Big hotel chains are always looking for new ways to keep their guests from leaving the premises to go in search of local food and drink, while also wanting to attract locals living or working near the hotel. Kansas City’s own Strang Chef Collective has developed an elegant solution for both Marriott’s Tribute Portfolio’s new Cascade Hotel and Aloft Hotel, its sister concept next door, by offering multiple food concepts run by local chefs under one roof.
Located on the Country Club Plaza, the Strang Chef Collective food hall offers four chef-driven restaurant concepts in an 11,000-square-foot space that spans two floors. On each floor, guests will find two restaurants, one bar, and plenty of indoor and outdoor seating.
Serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner to hotel guests and locals alike, the Strang Chef Collective food hall is a clever model that ensures diners variety, speed, and convenience.
Entering the space at street level, you’ll find the food hall has its own entrance separate from the hotel. Instead of walking through the hotel lobby to get to the restaurants, you’ll walk right into the hub of the restaurant operation. Guests from the hotel can go to the lobby level and make their way to a door that leads directly into the second floor of the Strang Chef Collective and navigate their food and beverage options from there.
On the ground floor is Verde, where the chef Nicole Shute is focused on serving a mix of Latin American and Caribbean cuisine, while Parma, a southern Italian concept from the chef Derek Losson, is focused on classic Italian American red sauce, pastas, sandwiches, and more.
Up the stairs, (there is also an elevator), guests will find Khai-Noy, a Southeast Asian restaurant by Chris Jones, who previously was a sous chef for Anourom Thomson at Anousone, which is located inside Strang Hall in downtown Overland Park. Jones is offering a similar menu to Anousone, which is inspired by the food of Thailand and Laos. Finally, Bruce Dunseith operates Gasthaus, offering casual German-inspired dishes such as currywurst and schnitzel.
After reviewing the menus located at each restaurant counter, we made our way back to a table and scanned the QR code to order items from each concept. The QR code is tied to your table number and will send you a text when your order is ready to be picked up.
The first dish to arrive was Khai-Noy’s crispy chili pork tossed in a sweet-and-spicy sauce served with white rice. It’s hard to resist the balance found in most Asian cuisines, particularly Thai and Laotian cuisine. The crispy, fried pieces of tender pork and salty, sweet heat from the sauce relied on that balance, and I regretfully put down my fork when the next dish arrived.
The meatball grinder from Parma came with a hearty green salad, yet the sandwich itself came to the table with sliced ham and fresh mozzarella cheese slathered in a delicious red sauce—but no meatballs. Before we could ask, Derek Losson appeared tableside to apologize for our lack of meatballs. They had apparently run out. He kindly offered to make us another dish, and when I pointed to our table filled with the food we had ordered, he boxed up a piece of cheesecake for us to take home. Despite the lack of meatballs in my grinder, the bread, cheese, and red sauce revealed the use of quality ingredients. I wouldn’t hesitate to order from them again.
The plate presentation of Jagerschnitzel from Gasthaus was notable. A beautiful blue bowl arrived filled with crispy potato sticks beneath a battered and fried pork cutlet that was doused in mushroom gravy and a small pile of tangy red cabbage. It was designed brilliantly because as you cut into the dish, the gravy had softened the crispy exterior of the battered pork, but the potato sticks added back in that element of crunch.
Next, the chimichurri steak tacos from Verde came two to an order with a side of chips and cheese. Tender bits of steak were seasoned and seared before being stuffed into a red-and-white corn tortilla from Caramelo Tortillas in Lawrence. The tacos were bathed in an aromatic, fresh herb chimichurri sauce and a sprinkle of queso fresco cheese. They were fresh and delicious. I can see why it’s their best-selling dish.
For those who would like to see more locally owned restaurants operating at the Country Club Plaza, we should give three cheers. The new Strang Chef Collective has added four more chef-driven local restaurants to the mix.
