|
Fiorella's Jack Stack BBQ
The Top List of Great Restaurants - Kansas City, MO
Your guide to the best KC restaurants!
by Rachel Murphy & Michelle Hopkins
FIORELLA'S JACK STACK BARBECUE
101 West 22nd Street, Kansas City, MO 64108
(816) 472-7427
13441 Holmes Road, Martin City, MO 64145
(816) 942-9141
9520 Metcalf Avenue, Overland Park, KS 66212
(913) 385-7427
4747 Wyandotte, Kansas City, MO 64112
(816) 531-7427
Hours: (Mon-Thur) 11 am-10 pm; (Fri & Sat) 11 am-10:30 pm; (Sun) 11 am-9 pm
Kansas City is barbeque, and that is never more evident than when dining at Fiorella’s Jack Stack Barbeque. While there are hundreds of restaurants vying for the title of Kansas City’s best barbeque, Fiorella’s comes the closest to nailing it every time. Slow smoked meat is the basis for their success and combined with their molasses based sauce, it has won fans nationwide. There is something for everyone here, whether you are longing for salmon, the excellent painted chicken tenders or are ready to dig into the ribs, they do not disappoint. While the main courses are the main event, it is one of the sides that steals the show every time. The hickory pit baked beans are a Kansas City treasure, with chunks of smoked beef and pork and just enough molasses and brown sugar. The newest location of the Jack Stack family is located on the Country Club Plaza with a posh space that lets you relax and take it all in.
Estimated cost per person for dinner = $15 - $25
Holiday Schedule: New Years Day-Open, Valentines Day-Open, Easter-Open, Thanksgiving-Closed, Christmas Eve-Open, Christmas Day-Closed, New Years Eve-Open
LA BODEGA
703 Southwest Boulevard, Kansas City, MO 64108
(816) 472-8272
Hours: (Mon-Thur) 11 am-close; dinner starts at 5:00 pm (Sun) 4 pm-10:00 pm
Estimated cost per person for dinner = $15 - $25
There is nothing better on a cold winter night than watch the sparks fly off of the rim of your glass as a La Bodega bartender sprinkles cinnamon in your Spanish coffee. The concoction, coffee with kalhua and rum 151, is just the beginning to the beautiful small steps that make up the dining experience at La Bodega. Specializing in tapas, the Spanish tradition of sharing small plates of hot and cold dishes, it makes for a festive atmosphere of sharing and camaraderie. The décor is colorful, with murals sweeping along the walls and lively music always playing. The white bean soup with chorizo and chicken is particularly good, as are any of the paella offerings. And with tapas, there will always be something to like as you share the experience of dining.
Estimated cost per diner-$15-25
Holiday Schedule: New Years Day-Open, Valentines Day-Open, Easter-Open, Thanksgiving-Closed, Christmas Eve-Open, Christmas Day-Closed, New Years Eve-Open
MACALUSO'S RESTAURANT
1403 West 39th Street, Kansas City, MO 64111
(816) 561-0100
Hours: (Mon-Thur) 5:30 pm-10 pm; (Fri & Sat) 5:30 pm-11 pm
Italian food lovers won't be able to spend much time in Kansas City without being urged time and again to go to Macaluso's. The food is outstanding and the portions are large. Appetizers include crab cakes and steamed mussels. Among the many fine entrées is the New Zealand rack of lamb with a Dijon rosemary crust and, a favorite, cioppino, shrimp, scallops, salmon, clams and mussels in a cabernet and tomato herb broth. The pan-seared sea bass is also delightful. Owner Tom Macaluso opens his restaurant only for dinner and offers a private lounge and dining, along with jazz entertainment. Reservations are suggested. Although it will be difficult to resist eating your way through all of the large portions, try to reserve space for the exceptional gourmet desserts, particularly the white chocolate cheesecake.
