The Making of a Foodie

Snow & Co. Opens New Two-Story Frozen Cocktail Lounge in Westport

Snow & Co. has opened their new frozen craft cocktail bar in Westport, just in time to bring chilly comfort from the rising temps outside.

Owners, Jerry Nevins, Andy Talbert and Lauren Cloud moved their frozen cocktail lounge from its original location in the Crossroads Arts District to a larger space in Westport last year, believing the concept a better fit for Westport.

The trio have spent the last 9 months, turning the former Union bar, into a colorful and sophisticated new place to land for a cocktail and a snack.

“We have great neighbors, from our lower level lounge, we have Westport Café & Bar directly above us, and HopCat beside us,” says Nevins.

The renovation highlights the great new bones of their new space that includes a full bar and lounge, upstairs. Head downstairs to find a lower level lounge with a second bar, plus a private lounge for parties and an 800-square foot walkout outdoor patio. The 3,800-square foot space can now seat 125 to 150 people.

The sexy new space continues to offer their tantalizing selection of unique frozen and hot cocktails in addition to wine, beers and well drinks.

From their brand-new kitchen, they are offering an expanded menu including new small plates, sandwiches, salads, flatbread pizzas and, for the first time, chicken wings.

For their grand opening this week, they are offering several new food specials, in addition to their regular menu. Some of the new menu items include, pulled pork and turkey, bacon, swiss sliders, along with a new Mexican and Rueben-inspired pizza and finally four different kinds of bone-in chicken wings that come with a choice of sauces -- strawberry-balsamic and sriracha glaze, ghost chili sauce, Bulleit bourbon glaze or Garlic Aioli.

Now that Westport is open, the partners aren’t content to rest on their laurels, they are starting to do some refresh work on their second location in Gladstone, and they are busy serving drinks from their drink cart out at the Children’s Mercy Park during Sporting KC games.

Nevins also recently finished a labor of love, a new frozen drink recipe book called Sloshies that features more than 100 innovative frozen cocktail recipes based on a simple granita technique, including some of the most popular flavors served at Snow & Co.

“We’ll be hosting a book signing at our Westport location in conjunction with Rainy Day Books on June 10^th at 6 pm,” says Nevins. “We hope everyone will be able to come out for a book, a drink and to check out our new space.”

Snow & Co., 421 Westport Road, Kansas City, Missouri, 816.214.8921, snowandcompany.com

American Royal Announces Winners Of Best Sauce On The Planet For 2017

For almost as long as the American Royal in Kansas City has been hosting the world’s largest professional barbecue competition, known as the World Series of Barbecue, they have also been hosting the world’s largest barbecue sauce competition.

After all, what is good barbecue, without a little sauce?  

Last Sunday, the 30th annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue Sauce competition, took place in the West Bottoms, with over 606 sauces vying for the top prize, which consists of a cash prize, the ability to market your barbecue sauce as a sanctioned winner of the American Royal World Series of Barbecue Sauce competition and the much coveted “Best Sauce on the Planet” trophy.

Hosted every year, during the month of May to honor national barbecue month, the American Royal World Series of Barbecue Sauce contest unofficially kicks off the new 2017 competitive barbecue season for the American Royal.

“The American Royal World Series of Barbecue Sauce Contest is open to any producer of a retail barbecue sauce and provides the opportunity for them to put their sauce up against other sauces from around the world for the chance to be named “Best Sauce on the Planet,” said Lynn Parman, President and CEO of the American Royal. “The contest continues to grow and this year we saw an increase in the number of entries and the number of states and countries represented.”

Seventy assembled judges evaluated barbecue sauces submitted from 43 states and 13 countries. The furthest entry came from Melbourne, Australia traveling 9,282 miles to compete. This year’s contest was the largest in its history with over 150 more entries than in 2016.

