Closed Bars and Restaurants

[Pancho_and_Lefty]

That's a pretty bold statement. I quite enjoy the Plaza location, though I don't make it down there too often. I loved the Westport location.

Also, as a side note, I enjoy that you refer to it as the downtown location. That sort of plays into discussions had elsewhere on the forum about how some who don't live in the city view the whole Plaza-River corridor as downtown. My parents feel the same way. They're from Branson.

I lived on the plaza for two years; when I lived there it was in Westport.  Nowadays I refer to downtown as the urban core probably from the 50s on up to the river even though I know that encapsulates midtown as well..

[butter_breath]

Better watch it Lefty you are throwing eggs at the emerald city now..better run while they kick up and get their panties in a wad. I've decided to keep my comments to myself about Blanc, it was or is a shame for any independent restaurant to fold and leave town. It was never my cup of tea, if I'm going to a premium burger joint I would at least prefer them to grind their meat on location daily. That way if I order a burger med or so I know or feel safe about someone not chucking external cow parts in it or having a mouse hit the grinder by accident.

[Pancho_and_Lefty]

So true.  My gf and I went to visit my dad in NYC for christmas this year...he lives on the upper east side.  There is this chain of restaurants throughout the boroughs that is like Blanc's..."gourmet" hamburgers...it was crap too...I am sorry I just don't get thrilled by the whole concept.

There are just SO many better burger joints in KC that I have been to (including Westport Flee Market).

[MoMan]

Perhaps the failure of a tired, overpriced concept in Lee's Summit reflects more on the sophistication/wisdom of that wealthy suburb than on it's lack of hipness.

The burger chain's next planned expansion, after all, is to Omaha and Little Rock.  Odd choices if the restaurant's success requires a large pool of cool people with discriminating palates.

[grovester]

Yep, LS is the wise, sophisticated arbiter of societal taste.  I imagine the Burger King Bar will kick ass.

[Jess]

Yes, the mere feet separating LS from KC city limits represent a VAST divide of urbanity and social je ne sais quoi.  I know that when I wanna get my class on, I need only cruise up 350 to experience the unimaginable bourgeois fineries of Knobtown and the like. 

[KCPowercat]

Better watch it Lefty you are throwing eggs at the emerald city now..better run while they kick up and get their panties in a wad. I've decided to keep my comments to myself about Blanc, it was or is a shame for any independent restaurant to fold and leave town. It was never my cup of tea, if I'm going to a premium burger joint I would at least prefer them to grind their meat on location daily. That way if I order a burger med or so I know or feel safe about someone not chucking external cow parts in it or having a mouse hit the grinder by accident.

LOL where do you cook again?

It is pretty funny to read twitters saying "downtown kc" and then refer to Plaza III or the like.

[trailerkid]

I also want butter_breath to reveal himself.

It is pretty funny to read twitters saying "downtown kc" and then refer to Plaza III or the like.

i've noticed this too and it's just INSANE how much it comes up. i'd say it's even more prolific than the MO/KS thing because people can live in the area for months or even years and still call the Plaza downtown.

[trailerkid]

Has anyone read the comments of the Pitch coverage of the b:2 closing?
http://blogs.pitch.com/fatcity/2011/01/ ... y_of_2.php



One of the former employees noted that the b:2 store was being shipped to Omaha to be used for the new Blanc. Sounds like a classy operation. I'm really obsessed with watching the potential implosion of this thing.

[butter_breath]

LOL where do you cook again?

It is pretty funny to read twitters saying "downtown kc" and then refer to Plaza III or the like.

The grinder part had nothing to do with the restaurant, it was a reference to the kill site and mass grinding hopper the beef is slung into. Even grass fed beef isn't safe from ecol i. I won't eat any beef 165f or less, unless it has been ground on site. Any place worth it's salt that prides it's self on burgers should grind on site, it's just a matter of pride and knowledge. As far as the mice go, hell it could be a boutique field mouse from a boutique slaughter house from a boutique cattle man, hell Jose(being the grinder operator) really doesn't care or at least more than the FDA.
Here are some current filth limitations that the FDA abides by:

Maggots?up to 19 maggots of any size per 100 grams of drained mushrooms are acceptable.



Mold?the average mold count can be as high as 12 percent of an apple.

Rodent hair?one hair per 100 grams of food is permitted.

Grit?up to 25mg of grit per 100 grams of peanut butter is allowed.

