The Family Restaurant
Social media images like this one of Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cake Pops being frequently shared by my sister-in-law is what first put KoZak’s Laketown Grill on my radar. PHOTO COURTESY OF: KoZak’s Laketown Grill
Published July 23, 2021
In the spring of 2020, my brother Ryan took a big life step - he proposed to his girlfriend. Shortly thereafter, I took a similarly large step - I became friends with my brother’s fiancé on Facebook.
As the world reopened last year, I started to notice a pattern in my newest sister-in-law’s posts. Stephanie liked to share pictures of food. Many times, these photos were all from the same restaurant - KoZak’s Laketown Grill. As months passed and more and more delectable desserts and mouthwatering daily specials made their way to my newsfeed, I knew that this was a local spot that I had to try.
And I was not the only one with this sense of FOMO. Since Brian & Jacquie Hove opened their “made-from-scratch kitchen” in Smithville, Missouri in the fall of 2013, this Fear Of Missing Out has been a key aspect of KoZak’s brand. “If we don’t post [the daily specials], people call us.”, Jacquie revealed. While today, this social media presence and entrée/dessert rotation is carefully woven into the marketing strategy of KoZak’s, that was never the intent.
For Chef Brian Hove, his specials and the menu as a whole are influenced by the places he has been. Brian & Jacquie Hove first met at the Omaha Marriott in 2000. Brian was Executive Chef for the Chardonnay Room and Jacquie was a server. While with Marriott, Brian not only shaped the menu of a AAA Four Diamond restaurant in Omaha but he also assisted with a number of Marriott properties including those in Miami Beach, New York City, Tampa, and at the Lake of the Ozarks. In 2002, the Nebraskan couple moved to Lexington, Kentucky where Brian was the Executive Chef at Marriott’s The Mansion at Griffin Gate resort and Jacquie worked with the Bluegrass Hospitality Group. “Hospitality is all I’ve ever known”, Jacquie told me. In 2008, an opening at the Kansas City Airport Marriott provided the Hoves an opportunity to raise their family a little closer to home.
And it is family that drives everything the Hoves do. In 2012, seeing an avenue to improve their family life, Brian left Marriott behind and the couple embarked on their current venture. Jacquie explained, “When you work this hard in hospitality, you have to do it for yourselves.” The Hoves opened KoZak’s Laketown Grill in November of the following year. A constant reminder of their familial goal, and their reason for going it on their own, the name KoZak’s is a portmanteau of Brian and Jacquie’s two sons’ names - Kobe and Zach. "
“When you work this hard in hospitality, you have to do it for yourselves.”
“We really are family-based”, Jacquie emphasized. That sense of family extends to their employees. Brian sees himself as a teacher and developer of talent. While his own influences are key to any new entrées and desserts, the specials that KoZak’s has are also a reflection of the personnel that Brian has surrounded himself with. Chef Hove leans heavily on the experience and influences of his chefs to shape the menu, the specials, and the dessert options. This diversity of backgrounds and culinary experiences has given KoZak’s a reputation among their regulars for being able to keep their menu fresh and well-rounded. Jacquie remarked, “It’s fun to bring new people in and play to their strengths.” It is the sense of family, the culture, and the environment that they provide their employees that Jacquie Hove takes the most pride in.
Earlier this year, Ryan & Stephanie took me on my first visit to KoZak’s. When we pulled up, I knew that I would have never discovered this place on my own. Located in a strip mall on 169 Highway, the unassuming storefront of this Northland eatery is easy to miss. If my love of Kansas City barbeque has reinforced a belief in me, it is the notion that we should never judge a book by its cover. And thankfully in the case of KoZak’s, I did not. Otherwise, I would have missed one heck of a read.
The Southwest Egg Rolls are a must-order at KoZak’s. The filling of chicken, corn, black beans, cheddar, and monterrey cheeses are carefully tucked into a golden brown fried won ton wrapper and served with a side of chipotle ranch.
