Is this new KC area restaurant just what my hometown needed? I tried it to find out
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Let’s Dish, Kansas City
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Growing up in Parkville, a historic town just 15 minutes from downtown Kansas City, I watched its revitalization in real time as iconic local businesses like the Parkville Coffee House, Bentley Guitar Studio and The Craic were established.
Yet as fond as I am of my hometown, the older I got, the more I realized there was something still missing: an affordable yet upscale dining option that didn’t mean a drive downtown —something to celebrate a birthday, a girl’s night out or dinner with parents.
Sure, there is Piropos in Briarcliff, but I want more options. That made a nice meal drive-dependent, but who wants to travel from the Northland to Overland Park, downtown or Lee’s Summit every time?
Prima Facie owners and Parkville residents Leon Versfeld and Heather Versfeld have hit the nail on the head, flipping a former Bank Liberty on 12 E. First St. into a bistro and coffee shop with both a modern flair and a subtle but cozy vintage feel.
“Everyone is so excited for us and happy to be here, and (we are) grateful to be able to give back to our community,” Heather Versfeld said.
The Versfelds converted the second floor of the bank into an office for Leon, a local immigration attorney, and made the first floor the restaurant.
“I’m done with work and I come down here and I meet so many more people,” he said. “The other night we had some people here say ‘Hey, is this your first night? I live up the road from you, you’re my neighbor.’”
Since it opened, I’ve seen the restaurant full each time I’ve driven by, and decided it was time to see if it was as good as the hype — or if it was just simply the newest thing.
Heather Versfeld said they really wanted to serve a wide variety of people when creating the menu, including fresh seafood and Kansas City beef. On the market side, they serve a variety of drinks including teas, coffees, and boba as well as all-day breakfast, sandwiches, soups and grab-and-go lunches.
“Nothing we are doing is trying to compete (with other local businesses),” Leon Versfeld said, emphasizing their hope to bring the community together and continue putting Parkville on the map.
I went with my fiance on a recent Saturday night and saw the bistro’s dining room buzzing with life. A projector played an old Hollywood film starring Cary Grant (one of our personal favorites). The old bank vault door opened as we sat down, showing a group in the private dining room. The waiter quickly brought us our cocktails: the ginger lemon drop and an mezcal old fashioned.
The ginger lemondrop ($16) was just that, a zing of citrus with a spike of ginger and a sugar rim. Neither flavor was overpowering and was in fact quite refreshing. My fiance ordered the mezcal old fashioned ($16), which was a delightful smoky twist to the classic tried and true. It had us raving to others for days.
For appetizers we ordered the calamari frito ($16) and the crab cakes ($20). For the record, we are both generally skeptics when it comes to ordering seafood at restaurants in the Midwest, but these dishes delivered.
The fried calamari was not overly breaded and paired perfectly with the aioli made with sage, red pepper marmalade and lemon.
What took the spotlight quickly were the crab cakes, rightfully insisted on by Leon Versfeld. Made with blue lump crab and a side salad and cilantro emulsion, the dish’s freshness was obvious from the first bite. The appetizer only comes with two, which is probably for the best, because they are hard to put down. In the end, it was our favorite dish that we say you can’t go without.
For entrees, we ordered the filet mignon made with grass-fed beef tenderloin ($42), whipped potatoes, asparagus, bordelaise sauce, a tallow maitre’d butter and the roasted salmon ($32) made with a citrus beurre blanc, english peas, bacon, spinach and cannellini beans.
I got one fork in the filet before my fiance finished, but the garlic butter and the bordelaise sauce is what for me put it above some others I’ve had. The salmon was a good mix between the classic lemon flavor, the cream and bacon that had me scraping my plate.
By the time the phyllo brownie ($10) — another owner recommendation — landed on our table, I was nearly stuffed. The brownie has a rich chocolate flavor, wrapped in a flaky pastry and paired with a scoop of homemade ice cream. Leon Versfield recommends customers ask for a second scoop of ice cream, and I have to agree (if you have the space).
I entered Prima Facie a hopeful skeptic and left a soon-to-be regular. Throughout the night, the owners fluttered between tables asking customers about their experience, really showing the love they have for our community.
No longer do people in the Parkville area have to drive south to downtown or to other suburbs for a night out. Make a reservation for this local spot; I’m sure you won’t regret it.
This story was originally published December 10, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
