Kansas City's Best New Restaurants of 2018
Black Dirt
It was a year of change for chef Jonathan Justus, and his wife and managing partner, Camille Eklof. They opened one of the most highly anticipated restaurants in Kansas City with Black Dirt, and closed their original namesake fine-dining restaurant, Justus Drugstore, in Smithville. With no other distractions, the two have focused on their new Kansas City café as they rolled out their lunch, dinner, bar and brunch menus to eager fans. Their hyper-local restaurant is not as fussy as The Drugstore was, but dishes like the rabbit terrine and Missouri Caesar salad along with hearty items like blackened local catfish, Camp Lindo fried chicken and Black Dirt pork chops continue to support their message of the importance of tasting the local terroir. (Photo by Anna Petrow)Black Dirt, 5070 Main St., South Plaza, Kansas City, Missouri, 816.214.5947, blackdirtkc.com
Jenny Vergara
Black Sheep + Market
Farm to table dining is nothing new, but it is unique to find delicious, healthy, farm-fresh dishes at a price point that works every day, which is what chef Michael Foust and team at Black Sheep + Market have aimed for with their new concept on 39th Street. The relationships that Foust has cultivated with local farmers including over the past 10 years is front and center both at the cozy, red brick restaurant and its adjoining market, so much so that customers can even expect daily soups, vegan dishes and even the daily pot roast to contain produce harvested that day. (Photo by April Fleming)Black Sheep + Market, 1815 W. 39th St., Kansas City, Missouri, 816.541.3929, blacksheepon39th.com
April Fleming
Brookside Poultry Co.
Chef-owner Charles D’Ablaing kept it simple and southern for his first restaurant, Brookside Poultry Company. Open in the up-and-coming East Brookside area, he has made spit-roasted and battered fried birds his focus, and the neighborhood flocks to his front door to dine-in and carry-out his fowl-friendly fare. In addition to his 48-hour, sour cream-brined, crispy, crunchy fried chicken breast, thighs and wings, he also offers spit-roasted whole ducks and chickens sourced from Barham Cattle Co. & Family Farms in Kearney, Missouri. There is a steak, and sides like thickly-cut house fries and fried green tomatoes offered in addition to his culinary calling card, shrimp and grits, a southern staple his raving fans demand. (Photo by Anna Petrow)
Brookside Poultry Co., 408 E. 63rd St., Brookside, Kansas City, Missouri, 816.599.2285, bkspoultryco.com
Jenny Vergara
Caffetteria Modern Café & Marketplace
The latest café concept from restaurateur and chef Jo Marie Scaglia, owner of The Mixx in Kansas City and Overland Park, Kansas, was visually inspired by the stylish coffeeshops in Italy. With cotton candy colors, white marble table tops and brass fixtures, Caffetteria Modern Café & Marketplace dazzles, serving an eclectic and modern menu based on fresh, seasonal ingredients. With protein-packed poke bowls, pizzas and superfood ancient grain salads, there is a luxurious feel to the mainly healthy menu making the food here feel virtuous, while it tastes delicious. Grab a coffee and a treat from the pastry case all day long, pick up a grab-and-go meal or shop the retail space packed with dishware, cookbooks, hand towels and more. (Photo by Anna Petrow)
Caffetteria Modern Café & Marketplace, 25 On The Mall, Prairie Village, Kansas, 816.756.2300, caffetteriamoderncafe.com
Jenny Vergara
Freshwater Although
Freshwater 2.0 looks and tastes just like the original restaurant did, the food-and-drink program, as well as the service, continue to exude surprising flavor and finesse. Owner and executive chef Calvin Davis brings delicious local and sustainable dishes to the table of his rebooted restaurant, surrounding himself with a professional team both in the front and the back of the house. Managers Chris Enss and Nicole Elizabeth Dearing bring a knowledgeable wine and local cocktail program to life, while chef de cuisine, Brent Gunnels, works with Davis to offer one of the most interesting and affordable tasting menu in the city with 10-courses for $55 that can, with notice, be suited to any dietary restriction. (Photo by Anna Petrow)
Freshwater, 3711 Summit St., Kansas City, Missouri, 816.820.0296, freshwaterkc.com
