Valentine’s Day is right around the corner! Whether or not you celebrate, who doesn’t deserve a date night (or a simple night out) every now and then? From cozy cafes to city buzz, I’ve compiled a list of my personal favorite places to take someone special – ranked by quality, price, accessibility, atmosphere and overall experience for a romantic evening out. Be sure to read until the very end for my #1 pick for this Valentine’s Day!

5. Parlor
Location: Kansas City (Downtown)

What do you get when you cross a food court and a bar? Well, you get Parlor; a vibrant and exciting host for Kansas City nightlife with doors open to guests of all ages. Parlor curates a regularly changing lineup of vendors that serve customers food-court-style, and, for guests over the age of 21, they have two bars between three levels. If you visit on a weekend, you might find yourself eating to the sound of live music, too! 

Price Range: $$
Vegan Friendly: Usually
Allergen Friendly: Usually
Menu: Parlor (current vendors)

4. Snooze, an A.M. Eatery
Locations: Kansas City (Westport), Overland Park

Snooze, an A.M. Eatery provides a unique dining experience centered around fresh ingredients, a cozy environment, and a vibrant atmosphere that simultaneously feels both retro and modern. The menu offers a variety of breakfast and brunch items ranging from pancakes to scrambles. The welcoming energy and wide variety of options make this the perfect place to start off your Valentine’s Day!

Price Range: $$
Vegan Friendly: Yes
Allergen Friendly: Yes
Menu: Snooze, an AM Eatery

3. Sweet Emotion
Location: Kansas City (The Northland)

What’s not to love about an ice cream shop offering a menu themed around early 2000s emo and alternative music? This charming stop combines sugar and nostalgia for a memorable and flavorful experience. It’s the perfect spot to hit for a tasty dessert, neighboring all kinds of fun date destinations in the Northland.

Note: This Valentine’s Day will fall on a Wednesday, which means RINO will be hosting stand-up-comics right on the other side of the curtain that separates the two spaces. Talk about a two-for-one deal!

Price Range: $
Vegan Friendly: Yes
Allergen Friendly: Yes
Menu: Sweet Emotion

2. Blue Sushi Sake Grill
Locations: Westwood, Kansas City (Power & Light District)

For sushi fanatics, there is no greater dining destination in the Greater Kansas City Area than Blue Sushi Sake Grill. The colorful and lively atmosphere creates an experience that visually combines traditional Japanese culture with American culture and the dynamic energy of urban nightlife. Between the extensive drink selection, delicious desserts and appetizers, and, of course, dozens of creative sushi rolls you won’t find anywhere else, Blue Sushi is top-tier!

Note: Be sure to book your reservation in advance! Due to popularity, a several-hour wait is not uncommon if you do not make a reservation on a high-traffic night like Valentine’s Day.

Price Range: $$$
Vegan Friendly: Yes
Allergen Friendly: Yes
Menu: Blue Sushi Sake Grill

Honorable Mentions…
Before I reveal my #1 pick for Valentine’s Day dining, here are a couple of restaurants I highly recommend planning a visit to, in addition to the other entries on my list:

Meshuggah Bagels
Locations: Kansas City (Power & Light District), Kansas City (Midtown), Overland Park

Description: Kansas City tribute to authentic New York and New Jersey bagels. A new location is coming to Liberty this February! 

Price Range: $
Vegan Friendly: Yes
Allergen Friendly: Yes
Menu: Meshuggah Bagels

Baba’s Pantry
Locations: Kansas City (Westport)

Description: Family-owned Palestinian restaurant with a menu consisting of recipes mailed to the owner, Baba, by his grandmother, Tayata, while seeking an education in the United States as a refugee.

Price Range: $
Vegan Friendly: Yes
Allergen Friendly: Yes
Menu: Baba’s Pantry

The Fix
Location: Kansas City (Downtown)

Description: Plant-based comfort food operating out of a renovated historic building near Martini Corner in Kansas City.

