Brisket burgers, breakfast sandwiches coming soon at new Kansas City food hall, bar

Strang Chef Collective at Lightwell, a new food hall concept in downtown Kansas City, is gearing up for a mid-November opening.

Like its sister operation, Strang Hall in downtown Overland Park, it will serve as a launching site for experienced chefs opening new food concepts.

The food hall is taking 4,800 square feet on the first floor of Lightwell, 1100 Main St., in the former Jason’s Deli space. Jason’s Deli relocated nearby.

The two new chef kitchens:

Panacea bistro

Derek Losson will open Panacea, a European-style bistro, “something new and different in the downtown area.”

“Before, they had Jason’s Deli so this will be more chef-crafted with a more high-end, but affordable, dining experience,” Losson said.

The breakfast menu will include breakfast sandwiches and bowls, egg bites, hash with pork belly or chicken sausage, and quiche.

For lunch he will offer a roast beet salad with smoked goat cheese, and a couscous quinoa salad with shaved Brussels sprouts, red cabbage, carrots, feta, tomato, cucumber, onion, pumpkin seeds and a tahini black garlic vinaigrette.

Sandwiches will include a Green Goddess with bean sprouts and smashed chickpeas; pastrami with grain mustard mousse; smoked steak; coffee-braised pork; and brisket burger. Sandwiches will be served with fries or a side salad.

The dinner menu will include the brisket burger, roasted vegetable quinoa bowl and branzino with couscous or gnocchi.

Panacea also will have appetizers during happy hour such as gnocchi, a cheese board and smoked carpaccio, along with a grab-and-go section with bento boxes, sandwiches and salads.

Losson was previously a banquet chef at The Oread Hotel in Lawrence, and oversaw its Italian restaurant; sous chef at the Marriott Kansas City Overland Park hotel; and is currently chef/owner of Minglewood at Strang Hall in Overland Park.

Verde’s ‘unique flavors’

Kansas City native and chef Nicole Shute will open Verde, which will have influences from Latin America, the Caribbean and African cuisines.

“That’s where I’m starting. To bring unique flavors to people’s palates — fresh, healthy, a lot of herbs and spices,” Shute said.

Her breakfast items will include an Americano pocket sandwich (with eggs, applewood bacon, white cheddar and arugula), and a Sunrise Bowl (with potato root veggie hash, soy chorizo, sauteed kale, egg over easy and queso fresco).

Lunch will include salads, bowls, soups, a cauliflower veggie burger, kale chicken Caesar wraps and tacos (jerk chicken, chimichurri steak, adobo shrimp or roasted potato).

Entrees will include the Chicken Elote Crunch, an entree with jerk chicken, along with an adobo shrimp charred salad.

Shute was most recently chef de cuisine at the Kansas City Marriott Downtown. She also had stints at the former 801 Fish in Leawood and Blue Bird Bistro on the West Side.

It will seat 110 people indoors and have patio seating. It also will have other interior seating for overflow traffic.

Happy hour will be offered from from 3 to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays. It also will host and/or cater events.

The 30-story, 667,222-square-foot office building was rebranded as Lightwell in early 2019.

This story was originally published October 28, 2022 at 11:47 AM.