Recent Stories by Joyce Smith
Here’s how a rebooted Westport favorite plans to earn its ‘Best Burger in KC’ banner
Fans of Westport’s longtime Green Room Burgers & Beer and Westport Coffeehouse Theater feared new owners would “corporatize it,” subdivide the space, or even tear down the well-positioned corner for condos at the edge for the entertainment district. But after Matt and Tessa Ortiz experienced the scene as customers, they only wanted the neighborhood mainstay…
Restaurateurs at Parlor KC ‘completely shocked’ by food hall’s planned closure
With just four days’ notice — and sitting on thousands of dollars in perishable food inventory — a half-dozen entrepreneurs with kitchens at Parlor KC said they were blindsided this week by a social media post announcing the food hall’s final hours.
Mi Ranchito founder opens upscale cantina; it’s the first to bear his name, an American Dream come true
Rulber De La Torre spent months remodeling the former Another Broken Egg Cafe space in Prairie Village for an upscale version of his Mi Ranchito Cocina & Cantina Mexicana with a smaller menu and more grilled items.
Reuben dogs in the rough: Crossroads Golf adds ‘craft-forward’ dining, drinks to neighborhood indoor golf
Crossroads Golf is more than a blending of cocktail culture with Crossroads vibes, owners of the new sports entertainment venue said. The 4,000-square-foot space — which technically sits just inside Westside — is meant to be a boundary-hopping mesh of neighborhoods.
Feast for five senses: DJ-curated ‘fast fine’ Italian spot set to be first tenant for $35M Plaza development
A crowd-pleasing modern Italian restaurant — which takes customers from happy hour to high-energy dinner to live DJ-curated late nights — is coming to the Country Club Plaza.
Mersea founders kept their sea legs; now they’re setting sail with the brand’s first storefront
More than a dozen years after it was founded, Lenexa-based Mersea has its first celebrity and designer collaborations, as well as a new pop-up on the Country Club Plaza — its first brick-and-mortar store.
Herbs N’ Harlem founder had to slow down to scale up; now she’s meditating on expansion
“I want people to know: the worst thing you can think of, you can make it through. You are capable of moving on from loss. To get up and keep going. I promise,” said Ma’Ryah Jennings.
Boulevard’s Easy Orange ale makes Dutch fans’ bucket lists as World Cup anticipation ferments
Boulevard Brewing Co.’s Easy Orange limited-edition summer ale was so popular in 2025, the Kansas City brewery planned to roll it out again this year — long before Kansas City was announced as the FIFA World Cup base camp for the Netherlands.
Big Grove Brewery opens in Prairie Village, leading neighborhood’s sprawling retail reboot
A massive restaurant and brewery is the first tenant to open in the redeveloped Macy’s building in Prairie Village, with more tenants coming soon to the complex, as well as The Shops of Prairie Village.
Visitors will never guess what KC has in store for World Cup: Inside Open Doors! new shops
Bubble and slime play. Vegan Mexican cuisine. A jazz listening room. The variety and depth of Kansas City’s wide-ranging small business community will pop when visitors near and far arrive for the FIFA World Cup, said Nia Webster, calling out a compelling list of entrepreneurs selected for the city’s Open Doors! program.