Estimated cost per person for dinner = $20 - $30
Holiday Schedule: New Years Day-Open, Valentines Day-Open, Easter-Open, Thanksgiving-Closed, Christmas Eve-Open, Christmas Day-Closed, New Years Eve-Open
SIENNA
303 West 10th, Kansas City, MO 64105
(816) 527-0220
Hours: (Mon-Fri) 11 am-2 pm; (Tues-Thur) 5 pm-9 pm; (Fri & Sat) 5 pm-10 pm
Sienna is an intimate bistro, seating only about 50 people, in an ambiance of muted tones and lighting. This reasonably priced, upscale eatery is not your traditional Italian restaurant, but there is plenty of Tuscan influence amid the variety of delicious entrées, sandwiches, salads and oven-fired pizza. The first-time diner will want to try everything and the returning patron will be hard-pressed to decide whether to try something new or enjoy again a spectacular favorite. Don't miss the roast pork chop, which will melt in your mouth and amaze you with its delicious flavors, the tenderloin or the pan-seared tuna. Sienna is adjacent to the Quality Hill Playhouse (in fact, they share an entrance) so you may have to wait if you arrive at the same time as the before-theater crowd. But once theatergoers depart, Sienna settles back into a very relaxed, European atmosphere you are sure to enjoy.
Estimated cost per person for dinner = $25 - $35
Holiday Schedule: New Years Day-Closed, Valentines Day-Open, Easter-Open, Thanksgiving-Closed, Christmas Eve-Open, Christmas Day-Closed, New Years Eve-Open
STARKER'S RESERVE RESTAURANT
201 West 47th Street, Kansas City, MO 64112
(816) 753-3565
Hours: (Tues-Sat) 5:30 pm-10 pm
Lunch-Monday-Friday 11:30-2:00
When you simply must get away from it all, hide away in one of the best-kept secrets in Kansas City on the Country Club Plaza. With new chef John McClure at the helm, Starker’s is always offering something fantastic. The one thing you can count on is exquisite execution, no matter what the dish. Appetizers include lump crab cakes with Jicama and Chayote Salad, and grilled La Belle Farms Foie Gras With Creole Beignets and more. The entrée list is anything but the standard cow town fare, with bay scallops, Tasmanian Salmon, or Parmesan potato gnocchi for example. Wine is essential here, as Starker’s has a beautiful selection of wines by the glass or by the bottle. Knowledgeable servers are sure to help make a perfect pairing with your meal.
Estimated cost per person for dinner = $45 - $55
Holiday Schedule: New Years Day-Open, Valentines Day-Open, Easter-Open, Thanksgiving-Closed, Christmas Eve-Open, Christmas Day-Closed, New Years Eve-Open
Pot Pie
904 Westport Road, Kansas City, MO 64111
(816) 561-2702
Tucked away in Westport are many treasures, but Pot Pie is one of the coziest. With its rotating menu of entrees, appetizers and deserts, each experience is a new, albeit, tasty one. On the appetizer list was a selection of spinach salads, mussels and savory tarts. The mussels are a meal by themselves, swimming in a creamy tomato sauce that begs to be sopped up by fresh bread. Entrées for the evening included petite filet, sea bass, and of course, pot pie, the house specialty. The small dining room gives the feeling that every dish is comfort food, especially when attended by the attentive wait staff. Pot Pie will make you turn your back on frozen dinners for all time.
Estimated cost per person for dinner= $20-30
Bluestem
900 Westport road Kansas City, mo 64111
(816) 561-1101
There’s having dinner-then there’s dining. Bluestem is fine dining at its best. This adventurous menu is available ala Carte, or in pre fix courses of three, five, seven or twelve for the adventurous. A caviar supplement is available, as is a desert tasting menu. The menu changes monthly to feature only the finest and freshest ingredients and to appease the creative whims of chefs and owners Colby and Megan Garrelts. Recent offerings included an escargot appetizer offset by spicy sausage and perfect pasta, or a Berkshire pork roasted with chanterelle mushrooms in a lingonberry sauce. The berry flavors cut through the richness of the pork to pull out the subtle smoky flavor. Save room for desert if you can, for they offer the choice of a tasting menu of custards, artesian cheeses, petit fours and chocolate, or larger portions of such favorites as chocolate tortes, or baked apples, swimming in nutmeg ice cream with a round of tender gingerbread. In addition to the elegantly appointed formal dining room, certain menu items may be ordered in the ultra chic wine lounge.
