Fresh pour at former Ça Va space: Popular chef takes over Westport hotspot with crisp new Champagne concept

Westport Champagne bar and bistro Ça Va closed in March for a quick rebrand. Six months later, a new name, owner and concept are bubbling in the space — with plans to reopen by the holidays.  

Chef Amante Domingo — perhaps best known for his Midtown restaurant The Russell — is taking over the spot at 4149 Pennsylvania Ave., on the southern edge of the entertainment district.

The new owner’s vision for “Le Champion” once it pops its cork: a full-service coffee shop in the morning through the afternoon, Wednesdays through Sundays. Domingo’s former business partner, Heather White (of Tailleur, Cheval and Enchante The Bakery in Midtown, will make the pastries, quiche and other savory items for dine-in, or grab-and-go.

From the archives: Enchanté! Restaurateur bakes her latest hotspot on KC Streetcar line: Each space speaks to me

Then at 5 p.m. laptops will shut down, music will go up and the lounge menu will roll out — charcuterie, Champagne, wine and cocktails. The space will have a Ralph Lauren/heritage sports decor, Domingo said, noting some nights it will be closed for private events such as birthday and holidays parties.

“I love everyone who is part of Ça Va and I didn’t want to see it go,” Domingo said. “I just wanted it to have more offerings, a coffee shop to make it an all-day place. I just want to continue on with the legacy.”

The founders of Ça Va couldn’t be reached for comment this week. However, the Colorado-based landlord confirmed Le Champion’s lease, and painters were working on the space Friday.

Amante Domingo, The Russell; photo by Bobby Burch, AltCap

Domingo owns The Russell Restaurant & Catering Co. at 3141 Main St., with an open kitchen, custom wood-fired hearth, and an Argentinian fire table for such dishes as steak chimichurri. (Domingo and White opened The Russell in 2017 and later debuted Tailleur in 2021.)

He also has Noka, a Japanese farmhouse-style restaurant at 334 E. 31st St., on Martini Corner in Midtown. Its menu includes sushi, and entrees such as miso cod and dry-aged salmon.

RELATED: Before restaurant’s debut, this KC founder’s expansion was threatened by predatory loans

He grew up on his father’s 150-acre organic farm near St. Joseph, Missouri, and worked at the family’s vegetarian restaurant in the city’s downtown district. The family also sold their produce at the City Market in Kansas City.

The Ça Va space at 4149 Pennsylvania Ave. in Westport; photo by Joyce Smith

Ça Va — led by the team of chef Howard Hanna, Justin Norcross and Jim Coley — opened in the 750-square-foot space in 2014, specializing in Champagne, boutique wines, and a small plate menu of French-inspired fare — pomme frites, deviled eggs with caviar, cheese boards, duck fat kettle corn and more.

Ça Va (pronounced sah-vah) is an informal greeting, the founders said, akin to “Hello” or “What’s up?”

In a late February Instagram post, the Ça Va’s owners said they had some bittersweet news to share: “We are coming up on our tenth anniversary, which is cause for celebration! However, on the flip side, we’ve reached a decision with this milestone and will be temporarily closing Ça Va for an update of our brand.”

They blamed challenges since the pandemic, and said they wanted to “broaden the scope of our reach by still offering bubbly, but extending into a more international menu from both a food and beverage perspective.”

In other Champagne updates, Blanc Champagne Bar is scheduled to open in October at 3835 Main St., in The Netherland apartment building.

[divide]

Startland News contributor Joyce Smith covered local restaurants and retail for nearly 40 years with The Kansas City Star. Click here to follower on X (formerly Twitter), here for Facebook, here for Instagram, and by following #joyceinkc on Threads.