It’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.There’s continuity in the kitchen, too. Executive chef Ian Hockenberger came on board three months ago after a three-year stint at the Mango Room, but before that the Michigan native cooked for a year at Grand Street. So as Hockenberger seeks to put his stamp on the menu, he understands and respects the tastes and preferences of the clientele.Rush fences and lush landscaping on the restaurant’s patio have a tropical flair that temporarily transports you out of the Midwest. The eastern-facing orientation delivers shade in the furnace conditions of high summer in Kansas City. Best of all, unlike many restaurants that offer outdoor tables as an afterthought, service on Grand Street’s patio is top drawer. But on the evening of this visit, my dining companions were not up to the al fresco challenge, with the mercury swelling to 93 and an excessive heat warning in place. Fortunately for me and my bare shoulders, stepping inside didn’t feel like walking into a meat locker. Nothing spoils a meal out with friends like having to pull a cardigan on over your nice dress as soon as you sit down.The dining room décor at Grand Street has probably spawned more lively differences of opinion among diners than any other restaurant interior in town. Either you think it’s hopelessly outdated or you’d be willing to stage a sit-in to prevent anyone from touching it. I’m in the latter camp.I think people who object to the huge-scale botanical print wall coverings and the branches mounted perpendicular to the wall so they appear to be growing out of it are misreading the look. It’s not 1970s fern bar, and it’s not Laura Ashley.To me, the combination of the nature-based design elements and the black-and-tan woven faux wicker chairs feels like a cross between “Out of Africa” and “Alice in Wonderland.” Marvelous.That said, there’s one weird touch that is unanimously disliked: the spray-painted faux mottled finish on the ceiling and pipes. That really needs to go.The food at Grand Street is refreshingly varied. Seasonal and local ingredients are in evidence — and Hockenberger is moving more in that direction — but the menu doesn’t feel like a political manifesto. Lobster gnocchi in a rich cream sauce with sage, and roasted duck in a white bean and chorizo cassoulet-like presentation are hardly light summertime fare, but we devoured them happily. Those items have been rotated out since our visit, but the rest of our favorite dishes of the evening are still on the menu.One favorite among the appetizers was the tuna tartare (now tweaked to include a slab of seared ahi along with the tartare and billed as Tuna Two Ways). It came with a piece of crispy rice paper so addictive we all kept snapping off pieces as we chatted. Another gem was the Thai-style shrimp dumplings. The ginger-spiked shrimp-filled potstickers are steamed, then lightly fried and served with a lemongrass coconut cream broth.The crispy chicken spring rolls with sweet chili sauce exemplify what Grand Street excels at — taking a familiar dish and adding a flavor that makes it new again. A note here on the appetizer portion sizes: As is standard in Kansas City, appetizers (which range from $6 to $16) are portioned so generously that it will take at least two people to finish them. At the risk of aggravating value-conscious diners, I have to say I wish portions were smaller and, let’s say, 30 percent cheaper, so two people could each have their own starter instead of having to settle on one to share. Our favorite entrée, and another dish with the unmistakable Grand Street stamp, was the En Fuego. The dish used to be called American paella, which pretty much says it all. The starting point is Spanish sausage, which no sensible person would give up even as we try to incorporate more local foods into our diet. Then come sautéed shrimp, clams, mussels, peas, rice and saffron, but it’s the fennel-tomato broth that gives the dish wings.Entrees at Grand Street are in the $17 to $34 range, which is normal for this level of food. What isn’t normal is that instead of being accompanied only by a starch and veggie on the plate, each entrée comes with a choice of soup or salad — additions that at most restaurants would add $8 or $10 to the bill.On the night we were there, the choices were a house salad with sunflower seeds, a spinach salad with fresh figs that was the best I’ve had all year, a Caesar salad and a wild mushroom soup.Paradise cake is a heady name to live up to, but you will think you’ve gone to heaven with one bite. Imagine a carrot cake where you replace the carrots with pineapple and banana, but keep the cream cheese icing and top it with a dried pineapple chip. Mmm is right. Unfortunately, I am the wrong audience for the chocolate sampler, but I wish my sister, who has the chocolate gene I lack, had been at the table to experience this extravaganza. It was enough for four people to share. There was a white chocolate crème brulée; a flourless chocolate soufflé; a mousse tower with three layers — dark chocolate and raspberry liqueur, white chocolate crème, and milk chocolate orange crème; a housemade candy bar made of hand-cut caramel rolled in puffed rice and dipped in chocolate; a brownie petit four, and a round chocolate and cayenne truffle. If you like chocolate, you might just collapse in an orgiastic coma before you’re done. Like the restaurant itself, the service was easy and confident. The room was packed on a weeknight, which makes sense. This isn’t the place you rush to on a Friday night so you can talk about it later, but the place you go with old friends to catch up over predictably excellent, value-priced food.
what to drink
The 2006 Michele Chiarlo Barbera d’Asti, $36, is an earthy, velvety, medium-bodied red that goes with almost everything. The wine list is heavy on California bottles with a few Old World choices sprinkled in. Thursday nights, all bottles under $75 are half price.
The 2006 Michele Chiarlo Barbera d’Asti, $36, is an earthy, velvety, medium-bodied red that goes with almost everything. The wine list is heavy on California bottles with a few Old World choices sprinkled in. Thursday nights, all bottles under $75 are half price.
grand street café
4740 Grand St.816-561-8000 www.grandstreet cafe.com Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m. (brunch) and 2-9 p.m. SundayVegetarian choices: Artisan cheese platter, bruschetta, white cheddar fondue, salads and seafoodNoise level: Loud, but table spacing is wide enough that you don’t have to shout Parking: Free parking in frontSplit-plate charge: NoneReservations: Recommended
4740 Grand St.816-561-8000 www.grandstreet cafe.com Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m. (brunch) and 2-9 p.m. SundayVegetarian choices: Artisan cheese platter, bruschetta, white cheddar fondue, salads and seafoodNoise level: Loud, but table spacing is wide enough that you don’t have to shout Parking: Free parking in frontSplit-plate charge: NoneReservations: Recommended
MY DINNER AT is a story about a single dining experience. The narrative is based on an anonymous visit. The Star pays for the meal.
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