Yard House opens second KC area location in P&L District

When Yard House wanted to open its second area location, it selected the Power & Light District for its “strong mix of retail, dining and entertainment offerings.”

The nearly 12,500-square-foot restaurant and bar, at 1300 Main St., will be the company’s 60th location when it opens at 11 a.m. Saturday. Its open floor plan mixes dark woods and stainless steel accents. A central bar area dominates the dining area, which will seat 318 people.

A glass-enclosed keg room, kept at 34 to 36 degrees, is on an upper level overlooking the dining room and bar, and will house as much as 4,000 gallons of beer at one time.

Yard House will offer 130 beers on tap, including 32 selections from area breweries such as Boulevard Brewing Co., Cinder Block Brewery and Kansas City Bier Co. The Chalkboard Series will offer five hand-picked draft selections rotating frequently.

Customers can order draft beers in the half-yard, traditional pint, shorty or six-pack sampler. Menu items will include grilled burgers, tacos, steaks, seafood, salads and ribs.

California artist Jerome Gastaldi created a series of murals that wrap around the dining room, including one of Union Station, another of a cow with what looks like Toto from “The Wizard of Oz.”

Yard House also has an area location in the Legends Outlets Kansas City in Kansas City, Kan.

The chain was founded by Steele Platt in Southern California in 1996. Yard House gets its name from the 3-foot-tall glass containers originally designed in Great Britain that were handed to stagecoach drivers after a long journey. Yard House customers can order a half-yard (32 ounces).

T.Loft for the Plaza

Locally owned all-natural health cafe T. Loft will open its fourth area cafe.

The company is taking a 3,152-square-foot space on the Country Club Plaza, 200 W. 47th St., for a July opening. N Valentino had occupied the space.

T. Loft offers fresh-pressed juices, gourmet teas, protein shakes, protein balls, superfood shooters, smoothies and freshly made snacks.

It also has “bowls” for breakfast, lunch and dinner, including the Athens Omelet Scramble with egg whites, olives, tomatoes, kale and feta, and the BBQ Hawaiian Rice Bowl with brown rice, chicken, carrots, celery, pineapples, cashews and barbecue sauce.

Menu items have no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives and are gluten-free.

In a statement, Glenn Stephenson, vice president and division manager for Plaza owners Highwoods Properties, said: “We are dedicated to providing food and shopping experiences that are one of a kind and add to the energy that makes the Country Club Plaza such a special place.”

Jill and Brandon Minton founded T. Loft in early 2013 and now have locations in south Kansas City, in Leawood’s Park Place, and in Lawrence.

Jill Minton said the idea had been so successful because it was started for the right reasons — to offer area consumers healthy food options.

“It’s exciting so many people are into health and wellness in Kansas City,” she said.

In other Plaza updates, two law firms are taking the former Starker’s Restaurant space, at 201 W. 47th St., and after a remodeling the firms plan a May opening. Starker’s closed in fall 2013.

This story was originally published April 20, 2015 at 8:26 PM with the headline "Yard House opens second KC area location in P&L District."