I decided to head to the 'Kitchen. The newest beer destination in Westport and the new habitant of the old 180 spot, Beer Kitchen offers a combo of craft and specialty beer along with modern (albeit a bit cliché) American cuisine. The food menu's spotted with make-your-own mac & cheese (with applewood bacon, duck confit and truffle oil as a few of the offerings), gourmet burgers (including a bratwurst-patty burger), and plenty of vegetarian items. I ordered the mushroom flatbread, pictured below, which included shiitake mushrooms, brie, pesto, and onion jam (which I love). I wasn't sure what to expect; I've ordered "flatbread" in bars before, and have mostly been disappointed when they bring an under-baked, topping-heavy slice of manufactured pita bread that's bland and one-dimensional. Not here. The crust was cracker-thin, browned and crispy on the edges, and laden with house-made jammy onions. House made! Oh-So-Yum.
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| Mushroom Flatbread & Scrimshaw Pilsner |
Oh yeah, and the beer. I got a Nogne O Saison (now tapped out) and a North Coast Scrimshaw Pilsner, both on tap. Their tap list currently on their site (as of 9/14) is outdated, and I suspect you could probably presume any time that at least one of the beers listed on their website will be gone by the time you get there. But don't fault them for it. The focus is on frequent tap rotation to bring Kansas City some quality draft brews that are interesting, different, and seasonal. They only have 8 taps, so the intentional focus is quality and freshness over quantity.
Overall, a must-visit in my book. My biggest complaint with the place was the music, which was 100% Motown. Perhaps it was because I was there on a Tuesday night. Maybe I was cranky from working a lot. Quite possibly, it's because I'm not a Westport Hipster down with the Motown jive. But honestly, after a couple of beers and a very good dinner, I really didn't mind.
Damn, that pizza looks good!
ReplyDeleteIt WAS good! I was really happy with the quality of the food there. I am looking forward to trying more of their stuff there, including the deviled eggs and omelets. :)
ReplyDeleteSo you finally finished off that Nogne-O tap there. When we were over there about 5:30 the bartender said it was about out and 4 of us got one.
ReplyDeleteThe fries were great, the ketchup was okay, but the malt vinegar aioli was quite good. I didn't like the parmesan truffle fries that Paul A. Ner got, too much parmesan. But, Paul loved them. I look forward to eating a real meal there.
Heh, yeah I got the bottom of the keg.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a fan at all of truffle fries, but someone else got fries there and they looked very good. I love fries & mayo (and fries & malt vinegar) so I'll have to try the malt vinegar aioli some time. Sounds awesome. The brat burger also piques my interest quite a bit.
Talked to Westphal a little last week about the place and it sounds like they have the right idea behind it. The bartender also seemed pretty knowledgeable about beer, which is promising. I certainly love my other frequent beer joints in KC, but I sure would celebrate the existence of a beer bar that focuses on frequent rotation of interesting beer, has a staff that knows their beer, and provides consistently good food. :)
Thanks so much for visiting! We have now tapped the Geants Saison Voisin, Tucher Helles Hefe, Matilda, Avery the Revernad & Left Hand 400lb Monkey. I'm updating the website now, so please keep checking or our new beers. Cheers!!
ReplyDeleteA totally unpretentious place with good food and lots of really good beer? In KC? I must be dreaming.
ReplyDelete