Estimated cost of one person for dinner= $55-75
Le Fou Frog
400 East Fifth Street, Kansas City, MO
816-474-6060
Hours Tues-Wed-Thurs Dinner 5:30-10:00 Friday-Saturday 5:00-11:00 Sunday 5:00-9:00
While Le Fou Frog is probably the only restaurant in town to host a Bastille Day celebration, this is not the only reason they are set apart. This tiny French bistro offers authentic French cuisine, including the best French onion soup in town, rich with port and heavy with melted Gruyere cheese. While there are many offerings of fish, beef and fowl, the more unique meat offerings are worth it for adventuring taste buds. Any given night, there may be kangaroo braised in cinnamon and nutmeg or rabbit stuffed with lobster meat, or a pheasant selection. The gracious staff is more than ready to guide you on your culinary adventure with excellent wine pairings. You will feel very European after languishing over a meal in the candlelight at Le Fou Frog, plus, no jet lag!
Estimated cost per person for dinner-$30-40
Blue Bird Bistro
1700 Summit Kansas City, MO 64108
(816) 221-7559
Hours Breakfast: Monday - Friday: 7:00am - 11:00am, Saturday: 7:00am - 3:00pm, Sunday: 10:00am - 2:00pm
Lunch: Monday - Friday: 11:00am - 5:30pm, Saturday: 7:00am - 5:30pm
Dinner: Monday - Thursday: 5:30pm - 9:00pm, Friday - Saturday: 5:30pm - 10:00pm
“Organic” doesn’t necessarily sound very “tasty”, unless, of course, you’re talking about the Blue Bird Bistro. All of the ingredients in the menu are organic and sustainably grown, using local farmers when at all possible, which ensures a rotating menu of seasonal dishes that will please anyone, including the vegetarian in the family. There are plenty of vegetarian options on the eclectic menu, including stuffed local squash, an organic Arborio rice risotto with oyster mushrooms, and many more. For the meat eaters, the bison burger or bison tenderloins are a sure hit as well as the free range Campo Lindo sautéed chicken breast in red wine reduction. Fresh deserts are concocted daily that will please your whole party and provide a lovely finish to a sustainable meal.
Estimated cost per diner-$25-25
The Raphael Restaurant
325 Ward Parkway
Kansas City, Missouri 64112
816-756-3800 or 800-821-5343
Hours Breakfast: Monday - Friday, 6:30 am - 10:00 am, Saturday & Sunday, 7:00 am - 11:00 am
Lunch: Monday - Saturday, 11:00 am - 3:00 pm, Sunday, closed.
Dinner: Monday - Saturday, 5:00 pm - 11:00 pm, Sunday, closed.
While most hotel restaurants, are nothing to boast about, The Raphael Hotel on the corner of the Country Club Plaza has bragging rights. Chef Peter Hahn’s menu changes weekly and he features special pre fix menus on various themes throughout the year. Execution is an art at The Raphael, with beautiful dishes that look almost too good to eat. The wine list is one of the most pleasant surprises, reasonably priced and high in quality. Chef Hahn delights in turning pedestrian dishes on their ear, as is evidenced by the Chile Relleno, a Mexican restaurant standard, that is now made with rroast poblano with smoked & braised wild boar,
guajillo chili sauce & queso fresco. This is not your average hotel restaurant. The lounge offers drink specials throughout the week and live entertainment on the weekends, giving one more reason to stay at the hotel.
Estimated cost per diner-$30-40
|
