On Deck

Because bitching about local TV weathercasts is something of a pastime in KC, we’ll add our own contribution: Was it really necessary to pre-empt the third game of the Stanley Cup finals for four hours of storm coverage of a tornado that (eventually) hit way north of town? OK, we know this sounds callous. Three people died, and we’re truly sorry about that. But considering the storm was being covered by the St. Joe station, couldn’t Channel 9 have showed the game and run a crawl at the bottom?

Anyway, after a few hours of watching amorphous blobs of color shifting across maps, we became fed up with hearing the words power doppler or viper or whatever the fuck it is and had to flee the house. It was Saturday night, after all, and because it was — ahem — not raining, we ventured out earlier than usual for some outdoor drinking. We headed to Gia’s, which debuted its Saturday Nights on the Balcony about a month ago. From 9 p.m. to 1 a.m., drinks are cheap ($4 select martinis), and on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month, DJ Brent Scholz spins his brand of deep house (which he describes as a more soulful version of house) with some Latin-type stuff, vocals and remixes of recognizable songs thrown in.

Since we had gotten shamelessly shit-hammered the previous night, the mellow atmosphere of Gia’s was a welcome respite during the busy Memorial Day weekend. Located on Southwest Boulevard near the highway bridge, this narrow brick restaurant’s setup is pretty cool. The first floor is a bar and eating area with high ceilings and exposed brick walls. The second floor includes more eating space; a separate lounge area with red walls, plush sofas and knickknacks strewn about (“Ooh, someone knows their antiques,” Research Assistant Laura commented); a smaller bar area; and, best of all, the deck. The heavy iron patio furniture was pushed off to the side, and the patio wasn’t very crowded, so we were able to claim some seats. From our perch, we could see the BMA Building and the KCPL tower in the distance. Next door, a warehouse inadvertently provided slo-mo strobe lighting when a fluorescent bulb periodically came on. Our impression that the upper level resembled a living space later proved correct; owner Frank Macaluso told us that a sign company had once occupied the lower level, and the upstairs used to be apartments.

Once settled, we began sampling the drink menu, starting with the Bellini martini. Made with peach schnapps, peach nectar and vodka, it was a light, summery drink. Laura got the chocolate martini, and rather than the thick, milky drink that’s normally served, it resembled Jäger in a martini glass. Composed of vanilla vodka and white crème de cacao, it tasted a bit more alcoholy and didn’t sit well in Laura’s stomach. “I think it’s more syrupy than I’m used to,” she said. We also tried the Flirtini, a dusky-pink drink made with peach schnapps and Chambord, then topped with Prosecco. “It’ll up your flirt level,” Scholz, the DJ, said. We didn’t need help in that area, but the drink was pleasantly fruity. Overall, though, the Bellini remained our favorite. Manager Jamie Colon later told us that although the martini prices will stay the same, there will be other revolving drink specials, depending on crowd demand. “If they want a margarita on a 92-degree day, we’ll do margaritas,” he said. “It [the patio] is still in its infancy, and we’re still trying to figure out the crowd, but people do drink seasonally, and we’re trying to be flexible as much as possible.”

One nice thing about a place in its infancy is that Gia’s didn’t draw an assholic crowd. It was fairly urbane and quasi-hipster, with the guys in button-down shirts and the chicks running the gamut from T-shirts to cocktail dresses. Everyone pretty much kept to his or her own social circle. That, along with the almost backgroundlike music from Scholz, made for a nice, low-key vibe. “When you come with a group of friends, you want to be able to talk with them,” Colon said. Of course, the holiday weekend played a part in the subdued clientele. “A lot of people in KC are out of town, and those who aren’t don’t know about this,” said Matt, who had ventured out with his man tribe because they’re friends with Scholz. Or perhaps everyone was just taking cover in their basements. Hmm, perhaps the rampant storm coverage isn’t such a bad thing after all.