WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – Will pools open or stay closed?
While Wichita officials weigh the options for public pools, other areas in Sedgwick County are prepping to open in June.
The slides at Rock River Rapids in Derby will soon have families having fun in the sun. But that fun will come with some big changes.
“We’re going to have an hour in between those sessions to clean the park and we will be asking everyone to leave during that hour,” said Chris Drum, superintendent of the Derby Recreation Commission.
via www.ksn.com
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – The provost at Wichita State University has sent a letter to faculty members outlining some crucial changes in the fall semester.
The letter says the school is still planning to start the fall 2020 semester with hybrid instruction, meaning online, self learning, and in-person teaching.
The letter says that after Thanksgiving, students will not return to campus. They will complete the semester remotely.
Instructors who wish to complete in-person assessments must do so before Nov. 20.
via www.ksn.com
A day after Gov. Laura Kelly shifted responsibility for coronavirus prevention to the counties, Sedgwick County shifted it to the business community and individual residents.
The county commissioners opted Wednesday not to place any rules or restrictions on business or personal activity to control the spread of COVID-19.
“I think it’s time to trust our citizens,” said Commissioner Jim Howell.
The commission voted to recommend that residents continue to follow nonbinding recommendations for social distancing.
As of Wednesday, the disease had killed 21 county residents out of the 564 who have tested positive for the coronavirus. Nationwide, about 1.6 million have tested positive and about 100,000 have died.
Now, all businesses, including bars, night clubs and entertainment venues which had been closed can reopen to their full capacity. The commission also voted not to restrict pools, in-person commencement and graduation ceremonies, fairs and children’s summer camps.
via www.kansas.com
By Mike Thayer
I recently joined a wine club and I'm digging it! Thank you Lori! Shopping online at my leisure in the comfort of my own home, discovering new and exclusive wines and having them shipped directly to my door = Happiness in Every Sip. I borrowed that line from WineShop at Home, the club I joined, it's a true statement.
WineShop At Home, founded in 2005, is headquartered in the legendary Napa Valley. The winery, owned by the Fredrick family of Dallas, Texas, produces award-winning, exclusive, artisan wines across 50 brands. Their wines have won over 200 awards in national and international wine competions! And they've got everything to please any wine preference, choose from sweet and bubbly to dry and crisp whites, smooth and supple to bold and intense reds. WineShop at Home features artisan wines for every occasion, palate and personality.
Included in my last shipment for a hosting party was an excellent rose', here's the description from the WineShop at Home website:
Our sweet Table Rosé is a blush wine mainly made with white varietals as its base. The golden rose color suggests the three white varietals that were the origin of the final blend.
The light peach hue is obtained by blending a few gallons of red wine with white wine. This wine starts with citrus characters such as lemon and lime along with sweet fragrances of honey, pear and ripe apple. This wine is round and lush in the attack and there is a short to medium intensity in the mouthfeel. Straightforward, sweet citrus characters is what it’s all about for this blush rosé.
The round finish will pair well with many dishes such as fish, pasta, turkey or chicken.
No wine rack or cooler is complete without a Rose' in it and the Table Rose' Wine is a palate pleaser. The sweet citrus notes from nose to finish is very enjoyable and the beauty about a good Rose' is that it's so versatile. It easily pairs with a number of main dishes, as well as being a great pick for the classic charcuterie board.
The Table Rose' Wine is another MUST TRY and I'm giving it 5 out of 5 Bachelor on the Cheap stars.
Currently offering some great discounts, I highly recommend WineShop at Home, they've got award winning wines at every price, exclusive wines delivered right to your door!
By Mike Thayer
I recently joined a wine club and I'm digging it! Thank you Lori! Shopping online at my leisure in the comfort of my own home, discovering new and exclusive wines and having them shipped directly to my door = Happiness in Every Sip. I borrowed that line from WineShop at Home, the club I joined, it's a true statement.
