The Starker's wine list is 59 pages long. That's approximately 1,665 varieties of wine in a cellar stock of more than 12,000 bottles. But it's the quality that makes the selection remarkable. Starker's has earned
Wine Spectator's annual Grand Award since 1992, a designation signaling an impressive selection stored and served at the highest industry standards. Kansas City wine expert Doug Frost (see
Best
Wino) is intimately familiar with the inventory at Starker's, having helped owner Cliff Bath select some of it as a wine wholesaler. "I was lucky enough to be included in the selection," Frost tells us. "It was great fun to work with someone who says, "Well, money be damned -- let's build this list.'" Frost notes that, although the place may seem pricey (there's one bottle that goes for about $4,000), it also has a selection of $20 bottles geared toward romantics on a budget. Besides, the restaurant's second-story views of the Plaza and small seating area afford wine lovers a couple of necessary drinking intangibles: intimacy and ambience.
