Upscale but ‘approachable’ Kansas City bistro opens in iconic restaurant’s former spot
.jpg "Cru Bistro & Bottles opened Friday in the old Michael Forbes Grille space.")
On Friday, husband Avery Bailey and wife Hannah Koenig meandered around Cru Bistro & Bottles, chatting with their first customers.
They’ve spent the last several months transforming the old Michael Forbes Grille at 128 W. 63rd St. into a place of their own — a lot of work with contractors and city officials.
Now comes the easy part.
“This I can do,” Koenig said, gesturing to the dining room.
The couple’s bistro-style restaurant in Brookside seeks to make wine and upscale food appealing for patrons of all backgrounds. There’s a swath of wine, cocktails, appetizers, desserts and entrees to choose from, but it’s not meant to overwhelm the customer who’s not used to eating at restaurants with white tablecloths.
“There’s kind of a stigma around higher-end dining … a lot of barriers for entry, like you can’t really drink wine unless you know wine because wine is so pretentious,” Bailey said. “We really wanted to bring that down and make it more approachable.”
The restaurant’s name refers to the best place in a vineyard for optimal growth. Bailey said he wants his restaurant to be a place where he and his staff are continually progressing and learning.
A few options on its wine menu: Teutonic’s Pear Blossom Riesling, Division Wine’s L’Orange, Boniperti’s Carlin, and Moutard’s Champagne Brut.
For lunch, customers can order entrees like the fried green tomato BLT or the fish en papillote. For dinner, pork schnitzel, roasted chicken, risotto and more.
Once customers finish, waiters will offer dessert — a flourless chocolate cake, perhaps? Maybe a lemon tart, poached pear, or fruit and fromage?
“You can have … tremendous food and great wine pairing, great experience without ruining your budget,” Bailey said.
While this is Bailey and Koenig’s first restaurant as owners, the two have been in the service industry for years. In fact, they met at former Spanish tapas restaurant Republica.
Bailey grew up frequenting Brookside’s retailers and restaurants, where his mother has lived since 1998. He and Koenig moved into the neighborhood a few years ago.
He feels honored to have a spot of his own in the shopping area.
“It’s a neighborhood that really is supportive and takes each other,” he said. “You just meet so many interesting people.”
Eventually, the couple wants to offer brunch and happy hour. For now, their hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sundays.
Former owner Forbes Cross served food in the Brookside space from 2012 until last year, when he decided to retire. Before that, Michael Forbes was in Waldo from 1985 to 1999. It had a brief life in Prairie Village in the early 2000s but was on a hiatus for several years.
Cross opened 14 restaurants in the metro, including Parkway 600 and Japengo on the Country Club Plaza.