The J Bar serves elegant culinary mash-ups in an Olathe hotel

At The J Bar, a 5-month-old bar and restaurant inside the Embassy Suites in Olathe, the food is all about creative culinary mash-ups.

On the menu: Cheesesteak egg rolls, Mexican-inspired fried chicken coated in blue masa batter, and a Korean pork burger topped with pickled veggies and sweet Kabayaki sauce.

“We like to take ingredients from all over the world and present them in a unique way,” said Michelle Sparkman, brand manager for The J Bar’s parent company, Heart of America Group.

Since opening in January, The J Bar has become a destination for lunch, after-work drinks and dinner in its slice of Olathe, which is home to corporate offices for Garmin, John Deere and PGi.

The space has a clean, modern vibe: On a recent Saturday night, The J Bar’s sleek bar glowed blue, and squiggly sculptural chandeliers filled the large dining room with a dim glow.

“We wanted it to be an intimate space,” Sparkman says. “The lighting gives you that date-night feel.”

I grabbed a spot in a curvy blue chair and perused the thick drink menu, which boasts a very long list of wines, spirits and locally brewed craft beers such as KC Bier Co.’s Dunkel, a dark beer with rich malty flavor and a clean finish.

I’m a fan of tequila drinks, so I picked The Lifeguard ($10), a sweet and sour mix of Patron, fresh lime juice, strawberry-mango puree and pineapple juice.

The J Bar’s bestselling cocktail is Pretty in Pink ($10), a twist on the Cosmo made with Smirnoff Citron vodka, lime juice, cranberry juice and agave nectar.

Customer food favorites include the cheesesteak egg rolls ($9.50), served with sweet chile sauce and horseradish cream, Smokehouse flatbread ($12) topped with bacon, smoked Gouda, onion and apple butter barbecue sauce, and Gaucho steak ($17), an Argentinean-inspired entree of marinated Angus sirloin with grilled portobello mushrooms, chimichurri and sea salt fries.

Everything at The J bar is made from scratch and elegantly plated by a team headed up by chef Pete Kiger. I sampled the spicy Szechuan lettuce wraps ($9), a light but satisfying appetizer that consists of crisp lettuce leaves filled with stir-fried chicken and Chinese sausage. I also tried the Korean pork burger ($11), a juicy Berkshire pork patty on a rich, chewy bun slathered with sweet and spicy sauces and pickled vegetables.

Carrots on a burger? Somehow, it works. The meal was so filling that I couldn’t save room for dessert, but I made a mental note to try the Tequi-lime cheesecake ($8) next time.

Starting Memorial Day, The J Bar will open up its “urban terrace,” an outdoor patio and bar on the second floor. The terrace will feature live music every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night. On Sunday, there will be a DJ and happy hour specials all day long. (Regular happy hour is 4-7 p.m. Monday-Friday).

I’m already planning a return trip for brunch, which is served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays. The menu features Blue Masa Fried Chicken French Toast ($11), a play on chicken and waffles made with decadent brioche bread, and a Hair of the Dog Bloody Mary ($10) garnished with a miniature burger.

That’s right: A cocktail garnished with a burger. I’ll drink to that.

This story was originally published May 24, 2016 at 6:14 PM with the headline "The J Bar serves elegant culinary mash-ups in an Olathe hotel."