Gardner, Kansas. Been there? About seven minutes southwest of Olathe on I-35? You'd never know it by just driving through, but this rapidly-growing burg in what I like to call "Real Kansas" (the flat parts) has some of the best places to chow down this side of paradise.
The two I'm thinking of are Chapala's and the Mandarin Chinese Buffet. Now, if you're familiar with the Olathe area, you know there's a Chapala's across from the Big Lots on Clairborne. It ain't too shabby either, and the decor is out-of-this-world ethnic. But the Chapala's in Gardner is the BOMB, even if the place does look like a dive compared to the Olathe location. Get the Nachos Fajitas and split them with a friend, unless you're hungry enough to ingest 5,000 calories on a single plate, because you will devour it. You will lick the plate clean like a dog, and everyone around you will say "Oh, he/she must have got the Nachos Fajitas" and smile. They must use at least seven kinds of cheese on that monster, so bring the lactate.
Mandarin Chinese Buffet has some of the most unique food you will find on a Chinese buffet. The usuals are there--beef and broccoli, sweet-and-sour chicken, fried rice--alongside taste treats I didn't think to write down. You'll just have to experience it for yourself. One I really liked had onions, green peppers, and what I think was pork covered with ground pepper. They also have fried and stuffed mushrooms, the latter of which are addictive.
Tomorrow my good wife and I start our new gym membership. It was worth it. :-)
Feel free to post your New Year's Eve or Day experiences, culinary or otherwise...
The two I'm thinking of are Chapala's and the Mandarin Chinese Buffet. Now, if you're familiar with the Olathe area, you know there's a Chapala's across from the Big Lots on Clairborne. It ain't too shabby either, and the decor is out-of-this-world ethnic. But the Chapala's in Gardner is the BOMB, even if the place does look like a dive compared to the Olathe location. Get the Nachos Fajitas and split them with a friend, unless you're hungry enough to ingest 5,000 calories on a single plate, because you will devour it. You will lick the plate clean like a dog, and everyone around you will say "Oh, he/she must have got the Nachos Fajitas" and smile. They must use at least seven kinds of cheese on that monster, so bring the lactate.
Mandarin Chinese Buffet has some of the most unique food you will find on a Chinese buffet. The usuals are there--beef and broccoli, sweet-and-sour chicken, fried rice--alongside taste treats I didn't think to write down. You'll just have to experience it for yourself. One I really liked had onions, green peppers, and what I think was pork covered with ground pepper. They also have fried and stuffed mushrooms, the latter of which are addictive.
Tomorrow my good wife and I start our new gym membership. It was worth it. :-)
Feel free to post your New Year's Eve or Day experiences, culinary or otherwise...
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