$$$$
Tasting $60MediterraneanCrossroadsChef Michael Smith
Michael Smith won a James Beard Award before Extra Virgin and runs a Mediterranean tapas concept in the Kansas City Crossroads with wood-fired plates.
Book1 week ahead
TipBig Night Italian Thursdays are family-style. The wine list goes deeper than the menu suggests.
$$$$
Tasting $95MediterraneanLongfellowChef Nick Goellner
Nick and Leslie Goellner's Longfellow room in Kansas City is the chef's-counter pick of the city: Persian, Mediterranean and East Asian small plates.
Book3 to 4 weeks ahead
TipNick Goellner is a three-time James Beard Best Chef Midwest semifinalist. Book the chef's counter for a tasting; the dining room runs a la carte.
$$$$
Tasting $85Tasting menuCrossroadsChef Ryan Brazeal
Ryan Brazeal and Jessica Armstrong's East Crossroads tasting menu in Kansas City pairs chef-driven small plates with Jessica Armstrong's pastry.
Book2 to 3 weeks ahead
TipTock reservations open 30 days out at noon. The bar takes walk-ins for a short menu and the same wine list.
$$$$
Tasting $90New AmericanMission WoodsChef Linda Duerr
The Restaurant at 1900 in Mission Woods, on the Kansas side of Kansas City, runs a tasting-menu programme inside a renovated 1967 Modernist building.
Book1 to 2 weeks ahead
TipSister to the casual Cafe Sebastienne. Quieter midweek; the bar takes walk-ins.
$$$$
Tasting $120SteakhousePlazaChef House chef team
The Capital Grille on Kansas City's Country Club Plaza dry-ages its beef in-house for 18 to 24 days and hand-cuts to order, paired with a 3,500-bottle wine.
Book1 week ahead
TipThe Generous Pour Sunday wine programme is the value. Lunch service runs business-friendly weekdays.
$$$$
Tasting $70 to $90Fried chickenPlazaChef Colby and Megan Garrelts
Colby and Megan Garrelts' Rye Plaza on the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City refined the Midwestern restaurant template. Fried chicken, biscuits.
Book2 weeks ahead
TipMegan Garrelts is a multi-year James Beard Outstanding Pastry Chef semifinalist for her Rye work. Brunch on weekends; Tock for evening reservations.