Food & Drink
Cafe al Dente Closing Saturday, New Denver Landlord Begins Bringing Fresh Tenants to River Market
By Kevin Collison Cafe al Dente is closing after 17 years in the River Market, the first business to depart following the purchase of its building and others along Delaware Street by a Denver investor. The Italian restaurant posted on its Facebook Page this week it was being “kicked out” of its space at 412…
Messenger Coffee Sending Savory Aroma of Roasting Beans and Baking Bread to Grand Boulevard
By Kevin Collison The intersection of 17th and Grand will soon become the most irresistible olfactory zone in downtown Kansas City with the arrival Oct. 21 of Messenger Coffee Co. Matt Matsch, CEO and managing partner of Messenger, and his partners have converted a former car dealership at 1624 Grand Blvd. into what they hope…
KC Soda Co. Brings Old-Time Flavor to River Market
By Kevin Collison Lucas Thompson enjoys the old-time flavor of both soda pop and serving customers in his new KC Soda Co. operation at the River Market. “I enjoy the nostalgia of soda, it’s been around a long time,” the 31-year-old entrepreneur said. “It’s non-alcoholic so it means all markets, kids love it, grandparents love…
Historic Kansas City Streetcar Moved to its Permanent Stop as Future River Market Ice Cream Parlor
By Kevin Collison (Updated Sept. 11) After running routes from Kansas City to San Francisco with a long layover at Union Station, the old Country Club streetcar has found a new home in the River Market where it’s expected to become an ice cream parlor. On Monday morning, the 46-foot streetcar was at its new…
Pair of Downtown Festivals Saturday Promises a Great Day of Beer and Music
By Kevin Collison A pair of fun annual events are overlapping Saturday in downtown Kansas City, promising a day of great live music and a huge selection of craft beers. Beginning at 3 p.m., the Ninth Annual KC Beer Fest will take over Grand Boulevard from 13th to 14th streets and the adjoining Power &…
Mean Mule Plans to Start Kicking in its Own Crossroads Stall Early Next Year
By Kevin Collison The growing thirst for tequila is inspiring a young couple and their friend to open what they believe will be the nation’s fifth agave distillery in the Crossroads District in January. Jeff and Meg Evans, and Patrick Little, are the co-owners of Mean Mule Distilling, and they plan to be start at…
Irish Fest Brings Lots of Gaelic Fun and Dollars to Downtown Kansas City This Labor Day Weekend
Kansas City Irish Fest 2017 kicks off its traditional Labor Day weekend Friday, and its growing success mirrors the rebound of downtown since the event relocated to Crown Center in 2004 after a soaking debut on the riverfront. “In 2002, downtown was a bit of a ghost town during the week, and a virtual one…
Historic Kansas City Club Expected to Reopen in December as ‘Urban Resort’
By Kevin Collison The historic Kansas City Club at 918 Baltimore Ave. is being renovated to become an “urban resort” by the Denver investor who bought the property at a bankruptcy auction two years ago. Craig Slawson is spending about $500,000 to restore many of the interior spaces of the four-story building, which opened in…
Ambassador Hotel Gets Incentive Nod for $14.9 Million Expansion, Work to Begin Soon
By Kevin Collison The owner of the Ambassador Hotel at 1111 Grand plans to break ground on a nine-story addition this fall after receiving approval for tax incentives last week. The $14.9 million project will add 70 rooms to the 43-room boutique hotel that opened in the historic Gate City National Bank Building in 2012….
Joe’s Kansas City Teams with Back Napkin to Open ‘County Line Ice House’ in Power & Light District
By Kevin Collison Kansas City’s top-ranked barbecue joint, Joe’s Kansas City, is collaborating with the creators of the Westport Ale House to open an all-star, Southern-style “ice house” food and beer joint in the downtown Power & Light District. Just two weeks after Gordon Biersch, a national brewpub chain, pulled out of its 8,500 square-foot…