“We put out our call to entry around the first of the year, and then boxes of barbecue sauces from all over the world start flooding our offices right up until the competition,” says Parman. “As part of the submitting process, we ask each competitor to send additional bottles of their competing sauce so that we can sell them in our marketplace store that we set up during the American Royal barbecue competition every year.”

On the day of the sauce competition, the original sauce bottles are opened and a small amount of each sauce are poured into a clear plastic squeeze bottle with a label that matches the label on the original bottle submitted that is kept hidden from the judges in a separate room.

The judges then take a seat at small tables in an upstairs meeting room at the American Royal for a blind tasting of each sauce. Estimated to take about 2 hours, all the judges in this sauce competition, must be certified barbecue judges. The thinking is if you can judge the meat, you can judge the sauce that goes on the meat. The judges will sample each sauce plain, and then again with a piece of unseasoned barbecue meat.

They place their votes based on the texture, appearance and taste of each barbecue sauce in five pre-determined categories --Tomato Mild, Tomato Hot, Mustard, Vinegar and Specialty, a category dominated by sauces with fruit, boozy flavors and unique spices.

These are the 2017 First Place Winners by category and the Grand Prize Winner of “Best Sauce on the Planet”:

First Place, Tomato Mild - Blue Collar made by Spicewine Ironworks

First Place, Tomato Hot - XXX Hot made by Uncle Joe’s Sauces and Rubs

First Place, Mustard -  Williamson Brothers Bar-B-Q Classic Carolina Sauce made by Williamson Brothers Bar-B-Q

First Place, Vinegar - Frog Sauce made by Rob's Smokin' Rub & Frog Sauce

First Place, Specialty - EROC’S Boysenberry Apricot “It’s so...” made by Eroc’s LLC

Grand Prize Winner - Frog Sauce made by Rob’s Smokin’ Rub & Frog Sauce

The “Best Sauce on the Planet” grand prize winner will be presented with the legendary globe trophy during the Invitational awards ceremony at the American Royal World Series of Barbecue this Labor Day weekend at the Kansas Speedway.

Caffetteria To Open In The Prairie Village Shopping Center in Fall 2017

Jo Marie Scaglia is getting ready to mix things up a bit.

As the owner of the quality, quick casual restaurant, The Mixx, with three locations in Kansas City, she has now announced plans to open a new restaurant, Caffetteria, located at 71^st and Mission Road in the Prairie Village Shopping Center in the former Bruce Smith Drugs location. 

The name Caffetteria is something that Scaglia pulled from her Italian roots, as  the word is traditionally used in Italy to describe a casual coffeeshop or café. It is a gathering place, morning, noon and night in Italy where the social interaction between people is almost as important as the food and drink that is served.

A Kansas City restaurateur who made quick casual cool by serving soups, salads, wraps and bowls in craveable and customizable combinations at The Mixx, Scaglia is now putting a unique hybrid spin on Caffetteria, blending high-end food philosophy with a quick-casual approach to service.

Caffetteria will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner in Prairie Village with plans to do comfortable, nourishing dishes made with quality ingredients, and everything made from scratch in-house.

She says she is most looking forward to creating the hot entrée items for her new menu, which something that she hasn’t been able to do before at The Mixx which serves mostly cold salads, wraps and sandwiches.

“It is important to me to make people feel like they are at home at Caffetteria,” says Scaglia. “We cook everything with love and want to make each dish approachable for our guests.”

The approximately 4,000-square foot space, about half the size of the original Bruce Smith Drugs, will seat around 100 guests inside and will include a patio with outdoor seating.

Featuring an open kitchen, and a colorful, eclectic dining room, at Caffetteria guests will order at the counter then have the food delivered to their tables.

“Fine dining has its place, but Caffetteria is going to be a quick-causal restaurant, an everyday dining kind of place,” she says. “It will be a place where you can grab a meal and take it to go from our market, or have a seat and stay and enjoy a leisurely meal.”