Since it was my first visit, we tried a little bit of anything, beginning with a trio of their appetizers. The Honey BBQ wings had solid flavor and were satisfactory. The hot pretzel is a crowd pleaser. It is hot and buttery with the exact amount of chewiness and saltiness you want. The beer cheese is melty and perfect. Not too thick and not too thin with the beer and cheddar in harmonious balance. As a cheese addict, I always appreciate any dipped shareable where the restaurant gives you more cheese than needed. This was the case at KoZak’s.
The real star of the appetizer menu is the Southwest Chicken Eggrolls. While I have had southwest eggrolls at a few restaurants and bars around the city, these are easily the best. The won tons are fried to an exquisite golden brown with an idyllic flakiness and crunch. The stiff, yet gooey, filling of chicken, corn, black beans, and assorted cheeses possess phenomenal flavor. The accompanying chipotle ranch dipping sauce is an absolute homerun. Upon my first bite, I knew that I would order these addictive eggrolls on every future trip to KoZak’s (and I have!).
We were then treated with a fourth appetizer by our server at KoZak’s, a thick, fluffy disc of cornbread served in a cast iron skillet, garnished with a generous scoop of their house honey butter. As a veteran diner of the Kansas City barbeque scene and comfort food restaurants across this nation, it is with very careful thought and intention that I tell you - this is the best cornbread I have ever had. It is definitely the best that Kansas City has to offer. With a lovely, crisp exterior and doughy, flavorful innards, I could not get enough of this treat. The soft, creamy, sweet honey butter put it over the top. I can only imagine that the gods of Mount Olympus dined on ambrosia because KoZak’s was not yet baking up their euphoric cornbread in 700 B.C.
If you can find a better cornbread than the one being served at KoZak’s Laketown Grill, well, please tell me! I would love to sink my teeth into it. I just think you’re going to have a hard time finding one.
Looking at a menu bursting with comfort food favorites, I decided to split some entrées. My brother and I shared the Smoked BBQ Brisket Grilled Cheese and the Pork Tenderloin. As is the case with any good tenderloin, the diameter of the hand-breaded pork filet exceeded that of the split-top brioche bun. The tenderloin was succulent and surprisingly thick with a nice pinkish white hue within. The panko breading was audibly crunchy but not so flaky that it made a mess. I could not imagine a better balance of texture. And the creamy horseradish sauce was the perfect complement. This spread would be called Tiger Sauce in Baltimore and KoZak’s version was on par with the popular condiment made by the best pit beef shops in Charm City.
“I can only imagine that the gods of Mount Olympus dined on ambrosia because KoZak’s was not yet baking up their euphoric cornbread in 700 B.C. ... It is definitely the best that Kansas City has to offer.”
Upon first bite, I can see why the Smoked BBQ Brisket Grilled Cheese came so heavily recommended by my brother Ryan. The tender ribbons of beef brisket are bursting with flavor and puts the brisket at a number of established BBQ joints in this city to shame. The sauce is sweet and tangy and works in concert with the melted muenster cheese and toasty fried onions. As is the case with most sandwiches, the bread is EVERYTHING. The crusty jalapeño Texas toast gives the sandwich a nice subtle kick and provides a necessary contrast to the sweetness of the BBQ sauces. Buttery and immaculately griddled, the dense, flavorful slices are what elevate this sandwich from great to truly spectacular. The sweet potato fries and battered-style fries both had terrific flavor. Thankfully the excess of tiger sauce and beer cheese from earlier dishes was a perfect dip for the sweet potato fries and French fries respectively.
Somehow in all this feasting, our party found room for the desserts that had first caught my eye on social media. (Of course, many of these ended up making their way to our homes) The Key Lime pie was dense, tart, sweet, and toothsome. The brownie a la mode was chocolatey and wonderful. And a constant entrant on the dessert menu, the gooey butter cake, the signature St. Louis treat, was decadent. I would have preferred it to be served warm as opposed to chilled, but the flavor was flawless.
The tender ribbons of beef brisket at KoZak’s puts some of this city’s best-known BBQ joints to shame. The jalapeño Texas toast from Kansas City’s own Roma Bakery makes the Smoked BBQ Brisket Grilled Cheese a really special sandwich.
