Howard’s Café starts happy hour, McCoy’s gets a facelift, HopCat has an opening date, plus the week’s restaurant events

Open just 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays (and into the evening each First Friday), Howard’s Café & Grocery (1708 Oak) and its addictive cheeseburgers are usually reserved for those who work near the Crossroads. That’s finally about to change: Chef and owner Craig Howard is preparing to expanded both his hours and his menu, starting Friday, February 3.

That day and every Tuesday through Friday thereafter, Howard’s will be open from 11 a.m. through 7 p.m., with a happy hour from 5 to 7 p.m. Offerings during that window include a small-plates menu as well as a selection of beer and wine. The restaurant has been approved for a full liquor license and occasionally may run specialty cocktails, but Howard says he’s easing into the booze. His principal focus will be on the new food.

“The café menu we want to be pretty much the same so that people can have their favorites,” he says. “But the happy-hour menu will be something we can play around with. We may have something available for just a couple of days.”

Howard explains that the fare will be generally lighter, including fresh fish dishes, soups and pastas. (The signature café dishes, including the cheeseburger, the grilled cheese and the fried-chicken sandwich, also will be available.) He’s still writing his menu and sourcing his seafood, but the plan is to continue his emphasis on sustainable food, from local purveyors when possible. (He likes the KC Shrimp Company, for instance.) “One thing I’m excited about is the egg hopper, a Sri Lankan food,” he tells me. “It’s kind of like a crepe. Traditionally, it’s made with coconut milk, but we’ll use more Midwestern flavors. The pan you cook it in is bowl-shaped, so you cook the crepe in that, and then it is filled with fresh ingredients — an egg, and then things like sambal oelek [Indonesian chili paste]. You fold it up, sort of like a taco.”

As the new growing season approaches, Howard plans to utilize the space around his shop (including the roof) to grow herbs and some vegetables for his recipes. He will continue sourcing the majority of his produce from local farmers, including Thane Palmberg, the Two Sisters Farm and City Bitty, among others. He also plans to expand the shop’s grocery stock to include his house-made cheeses, as well as more locally sourced produce.

If you’ve driven through Westport lately, you’ve probably noticed that the large and well-loved patio out front at McCoy’s Public House (4057 Pennsylvania) is no more. Owner James Westphal says there’s no need for concern — it was just time for renovations, and for more than one reason.

“One of the big motivations was that our trees were unfortunately dying,” Westphal explains. “One of the nice things about the patio is that you had this natural tree cover. But it [the deck] has been there for over 20 years, and it was falling apart in some places.” (This year marks the 20th that McCoy’s has operated in Westport.)

Westphal adds that the new patio will not look exactly like the old one — though constructed of more durable concrete. Like the original, it will seat about 50 people and remain elevated, providing a fine view of the busy intersection of Westport Road and Pennsylvania Avenue. And yes, live trees will be incorporated to the space.

Also in Westport pub news, beer lovers now have a February 25 opening day for HopCat (401 Westport Road). The 10,000-square-foot, three-story corner property, with de rigueur rooftop patio and 100-label beer list, focuses on pub-style beer accompaniments: pizza, burgers, sandwiches and wings. The Kansas City opening marks the 13th location for the Minneapolis-based chain.

On to the week’s restaurant events:

Friday, January 20

We don’t get to say this often: Enjoy a happy hour from 5:30 to 7:30 tonight with figure-skating star Brian Boitano. He’ll be at Cleaver and Cork (1333 Walnut) prior to the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, at the nearby Sprint Center, mixing specialty cocktails (well, someone will, anyway), signing autographs and gladhanding.

Saturday, January 21

Dip into the world of living foods from 1 to 4 p.m. today at Natural Grocers in Mission (6819 Johnson Drive) during the Alive and Well Fermented Food Fair. Sample a variety of foods from different vendors, including kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi and yogurt, as you learn about the health benefits and properties of fermented foodstuffs. The event is free and open to the public. 

Sunday, January 22

Fans of Scottish poet Robert Burns can marry their love of his work with traditional Scottish cuisine during the annual Burns Dinner at the Writers Place (3607 Pennsylvania). Running from 3 to 6 p.m., the event includes readings of some of Burns’ best-known works (“Tam O’Shanter,” “Auld Lang Syne”) and whisky toasts, along with dishes such as haggis, tatties and neeps. Get in for $5. See writersplace.org for more information. 

Tuesday, January 24

Celebrated Westside restaurant Novel (815 West 17th Street) is hosting a wine dinner tonight featuring the creations of Cakebread Cellars of Napa Valley, hosted by Cakebread’s David Griffiths. The menu is TBA; there are two seatings, one at 6:30 p.m. and the other at 7:30. The dinner is $125 a person, exclusive of tax or gratuity. Call 816-221-0785 for reservations.