Vinino!

We recently went to the new Italian restaurant in the Power and Light District, Vinino. It was a quaint place that seemed like it would be great for a casual dinner, or a place to meet friends and grab a drink. Watch out for cougars though!

Although they didn't have a great selection at the bar, it was stocked fairly well. A friend requested a Blue Moon once the waitress informed us that they had anything we could want, and he was denied. Boulevard was a mainstay though. Can't go wrong with that when you are in KC.

Our meals were excellent: Fruitte Del Marre for me and Shrimp Tortellini for the lady. We both thoroughly enjoyed our meals and were impressed by the price. $10 for the tortellini and $20 for the broth based Lobster, Shrimp, Squid and more. Delicious.

Vinino has made a happy camper out of me and I can definitely say with confidence that I will return, and return often!

Have you experienced Vinino yet?

American Copywriter

What does American Copywriter and the Boulevard Brewing Company have in common? If you are in the advertising field and listen to industry-related podcasts, you know the answer is John January and Tug McTighe!

John and Tug, the hosts of the popular podcast American Copywriter, were also the hosts of Thursday nights 2008 AdWars at the Boulevard Brewery.

I had a chance to meet our hosts for the evening and was able to get a picture taken with them (below).

American Copywriter is one of my favorite podcasts and so I was honored to be able to meet them. John works at Sullivan Higdon and Sink in the Crossroads and Tug works at Callahan Creek in Lawrence. Both have a knack for comedy and are great on their semi-regular podcast.

I encourage all of you to check out American Copywriter if you get the chance and are interested in listening to something not only interesting, but pretty funny.

What's your favorite podcast?

AdWars 2008

Thursday night - Muehlebach Suite at the Boulevard Brewery in Kansas City. Fourteen teams comprised of members of different Kansas City area advertising agencies competed for the Silver Cup, the grand prize of AdWars.

PlattForm had a team of nine competitors for the 2008 AdWars competition. I was one of the few who competed with the team. We came in the top 10 overall, and that was a great showing compared to last year. The 2007 PlattForm team came in second to last. So that is some great improvement this year.

There were six rounds of Advertising-related trivia questions. I can proudly say that I knew a variety of the answers ranging from what the action is of a "twitter" and how many times Google changed their algorithm in a given time frame!

Laci wrote a great article about AdWars on the PlattForm blog, so you should definitely check that out as well.

All in all it was a great time and I definitely look forward to next year! Plus, what beats fresh and free Boulevard beer and free food. Heaven in Kansas City, I tell ya!

Helicoptor Game Addiction

This game is very addictive. You've gotta check it out though. It is really simple to play and once you start, you won't stop. My personal best is 1,938.

Click here for the Helicopter Game!

Fly the helicopter around the barricades. It is a very simple game, yet fun and even a bit challenging. Reminds me of the good old days of playing games on the Apple 2E.

PBR Big Sky

We went to the Country bar on Saturday night in the Power and Light District, PBR Big Sky. I didn't know quite what to expect in there, but we decided to venture in and check it out.

What we found was awesome!

There was a live band playing a variety of popular country songs and a mechanical bull in the center of the bar. A lot of the people in the bar were crowding around the center, watching the adventurous ones who with liquid courage go for a ride on the mechanical bull.

I was one of the few from our group who rode the bull that night. I didn't last for long, but it was fun while I was on there.

It was $3 cover to get in, and well worth it. The drinks were $3.75 for domestic bottles and $7 for mixed drinks. Not terrible for down in the Power and Light District.

When you do go, beware of the ladies with bootie shorts and leather chaps on. They get up on the bull and go crazy just like everyone else. They are really good at it though because I am sure they do it every night.

All in all, PBR Big Sky is a great place and definitely the place to go if you are feeling a little country inside you!

I recommend it.