Kansas City restaurant recommendations aside from BBQ
 

Hi,
I am wanting to get some restaurant recommendations for KC for food genres other than BBQ, which I have already hit in town.

Does anyone have any favorite spots to hit that they'd like to recommend ala Italian, steak, etc.?

Thanks

Jasper's and Johnny Cascone's are a couple that come to mind that aren't chain restaurants.

There are a number of good/great places on the Plaza. Here are a couple local favorites:
1. Plaza III (Steaks & Seafood) very pricey but rated one of the top steakhouses in America
2. Kona Grill-very good food and reasonably priced
3. Jack Stack BBQ (had to throw that in)
4. Garozzo's -Italian (not on the plaza but several locations)

PS: Jasper's is good but Johnny Cascone's is not

How about Bristol's in the Power and Light District?

Or! Oh, now this is good, The Peachtree is also opening up in the Power and Light District. Southern food at the Peachtree is to die for. Go Hungry.

Here's the link to the Power and Light district: http://www.powerandlightdistrict.com/
Bristol is there,Peachtree is opening soon.

I would not recommend Bice. It had just opened and we went last Wednesday. Um, artificial crab in the saffron crab pasta sauce? I don't think so.

What part of town will you be in?

Keith

Hello and thanks for your thoughts.

I will be staying in the area of Countryclub Plaza, however, I will have a car so travel is no object.

I made a trip to KC in May specifically to hit BBQ for an extended weekend, so this time in town I wanted to try something else although I will certainly be having more "Q" this trip, as well.

The good Italian restaurants in K.C. serve toasted ravioli as an appetizer. Try it, if possible. You will be addicted.

I know toasted ravioli from StL, but it's a nice get.

Since you made a point of BBQ before, I assume you are a fan of meat and local cuisines. The second dish that KC would be known for would be steak.

The Plaza 3 is not cheap, but does a very good job and is on the Plaza. A good second choice would be downtown at the Majestic Steak House in a 1911 building that started as a salon and bordello. They also have jazz. Other folks might recommend the Hereford House, Golden Ox or Jess & Jims, among others.

Stroud's (known for family style fried chicken, pork chops & catfish) and the 105 year old Savoy Grill (steak & seafood, this place was a favorite of Harry Truman) are both classic KC restaurants.

If you are looking for a particular cuisine or style of eating, there are lots of other options.

So where do you recommend for BBQ?

Keith

Thanks much for your help, Keith...very much appreciated!

In the city proper, we liked Gates ribs the best as they were "wet" and that is my preferred style. I like the sauce cooked into the rib a bit vs. putting it on room temp at the table. Gates sauce had a nice bite to it.

Ironic as we stopped back to back at Gates and Bryants for samples on the way back to the airport as we hadn't hit the Big 2 in town up and until that point.

Bryants was good, as well. The staff in there had a little attitude, but I read they are known for that.

We went all over the metro area and beyond trying BBQ and went to the BBQ Shack in Kansas and they had the best burnt ends of the trip. I saw that place on the Food Network. I ordered several items there to try various things and couldn't finish it all, but the ends struck me as essentially jerky so I took that back to the hotel and snacked on it later on that night. Mmmmm, can still taste 'em.

We went to a gas station BBQ outside of the city that was nice, as well.

I don't have my materials w/ me at the moment to tell you the name, but you're probably familiar w/ it. Small place appearing as an old gas station w/ a red roof. Quaint.

Fiorella's is excellent. I was surprised at how upscale the downtown location was.

Oklahoma Joes was good, however, the air conditioner was leaking on our table during our meal...didn't really mind, though. Their food wasn't really distinctive to me.

I think this time I will be trying LC's, Rosedale, Smokehouse and BB's Lawnside, however, we may fill on BBQ and need to hit something else at some point, which is why I posted.

We ate a steak somewhere in the complexes at Countryclub Plaza. I want to say the restaurant name was a number. It may've been Plaza III.

I'm a bone-in ribeye guy when it comes to steaks. I expect the KC strip shows on every menu in town, huh? Is that the way to go in KC?

Savoy Grill sounds intriguing to me.

Also, are the places you recommended formal?

Thanks again!

Few places in town are formal. Shorts and a t-shirt would be inapropriate at the Plaza 3 or Savoy, but I've dressed that way at the other two.

I usually get ribeye myself.

The BBQ place you are describing sounds like it might be Filling Station BBQ in Lees Summit, but I haven't been there in a great many years.

You shouldn't go wrong with the BBQ places you are planning to hit. All of the places you have visited or are thinking of visiting are probably in the top 20.

Keith

They actually sat us at Plaza 3 in May when I had shorts on, but it was a slow night. I was embarrassed, but I was more hungry than I was proud. Maybe a polo shirt goes farther than I thought.

The place I mentioned was the Filling Station in Lee's Summit...good call.

...looking forward to it.

I will try to hit Jasper's and Savoy in addition to as much BBQ as I can fit in...

Been quite a while since I've eaten at the Savoy, but it used to be very good! Here are a cpl more suggestions which close to Plaza that are good:

Blue Koi (chinese fusion...casual & not expensive)
Da'Bronx (best pizza in town and right next door to Blue Koi).
Pierponts (steaks & seafood...on the pricey side)...it's inside Union Station and has great food / atmosphere

I will be interested in your take on Smokehouse. They are in the same niche as Jack Stack, but a bit less expensive and a bit less nice.

I find the meats very middle of the road. Despite the smell of smoke filling the dinning room, it doesn't flavor the meat.

I suspect it is very popular with folks that aren't exposed to a lot of BBQ, but less so with cue aficionados.

Keith

Hi Keith,

We actually didn't load up on cue as much as I expected we would.

Smokehouse was just OK...a little too saucy, really. The meat was bathed in it, vs. basted in it. The sauce was OK, nothing special.

We shared a plate of sausage/ends and a rib plate...solid, but not the city's best.

We also ate at Danny Edwards, which was OK as well. I wasn't crazy about the sauce, but obviously the place is popular. The lunch rush was very busy.

We went to BB's for blues on Friday night...that was nice. Had a bowl of gumbo, which wasn't authentic....very tomato heavy, but it was OK.

We had Jasper's Italian and that was nice. Pretty vista over the river behind. Their red sauce was a bit sweet, but they have knockout lemoncello..at least for my tastes...very tart.

We also had a steak at J Gilbert's woodfired, which was good. They put a pico de gallo on the steak, which really isn't necessary, but the meat was tasty.

Had a pizza from Antonio's near the market...just OK.

KC is really growing on us, and we'll certainly be back. We really like your city!

We were a little disappointed with Smokehouse as well at least the location we went to on west 135th as they bathed everything in sauce. The one that used to be on Shawnee Mission was excellant and put the sauce on the side.
SiteC_er which location for Cascones are you talking about or is it both?

My experience was similar at both the Zona Rosa and 135th Street Smokehouses.

I'm glad to see that both of your takes are similar to mine. I'm surprised that as many people recomend them as do.

Keith

If you've not been, put Gates on the list for your next visit. Next to Bryants, it's my second favorite.

The Savoy used to be a fine restaurant, but has had terrible reviews the last couple of years.

For fairly casual yet fine dining, I would recommend:

Le Fou Frog- Downtown, French

Room 39- midtown (and south)

Aixois- French

Andre's- Swiss- open for lunch

Lidias- Italian- downtown

American- Downtown- expensive

Enjoy, annie