Blanc Champagne Bar opened with a bang on World Champagne Day. With the sweet sound of celebratory corks popping and bubbles flowing, owner Jordin Johnson greeted guests pouring through the front door of the festive space she has reimagined at 39th and Main Street, once known as the restaurant and rooftop bar Canary.
Johnson has spent the last two years renovating the Midtown location with an amazing rooftop view. She wanted to make sure it felt like a true gathering spot. Deep, teal-colored walls and a festive pastel-pink floral motif that blooms around the front door and then whimsically travels through the entire space make it feel like an enchanted rose garden come to life. Johnson has managed to make it feel special enough to celebrate the important moments in life, big or small, and casual enough for friends to gather for a quick catch-up over a glass of bubbles, a cocktail, and bites at the end of a long day.
The food menu was designed by the chef Chad Tilman, who then brought in Tom Tabone, formerly of Tannin Wine Bar & Kitchen, as the executive chef. With bubbles notoriously flexible in terms of food pairings, the shared-plate format means there are opportunities to try several things both savory and sweet.
The menu ranges from crispy fried artichoke hearts, black sesame ahi tuna, scallop crudo, and a 16-ounce KC strip steak with fries to a variety of grazing boards topped with everything from veggies and spreads to burrata and prosciutto. You must try the board featuring the fabulous Fishwife brand of canned tuna or smoked salmon served with chopped shallots, caper berries, peppadew peppers, dressed mixed greens, and incredibly delicious fried saltines.
There are two dishes under a playful section called “Buckets & Bottles,” which pairs a glass or bottle of Champagne with an eight-piece bucket of fried Cornish game hen or “chicken fried” oyster mushrooms, both a play on the low/high combination of fried chicken and Champagne that has been gaining in popularity over the last 20 years.
A trip to Europe opened Johnson’s eyes to how truly versatile Champagne can be and that’s why she named Blanc after her favorite type of bubbles, Blanc de Blanc, which literally means the “white of whites,” and is a type of French Champagne made exclusively of a single varietal of white grapes, typically chardonnay. The wine list at Blanc offers an impressive bottle selection of over 100 sparkling wines and Champagnes with something available at every price point. There is also a shorter list of still wines, beer, cocktails, and no-to-low proof cocktails to sample, as well.
Sage Monet, a former bartender for Drastic Measures in Shawnee, has joined the team as bar and event manager and is responsible for the fine list of signature and classic cocktails. The cocktail list includes a fall beauty called Sweater Weather because it tastes like autumn in a glass, with flavors of apple, warming spices mixed with rum, and brandy before being topped off with a bit of bubbly for good measure.
Sweater Weather
- 1.5 ounces brown butter washed rum*
- .5 ounce Calvados Apple Brandy
- .25 ounce Allspice Dram Liqueur
- 1 ounce Honeycrisp apple, brown sugar syrup**
- Cava sparkling wine
Add all ingredients except the Cava sparkling wine to a cocktail shaker, shake and strain over ice into a Collins glass, top off with Cava sparkling wine. Garnish with thin apple slices tucked inside the glass.
*To make brown butter washed rum: In a pan, on low heat, add 1 stick of butter, cooking it slowly until it starts to turn golden brown. Turn the heat off, and in a separate container with a lid immediately mix 750 ml of rum and the brown butter together, stirring gently. Put the lid on and leave the mixture in the freezer overnight. Remove the container from the freezer and scoop off the butterfat which should have re-solidified at the top of the liquid. Strain the remaining liquid through a paper coffee filter.
**To make Honeycrisp apple, brown sugar syrup: Place equal parts 1500 ml of water and 1500 ml of brown sugar in a pot and stir until fully combined. Add 3 cinnamon sticks, 4 grams of cloves and 350 grams of Honeycrisp apple scraps (peels, cores, skins) or whole apple slices into a small or medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently, and using the spatula to squeeze juice out of the apple scraps as they soften. Allow to gently simmer for 20 minutes. Use a fine mesh strainer to strain the apple scraps out of the syrup. Cool and enjoy!