Whether you are head over heels in love, or perfectly fine flying solo, February is the month we tend to talk in terms of hearts and flowers and steak and lobster. Restaurants play a large role in how we typically tend to show our love, and while we’ve collectively agreed that dining out on Valentine’s Day is the thing to do, February 14 can be, well, a lot.
Primetime restaurant reservations get gobbled up quickly on the day, and the pressure is sky-high for both couples and the restaurants hustling to serve them on the day. But who says we must play by those rules? This year let’s rewrite Cupid’s handbook, together.
Let’s agree that any night in February can be Valentine’s Day if you decide it is. If you have someone special in your life you’d like to celebrate with, simply plan a date night at a locally owned restaurant anytime this month, and it will count toward Valentine’s Day credit. Cupid’s honor.
Here’s a tip for you lovebirds. Research suggests that if you want to keep love burning in a long-term relationship, doing something that neither of you has done before is one way to ignite a spark. Getting out of your comfort zones together can create its own exciting high. That can mean trying a new-to-you restaurant or even a cuisine, or it can mean exploring a new part of the metro enjoying a meal at a restaurant you never knew existed.
Have you ever eaten an entire meal with chopsticks or sopped up a delicious Ethiopian meal using just injera bread? How about ordering a bottle of Georgian wine or sipping a glass of Korean soju? No? Well now’s the time to go for it, together.
And here’s the thing about any list of “romantic” restaurants: It’s not just about the candlelight or the music playing. Any spot with an exciting menu, expertly crafted dishes, and a welcoming vibe can bring the romance. Because let’s face it, when you’re a food lover, the thrill is in the food itself.
So, here’s to dining out this Valentine’s month. Remember the love is in the meal—and the memory of enjoying it together.
Acre
The owner and chef Andrew Longres, whose culinary resume includes Bluestem, The American, and French Laundry in California, opened Acre in Parkville to celebrate the ingredients grown and raised in the Midwest. With an emphasis on dry-aged steaks, the menu also includes seafood, fresh pastas, craft cocktails, amazing wines and imaginative desserts, all served in a fresh, modern space complete with a wood-burning hearth, full cocktail bar, and a chef’s counter. Treat yourselves to the pretty drive to Parkville to sample the delicious fare at Acre.
Affäre
Martin and Katrin Heuser opened their modern German restaurant in the Crossroads Arts District 13 years ago. Affäre’s sleek dining room and cocktail bar are matched with a separate wine bar. At the wine bar, you can pull up a stool to sample some of the German and European wines Katrin has secured especially for the wine list—perfect for couples looking to learn more about wine. Martin and his culinary team have earned a place in downtown Kansas City’s food scene by deftly preparing seasonal German dishes using the finest ingredients and modern plating, taking a seemingly simple dish and turning it into something special. For a finishing touch, order Affäre’s famous painted table experience, a flaming dessert created tableside. The perfect finale to celebrate your red-hot love.
Bar Medici
When you want a small, intimate cafe to savor a delicious meal and a glass of wine or a cocktail, Bar Medici in the Crossroads is the perfect place to land. Inspired by the art of aperitivo, the Italians’ toast to a pre-meal drink with appetizers, Bar Medici can honor that tradition, or you can dine late since the kitchen is open until 10 p.m. The luxe dining room is decked out in burnished metallics and soft, cozy banquettes. The menu by culinary director Mitch Fetterling and his team is filled with creative appetizers and a list of handmade pastas, such as their Spaghetti alla Chitarra, made with spaghetti noodles tossed in a creamy crab bisque, topped with crabmeat, a little Pecorino Romano cheese, and aleppo pepper for the slightest kick of heat.
Le Fou Frog
This iconic family-run French restaurant, owned by Mano and Barbara Rafael, has been operating on the edge of the City Market for 28 years, offering guests a serious crash course in French wine, food, and culture all rolled up into one. Le Fou Frog is iconic in Kansas City. The dining room itself feels romantic, awash in pink and red. but the impeccable food by the executive chef Mano Rafael and the extensive French wine list will make you forget the time and linger over Champagne and dessert instead. It is a fun, flavorful French romp that will have you returning again and again.
Oil on Linen
Open every Thursday night for dinner, Oil on Linen is the new restaurant located inside the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, with food by the chef Ted Habiger and a dining room run by his talented team from Room 39. The menu changes with the art installations in the museum, which you should plan on seeing either before or after your meal. Sit among the moody and modern new art and decor installed in the courtyard. The menu is set up in four courses, and you can choose from the omnivore, pescatarian, or vegetarian menu, or mix and match your meal between all of them. That and a bottle of wine or a cocktail and you’ll thrill to dine among the art.
Osteria Bianchi
Married chefs and business partners Josh and Kelly Bianchi moved back to Kansas City after successful cooking careers in New York and Las Vegas to open their own restaurant, Osteria Bianchi, located just 20 minutes from downtown in North Kansas City. Time to leave your hamlet and travel to enjoy a meal here. With a spacious, handsome bar and a pretty dining room, Osteria Bianchi has a menu stacked with modern Italian favorites, such as crudos, handcrafted pastas, and house-made pizzas, and delicious and affordable entrées, including grilled hanger steak, roasted branzino, and duck breast with parsnip purée and wilted kale. Excellent food with a pleasing cocktail menu and wine list makes it worth the drive.
