KCRW 2022 In Review
When you have a lunch deal that includes tiramisu, as Trezo Mare did - you’ve got my attention.
Published January 24, 2022
A new year brings with it the possibility for new experiences and the chance to do things differently than you did the year before.
For a Fountain City Foodie like me, a new year opens the door to discovery. As I explore this city, new restaurants spring up and others, sadly, close their doors. My eagerness to explore new parts of the city and try new things, as well as this shifting landscape, reinvigorates that drive to find the restaurants, bars, diners, and cafes that are new to me that may soon become familiar favorites. It always feels appropriate that the week that most enables me to attack my annual Kansas City bucket list comes as we turn over the calendar.
Every January, restaurants across the metro come together for 10 days to put on Kansas City Restaurant Week (KCRW). This year, from January 14 - 23, over 200 restaurants offered the signature KCRW $15 multi-course lunches and $35 - $45 multi-course dinner deals, with a portion of the proceeds going to support the Guadalupe Centers. Billed as “affordable, adventurous dining”, Restaurant Week is always the premier dining event on the Kansas City social calendar. Typically restaurants use this an opportunity to showcase their most popular items knowing that they will see new patrons, and also to experiment and offer entrées, desserts, and meals that are exclusive to this yearly promotion.
Usually when the Kansas City Restaurant Week menu drops, I immediately make, at least, a pair of dinner reservations. My typical targets are higher-end premium dining experiences that are a little out-of-budget for most of the year. I am almost always guaranteed to grab a few lunches as the $15 two to three course lunches are a nearly impossible value to beat. While this year, my schedule did not allow for me to take advantage of the dinner deals, I was thankful to try four fantastic lunches and support our local restaurants, and a great local cause.
All in all, I found four phenomenal values, visited two restaurants that were new to me, another favorite that I sadly had not been to since right before the pandemic, and then hit up one of my favorite KCRW lunch specials. These are the lunches in the chronological order that I enjoyed them.
Trezo Mare
4105 North Mulberry Drive, Kansas City, Missouri
The Chicken Piccata at Trezo Mare was garnished with spinach and lemon slices, served on a pile of whipped, garlic mashed potatoes, and covered in a lemon caper pan sauce.
I spent the beginning of this year traveling so I must admit, that as I returned to work, Kansas City Restaurant Week snuck up on me this year. And then as it kicked off on Friday, January 14, I saw that my friend Art had tagged me in a Facebook post where he declared that he had found what he thought was the best lunch value of the week. It was a three course lunch from perennial Italian food favorite, Trezo Mare.
Now I am a little ashamed to admit, especially as someone who lives and works downtown, that I had never hopped over the river into Briarcliff to visit this Kansas City institution. For one reason or another, I had always intended to go but for one reason or another, never found the time. Then a recommendation from a foodie friend, as well as one word on the menu changed all that, “Tiramisu”. God, I love Tiramisu! So sinfully decadent yet so light and satisfying, it is virtually a perfect dessert in my eyes. When I sat down at the bar with my friend to order lunch, it was nearly impossible to determine which combination to go with. Every single menu item sounded amazing.
Ultimately, I went with the Fried Calimari for my appetizer and the Chicken Piccata for my entrée. (The same order as my friend Art). While I strongly considered the Butternut Squash Bisque, it was an unseasonably warm day and I am a seafood fiend. The Fried Calamari was five sticks of breaded calamari with a side of marinara and a lemon wedge, garnished with fresh parmesan. The squid was very meaty and the perfect consistency. I always fear rubbery or chewy calamari, especially here in the Midwest, but thankfully, that was not the case. This was perfectly done.
The Chicken Piccata was a very filling, but light dish. The chicken breast was one of the most tender cuts of chicken I can ever recall having. The mashed potatoes were whipped with a hint of garlic that went well with the light and citrusy gravy that was the lemon caper pan sauce.
“... the best tiramisu I have had in this city.”
I was thankful to have grabbed lunch with my friend Andrew so we could split our desserts. While I am a peanut butter nut, I was there for the tiramisu and the bartender strongly recommended the Pecan Pie Bar. The tiramisu was perfect. The lady fingers hit you with that expected flavor of espresso and cocoa that quickly dissipated. The mascarpone was significantly more dense than I am used to but it actually heightened the profile of the dessert. The dollop of cream on the side was rich and thick, yet light and creamy. This is one of my favorite desserts and I could not have imagined it being any better. As for the Pecan Pie Bar, which was exclusively offered for Restaurant Week, it had all the flavor of a fantastic pecan pie. I will admit I was thankful to only have half the bar as it was sinfully decadent with an overwhelming brown sugar flavor. However the vanilla ice-cream balanced it out nicely.
