K.C. Restaurants Worth Building a Trip Around + What to Do When You Go (Besides Eat)
One destination restaurant + three enduring favorites. And the best $10 you can spend in this great Western city.
Since 1994, I’ve visited Kansas City on average at least once a year (excluding the pandemic). I adore this city—of all the places you can go that are three hours from Des Moines, this destination makes you feel like you’ve traveled much further than a mere three hours. It feels slightly southern, very western, and entirely itself.
A few weeks ago, I spent four nights in K.C. (I generally spend at least three). However, a weekend getaway can be plenty satisfying and well worth the drive. Here are highlights, including what to eat, where to stay, and what to do between meals.
Weekend in Kansas City: Where to Dine
Wherever I travel, I look for dining experiences you just don’t get in Des Moines. So, you’ll find no high-end steakhouses on my list—Des Moines does steak just fine. Instead, I’ve focused on three enduring favorites and one new-to-me destination restaurant I just discovered a few weeks ago.
Farina Is the Destination Restaurant for Your Next Trip to Kansas City
Review of Farina
1901 Baltimore Ave., Kansas City, MO
(816) 768-6600
!!! Note: Reserve well in advance—this place books up! !!!
Menu.
Having recently traveled to Iowa City, Chicago, and now Kansas City, I’m absolutely smitten by a trend I’ve been seeing again and again: let’s call it “Refined Heartiness.” I’ve encountered less foams, dots, zigzags, and swipes of precious bits of this and that on the plates in favor of more robust and generous, highly cohesive dishes. And believe me, I’m not talking about food bulked up with pasta and garlic mashed. “Refined Heartiness” cuisine is as careful as any at those foam-and-dot spots—it’s just more … gratifying.
A fantastic place to experience this is Farina, an Italian-focused restaurant by highly celebrated K.C. chef Michael Smith. This James Beard-crowned chef once helmed An American Restaurant, Michael Smith, and Forty Sardines.
Farina serves exactly the kind of robust—but highly precise—cuisine I’m talking about. Our astute server explained that splitting a starter salad, a pasta course, an entree, and a dessert should easily suffice (it almost did…read on).
We got off to an amazing start when the server brought us about six marinated olives and a few slices of focaccia with our drinks. What a gracious touch! Leave it to a chef/restaurateur inspired by Italy to understand just how thoughtful this gesture is: drinking on an empty stomach isn’t a good idea. But he also doesn’t expect you to order a huge appetizer that will (ironically) ruin your appetite for dinner.
And this wasn’t one of those precious little amuse-bouches, either. Indeed, it set the tone for the whole “Refined Heartiness” approach I’m talking about.
Highlights:
• The Carrot and Burrata Salad, with oranges, pomegranate, and pistachios: I’m always thrilled to have a salad that isn’t lettuce-based, and even happier when a kitchen deftly uses an herb (in this case, flat-leaf parsley) as a kind of green. The dish sparkled, through and through.
• Cresti de Gallo: I loved the interplay of all kinds of textures: sweet shrimp added delicacy, while Castelvetrano olives and pistachios contributed heartiness (without heaviness). Calabrian chili and a subtle lemony lift made every bite come alive. This dish is not to be missed.
• Veal Chop: Though cooked slightly beyond the medium-rare temperature requested, this was a great cut of meat, served on top of a rich, deeply spicy red sauce. I loved the way the kitchen carved it for us, making it very easy to eat family-style. If I did order this again, I’d likely get a side dish—two onion rings didn’t quite suffice!
I also appreciated the exceedingly well-staffed dining room, and the way all details were thought out (e.g., the mirrors in the bathroom make you look fabulous). The place exuded graciousness and plenitude at every turn.
My Other Go-To Kansas City Restaurants
Again, I focus on the kinds of spots that we simply don’t have in Des Moines, starting with a bona fide French bistro. (Where have all our bistros gone, btw?)
Le Fou Frog (400 E. 5th St.; K.C., MO; 816-474-6060): There’s something a bit offbeat about this place, starting with the name (fou means crazy, and frog, is of course, a pejorative slang for a Frenchman). No surprise, then, that this place is more quirky bistro than haute cuisine. Find straight-up classics, such as onion soup gratinée, warm goat cheese salad, magret de canard, and steak au poivre, as well as a few inventive creations. (Note: I didn’t have a chance to dine here this past visit, but I’ve always enjoyed it).
