Steven Blakley hopes to bring a new kind of dining experience to KC. His new spot Triune, a moody small plate restaurant, officially opens next week in the former Screenland Theatre building off 17th and Washington (1656 Washington St.). It’s a destination Blakley says will provide a “vibrational dining” experience.
What does “vibrational dining” mean? It’s all in the restaurant’s name.
“Triune is this idea of three things coming together and functioning as one,” says Blakley, who owns the restaurant group UHUNGRY?. “It’s the atmosphere, the service and you, the customer.”
According to Blakley, at Triune, each of these three elements will come together to provide an exceptional restaurant experience, whether it’s where you choose to start, or end, the night.
Before it was the Screenland Theatre, the building was a fish house. Blakley decided to keep some of the original elements, such as a pair of old steel doors, exposed brick and even some of the original paint. The 2,300 square-foot space seats 89 and has a large patio.
A moody ambiance will be enforced with dim lighting, a modern interior and a “well thought out bar program with craft cocktails and mocktails,” says Blakley, whose restaurant group also owns Sauced, a burger stand in the Crossroads.
“There’s a need for places that are just kind of the cool places to be, that prioritize ambiance and vibes,” says Blakley.
But rest assured, it’s not going to be a club atmosphere. Service is a priority in Triune’s mission and Blakley has put together a team of industry veterans.
Rodolfo Rodriguez, who previously cooked at Blu Hwy, The Capital Grille and La bodega, will be the executive chef and has created Triune’s American fusion menu. The menu consists of small plates and entrees influenced by worldly flavors, like crispy brussels sprouts, crab dip, jumbo sticky shrimp with tomato jam, bacon that is cut and smoked in-house, coffee-rubbed short ribs with an espresso orange demi-glace, and more. Breads like focaccia, ciabatta and biscuits will be made in-house.
Evelyn Torres-Chico, who previously worked at the Crossroads Hotel, is Triune’s bar manager. Whitney Coleman is the maitre’d and also brings experience from the Crossroads Hotel as well as the former Rieger restaurant.
To keep updated about Triune’s opening, follow along on their Instagram, @triune.kc, Reservations will go live July 31 at 4 pm.
