Dish & Drink KC: Clean eats and good drinks at Whole Harvest Kitchen and Lula’s Southern Cookhouse

Whole Harvest Kitchen // Photo By Tiffany Watts

On Nurses Day at The K, the obvious pregame move would’ve been beers and brats in a sun-soaked parking lot. Maybe a hot dog or two wrapped in foil. But instead of heading straight to Kauffman Stadium, we made an unexpected left turn: Whole Harvest Kitchen.

Not exactly tailgate fare. But maybe that’s the point.

Whole Harvest serves a fully plant-based menu. No meat, no dairy, no processed nonsense. Just thoughtful, flavor-forward dishes made to feel as good as they taste. 

We started with the Baked Yuca Fries ($11), thick and golden with a crisp exterior that gave way to a soft, starchy center. Yuca, often mistaken for a potato stand-in, has a nuttier, more complex flavor, and it shows here. Each fry could stand alone, but the accompanying cilantro aioli added a creamy, herbal lift that brought everything into focus. 

They also came with a side of their banana ketchup. Interesting, but not a hit at our table.

Honestly, the fries didn’t need help. The cilantro aioli added a nice punch if you wanted it, but they held their own without any extras. They were crispy, well-seasoned, and satisfying all on their own.

Next came the Crabless Cakes ($18), made with hearts of palm and chickpeas, seasoned with Old Bay, and served with a simple salad and a slick of vegan tartar sauce. They weren’t trying to mimic crab, thankfully, but offered their own satisfying crunch and warm, seasoned bite.  Instead of imitation, they leaned into interpretation, and it worked.

The Creamy Mushroom Stroganoff ($18), a cavatappi dish with roasted mushrooms and a hemp-based parmesan, looked like it would deliver all the cozy comfort of a classic stroganoff, but the flavor didn’t quite live up to what I had imagined. It was mellow to the point of monotone. The textures were lovely, the cream sauce smooth and warm, but the dish could’ve used a bit of spices to wake it up.

Even so, Whole Harvest was a win.

The menu feels curated with care, the space invites you to stay a while, and the staff is intentional and kind. I loved that the meal felt like a reset, especially before a long afternoon of tailgating, stadium drinks, and shouting from the cheap seats.

My friend, a nurse, was the reason we were headed to The K in the first place. The day belonged to her and every nurse across the metro who’s carried more than their share these last few years. If that celebration started with crabless cakes and yuca fries instead of Bud Light and brats, so be it.

We were nourished. Then we were rowdy. That’s what I like to call balance.

Whole Harvest Kitchen is located at 4853 W 117th St, Leawood, Kansas, 66211.

Lula’s Southern Cookhouse // Photo By Tiffany Watts

Sometimes the hardest person to toast is yourself.

Trust me, I’ve become an expert at shrugging off my own wins. Moving on too fast, calling it “no big deal,” saving the celebration for another time that never quite comes.

But this year, I made a quiet promise: I’d stop waiting for the perfect moment to feel proud of myself.

So I took myself to LuLa’s Southern Cookhouse. No friends, no party, no pressure. Just me, showing up with intention and creating a little space to sit with my own progress and actually let it sink in. I figured all I needed was a good cocktail and a quiet seat at the bar.

Enter the Chatham County Hibiscus ($14). A tequila-based drink made with hibiscus-infused Una Familia silver, fresh orange and lime juices, a drizzle of agave, and a splash of soda water for a little effervescence.

I’ve got a soft spot for bright, balanced cocktails with a little attitude, and this one delivered. What I loved most was that it wasn’t trying to be a margarita in disguise. It knew exactly what it was and leaned into it: bold, floral, and unapologetically itself.

And while the drink itself was excellent, the real magic was in what it marked: A personal toast. A reminder that it’s okay, necessary even, to take up space in your own life and say, hey, you did that. And you deserve to sit with that truth for a while. Preferably with something floral, strong, and fizzy in hand.

Lula’s Southern Cookhouse is located at 1617 Main St, Kansas City, MO 64108.