A vibrant restaurant scene brings comings and goings. Guest host Brian Ellison spoke Friday with Central Standard's local Food Critics — Charles Ferruzza, Mary Bloch, and Jenny Vergara — about what's new and what's out in the Kansas City area.
Opening
- Shake Shack opens on the Plaza, putting Kansas City on par with other major metropolitan areas across the United States. "Go to Shake Shack, stand in line, get your 'Insta' on, and then head to a local place too," Vergara said.
- Fox and Pearl opens a temporary location in Kansas City, Missouri, while the permanent building is under construction. Chef Vaughn Good is from Lawrence, Kansas, and serves homemade pasta.
- Our Daily Nada offers brunch, books and booze. The new restaurant in the River Market has a cozy atmosphere for versatile settings.
- Betty Rae's Ice Cream has a second location — in River Market.
- Waldo Thai Place (Kansas City, Missouri)
- Freestyle Poke (Kansas City, Missouri)
- Restaurant at 1900 (Mission Woods, Kansas)
Coming Soon
- Parlor Food Hall will open in Kansas City, Missouri, with six restaurants and one bar: Mother Clucker, Vildhast, Sura Eats, Farm to Market Sandwich, Karbon, Providence Pizza and Yaki-Ya.
- Plaza III Steakhouse (Overland Park, Kansas)
Closing
- Eden Alley, a longtime staple of the Country Club Plaza, closed its doors this month. Known for its vegetarian food, many on social media expressed sadness.
- Justus Drugstore temporarily closed in Smithville, Missouri, but chef Jonathan Justus hopes to reopen in a new location still north of the river in the near future.
- Le Monde Bakery in North Kansas City has closed, but will live on in the form of baguettes made specifically for banh mi fon sandwiches. "Le Monde took good care of us at the station," Ellison reminisced.
- West Bottoms Kitchen (Kansas City, Missouri)
- Fritz's Chili (Overland Park, Kansas)
- Domo Sushi (Kansas City, Missouri)
Sofia Gillespie is an intern for KCUR's talk show Central Standard. Reach out to her at sofia@kcur.org.