I was thankful for a fantastic and filling three-course lunch that did not leave me in a food coma or feeling drowsy as I returned to the office. When I return to Trezo Mare, I already look forward to trying another piece of what may be the best tiramisu I have had in this city. It took me way too long to try this Kansas City staple and I plan to make up for lost time.
The Ship
1221 Union Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri
At The Ship, I opted for the KC Reuben and upgraded my chips for the Caesar Side Salad. Luckily, I was able to swap half my sandwich for half of my friend’s Cubano.
I believe the Ship is among the most unique, and unheralded spots in the city. While The Ship has an incredible history and story that goes back decades, the current version has operated in the heart of the West Bottoms on Union Avenue since 2014. Opened first as a bar with a nautical theme and speakeasy feel, The Ship is a full-service restaurant and live music venue that is currently in the process of adding on a large dining room and performance space called “All Else The Sea”. * People flock to The Ship, and keep coming back, because they offer a great cocktail program, a menu of bar food and comfort foods with a Cajun flair, and for an ambiance and atmosphere unmatched by any other venue in the city. When I saw The Ship in the KCRW line-up, I knew I had to return. It had been way too long since I had gone here having not visited since about two weeks prior to the pandemic.
I went with a group of friends, one of whom was the same friend with I had visited Trezo Mare with. Once again, he was open to splitting and trying multiple items. This worked out well for me because I was once again torn between two options. This time on the entrées. We ordered a basket of fried pickles and fried green beans for the table and then I opted for the KC Reuben with an upgraded side of the Caesar salad, with plans to trade half my Reuben for half of his Cubano.
As fantastic as these fried green beans were, I’m just obsessed with the wasabi cream.
The fried pickles were thick-sliced dill ships that were coated in a nice crispy breading and covered with the same seasoning they use on their fries, which is reminiscent of Old Bay seasoning but not the same. They had a nice flavor profile and good, satisfying crunch to each chip. The peppercorn dressing on the side was a nice complement. The fried green beans were perfect. A nice crisp golden-brown breading with a bright green fresh bean within that snapped in the perfect way. The wasabi cream dipping sauce was unbelievable and once again, in Baltimore fashion, reminded me a little bit of a tiger sauce but was clearly a balance of wasabi and the creamy component in the dip. From now on, any deep fried side I order at The Ship will come with a side of the wasabi cream.
You may recall that last March, I provided a handful of places to find Omaha’s signature sandwich year-round in KC. I came by my appreciation of a good Reuben honestly. This was my first time having The Ship’s version and I was blown away. Reubens are undoubtedly best when toasted and the marble rye was griddled to perfection. Toasty without sacrificing fully the soft chewy profile that makes marble rye so special. The sauerkraut was plentiful, crisp, and perfectly tart. The Swiss was ideally melted. This was a pastrami Reuben and the meat was thin-sliced, rich, and had a smoky profile that definitely lived up to the “KC” in the name. This is easily a top ten Reuben in Kansas City. The Caesar was a welcome compliment with shaved parmesan, leafy green Romaine, and breadcrumbs that clung to every leaf as opposed to the traditional crouton. While I missed the crunch of a crouton, I loved the flavor of the breadcrumbs.
“This is easily a top ten Reuben in Kansas City.”
I will admit that while I have been to The Ship many times, I had not tried The Cubano in spite of it’s reputation. It may be fair to say that having lived in Florida for two years, I get a little nervous about finding a quality Cuban in Kansas City. This is a good Cuban that leans into the strengths of the Kansas City ingredients it uses. The French roll was perfectly pressed and the mustard had such a great flavor. Once again, the Swiss cheese in this sandwich was perfect. The ham was wonderful and the pork loin, while not the Spanish pork one would find in the Sunshine State, had such a wonderful flavor that worked for this sandwich. A few perfectly placed slices of the same dill pickles I previously had tried fried, and the unique added component of tasty salami made this a must-try sandwich. Cubano purists may scoff at the additional of salami but it most definitely works.
When dessert rolled around, I opted for the Peanut Butter Cookie and the no-bake treat was a brick! It felt like it had to have been at least six ounces and four inches in diameter. I took one bite and the treat brought back all the nostalgia of no-bake cookies in the school cafeteria. But alas, this feast was too filling and I had to get a to-go bag for the remainder of my cookie. I spent my afternoon slowly chipping away at the chocolatey-peanut butter mound.
