The places we’re most excited to dine and drink in KC in 2019
Kansas City produced a bumper crop of new and ambitious restaurants in 2018, and the forecast calls for a bountiful harvest in 2019. Below, a preview of where we plan to drain our bank accounts in the coming year.
1901 Baltimore, KCMO
Likely the most anticipated opening of 2019 comes from James Beard Award winner Michael Smith. Farina, located at the corner of 19th and Baltimore, is the manifestation of Smith’s years-long transition toward Italian cuisine, inspired by his travel throughout the region. Smith wants Farina to feel less intimidating — no white tablecloths or heavy drapery — than his original eponymous restaurant, which currently operates next door. (That restaurant will become an event space when Farina opens.) Farina will be warm and contemporary in design and in service, Smith tells us.
As for the menu: pasta is the star, with no fewer than 10 different fresh, handmade varieties of the dish available every day. Among them will be what Smith describes as the “four kings of Rome” — cacio e pepe, amatriciana, carbonara and bolognese — as well as more modern, creative presentations. Farina will also feature a prominent raw bar in its front window facing 19th Street; oysters, raw fish and crudos, and selections from Japan will be available.
“We’ll treat these fish like sushi, but with Mediterranean flavors — olive oil, citrus, even caviar,” Smith says.
Sayachi Sushi and Oyster Bar
6322 Brookside Plaza, KCMO
Since opening his flagship Veracruzan seafood restaurant, Jarocho Pescados y Mariscos, in 2014, chef Carlos Falcon has been hailed as one of — if not the — best seafood chefs in the city. Though Falcon is Mexican and known for Mexican regional cuisine, he’s no stranger to the flavors of Japan: his wife and partner, Sayaka Gushi Falcon, is originally from the country, and the couple often travels there to visit family. Omakase tasting menus have also become a fixture at Jarocho, offering customers 12-15 expertly prepared chef’s-choice bites in one sitting.
This spring, Falcon plans to expand his local footprint with the opening of Sayachi Sushi and Oyster Bar, fittingly in the former Brookside home of Domo Sushi. Falcon will be bringing in an executive chef to execute the concept, which is to utilize his seafood connections to bring in fresh, unique catch for a small menu of sashimi, nigiri, and even custom maki rolls. An oyster bar, too — those omakase dinners will be a regular component of the new restaurant.
20 East 5th Street, KCMO
Since 2012, chef Alex Pope and partner Matt Kafka’s Local Pig butcher shop, and its sandwich-shop-in-a-storage-container extension, Pigwich, has been isolated on its own meat-loving island in the East Bottoms. Many customers (me) liked it this way, but Pope and Kafka are understandably ready to get Pigwich and the butcher shop under the same roof in a more accessible part of town. They’ve settled on a prominent new location in the City Market: the former home of Winslow’s BBQ. Look for expanded offerings and a more streamlined service model, both on the butcher side and at Pigwich, which will have a larger menu in the new space — new sandwiches, fries, desserts, and even wine and beer alongside the current menu of classics.
5500 Troost, KCMO
In January 2017, chef Justin Clark’s Urban Cafe opened at 41st and Troost to broad acclaim — such broad acclaim that he quickly outgrew the space. While buildout is being completed just down the street at 5500 Troost, Clark is operating out of his Urban Cafe food truck, serving healthy vegan chickpea tacos and salads in addition to his signature pork belly sandwich with Asian slaw and sambal oelek aioli. Clark’s new location will allow him to serve more customers and expand his menu, offering a wider variety of healthy dishes with locally sourced ingredients in an area where it’s hard to find non-fried foods.
2143 Summit Street, KCMO
Vaughn Good and Kristine Hull closed their Lawrence restaurant Hank Charcuterie last spring, and in the fall they debuted their new concept, Fox & Pearl, on the Westside, at 815 W. 17th Street (the old Novel space). That’s a temporary space, though. They’ll been building out their permanent home a few blocks away, and it will be much bigger than the careful-with-your-elbow-there confines of their current location. “With Hank, I did it mostly on my own, and figured it out as I went,” Good says. “[With the new space], we have clear vision of what we need and want this restaurant to be, and a team who’s passionate about the project helping it all come together.”
At 2143 Summit, they’ll have a wood-fired hearth in the kitchen, a curing chamber for Good’s celebrated charcuterie, and even a large outdoor space for guests. Good says he can’t wait to start cooking over open fire — a natural progression of his rustic, unpretentious, ingredients-first style.
4301 Main Street, KCMO
Laura Norris’ Ragazza, on Westport Road, is a local fave for its classic Italian family recipes (including the city’s best eggplant parm), excellent service, and cozy location. But at just 1,000 square feet (including the kitchen), the Westport Ragazza was awfully tight. So we’re eager to dine at the new home of Ragazza, at 43rd and Main, in the former home of the Nature’ Own grocery store, where a full renovation is ongoing. Once the doors open, expect those same tuck-you-in recipes, winning service, and a little more room to breathe.
Strawberry Hill Brewing Company
601 Central Avenue, KCK
Homebrewers Derek Kemp, Larry and Ben Murray, Phil Kuzila, and Joe Collins have been making beer for years, but it wasn’t until a warm reception at the KC Nanobrew festival that they considered an actual brick-and-mortar location. The group is currently building out a brewery in an enviable spot in KCK, at 6th and Central, just steps from Slap’s BBQ and Splitlog Coffee. Plan to sip on a rich stout (the Long Road Ahead), a hoppy IPA (the Wyandotte), a tart Berliner Weisse, a bramber, and a hefeweizen by early 2019.
Percheron (inside the Crossroads Hotel)
2101 Central Street, KCMO
Though the new Crossroads Hotel boasts a solid modern Italian restaurant (Lazia) and perhaps the city’s best hotel bar (XO), its biggest draw is yet to come: Percheron, the hotel’s huge rooftop bar, complete with nearly 360-degree views of the Crossroads and downtown. (The name is a reference to the horses associated with the Pabst Blue Ribbon company; the building was previously home to a Pabst bottling and distributing location). Chef Remy Ayesh, who is executive chef for all the projects in the Crossroads Hotel, is developing a menu of small plates and charcuterie that should pair well with Percheron’s menu of Italian spritzes and aperitif-style cocktails. Furthering the Italian theme, customers can play Bocce while overlooking the skyline. It’s set to open this spring.
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