Tasting menus, Michelin stars and the chefs redefining Kansas City.
Tasting menus, Michelin stars, and the kitchens redefining what fine dining means in Kansas City.
Nick and Leslie Goellner's Longfellow room in Kansas City is the chef's-counter pick of the city: Persian, Mediterranean and East Asian small plates.
Tip: Nick Goellner is a three-time James Beard Best Chef Midwest semifinalist. Book the chef's counter for a tasting; the dining room runs a la carte.
Ryan Brazeal and Jessica Armstrong's East Crossroads tasting menu in Kansas City pairs chef-driven small plates with Jessica Armstrong's pastry.
Tip: Tock reservations open 30 days out at noon. The bar takes walk-ins for a short menu and the same wine list.
The Restaurant at 1900 in Mission Woods, on the Kansas side of Kansas City, runs a tasting-menu programme inside a renovated 1967 Modernist building.
Tip: Sister to the casual Cafe Sebastienne. Quieter midweek; the bar takes walk-ins.
The Capital Grille on Kansas City's Country Club Plaza dry-ages its beef in-house for 18 to 24 days and hand-cuts to order, paired with a 3,500-bottle wine.
Tip: The Generous Pour Sunday wine programme is the value. Lunch service runs business-friendly weekdays.
Colby and Megan Garrelts' Rye Plaza on the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City refined the Midwestern restaurant template. Fried chicken, biscuits.
Tip: Megan Garrelts is a multi-year James Beard Outstanding Pastry Chef semifinalist for her Rye work. Brunch on weekends; Tock for evening reservations.
Mano and Barbara Rafael's French bistro in Kansas City's River Market has run Provencal classics on the corner of 5th and Oak since 1996. Book 2 weeks ahead.
Tip: Tue to Sun dinner only. Mano works the room nightly; tip the line cooks in cash.
Anton's Taproom in the Kansas City Crossroads is a butcher shop plus steakhouse with grass-fed regional beef, in-house aging and a natural-wine programme.
Tip: Buy a cut from the case to cook at home and have the kitchen plate it for dinner first.
Lidia Bastianich's Kansas City room opened in 1998 with son Joe, set in a converted railroad house. Located in Crossroads. Tasting menu $55 pasta tasting.
Tip: The pasta tasting trio is the move: three handmade pastas family-style with unlimited refills.
Golden Ox in Kansas City's West Bottoms opened in 1949 inside the Live Stock Exchange as the birthplace of the KC strip. Led by chef Wes Gartner.
Tip: The stockyards-era dining room is the destination; reservations on Tock. Voltaire is the sister wine bar.
Michael Smith won a James Beard Award before Extra Virgin and runs a Mediterranean tapas concept in the Kansas City Crossroads with wood-fired plates.
Tip: Big Night Italian Thursdays are family-style. The wine list goes deeper than the menu suggests.
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Editor picks in Kansas City include The Antler Room, Novel, The Restaurant at 1900, plus the full fine dining chapter on TableJourney.