A Glittering Mosaic
You know I love an opening. Or, in this case, a grand reopening. Mosaic, the city’s undisputed premier nightclub, recently underwent an impressive $2.5 million renovation and expansion. It’s part of a broader $10+ million renewal happening inside the Kansas City Power & Light District. I was there to get a first look as Mosaic prepared to swing its doors open again.
Perhaps most striking is the size. The space has nearly doubled. The club now features a new lounge space with an expanded bar and additional VIP seating. The new bar offers a lounge-specific cocktail menu that is more craft-focused. You can still grab a vodka soda, but the more relaxed atmosphere allows for finer touches like smoke infusions, specialty ingredients, and copious amounts of shaking.
Graphic wallcoverings throughout the nightclub elevate the vibe and sophistication. It’s nearly impossible to miss the new atmospheric lighting. Spherical shapes canvas the dance-floor ceiling and periodically swoop and tilt. Lighting is critical, and it’s a laudable upgrade for sure. Also critical? Sound. It’s all brand new and state of the art.
There’s also a reimagined DJ booth floating in front of a new high-res LED wall. How could I resist, therefore, making my way up to congratulate Mosaic’s strategic partner and spinning resident DJ, Eric Coomes. I can’t remember precisely, but I suppose I met Eric on my first solid lap at Mosaic when I moved to KC. The P&L District was still new, and Mosaic was the place to be. I took a break and did another tour, as it was the preferred hangout for a new set of friends. But if there’s one nightclub truism, it would be the impossibility of staying red hot forever. Eventually, the star dims, often as something newer and fresher enters the scene.
Over the past few years, I’d already felt a resurgence for Mosaic. Now, that newer and fresher entrant to the scene is none other than Mosaic 2.0. There’s no doubt that this refresh and revival will secure its top spot for years. There’s no other place in the city to experience the most prominent DJs from around the world. I could tick off a lengthy list of DJ legends I’ve seen (Steve Aoki, Marshmello, Diplo, Galantis, Loud Luxury, James, Kennedy, Tritonal, Benny Benassi, Cash Cash—you get the idea), and they were all at Mosaic. For electronic dance music, there is no place in the region that compares. Speaking of DJs, Elephante will be back on April 11, and I plan to be, too. Did I mention their VIP bottle service is second to none? I’ll have mine on ice and hope to see you there. Congratulations to Eric on a vision realized.
Catalina Wine Mixer
One of the best parts about writing this monthly column is having the opportunity to regularly celebrate those who make our city such a special place to live. Thus, I was thrilled to attend an inaugural gala for the Greater Kansas City Restaurant Association (GKCRA). The theme—which was embarrassingly lost on me until a movie clip was played—was a Catalina Wine Mixer, inspired by the Will Ferrell movie Step Brothers.
The GKCRA exists as a conduit to elected officials, both locally and nationally, to educate on behalf of its members regarding proposed legislation and how it may affect the local restaurant industry. The association also works to educate the next generation of service industry professionals. It awards scholarships and partners with 23 area high schools on ProStart, a national career-building program for students interested in the culinary arts and food service management.
A longtime friend, Lindsey Ingle, delivered a chilling rendition of the national anthem as we dove into a delicious beef tenderloin dinner at the Kansas City Marriott Downtown. Mike Burris, the GKCRA executive director, overviewed an interesting history of the association. I was surprised to learn that the restaurant trade association movement in the U.S. began right here in Kansas City. There’s even a historical marker downtown, just blocks from where we sat. If you can believe this—egg prices had been increasing, and several local restaurants banded together to pressure their supplier to reduce the price. It worked, and they realized their power in numbers. They later went on to establish both the Missouri and National Restaurant Associations.
Tyler Banker of Summit Grill Group was installed as the 2025 GKCRA President and Michael Garozzo led a fundraiser for the association’s education work. GKCRAA awards were presented to Sarah Lorenson for Educator of Excellence and Heartland Coca-Cola for Company of the Year. The affable Joyce Smith presented a new award, Influencer of the Year, to recognize the role these individuals play in promoting local restaurants. Brenda Cortes was the inaugural recipient.
Finally, The Restaurateur of the Year award was presented to Kelly Magee, CEO and cofounder of Q39. In her brief remarks, she described herself as the reluctant restaurateur. She left her career at Hallmark to partner with her chef husband’s dream to open a restaurant. Rob Magee passed away four years ago. In the process of selling the restaurants, Kelly realized that what had been Rob’s passion had also become hers. She decided to keep the restaurants and carry on his dream. In accepting her award, she graciously flipped the script and called on the audience to raise their glasses to those team members at her table who’d been with Q39 since day one. It was a touching tribute to both her late husband and the broader KC restaurant community. Last year alone, Q39 smoked 44,000 briskets, and Kelly has no plans to slow the pace. This year, Q39 will add locations in Lawrence and Lee’s Summit. They’ll do all this while maintaining the chef-driven competition-style barbecue Rob instituted as the restaurant’s core.
Home at the Opera
The annual migration of monarch butterflies between the U.S. and Canada and a forest in central Mexico is a 3,000-mile journey. The eight-month, continent-spanning passage requires five consecutive generations of butterflies to be born and die along the way. No single butterfly will see both the beginning and the end, but somehow, they inherently know both the way and purpose.
