Parlor Says Goodbye to the Crossroads
One of Kansas City’s first food halls, Parlor, announced its abrupt closing on social media last month.
Having opened in 2018, the East Crossroads food hall housed seven independent restaurants, including Elephant Wings, Sido’s Mediterranean Cuisine and Mother Clucker. The statement posted to social media cited a “significant shift in visitation” and a changing Crossroads environment but offered few details. Parlor closed just days later, on Aug. 22, leaving the seven restaurants to find new homes.
Its closure follows Strang Chef Collective’s 2024 shuttering, leaving Kansas City’s food-hall scene considerably thinner than it was just a few years ago.
Art’s Gets a New Name
After more than 60 years as Art’s Mexican Products, the beloved KCK-based tortilla and Mexican foods company has a new name: Art’s Molino & Market.
The brand was acquired by James Beard Award-winning Yoli Tortilleria owners Marissa and Mark Gencarelli in 2022, and the name change comes with a fresh look and new packaging. But don’t fret if you’ve been a longtime customer—the Gencarellis say they plan to keep the same recipes and techniques.
As part of the brand’s expansion, Art’s will join Yoli’s tortillas in 53 Whole Foods locations.
Another Fairway Restaurant Deal Falls Through
Plans for a new restaurant at the long-vacant former Houlihan’s in Fairway have fallen through, putting one of Johnson County’s most closely watched restaurant properties back on the market.
W. VinZant Restaurants, the local group behind Gram & Dun and Louie’s Wine Dive, had planned to open American Fire, an upscale American restaurant, at the site. The group ultimately decided not to move forward after a lengthy and complicated development process, despite having completed the city’s approval process.
The former Houlihan’s has been vacant for more than five years, with multiple redevelopment plans falling through. For now, the property is once again available.
El Pollo Rey Gets National Recognition
Thanks to the New York Times, KCK’s El Pollo Rey has officially joined the ranks of some of the country’s best Mexican restaurants.
The Kansas Avenue restaurant, whose menu essentially comes down to two choices—a whole or half chicken—made the Times’ list of the 41 best Mexican restaurants in the United States, which even included a few Michelin-starred spots.
For more than two decades, El Pollo Rey has kept things simple, serving wood-fired chicken, warm tortillas, rice, beans and salsa from its relaxed Kansas Avenue location. With the new recognition, however, the restaurant has reportedly been selling out of chicken early on some days, so locals may want to get their pollo early.
The nod is a huge win for Kansas City’s Mexican food scene, one many of us already knew was among the best in the country.
Pho & Boil Brings Vietnamese-Cajun Fare to Overland Park
If you didn’t think a bowl of pho and a seafood boil had much in common, a new restaurant, Pho & Boil, invites you to think again. The Viet-Cajun restaurant plans to open in September in Overland Park’s former Smoke Town BBQ space (7702 Shawnee Mission Parkway, Overland Park).
Owner Ken Pham says the menu will center on traditional Vietnamese pho, with other dishes including shaking beef, papaya salad, spring rolls and boba teas. On the Cajun side, diners can expect boiled shrimp and crab, seasonal crawfish, and fried shrimp, with gumbo and jambalaya planned down the road.
The restaurant is inspired by Pham’s family’s background in Vietnamese cooking and his connections to New Orleans. We at Kansas City magazine have noted an upsurge in Vietnamese restaurants in our city, and this Viet-Cajun mashup is a welcomed addition.
