panera do not have. It has ambiance and environment. This city has been needing a trendy place where people can dine and meet friends. The decor features a color scheme with bright orange, blues, and greens, as well as large windows that make the space look larger. The furniture and tables are very minimalist IKEA style. It is a cafeteria style sort of restaurant, in that you wait in line as your order is made, pay, then take it to a table. And honestly, it is the place to see and be seen. The regular lunchtime crowd consists of the hoiety toiety Ward Parkway/OP crowd (and surpringly that's a lot of geriatrics), the Plaza dwelling ladies who lunch, business people and others who are in and out quickly, and students like myself. It's a rather varied mixxing bowl (as opposed to melting pot [wrong restaurant]) of people.

I personally love, and I repeat LOVE the Salmon BLT. It is delicious. The Salmon is grilled perfectly, and the vegetables and bacon give the sandwich a nice crispness. The focaccia and herbed mayo are awesome too. However, for a restaurant that is a healthy alternative, it sure is pretty greasy. I mean, organic or not, I'm probably still going to have a heart attack regardless. All in moderation I guess. Each sandwich comes with gourmet potato chips, and if you're getting it to go, it comes in cute environmental friendly packaging. I have to be honest, I haven't mixxed it up and tried anything else yet--A. because I do not like paying upwards of $7 for a salad I could potentially mixx myself, B. the other offerings don't appeal to me, and C. because I will do what I damn well please. But I will say, their lemonades are great, because they make it the way I do at home, with club soda instead of water.

Some of my friends haven't really been impressed with some of their other offerings such as the Thanksgiving favorite or the Country Club, but I have heard that some of the pastas are very good. The salads look great, and feature a lot of exotic and interesting mixx-ins.

Lastly, the staff is semi-friendly. I mean, sometimes I think they've got an arrogant air about them, but sometimes they are very helpful. Regardless, I think the Mixx deserves a Mixxed review because it does provide a new, better for your health venue, but the prices are a little on the high side. Visit their site at www.mixxingitup.com.

Hit me babycake one more time...

I am so cheesy. But this title is in honor of Britney Spears bringing yet another child into this world. How did we get so lucky?

One of my favorite new fooderies in KC is a bit of a quandry for me. Since I was a little girl, I have hated cupcakes. In fact, I'm not a very big fan of cake in general, unless it has some sort of fruit in the middle (aside, if you're ever in Orange County, CA, I would highly recommend Rockwell's Bakery in Villa Park--the white chocolate curl, chocolate cake with raspberries and cream filling is the best piece of cake you will have ever tasted, you could can hold me to that statement). I just don't like overdone, too sweet frosting. That is, until I met my babycakes.

Anyway, when I heard this place was opening, I just had to try it. Flash forward several months, and I've been to Babycakes near River Market at least 4 times now. The notion of cupcake bakeries has been popping up across the nation. I know there have been a few in LA, and several in Vegas and NY, but now KC can say that it has it's own little trendy cupcakery. Every day, babycakes has a different assortment of cupcakes, each for about $1.80. My favorite is the caramel cupcake. The cake itself is not too sweet, but it has sugary crumbles on top of vanilla frosting, which gives it a good combination of flavor. Red Velvet, Chocolate, Carrot are other favorites. Each cupcake is so cute, and has a personality of its own, that you can't help but want to try them all. And the shop itself is so quaintly decorated, with a vintage polka dotted floor and color scheme. It's a hole in the wall, that's for sure, but it's nice to take the cupcakes and walk around River Market, or just sit on the bench outside the bakery.

There are also assorted "frou frou" chocolates, in assorted flavors like peanut butter/chocolate, raspberry, bittersweet chocolate and orange, chocolate mocha, and toffee; these are what greet you when you walk into the small space. There's also coffee on a shelf with some other items such as stationary cards. The staff is super friendly, and Babycakes is really a place where you feel at home. The smells, the tastes, it has it all.

Right now, the menu is limited to a few types of cupcakes per day, but hopefully in the near future, they will expand their business and featured cupcakes. Visit their website at: www.froufrousweets.com

I Choo Choo Choose Fritz's.

After an already long Sunday morning, a friend and I went searching for a late afternoon lunch. We were going to go to the new Panera location near Crown Center, but then happened upon the Fiesta in the Heartland celebration, then wandered into Crown Center. Soon, we were upon Fritz's. A friend had told me about the special way they served their food, so we decided to try it.

This is a great place to take a kid. The food is served via this elaborate railway system near the ceiling, and I don't think my description will do it justice as to how cool it really is. I am 21 years old, and I was amazed, although that might just be my puerile tendencies. After hearing two whistles, the trains roll along the track with a little platform where the food goes hanging from them. When it gets to right table, a lever pops out, and slides the food off of the platform onto another platform that then lowers the food to the table. I mean, it's very high tech, and much more sophisticated than you would expect from a place that serves burgers in transparent paper (due to the copious grease). And not only do you get free entertainment from these trains (they look and sound like something out of Mister Roger's Neighborhood--shout out to the Trolley), the food is pretty decent too.

Most of the items are under $5.00, with an assortment of burgers, hot dogs, and other American diner favorites. I had the Gen Dare, which is the Fritz' favorite, a hamburger topped with hash browns, grilled onions, melted cheese, ketchup, mustard, and pickles, on a seeded bun, with a side of coronary heart disease. But damn, it was good. A warning, it was very, and I repeat, very greasy. So, if you're on a diet, you may want to try something else. I mean, some of the choices on the menu, just sound so bad, but yet they are so good--the Keely is a twin patty cheeseburger with grilled onions, mustard, pickles, lettuce and tomato. You can get triple and quad patty hamburgers, the Kitchen Sink is a twin burger with italian cheese, grilled onions, lettuce, mayo, hot sauce, pickles, and they have a Yak burger that sounds exactly like the Keely, but on a rye bun. Hopefully the difference isn't that it makes you yak. Rimshot. I'm here all night, people.

For a more sophisticated palate, you're out of luck. There are chicken fried steak sandwiches, tenderloin sandwiches, and hot dogs served with assortments of chili, cheese, condiments, etc. There's a pretty good "lil engineers" menu with burgers, hot dog, chicken nuggets, or grilled cheese with fries, small drink. You can also get a paper engineer hat for your kid, if they are into that. I know I used to love getting those paper crowns at Burger King. But I digress, there are sundaes, root beer floats, and shakes, and it would be a cute place to go after a date.

Most of the people had children with them, and they seemed to be having a great time watching the trains. It's a very cute theme restaurant, and I would recommend it if you going to entertain children. And if you have no affiliation with children of any sort, you can go there and just be really really creepy. I would recommend you take a date so that you're not that person.