WineShop At Home, founded in 2005, is headquartered in the legendary Napa Valley. The winery, owned by the Fredrick family of Dallas, Texas, produces award-winning, exclusive, artisan wines across 50 brands. Their wines have won over 200 awards in national and international wine competions! And they've got everything to please any wine preference, choose from sweet and bubbly to dry and crisp whites, smooth and supple to bold and intense reds. WineShop at Home features artisan wines for every occasion, palate and personality.
Included in my last shipment for a hosting party was an excellent red, here's the description from the WineShop at Home website:
This is a new brand for us, that honors all of the mamas out there. This sweet red wine blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Zinfandel, 20% Petite Sirah and 5% Petit Verdot offers raspberry, strawberry and blackberry aromas in the attack.
There are some toasted oak characters and then a few seconds later, brown sugar notes in the finish. It has a fruity, round and tannic attack. Primarily composed of Cabernet, this wine offers layers of tannins in the mid-palate all the way to the finish. We added some complexity with a round, sweet finish.
This voluptuous red wine has great balance and power and will pair well with gourmet pizza, meatloaf, quiche or pasta dishes, like lasagna or frittata.
Out of the five fantastic wines sampled at my hosting party, this one was the consensus favorite. You get those fruits from nose to finish and it's that finish that really makes this wine sing when those toasted oak and and brown sugar notes kick in. I have also tried the Royal Mama Mimi's Blend, also very good, WineShop has knocked it out of the park with this new brand.
The Royal Mama Queenie's Blend is another MUST TRY and I'm giving it 5 out of 5 Bachelor on the Cheap stars.
Currently offering some great discounts, I highly recommend WineShop at Home, they've got award winning wines at every price, exclusive wines delivered right to your door!
WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) The City of Wichita will open Arthur B. Sim and Tex Consolver Golf Courses on Saturday.
The city said the same restrictions that are in place at Auburn Hills and MacDonald Golf Courses will still apply.
Restrictions include:
• Clubhouses are restricted to no more than 10 people at one time.
• No cash payments, only credit, debit or gift cards
• All golfers must practice social distancing of six feet or more
• Tee times must be booked in advance at golfwichita.com or over the phone. No walk-in tee times will be allowed
• No more than four golfers per group
• Tee times will be every 13 minutes
• Pulling flags from holes will not be allowed
• Cups on the green have been modified to eliminate the need to remove the ball from the hole
• There will be no scorecards or pencils; golfers can download the Golf Wichita app to keep score
• No ball washers, bunker rakes, benches, bag stands or drinking fountains on the course
• No restrooms available on the course
via www.kwch.com
Kansas will take the next step in its reopening on Friday, when movie theaters, museums, non-tribal casinos and other indoor entertainment venues will be permitted to reopen.
Bars and night clubs, along with swimming pools, will stay closed.
Gov. Laura Kelly unveiled the changes Tuesday — the latest rollback of restrictions after weeks of lockdown to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
via www.kansas.com
By Mike Thayer
Blended and flavored whiskeys are red hot right now, consumer demand for brown spirits continues to rise with American Whiskey in particular seeing some phenomenal sales growth.
Regular readers know that I am a fan of flavored whiskey, I've always got a bottle of something in my freezer for a chilled shot or a flavored specialty in the liquor cabinet to enjoy on the rocks. My favorite in all this tasting fun so far, has been Skrewball Peanut Butter Flavored Whiskey. It is without question the best chilled shot in a flavored whiskey I've ever had.
Today's tasting, is BSB, Brown Sugar Bourbon made by the Heritage Distilling Co.
Here's the description from the Heritage website:
BSB® - Brown Sugar Bourbon tastes both sweet and indulgent, featuring strong notes of cinnamon and brown sugar that create a classic whiskey warmth.
Experience why BSB® was named the “World’s Best Flavoured Whisky” 2 years in a row by Whisky Magazine's World Whiskies Awards 2018 & 2019.
That's saying something right there, earning that kind of accolade. And one year voted best could be a bit of a fluke - a distiller smartly taking advantage of a flavor profile trend - but voted best two years running? Nope, not just a trend. This whiskey is for real and the best flavored whiskey vote from Whiskey Magazine isn't the only source of awards either. Check out the list here.
