Food & Drink
Blue Sushi Making a Splash at Power & Light This Fall
(Editor’s note: This article was originally published Feb. 24) By Kevin Collison Blue Sushi Sake Grill will be splashing at a new location in the Power & Light District this fall, its second operation in the metro since opening in Westwood in 2016. The fast-growing national chain that prides itself on serving sustainable seafood in…
Nighthawk Lands at Hotel Kansas City
(Editor’s note: This article was originally published Nov. 18, 2021) By Kevin Collison The new Hotel Kansas City, which has picked up great reviews for its design and support for local artists, is serving up more style by opening a music-focused cellar bar called Nighthawk later this month. The space originally had been penciled for…
Café Cà Phê Stirs Vietnamese Flavor into KC Coffee Scene
By Kevin Collison A Southern California actor marooned in Kansas City after Covid cancelled her Miss Saigon Broadway tour has taken on a new role, creating a coffee shop in Columbus Park that celebrates Asian-American culture. “I always had an idea of opening a coffee shop but didn’t think for another 10 years,” said Jackie…
Renderings Released of Freight House Village Plan, Spring Start Anticipated
By Kevin Collison Lux Living has released preliminary renderings of its proposed Freight House Village residential and retail development at 20th and Walnut and hopes for a spring start on the 250-unit project. Victor Alston of St. Louis-based Lux Living said he’s been holding neighborhood meetings in recent weeks and incorporated some of the suggestions…
Block 15 Sports Bar Opens in River Market
By Kevin Collison Block 15 Tavern & Exchange opened Friday at 311 Delaware in the River Market and includes an outdoor patio overlooking City Market Park. The new sports bar is the latest project of Sam Hagan, a founder of Tribe restaurant across the street. It’s located in the cellar of the 130 year-old Ebenezer…
Thirsty? Your Hoppy Guide to the Downtown KC Craft Beer Scene
(Editor’s note: This article was last updated March 10, 2022) Kansas City’s downtown craft beer scene traces its hoppy roots back to Nov. 17, 1989. That’s the date John McDonald, founder of Boulevard Brewing, delivered his first keg of Pale Ale to Ponak’s Mexican Kitchen just a few blocks down the road on Southwest Boulevard….
Torn Label Opens ‘Public House,’ Triples Size, Adds Food
(Editor’s Note: This article was originally published April 15, 2021) By Kevin Collison Torn Label is joining the recent wave of microbrewery expansions in the East Crossroads with plans to open the Torn Label Public House by the end of this month. The microbrewery at 1708 Campbell that began operation in late 2014 is more…
East Crossroads Brewers & Friends Band Together to Promote District
(Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in CityScene Dec. 3, 2021) By Kevin Collison Six years after Border Brewing, its first microbrewery, opened, the East Crossroads and its band of merry brewers, distillers and vintners are touting their area as a big regional draw and working together to promote it. “We’ve become a tourist destination,”…
Conversion of Historic Ozark Building to Hotel Begins at Ninth and Grand
(Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in CityScene Oct. 18, 2021) By Kevin Collison Preliminary demolition work has begun on converting the historic Ozark building at Ninth and Grand into a 249-room AC Hotels by Marriott with completion anticipated in about two years. “In terms of historic buildings, I think it’s in exceptional condition,” said…
Panthers Place a Tropical Hideaway Tucked in West Side
By Kevin Collison Imagine you’re in a secret tropical hideaway, sipping a cold beer straight from a tub brimming with ice and suddenly noticing a rusty old VW bus nestled in the vines. Welcome to Panthers Place, a West Side discovery just off Southwest Boulevard that began more than 15 years ago as the personal…