The marketplace located inside the restaurant will offer prepared meals, specialty foods and exclusive retail products. Keeping in line with her passion for locally sourced products, Scaglia will partner with local companies to bring in fresh produce and products that will be used not only in her restaurant, but in the market, as well.

Caffetteria is planned to open in the Fall 2017.

Caffetteria, 6920 Mission Rd, Prairie Village, Kansas, caffetteriakc.com.

Port Fonda Celebrates Cinco de Mayo With A New Chef In the Kitchen

Owner and Executive Chef Patrick Ryan is kicking off his busy Cinco de Mayo weekend in Westport with a giant street party and a new head chef in the kitchen.

He announced that Chef Julio Juarez has been promoted to head chef at Port Fonda in Westport, stepping into the role that Chef David Ford had served at this popular modern Mexican restaurant for many years.

Ford left Port Fonda last month to join Café Sebastienne inside the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, as their new Executive chef.

Juarez started his career in Kansas City in 2008 as a line cook at Starkers on the Country Club Plaza working for Executive Chef John McClure. “I was promoted to sous chef in 2010, and then after John passed away, I continued working as the head chef at Starkers, until the family decided to close the restaurant,” he told Feast.

Ryan recalls that he first met Juarez was when McClure brought his entire staff from Starkers to Port Fonda’s Airstream trailer to eat. Juarez helped open the Port Fonda in Westport when Ryan made the move from food truck to brick and mortar, but soon moved to the Power & Light District to work as the Executive Chef for Tengo Sed Cantina when Ryan took on the task of rebranding that restaurant. His last position was as the Executive Chef for the Gallery Event Space in the Power & Light.

“It's really important for me to implement some more authentic regional Mexican dishes back into the menu, and having someone like Juarez that understands the cuisine, culture and history is a must,” says Ryan.

Juarez will be responsible for maintaining the food quality of the Port Fonda favorites like chilaquiles, esquite asado and queso fundido, while developing some new and unique dishes of his own and he will help to train the staff on the cuisine and culture of Mexico.

Although Juarez will officially step into the head chef role on Monday, May 8^th, he has already been working in the Port Fonda kitchen, especially with a busy, high holiday weekend, like Cinco de Mayo, in front of them.

Port Fonda’s annual Cinco de Mayo Fiesta will kick off on Friday, May 5^, from 11 am – 1 am with a giant block party featuring resident DJ Keenan Nichols playing vintage Mexican Party Music from 5 pm – 10:30 pm on Friday Night. Saturday night will feature the high energy Mariachi Girasol from Topeka playing from 5 pm – 8 pm.  There is no cover to get in.

Ryan also promises plenty of food and drink specials this weekend, including the cult favorite, tacos de chapulines or fried grasshopper tacos with salsa verde.

 

Port Fonda, 4141 Pennsylvania Ave, Kansas City, Missouri, 816.216.6462, www.portfonda.com

André's Confiserie Suisse Plans To Renovate Their Tea Room in July

In 1976, André Bollier, owner of André's Confiserie Suisse added a tea room onto the Swiss chocolate shop he opened in 1955 just south of the Country Club Plaza.

Inside of the tea room, he built, with the help of a friend, the façade of a Swiss-style chalet made entirely of wood which added warmth and authenticity to the popular Kansas City lunchroom.

Now, more than forty years later, his grandson, René Bollier, and son, Marcel Bollier, along with Rene’s Mom, Connie Bollier, all plan to embark on a one-month renovation, which will close the tea room this summer from July 1- August 1 to update the tea room in a subtle, but thoroughly modern way.

“I have always loved the Tea Room with the Swiss style chalet and old world feel, but as with everything in life, time takes its toll on certain elements. There are a number of items that we need to have fixed, replaced or updated and we felt this was the right time to do a major overhaul," says René.

This project is the second half of an overall update that originally kicked off in 2014, when André's did a major renovation of its front retail space adding a coffee and wine bar designed by KEM Studios and built by Pearce Construction.  