Price Range: $$
Vegan Friendly: Yes
Allergen Friendly: Yes
Menu: The Fix

Minsky’s Pizza
Locations: Liberty, Kansas City, Lawrence, Independence, Blue Springs, Lee’s Summit, and more

Description: Local pizza chain specializing in creative pizzas, pasta, sandwiches, salads, and more. Heart-shaped pizzas will be available at select locations this Valentine’s Day!

Price Range: $$
Vegan Friendly: Yes
Allergen Friendly: Yes
Menu: Minsky’s Pizza

Mud Pie Bakery & Coffee
Location: Overland Park

Description: Plant-based bakery with a variety of sweets and savory goods, including everything from pastries to sandwiches. Both Valentine’s Day and “anti-Valentine’s Day” Mostess will be available to those who order before they sell out! 

Price Range: $
Vegan Friendly: Yes
Allergen Friendly: Yes
Menu: Mud Pie Bakery & Coffee

1. The Tree Hugger Kitchen
Location: Riverside, MO

The Tree Hugger Kitchen takes the #1 spot on my list for its wide selection of food, dedicated staff and unique ability to make your dining experience feel like an indoor picnic. Complete with a shelf full of board games, rustic décor, comfortable seating and delicious food, I could not think of a better restaurant to spend quality time with my favorite person. Bring your stay-at-home date night to The Tree Hugger Kitchen this Valentine’s Day for a peaceful dining experience you’re sure to remember!

Price Range: $$
Vegan Friendly: Yes
Allergen Friendly: Yes
Menu: The Tree Hugger Kitchen

On March 7, members of The Writers Guild of America (WGA) voted just short of 99% in favor of a list of new demands from The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) – which represents Amazon/MGM, Apple, Disney/ABC/Fox, NBCUniversal, Netflix, Paramount/CBS, Sony, Warner Bros., Discovery (HBO) and more. The demands are in pursuit of higher pay, adjusted residuals, new staffing requirements and protections from artificial intelligence (A.I.), amongst other concerns. 

Six months later, no agreement has been reached and the WGA is currently on strike, joined now by The Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), marking the first joint strike between actors and writers in 63 years and the first joint walkout since 1980. With seemingly no end in sight, many actors, writers, unions, laborers and fans alike are left wondering what this strike could mean for the future of the entertainment industry.

The WGA is looking to address concerns within three main categories: compensation and residuals; pension plans and health funds; and professional standards and protection in the employment of writers. Their list of demands within these three categories is as follows:

Compensation and Residuals

• “Increase minimum compensation significantly to address the devaluation of writing in all areas of television, new media and feature”
• “Standardize compensation and residual terms for features whether released theatrically or on streaming”
• “Address the abuses of mini-rooms”
• “Ensure appropriate television series writing compensation throughout entire process of pre-production, production and post-production”
• “Expand span protections to cover all television writers”
• “Apply MBA minimums to comedy-variety programs made for new media”
• “Increase residuals for under-compensated reuse markets”
• “Restrict uncompensated use of excerpts”

Pension Plan and Health Fund

• “Increase contributions to Pension Plan and Health Fund”

Professional Standards and Protection in the Employment of Writers

• “For feature contracts in which compensation falls below a specified threshold, require weekly payment of compensation and a minimum of two steps”
• “Strengthen regulation of options and exclusivity in television writer employment contracts”
• “Regulate use of material produced using artificial intelligence or similar technologies”
• “Enact measures to combat discrimination and harassment and to promote pay equity”
• “Revise and expand all arbitrator lists”

On March 20, negotiations between the WGA and AMPTP began but eventually stalled. Demands were not properly addressed before the set deadline of May 1, which provoked the WGA members to withhold labor starting May 2 after a nearly-98% vote in favor of a strike. As a direct result, many prominent late-night shows such as “The Late Night Show with Stephen Colbert,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” were shut down, along with “Saturday Night Live,” “Real Time with Bill Maher” and “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.” 

