Cordish sues Bice Bistro

[AJoD]

Rotating restaurants atop hotel towers with great views have little incentive to offer more than passable food.

[Highlander]

Rotating restaurants atop hotel towers with great views have little incentive to offer more than passable food.

That's somewhat true and I admit I have been there on a few occasions just because I love the view.  It will be even better with PAC coming on line soon.  Isn't the kitchen 40 floors below the restaurant?  I think that would be a very difficult set-up to run from a food service perspective. 

[trailerkid]

That's somewhat true and I admit I have been there on a few occasions just because I love the view.  It will be even better with PAC coming on line soon.  Isn't the kitchen 40 floors below the restaurant?  I think that would be a very difficult set-up to run from a food service perspective. 

the American will actually have very good views of the PAC.

[PumpkinStalker]

That's somewhat true and I admit I have been there on a few occasions just because I love the view.  It will be even better with PAC coming on line soon.  Isn't the kitchen 40 floors below the restaurant?  I think that would be a very difficult set-up to run from a food service perspective. 

I don't believe so, I think it's in the center.  Only the inner perimeter spins.  The center core stays still.

[DaveKCMO]

i just mentioned EBT as a locally-owned option. i haven't been there in well over 10 years and can't really vouch for the quality. the concept and history are solid, nothing a new exec chef couldn't resolve. so let's just forget it, okay?

anyway, cordish has a lot riding on this next choice of tenants. it's such a prime spot and bice was such a miserable (and notable) failure from the very beginning.

[Highlander]

i just mentioned EBT as a locally-owned option. i haven't been there in well over 10 years and can't really vouch for the quality. the concept and history are solid, nothing a new exec chef couldn't resolve. so let's just forget it, okay?

anyway, cordish has a lot riding on this next choice of tenants. it's such a prime spot and bice was such a miserable (and notable) failure from the very beginning.

Yep, they've still not hit any home runs with their restaurant tenants yet as in something that will draw people into the area on a regular basis.  Bristols is the only thing that is even close right now.  Aren't there still some high profile spots in the district that have never been occupied, like across the street from Raglan Road?

[KCPowercat]

bristol and peachtree both fit that description imo.

[mean]

Isn't the kitchen 40 floors below the restaurant?

No, the production kitchen is up there, although the bakery and prep areas are all down on the (if I recall) 3rd and 4th floors.

[trailerkid]

Yep, they've still not hit any home runs with their restaurant tenants yet as in something that will draw people into the area on a regular basis.  Bristols is the only thing that is even close right now.  Aren't there still some high profile spots in the district that have never been occupied, like across the street from Raglan Road?

I am puzzled why Cordish refuses to see they need to add credibility to the dining options. People would make the special trip downtown to dine if there were unique options. The reputation is that everything comes out of a corporate kitchen @ P&L. I don't think that's true, but that's the perception. People will accept the corporate kitchen model if the names are Ruth's Chris, The Palm, Houston's, etc. but very very few know Raglan Road,801 or Bice so the perception is they're not destination dining  but just chains.

Cordish needs to partner with local, known chefs to make the dining aspect work better. Instead Cordish drags in people from the East that no one has heard of like what happened with Pizza Bar. If the pizza had a local chef do the recipe it'd be a lot harder to dislike than some guy flown in from Baltimore.

I'm sure it all sounds much simpler than it really is, but I look at First Management/Doug Compton in Lawrence. They've used Krause to launch 2 wildly successful concepts in their downtown properties and there is a mob scene around these places day and night. Cordish could add so much value and energy to their dining scene by developing more chef-driven, local concepts. I just don't see the need for mediocrity when there is a wealth of culinary talent under their nose.      

[KC Sporting Life]

I am puzzled why Cordish refuses to see they need to add credibility to the dining options. People would make the special trip downtown to dine if there were unique options. The reputation is that everything comes out of a corporate kitchen @ P&L. I don't think that's true, but that's the perception. People will accept the corporate kitchen model if the names are Ruth's Chris, The Palm, Houston's, etc. but very very few know Raglan Road,801 or Bice so the perception is they're not destination dining  but just chains.