As always, I tried this whiskey neat, on the rocks and in a chilled shot. It's very good any way served. Brown sugar and cinnamon are a fantastic pairing and you get those notes as soon as you open the bottle. The warm finish is long lasting and reminds you of having french toast for breakfast. It is on the sweet side in a good way which makes for a fine sipping whiskey and I would put it in the dessert whiskey category. Heritage has a few drink recipes and other suggestions on their website. Spiked BSB Whipped Cream anyone?
I paid $19.99 for a 750ml bottle and the BSB Brown Sugar Bourbon from Heritage is DEFINITELY worthy of a repeat buy, I'm giving it 5 out of 5 Bachelor on the Cheap stars. It's reasonably priced and quite tasty. Find a place for it in your liquor cabinet.
$pend Wisely My Friends.....
My neighborhood liquor store has been offering this in the sample size to see if it's popular enough to put on the shelves, and it's been selling like hotcakes! TIP: Taking advantage of those sample size offerings is a fantastic way to find out if you like a particular liquor enough to buy a full size bottle. Samples typically cost between $1 and $3. If you find you don't like something in the sample size, there's no full size bottle buyer's remorse.
By Mike Thayer
This challenge started before the COVID-19 pandemic, but the stay-at-home order and resulting changes in business operations caused a delay in reviews. But now that it looks like things are getting back on track to some sense of normal, the reviews can continue.
I recently completed a pizza challenge, sampling 18 local/regional pizza joints and finding the 10 best in the Wichita area.
It's time for a new challenge: Burgers
Who makes the best burger in the Wichita metro area? I'm going to find out, sampling all the local/regional burger joints to see who crafts the best burger.
During the course of this challenge I'll be sampling classic cheeseburgers, straight forward beef and cheese goodness with the typical toppings. The way I see it, if you can't put together a classic cheeseburger and do it well, then there's no reason to sample a burger joint's other burger options. So there will be no mushroom & Swiss, no on BBQ & onion strings, no on jalapeno & pepper jack cheese, etc., versions of burgers
Being evaluated on a point system scorecard will be a plethora of categories that includes but is not limited to the appearance, meat, bun, meat to bun ratio, how the burger is dressed (that means the assortment of veggies, sauce and/or condiments for those of you who live in Valley Center), service, time to order and more. Weighing most heavily in the score of course, is TASTE and depending on the size of the patty, I could be sampling a single or a double, there's a quarter pound minimum. After scoring the burger, the point total is then broken down into a star system, 1-5, with 5 stars being a top rating. I'll post all the numbers for each burger joint and their offerings in the final report.
No national chains will be included in this challenge, no Five Guys, no Red Robin, no BurgerFi, no Freddy's, etc.... Only the local, regional burger joints qualify. Besides, when it comes to burgers, McDonald's is most everybody's last resort, Wendy's is nothing extra special with their square patties and Burger King, well, isn't a king at all.
Today's Burger Challenge is a review of Chicken N Pickle. What, getting a burger at a chicken place? Yep.
Chicken N Pickle is a regional restaurant with locations in Wichita, the Kansas City Area, Oklahoma City and San Antonio. The joint is located in the Plazzio Center on 13th & Greenwich in Wichita. The draw for this place is all the entertainment to compliment the fast casual dining. It's a complex of games. They have 10 pickleball courts (6 indoor and 4 outdoor) - hence the pickle in the name, 2 bocce ball courts, 4 shuffleboard courts, a bar and entertainment space, outdoor lawn games like Jenga and Corn Hole and a game room with ping pong and TV screens to watch the game of the day. Chicken N Pickle is the seventh tasting in this challenge of 28 burger joints to review.
I sauntered into the complex about 12pm on a Saturday, with stay-at-home restrictions getting lifted, the place was fairly busy yet not at all crowded, with a lot of families taking advantage of the pickelball courts.
Having already checked out their menu online - and they only have one BEEF burger on the menu - I went with the what they call the Flat Burger, a 6 ounce patty of grass-fed GNFF beef, topped with aged cheddar, lettuce, tomato, onion, ketchup and mustard. The burger is a unique three meat blend ground in house consisting of Chuck, Brisket, & Round.