* The Ship, All Else The Sea is clearly a reference to Negro National League Commissioner and Founder Rube Foster. After the Negro National League was founded in Kansas City in 1920, Foster declared in regard to the league that, “We are the ship, all else the sea.” It was his way of explaining the symbiotic relationship that believed existed between his league and the American and National Leagues from which black players were barred at that time.
Fannie’s African & Tropical Cuisine
4105 Troost Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri
While I loved the jollof rice with chicken, the plantains, which were perfectly charred and had just the right amount of firmness, were the unexpected star of the meal.
Restaurant Week bills itself as not only affordable but also adventurous. For me to not also be more adventurous in my dining choices during this amazing week would’ve been a squandered opportunity and not in the spirit of what KCRW is all about. As growth continues to come to the historic east side of our city and I try to expand my own culinary horizons, I was excited to try a place that I had heard whispers about but was not fully familiar.
Prior to my final semester at the University of Central Missouri (UCM), I worked on a custodial crew with a number of international students. Notably the crew I was on had fellow students from Afghanistan, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Zimbabwe. Since the house where I lived was devoid of any roommates for the summer and had a large kitchen and a projector, we often ended up at my place after a week of cleaning up after sports camps that came to our campus. I came to look forward to Friday nights as we divulged into an international potluck that was typically followed by a Bollywood movie*. I provided the beers and the screen, my co-workers provided the meal. It is during these Friday night potlucks that I was introduced to, and fell in love with, the samosa.
So when I was checking out one restaurant I had heard good things about from a couple of friends, Fannie’s African & Tropical Cuisine, and saw that samosa was on the menu, I knew I had a winner for the place I would try next.
Fannie’s first opened in 2019 and has quickly gained popularity because of the unique place they hold in the Kansas City food scene. Fannie’s specializes in authentic fare from across West Africa. While there are aspects of African food I have enjoyed (such as the samosa), this is a cuisine in which I am largely unversed so I was excited to take the opportunity to support a local restaurant and step a little bit outside of my own comfort zone. I can say that from the moment I pulled up to the Hyde Park eatery, I was excited. There was something about the storefront that just made it feel so homey and inviting.
While I didn’t know it was her at the time, owner Fannie Gibson greeted me as I walked through the door and invited me to grab a table in the cozy dining room. While I had my heart on samosa, I heard the lady one table over raving about the spicy gizzards so I chose that option, and then I added on an order of samosa as well because, well, I just couldn’t pass on them. For my main course, I went with the jollof rice, which minimal research had told me was a staple of multiple African cuisines.
The samosa was just phenomenal. The two pieces of stuffed meat pie were golden brown and crisp on the outside without sacrificing the doughiness I love in a good samosa. The red dipping sauce that accompanied had an overwhelming bell pepper flavor that worked well with the nice seasoned ground beef filling. The spicy gizzards were not what I expected. I anticipated a skewer but instead I received a bowl of roasted, non-breaded, gizzards that were tossed in a spiced red sauce and served with toothpicks. I was amazed at how tender the gizzards were. The sauce was tomatoey and spiced but I would not call it spicy. From a flavor perspective, it was not hot, I wouldn’t even call it warm. It was well-spiced and had good flavor but there was not much in the way of heat. Still, this was a fantastic dish. There was a richness to the gizzards that makes this a nice dish for sharing.
“The plantains alone would be enough to get me back in the door.”
When I ordered the jollof rice, I had envisioned a fried rice type dish with chunks of chicken mixed in when in fact, this was a fried hindquarter served on a bed of rice. The chicken was lightly breaded, crispy, juicy, and had a very thin coating of the same sauce that predominated the rice. The sauce was tomato-based with a nice blend of seasonings and an overall very savory flavor. The rice had chunks of bell pepper, corn kernels, peas, onions, and carrots mixed in. It was served with a medley of cucumbers, onions, and tomatoes served in dressing that just was not for me. As someone who abhors cucumber, that was the flavor that dominated the entire salad. The vegetables were obviously fresh and of great quality, just a personal preference kept me from indulging.