Cordish needs to partner with local, known chefs to make the dining aspect work better. Instead Cordish drags in people from the East that no one has heard of like what happened with Pizza Bar. If the pizza had a local chef do the recipe it'd be a lot harder to dislike than some guy flown in from Baltimore.

I'm sure it all sounds much simpler than it really is, but I look at First Management/Doug Compton in Lawrence. They've used Krause to launch 2 wildly successful concepts in their downtown properties and there is a mob scene around these places day and night. Cordish could add so much value and energy to their dining scene by developing more chef-driven, local concepts. I just don't see the need for mediocrity when there is a wealth of culinary talent under their nose.      

I'm optimistic that Cordish will do exactly that.  It's still such a young development, and as they (Cordish) realize what Kansas Citians are really looking for in their downtown entertainment district, hopefully they'll respond.  This move on the Bice space is a big decision for them, and a great opportunity for them to right the ship.  We'll find out soon.

[beautyfromashes]

They need to throw money at Colby to move the Bluesteam DT.  The current location is not fine dining and having a Beard award winner in the district would be huge.

[jdubwaldo]

They need to throw money at Colby to move the Bluesteam DT.  The current location is not fine dining and having a Beard award winner in the district would be huge.

[mean]

The current location is perfect for the bluestem concept, and I don't think an entertainment district full of college kids and tourists from Abilene is exactly the kind of crowd who are going to drop a few hundred bones on a great meal. And if they do, they'll post reviews on OpenTable and Yelp like, "we were a little disappointed with the first 3 courses as they weren't anything we recognized and came across as belonging in a restaurant in California."*

That said, if Cordish wanted to pay some local culinary luminary a boat full of cash to consult on a P&L concept, like a KC-style Gordon Ramsay, that might be interesting.

*Quote from an actual review of bluestem.

[KCPowercat]

I don't think bice is a good match for bluestem due to the size but I absolutely despise where bluestem is now.  I mean the blockbuster and gamestop is a fabulous neighbor and all but still....

[LenexatoKCMO]

I don't think bice is a good match for bluestem due to the size but I absolutely despise where bluestem is now.  I mean the blockbuster and gamestop is a fabulous neighbor and all but still....

Since Blockbuster stores are on the endangered species list, that "problem" may go away on its own sooner rather than later - see vacant Hollywood video store a half block away. 

[KCPowercat]

that won't get rid of the strip mall.

I just can't stand that entire piece of westport. 

[moderne]

Beats what was there before(a gas station).

[jdubwaldo]

The current location is perfect for the bluestem concept, and I don't think an entertainment district full of college kids and tourists from Abilene is exactly the kind of crowd who are going to drop a few hundred bones on a great meal. And if they do, they'll post reviews on OpenTable and Yelp like, "we were a little disappointed with the first 3 courses as they weren't anything we recognized and came across as belonging in a restaurant in California."*

That said, if Cordish wanted to pay some local culinary luminary a boat full of cash to consult on a P&L concept, like a KC-style Gordon Ramsay, that might be interesting.

*Quote from an actual review of bluestem.

My thoughts exactly.  People will stumble in off of the street wearing hoodies and crocs.  **shudder**
I'm sorry but this picture in my head is more than my brain can stand to process right now.

[jdubwaldo]

Additionally, I love where bluestem is at right now.  The space is great, they have done an awesome job - neighborhoody, intimate, unexpected where it's at.  It's a true destination.  Which is one of the many reasons it's the most fabulous restaurant in KC, IMHO.  The only place I think could be a big improvement for them is in an awesome street level space in XRoads.  It would sicken me to think of it at P&L.  Or a stripmall in JoCo, for that matter.  Although, frankly, sort of like blanc I would go wherever it is.  

[KC Sporting Life]

I think most can agree that Bluestem wouldn't be appropriate in the Bice space.  But I think the point here is to bring in local talent.  And if Chef Colby or another fantastically talented KC Chef or restauranteur had the means and the right opportunity, why not try to open another (different) concept there?  And bringing in local experts to consult also makes a lot of sense, it would reduce the risk of signing a 10 year lease.