"The Drop has been blessed with some awesome chefs since day one. I'm fortunate to have someone [like] Nolle, who is keeping that up," Crane says.
On Wednesday, Bond had high praise for Kansas City, and on Thursday, he talked about why there's a plum-wine reduction with the shrimp skewers on the new menu.
The entrees will be cut back, according to Crane, although the scallops and surf and turf — two customer favorites — aren't going anywhere. The focus will be shifted to the seven items on the new small-plates menu.
"I think people like to hang out. So I wanted to create food that people could enjoy, share and split. That's why there's always more than one portion on our small plates," Bond says.
Although Bond is proud of the shrimp skewers (grilled tiger shrimp with mango chutney and a plum-wine reduction), it's the achuete pork sliders (peppered pork with cilantro lime cream and achuete sauce on a brioche bun).
"I made the achuete pork sliders for Christmas two years ago, and it was one of those recipes that I was really excited about. It's one of my favorite dishes. I just knew I had to get it on the menu somehow," Bond says.
Crane and Bond are also playing around with the drink menu, which has seen the edible cocktails expand from seven to several dozen. The Reese's Cup, made with peanut butter and Nutella, and the Strawberry Cheesecake Drop are two of the latest additions to the solidified cocktail list. And Crane hasn't given up on introducing Kansas City to miracle fruit — the berry that momentarily turns sour into sweet on your taste buds.
"We're still searching for the right vehicle for miracle fruit," Crane says.
