Panoramic views of downtown Kansas City
The highly anticipated rooftop bar at the Crossroads Hotel is finally open. The rooftop beer garden at Percheron (2101 Central St., Kansas City, Mo., crossroadshotelkc.com) serves up sweeping 360-degree panoramic views of downtown Kansas City. There’s plenty of space for large groups, with a full bar and a drink menu that includes frozen strawberry daiquiris, frozen Kentucky mules and a watermelon margarita (the “Cool Hand Luca”). The food menu emphasizes shareable dishes with an elegant spin, like the hummus plate with crudite and an Italian flatbread topped with prosciutto, arugula and ricotta.
Surf ’n turf in the Jazz District
City developers and board members were so impressed with chef Anita Moore’s Soirée New Orleans Bistro in Smithville, Missouri, that a year ago they invited her to plan a second concept for Kansas City’s 18th & Vine Jazz District. Soirée Steak & Oyster House (1512 E. 18th St., Kansas City, Mo., 816-214-5706) opened in the Jazz District this month, with a Creole-inspired lunch and dinner menu that includes fried green tomatoes topped with a red pepper crawfish sauce, smoked chicken and sausage gumbo, prime rib French dip, seafood ravioli, steak and lobster platters and more. There’s a kid’s menu and occasional live music, too.
Paris of the Plains
French Market (6943 Tomahawk Road, Prairie Village, Kan., 913-362-0803, frenchmarketkc.com) has moved a few doors down from its original location at the Prairie Village Shopping Center. Helmed by the same folks behind the exceptional Café Provence next door, this is the perfect place to tap into your inner Francophile. There’s plenty of specialty items — French linens, cookbooks and gifts — but the real draws are the gourmet grab-and-go foodstuffs that will make you the dinner hero and the new in-store cafe. We recommend the made-to-order crepes, particularly the Grand Mere with Jambon de Paris ham, Swiss cheese and a farm-fresh egg.
Mission gets another brewery
Sandhills Brewing Co. (5612 Johnson Drive, Mission, Kan., sandhillsbrewing.com) has opened its second taproom in Mission (the original location is in Hutchinson, Kansas). The latest addition to the beer craze sweeping the metro has room for 12 original taps. Brothers Jonathan and Charles Williamson, along with Joe Cizek, plan to focus on oak-aged craft beers and mixed-fermentation brews. The Mission taproom debuted with a familiar lineup, including a Berliner Weiss called the Chickadee, a gose named Kestrel and a New England-style IPA called the Junco. All brews are named after Kansas birds, and the theme is featured in the Mission taproom with large wall murals.
Food trends in the Instagram age
The sushi burrito is one of those social media creations that swept the coasts, and we can thank Komotodo Sushi Burrito (13713 Metcalf Ave., Overland Park, Kan., komotodo.com) for bringing it to KC. In this fast-casual concept, you can enjoy creations like the Texas Cowboy with grilled steak, French fries, romaine, tempura asparagus, sweet corn and avocado. There are a few more conventional choices — a spicy tuna option, a crab roll — and if you just can’t deal, anything can be turned into a bowl. Go ahead, do it for the ’gram.
