Snow & Company to move to Westport, Hank Charcuterie says goodbye to its butcher counter, and Lindsay Laricks looks beyond Little Freshie
The Pitch reported last month on the waves of discontent churning among Crossroads bar and restaurant owners who say they’ve faced unfair licensing hurdles. Much of that criticism centers on developer and property owner Brad Nicholson, who controls enough parcels of downtown real estate that he has been able to block some licenses — and, in some cases, dictate menu options at establishments such as Tom’s Town and the Sundry.
Another business now says Nicholson (who owns the building where The Pitch leases its office) and his influence over the Crossroads Community Association are the primary reasons it’s leaving the neighborhood. Snow & Company announced last week that it will close at 1815 Wyandotte in September before moving to 421 Westport Road.
“We are guilty until proven innocent about being good business owners,” says Jerry Nevins, one of three partners in the five-year-old Snow & Company. “We love our patrons and the neighborhood in general, but if we’re speaking plainly, the Crossroads Association has put itself forward about not being an entertainment district. It’s hard to square ourselves with that.”
Nevins says he and his partners feel unwelcome in the neighborhood, and that they are unable to offer patrons entertainment options such as DJs because of the entertainment-licensure issue. Nevins and partners Andy Talbert and Lauren Cloud plan to open the Westport space shortly after the Crossroads location closes. An expanded kitchen will mean a bigger menu, they say.
Hank Charcuterie owner and chef Vaughn Good is a restless soul. In addition to running his butcher shop and restaurant six days a week, Good is a frequent collaborator with other area chefs, restaurants and makers; in the past month alone, he has participated in events with Port Fonda, the Waffle Iron and Green Dirt Farms. Yet his mind never strays far from his 1900 Massachusetts Street storefront, which he opened in the summer of 2014 — where he is preparing to close the butcher counter, install a bar in its place, and begin to turn Hank into a full-time, full-service operation.
“I’ve been thinking about the change for about six months,” Good explains. “When we started, we were just a butcher shop. Then we added sandwiches and brunch, then got our liquor license. The restaurant is just growing way faster than the butcher side.”
Good plans to close his shop on July 10 for a remodel he estimates will take about a week. The shop’s large refrigerated glass cases will be removed, making way for a bar. The floorplan will also be slightly altered to create more of a restaurant feel. Good explains that due to the change, raw meat cuts, including pork chops and steaks, will no longer be offered. He will still sell sausages, rillettes, bacon and other charcuterie items, however.
The focus will be on the restaurant’s seasonally focused lunch and dinner menus, as well as its bar program. The latter is being developed for the restaurant by Good, general manager Kristine Hull and bartender Adam Chase.
“We’ll have some classic cocktails available, but one thing that works really well for us is barrel-aged cocktails,” Good says. One such cocktail that will soon be featured is the Bitter Giuseppe #2, which blends Union Horse Bourbon, blended scotch, Benedictine and Cynar. Stored on site in oak barrels, the cocktail will be aged four to six weeks before it’s ready to serve. Good says Hank is also developing more shrubs for its bar — which, he points out, is another way to incorporate local produce into Hank’s menu.
As one glass is raised, another is lowered: As I noted last week, Lindsay Laricks is closing the Westside’s Little Freshie July 1.
Next up for Laricks, she says, is a focus on her line of all-natural syrups (something she said she has not had time to develop while running the store), as well as getting back into the design world by taking a position with the branding and design firm Willoughby Design.
“Letting go of the storefront is bittersweet,” she tells me. “But sometimes the hardest decisions are the best ones to make. I saw an opportunity for myself professionally to get back to where I started as a designer and use those skills again. I started my career in graphic design and have more than 15 years’ experience in the industry. I also began to see an opportunity for Little Freshie to grow past the storefront.”
Another week, another Waldo update. The new Neighborhood Café has begun hiring for its operation at 7531 Wornall Road, indicating that an opening date may be coming within a few weeks. This is the second location for Neighborhood Café; the original is at 104 Southeast Third Street in Lee’s Summit. The restaurant serves diner food, including all-day breakfast.
Thursday 6.30
You have two great-looking wine dinners to choose from tonight. The one at Tannin Wine Bar & Kitchen (1526 Walnut) features wine from Dashe Cellars, of Oakland, California. Winery owner Anne Dashe has selected special and rare wines for the evening, including library release Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon. The dinner is $75 a person for five courses plus wine. Call 816-842-2660 to reserve a seat.
The other is at Louie’s Wine Dive, with wines from the legendary Marchesi Antinori family, which has owned the company continually since the Renaissance. (60 Minutes’ Morley Safer hosted a special featuring the two female owners of Marchesi Antinori not long ago.) That dinner is $65 a person; call 816-569-5097 for reservations.
Wednesday 7.6
It’s the first Wednesday of a summer month, which means an evening for farmers and food trucks at the Merriam Farmers Market, at 5740 Merriam Drive. From 4 to 7 p.m. you can buy local produce and sample prepared food from Indios Carbonsitos, Coffee Cake KC, Fresh and Tasty Catering and Prairie Fire Oven.
Thursday 7.7
Tonight Port Fonda in Lawrence (900 New Hampshire) is hosting a beer dinner featuring selections from Free State Brewery. The menu has not been released yet, but keep an eye on Port Fonda’s Facebook page for menu and ticket announcements.
