Status and future of the River Market area??

Issues concerning Downtown as described by the Downtown Council. River to 31st Street, I-35 to Bruce R. Watkins.
flyingember
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Re: Status and future of the River Market area??

Post by flyingember »

scooterj wrote:That pic reminds me... has there been any activity yet with either the Cafe Al Dente or Winslow's spots? The landlords seemed in a hurry to send both packing but I haven't found anything since about plans for either spot.
If they hit the official end of the lease it was probably the only time they could have without creating legal issues. A new tenant finish will probably have to wait on a new tenant being identified. They won't necessarily even want to tear anything out because it's not uncommon for some tenants in this market to take an existing layout and just rebrand, new tables and the like. A kitchen space could be majority usable.

It's also not going to be a situation where the former tenant has two weeks to get stuff out. I bet many restaurant leases let the former user be able to sell equipment to the new user to sweeten the deal, or this could be done instead of paying back rent for a failed restaurant. Why tear out a walk in or remove a stove if it can be reused and everyone benefits. Like you save the cost of hiring someone to unhook a gas line and just hook something else up.

I woiuldn't expect to see movement until they have a plan identified for the space.
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Re: Status and future of the River Market area??

Post by smh »

scooterj wrote:That pic reminds me... has there been any activity yet with either the Cafe Al Dente or Winslow's spots? The landlords seemed in a hurry to send both packing but I haven't found anything since about plans for either spot.
I heard through the grapevine that Beignet is moving to the Winslow's space. I am not sure of said grape's reliability.

I was by the al Dente space last night and didn't note any activity.
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Re: Status and future of the River Market area??

Post by earthling »

I could see why Beignet would want a larger spot but Windows's space is huge for what is otherwise a quaint eats counter. Would hate to see this place ending up not making it if not able to handle the rent for a space that size. Maybe they have ambitions to become KC's Cafe du Monde. It is just about that good.

On another note, per the discussion of counter eats in a P&L thread. RM needs some more public seating instead of dedicated seating for each restaurant. Beignet could turn entire space into kitchen with a counter facing the RM walkway if there were more public seating. Dedicated seating is not an effective use of RMs limited space. Burrito Bros has an entire slot dedicated to seating - unnecessary, if anything it should be public seating from any counter eats.
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Re: Status and future of the River Market area??

Post by scooterj »

earthling wrote:I could see why Beignet would want a larger spot but Windows's space is huge for what is otherwise a quaint eats counter. Would hate to see this place ending up not making it if not able to handle the rent for a space that size. Maybe they have ambitions to become KC's Cafe du Monde. It is just about that good.
Wow, that space definitely seems like overkill for Beignet. Not that Beignet couldn't use more space, they really do need more room. I'd think the Cafe Al Dente spot would actually be a better fit. Unless they are going to subdivide it, it makes more sense to use Winslow's for something that can make use of the full bar setup. (And, even better, the already-in-place smoker).
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Re: Status and future of the River Market area??

Post by KCPowercat »

Can't remember where i heard this but Anton's was putting a burger bar in Cafe Al dente space.
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Re: Status and future of the River Market area??

Post by taxi »

BBQ Beignet?
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Re: Status and future of the River Market area??

Post by smh »

Word was that Beignet was going to start offering dinner--which I guess makes some sense since they owned Nica's. But wasn't Nica's a mild disaster? Also, when we're talking about "Winslow's space being huge" are we talking as is, or as it was prior to KC Soda Co. taking the front portion. Honest question b/c I never went in Winslow's having been convinced by anyone who'd ever eaten there that it was "not great".
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Re: Status and future of the River Market area??

Post by KCPowercat »

Nicas was pretty good...not sure why they closed that space
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Re: Status and future of the River Market area??

Post by DaveKCMO »

KCPowercat wrote:Nicas was pretty good...not sure why they closed that space
where’s your sarcasm indicator?
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Re: Status and future of the River Market area??

Post by grovester »

Hey they made a really good Sazerac!
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Re: Status and future of the River Market area??

Post by KCPowercat »

I liked their brunch...
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Re: Status and future of the River Market area??

Post by mean »

I just remember Nica's menu being a confusing mess of combinations and thinking it looked exactly like the kind of menu Gordon Ramsay would roll his eyes at and tell the chef to stop trying to be so clever.
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Re: Status and future of the River Market area??

Post by earthling »

^That, Nica's should be an entry in the Urban Dictionary for 'tryingtoohard' and 'overlycomplicated'. Beignet is pretty good though.
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Re: Status and future of the River Market area??

Post by smh »

The self-combination of ingredients to form an entree was too much for me. But I wish them well in a dinner incarnation of Beignet...just maybe combine stuff for me?
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Re: Status and future of the River Market area??

Post by beautyfromashes »

Nicas: “Do you want Mac & cheese or mashed potatoes as your side?” Should have been a slam dunk with all the KC fatties.
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Re: Status and future of the River Market area??

Post by chingon »

beautyfromashes wrote:Nicas: “Do you want Mac & cheese or mashed potatoes as your side?” Should have been a slam dunk with all the KC fatties.
Did you write that in a Rodney Dangerfield voice, but with poor timing?
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Re: Status and future of the River Market area??

Post by beautyfromashes »

^ Funny! Nicas might have been the worst restaurant I’ve eaten at in KC the last 10 years. Excuse the snarky comment.
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Re: Status and future of the River Market area??

Post by flyingember »

mean wrote:I just remember Nica's menu being a confusing mess of combinations and thinking it looked exactly like the kind of menu Gordon Ramsay would roll his eyes at and tell the chef to stop trying to be so clever.
I can picture it perfectly despite never going just off this
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Re: Status and future of the River Market area??

Post by KCPowercat »

KCPowercat wrote:Any Delaware landing news? Thought late November early December more details were to emerge.
anything?
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Re: Status and future of the River Market area??

Post by scooterj »

smh wrote:...when we're talking about "Winslow's space being huge" are we talking as is, or as it was prior to KC Soda Co. taking the front portion. Honest question b/c I never went in Winslow's having been convinced by anyone who'd ever eaten there that it was "not great".
I have not heard of this KC Soda Company thing of which you speak, so I guess I must be envisioning the entirety of the original space.

(To have experienced Winslow's when it was better than "not great" you would have to have visited at least 10 or so years ago.)
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