In Kansas City, MO... The Plaza, West 39th and Southwest Blvd restaurant districts particularly standout. There are also a few good places in Downtown, Crown Center and City Market. And then there is the Southern Johnson County scene if you're in South KC. The Plaza (around West 47th) is a notable district for upscale restaurants. GRAND ST CAFE is very comfortable - one of the best American Bistros according to mags. HOUSTONS(steak), JULES (seafood), PLAZA III (steakhouse, semi-formal), HIBACHI (japanese), EDEN ALLEY (funky, vege friendly), STARKERS RESERVE (exceptional, formal, top notch wine list), CLASSIC CUP (mediterranean, nice sidewalk patio), Le RENDEZVOUS (excellent sidewalk french bistro, just quiche and tarts, a 10 year old french boy is the boss on weekends), PARKWAY 600 (upscale, great patio), FOUNTAIN CAFE (french quarter/cajun, patio), O'DOWDS (authentic irish, patio), JJ's (upscale, one of six best wine/scotch selections in the world according to Wine Spectator), TOMFOOLERIES (hip bar&grill), GRANDFALOON (sports bar&grill), WINSTEADS (great 50's burger diner), ANDRE'S CONFISERIE (swiss tearoom) are all very good Plaza area restaurants. Upscale chain restaurants include Cheesecake Factory, Canyon Cafe (southwestern) and Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. JARDINE'S is an excellent jazz club/restaurant just east of The Plaza. All of these places are within walking distance of each other. The novelty of living on The Plaza for the last 3 years has yet to wear off. BBQ! Most suggest ARTHUR BRYANT'S but it's only for those who care for fatty meat. Many suggest KC MASTERPIECE (the plaza) for BBQ but the quality has been poor lately - however the baby back ribs are still excellent. GATES BBQ on Main in Midtown is good but is considered salty. WINSLOWS BBQ in City Market is very good. SMOKESTACK in Martin City and on Wornall is a personal favorite (most lean). JAKES BBQ off of the Plaza and Lil' JAKES Downtown (small dive) are good. ZARDA in Lenexa is consistently very good. Good BBQ seems to be individually subjective in KC - there are so many varieties of sauces and methods of smoking that you must try many to understand KC BBQ. Ones favorite is anothers disgust - there are over 100 BBQ restaurants and the "best" are out in the boonies. West 39th "Restaurant Row" (39th & State Line) has a variety of eclectic, funky and upscale restaurants. CAFE ALLEGRO (upscale to formal, considered one of KC's best), VECO (upscale italianate), d'BRONX (excellent deli, play checkers/chess, BYOB), GENGHIS KHAN (mongolian), BLUE NILE (ethiopian), Tribal Grill (hummus/mezze fix) Pyramid Cafe on Broadway (middle eastern), JAZZ (great cajun), Fric&Frac (massively trippey biker chick diner/bar), Macaluso's (pseudo-italian - overpriced but good), Otto's Malt Shop (very hip, used to be a service garage) are all great places on W.39th. There are wonderful bohemian coffee houses and funky stores too. Southwest Blvd (southwest of Downtown) has many good authentic Mexican, Spanish and Mediterranian restaurants. Check out Margaritas, Blvd Cafe, Cafe Barcelona, Shiraz and Manny's. Ponaks, Red Headed Mexican, Casa De Fajitas are also pretty good. California Taqueria is a bit too authentic - I sometimes wonder where the chicken came from. Downtown is going through major renovations (over $2B) in the next few years and is not much of a night time destination point yet. Midtown (30th to 50th) is where the night time action is. Nevertheless, Downtown/Crown Center/City Market has several places that stand out. Savoy Grill (formal lobster/steak), American Restaurant (4 star traditional), Winslows (BBQ), Club 427 (pastas, jazz), BlueBird (vegetarian), Garazzos (italian), Hereford House (steak), LaSalla's (italian deli dive), Le Fou Frog (excellent french), Peppercorn Duck Club (traditional) are all worth a visit. Johnson County (Kansas) standouts are Yia Yias (upscale eclectic), Bristol (upscale seafood), La Mediterranee (french), Tatsu's (french), India Palace (indian), Bo Ling's (hunan), Jun's (japanese) and too many others I've heard about but have yet to visit. The Plaza (around W.47th) is a good place for tourists to go for daytime activity but the WESTPORT district (just north of The Plaza) is at its best after 11PM and has many great bars, live music, coffeehouses, and a few good restaurants: Californo's (eclectic), Metropolis (trendy nouveau), Jerusalem Cafe, Mill Creek Brewery, Corner Restaurant (breakfast) and one of the best kept secrets in KC that you didn't hear from me - STOLEN GRILL (new yorky - about 12 tables, very good, difficult to get in). In Westport, definitely check out Harry's Tables (upscale bar, tapa's, one of best real american bars - cigar aficionado) and Kelly's (downscale in your face bar). Also try KC's best ice cream at Murray's. Great underground theatre at Westport Coffeehouse (basement) and Unicorn Theater. Other great bars: Grand Emporium (blues/jazz/reggae, has a soul you can breathe), Hurricane (modern rock), Harlings(blues/jazz), 39 on Main (jazz restaurant/bar), Velvet Dog (martini fix), Liquid Lounge (trippey). If you're into gambling, there are 5 large casinos along the river. Nelson Atkins Museum is a top 10 US art museum. Nearby Kemper Museum is a respected modern museum. A $250M science museum is under construction. A new major ($27M) jazz museum and Negro Leagues Baseball museum is at 18th & Vine just east of Downtown and the jazz scene is thriving with several dozen jazz venues. There are over 50 art galleries in Midtown/Downtown area, many in several restored warehouse districts. The arts scene is also thriving and considered one of best kept secrets on the planet by a major German artists magazine. Personal favourites: Steak - JJ's, Houstons, Plaza III, Hereford House BBQ - Smokestack, Jakes, Winslows Mexican - Margarita's, Manny's, Red Headed Mexican Mediterr/Mid-East - Blue Nile, Tribal Grill, Pyramid Cafe Chinese - Genghis Khan (39th), Bo'lings (OP), Red Dragon (OP) Sushi - Jun's, Kabuki Upscale - Stolen Grill, Grand St. Cafe, Cafe Allegro, Bristol Upperscale - Savoy Grill, Starkers, American Restaurant Cheap - d'Bronx, LaSalla's, Fric&Frac Breakfast - le Rendez-vous, Corner Restaurant Jazz - All 18th&Vine clubs, Club 427, Jardine's, Grand Emporium Bars - Harry's, Velvet Dog, Liquid Lounge (too many others) Coffeehouses - Cantata, Broadway Cafe, Westport Coffeehouse, Latteland For KC goings ons see: www.experiencekc.com www.kansascity.com kansascity.miningco.com www.kansascity.com/kcjazz www.worldmall.com/wmcc/kcblues www.kcbars.com bob.daniel [email removed]
Kansas City, MO