Defect Levels Handbook
The Food Defect Action Levels
Levels of natural or unavoidable defects in foods
that present no health hazards for humans

http://www.fda.gov/food/guidancecomplia ... 056174.htm


I work at a major hospital downtown, no wait plaza area, no wait, the Westport area, no wait let's just say downtown. Which came first the p&l or downtown? Is downtown gone or has it just moved or expanded to cover the loss of critical mass? If it's the latter are we in denial?

[chrizow]

Yes, the mere feet separating LS from KC city limits represent a VAST divide of urbanity and social je ne sais quoi.  I know that when I wanna get my class on, I need only cruise up 350 to experience the unimaginable bourgeois fineries of Knobtown and the like.  

well, i wasn't quite saying "aw, lee's summit folks are a bunch of rubes who cannot appreciate the finer things in life like truffle fries."  i know there are folks in LS (and raytown and blue springs and oak grove and wherever else) who enjoy interesting food.  i am just saying that there are almost certainly fewer "foodies" in east jack than, say, the downtown/midtown/plaza/joco area (i.e. where 98% of foodie joints are).  the fringes of kcmo proper like rural noland road or whatever are not what i am talking about, i think you probably know that.  i grew up out there, my family still lives out there, etc., so i am pretty familiar with the dining tastes of east jack.  

that said, i personally am not really that impressed with blanc - i am good with paying top-dollar for interesting, "gourmet" burgers, but blanc just doesn't cut it after you've tried the food at similar places around the country that do it way better.  in kc i am very much content with mccoy's for my occasional burger fix (though plaza iii probably has the highest quality meat on their burger in the city in my experience).  it is unfortunate that blanc appears to have let the success of the westport, then plaza, locations go to their head - the likelihood of them forging a successful, self-financed chain is tremendously low.  

[moosnsqrl]

For another, its suburban outpost of SPIN! Pizza seems to have made the "urban haunt goes suburban satellite" move go fairly decently.

Not to split hairs, but Spin started in OP, then expanded to mid-town, then LS, IIRC.

[jchgh2]

Not to split hairs, but Spin started in OP, then expanded to mid-town, then LS, IIRC.

Correct.  Spin's first location was on 119th in OP

[Joe Smith]

That's a pretty bold statement. I quite enjoy the Plaza location, though I don't make it down there too often. I loved the Westport location.

Also, as a side note, I enjoy that you refer to it as the downtown location. That sort of plays into discussions had elsewhere on the forum about how some who don't live in the city view the whole Plaza-River corridor as downtown. My parents feel the same way. They're from Branson.

When I was living on a farm in Mooresville, which is right outside of Chillicothe, no one ever mentioned Kansas City by name. It was always "The City". Whereas Chillicothe was always referred to as "Chilli".

[WinchesterMysteryHouse]

not a bar, not a restaurant.  Couldn't find an existing thread on the place (surprising in retrospect....).

The Pistol Social Club is dead.

The Foundation Room apparently will continue though.... so that's some solace.

It was a pretty strange place, I enjoyed it the times i went, and the eclectic crowd that showed up (from dirty young hipsters to older Brookside couples).  It really was a solid example of what a DIY music/arts scene could look like, only wish there were more like it.

Thanks for the kind words, I owned and operated the PSC for five years. 

[chrizow]

saw lots of cool shows there, but the one that sticks in my mind is the black dice show from fall 2007 or so.  would love to see another venue like this in KC - perhaps the Firehouse can fill this void for a while.  i dont care much for the studded bird, the acoustics are so echo-y that every band ends up sounding like a Dead C bootleg.

[WinchesterMysteryHouse]

Thanks for the support!  Yes, the Black Dice show exemplified what we could do, being in a remote location.  Their volume levels, just evil decibels, couldn't occur in a mixed-use neighborhood.  Case in point, the Body played super-loud at the Studded Bird and caused disruption with the upstairs neighbors' bedtimes.  Less likely in the 'lawless' West Bottoms. 

[chrizow]

is danny edwards boulevard bbq closed?  i saw a for lease sign on the building the other day.

[mgsports]

http://blogs.pitch.com/fatcity/openings_closings/

[cknab1]

is danny edwards boulevard bbq closed?  i saw a for lease sign on the building the other day.

I had lunch there today and Danny said that he had the roof done and the roofer had his business sign on the building and three people Danny if they were closing.  He said the sign came down that day.