Courtney's Places Review

So this week happens to be the birthday of my aunt and my brother.  They both don't live in Kansas.  One is in Houston, the other in Connecticut.  My parents thought it would be a great idea to go out to eat for their birthdays and I could share it here on the blog for them to enjoy!  Ok, well they might not enjoy it as much as we did, but oh well!

We went to another Italian Restaurant this time in the tiny town of Toronto, Kansas.  There are a few more businesses here than where we found Josie's, but still not much. It is also important to note that you need to make reservations for this fine eating establishment!!

The building is very unassuming and plain from the outside.

The owner has an interesting story of how she ended up in Toronto on the back of her menu.  I thought you might enjoy.

Every table is covered in linen tableclothes.  The waiter is always dressed with a tie and service is superb.

The dinner started off with the specials recited by the waiter.  Of course, there is a menu, but the specials sounded way better.  Do not go to Courtney's if you are in a hurry as there is only one person in the kitchen, but the food is worth the wait.  Here is our salad.

Multiple greens, mushrooms, olive, capers, tomato, peppers and two kinds of cheese! And warm fresh from the oven breadsticks, too!  My kids loved these.  :)

And then the entrees arrived...

 Chicken, alfredo sauce and pasta with yet another bread stick.

 The pork chop special for the evening.  The guys said it was great and it was juicy and moist cooked to perfection.  The pasta was amazing..I stole a bite when my hubby wasn't looking.  ;)

My little man and I shared the Tour of Toronto which included Chicken Parmesan, Lasagna and Fettucini Alfredo.  It was so good.

Since we were celebrating birthdays, of course we had to get dessert and make  ourselves totally miserable for the ride home.

 Death By Chocolate.  Homemade chocolate sheet cake, chocolate ice cream, homemade chocolate sauce, whipped cream and a cherry.  Oh MY!

 Homemade cream puffs with homemade butterscotch sauce.

 The Peanut Butter sheetcake with crunchy peanut butter frosting.

The Neopolitan Cheesecake...a layer of chocolate, a layer of strawberry and a layer of vanilla topped off with whipped cream, sliced strawberry, fresh mint leaves with a drizzle of chocolate sauce over the top.

The waiter was kind enough to take a group picture for us complete with 2 empty chairs for the guests of honor that did not join us.  LOL

Happy Birthday Aunt Carolyn and Willis!  Hope you had great days!!  We sure enjoyed your birthday dinner.

-A Kansas Farm Mom

W4DW- Josie's Italian Restaurant

What's for Dinner Wednesday?  Well, I haven't cooked much.  We've been eating a lot of what I cooked earlier like things in my Farm Wife Meal Planner.  We did go out to eat about a month ago to one of my favorite restaurants.  If you have to pick your days carefully, they are only open Wednesday through Saturday and don't open until 5 pm.

Josie's is located in the small town of Scammon, Kansas.  I have yet to find another business in town other than the gas station on the highway, but there is always a crowd at Josie's.  They serve authentic Italian food with recipes their great grandmother used to make.  YUM!

The service is impeccable something you usually don't get in a small town and they have a bar as well.

If you go be sure to request the anti-pasta, with your salad.  In fact, I give the boys my salad and just have the anti pasta.  ;)

Olive oil, green olives, black olives, garlic, artichoke hearts, mushroom and pastrami. 

My oldest son thought he needed the full size lasagna last time we were there.  He ate the rest for lunch the next day.

One of my favorites is the toasted meat ravioli.  The red sauce is out of this world.  It doesn't over power you with garlic and is almost sweet to the taste.  You can now even buy jars of the sauce at the restaurant.

The alfredo sauce was pretty good, too.

The dessert selections are amazing.  We love the cheesecakes.  The Turtle Fudge is our favorite.

The boys found out that the last trip the kids got free Dibs with their meal, but one of them still wanted cheesecake.

I hope you stop by Josie's sometime if you are ever in Southeast Kansas, Southwest Missouri or Northeast Oklahoma it isn't far from any of them.  It certainly is a hidden gem of an eating establishment off the beaten path, but well worth the drive.

And no I was not paid to do this post.  They don't even know I exist.  I just love good food and would like for them to continue to have a successful business.
-A Kansas Farm Mom

W4DW-Ernesto's Mexican Restaurant

What's for Dinner Wednesday?  I'm not cooking!  I had a good friend ask this week if I cooked as much as it looks like I do on this page.  Yes, I really have made everything except for a portion of the guest posts.  We do occasionally get to go out to eat.  Remember it is 2 hours to Wichita, Tulsa or Joplin, so most chains are out of the question, but we have some amazingly good locally owned restaurants.  I plan to start showcasing them in case some of you are traveling through the area, you can find a great place to stop and get a bite to eat.

Our first selection is Ernesto's Mexican Restaurant in Parsons, Kansas.  The Farmer took me on many dates to the original Ernesto's that was demolished by a tornado several years back.  Lucky for us, they rebuilt and the food was still great.  The service is always friendly, courteous and prompt. 

One of our friends told me it was the best Mexican food she had eaten since she left California where she grew up.

Of course, every meal starts with chips and amazing salsa.  They do offer a hot salsa if you desire more spice.

They have a full bar complete with frozen and traditional margaritas.

Our personal favorite item is the Shredded Beef and Cheese Chimichanga.

Here is the inside of the beefy, cheesy goodness.

My mom chose to have the Beef Enchiladas.

The boys love the Kids Quesadilla with rice and beans.

My brother chose a crisp taco and a beef enchilada.

For something different, I chose to try the beef taquitos.  They were good, but I still love the chimis.  

So what do you think of showcasing local restaurants.  Local is a relative term to me...I already have pictures from a diner 100 miles away.  :)  Do you have any suggestions for me to go try?  If it keeps raining and we can't get in the field, I may have to convince The Farmer to take me out to eat again this week.

-A Kansas Farm Mom