Six KC-area restaurants win prestigious award for outstanding wine offerings

Six Kansas City-area restaurants — including 801 Chophouse in Leawood and the Power & Light District, and Pierpont’s at Union Station — have been honored with Wine Spectator’s “Best of Award of Excellence” for 2017.

Another 10 area restaurants were “Award of Excellence” winners.

The Restaurant Awards began in 1981, and there are three levels: the Award of Excellence (with 2,335 winners this year), the Best of Award of Excellence (with 1,168 winners) and the Grand Award (with only 89 winners this year). Five of the Grand Award winners — Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steak House in New York; Grill 23 & Bar in Boston; Les Climats in Paris; PM & Vänner in Växjö, Sweden; and Wally’s Beverly Hills in California — are first-timers.

In a statement, Marvin R. Shanken, editor and publisher of Wine Spectator, said, “As wine becomes more important to diners, the Awards program is thriving — with an increasing number of entries, as well as growing print, digital and social audiences.”

Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence recognizes restaurants whose wine lists feature a well-chosen assortment of quality producers. Best of Award of Excellence recipients offer more extensive selections with “significant vintage depth and excellent breadth across multiple regions.” All winners are profiled at the Wine Spectator Restaurant Awards website and in the Restaurant Awards app — both of which were launched last year.

The Grand Award recognizes the world’s best wine programs, which “deliver serious breadth of top producers, outstanding depth in mature vantages, excellent harmony with the menu and superior presentation.” Grand Award candidates are assessed in several areas, including rigorous independent, on-site inspections of the wine program, cellar, service, ambiance and cuisine of the restaurant.

The complete list of award winners is in the Aug. 31 issue of Wine Spectator, available on newsstands July 18.

The area Best of Award of Excellence winners:

▪ 801 Chophouse, Park Place, 11616 Ash St., Leawood

Wine strengths: California, France

Wine selections: 500

Wine prices: expensive

▪ 801 Chophouse, Power & Light District, 71 E. 14th St.

Wine strengths: California, France and Italy

Wine selections: 600

Wine prices: expensive

▪ JJ’s Restaurant, West Plaza, 900 W. 48th St.

Wine strengths: California, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhone, Italy and Port

Wine selections: 1,560

Wine prices: moderate

▪ Osteria Il Centro, 5101 Main St.

Wine strengths: California, Italy

Wine selections: 1,195

Wine prices: moderate

▪ Pierpont’s at Union Station, 30 W. Pershing Road

Wine strengths: California, France and Italy

Wine selections: 480

Wine prices: moderate

▪ Story, Prairie Village Shopping Center, 3931 W. 69th Terrace, Prairie Village

Wine strengths: California, France and Italy

Wine selections: 5250

Wine prices: moderate

Area Award of Excellence winners: Final Cut Steakhouse at Hollywood Casino in Kansas City, Kan., Five 21 Restaurant in the Oread Hotel in Lawrence, Fogo de Chao on the Country Club Plaza, Gaslight Grill in Leawood, The J Bar in Olathe, Justus Drugstore in Smithville, Michael Smith in the Crossroads, Minsky’s at 5101 Main St., Plate in East Brookside (temporarily closed after a fire), Seasons 52 on the Plaza, Sullivan’s Steakhouse in Leawood and Ten in Lawrence.

This story was originally published July 10, 2017 at 5:53 PM with the headline "Six KC-area restaurants win prestigious award for outstanding wine offerings."