After almost 16 years operating as a fine-dining establishment, 1924 Main Street has a brand-new attitude, thanks to new owners Bret Springs and Zach Marten, co-owners of Rockhill Restaurant Group, which owns and operate two Rockhill Grille restaurant locations in Kansas City—one of them only a few blocks away from its Italian joint, The Wise Guy.
The name was inspired by gangsters like Al Capone, who were said to have stayed in the former Rieger Hotel where the new restaurant is located. With Capone’s ties to Chicago, they leaned heavily into that Second City feel for this new neighborhood bar and restaurant serving Chicago-style thin-crust tavern pizzas, pastas, sandwiches, and salads. Springs and Marten had wanted to open a pizza and pasta place ever since they closed Coal Vines on the Country Club Plaza in 2017.
The Wise Guy is currently open from 4 p.m. to midnight Tuesday through Saturday, with the kitchen closing at 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 11 p.m on weekends. The vibe is cozy in the evenings with little natural light in the space, chocolate-brown wood-paneled walls, and wall sconces that resemble a secret handshake, complete with an outstretched brass hand holding a ball topped with moody red lamp shades. Then there is that iconic original floor tile that features the signature “R” from its days as the Rieger Hotel.
The dining room has been completely reimagined. A handsome bar runs down the south wall of the restaurant, while low-top and high-top tables fill the dining room.
The food menu features the usual suspects you would expect from an Italian spot. Appetizers, including garlic knots, mozzarella sticks, and fritto misto, take the edge off your hunger. Or you can start with a fresh salad, such as the chopped Italian, Caesar, or caprese. The sandwiches, including the fried mortadella and a crispy fried garlic Parmesan chicken sandwich, are good, but the thin and crispy tavern-style pizza is my pick for dinner every time. If pizza isn’t what you crave, a variety of pasta dishes and entrées—such as rigatoni alla vodka, pesto salmon, chicken Parmesan—will surely satisfy.
The drink menu focuses on a handful of classic cocktails, including a Negroni Chinato and Aperol Spritz, along with a fine list of draft beer and bottled and canned beers. The wine list is compact and speaks only Italian, as you would expect. Â
There is a selection of house-made martinis that feels like the right move to make at The Wise Guy, with everything from a traditional dirty martini garnished with gorgonzola cheese-stuffed olives to the beloved espresso martini. There is even a flirty fruit-forward martini that’s crafted with the unlikely combination of peaches, basil, and limoncello.
The chef, Clark Grant, hails from Georgia, and his love of peaches runs deep. So, when he went looking for a signature vodka martini he could make with limoncello, the combination of peaches and lemons was the unexpected twist this drink needed, because both fruits happen to grow on the Italian Amalfi Coast. He infuses the vodka with peaches and fresh basil first, and then builds the rest of the drink using limoncello for brightness and a splash of dry Prosecco for some final fizz.
Cin-Cin!
Amalfi Coast
- 1.5 ounces peach and basil-infused Wheatley Vodka*
- .5 ounce Limoncello
- .5 ounce simple syrup
- .5 ounce fresh lemon juice
- 1 bottle any dry Prosecco
- 2 Basil leaves for garnish
Combine peach and basil-infused Wheatley vodka, limoncello, simple syrup, and lemon juice in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake vigorously until chilled (about ten seconds). Strain through a traditional cocktail strainer into a fine mesh strainer into a martini glass to remove any ice chips. Top with Prosecco and garnish with a basil leaf.
*Peach and Basil-Infused Wheatley Vodka
- 1 pound fresh peaches (can use frozen, but fresh preferred)
- 1 liter Wheatley Vodka
- 3-5 large basil leaves
Allow to infuse for five to seven days, strain and reserve.