Stuff I Like: Katy Bergen on Matthias Schoenaerts and presidential cocktails

Here’s what metro reporter Katy Bergen is into right now:

Matthias Schoenaerts

At the risk of sounding vapid, my genuine admiration for Belgian actor Matthias Schoenaerts started with a simple crush on the sexy farmer in the 2014 drama “Far From the Madding Crowd.” Googling his identity led to a month of dedicated Schoenaerts binge-watching that included “Bullhead,” “The Drop,” “The Danish Girl” and “A Bigger Splash” (in which Ralph Fiennes dances to the Rolling Stones’ “Emotional Rescue,” a scene so great it can’t be described adequately with human words).

My favorite? “Rust and Bone,” the 2012 French/Belgian film in which Schoenaerts co-starred with Marion Cotillard and won the César Award for Most Promising Actor. The poster hangs in my room.

Drum Room Lounge

 

I’m a sucker for ambiance, and paying too much for alcohol. Which makes the Hilton President Hotel’s bar, where Frank Sinatra, Patsy Cline and Glenn Miller performed back in the day, the perfect place for me. I used to order a craft cocktail called “Clinton’s Impeachment”: Four Roses bourbon, lemon juice and blackberries. (I’m told it was pulled from the menu after the election — hit too close to home for some folks.) So lately I’ve been sticking to classics — like the variety of old-fashioneds or the ‘Truman-hattan.’ Just close your eyes when you sign your check.

The Brick’s Thai Chicken Salad

 

While I enjoy a Reilly or Jalapeño Popper burger at this bar and restaurant frequented by Star reporters, I consume this salad with the sesame ginger-lime dressing three or four times a week. Yes, it’s across the street from the office (at 18th and McGee streets). But it’s also addicting. And mildly healthy, or whatever.

YouTubing swing dancing

I’m not known for moving gracefully. So I don’t know if it’s my love for big band music or that dance scene from “Swing Kids” that fuels my closet internet obsession of watching swing dancing on YouTube. Lately, I’ve discovered swing dance battles, which involve hipster couples in vintage garb competing in dazzling displays of fast-paced footwork as crowds whoop. I dare you not to smile.

City Hall’s Observation Deck

 

I may be a Kansas City newbie after living in Florida the past four years, but I have met many a Kansas Citian with no idea they can go to this 30th floor vantage point. You have to check in with security in the basement first to pick up an escort and then walk 120 stairs. The opportunity is available from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays, and reservations are recommended only for large groups. The view of my new city is magnificent. Details at kcmo.gov/city-hall-observation-deck.

This story was originally published January 13, 2017 at 7:00 AM with the headline "Stuff I Like: Katy Bergen on Matthias Schoenaerts and presidential cocktails."