We live 30 minutes from Branson but somehow we rarely think about going there for a dinner and show. Fortunately our friends Les and Tana are ahead of us on the social scene and invited us to join them last night. All of us are enjoying the offerings from the 417 Magazine Restaurant Month and the Dobyns Dining Room located in the Keeter Center at the College of the Ozarks was the best we’ve had so far.
I started with the Ozark Nicoise Salad which featured field greens with pea shoots, baby beets, goatsbeard farm goat cheese, garden green beans and mountain spring smoked trout. It was topped with a very light vinaigrette dressing and was truly salad nirvana! Our exceptional waiter, a college junior named Matt from Marshfield, shared that the greens, beets, cheese and green beans were grown right there at the college and the flavors attested to their freshness.
For an appetizer I opted for local peaches with black pepper and clover honey topped with crumbled bleu cheese and Missouri pecans. Only the black pepper kept this yummy concoction from being a dessert – it was such a heavenly blend of flavors and was served in a little black cast iron skillet.
And then I got my entrée - College of the Ozarks raised pork mignon with house cured bacon, fig reduction, smoked gouda grits and green beans from their garden. Oh. My. God. All four of us chose the same entrée and it tasted even better when Matt told us we got the last 4 pork for the evening! And to think we got all of this fabulous food for only $20 each! Awesome!
Even more amazing is the exceptional standard of service we received. These college kids obviously take a great deal of pride in all they do. Matt was knowledgeable about each of the menu selections and attentive to keeping our water glasses refilled without being obtrusive. This young man has a bright future ahead of him with the great work ethic he exhibits.
We all agreed we needed a long walk to stave off nap cravings but instead we headed for the White House Theatre to see “The Legend of Kung Fu“. Les had discovered they were offering area appreciation tickets so for the low price of $5 each plus canned goods or school supplies, we were treated to a phenomenal show. The majority of the 65 cast members participated in the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympics and their combination of martial arts, aerial ballet, dance and music were incredible.
Part of the cast from "Legend of Kung Fu"
Told in seven acts, the story centers around a little boy who becomes a master and reaches the sacred goal of enlightenment through Kungfu and Zen. I watched in awe as these performers put their bodies through moves that didn’t seem humanly possible! While there was no spoken dialog in the show, a video screen kept us apprised of the various stages from the little boy to the master.
My favorite quote was “it is when we think we are the strongest, that we are really the weakest.” Very profound! We also learned that Kung Fu is not meant for fighting but for preservation of peace and as an avenue to achieving spiritual goals.
What a great evening with good friends, fabulous food and enlightening entertainment. Just the pick-me-up we needed in the middle of a busy week!
