Ask anyone who knows me well, or anyone who has visited me in Lawrence, and they will tell you that my favorite restaurant in town is 23rd Street Brewery. I fell in love with the place because of its "Hazelnut encrusted goat-cheese salad". Very rarely do I go in there and order anything else. But the other food I have tasted is also delicious; on my most recent trip, I had the basil pesto chicken sandwich that was just as good as left-overs as it was when it came out of the oven. Those were accompanied by their made in-house pub chips. MMMmmmMMM.When my family visited here last year, I brought them to the restaurant. My mom couldn't stop saying "this is so cool, this is so cool. I think part of the reason for her reaction, and why we both like the place so much is because of its atmosphere. This brewing "station" is lofted high over the bar. The ceilings rise to about 25-30 feet above your head, but somehow the place still remains intimate. In the summer, a patio invites you outside to take in the warm air, and was often a place of refuge for my friends and I this past summer when we needed a break to avoid bar review overload.
Did I mention they brew their own beer, too? I enjoy the hoppy beverage, but I'm not anywhere near what you would call a beer connoisseur. Frankly, I would much rather save those calories for a tasty dessert or frothy drink than beer. Nevertheless, that hasn't stopped me from trying their brews a couple of times (usually, the raspberry wheat), and it has never failed to please.
Without trying, I realize that I have now "taken" you to three of the breweries around the Kansas City/ Lawrence area: Boulevard, Free State, and now 23rd Street. I'm not sure I know of any more, or have any plans of visiting them, but if I do, I guess you'll know! You may be interested to know that this weekend, there is an annual event called the "Brew to Brew" where those who love beer and running (possibly in that order) run from the Boulevard Brewing Factory in Kansas City to Free State here in downtown Lawrence. The combination of beer and 44 miles doesn't work all that well, so it's a team event where each person runs a small leg of the distance. I haven't yet participated in the event, but it always sounds like a good time. Cheers, mate!