The same team is working on this renovation but with a much tougher task. Bollier explained they are sensitive to the history of the tea room and how the guests feel about it. “We are conscious of how special the tea room is to so many. We needed a design that maintains the key elements that give the tea room its warm Old World feel but at the same time makes it feel up to date."

KEM's design will do just that by making the main chalet the focal point of the new tea room.  A new coffee area will open up the space, and hardwood floors will replace the carpet. The ceiling in the back will be taken out to help reduce noise and give it an airy open feel.  An alcove will be constructed in the front that can be used for larger parties as well as for normal lunch service.  

During construction, the tea room will be closed, but breakfast, lunch and dinner will continue to be served in the front cafe as well as on the front patio.

André's Confiserie Suisse, 5018 Main St, Kansas City, Missouri, 816.561.3440, andreschocolates.com

McGonigle’s Meat Wagon Serving Up Barbecue In West Bottoms With Second Food Trailer

When spring hits, fans of McGonigle’s BBQ Trailer just follow their nose to get delicious smoked meat and all the sides at this outdoor food trailer found permanently parked at McGonigle’s Market on corner of Ward Parkway & 79th Street.

Now, third-generation owner, Mike McGonigle, who opened the food trailer and smoker in the parking lot of his families’ market more than ten years ago, is starting a new barbecue tradition by opening up a second food trailer, in the historic Stockyards District of the West Bottoms.

“It seems only fitting that McGonigle’s come back to the historic cattle yards in the West Bottoms to open our second barbecue trailer, you see my great grandfather had an office in the Livestock Exchange Building and my Dad was a cattle buyer down here years and years ago,” says McGonigle.

A “serendipitous meeting” between McGonigle and Bill Haw Jr. who owns Haw Contemporary in the West Bottoms, allowed Haw Jr. to put McGonigle in touch with the two women who run the 50/50 KC art gallery. That meeting went well, and they agreed that their ability to draw crowds would benefit both of their initiatives so they agreed to share the lot located a 17^th Street and Wyoming.

The shiny red trailer will be called the McGonigle’s Meat Wagon and will be permanently parked at this location. You can already find the trailer parked there serving lunch only this week, as a sort of soft opening leading up to their grand opening weekend on Friday, May 5, kicking off the third annual Heritage Week activities in the West Bottoms.  

Although, McGonigle isn’t sure exactly what the schedule for the truck will be he plan to be open for lunch and maybe dinner. The plan is to capitalize the business brought on by special events and festivals that come to the West Bottoms.

The menu for the second truck will be exactly as the same as their original which offers everything from burnt ends, brisket, and baby back ribs to Italian sausage and rotisserie chicken. Chef Lon Froneberger eventually be tweaking the menu, by trying out some seafood items at the second truck like a delicious smoked salmon.

“Most people know McGonigle’s as a famous meat market, but we also carry some incredible seafood, so we plan to highlight that on this second truck to see what our customers respond to best,” says McGonigle.

McGonigle’s Meat Wagon shares the parking lot with 50/50 KC art installation located at 1628 Wyoming Street, Kansas City, MO, mcgonigles.com.

 

David Ford Named Executive Chef At Café Sebastienne in Kansas City

Finding the right chef with a passion for creating delicious “New American” cuisine, took the leadership team and Board of Trustees for The Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art around the country and back --- where they ultimately offered the job to a fresh local talent.

David Ford accepted the position of executive chef of Café Sebastienne, and his first day in the restaurant will be Monday, May 8. Ford most recently served as the chef de cuisine for Port Fonda working closely with owner and executive chef, Patrick Ryan.

Everyone is excited to have Ford on board, especially Executive Director of The Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Barbara O’Brien.

“He brings an incredible wealth of experience and creativity to Café Sebastienne that builds on a powerful history and legacy of excellence, and I am confident that our visitors will grow to know and appreciate David and his approach to New American cuisine with every dining experience,” said O'Brien.

