Parker Hollow’s World Cup pop-up is turning Parkville into an unexpected seafood destination. Kansas City may be barbeque country, but this summer one of the more intriguing food experiences in the metro could be centered around lobster rolls, East Coast oysters, and other seafood flown in multiple times a week.
As the FIFA World Cup brings international attention to Parkville with the Netherlands National Team training at the Kansas City Current training facility in nearby Riverside, Parker Hollow Restaurant (100 Main Street, Parkville) which abuts Pocket Park, is turning the outdoor space into the Parker Hollow Pavilion, a special seafood-focused pop-up. Open now through July 13, the pavilion will offer indoor and outdoor gathering spaces, cocktails, wine, beer, and a menu built around the restaurant’s commitment to sourcing some of the finest seafood available.
Parkville has been designated as the official home away from home for supporters of the Netherlands National Team, whose players will be training nearby throughout the tournament. While fans gather to celebrate the world’s most popular sport, Parker Hollow is creating a destination where great food and community take center stage.
At the heart of the pavilion menu is Parker Hollow’s lobster roll. The lobster arrives fresh, never frozen, from family-owned Greenhead Lobster Company in Stonington, Maine, a coastal community renowned for producing some of the country’s finest lobster. The meat is lightly dressed in a scratch-made mayonnaise made with egg yolk and crustacean oil, layered with locally grown butter lettuce, and served on a warm buttered brioche roll from Brooklyn’s Tom Cat Bakery, baked specifically for lobster rolls.
It’s a simple dish in concept, but every ingredient has been thoughtfully sourced, resulting in a lobster roll that feels equally at home on the coast of Maine as it does on the banks of The Big Muddy.
The same attention to detail extends to Parker Hollow’s oyster program. During the Pavilion’s run, guests can expect oysters from Island Creek Oysters in Duxbury, Massachusetts, as well as select growers throughout the Northeast. For oyster lovers, the Birthday Girl oysters from Rhode Island are a standout.
When asked how often fresh seafood arrives at Parker Hollow, Executive Chef Jonathan Justus doesn’t hesitate. “I, Chef Jonathan, am at the airport picking up from air cargo generally three, sometimes four times a week,” Justus says.
The Parker Hollow Pavilion brings that same commitment outdoors for a limited-time experience celebrating both the excitement of the World Cup and the joy of gathering around exceptional food. And if you’re wondering what to order, Chef Jonathan has a simple answer.
“The menu.” Between the lobster rolls, fresh oysters, cold drinks and World Cup excitement, that’s probably the right answer. theparkerhollow.com.
