Global flavors layer together as 200+ chefs serve up their best dishes for KC Restaurant Week
January 12, 2023 | Channa Steinmetz and Nikki Overfelt Chifalu
Kansas City Restaurant Week serves as a sampler for curious diners to satisfy their taste buds with an array of delightful dishes — and chefs from more than 200 local eateries showing off their culinary creativity and most visual see-food specialties, said Andrew Fontes.
“It’s a great opportunity to go outside your comfort zone and experience something different,” said Fontes, the head chef at The Stilwell located inside Loews Kansas City Hotel, as he served orange brown butter glazed salmon at the Kansas City Restaurant Week preview event this week at J. Rieger & Co. in the East Bottoms. “I am highlighting one or two staples that I am particularly proud of, but I have also never played with so many flavors before.”
The 14th annual Kansas City Restaurant Week begins Friday and runs through Sunday, Jan. 22. Each participating business offers a curated lunch and dinner menu, ranging from $20 to $55, with multiple courses.
Click here to check out the full list of restaurants and their menus during KC Restaurant Week.
J. Rieger & Co. at the preview event for Kansas City Restaurant Week
Participating restaurants also pledge to donate 10 percent of sales from every meal to benefit an annual charity partner and the two founding beneficiaries, the Visit KC Foundation and Greater KC Restaurant Association.
The 2023 charity partner is Cornerstones of Care, a nonprofit dedicated to helping those in need by providing in-home and in-community services throughout the Kansas City region. In 2022, Cornerstones of Care served more than 10,000 children and families.
Cornerstones of Care was honored to be chosen, said Merideth Rose, president and CEO of the organization, noting that the Build Trybe culinary program will benefit from the proceeds. Build Trybe provides vocational training in culinary, building trades and horticulture and landscaping programs to youth in foster care, she added.
Merideth Rose, Cornerstones of Care
“It’s an opportunity to tell the story of Build Trybe, especially the importance of pouring into our youth,” Rose said. “That particular age group that we talk about — 16 to 23, especially if they’re in foster care — that age group is getting ready to really kind of ‘graduate,’ if you will, and start that interdependent life in their neighborhoods and community.
“… So many come to us without stable support systems, so the benefits of having the proceeds from Kansas City Restaurant Week come to support the youth means more opportunity,” she continued. “It means more partnerships. It means more youth that we can serve and more youth that we’re graduating that can be self-sustaining and sufficient with new employable life skills.”
Bamboo Penny’s at the 2023 preview event for Kansas City Restaurant Week at J. Rieger & Co.
Returning for its second Restaurant Week experience is Bamboo Penny’s. Located in Leawood, Kansas, Bamboo Penny’s aims to bring traditional tropical flavors to the Midwest, said Dom Hangtrakool, a staff member at the Thai restaurant.
Khanom Chan, a traditional Thai dessert, from Bamboo Penny’s at the 2023 preview event for Kansas City Restaurant Week at J. Rieger & Co.
“We have a traditional Thai dessert, Khanom Chan, that will be served only during restaurant week,” Hangtrakool said, noting that setting the nine layers of tapioca flour, rice flour, sugar and coconut milk is a time-consuming process.
Just as Restaurant Week is a special occasion, Khanom Chan is typically served during such Thai celebrations such as a wedding or housewarming, he noted. To gift someone with the dessert is seen as a blessing.
“We enjoy bringing people together to try different Thai food,” Hangtrakool said. “Chef Penny [owner of Bamboo Penny’s] dreamed of sharing Thai food in a beautiful and different way. We have the pad thai and curry that most people know, but we [also] have something different every time they come. We always want them to try something new.”
Click here to read more about Chef Penny Mukufa’s vision for Bamboo Penny’s.
Mesob at the 2023 preview event for Kansas City Restaurant Week at J. Rieger & Co.
A visit to Mesob gives diners a chance to experience the flavors of both the Caribbean and Ethiopia. The restaurant is owned by Cherven Desauguste — who is from Haiti — and his wife, Mehret Tesfamariam, who is from Eritrea. Desauguste, also the head chef, noted that Restaurant Week is a good time to bring people together during a typically slow month for the food industry.
For his menu, he plans to offer a few Caribbean and Ethiopian staples plus a new grilled salmon dish with green bamboo rice and a vegetable medley, he said.
“It’s also a chance for a lot of people who have never tried certain restaurants like ours,” he added. “… By having a four-course meal, then they can really try something new on the menu, regardless if it’s from the Ethiopian side of the menu or the Caribbean side of the menu.”
Esra England and Netta Odum, KC Cajun
KC Cajun traded the wheels of its mobile kitchen for a brick-and-mortar restaurant in 2022, so participating in Restaurant Week for the first time is a validating feeling, shared Esra England, the head chef and owner of KC Cajun.
KC Cajun at the 2023 preview event for Kansas City Restaurant Week at J. Rieger & Co.
“We’ve been working toward this for a while, so it’s one of those surreal feelings to finally be here,” England said. “I’m excited to really get our name out there and hopefully get a new side of customers to explore a new part of the city.”
England intentionally opened his restaurant on Kansas City’s East Side as a way to drive businesses and people to an area that has lacked in development, he noted.
Click here to read more about KC Cajun’s new brick-and-mortar restaurant on Kansas City’s East Side.
During Restaurant Week, England will debut his blacked salmon recipe, as well as continue to share authentic cajun food with the community.
“I can’t think of a better way for people to spend their time and money,” England shared. “Restaurants get more people in the door, customers get to try a bunch of new dishes at a discount, and a portion of the funds go to charity. It’s a win-win for everyone.”
Featured Business
2023 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
He earned industry cred alongside Ariana Grande; now Jo Blaq wants to share the music with emerging KC artists
Joseph Macklin forged a successful music career through trial and error, he said, but that doesn’t mean the next generation should be forced to endure those same challenges just to feel like they earned credibility. The multi-platinum, Grammy award-nominated music producer, songwriter, engineer, and vocal arranger — known as Jo Blaq — is on a…
Nation’s best dog bar planning new tricks in KC after fetching top award, summer funding round
The dog days of summer are bringing momentum to Bar K, said David Hensley. The Kansas City-based escape space for pets and their owners was recently named top dog in the country by USA Today, just closed a funding round, and added several key team members — including Tim Schoenfelder as CEO — the co-founder…
Let’s eat out: KCMO wants more outdoor dining; new grants program pays for restaurant upgrades
Outdoor dining’s economic impact outlasted the pandemic, said Mayor Quinton Lucas. A new push to boost KCMO businesses — with the backing of city tourism dollars — is expected to help local restaurants, coffee shops, and bars embrace the opportunity, he said. His goal: Make outdoor dining spaces even more attractive to visitors and hometown…
Resilience pays off as retail incubator opens doors; Meet the first featured founders at PHKC
Launching a retail incubator in Midtown Kansas City — a physical space targeted for overlooked and under-resourced entrepreneurs — The Porter House KC faced many of the same challenges as emerging small businesses, said Miranda Schultz, but ultimately the effort made it to opening day. “It’s been nice to go through our own trial and…