Kansas City restaurant sneak peek: Antique peacock on the wall, ‘creativity’ on menu

Westport’s The Peacock is gearing up for its planned Nov. 30 opening by hosting a few private events first.

The owners of Bistro 303 took a space next door at 301 Westport Road for their new sister restaurant and bar.

Chef Brian Mehl, who has nearly 25 years’ experience in the Kansas City metro restaurant industry, created The Peacock menu with diversity in mind — so dishes have African, French, Italian, Thai and Middle Eastern influences.

The menu includes pork belly, beet hummus with taro chips or fried sprouts as starters; a spinach salad; and entrees such as Canadian salmon, rib-eye and Peri Peri chicken, with Black Forest chocolate bundt cake as one of the desserts.

“We wanted to be a little bit of a mix and not stick to one region of food. To offer variety and creativity,” Mehl said.

Specialty cocktails will include The Quill (with vanilla vodka, Irish cream, a dash of Chambord, milk and espresso, shaken and served with a Ghirardelli white chocolate powdered rim), and The Tail Feather (orange vodka, Cointreau, white cranberry juice, splash of lemon juice). It also has a limited selection of beer, wine and standard cocktails.

An antique stuffed peacock hangs on the back wall by the kitchen window. Walls are mostly exposed brick with some “show your peacock colors” mixed into the decor such as colorful tile on the backbar, the upholstery and wallpaper.

The owners of Bistro 303 had taken the space two years ago, planning to open a new concept there this summer. But the pandemic delayed the opening until this month.