Notable Comings and Goings in the Kansas City Dining Scene September 2019

Au revoir to Ça Va’s Caitlin Corcoran

Beloved Westport champagne bar Ça Va is losing its matriarch. Caitlin Corcoran is stepping down from her positions of general manager and managing partner, which she has held for the past five years. In August, Corcoran announced a sabbatical designed around a wine harvest position at Gramercy Cellars in Walla Walla, Washington. She will return to Ça Va briefly at the end of the year to help with the holiday season and will move on permanently from the restaurant after hosting one final NYE bash. Corcoran remains tight-lipped for now about her future plans, but the accomplished sommelier and James Beard Award Foundation fellow is definitely a rising star to keep on your radar.

4149 Pennsylvania Ave., Kansas City, Mo. Open 4 pm-1 am Tuesday-Saturday and 11 am-3 pm Sunday. 816-255-3934, cavakc.com.

Break out your lederhosen

We’ve got plenty of Irish pubs in Kansas City but not much in the way of German pub options. Enter Ironhaus Bierhalle and Garten, which opened recently in the former Paddy O’Quigley’s Pub and Grille space in Leawood’s IronHorse Centre. There are a dozen beers on tap (a mix of German imports and local brews available in third-liter, half-liter or full-liter pours) and twice as many available by the bottle. The menu is also a blend of traditional German food (think schnitzels and sauerkraut) and standard American pub fare with German influence. There’s ample seating inside at the bar, in booths and at community-style tables, and the shady biergarten features yard games and weekend live music.

5317 W. 151st St., Leawood, Kan. Open 2 pm-10 pm Monday-Wednesday, 2 pm-midnight Thursdays and Fridays, 11 am-midnight Saturdays, and 11 am-10 pm Sundays.

New Joe on the block

A new coffee shop and bar called Front Range Coffeehouse & Provisions is nestled into the Fairway Shops, a few doors down from Rainy Day Books. The shop offers craft coffee beverages (try the cereal milk latte) made with beans from Post Coffee (of Lee’s Summit) and Thou Mayest, pastries from Heirloom in Brookside, and sandwiches from Fletcher’s Sandwiches — plus tap beer and specialty cocktails. There’s definitely an outdoorsy theme here: The forest-green walls, vaulted wood ceiling and chandelier fashioned out of antlers will have you feeling like you’ve retreated to a mountain cabin.

2718 W. 53rd St., Fairway, Kan. Open 7 am-8 pm Monday-Thursday, 7 am-10 pm Friday-Saturday, 8 am-8 pm Sunday. 913-620-3343.

Roar for roast beef

Lion’s Choice has been a popular destination for roast beef sandwiches since the first location opened up in 1967 in the St. Louis area. Well, it’s a little more than popular. If you’ve swung by the Lion’s Choice food truck that’s been making the rounds in the Kansas City area for the last year, you’ve noticed the line. Now, the beefery is expanding across the state line with a new location in Olathe and an upcoming spot on Metcalf Avenue in Overland Park, which opens in October.

Locations in Olathe and Independence. Open 6 am-10 pm Monday-Friday and 7 am-10 pm Saturday-Sunday. Breakfast served daily until 10am. lionschoice.com.

Sushi your way

Poke bowls are continuing to infiltrate the Kansas City dining scene, and there’s a new addition with Pokesan in the Crossroads. This second-floor restaurant (located at 1513 Grand Blvd. above the now-closed Kokothai and next to the popular cocktail bar SoT) features build-your-own poke bowls. Pokesan is particularly dedicated to offering a variety of healthy options: In addition to sushi rice, guests can choose from brown rice, quinoa, cauliflower rice and mixed greens. There’s a range of protein, too, from salmon and ahi tuna to grilled chicken and tofu for the seafood-averse.

1513 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, Mo. Open 11 am-9:30 pm Sunday-Thursday and 11 am-1:30 am Friday-Saturday. 816-701-6120, pokesan.com.

Capital, capital

The local branch of Capital Grille got bigger and better in August, when it opened in its new location inside the former Williams-Sonoma on the Country Club Plaza. The high-end steakhouse from Darden (Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse) now has patio seating and six private dining rooms, plus those same popular dry-aged steaks.

4760 Broadway Blvd., Kansas City, Mo. Open 11 am-10 pm Monday-Thursday, 11 am-11 pm Friday, 4 pm-11 pm Saturday and 4 pm-9 pm Sunday. 816-561-1248, thecapitalgrille.com.

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