Food & Drink
Banksia Blossoms Serving Tasty Aussie Dishes to Hungry Yanks
By Kevin Collison If downtown Kansas City had an award for friendliest new business of the year, Banksia, the new Australian bakehouse & cafe in the former Sasha’s space at 105 W. Ninth St. would be the front-runner. Even a break-in two days before in which his cash drawer was stolen couldn’t dampen the spirits…
Building Housing Crossroad’s Favorites YJ’s, Birdies Sold
By Kevin Collison The red-brick building at the corner of the Crossroad Arts District‘s funkiest retail scene has been sold, leaving unclear the future of its creative collection of tenants including Birdies. But for artist David Ford, whose run YJ’s Snack Bar for 20 years, the sale means good-bye to the whimsical, bohemian Crossroad scene…
Tech N9ne Gets Down with Boulevard on New Brew
Take Boulevard Wheat, improvise with some pineapple and coconut flavors and throw down some Tech N9ne and you’ve got a new collaboration from two of Kansas City’s favorite sons. Downtown-based Boulevard Brewing and Strange Music announced this week the new “Bou Lou” collaboration will debut at this summer’s Boulevardia festival in the Stockyards District of…
Dog Day Afternoon in East Crossroads
By Kevin Collison It was a true dog day afternoon in the East Crossroads Sunday, with hundreds of hounds and their owners enjoying a microbrewery tour organized by Beer Paws. The first-ever “Pup Crawl” event by Waldo-based Beer Paws included nine breweries and other businesses, and was a laid back way for owners to chill…
Restored Savoy Grill is Centerpiece of New 21c Museum Hotel
By Kevin Collison First off, breathe easy Kansas City history buffs. The inner sanctum of the Savoy Grill, that 1903 time-capsule of dark oak woodwork, terrazzo floor, Old West murals and Harry Truman’s “Booth No. 4,” returns when the $47.5 million renovation of the Savoy Hotel is completed this summer. Yes, the adjoining dining room—a…
Sweet Scoop: Betty Rae’s Ice Cream Coming to River Market
By Kevin Collison Betty Rae’s Ice Cream, an instant success when it opened in Waldo in March 2016, is opening a second location in the River Market this summer. The neighborhood ice cream parlor with a national reputation plans to take the space formerly occupied by Cafe al Dente restaurant at 412 Delaware St. It…
Freestyle Poke Joins Emerging Delaware Street Food Scene
By Kevin Collison The Delaware storefront scene in the River Market continues to blossom, the latest addition being Freestyle Poke, a Hawaiian comfort food place that plans to open in June. Poke (pronounced POH-keh) is big in its native Hawaii and even bigger in Southern California, and Jeremiah Dupin, a Kansas City native, is bringing…
Kobi Q, ‘Blade Runner Meets Asia’ in the Crossroads
By Kevin Collison Kobi Q, a new Korean street food place with added flavors from Vietnam and Thailand, is expected to open in the former Czar Bar space at 1531 Grand next month. “The drive behind it was ‘Blade Runner’ meets Asia,” said the designer working with chef and owner Hyu Ku Kwon, adding “it…
Restored Historic Savoy Hotel and Restaurant Debuts This August
By Kevin Collison The historic Savoy Hotel, a downtown landmark since 1888, is scheduled to reopen in early August following an extensive renovation by Louisville-based 21c Museum Hotels. The $47.5 million redevelopment project, more than five years in the making, is scheduled to begin accepting guests in its 120 rooms on Aug. 5. The famed…
Broadway Deli Plans to Pile on the Pastrami in the Crossroads
By Kevin Collison In a match made in sandwich heaven, the soon-to-open Broadway Deli is bringing the piled-on-thick, genuine Chicago flavor of Manny’s, one of America’s great Jewish delicatessens, to the Crossroads Arts District. The new deli, which plans to open in late April, is a collaborative venture between Bill Fromm, an entrepreneur who founded…