Restaurants
DINING OUT IN KANSAS CITY
Zest: The comforts of home
May 26, 9:40 AMMeatloaf is comfort food. But what if the version you were weaned on wasn’t particularly memorable? A few weeks ago, I had the chance to put that question to Thomas Keller — considered one of the greatest chefs in the world — as he prepared to sign copies of “Ad Hoc at Home” during a stop at a Leawood gourmet store.
12 Baltimore Café offers a real lunch break
May 25, 6:45 PM
A real deal is one a friend hooks you up with, not a silly price trumpeted on a billboard or late-night TV. Today, Preview is your friend.
Café Trio is sure packed, but it can miss a beat
May 17, 1:56 PMCafé Trio — now on Main Street, overlooking Mill Creek Park and the east edge of the Country Club Plaza — is frequently packed, and there’s a joyous buzz inside and out that seems to permeate the candle-lit air. If only the food lived up to the feel.
Familiar trumps fusion at Blue Fin
May 6, 1:50 PMModern fusion usually means pairing Asian and Western ingredients and techniques. But at Blue Fin, Asian ingredients are mixed with Asian techniques. Still, many of the menu descriptions are lost in translation.
My Dinner At | Jack Gage American Tavern
Feb 16, 1:56 PM
Few areas of Kansas City have seen more transformation than the two-block stretch of Main Street from 49th to 51st streets, which has become in short order a new little restaurant row.
My Dinner At | Oak 63
Feb 4, 3:47 PM
Corner cafes at every turn, haricot verts atop my salad and a shared bottle of Côtes du Rhône: little aspects of everyday life in France that bring big smiles. This summer I was lucky enough to spend a week in Paris (where I could live on pastries, bread and cheese alone).
My Dinner At | Burger Stand at Dempsey's, Jim's Diner, Max's Burgers & Gyros
Feb 4, 3:59 PM
I’m not sure a hamburger needs to go gourmet. A carelessly tended yard burger, charred and flavored with grill gunk, can come as close to culinary heaven in my book as seared foie gras in Calvados.
My Dinner At | Westside Local
Feb 4, 3:47 PM
The Westside Local is one of those places that feels special and comfortably neighborhood at the same time. With its exposed brick, salvaged-wood tabletops and a beer garden out back, it has a friendly, workmanlike demeanor.
My Dinner At | 801 Chop House's Sunday night deal
Feb 4, 3:47 PM
I’m a huge fan of high-end steak houses. My paycheck is not. My visits to expensive restaurants are rare, usually on someone else’s dime, and it has been a long time.
My Lunch At | Cafe Augusta, Farmhouse and Spin
Feb 4, 3:47 PM
Sure, you can brown-bag it and save a few pennies. But remember this: A midday indulgence costs less than a night on the town. Scoping out new restaurants for lunch is an easy way to get a sense of the menu and quality of the food without the all-out financial commitment.
My Dinner At | Extra Virgin
Feb 4, 3:47 PM
With Extra Virgin, chef Michael Smith has finally brought not only the flavors but the feel of his beloved southern European trattorias and tavernas to Kansas City.
My Dinner At | The Capital Grille
Feb 4, 3:47 PMAs I walked up to the restaurant on the Country Club Plaza, a doorman greeted me with “Good evening. Welcome to the Capital Grille.” That simple and elegant salutation set the tone for a special dining experience.
My Dinner At | Grand Street Café
Feb 4, 3:47 PMIt’s not new and it’s not flashy, but Grand Street Café is probably the best place you (sometimes) forget all about. Once the proud flagship of the PB&J; restaurant group, Grand Street Café changed ownership in December. But the transition to Rick and Kristi Ghilardi was a smooth one, perhaps because Rick was with Grand Street when it opened and was a partner with PB&J; for 19 years.
My Dinner At | Justus Drugstore Patio
Feb 4, 3:47 PMThe hostess at Justus Drugstore in downtown Smithville tries to hide a look of surprise. A destination dining spot, the upscale restaurant typically books up several weeks in advance.
My Dinner At | Zest
Feb 4, 3:47 PM
Not often does this family of mine sit together for a meal. I’m sure that’s the case for most of us with kids and their constant flood of practices and rehearsals and games and our own long workdays and chores and errands. But early into dinner at Zest, in Leawood, an unfamiliar feeling sort of appeared, and it was there before I knew it. I think it’s called tranquility.
My Dinner At | Fogo de Chão
Feb 4, 3:47 PM
My first clue that it was prom night came as we followed a chic young woman and her date down the parking garage stairs. She teetered precariously on razor-thin stilettos so ridiculously high she could barely walk.
The search for KC's top (hot) dog
Aug 20, 8:00 AMChicago is the capital of the Wiener Republic, and you really can’t get a bad dog in the city. But where in Kansas City can you find a hot dog that's worthy of the Windy City?
Chefs know where the good values are for eating on the cheap
Mar 10, 2:31 PMThere are no white tablecloths in Swagger. There are no sautéed veal sweetbread appetizers or thyme roasted diver scallop entrees. The most exotic menu item is the Suribachi burger — tempura Angus beef with wasabi coleslaw ($9.95).
These KC restaurants offer an authentic taste of Mexico
Mar 12, 10:23 AMEveryone knows Kansas City is a great town for hearty, sit-down Tex-Mex fare. But if you’re short on time or don’t feel like a heavy meal under a blanket of bubbling cheese, a lot of snack shops, drive-throughs and quick-service destinations offer up a different, and often much more authentic, taste of Mexico.
The search for KC's best breakfast joints
Mar 10, 2:30 PMTo Michael Kizzee, this was the most important thing about enjoying the most important meal of the day: Breakfast is a cool way to have a date with your wife.
Restaurant critic Lauren Chapin dies
Dec 12, 3:12 PM
Lauren Chapin, The Star’s restaurant critic for the last eight years, died Wednesday at St. Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City.
