Anthony Bourdain @ Midland Dec. 16

“Food, for me, has always been an adventure.”

Chef, travel-show host and culinary expert Anthony Bourdain stops by Midland Theater in Kansas City on Dec. 16 to deliver stories of his delicious culinary encounters from worldwide travels as well as tell-all tales from his journey as an unknown chef to renowned culinary and culture expert.

The quote above is from Bourdain’s first book, “Kitchen Confidential: Adventures of the Culinary Underbelly” and describes perfectly Bourdain’s view on cuisine and travel. The two should coincide and create an adventure–a culinary and philosophical crossroads, a recipe to a happy life, if you will.

His bitingly honest opinions are prevalent on his show, providing an authentic view of cultures many people don’t get to experience. The themes of directness and honesty also come up in his new book “Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook.” This best-selling work slices up big-name foodies and chefs while profiling other masterful and unique chefs. It also shows his transformation as a culinary expert and as a person since his last book, “Kitchen Confidential,” written in 2000. Bourdain serves hard-hitting blows to some and dishes out praise to others, all while delving into tales of his experiences and giving his opinion on the latest food crazes.

Bourdain doesn’t tour as much as some, what with his show and all, so grasp the opportunity while you can. Believe me, you won’t regret it. The man knows what he’s talking about and, if anything, it’ll be refreshing and interesting. The show is all ages and tickets are from $37-78, available on The Midland’s website as well as on Ticketmaster, StubHub and other ticket-selling websites.

“Margin Call” Coming Soon to Lib Hall

An investigative, intense and infatuating thriller, “Margin Call” is inspired by true events that occurred during the recent financial crisis resulting in the shutdown of large corporations, the bailing out of banks and the crippling of the housing market. This film sheds light on the corrupt and often shocking nature of the practices implanted in Wall Street that led to the shakedown of the U.S. economy.

Driven by an all-star cast–including Kevin Spacey, Zachary Quinto, Penn Badgely, Demi Moore and Stanley Tucci–this informative thriller presents an intriguing quality that most thrillers do not: relevancy to our everyday lives. While most thrillers are murder mysteries or international spy action-flicks, “Margin Call” brings to the forefront events that spurred media frenzy and that left America in a sense of financial turmoil. Not only does this movie feature a sensational cast with a powerful storyline, its relevancy to a major current event makes it that much more attractive to viewers.

Given a 4 1/2 star rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a New York Times Critics’ Pick, “Margin Call” is worth seeing because it is an entertaining and enthralling thriller as well as an in-depth exploration of the corruption and exploitation that caused the 2008 financial crisis on Wall Street. Recommended by Firebird Productions.

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin @ Wonder Fair Nov. 29

The band name alone is intriguing–almost as intriguing as the melodies created by Springfield’s indie rock geniuses, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin; or SSLYBY as “the cool kids” would say. A farewell ode to the first president of Russia Federation, the band name says it all–these guys are clever and it shows up in their music.

Their first album, “Broom”–recorded in the attic of the band’s house–spawned critical acclaim and underground hits such as “Oregon Girl” and “Pangea.” Since then, they have released two more albums, shifting away from the lo-fi sound while perfecting a more refined guitar-pop sound similar to Spoon, early Weezer and The National.

Their newest studio album, “Let It Sway,” shows off their varied talent to invent delicate and graceful songs while producing songs transfused with driving beats and distorted guitars. Needless to say, SSLBY knows how to craft the perfect pop song, whether in the form of power-pop running music or lightly-crooned acoustic gems.

Whether one dances or hums to them, SSLYBY will put on a great show where you can do both. Their music is fun, beautiful, poppy and at times angsty–a great combination for great music. Also, the small size of the venue–the Wonder Fair, an art gallery above the Casbah–will give a more intimate and personal feel to the show,