Jenny Vergara
Golden Ox
After a 4-year hiatus in the Stockyard District, the legendary Golden Ox has proudly reopened thanks to some serious love from chef Wes Gartner and Jill Myers of Voltaire and Moxie Catering. The two have returned “The Ox” to a better version of its former 65-year-old self, offering a stylish but familiar dining room, and an old-school steakhouse and sides menu with nine cuts of beef from local ranches ranging from an 8-ounce flat iron on up to a bone-in, dry-aged 34-ounce ribeye. General manager and sommelier Richard Garcia has a unique and inviting wine list, with classic cocktails are also available. This iteration of the Golden Ox celebrates the past but is built for the next generation of steak-lovers in this Cowtown. (Photo by Anna Petrow)
The Golden Ox, 1600 Genessee St., Stockyards District, Kansas City, Missouri, 816.842.2866, goldenoxkc.com
Jenny Vergara
Noah's Cupboard
Chef Nick Martinkovic landed in downtown Weston last year, bringing his big city culinary talent to this quiet little riverfront town. He and his wife, Andrea, who grew up in Weston, moved back to town to open their first family-owned and operated restaurant, Noah’s Cupboard, named after the couple’s son. This micro eatery has only 17 seats, open for dinner only, making reservations crucial for anyone wanting to sample his weekly farm-to-table menu. Martinkovic offers some light and pretty dishes that offer an interesting twist of global spice and flavor. His vegetable dishes shine and he proudly offers substitutions for vegans and vegetarians. Try the umami eggplant dip, turnip "ceviche" tostada and the pappardelle with English peas, black garlic and maitake mushrooms with something from their simple but elegant wine list. (Photo by Anna Petrow)
Noah’s Cupboard, 521 Main Street, Weston, Missouri, 816.386.4080, eatnoahscupboard.com
Jenny Vergara
The Restaurant at 1900
Located inside The Building at 1900, The Restaurant at 1900 debuted last year under the direction of executive chef Linda Duerr. Her menu of modern American fare feels familiar and comforting without being too casual. To get a taste, try the seasonal grilled cheese; last fall, it featured aged white Cheddar, spinach, artichoke, porcini-garlic jam and sesame semolina. The wine list features both local and international selections as curated by beverage director Doug Frost, a master sommelier and American Master of Wine. (Photo by Anna Petrow)
The Restaurant at 1900, 1900 Shawnee Mission Pkwy, Mission Woods, Kansas, 913.730.1900, therestaurantat1900.com
Jenny Vergara
The Russell
The Russell had to undergo some serious remodeling and redecorating to take it from a former flower shop to a picture-perfect new restaurant, bakery and catering company. A culinary collaboration between local photographer and chef Amante Domingo, and Canadian cupcake entrepreneur, Heather White, the two started by catering and have grown into a bustling lunch spot on Main Street. Using a large format wood-fired grill, Domingo creates simple fire-kissed dishes full of flavor that feature roasted vegetables and protein-packed salads, sandwiches and platters featuring sumac-rubbed beef tenderloin, grilled ahi tuna and roasted chicken. Watch for more multi-coursed supperclub dinners they launched at the end of last year. (Photo by April Fleming)
The Russell, 3141 Main St., Kansas City, Missouri, 816.492.7557, therussellonmain.com
April Fleming
The Savoy
After a 4-year renovation, The Savoy at 21c Hotel unveiled its swanky new restaurant staffed by a stellar food and beverage team made up of executive chef Joe West, food and beverage director Scott Tipton and Dominic Petrucci as beverage director. West plays with his food, offering popular French-inspired dishes mixed with American classics that play on Kansas City’s nostalgia for the former Savoy Grill. The menu is full of throwbacks like vichyssoise, avocado crab Louis, steak tartare, lobster Newburg and, of course, prime rib, offered in lighter versions that still deliver all of the classic flavor. Desserts and drinks are similarly superb; don't skip out on either. (Photo by Anna Petrow)
The Savoy at 21c Hotel, 219 W. Ninth St., Kansas City, Missouri, 816.443.4260, thesavoykc.com
Jenny Vergara
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