As the strike continues, the list of projects that have halted production includes “Stranger Things” (Season Five), “Euphoria” (Season Three), “The Last of Us” (Season Two), “Abbott Elementary” (Season Three), “The Handmaid’s Tale” (Season Six and Finale), “Severance” (Season Two), “Big Mouth” (Season Eight and Finale), “Cobra Kai” (Season Six), “The Penguin (Season One Debut), “Dune Part 2”, Sony Pictures’ “Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse,” Marvel Studios’ fourth and untitled Spider-Man film, “Kraven the Hunter,” “Daredevil: Born Again” and “Deadpool 3,” among many others.

On June 5, SAG-AFTRA voted with nearly a 98% majority to strike if a deal could not be reached with the AMPTP by the end of the month, which would place them on the picket line alongside the WGA. SAG-AFTRA published a document detailing their positions, in which they explained they had already compromised during negotiations. However, according to this document, the AMPTP was not willing to meet the following demands:

• “Performers need minimum earnings to simply keep up with inflation”
• “Performers need the protection of our images and performances to prevent replacement of human performances by artificial intelligence technology”
• “Performers need qualified hair and makeup professionals as well as equipment to safely and effectively style a variety of hair textures/styles and skin tones”
• “Performers need compensation to reflect the value we bring to the streamers who profit from our labor”
• “All performers need support from our employers to keep our health and retirement funds sustainable”
• “Principal performers need to be able to work during hiatus and not be held captive by employers”
• “Principal performers need to be reimbursed for relocation expenses when they’re employed away from home”

According to the document, the AMPTP was only willing to agree to what SAG-AFTRA refers to as “simple basic issues of fairness and respect,” such as:

• “Access to reproductive healthcare and gender affirming care for performers working away from home in states that restrict medical access”
• “A consultation process to guard against racist and sexist “wiggings” and “paintdowns” of stunt performers”
• “Safety for performers working with animals on set”

In turn, SAG-AFTRA officially began their strike on July 13, which severely impacted the promotion of director Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” and director Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie.” Actors were unable to make media appearances pertaining to the release of either film, and the cast of “Oppenheimer” walked out of the premier of their own movie when the strike was announced. In spite of the clear negative impact on the two films, both Christopher Nolan and Greta Gerwg expressed their support for the WGA and SAG-AFTRA.

On Aug. 4, representatives of the WGA met with studios but to no avail, reporting that the AMPTP was not open to engaging in screenwriters’ issues. Now, over three months into the strike, a growing list of delays and cancellations is the least of the problems. The result of 171,500 actors and writers on strike in Hollywood is a hit to local economies all across the U.S. including a $3 billion blow to California. Consequently, 1.7 million out-of-state industry workers have been negatively impacted.

Though neither the WGA nor SAG-AFTRA could reach an agreement, The Directors Guild of America (DGA) agreed to a new contract with the AMPTP on June 23, shortly before SAG-AFTRA went on strike. The agreement between the AMPTP and DGA secured wage increases, better residuals and some protections from AI for directors. DGA released a statement on their website the following month, affirming their support for the WGA and SAG-AFTRA during their respective strikes.

For the strike to end, an agreement must be reached by the AMPTP with both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA. It is difficult to predict when this will happen, but, for now, an agreement seems unlikely in the near future. 

On Dec. 7, 2022, a Keystone pipeline operated by TC Energy burst on account of stress and welding errors, spilling an estimated 588,000 gallons of oil in a creek in Washington, KS. It was the twenty-third spill in total along the Keystone system since the beginning of operations in 2010 and the largest to occur at the time of the spill according to federal data. The spill remains the second largest spill of tar sand crude oil to ever occur on U.S. soil. 