Páros Estiatorio
If a romantic trip to the Greek isles is on your wishlist, start with the next best thing in Kansas City, dinner at Páros Estiatorio. Located in the Mission Farms shopping center, the restaurant is co-owned by Klajdi Kreka and his mother and head chef, Kozeta Kreka. To authentically deliver the dishes exactly as they are prepared on the Greek island of Paros, they import many of their products from Greece. Order a glass of Greek wine as you take in the white-washed walls that give the dining room the feel of eating at an upscale beachfront restaurant. The bright, fresh-tasting Mediterranean dishes will bring the Greek islands to your dinner plate.
The Restaurant at 1900
Just west of the Country Club Plaza, The Restaurant at 1900 offers a true escape from the everyday with fantastic food from the chef Linda Duerr. Her talent for creating crave-able dishes that have a sophisticated intercontinental edge is not discussed enough. Kansas City’s own Master of Wine and Master Sommelier, Doug Frost, serves as the beverage director here (so order wine), and general manager Keith Goldman ensures your experience will be exceptional. The chic dining room is located inside a 1967 modernist architecture building that was transformed by Karbank Real Estate Company into a world-class event space, concert hall, and restaurant. Why not make it dinner and a show, you two?
Story
Since 2011, the chef Carl Thorne-Thomsen, and his wife, Susan, have been telling their own story with both their upscale seasonal food menu and award-winning wine list, attracting guests looking for a downtown dining experience right in their own backyard. If you want to stay close to home, but still want a memorable meal out, Story is conveniently located in the middle of the Prairie Village Shopping Center. The menu includes Alaskan halibut, beef tenderloin, salmon, chicken and more, all served with seasonal sides and delicious desserts. Make sure you order a bottle from their impressive wine list. Ask for help from the talented staff to perfectly pair the wine with your meal.
Sushi Kodawari
With only eight seats and two seatings a night, lawyer-turned-sushi chef Karson Thompson is wowing a few lucky guests each night with his own relentless pursuit of perfection, which is what the word “kodawari” means in Japanese. Sushi Kodawari opened last year on the first floor of The Creamery building in the Crossroads delivering a 15-course, fine-dining, two-hour, omakase experience. Serving as the head sushi chef, Thompson prepares a set menu that just 16 guests a night will have the option to enjoy with wine or sake. A night here might consist of ten raw fish courses—each course a single piece of nigiri or sashimi, including some dry-aged fish—along with a few other cooked Japanese dishes, all served with the preparation history or story behind each bite.
Tailleur
After opening multiple establishments in Kansas City, restaurateur Heather White continues to impress with her own unique “old money meets urban downtown” design style that she cleverly pairs with impeccable food, drinks, and service. With her restaurant (Tailleur), bar (Cheval), and bakery (Enchante) open and located across the street from one another on the same block of Main Street near Westport Road, there is the unique opportunity to have dinner, drinks, and dessert at her three different spots just by crossing the street. The chef Jeff Workman is in the kitchen at Tailleur, successfully serving up traditional French favorites, such as steamed P.E.I. mussels, country paté, and steak tartare, alongside heartier fare, including rack of lamb, scallops, black peppered butter beans, and Ora King salmon.
Urban Restaurant
On the corner of Armour Boulevard and Troost Avenue you can find Urban, the newest iteration of the chef Justin Clark’s restaurant, Urban Café. With amazing views from the spacious dining room and outdoor patio, a private dining room in the back, and a bright, white-marble bar area with plenty of seating, Urban sports sophisticated sparkle and shine. The dinner menu features a variety of tasty starters and entrées, including strip steak, lamb shank, seared salmon, shrimp and grits, Urban cheddar burger, and a crab pasta, along with a host of sides to share. Couple a cocktail from the bar or a glass of wine or beer with the slow-groove soundtrack and you’re sure to have a great night out—together.
Verbena
With views of the surrounding Meadowbrook Park, Verbena is tucked away from the hustle and bustle and is a great place to get lost together. Patrick and Joanne Quillec and their children own and operate the American restaurant, in addition to its French counterparts, Café Provence and French Market in the Prairie Village Shopping Center. Verbena is based on the food of New England and has East Coast oysters, New England clam chowder, and linguini and clams all on the menu. There are also fish, beef, pork, and duck dishes on the menu to satisfy all cravings. Make a weekend of it. The Inn at Meadowbrook connects to Verbena and is located right next door to The Market at Meadowbrook, a great place for breakfast in the morning.
Wandering Vine
If dining inside a 100-year-old castle is on your Valentine’s Day wish list, you need to book a table at Wandering Vine. After traveling to over 40 countries, dining and drinking great wine along the way, Dan and Carla Dyer returned home to Kansas City and purchased Caenen Castle in Shawnee to open Wandering Vine. The fine-dining menu is now in the experienced hands of the executive chef, Bryan Sparks, and team, including dry-aged steaks, thick chops, lobster tails, grilled tuna, confit duck, and handmade pastas. Pair that with a bottle from their award-winning wine list of almost 200 bottles from 20 different spots on the map.
XO
A small building on Kansas City’s Westside delivers some seriously sexy vibes at night, which is why you should put this social hot spot with a soundtrack, cold drinks, and hot food on your list this year. Denver designer, builder, and developer Noah Manos and his business partners, Mitch Foster and Will Minter, opened XO HiFi last year. It’s a listening lounge serving cocktails, wine, and a fantastic Asian-inspired menu from the chef Johnny Leach that has introduced the metro to the best curry pork sando in the city. Come ready to settle in for a drink and some food as a wall of sound envelops you. XO is here to tempt all your senses.