Dish & Drink KC: Pressing pause at Selah Lounge and trying a recommendation at El Canelo
Dish & Drink KC logo by Theodore Rosen
I arrived at Selah Lounge intending to do what most of us do far too often: grab a drink, head back to the car, and move on to the next item on my schedule.
Instead, I stayed.
Nestled beside Kla Sanctuary Spa in Kansas City’s West Bottoms, Selah Lounge immediately communicates that it operates at a different pace. The thoughtfully designed tea house offers a quiet reprieve from the demands of daily life, where soft conversation replaces background noise and every detail encourages guests to be present.
Selah Lounge // Photo by Tiffany Watts
That sense of intentionality extends beyond the space itself. The staff embodies the same calm, welcoming energy that defines the lounge, creating an experience that feels less like a transaction and more like genuine hospitality.
Curious to try something outside the traditional matcha latte, I ordered the Petal Bloom Matcha ($10), a vibrant blend of Tenryu matcha, pink coconut water, chamomile, elderflower, strawberry, dragonfruit, and acacia honey.
The result is remarkably balanced.
Selah Lounge // Photo by Tiffany Watts
The first sip opens with delicate floral notes from the chamomile and elderflower before giving way to the subtle sweetness of strawberry and dragonfruit. The pink coconut water lends a crisp, refreshing quality that keeps the drink light and remarkably hydrating, while the acacia honey provides just enough sweetness to unify each ingredient without overshadowing the tea. Anchoring the entire composition is the Tenryu matcha, whose earthy, vegetal character adds depth and complexity to an otherwise bright, fruit-forward beverage.
Rather than competing for attention, each ingredient contributes to a harmonious profile that evolves with every sip. It is nuanced, refreshing, and thoughtfully composed, a drink that rewards slowing down enough to appreciate its layers.
And perhaps that’s exactly the point.
Selah Lounge isn’t simply a place to order tea; it’s a space designed to encourage pause. Whether you’re unwinding after a treatment at Kla Sanctuary Spa, meeting a friend, or seeking a quiet corner to read, work, or reflect, the experience invites you to set aside the urgency of the day, if only for a little while.
Selah Lounge is located at 1400 W 13th St, Kansas City, MO 64102.
Tamales at El Canelo Mexican Restaurant // Photo by Tiffany Watts
Cravings have a way of leading you to places you’ve been meaning to visit for way too long.
For me, it was tamales.
After hearing countless recommendations for El Canelo Mexican Restaurant, I finally decided it was time to see what all the praise was about. I walked in with a singular mission and kept my order as simple as possible: two tamales with green salsa on the side ($8).
The menu offers pork tamales only—and when a dish has earned such a loyal following, it deserves to be experienced as intended. If locals were consistently pointing me toward these tamales, I wanted to understand why.
It didn’t take long.
The tamales arrived unwrapped, revealing a generous layer of soft, delicately seasoned masa surrounding a savory pork filling. The masa was exceptionally moist and tender, avoiding the dryness that can often plague lesser versions. Each bite struck an impressive balance between the lightly sweet corn flavor of the masa and the rich, well-seasoned pork.
While the tamales certainly didn’t need the salsa, the salsa’s flavor stood confidently on its own and elevated the dish even further. Bright, vibrant, and pleasantly spicy, the green salsa added a welcome layer of freshness.
If you’ve been searching for a well-executed, traditional tamale in Kansas City, El Canelo makes a compelling case that sometimes the dishes people rave about really are worth the trip.
El Canelo Mexican Restaurant has multiple locations. This location is at 1800 Swift St., North Kansas City, MO.
