Table Hopping

Neighborhood Charm

Oak 63
408 East 63rd
Kansas City, MO 64110
(816) 569-6310

Chef J.B. Bremser’s first restaurant, Chez B, was located in the back of High Cotton after Honeymom’s closed. Now he has brought his southern French cuisine and bistro food to a new address just east of Brookside in the old Café Maison space. A tiny kitchen and no storage means he shops daily for what he puts on his menu. Lunch is rumored to have the best Reuben in town, but dinner is a French affair with most entrées around $15. Try the seared duck breast over arugula salad for $14 and don’t miss the pommes frites. The menu and wine list are short, sweet and simple. ASK: Chef J.B. what is fresh that day to ensure you get the best he has to offer.

Stonewall Inn
10242 Pflumm Road
Lenexa, KS 66215
(913) 492-3066

Listed as one of the oldest restaurants in Johnson County, the Stonewall Inn is over 30 years old. Located in a little white house that sits behind a little stone fence, it shares a parking lot with Stonewall Pizza. The original owners, the Kieltyka family, started out serving kielbasa and sauerkraut, which are still excellent, but the current owners have also added homey favorites like pan-fried chicken to the menu. The relaxed, lodge-like atmosphere is casual and comforting. With good burgers, sandwiches and their two-piece pan fried chicken dinner for $9, Stonewall is easy on the wallet, too. FEEL: free to bring your kids to eat. Although there is a full bar, it is kept separate from the dining room.

Jasper’s
1202 West 103rd Street
Kansas City, MO 64114
(816) 941-6600
www.jasperskc.com/

Chef Jasper Mirabile, Jr. or “JJ,” and his brother Leonard carry on the family tradition started by their father Jasper Sr. even after moving from their original location on 75th Street to their current home in Watts Mill. Not content to rest on his numerous laurels, Chef Jasper has taken great pains to keep his menu creative and his Italian restaurant up-to-the minute current. He offers seasonal menus highlighting the newest techniques and dishes he picks up from annual trips to Italy and the world of slow food. Standouts are the veal dishes for $19 and the Osso Buco for $24. DON’T: miss the opportunity to try the selection of Italian wines or any of the house-made “cellos,” a traditional Italian apéritif/digestif. Lemoncello, Blood Orangecello and now Applecello are all made in-house and are stellar.

Potpie
904 Westport Road
Kansas City, MO 64111
(816) 561-2702
www.kcpotpie.com

Chef John Williams and his wife Sarah opened Potpie in Westport years ago, never dreaming they would actually be serving pot pie on the menu. But, they soon learned that their customers expected them to serve that 1950’s classic dish. They do a mean pot pie, but you will love the creative and comforting fish, chicken, pork and beef dishes. Entrées are usually priced in the teens and written on a large chalkboard, which serves as the menu, in the center of the dining room. The place is cozy but not cramped and can be quite romantic at night for dinner. STOP: in for a cocktail at the little bar and you’ll have a front row seat to see into the galley kitchen.

Broadmoor Bistro inside Broadmoor Technical Center
6701 W. 83rd Street
Overland Park, KS 66204
www.broadmoorbistro.org/

Before last year, when money from the school district allowed Broadmoor Technical Center to build this new “bistro,” culinary high school students were cooking Wednesday night dinners for friends and family only. They started out with 25-person practice dinners in classrooms, but soon grew to serving over 250 people. Go online to view upcoming menus and reserve your seat for one of the final bistro dinners of this school year. An incredible deal, get 4 gourmet courses for $25, with all dishes concepted and prepared by student talent. No alcohol is allowed or served on campus, but you’ll never miss it. HURRY: and make your reservations to attend one of the Wednesday “Bistro Nights” dinners in April before school ends for summer break.

Jenny Vergara

Jenny Vergara is a foodie and a restaurant addict. Her addiction was fed by a corporate expense account on too many business trips while working for several restaurant and retail companies. She has spent the last 5 years documenting all the hidden gems found along the way in a series of personal journals she keeps for her own enjoyment. Friends from far and wide email her for restaurant recommendations in KC and other far flung locales. Contact her at tablehopping@gmail.com or keep up with her foodie adventures at www.makingafoodie.com.