Welcome back! After a grueling break from school, we’ve finally returned to our educational establishment, and the semester is already off to a solid start. For me, this is one of the first times since freshman year that I have had a major change in my schedule going from first semester to second. For one, I no longer have 4 AP classes, as AP Government is only a semester long (side note: good luck to the current AP Gov students, those study guides are grueling). As a replacement, I’ll now be hanging out with the freshman members of the Silver Band every other morning. Also, I’ve joined the Silver 2 Music Theory class as their teacher’s aide, which will probably be good, because I’m not sure I ever fully grasped some of the concepts when I took it last year. Finally, since the conclusion of my Multimedia Audio & Music class, I’ll be spending Blue 4 with the other members of the JagWire staff, slaving day and night to make sure that you guys get quality journalism every week. So, look out for my name in the next edition of the JagWire, in which I’ll make the illustrious jump from screen to paper with my first published opinion column.

So, as you can see, the new semester brings a lot of changes for me, but one thing that has stayed pretty consistent, is food. I ate a lot of food over break, a lot more than I would normally eat during the school week, as I had free reign over all three of my meals as opposed to usually just one. So, here’s the best of the best of my winter break culinary escapades.

Burger King, Shawnee Mission Parkway

Some of you may not have even noticed that there is a new Burger King off of Shawnee Mission Parkway, but there definitely is. It opened not too long ago, and is actually right down the street from a former Burger King location, though that one shut down years ago. I went there the day after it opened, though really the only reason I did was because I saw they had one of the really cool Coke machines inside and I’m a sucker for a good strawberry lemonade. I figured I would also get a full meal, so I elected to get the “Extra-Long BBQ Cheeseburger,” which is like a cheeseburger, but in the shape of a submarine sandwich. The meal itself was lackluster, to say the least, but the best part was that through many complications with the register and the fact that they had barely been open 24 hours, I was given my meal for free as a reward for waiting really long to get my food. Honestly, I didn’t mind the wait, but the manager herself insisted that I take the food for free after overcharging my debit card, and I wasn’t about to turn down free food.

Frontera’s Mexican Restaurant and Cantina, Lenexa

For those of you who enjoy Jose Peppers’ queso dip, this is definitely a place to check out. Their queso, in my opinion, exceeds that of Mr. Pepper, due to the fact that they add jalapenos, which gives it a little bit of kick on top of their already spectacular dip. This place is easy to miss, but the queso is definitely not something to pass on.

Eggtc., Renner Rd.

Honestly, if you haven’t been to Eggtc. yet, what are you doing with your life? This place has got everything you could possibly want in a breakfast/brunch/lunch restaurant. It’s got sweet dishes, savory dishes, vegetarian dishes and everything in between. I myself have tried three separate entrees from Eggtc. in my many times I’ve been there, and they have all been their own different type of exquisite. The Farm Burger is a large beef patty topped with fried egg, bacon, potatoes, chili and sauteed onion, served with a side of fries. If you’re ever there for lunch, that is definitely my top recommendation. I’ve also had two breakfast dishes, the Southwestern Benny, and the chocolate chip pancakes. The Southwestern Benny is a biscuit topped with sausage patties, eggs and chorizo gravy. Now, I’m already a fan of biscuits and gravy (especially that of the Big Biscuit), but this takes biscuits and gravy to a whole new level. Not only do the sausage and eggs add some serious heft to a normally light meal, but the chorizo gravy is unlike any other gravy I’ve ever had, and ties the whole meal together perfectly. It also comes with a side of breakfast potatoes, though I would suggest to get an extra side because they’re to die for. Finally, the chocolate chip pancakes are delectable, though very large. If you’re just going in for a regular meal, opt for one of them. If you’re really hungry, go for two, but three is like trying to conquer climb up Mount Everest in only a North Face; impossible and you’ll probably die on the way.

My House, Noreston St.

You can never go wrong with Ritz crackers dipped in peanut butter, which is why I ate like 5 rolls of them. It was totally worth it.

In conclusion, I wish all the luck in the world to everyone as you venture through your next semester of high school, and seniors, it’s our last one. That is all.