Weekend Getaway: Kansas City

Friday night, my weekend jaunt to Kansas City kicked off with dinner at one of my favorite local restaurants.

My best galpal Lisa and I, along with Beth, one of her other longtime close friends, headed to Brio, an Italian bistro in the heart of The Plaza, KC’s charming downtown district.

Girls Night Out: Lisa, Beth and me at Brio in Kansas City’s Plaza district

We started off with some sangria and a mouth-watering spinach and artichoke dip (the best I’ve ever had). Next, I enjoyed shrimp and crab cakes with roasted vegetables, stealing a few bites of Lisa’s lasagna along the way.

As we savored our delicious meal and the attentive service of our perky waiter Jeremy, the three of us talked about flirting with men in hotel lobbies, dealing with sibling dramas and having kids when you’re over 35.

A married mom who had her daughter after 35, Beth got me thinking about fertility and being proactive about tilting the reproductive odds in my favor.

Eventually, we moved onto lighter conversational fare and a third course. Resistance to dessert proved futile when Jeremy showed us a tempting tray of demitasse cups filled with such delights as chocolate cake and Tiramisu. I opted for the vanilla crème brûlée. Divine.

After dinner, we headed upstairs to Brio’s cozy bar and lounge, where Brazilian-born manager Carolina treated us to a round of drinks.

As we raised our glasses, I thought of the gracious hospitality that characterizes the City of Fountains -- and how lucky I am to have a best friend who exemplifies it.