Ford will step into his new role at Café Sebastienne, 4 months after the unexpected passing of Jennifer Maloney who proudly served as executive chef of Café Sebastienne for over two decades.

Maloney left behind a rich culinary legacy at Café Sebastienne that started with sourcing the best seasonal ingredients and proteins from local farms and then building them into delicious lunch and dinner dishes that were as comforting, as they were creative.

It is a strong foundation that Ford will use to build his new menu from, but he will also have the freedom to bring his own culinary point-of-view to the popular museum cafe.

“I look forward to putting my skills to work at the museum,” said Chef Ford. “Café Sebastienne has long been a culinary staple in this community and I am excited and honored to continue and add to that tradition. Food is creative, and what could be better than sourcing the Museum’s artwork and architecture for inspiration when imagining new dishes?”

His 20-year restaurant career began in Lincoln, Nebraska, Ford traveled and cooked in multiple regions of the Midwest, developing his signature regional flavors along the way.

Hitting his stride in Chicago he worked at several notable independent and chef-driven restaurants including Avec, C-House, Telegraph and Bluebird, before moving to Kansas City.

Tony Glamcevski, the Director of Food & Beverage, Special Events for Café Sebastienne is looking forward to working with Ford as the two will be responsible for upholding the level of service and food that Café Sebastienne has become known for.

“I am thrilled to have David bring his culinary viewpoint to Café Sebastienne,” says Glamcevski. “His experience has included a wide breadth of culinary styles and kitchens, while working for some of the most respected chefs in Chicago and Kansas City.”

Café Sebastienne serves lunch 11:00 a.m.–2:30 p.m., Tuesday–Saturday; dinner 5:30–9:00 p.m., Thursday–Friday; and brunch 11:00 a.m.–2:30 p.m., Sunday. The Café is closed on Mondays and all major holidays.

Café Sebastienne located inside of the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, 4420 Warwick Blvd, Kansas City, Missouri, 816.561.7740, kemperart.org/cafe

 

Chef Cody Hogan Steps Into New Role As Lidia’s General Manager

Cody Hogan is trading his chef’s coat for a dinner jacket, something more suited to his new role as general manager for Lidia’s Kansas City. Hogan was the chef de cuisine at Lidia’s for more than 18 years.

In his new role, Hogan will lead the operations and service of the restaurant, in addition to managing staff and maintaining a presence in the kitchen. Executive Chef Dan Swinney will remain in charge of the kitchen at Lidia’s.

Before his life as a chef began, Hogan was a classical pianist, who became interested in the culinary arts while studying music in Germany as a Rotary Scholar.

His previous culinary experiences, included a tour of kitchen duty in Berkeley, California working for American chef, author and restauranteur, Alice Waters, at Chez Panisse.

Hogan started his 18-year tenure at Lidia’s as the pastry chef in 1998, the year the restaurant opened. Within a few years, Hogan was promoted to chef de cuisine for the restaurant.  

It was in this position that Hogan also began working with Bastianich as a traveling assistant and studio kitchen chef for “Lidia’s Kitchen,” “Lidia’s Italy in America,” and “Lidia’s Italy,” her Emmy award-winning television series.

“I couldn’t be more excited about my new role as general manager and look forward to sharing my love of Italian culture, cuisine and excellent service with every guest who walks in Lidia’s door,” says Hogan.  

Lidia’s Kansas City, 101 W. 22nd St., Crossroads Arts District, Kansas City, Missouri, 816.221.3722, lidias-kc.com

EJ’s Urban Eatery To Open This Summer In West Bottoms in Kansas City

Chef John C. Smith and his business partner, Erik Gaucher, have spent a little over a year trying to find just the right place to open up their Southern-inspired “meat and three” restaurant called EJ’s Urban Eatery.

