Big 12 hoops hunger? For downtown KC eats and drinks, here are some of the new players
In downtown Kansas City this week for the Big 12 men’s and women’s basketball tournaments?
More than two dozen places to eat and drink have opened in the past year — from barbecues (the Kansas City metro has more than 100) to vegetarian to upscale restaurants.
Most are located about a mile or so of the hoops action at the Sprint Center and Municipal Auditorium — and nearly all are locally owned.
Here’s a quick guide to the new offerings as you start filling out your KC food and drink brackets.
▪ Blade & Timber, Power & Light District, 1303 Baltimore Ave. Interactive axe throwing experience. Menu includes chicken and waffles, portobello sandwiches and sliders. Half off axe throwing during weekday lunch.
▪ Burnt End BBQ, Crown Center, 2450 Grand Blvd., Suite 130. Menu includes brisket, ribs, pulled pork, smoked turkey, Sticky Burnt End Buns, grilled salmon with barbecue sauce, roasted chicken and Duroc pork chops with an apple-bourbon glaze.
▪ Chicken Please, City Market, 21 E. Third St. The owners of Taste of Brazil in the market opened a sister restaurant specializing in fresh chicken dishes — chicken and waffles, chicken tenders, wings, chicken pot pie and chicken Stroganoff.
▪ ChickHoovenSwineBBQ, Parlor food hall, 1707 Locust St. Food truck recently opened a location in the Crossroads food hall. It offers sandwiches (pulled pork, brisket, burnt ends and smoked sausage), signature sandwiches (including the Caroline with pulled pork topped with slaw), ribs, barbecue nachos and sides.
▪ The Clubhouse Experience, 1101 Walnut St. The indoor TopGolf and food venue. Menu items include Korean fried chicken, flatbreads, salads, sandwiches and entrees such as burnt end mac-and-cheese and grilled salmon.
▪ Grad School, 1744 Broadway. A Springfield, Missouri, favorite that came to the metro in mid-2019. The menu includes wings, veggie burgers, and cashew chicken (which got its start in Springfield). Dishes can be served standard or at different spicy levels.
▪ One East Urban Bar + Kitchen, Westin Crown Center, 1 E. Pershing Road. Breakfast, lunch and dinner spot. Menu items include Spanish omelets, banana pancakes, carrot ginger lemongrass soup, braised short rib sandwiches, spinach spaghetti and grilled mahi mahi.
▪ Pirate’s Bone Burger, 2000 Main St. Plant-based diner serves coffee drinks, black bean burgers, beet burgers, truffle fries, and more.
▪ Soiree Steak & Oyster House, 1512 E. 18th St. Chef Anita Moore’s 18th & Vine Jazz District restaurant offers “Southern inspired cuisine, handcrafted cocktails and live music.” Menu items include Creole chicken and shrimp, bourbon brown sugar glazed salmon, seafood mac-and-cheese, and sweet potato cheesecake.
▪ Streetcar Grille & Tavern, 1580 Main St. On a corner spot on the streetcar line, this “elevated” sports bar offers KC BBQ cheesesteaks, chicken pineapple sandwiches, a variety of burgers, salmon with house-made chili sesame glaze, and chicken Piccata.
▪ Sushi MO, Parlor food hall. Husband and wife Louis Guerrieri and Sarah Nelson want to push the boundaries of traditional sushi. So they offer classic and not-so-classic sushi rolls, including the Duke of Orange roll (with smoked salmon, carrot, cucumber, dill and a honey shoyu sauce) that is described as their “German take on a sushi roll.”
Other new eateries include Mudbugs 2.0 in the Parlor food hall, 1707 Locust, with po’boy sandwiches, gumbo, jambalaya, and red beans and rice; Pickleman’s Gourmet Cafe, offering sandwiches, soups and pizza at 25 E. 12th St.; and MaMa Ramen at 1513 Grand Blvd., Suite A, and upstairs a poke bowl concept, Pokesan, in Suite B.
New places to imbibe
▪ Mean Mule Distilling Co., 1733 Locust St. serving craft cocktails with its American Agave Spirits. It also has some beer and wine.
▪ Oak & Steel, 120 W. 17th St. Described as a craft drinkery, it offers craft beer with a local focus, wine and small batch whiskey.
New coffee shops
There are several new coffee cafe operations downtown and in the Crossroads: Mildred’s, 908 Baltimore Ave.; PT’s Coffee Co., 1310 Baltimore Ave. (Food & Wine magazine named PT’s to its list of “The Best Coffee in Every State 2019.”); Revoccup at 301 E. Ninth St.; Thou Mayest, 19 E. 18th St.; and Vested Coffee at 310 W. Eighth St.