Small Lee’s Summit restaurant infuses homemade Italian dishes with extra charm

Just a few steps from the new $44 million downtown Green Street development in Lee’s Summit sits a cozy restaurant offering seasonal menus, homemade Italian cuisine and a unique dining experience.

Carrie Arnone, owner of Farfalle Bistro and Catering, prepares every meal herself using fresh ingredients and a number of recipes inspired by her Italian family. All in an intimate 1,200-square-foot space, open since 2018.

“I remember helping my grandmothers cook in the kitchen at a young age,” she said. “As soon as I could get on a stepstool, they found something for me to do. They made cooking fun.”

Although Arnone has several family members in the food and restaurant industry, she opened her own restaurant after working in the corporate world for a couple of decades while doing catering on the side.

“I hit that 40-year mark in my life, and I’m thinking I can’t do corporate America everyday,” she said. “I realized this is my passion, and I really want to be doing it full time.”

Her initial plan was to operate a full-time catering business at her restaurant’s current location. But at the recommendation of a family member, she made the decision to open the restaurant.

“They both go hand in hand, and I get a lot of business from catering events,” Arnone said. “And people have the food at the restaurant and tell me they have an event coming up.”

Keeping the bistro small has always been important to the Kansas City area business owner. The restaurant seats around 25, so Arnone can do the cooking on her own and ensure that personal touch for her diners.

“We have a great following and great regulars,” she added. “We’ve had them since day one. That’s what I cherish most. I just strive to have that personal attention and make our customers feel welcome.”

Arnone tailors her menu toward seasonal items to ensure fresh ingredients wheneve rpossible. She is looking forward to having the new farmer’s market just a block away and plans to continue to incorporate locally and seasonally inspired dishes.

“I like to use the freshest ingredients I can get my hands on,” she added.

The dining area, which is just 600 square feet, also includes a full bar. The bistro’s menu features appetizers, entrees — both pastas and chef’s specials — and desserts along with seasonal cocktails and mocktails.

A recent menu included several farfalle pastas with sauces such as sugu, vodka tomato cream, garlic cream, basil pesto cream or prosciutto and peas. Chef’s specials ranged from chicken parmesan to baked garlic parmesan salmon to shrimp or scallop amogio. To complete the meal, desserts such as cannoli, limoncello ice cream or limoncello torte cake are available.

“The people love our specials,” Arnone added. “Our baked garlic parmesan salmon is probably one of our most popular items. It’s always been requested to be added on the menu full time, and so we did.”

Due to the restaurant’s popularity and size, reservations are encouraged, although walk-ins are welcome if there’s room. Farfalle is open 4:30 to 9 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays during spring and summer. The fall and winter schedule starts Oct. 1, when the bistro will be open evenings Wednesday through Saturday.

Between Arnone’s catering and restaurant, she stays busy nearly every day. Her catering business offers Italian cuisine and many other options with groups ranging from a dozen to 400 people.

“We can do anything,” she said. “That’s why I love catering. I like to create and encourage people to sit down with me one-on-one and talk about their event and create a menu based on what they want.”

The business owner’s expertise in feeding large groups was a part of her upbringing as she watched her grandmother cook a traditional dinner each Sunday.

“She expected everyone to come to her house,” Arnone said. “It was not only just immediate family with her kids and grandkids, but it was friends, neighbors, uncles, their friends, people that worked for the company. She always cooked for an army, and it was great. So I learned to cook for the masses.”

The name of Arnone’s catering and business also has a tie to her family.

“The catering company started first, and I called it Farfalle Dollies Catering and Confections,” she said. “I have a couple of little nieces, and my mom watched them full time, and they always had big bows around their heads, and it looked like a farfalle. So my mom called them her Farfalle Dollies.”

To learn more about the restaurant, catering or view the menu, visit its website. Farfalle Bistro is located at 318 SE Green St.