After walking away from a deal that would have landed them in the Po’s Dumpling Bar space on 39^th Street, it was an accidental conversation at Trezo Mare, between Gaucher and the man who purchased the former Woodweather Cafe location in the West Bottoms, that led the two partners to cut a deal to lease the former restaurant, bar and the office space next door.

The 100-year old building has had a long history of good food. Located on Ninth Street in the West Bottoms, it was Jerry’s Woodweather Café until 2009 when Jerry Naster, sold it. A new family took it over at that point and opened it as Woodweather Café.

After that, John Sarkis took over the building, and he opened it in the Spring of 2016 as the Screaming Eagle Bar & Grill. He gutted the entire space, adding new brick paneling and natural wood trim, something that Smith and Gaucher have no plans of changing. He also rebuilt the bar and expanded the kitchen, adding a smoker to the long list of kitchen equipment he added to the space.

“He was a first time restaurateur, who started this project after his wife passed from cancer, and I think he just got buried underneath making this place run everyday,” says Smith. “It is sad when you see the kind of money he put in the place, and to know he never really got it off the ground.”

Right now, Smith says they have just started the process of getting the utilities turned back on, and putting some elbow grease into cleaning the kitchen equipment and bar.

“Honestly, space really doesn’t need much, and that’s why I am hopeful we will be ready to open as EJ’s Urban Eatery in 60-80 days,” Smith says smiling.

They do plan to add a new, more welcoming, front door to the restaurant, and the old glass block and single tiny glass window will be replaced by a much bigger picture window that will let some much needed natural light into the space.

Smith will be working at EJ’s full time once they get the doors open, but Gaucher says he plans to keep his full time job as Financial Advisor. He is there to help with the “business side of the business,” he says, “while John is the real heart and soul.”

They plan to be open for just breakfast and lunch to start, adding dinner service on Friday and Saturday nights a little later. Dinner will offer a single menu offering more traditional composed plate entrees with a couple of dinner specials.

Breakfast is will be simple, classic and delicious, and lunch is where the “meat and three” menu will roll out. Smith says he plans to offer 4-5 different proteins to choose from and over a dozen different side dishes of which guests will choose three to go with their main meat.

When you ask Smith about the type of food he plans to serve at EJ’s, whether it will be more comfort food or southern inspired, he explains that with a meat and three concept he plans to draw on dishes that cover the entire South.

“Different areas in the south, specialize in different dishes, and we plan to cover the entire south – from Virginia all the way down to Texas,” he explains. “We’ll do hot chicken from Nashville, smoked brisket from Texas, seafood from Charleston and creole from Louisiana.”

He also plans to work with locally sourced meats and produce to keep his offerings fresh, seasonal and always changing. Desserts will also be seasonal, made from scratch and will feature a rotating selection of pies and cakes to tempt those with a sweet tooth.

The large bar and liquor license for the space will allow them to sell beer, wine and liquor and they are starting to look for a rock solid bartender to be the familiar friendly face behind the drinks program for the restaurant.

Brunch on Sundays will be added when a Sunday liquor license is eventually secured, and plans to cater off-site and host private parties at EJ’s Urban Eatery are all in the business plan.

Right now, the two partners are content to stand outside chatting with their new neighbors and waving at every car, truck or motorcycle that passes by as they begin the work to get their doors open. They want to be a friendly new face in the neighborhood.

“Good food always brings people together, and everyone will be welcome at EJ’s, from the ladies who shop for antiques on the weekend to the truck drivers who stop-in looking for a hot meal and to stretch their legs, we also believe that some of the best restaurants in Kansas City are the ones that are in unusual places with lines out of the door because the food is so good people are willing to wait for a table, and that is our hope for this place,” says Gaucher.

 EJ’s Urban Eatery, 1414 W. 9^th Street, Kansas City, Missouri

HopCat Founder Launches TikiCat, Kansas City’s First Tiki Bar in Westport

Mark Sellers, the founder and chairman, of HopCat, who opened his first Kansas City location in Westport in February, has a secret passion for all things tiki.

