And The Nominees Are...

Food & Drink

And The Nominees Are…

Happy Thursday, Kansas City! Hot off the press - this year’s James Beard Award Nominees are out, and we have the scoop on the KC restaurants named. The James Beard Award is often regarded as the highest honor a restaurant can win each year.

• The Campground: Jeff Workman, nominated for Best Emerging Chef in the US, is making a name for himself by curating a menu with craft burgers, steelhead trout, and shiitake mushrooms.

• Affäre: As we mentioned in our Restaurant Week picks, Affäre’s owner is also a sommelier. They were nominated for Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program.

• Drastic Measures: If at first you don’t succeed, try again. Drastic Measures has been nominated for the second straight year for America’s Most Outstanding Bar.

• The Town Company.: Making a comeback from temporarily closing, Johnny Leach from The Town Company has been nominated for Best Chef in the Midwest.

• Westport Cafe: The second chef up for best chef in the Midwest is Romain Monnoyeur who can make a mean Eze Pasta.

• Chewology: Another chef from KC up for Best Chef in the Midwest is Katie Liu-Sung who makes Dan-Dan and Bao to die for.

• Saltwell Farm Kitchen: Last, but certainly not least in KC’s list of chefs up for Best in the Midwest is Rozz Petrozz who has brought notoriety to sleepy Overbrook, KS by offering a 3-4 hour, 8-course tasting menu

Opening

Sliding Into A New Home

This week, the College Baseball Association announced that it would make Overland Park the future home of the College Baseball Hall of Fame.

• From O’Brate & Baum-Walker: The new Hall of Fame will take up residence inside the Museum at Prairiefire on 135th Street. According to reports, officials estimate that the Hall of Fame will add millions in revenue to the city.

• Two-Sport GOAT: While you may think of him as a football star, Patrick Mahomes played a key role in luring the HOF to KC. Mahomes himself played baseball at Texas Tech and his dad was a MLB pitcher.

• Come On In, Champ: Each year the Hall of Fame will welcome a new class of inductees. This year’s class is highlighted by former Royals legend, Alex Gordon, who won the Golden Spikes Award while at Nebraska.

City of Overland Park officials and members of the College Baseball Association say that they expect the Hall of Fame to open in late 2025.

Government

Bureaucratic Games

The city may have approved the 3/8-cent sales tax to benefit the Royals and Chiefs onto the ballot, but you’ll need a Ph.D. to read how the ballot is phrased.

• Vetoing Your Veto: Last week, city officials overruled a veto to add the 3/8-cent sales tax to April Ballots. The main sticking points in the deal were over demolition costs and financing for Truman Sports Complex.

• I’m Just A Bill: This week, city officials released verbiage that would allow for those points to be addressed through the bill. The new ballot would still allow the Royals flexibility to pursue a new home near downtown.

• Show Me The Money: The 3/8-cent sales tax would come as a large boost to local businesses that rely on the Chiefs and Royals for income. 10 influential groups including the KC Chamber of Commerce came out in favor of getting this deal done.

The ballot, which is trying to push through different issues without the need for intervention, will undoubtedly be revised several times before the bill makes it to the ballot in April.

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In Other News

• 🎳 Let The Games Begin: Merriam city officials have approved Cinemark’s proposed ‘Gamescape’ renovation plan.

• ⚾ Would Simon Cowell Approve?: Think you have the chops to sing the National Anthem in front of a full(ish) stadium? The Royals are taking applications for singers.

• 🪹 A Nest To Rest: Calling all Baltimore transplants: Lew's Bar and Grill is probably the lone Ravens bar in KC this weekend.

• 🪪 Dry January 2024: This 2 person marketing firm is helping to grow the non-alcoholic beverage market in KC.

• 🌮 Plans Change: Yoli Tortilleria posted this week that it’s pivoting away from a potential restaurant concept, but pushing toward new recipes.

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