Kansas City Restaurant Week 2022 just wrapped up and it was a delicious week. This was one of the first years I have lived close enough to participation KCRW for multiple menus. My roommate suggested we keep track of the restaurants we tried and what we ate so that we can ty different ones in the coming years. So, this post serves as both a personal journal keeping track of the restaurants we visited and as a review of the menus for you all. I hope to update it each year with additional restaurants and reviews.
Jackstack BBQ
It wouldn’t be a Kansas City restaurant week without some Kansas City barbecue. Jackstack had all six of its Kansas City area locations participating in restaurant week, so no matter what area of KC you live in, you should put Jackstack on your list next year.
A unique thing about Jackstack’s restaurant week menu is that it is served family style. The $35 dinner menu serves 2 people! It is such a great deal! We were also pleasantly surprised at the amount of food that came on the platter. There were three of us who ate dinner at Jackstack during the week, and since it only served two, we ordered an additional side and an order of burnt ends. Really, we didn’t have to do that because there was enough food on the restaurant week platter for the three of us!
Another great thing about restaurant week at Jackstack: they also have drink specials on their menu! A platter full of bbq and a couple dollars off of a cocktail? It’s hard for me to think of anything better than that!
Cliff’s Taphouse
We went to brunch at Cliff’s Taphouse the first weekend of restaurant week. Something that made Cliff’s restaurant week menu special were the items on the menu. Their menu contained a couple of courses that you can’t find on their regular menu. So, even if you are a Taphouse regular, you can find something special on their menu!
One reason Cliff’s Taphouse was one of the restaurants I wanted to try this week was because they participate in Gift-a-Meal. Gift-a-Meal is a non-profit from St. Louis, Missouri. Take a picture of your meal, post it to the app, and then a donation is made to a local food bank. It’s so easy to do a good dead while you enjoy a good meal.
Garozzo’s
We love to eat at Garozzo’s. We probably eat there every few months. That said, I was disappointed in their restaurant week menu. Their food is always delicious, but the menu selections were not as good of a deal as other restaurants. Depending on the entree selection, you are only saving a few dollars. As wonderful as restaurant week menus are, sometimes it is worth studying the regular menu and comparing prices.
Hereford House
I also wanted to put a steakhouse on the list of places to eat during restaurant week. I looked at Eddie V’s and The Majestic, but reservations were thin at those places. We aren’t late night eaters. So, a 9pm reservation is a bit too late for our tastes. Which took us to Hereford House. But, it worked out for the best! My stepdad’s birthday was the second weekend of restaurant week, and Hereford House in Independence, Missouri is closer to their house (and mine).
My family appreciated the diversity of Hereford House’s restaurant week menu. Their $35 menu had seafood, pork, and vegan entrees. And, their $45 menu had two cuts of steak for an entree option. As much as we appreciated about the menu, this was my least favorite restaurant week experience. The service itself was frustrating. We were both rushed and neglected at the same time. Now, I understand they could have been short staffed, as so many restaurants are, so we did our best to brush this part of the experience off.
But, there were other things that made the experience frustrating. There was also a discrepancy between the restaurant week menu and how you were permitted to order. The menu said each entree came with a choice of two sides. But, when my mom and I ordered the salmon and the pork chops, we were not able to choose two sides. We were told they came with the sides that are listed with the entree on the regular menu. My sister’s ribeye steak was overcooked. My pork chops were tough, despite being brined for 24 hours. And, my sister thought the mashed potatoes were bland, especially compared with those of other steakhouses. Overall, a disappointing and frustrating Hereford House experience.