Working in secret with a team of tiki experts and artists for months, Sellers is now proudly ready to unveil TikiCat, his new underground tiki bar located in the basement of HopCat, which opens to the public tonight.

“Over the last 10 years, as I traveled for work, I’ve been to tiki bars across the country, in the hopes of one day opening my own, and when we took this space in Westport for HopCat, it came with this basement space that was perfect for this project,” says Sellers.

The basement bar at TikiCat can seat 55 people and is an absolute feast for the eyes, oozing with Polynesian-themed art, tropical water fountain, a collection of antique tiki mugs, thatched roof rooms filled with comfy retro furnishings, a bamboo covered bar and bartenders ready to serve over 20 different tiki cocktails.

Sellers sought out experts in the world of tiki to help him make sure he nailed all of the important parts of a tiki bar experience. He brought in “Bamboo Ben" Bassham, a world-renowned tiki woodworking expert, who did much of the work in the space, and was the gatekeeper to several other tiki artists that were brought in to help bring TikiCat to life.

Bassham is the grandson of Eli Hedley, who was doing tiki before there was a word for it. Tiki exploded in America after World War II, and when the military men came home craving a piece of the island life they left behind in the South Pacific, Hedley found himself in high demand for his tiki creations.

Although, tiki is considered influenced by the South Pacific, the culture, art, music and design that came from it is considered strictly an American phenomenon.

From the 1930’s -1970’s tiki bars, like Don the Beachcomer and Trader Vic’s were catering to America’s love of tiki, then in the 1980’s when the bars fell out of favor, many of them closed and their pieces of memorabilia were scattered to the wind.

Even here in Kansas City, we had several well-known tiki bars that had opened back in the day, including Castaways, Kona Kai and Kon-Tiki, each imprinting their own version of tiki culture on our Midwestern town.  

Then in the mid-1990’s tiki experienced a real revival in the U.S. with people creating tiki oasis in their own basements or backyards, and new tiki bars began to open across the country.

Tiki bar owner, author and expert, Martin Cate, who was also brought in by Sellers to teach tiki history and culture to the bar staff and to help train them on making the drinks that tiki made so popular, says it is important to understand the philosophy of tiki culture.

“Tiki is at its core a $10 cocktail vacation,” Cate says, “it is an escape from your everyday worries or cares, and it is one of the reasons that tiki bars don’t have windows, but are packed with things to look at that you notice each time you visit – you are meant to lose yourself in the experience.”

That is surely delivered with the unbelievable décor at TikiCat and continues into the menu of their mostly rum-based tropical drinks, with favorites like the mai tai, zombie, fog cutter, painkiller and a classic daiquiri to four brand new drinks listed under “house flavors” on the menu that by this summer will be served in their own unique TikiCat mugs.

Looking to share a drink with your friends, then slide up to the bar and order The Luau, a tiki-style punch made with aged Jamaican rum, fresh lime juice, demera syrup, allspice dram and a couple of dashes of bitters. The drink serves 2-4 people and comes to the table in beautiful bowl that is set on fire, tableside. The squeals of delight from those around you, is almost worth ordering one just for yourself.

They offer three beers on tap at TikiCat, but not 103 like they offer upstairs at HopCat. There is also no food served in the tiki bar, but they are happy to seat you upstairs in the restaurant should hunger strikes.

If TikiCat does well here, Sellers says he would consider opening another one somewhere else, but for right now, Kansas City is home to TikiCat.

TikiCat is open Wednesday – Saturday evenings, and reservations are suggested and are being taken online at the TikiCat website via OpenTable.

If you are planning to try to walk-in, simply head for the basement and look for the green and red lights on the outside of the door of TikiCat. If the green light is on it means they are accepting walk-in’s, but if the light is red, it means they are full.

TikiCat, located in the basement of HopCat at 401 Westport Road, Kansas City, Missouri, tikicatkc.com