Then came the unexpected star of the show - the plantains. I always enjoy the idea of plantains but very rarely do I find ones I enjoy. Oftentimes they are incredibly stiff or mushy like baby food. These were exquisite. Like Baby Bear’s bed, these plantains weren’t too hard or too soft - they were JUST right. Each slice was the right thickness and firm but still soft. The sweetness of the plantain shone through but was balanced out by a toasty flavor. Each piece had beautifully charred edges that gave a satisfying crunch and burned flavor that worked in concert with the sweetness. While I enjoyed nearly everything I ate, the plantains alone would be enough to get me back in the door.
I paid my bill and as I opened my car door I heard someone yelling behind me. I had left my credit card on the table and Fannie herself had noticed and run it out to me. The kind of attention that this restaurant shows the customer and the unique offerings they bring to our food scene has me convinced Fannie’s will be around for many years to come. There’s no doubt I will be returning.
While the samosa first caught my attention, I had a hard time deciding between the samosa and the spicy gizzards - so I ordered them both.
* While we typically enjoyed international films, on one night I was asked to share some classic American film and I responded with a double feature of Tommy Boy and Airplane. No regrets.
Rye - Plaza
4646 Mill Creek Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri
The fried chicken at Rye is among Kansas City’s elite and has become a bit of a Kansas City Restaurant Week tradition for me..
I have a confession to make. This was not a restaurant that was new to me nor was it me trying something new. In fact, I think I have visited Rye for Restaurant Week each of the last four to five years because, quite frankly, their Restaurant Week lunch special is just way too good for me to pass up. Perhaps it’s time for me to try something new on the menu but I just cannot go to Rye and pass up the chance to have some of Kansas City’s best fried chicken.
Going during Saturday brunch, the restaurant was packed. While my friends and I had our eyes on ordering one of their signature cinnamon rolls for the table, Rye actually brought us one before we could even order it as their way of apologizing for the wait (which really had not been long at all). This is the level of service that I’ve always expected and received from Rye. The cinnamon roll was soft, gooey, and delicious. The mammoth pastry is definitely one of the best cinnamon rolls in a city known for them. It was perfect to split among six people as a starter.
The fried chicken was as great as I remember it. Big, tender, juicy pieces of chicken with a crispy breading that’s not too flaky and has a slight oily, country-seasoned aftertaste. I always think the measure of good fried chicken is the breast. It’s easy to get a juicy piece of dark meat but with the chicken breast, it can be easy to dry out. This was perfect. The profile is hard to adequately describe. It’s just SO good. The whipped Yukon gold mashed potatoes are so smooth with a rich flavor. The sour cream really shines through and the drizzle of gravy is the perfect compliment. The greens are simple, with a nice vinaigrette dressing.
Did I need both ice cream and heavy whipping cream with my Dutch Apple slice? No. But did I love it? You bet.
Yes, I had some great salads this week but their was no scenario that I was going to choose a starter salad over pie. Luckily, my fried chicken meal was served with salad greens so I can feel like I did the “responsible thing” anyhow. As good of a deal as the special is, the pie is what makes it a phenomenal value. Many consider the pies at Rye to be KC’s best, FOR GOOD REASON!, and typically they sell at $8 - $9 per slice! To be able to get a quality Rye lunch at a slight discount and then get this dessert thrown in, essentially, for free?! That’s why I come back every single January.
I had five options - Sugar Creme (essentially a crème brûlée pie), MoKan (a stiff chocolate cream pie filled with chunks of Missouri black walnut and Kansas pecans), Banana Cream, Lemon Meringue, and Dutch Apple. While I am obsessed with the MoKan, I opted for the Dutch apple - this decision was even easier since the friend group I went with had already ordered the other four varieties and felt a need to complete the set. The Dutch Apple was chock full of thinly sliced crispy apples with a crumble topping. I opted to have it served warm and a la mode. I did not expect that the accompanying scoop of ice cream would be horchata-flavored but I was excited for the combination. The cinnamon ice cream was an inspired choice. The texture of the slice was simply perfect and each bite was sweet, soft with a definite crisp, and a light, subtle tartness. With notes of cinnamon and caramel in every bite, this was about as good as apple pie gets.
A new year brings with it the opportunity to try something new and to differentiate that year from any that has come before. For the foodie community, Kansas City Restaurant Week helps make a number of restaurants more accessible and provides the opportunity to venture out of our culinary comfort zones and try something new. It seems like every year, I kick off the year by finding a new favorite and this year was no different. I went four-for-four on my lunch selections this year and am already looking forward to what else I will discover in the coming 11 months.
What new places did you try during Restaurant Week? Do you have that reservation that you make every single year? Share your annual favorites and your 2022 discoveries in the comments below!