TC Energy is based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The erupted Keystone pipeline runs from Canada to Texas and Illinois and does not carry conventional oil, but rather a product of the Canadian tar sands called diluted bitumen. The chemical composition of the substance drastically changes when removed from the pipes, allowing it to sink below surface level of the waters in a matter of days. When exposed to air, the diluted bitumen assumes a glue-like consistency. Not only do these qualities make it more difficult to clean or contain the spill, but also harder to detect or retrieve it. 

“It’s almost impossible to clean from surfaces,” said Steve Hamilton, a professor at Michigan State University and member of the National Academies of Sciences committee that wrote the 2016 report on diluted bitumen. “We tried hot water sprays and detergent and so on… It’s extremely sticky once it has been exposed to air for a while.”

In just the first few weeks, nearly a hundred animals were reported dead as a result of the spill. Determining the exact rate of death proved difficult, especially after TC Energy established a no-fly zone on December 16th preventing drone footage of the restricted site. The site had already been closed off to lawmakers, the media, and the general public. TC Energy stated that the closure was a necessary safety measure to keep the worksite clear and distraction free, though the decision raised questions regarding transparency. 

“If [third-party drones are] not going to be allowed to monitor the site,” said Rep. Lindsay Vaughn, D-Overland Park, KS, “then I think there has to be other ways that media or third parties can have greater information or access to what’s going on because that’s one of the best ways to hold all parties accountable for the best outcome possible.”

TC Energy resumed operations in unaffected areas on Dec. 14, just one week after the spill occurred. Operations resumed in the affected areas shortly after on Dec. 29, but at pressures reduced by 20% on account of requirements mandated by the U.S. Department of Transportation. At the time, the cause of the spill was to be determined though TC Energy claimed the spill was contained. State environment officials later reported contaminants detected beyond the two emergency dams installed by TC Energy. 

In February, thousands of cubic yards of oil-soaked soil turned up in Nebraska carrying chemicals that could be deemed hazardous, such as benzene and hydrogen sulfide. The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy expressed confidence that the materials did not pose any risk, though many were angered by the unwelcomed waste. 

“This is a foreign corporation that is using Nebraska as a dumping ground,” said Jane Kleeb, founder of Bold Nebraska, a progressive political advocacy group.

The spill has resulted in a push by environmentalists to strip TC Energy from their federal permit that allows the company to exceed what are typically maximum levels of pressure inside its Keystone system. In March, The U.S. Department of Transportation ordered that TC Energy adhere to standard pressure limits. Kansas Democrats have also pushed to cancel tax exemptions when pipelines leak. Such exemptions allow energy companies that lay pipelines in Kansas to refrain from paying taxes in the first 10 years. 

TC Energy is not required by law to repay all of the tax dollars spent to clean the spill. However, the company has vowed to repay cleanup costs and to match additional donations.  Clean-up of the spill has required months of labor from over eight hundred workers and has so far cost approximately $480,000,000. 

“I don’t think either of us were prepared for the emotion of this,” said Chris Pannbacker, referring to herself and her husband, Bill Pannbacker, whose farm was covered with much of the oil. “Some days we’re good and some days, we’re just kind of mad. It’s hard to explain, because some people say ‘It’s just grass,’ or ‘It’s just a pasture,’ or ‘It’s just a creek.’”

Bill Pannbacker initially disagreed with the company’s decision to build the pipeline over the hill. 

“I wish I would have held firm,”  he said. “And I bet now they wish I would have held firmer too because I’m assuming the flow against that bend in the pipe is maybe what caused some of the problem.”

It is unclear when the spill will be cleaned up entirely. It has been estimated that the clean-up effort will last at least several more months. TC Energy’s most recent update was posted to their website on Mar. 14 and states that over 95% of the oil has been recovered and a water filtration system has been installed, enabling the company to de-water the impacted creek area. In the same update, TC Energy also states that they have been following relevant guidelines and restrictions and have completed the second phase of their Diversion Plan, which involves the construction of a temporary bypass around a pipeline spill on a Kansas creek to aid in the cleanup and reclamation of Mill Creek.