Steak fit for Travis Kelce + New food hall on Plaza
Happy Friday, and welcome back to Let’s Dish — your one-stop shop for all things eats in Kansas City. I’m Alison Booth, an audience growth producer at The Star.
When Taylor Swift’s boyfriend, err, Travis Kelce, celebrated his birthday last month, he rang in 34 with a dinner at Kansas City’s oldest steakhouse. Obviously, we had to try it for ourselves.
Plus, Kansas City just got a new food hall: A collective featuring four exciting food concepts opened this week inside a new luxury hotel on the Plaza.
Strip steak at Golden Ox
The Golden Ox is known as Kansas City’s oldest steakhouse. But it’s also the spot where Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce celebrated his 34th birthday alongside friends. (But not Taylor Swift, who didn’t come to town until the next day.)
So of course, we had to try it. Star columnist Toriano Porter visited the West Bottoms spot with his son to try to recreate Kelce’s order.
On Oct. 5, Kelce reportedly ordered a meal fit for a hungry, multimillion-dollar pro athlete. According to People magazine, Kelce chomped down on a 24-ounce dry-aged porterhouse steak, lobster mac and cheese and broccolini, with a filet on the side.
Toriano settled on a 16-ounce, bone-in Kansas City strip, the Golden Ox’s signature steak “that was born here,” according to the menu.
For side dishes, they opted for the lobster mac and cheese ($14) and Parmesan creamed spinach (this bad boy, priced at $9, almost stole the show).
Both Toriano and his son agreed they’d get their own bowl of lobster mac and cheese next visit. The dish was deliciously divine. One serving wasn’t enough.
But how was the steak? Read the rest of Toriano’s story here.
New food hall opens on the Plaza
This new luxury hotel on the Country Club Plaza opened for visitors this week, but there’s also something inside for locals: a new food hall.
Strang Chef Collective inside Cascade Kansas City features indoor-outdoor seating, four food concepts, two bars and a coffee shop on two stories inside the hotel.
It’s the third Strang Chef Collective to open in the metro, joining locations in downtown Overland Park and at the Lightwell building in downtown Kansas City.
Hours for now are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.
Here’s what food you can find inside.
My standout dish of the week
Earlier this week, I was reminded of one of my favorite spots to snag barbecue in the metro: Blind Box BBQ in Shawnee.
The spot, nestled in a strip off Shawnee Mission Parkway, opened in 2015. Go for their happy hour — Monday-Friday 3-6 p.m. and Sunday 3-8 p.m. The discounted menu offers $6 and $7 small plates, modern twists on classic ‘que side dishes and appetizers.
Here, I renewed my adoration for their BBQ wontons — think crab rangoons, except stuffed with barbecue pulled pork and drizzled with a sweet-and-spicy take on barbecue sauce.
You can also land some pretty sweet drink deals during happy hour, including $7 cocktails. And of course, you can’t go wrong with any of their sandwiches either (the classic burnt ends sandwich is my pick).
À la carte
✴️ A decades-old local pizzeria has closed its third location in three years, leaving only one remaining in the metro area.
✴️ A new tiki bar is taking over the old Mockingbird Lounge in Strawberry Hill. It hopes to open next month.
✴️ After 22 years, this Mexican restaurant in Mission has closed. But a different Mexican spot is taking over, promising authentic street tacos and 32-ounce margaritas.
✴️ Several local favorites will serve food in the new KC Current stadium when it opens next spring, including this recent James Beard Award-winner.
✴️ This Brookside bar has temporarily closed “while new management updates operations and makes renovations.” It’s unclear when the taproom will reopen.
Hungry for more?
- Check out all the restaurants we’ve covered in this series here.
Looking for the latest industry news? Here’s what spots have opened and closed in the KC area lately.
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Happy eating! We’ll see you next week.
This story was originally published November 10, 2023 at 10:14 AM with the headline "Steak fit for Travis Kelce + New food hall on Plaza."