In our conversation, Jacquie espoused that “[Brian] can nail flavor like no one else does.” Looking back on my initial experience and subsequent visits, I could not have hoped to say it better myself. Brian’s philosophy is that, “You have to make food approachable. When you get too technical, people lose interest.” Chef Brian Hove strikes his desired balance of quality, simple, and elevated fare exceptionally well.
“If you want to taste the best of KC all in one place, this is a good place to do that.”
The Hoves also see KoZak’s as a vehicle to elevate other brands. Many of their ingredients, including the bulk of their meats and produce, are locally sourced. All of their bread, including the jalapeño Texas toast, are from Kansas City’s own Roma bakery. KoZak’s bar has recently put more of an emphasis on serving liquors from local distilleries such as Restless Spirits. They have collaborated with Smithville’s Bride Coffee Roasting Co. and have featured their cold brew in house cocktails. Most notable is their partnership with Levi Garrison & Sons Brewing Company in Hamilton, Missouri which brews their Yankee Smith Ale exclusively for KoZak’s. Clearly, the family values that drive KoZak’s expand to other small businesses in the region. The Hoves relish the opportunity to use their platform to help promote other small business owners and their products. When asked about their plethora of local partnerships, Jacquie expressed that, “We let them do what they do best.”
She went on to explain that, “If you want to taste the best of KC all in one place, this is a good place to do that.” And she is definitely not wrong. KoZak’s cooks up some of the city’s best flavors and routinely serves them to some of Kansas City’s most well-known residents. Through their partnership with Delta Global Services, KoZak’s regularly caters in-flight meals for the Kansas City Chiefs, Kansas City Royals, and a host of NCAA Division I teams as well.
“We keep growing and we owe all that to [Smithville].”
It is hard to say what the future holds for KoZak’s Laketown Grill. Plans to move the restaurant out of the strip mall into a space of their own were halted by the COVID-19 pandemic. While the restaurant has not announced any plans to leave their current location, Jacquie Hove made one thing perfectly clear when asked about the potential for a new home - they have no plans to leave the town that made their dream a reality. “Absolutely we are going to continue to invest in Smithville. The community has supported us for eight years come November, and we keep growing and we owe all that to this community.”
After all, KoZak’s is a family restaurant. Like KoZak’s employees and partners, the community of Smithville is a part of that family.
KoZak’s social media presence and rotation of daily specials and featured desserts have helped to grow them a loyal following. The Key Lime Pie (pictured) is one of many delectable desserts offered at KoZak’s.
Community has always been a strong value here in Kansas City. It contributes to the collective chip on our shoulder that cries “FOUL!” every time that our city is overlooked on the national stage or when an interview distracts from a historic Homerun Derby performance from one of our own. Yet, even here in Kansas City, we may forget that this is a city that spans 14 counties in two states. It can be easy to foolishly dismiss suburbia. While the location might cause some in greater Kansas City to overlook KoZak’s Laketown Grill, some of this city’s best flavors, traditions, and service can be found carefully tucked away in a Northland strip mall.
“If you serve something that people know and put a fun spin on it, it keeps them coming back,” Jacquie reminded me. And like my own family members, KoZak’s unique take on familiar favorites and their exemplary service will keep me coming back to this family restaurant for more.
The 411
KoZak’s Laketown Grill
1018 US Hwy 169
Smithville, Missouri
HOURS: Tuesday through Thursday - 11:00am - 8:00pm; Friday & Saturday - 11:00am - 9:00pm
www.kozakslaketowngrill.com
“So What Do I Get?” The cornbread bruh. I dedicated an entire paragraph to cornbread for goodness sake! In all seriousness, every meal I have had here was a winner. The Southwest Egg Rolls are a fantastic way to start things off. Aside from the two sandwiches I mentioned in the article (Smoked BBQ Brisket Grilled Cheese and the Pork Tenderloin), The Butcher’s Blend burger, which features a blend of ground beef, ground pork, and ground bacon, is marvelous.
Whatever you do, SAVE ROOM FOR DESSERT! And be sure to polish off your meal with a nice, cold pint of Missouri-brewed Yankee Smith Ale.