Jack Stack Freight House (101 W 22nd St., K.C., MO; 816-472-7427): Anyone who loves Kansas City barbecue probably has their favorite barbecue spot, but I’ve been stuck on Jack Stack for years. The reason? Two words: lamb ribs. If you love lamb and love barbecue, these are for you. (Warning: they’re rich—I generally get them as part of a combo plate). Sides are special, too—the cheesy corn especially stands out. As a bonus, the Freight House location—across the tracks from the grand old Union Station—has that historic, exposed-brick/timber-rafter appeal.
Rye Plaza (4646 Mill Creek Pkwy, K.C., MO; 816-541-3382): Chef Colby Garrelts first snagged my attention for his highly detailed and elegant cuisine at the erstwhile Bluestem—I loved this restaurant so much that we spent our 25th wedding anniversary there. With Rye, he’s become another Beard-awarded chef that’s tapping into the New Heartiness I’m talking about (though he’s been doing it for a decade now). His decidedly regional menu is grounded in what we love about Midwestern comfort food, but polished in a way we don’t always find. Greatest hits last visit: Rainbow trout with autumn squash puree, and carrots, and for dessert, banana cream pie (they’re serious about classic Midwestern pies, btw).
What to Do Between Meals
Friday Evening
I suggest staying in Country Club Plaza (more on this, below). Hopefully, you’ll get to K.C. in time for a walk. The historic outdoor shopping area has lost a few anchor shops over the past few years, but it’s still a lovely place to poke around. Pop into Topsy’s for gourmet popcorn (the cute little shop has been there since the 1920s); also check out The Better Cheddar gourmet shop—I always get a few treats, including Roger’s Chocolates from British Columbia.
Saturday Morning
Take a morning walk around the grounds of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. The outdoor sculptures are compelling, and the entire area has that gracious and leafy KC Country Club neighborhood appeal.
While the museum itself is an art-lover’s paradise, I prefer the nearby (and less overwhelming) Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art. I’m fascinated about what my contemporaries have to say (visually) about the world, and I always like where my mind goes when I’m looking at the always thought-provoking work. I’ve generally dined well at the café here, by the way.
Saturday Afternoon
All cooks should go to Pryde’s of Westport at least one time in their lives! IMHO, it’s the best kitchenware store on the planet—chock-a-block with beautifully curated items for the kitchen and table (their table linen selection is the best).
Then, take a stroll up and down Westport Ave to see the Westport neighborhood. While the area has become a lively nightlife spot, it retains a distinctly Western vibe. Once a bustling departure point for pioneers and traders heading west, it still feels reminiscent of an old frontier town.
Visit Union Station. Nearly abandoned in the last century, and slated for the wrecking ball, this majestic cathedral to the era of train travel lives again. While it holds a science museum, planetarium, restaurants, and exhibits spaces, it’s also a working train station (Amtrak still stops here). My favorite thing to do here is to simply wander around and marvel at the structure itself—an homage to a time when civic buildings were more opulent and generous, making everyday beauty accessible to everyone.
Saturday Evening: The Best $10 You’ll Spend in Kansas City
Jazz-lovers must go to The Green Lady Lounge, where live Kansas City jazz—all originals, all the time—plays 365 nights a year. The cover is a mere $10 and the vibe is funky and fun—love those hanging 70s lamps and the half-moon booths. I generally go here more than once per visit to K.C. It’s a highlight of any trip here.
Where to Stay in Kansas City
I’ve stayed downtown, in Westport, and in Country Club Plaza. My favorite is the Plaza. True—some of the anchor stores in this historic shopping/entertainment area have pulled up stakes in recent years, but it’s still the most gracious, pedestrian-friendly area around. And it’s within walking distance to both the Kemper and the Nelson-Atkins.
Bonus: Plan a trip to K.C. now to enjoy the festive holiday lights on the Plaza from November 28 through January 12.
Because I’m getting concerned that this post is too long for an email, I’ve posted some of my favorite hotels in a separate post. Here’s where to stay in Kansas City.
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We dined at Farina last night and what a treat. Each course was perfectly prepared from lobster risotto to wild boar ragu to branzini. Oh don’t miss the cherry bar with pistachio ice cream. Thank you Wini for the recommendation for this restaurant. 💕
You forgot to mention the free rail that starts/ends at Jack Stack’s the ends at the open market in north downtown. Ditch the car and explore! The Green Lady sounds great. Take a tour of the Jazz Museum and the Negro Baseball Museum, they are neighbors!