Your friend's description of it as a clubhouse is near perfect. I would add "faux hipster" to her adjectival phrase.
I've had nothing but good experiences with The Beacon. Been there three times. Love the Fried Chicken Po Boy. Great menu item. Salmon BLT - awesome. And, the place is very reasonably priced. We have had our daughter (less than a year old) with us each time and Whitten has personally come over and said hi each time.
Michael Forbes needs to take a few cues from Whitten and The Beacon. Food quality, atmosphere and price point all beat out Michael Forbes big time. I compare the two because they're both brookside area "bar and grilles".
Keep up the good work.
Though BoLings is fairly enjoyable from food quality and options (dim sum/traditional cantonese dishes), the fare is way overpriced. As a Chinese-American, I much prefer Jen Jen's and ABC Cafe for Hong Kong/authentic Cantonese/Chinese dishes and Pine & Bamboo Garden for dim sum.
I recently moved to the neighborhood, and I was pretty excited when The Beacon opened thinking "maybe this can be my neighborhood hang out." I've been there to try it four different times, each with a different experience.
The first time was in their first quarter, I had a very good salad at lunch, but thought to myself that the prices might be a bit high to frequent The Beacon enough to become a "regular."
The second time was during All-Star weekend. It drew me in because they were offering happy hour prices. I split the brie artichoke dip and pork sliders with a friend over some drinks. The waiter was attentive, the food tasted great, but for a happy hour, I still thought it was a bit pricy because they cut the portions when they cut the prices. However, I forgave the prices because the quality of ingredients was high and everything tasted great.
The third time I walked over for an evening beer and snack with a friend. We ordered wings and hummus, and we were the only table in there on a Friday evening at 9pm. Not quite the happening spot we thought it might be, but we were content with watching the game and chatting to ourselves. The food took about 30 minutes to come out of the kitchen. They ran out of wings so we received half the order we normally would, and the hummus had so much pepper in it I couldn't even eat it - I sneezed. Several times. The waiter apologized and comped us the meal, which was very gracious, but it was a huge disappointment.
A few weeks later I decided to give it another shot when I was supposed to meet some friends at another place nearby and it was too busy. We got a pitcher and some apps (NOT the hummus) and our service was great and the food tasted good. Almost every table top was taken, too. It was much more enjoyable!
I'm not a private school graduate, but I am a young professional that appreciates good food and quality ingredients, particularly when they are within walking distance from my home. However, good food paired with better prices would definitely increase my frequency of walking over. I'm looking forward to checking out the new specials!
I'm not saying they couldn't make it. Only that it is not the focus. The drink menu is fairly modern with housemade bitters and infusions. My argument isnt that they don't have that clientelle, but rather that they didn't design the restaurant for that clientelle.
Menu? Bullshit. Any good bartender can make a stinger, a grasshopper or a daiquiri -- I still can and I haven't been a bartender for over a decade. If you don't believe me, ask Shawn Moriarty.
It's not Port Fonda, but I think the assessment of the decor and clientelle might be a bit harsh. It's a neighborhood place in a neighborhood that isn't full of starter homes and apartment buildings. This limits the number of younger people who are going to stumble in, but not the appeal to them. I like the restaurant quite a bit and have never felt out of place. Nor did I see any of the drinks you mentioned on the menu.
The food and drinks are well above average. It is not built to be in Westport. It is a neighborhood joint that is far nicer and livelier than most than most in the city. It is not following the current trend of hipster restaurants serving tongues and tails, but I think it will outlast most of those on that bandwagon by providing a place that all of the guests can feel comfortable and enjoy their meal.
Roni's a friend aof mine also. And as much as I hated to not love it, here's the UrbanSpoon review I left..Murray's Tables & Tap, South Kansas City, Kansas City
Good-but good enough???
by foodsnob (630 reviews)
Somewhat pricey though the food is more upscale then eating at Bogey's across the street. Not sure I would consider it a destinatiion restaurant but if you are in the area the food is quite good. Went with my husband, I had a crab cake and a side of spinach with mushrooms; he had a philly cheese steak and a side of potato salad. The atmosphere and the service was on par. The decor was nice though it did give me the feeling of being in a upscale renovated Denny's (I ran that analogy by my husband though and he didn't agree). I think in order to make it they are going to need to make some pricing adjustments, or just tweeks in the menu. I will go back, and I do think the food was very good but I can understand if some people were disappointed.
BT: The photograph accompanying this article is Orange Peel Shrimp.
I'd like to know what the shrimp dish that's pictured in the review is. It looks like something I'd want to order, but I didn't see any mention of this entree in the review.
Since Frankie's on the Plaza has closed, where did Victor go?
I have been out of town and am looking for a classy restaurant and Victor's has always been the "Place"
I had the duck with 14 other people and they raved about it! Bo Ling's on the Plaza is better than ever, I think ...
what a weird review. your duck was charcoaled, your pineapple fried rice was from disneyland, and the third dish you ordered didn't include the ingredients to the dish on the menu. yet you speak glowingly of the place in the article summary.
no thanks.
Been in a few times when I am in the area. The food is very good and reasonably priced. I agree 100% the staff is very fun to look at. There are some good genes in that family.
Big surprise, the Engelharts are so broke from the lawsuits that they managed to open a brand new LA location. Maybe sacred commerce includes pretending you are broke in order to close a few locations, making massive profits from the sale of the land so you can open way more franchises. Not to mention the seminar money to be made this year in Kc when the local owners who pretend to operate independently of these cult leader criminals host them. Tight scam, kids.
Here's hoping I never ever EVER hear these words again...."Did you like your yummy enzymes?" Seriously bland food, Horribly vapid waitstaff. No. NO. NOOOOOO.
Brobeck's is the greatest! Never had a bad meal there and like everything. Not as expensive as other places and no wait. Carry out is fantastic. Love the ham salad and the corn nuggets. They are not to be missed! Very addictive. Like the idea of getting however many ribs we want if we want a taste. Try them, you'll be happy! We also love the turkey. Employees are always friendly, too, which is great.
can there ever once be a pitch restaurant review where charles or one of his friends doesn't comment on the attractiveness of the staff?
sounds like a good place though.
I can't wait to try this place (all new places should offer a modest Groupon to entice visitors, imho), but I can't help but note that it's not the only German cuisine restaurant in the Crossroads, let alone the entire KC metro.
I know Grunauer (in the old freight house with Lidia's and Jack Stack) is technically an "Austrian" restaurant, but the menu has plenty of traditional German staples.
Re: “Murray's Tables & Tap recalls an earlier dining age”
$4 a bite on the crab cake? Maybe half that price and that's stuffing your mouth full. Slow down and enjoy your meal Charles. It's one of the best crab cakes I've ever had and actually a steal of a deal, especially @ $7 at Happy Hour.