Headed to First Fridays? Here are some new food stops in the Crossroads

Headed out for First Fridays? There are some new eateries in the Crossroads area to check out between gallery stops.

Ruins Pub

Scott Kalwei wanted to be one of the first to bring self-serve beer taps to the Kansas City area.

He opened Ruins Pub in the former Bulldog space at 1715 Main St. in late September. It is based on the trendy Budapest “ruin bars” — dive bars that are built in the ruins of abandoned buildings.

Ruins Pub has mismatched furniture, some made by Kalwei, such as an old clawfoot bathtub turned into a loveseat, as well as creative lighting and works by local artists. Old black-and-white cartoons are projected on one wall.

It has 40 self-serve beer taps (where customers pay by radio frequency identification). Bartenders pre-authorize customers’ credit or debit cards, then hand them a self-pour beer card that they place on the tap they want to try. The card records pours by the ounce. Customers pay for exactly what they pour, just as if they were pumping gas, so bars don’t lose money on overpours and customers get what they pay for.

Menu items include street tacos, fried bread, pork nachos, goulash, Greek salad, Cuban sandwiches, Local Pig sausages and salmon BLTs.

Kalwei had been an engineer at Ford Motor Co. in Claycomo before quitting three years ago to teach English in the Czech Republic and travel throughout Europe. The ruin bars became a favorite stop.

Bizz & Weezy Confections

Bizz & Weezy Confections, a locally owned chocolatier, opened in mid-August at 1800 Baltimore Ave.

The company was founded in 2010 by Jonathan and Amy Pitcher in the basement of their Olathe home.

Jonathan Pitcher had been baking as many as 12 dozen cookies to take into the office, then added fudge to his lineup. Co-workers kept asking if they could purchase his treats, and soon the couple had an online business. In 2013, they moved the operation into a 1,800-square-foot professional kitchen.

They now offer as many as 30 different caramel flavors a day, including creme brulee, Kansas City BBQ and bacon. There are also hand-dipped apples, truffles, turtles, chocolate-dipped Oreos and an assortment of chocolate and nuts.

“We like the vibe in the Crossroads and being in an environment where people are always expressing themselves or trying something new,” said Jonathan Pitcher.

Howard’s

Craig Howard opened Howard’s, a cafe and catering company, at 1708 Oak St. He plans to add a small organic grocery section later this month.

Howard’s offers such made-to-order items as the Griddled Burger (with housemade American cheese, pea shoots, pickled veggies and burger sauce on a potato bun) and the Crispy Pork Sandwich (slow roasted pork, heirloom tomato, balsamic, basil and ricotta on ciabatta).

This story was originally published November 5, 2015 at 6:44 PM with the headline "Headed to First Fridays? Here are some new food stops in the Crossroads."