This is the best burger I've had so far on this challenge. Granted, I've only visited seven places, but still, that's saying something. First off, the burger was THICK! The beef was seasoned perfectly, the three meat blend patty was juicy, there was a great burger to bun ratio - did I mention the burger was THICK!? The egg bun itself was pillow soft yet held up to all the weight of that beef and the toppings. The cheddar was a nice compliment, although given the size of the patty a slice of American along with the cheddar would have been a nice add. The grilled onions are a classic compliment to the way burgers are typically prepared in the Midwest, the veggies were fresh and the sandwich was dressed just right, not overly sauced, not under sauced either. I didn't want to put this burger down! Ordered with tots on the side, I quickly vanquished the burger with no regrets. The tots were tasty too, fried perfectly giving you that perfect crunch and generously portioned.
Costing me $12.50 + tax for the burger and tots (no drink), Chicken N Pickle is pricey, but it is a damn good burger and yes, it's made in a chicken joint. Despite the six ounce THICK patty of goodness however, It's not a repeat buy at that price, especially when you can get it for $6 on Burger Monday (pay another $1 for a side). Scoring 58 points out of a possible 63, (the best score so far in this challenge) Chicken N Pickle and their Flat Burger gets 5 out of 5 Bachelor on the Cheap stars. Get it on Burger Monday for $6 - what a deal!
Located at 1240 N Greenwich Rd, Wichita, KS 67206, the service was polite, courteous and professional, but not exactly conversational. I was in and out with my carry out order in less than five minutes, despite being presented with a dine in burger.
By Mike Thayer
Food is my passion and sharing it is my pleasure. It’s no secret that cooking and grilling are a very big part of my leisure time life, that I thoroughly enjoy slicing, dicing, flipping and ultimately, seeing the smiles on peoples’ faces when they take a bite of what I’ve created.
Partnering with that passion is a new experience, WineShop At Home. It couldn’t be a better fit. C’mon, we’re talking food pairings and wine! What's not to like, right?..... And what WineShop At Home provides is an awesome wine delivery plan. You pick out the kinds of wine you like from the comfort of your home and everything gets delivered direct to your door. Included with those shipments are food pairing suggestions along with some fantastic recipes! Seriously, what WineShop At Home has made it so very easy for you to do, is sip and cook! You don’t have to be a wine expert, a grill master or a 5 star restaurant chef to put together some truly great food and wine combinations!
Wines are perfectly paired by WineShop At Home with cheese, meat, dessert and entrée suggestions – it’s all there for you in every carefully packed and shipped delivery box from the Napa Valley. Think about that. How many times have you tried to put a meal together for a date or a casual dinner party and you weren’t quite sure what wine to have with the meal, or when it came to serving dessert thinking, "Does the same wine served with the main dish work with the sweetness of the dessert?" And then there's, "Do I serve a red or a white wine with this?"
WineShop At Home makes it all extremely easy for you with beautiful and colorful food paring suggestions and recipe cards. They include pro tips like chill the wine or don’t chill, what appetizers are good with a particular wine and of course, the entrée all laid out in easy to follow recipe directions. And bonus – the recipe cards are keepers! Save the cards because you’ll be making these dishes again, they’re THAT good! Meal planning couldn’t be easier, just grab a few items from your pantry or pick up a few items from the grocery store and viola! A great meal complimented by great wine!
Like I said, you don’t have to be a grill master, a 5 star restaurant chef or a wine aficionado to appreciate what you get shipped so conveniently and direct to your door. WineShop At Home is so informative with what they deliver, all you have to do is read a bit to create a truly great wine & dine experience! Incredible wine and meal options are at your fingertips in every box!
WineShop At Home delivers Happiness in Every Sip. I borrowed that line from the WineShop at Home, website, it's a true statement.
Currently offering some great discounts, I highly recommend WineShop at Home, they've got award winning wines at every price, exclusive wines delivered right to your door!