This metaphor conjures thoughts and questions about home. Where is home? Is it where you were born? Where you were raised? Where you live currently? Or where you will spend your final days?
When I heard that the first mariachi opera would be presented here by the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, I immediately marked my calendar. Cruzar la Cara de la Luna is the very first mariachi opera. Though opera originated in ancient Greece, the Figaro, Figaro, Figaro style we’re most accustomed to derives from Florence, Italy. This novel opera, commissioned by the Houston Grand Opera ten years ago, replaces the classical orchestra with mariachi—a vibrant and lively form of traditional Mexican music. And rather than being tucked away in an orchestra pit, the mariachi takes center stage for the entirety of the performance. Adding further to its uniqueness, the opera is performed almost entirely in Spanish.
Illuminated by the ultimate symbol of migration, the monarch butterfly, Cruzar follows the journey of a Mexican immigrant, Laurentino, who came to the United States as part of the Bracero Program. As he nears the end of his life, Laurentino reflects on family and the sacrifices made in their collective pursuit of a better future. This pairing of emotional storytelling through opera and dynamic expression through mariachi creates a powerful and impactful musical and theatrical experience. Oh, and the butterflies are incredible also.
Days prior to the performance, I had the privilege of hearing from and meeting several of Cruzar’s lead cast members. Across those conversations, what struck me was how Cruzar is a universal story. Immigration is not a topic exclusively localized to the U.S./Mexico border. It has broader relevance. When the cast first performed Cruzar in Paris, they worried the audience wouldn’t connect to this Mexican/American story. Instead, they repeatedly heard from people—“You told my story.” Migration happens all over the world, whether it’s Morocco to France or Syria to Jordan, and that universal truth has allowed this story to resonate with diverse global audiences.
I was immensely moved by this endearing story of Laurentino and his family. And I wasn’t the only one. As tears streamed down my face, only a hearing impairment could have muffled the pervasive sounds of widespread sobbing. Don’t be disheartened. The human experience still connects us.
Finally, on this evening, the Lyric announced its ambitious next season, which marks the return to four fully staged operatic performances. The 2025-2026 season begins with two classic masterpieces, Rossini’s Cinderella and Puccini’s Madame Butterfly. As 2026 rolls around, and the U.S. celebrates its 250th anniversary, the Lyric will explore the American experience and psyche with two American operas—Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess and Carlisle Floyd’s Of Mice and Men. A grand slate, indeed.
Future Perfect
Very early one morning, I was honored to be invited to breakfast at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art before opening. We would be the first to view six finalist concept designs in the competition to transform the museum into one more dynamic, open, and inviting.
To catch you up, the competition launched with an open call for submissions last October, with more than 182 teams from 30 countries on six continents submitting qualifications. In November, a shortlist of six teams were selected and invited to submit concept designs. Those six designs were just received and have since been revealed in a public exhibition at the museum: Building Belonging: Designing the future of the Nelson-Atkins. Now the community is invited to provide feedback. (You can also view the proposals and provide feedback online.) The Architecture Selection Committee has begun interviewing each team, and combined with community feedback, will recommend a selection to the Board of Trustees for final approval. The selection will be announced in late April. What follows, I’m told, will be the largest private fundraising campaign for the arts in Kansas City history.
Besides circuitously landing on a favorite (I wrongly expected my reaction to be immediate), I left the museum with some conclusions. First, having spent a few hours with the concepts, I’m optimistic that I could eventually grow to embrace all but one. There is one (bonus points if you message me with a correct guess!) that had entirely too much going on. It presented a confusing, limestone luxury shopping mall on steroids. Please, no. Second, I came to terms with what evolved to be my ultimate litmus test: which design least disturbs the beloved south vista of the lawn and stoic neoclassical structure? There, I was in good company. Of the numerous people I queried for their hang ups, no other concern even compared. Subsequent conversations and even peeking into social media comments only reinforce this fear. As superficial as it may seem, this particular preservation appears to be the community’s singular collective concern.
With inadequate space for a detailed analysis here, I’ll just throw it out. Despite desperately wanting to love some of the competitors whose other work I hold so dear, Weiss/Manfredi won my heart. Its light touch was easily the most reverent of the vistas and original structure. The graceful but fresh way they mirror the essence of the Bloch building lenses to the east made me swoon. Plus, there’s an inviting and intuitive new primary entrance, a reconfigured flow from the current parking garage, and deft and delicate utilization of the existing rooftop. It is, as they describe, “a connected tapestry.”
The exhibit is as engaging as the six dynamic designs it puts forward. There are videos, renderings, and (really cool) models. My final takeaway was how incredible the human mind is. Given the exact same parameters (including budget) and a reflecting pool full of daunting, site-specific challenges, the diversity among concepts is astonishing. Imagination and creativity know no end.
After exiting the parking garage, I decided to take a lap around the museum campus. As I approached the south side, I wondered—would I really miss the view of an expansive lawn framed by this commanding but elegant Beaux-Arts icon? I turned the corner and slowed to absorb its presence and contemplate its obstruction.
Yes, I would.
The exhibit is open through June 1. I’d love to know your favorite.