Brush Creek Restaurant

missingkc · Post by **missingkc** » Wed Oct 16, 2002 8:00 pm

The Star reported today that final approval has been given for a restaurant to be built next to the boat dock on Brush Creek. It will include an outdoor deck overlooking the creek. Given how people love to see and be seen, this could do great things for the popularity of the creekside walksays. The restaurant is supposed to open next spring.

KCPowercat · Post by **KCPowercat** » Thu Oct 17, 2002 5:24 am

Yeah we were talking about this some where else on here but I guess it wasn't in the right spot.

Good start for using the underused Brush Creek. Only thing it's used for now is runners and the underpasses are a good place for a couple of the regular bums to hang out.

Shawn · Post by **Shawn** » Fri Feb 21, 2003 2:06 pm

From today's "Preview" section in the Kansas City Star....

• Construction is set to begin in April on the Plaza Wine Garden, right on the banks of Brush Creek and across from the K.C. Masterpiece at 4747 Wyandotte.

Restaurateur Ron Lamothe, who runs the Brush Creek boats, has the exclusive rights to develop Brush Creek. This is the first of several food venues planned.

The restaurant would seat 115 inside and 180 outside and feature two outdoor patio bars, one outdoor fireplace and heated umbrella-covered tables.

The Plaza Wine Garden is slated to be open seven days a week for lunch and dinner only. The menu will include appetizers, salads, soups, sandwiches and big plates. Prices will range from $3.95 to $9.95. A prix fixe, all-you-can-eat happy hour buffet is on the docket as well. Look for a mid- to late August opening.

KCMatt · Post by **KCMatt** » Fri Feb 21, 2003 4:26 pm

This project could ruin the visual aesthetic of brush creek if done as poorly as some recent Plaza additions. Personally I dont see how you can avoid a design nightmere with adding a restaurant in this place. If they add one, they need to keep adding to avoid breaking up the linear element that the landscape architects have created with brush creek. It should be lowrise, off the street. and take advantage of the slope for a dynamic opportunity.

Also, Ward Parkway is horribly suited for more pedestrians crossing it. If commercial building is to begin on brush creek then there needs to be more thought put into traffic calming, reducing and enforcing the speed limit on Ward Parkway and high-curb medians. Right now it is a difficult and dangerous place to cross and the crosswalks help very little when Kansas City suburbanites (driving or walking) dont know how to use them or pay little attention to them. I have seen so many close calls on the plaza and the UMKC girl killed last week using a crosswalk shows how inefective they are.

Plus, more pollution to brush creek will undoubtably be the result of developing on it. Already there are the idiots that toss their beer bottles into the creek when they leave the bars at night

KCPowercat · Post by **KCPowercat** » Fri Feb 21, 2003 4:37 pm

Of course if done wrong it could suck but I think it's a great idea...what I don't want is people thinking we're trying to copy the riverwalk....but a couple of restaurants looking back on the Plaza would be a huge hit.

I'm always up fro more bars in the Plaza too.

Shawn · Post by **Shawn** » Fri Feb 21, 2003 4:50 pm

Speaking of more bars on the Plaza.....

Posted on Fri, Feb. 21, 2003

Fontana takes latest idea to the PlazaBy HEARNE CHRISTOPHER JR.
Columnist

Fontana takes latest idea to the Plaza

One of the Kansas City's kings of fine dining is Plaza-bound.

Victor Fontana, the former force behind legendary Italian eateries such as Fanny's, Charlie Charlie's and Veco, and hip-as-heck nightclubs like Fanny's, Krypton and The Edge, is moving Frankie's on the Plaza into the space that formerly housed Annie's Santa Fe.

"I've been working on this for a year-and-a-half," Fontana says of his upscale new joint.

Fontana is reworking the two-story space that overlooks Brush Creek.

"It's going to have a nice view from the mezzanine," Fontana says. "I think it's going to be a showcase for Kansas City. So hopefully we'll bring some action down to this side of the Plaza.

The theme:

"It'll be a restaurant-slash-bar," Fontana says. "The music will be danceable, but not jazz and not rock 'n' roll. I would say we'll do '60s, '70s and '80s music. Something you can dance to with your wife."

As for the cuisine, "it'll be Italian with some flair of Oriental like we did at Charlie Charlie's," Fontana says. "And we'll do some things we did at Veco."

It also will include the former Fanny's fave, Scampi a la Giordano.

"It was around before spedini was popular," Fontana says. "It was basically the same concept, only with lobster. This time we'll call it Lobster a la Giordano."

Fontana's move serves as something of a rescue operation for the space.

"It sat empty for nearly three years," says Fontana, who subleased from former operator Nabil Haddad's family firm. "Nobody could figure out what to do with it."

What did Fontana learn from his time off?

"I found out that not only did I need to make a living," he says. "But that my whole social life was my business."

KCPowercat · Post by **KCPowercat** » Fri Feb 21, 2003 5:15 pm

Yeah I'm surprised Highwoods is allowing this since it seems they ran Houlihan's out for being too much of a bar....

glad to see it though....something original going on the Plaza is ALWAYS tops in my book

Good2Great · Post by **Good2Great** » Fri Feb 21, 2003 6:21 pm

It could ruin the aesthetics of Brush Creek? Keep in mind it used to be filled to the brim with fecal matter. (DON'T EAT THE CHILI at the new restaurant!)

I still don't get the gondola? Ever ridden it? What does the skipper say during the voyage?

QueSi2Opie · Post by **QueSi2Opie** » Tue Feb 25, 2003 8:14 pm

Good2Great wrote:It could ruin the aesthetics of Brush Creek? Keep in mind it used to be filled to the brim with fecal matter. (DON'T EAT THE CHILI at the new restaurant!)

I still don't get the gondola? Ever ridden it? What does the skipper say during the voyage?

He talks about the history of the Plaza, Pendergast/Brush Creek, and who owns (or owned) certain plaza lofts which can be viewed from the gondola including their price ranges. I jus' want to know if anyone's heard anymore info about the Restaurant/Wine Garden that's suppose to be developed on Brush Creek?

Good2Great · Post by **Good2Great** » Tue Feb 25, 2003 10:12 pm

I saw an RFP for it a few weeks/months ago. I'll see if I can dig it out and find the specs.

KCLofts · Post by **KCLofts** » Thu Nov 27, 2003 10:55 pm

Star had a small blurb about this today. Project is dead. It also said the guy that runs the "river" cruises is trying to give the boats to the city so he can get out.

zonk · Post by **zonk** » Sat Nov 29, 2003 11:32 am

this was a stupid idea to begin with...glad it dead!

Post by **dangerboy** » Sat Nov 29, 2003 2:11 pm

The company had to agree to run the cruises in exchange for the rights to the creek-side restaurant site, they were never expected to break even on their own.