The Five Hottest Restaurateurs in Kansas City

All right, there are more than five, come to think of it. (I just realized that we’re leaving out potential candidates such as Nicholas Grunauer of Grunauer, Sam Silvio of Em Chamas, Ted Habiger of Room 39, Michael Smith of the restaurant of the same name and — well, God only knows how many others.) And then there are the female restaurant owners, too. But that’s a list that someone other than this writer should compile.

It goes without saying that every restaurant has an individual dish that stands out. In some cases, the dish might just be the owner. So go ahead and visit these local hot spots and try to catch a glimpse of one of our caliente crushes. To quote Amy Adams’ incarnation of Julie Powell in the 2009 film Julie and Julia: “I read somewhere that it was bad form to say ‘yum’ while you’re eating, but yum.”